Chapter 26

"…What is your name…?"

"Wait a moment."

As Sophie opened her mouth, a voice from behind stopped her.

Suddenly, Sophie turned around, looking over Livio’s body, and there stood Weiss, his usual frown etched between his brows.

"I’ve never prayed to a god, nor do I know much about magic. You can laugh at me for being foolish, but the idea of forming a master-servant relationship with a god seems absurd. If you and our witch say so, I won’t doubt it, but will the girl suffer any disadvantage by making this contract?"

Rude and disrespectful. Weiss’s words were the epitome of impoliteness, yet Sophie was moved. After all, even if he didn’t know much, he should have been able to tell that the being in front of him possessed a power far beyond human capabilities.

Yet, he fearlessly asked on Sophie’s behalf.

It was as if he were an adult protecting a child. Sophie’s heart fluttered. A gentle something caressed her heart.

After all, Sophie had always faced adults who had more knowledge and experience than her, or tried to match them by stretching herself. She was not used to being protected by adults. Therefore, her heart fluttered. It wasn’t a matter of falling in love or being captivated, but her heart just fluttered.

‘How impolite, I could crush you if I wanted to.’

At the low voice, Sophie looked up in surprise, and the large bear with blue eyes chuckled.

‘You seem to be happy now. Who is this? Your brother? A teacher?’

A teacher!

What a fitting description. Sophie couldn’t help but laugh.

Sitting at the back, stirring the pot while watching the teenagers bicker, a person who would speak up to a god on behalf of others. If something happened to him, it would affect the country, and anyone who saw would probably judge him as reckless. But from the looks of it, he was walking the fine line.

He was indeed a king and a teacher.

Teacher, Sophie has picked up a god!

What? Can you take care of her properly?!

Well, that makes you a teacher at an orphanage. Unfortunately, there are no plans to raise her in that country, so I’ll have to decline.

"He’s neither my brother nor a teacher, but an adult I respect."

"…What are you talking about?"

As Sophie laughed, the bear said, ‘I see,’ and laughed happily.

‘I was saved by you. In gratitude, I offer you my power. To me, a being who lives a tedious eternity, a human’s life is but a blink of an eye.’

"…So it’s just for entertainment?"

‘You could say that.’

With a hearty laugh, the bear turned to look at Weiss, who was not a teacher but an adult.

"He says he will lend his power as a thank you and for entertainment."

"If it’s true, do as you please."

When Sophie looked up again, the bear in the forest nodded.

‘To us, a promise is a bond and a chain. Swear that you will not break it.’

The bear said he would travel with her as a thank you for saving him. It was a generous offer, and the concern of an adult who worried about her was heartwarming. If it were the Sophie before she left the castle, she might not have nodded.

But Sophie had decided to stop thinking and giving up, and to stop just watching from a distance. She believed in Renetta and the light she had seen.

Sophie looked into the blue eyes.

"…Your name, Azwelo, would that be fine?"

‘Hm.’

"An old word for 'the blue one,' right?"

At Renetta’s words, Sophie smiled and said, ‘Yes.’

To be honest, Sophie probably didn’t like the color blue very much.

It might be an exaggeration to call it a trauma. Blue was the color of her ex-fiancé’s eyes. It didn’t matter to her whether the prince’s eyes were blue or muddy, but as long as she was engaged, she was required to wear blue in public. Blue earrings, blue necklaces.

If the prince wore accessories or scarves that matched Sophie’s hair or eye color, it would be a different story, but it wasn’t, so it was a pretty unfair deal. Sophie had no courage or position to defy it.

Thanks to that, a compliant lady who followed a whimsical fiancé was created, which was more than unpleasant, it was even amusing. There must have been a lot of gossip. It probably bore fruit and gave birth to something. Hmph? And then the seeds fell, the trees grew, and the flowers bloomed again. Gossip is like the cycle of life. Wow, grand.

It wasn’t interesting at all.

Blue was a symbol of the pitiful and wretched Sophia.

"I think I’ve always hated blue."

She had always wanted to escape from that color.

In truth, she had always wanted to throw away the blue earrings, necklaces, hair decorations, and bracelets.

At the bear’s low, surprised voice, Sophie smiled.

"So, I want to like blue. I’m living a new life now. Can you help me?"

That blue was very gentle, strong, and as beautiful as the distant sky.

It was nothing like the cruel blue that looked down from high above and mocked people. It was also different from the terrifying blue that was like a calm surface of water, revealing nothing.

Perhaps all the blue in the world was born from this. The beautiful blue was gently narrowed.

‘Master, I want to know your name.’

"–Sophie. Just Sophie."

‘Just Sophie.’

With a soft smile, Azwelo, the bear, glowed, and a small star-like light appeared on Sophie’s chest, shining white and warm.

The gentle light gradually became smaller and disappeared.

However, Sophie felt a strong light residing in her heart and soul.

It felt invincible, as if power was surging through her.

"Just Sophie. From this moment on, be proud as the master of the blue one."

