As Kousuke was walking down the corridor towards the lounge space, Nana suddenly burst in.
“Woof!”
“Oh, Nana. You’re back,” Kousuke said.
Nana had been out adventuring with Riku’s party for the past few days to help Sol with his general knowledge learning (?).
“Ah, I knew it,” Riku said, peeking out from the meeting room door, his tail wagging happily as he petted Nana.
The door revealed Sol and the other members of Riku’s party as well.
“Knew what? Did something happen?” Kousuke asked.
“No. It’s just that when Nana came through the teleport gate and immediately ran off, we figured your father was here, and we were just talking about it.”
“Ah, I see.”
Although there was a meeting room between the teleportation room and the corridor where Kousuke was, it was impressive that Nana could sniff them out through the walls.
Kousuke, who had crouched down to stroke Nana’s neck, turned his gaze to Riku.
“So? How’s he doing?”
“I think he’s fine with general knowledge. As for things related to my father, I believe it will just take time?”
“Ah…”
Riku’s report made Kousuke’s expression turn subtle. He had already heard from Riku that Sol had a low boiling point when it came to Kousuke. However, Kousuke himself didn’t see it as much of a problem, as he already had a close example of it.
Kousuke looked up at the ceiling for a moment, then quickly shook his head. “For now, let’s go inside. There’s no point in standing around here and talking.”
As he said this, Kousuke gestured to the door leading to the lounge space. Riku, who also wanted to sit down rather than continue standing, agreed.
***
When Kousuke and the others entered the lounge space, Silvia and Floria were already there.
“What…? Oh, you’re back.” Floria was momentarily confused by the group, but seemed to understand the situation upon seeing Sol and Riku.
“Riku’s presence suggests you’ve made some progress?”
“Yes. However, it’s beyond our capabilities now.”
“Hmm? What do you mean?” Floria tilted her head, confused, but her expression changed to one of understanding when she heard it concerned Kousuke.
Floria glanced at Sol for a moment. “I see. Then it might work out.” Riku looked as if to say, “I knew it,” when the part he had struggled with the most was so easily dismissed. The other members of “Flame Wolf” behind Riku were surprised.
“Normally, one would ponder that for a while,” Floria said.
“If we worried about every little thing, we couldn’t live here,” she added.
“…I see.” Riku sighed in resignation at Floria’s strangely proud response.
Kousuke, overhearing Floria and Riku’s conversation, muttered from a short distance away, “They’re used to it.”
“That’s understandable. You live with the prime example of someone who goes berserk over Kousuke,” Silvia replied, nodding at Kousuke’s mumbling. The prime example, of course, referred to Kouhi and Mitsuki.
“Prime example…” Kousuke slumped his shoulders, but strangely, the people in question seemed proud.
While Kousuke and Silvia watched, Floria and Riku’s conversation continued.
“That’s all well and good, but right now, he seems like he could easily go berserk, so I can’t let him out in public.”
“Then you don’t need to worry. There’s an easy way to keep him in check.” Floria said, turning her gaze to Sol.
“Sol.”
“Y-Yes!”
“So far, Nana and Wanri have been enough, but if you ever cause trouble because of Kousuke, those two will step in, you understand?” Floria glanced at Kouhi and Mitsuki, and Sol followed her gaze. Upon spotting the two in their line of sight, Sol shivered.
“Y-Yes, understood!” Sol replied, standing at attention. Floria nodded, looking satisfied.
With the issue of Sol’s problem resolved with a single word from Floria, the conversation shifted to casual chat.
“He’s become capable of acting as an adventuring novice, but will he actually be active?” Floria asked.
“Hmm. I don’t know that either. What do you plan to do?” Floria looked at Kousuke with the latter question.
Kousuke pondered for a moment. “Hmm… Even if he’s learned common sense, there are limits after such a short time. He’ll still be working as an adventurer.”
“If that’s the case, long-term requests will be difficult…” Riku frowned, contemplating the future. Kousuke waved his right hand. “No, no. Your requests for Riku’s party end here. From now on, we’ll be relying on other people.”
“Other people?” Floria and Riku tilted their heads in unison. Kousuke nodded, thinking they were just like a father and child, while conveniently ignoring his own situation.
“Cecil and Arisa.” The names that slipped casually from Kousuke’s lips made Floria and the others nod in understanding. Cecil and Arisa were currently reducing their adventuring activities to focus on establishing the Lily Shinto Shrine. Their position could be considered leaders of the shrine’s guard. If Sol could work under them, he could potentially become a guardian deity of the Lily Shinto Shrine in the future. For Sol, who prioritized Kousuke, it seemed like a suitable position (?).
“However, to achieve that, an adventurer’s rank will still be necessary. So, for a while, it might be best if they work together as a trio to raise their ranks.” Floria nodded and turned her gaze to Silvia. Currently, Kokoro was the nominal director of the Lily Shinto Shrine’s plan, but Silvia handled the actual final confirmations. After a moment of thought, Silvia nodded. “Yes. That would be the best approach.” Sol’s abilities were proven, and his loyalty to Kousuke was undeniable. While this loyalty sometimes caused problems, thanks to Riku and the others, they seemed to manage with the surrounding support. Therefore, it was logical for Sol to guard the Lily Shinto Shrine, where he was likely to meet more people in the future. The only concern was Sol’s species being named “God,” but in this world, people rarely mentioned species names, so it wasn’t a significant issue. Even if it were revealed, he would likely be revered as a divine being protecting the shrine, rather than scorned.
Kousuke turned his gaze to Sol, who looked worried about his future. “So, for now, learn from Cecil and Arisa.”
“Y-Yes!” Kousuke thought Sol just had to get used to their firm replies. “Well, that’s for later, perhaps?” Kousuke muttered softly. His mumbling was clearly heard by Floria, who was sitting beside him. Floria shook her head slightly upon hearing his words, but fortunately or unfortunately, Kousuke didn’t notice.
Sol, who was undergoing training, has now been approved for actual deployment (?). However, he will still be under surveillance. If anything happens, Kouhi and Mitsuki will be notified immediately, making the situation even stricter.