"A"

As Azwelo laughed, Renetta and Livio clutched their chests. When Sophie turned around, Weiss also had a displeased look on his face.

"It’s a service."

"It feels warm?"

"To be unable to communicate with the people around the master would be inconvenient. I have granted you a blessing."

Azwelo, standing on two legs with his chest puffed out, was huge. The imposing figure of the large bear was impressive, yet it had a mysterious cuteness. It was fluffy and adorable.

"This will boost your protective magic. Hey, can you punch me as hard as you can?"

"No way."

"Then, Mr. Livio, can you punch me as hard as you can?"

"No way!"

Renetta, who seemed genuinely curious about testing the magic, was puzzled. It was understandable that she wanted to test it, but asking a little girl to punch her or a guard to punch the king was unreasonable. The matter-of-fact way she said it made it even more awkward.

"Renetta, I think you can better use this power… After all, it was Renetta who taught me magic to heal your injuries…"

As Sophie looked up at the fluffy, imposing figure, Azwelo gently put his two feet down. Despite his size, his movements were delicate, and there was no vibration. A gentle breeze blew, and a soft, fluffy sound was heard. What, where did that come from?

"I don’t like witches. They don’t even think of gods as gods."

"I don’t like gods either, so it’s fine."

As they spoke in unison, a deep chasm appeared.

Sophie was startled, thinking it might lead to a confrontation, but they nodded at each other with a subtle, adult response. Well, are they adults? Yes, they are. Even if they don’t get along, they are trying to understand each other, so they are adults. Even if they subtly throw sand at each other’s feet, if they have the attitude to do it in secret, they are probably adults. Probably.

"Miss Sophie, if you’ve calmed down, would you like to have a meal?"

Sophie thinks that true adults can change the atmosphere with a smile in such situations. She smiled back at the gentle Livio.

"Yes, I’m hungry."

"That’s good. My hands were about to turn into butter."

As Sophie and Livio laughed and thanked Weiss, who was smiling sarcastically, Renetta tilted her head.

"Can people turn into butter?"

"No."

"Hei said so."

"It’s a metaphor."

Renetta, who seemed unconvinced, was supposed to have been engaged to Weiss at the age of 16 last year, making her 17 now, two years older than Sophie.

When they greeted each other at a party, Sophie only thought she was a quiet young lady, but Renetta’s small body and gestures were somewhat childish. As Sophie looked at her familiar, expressionless face and thought how cute she was, she was called by a low voice.

"Sophie."

Looking up at the large body, she saw blue eyes sparkling. Sophie recognized this look.

"What is it?"

"It’s a soup made with mushrooms and pork. You could call it a mixed stew."

As Livio, who was preparing the meal, answered, Azwelo nodded.

"I’ve always been interested in human food. Give me some."

"Eh?"

Didn’t clerics abstain from meat? Wasn’t meat a taboo for offerings?

"Can you eat meat?"

"Why not?"

"Eh?"

She was asked in return.

Why not? But a moment ago, Azwelo was about to crush Weiss, so it didn’t seem like he was bound by the principle of non-violence.

"I’m not a pig or a horse. I don’t know human logic, and I don’t care about the life and death of living beings."

I see.

Sophie nodded. There are gods like this.

When people hear the word ‘god,’ they tend to pray and ask for help, thinking of a merciful being who saves all, but there are gods who reject such notions, embodying the concept of ‘I am the only one.’ They are not bad to exist. The world is vast, and such things can happen. Sophie, who had been desperately learning recovery magic until just a moment ago, was now a god’s master. You never know what will happen or what encounters you will have.

In this world, there are countless gods.

Most of the world is taught that the creators are three gods and that these gods naturally reside in everything, but there are regions with their own religions that disagree. In other words, the nature of gods varies widely. It’s not a matter of ten people, ten colors, but ten gods, ten colors.

Therefore, it’s fine to have gods who bring salvation and gods who ask for meaty soup.

"But if Azwelo eats it, it will be gone…"

If there was enough for them, but how much would it cost to feed that massive body? It might be comparable to the national budget. As Sophie looked up, Azwelo nodded and then emitted a light with a ‘pon!’

"!"

And what a cute sight!

A kitten-sized bear appeared, looking at them as if it wanted to eat the soup! Would you like some?

Yes, please!!

"Azwelo! You’re a genius!!!"

"I am a god."

Without thinking, Sophie reached out her hands, and with a ‘ton,’ Azwelo jumped and sat on her lap. The fluffy, soft feeling of the fur was indescribable!

"Purple. Give me that soup."

"Sure, sure. You’re a god with a big appetite."

As Livio laughed and Azwelo purred on her lap, Sophie felt as if she were in heaven for a moment. There was a god, and there were angels.

"By the way,"

Sophie, savoring the bliss without showing it on her face, looked down at Azwelo, whose voice had become cuter.

"Purple. The light when the master uses magic was similar to the color of your eyes."

"Eh?"

Eh?

Eh?

Eh?

I’m sorry for the delay again…

I’ll try to post earlier tomorrow!