Chapter 2

In a room that seemed to be an office, a silver-haired elf, who looked to be in his mid-30s, confronted a golden-haired man of the same age. A beastman leaning against the wall and a red-haired dwarf sitting at a table, drinking, watched the scene. This had been a daily occurrence for about half a year.

This place is the Day Realm. According to mythology, it is a world created by the Creator God as a mere pastime. The world is divided into two major parts: the Day Realm and the Dark Realm. Although they are adjacent, they do not intersect. The Dark Realm is filled only with miasma, which is said to be the concentration of darkness that the God avoided and gathered when creating the Day Realm.

The miasma, separated by a mountain range, produces monsters through underground dungeons. The miasma, once generated as monsters, turns into magic stones and nourishes the Day Realm. As long as the dungeons are managed, the Dark Realm is nothing more than a resource for the Day Realm. However, the miasma from the Dark Realm gradually leaks into the Day Realm through the air. If it becomes too concentrated, people fall ill and crops wither. The task of purifying this miasma falls to the Holy Maiden.

The problem is that the Holy Maiden, who possesses this ability, does not appear in this world. Instead, the God brings her from another world. One at a time. As long as the Holy Maiden is present, the miasma continues to be purified.

However, it has been half a year since the previous Holy Maiden disappeared, and there is no sign of a new one appearing at the temple. According to records, the longest it has ever taken for a new Holy Maiden to appear is three months.

Even though it hasn't reached the point of causing illness, the increasing concentration of miasma is making people restless, and crimes are gradually increasing. If another half a year passes without a new Holy Maiden appearing, what will happen to the Day Realm?

The human king sighed inwardly. If the God was going to create a world as a pastime, he should have created the Holy Maiden from this world.

"Moreover, she always stays in the human territory. If the Holy Maiden comes, the purification speed will increase. What do you think about our country, where the miasma concentration increases with each change of the Holy Maiden!"

"Even so, we are not the ones keeping her. If she is afraid of airships, there is nothing we can do about it."

The king remembered. The previous Holy Maiden was a quiet person who created a small garden and orchard within the palace and lived without much interaction with others. When he visited, she would treat him to delicious snacks and tea, and she was not at all unfriendly. However,

"Besides, she is afraid of beastmen. The only thing that interested her was the magic stone train, so she did go to the dwarf country."

"Indeed. It is said that she particularly enjoyed the food in the dwarf country, but her stay was short."

The old dwarf said this calmly. The young elf paced back and forth irritably.

"Why does the God always summon from the same country? Every person who comes is quiet. This time, she will probably go to the dwarf country, but will she still be afraid of airships? If so, crossing the mountains will be..."

"Most women are afraid of mountains and bugs."

The beastman muttered. He was probably a canine-type beastman, with ears that were almost white on top of his head, and hair that continued to flow down his back. His tail swayed gently from side to side behind him.

"I know! That's why we use airships!"

"The beastman territory is also having problems. Fights are increasing. If she is afraid of beastmen, we could put her in a cage for safety..."

"Are you an idiot? There's no way we would want to go to such lengths to bring her to the beastman territory!"

"Then the same goes for the elf territory."

"What?"

The human king furrowed his brow and muttered.

"Complaining won't do any good. Unlike you retired ones, I am still the active king. Please, let me do my job..."

At that moment, a high-pitched ringing filled the air, and the atmosphere changed.

"This is..."

"The Holy Maiden has descended!"

"Head to the temple!"

The elf and the beastman quickly ran out. Their respective attendants followed, looking exasperated.

"There's no need to rush; there are people on standby at the temple..."

The king said, exasperated. The dwarf smiled and said,

"We have been waiting for this. Look, the air is different. The Holy Maiden of this generation seems to be powerful. Shall we go as well?"

"We can't leave it to those two."

Meanwhile, Chiharu and Makoto were slumped on the ground, arms crossed.

"What? What?"

"Just now, it felt like when you go down a hill in a car, didn't it?"

In response to Chiharu's anxiety, Makoto said calmly,

"Exactly. But Makoto, look around."

"Huh?"

They had been in an izakaya just a moment ago. They opened the sliding door and stepped outside. So why were Chiharu and Makoto sitting on a hard stone pedestal? Why were they in a place that looked like a cathedral with a high ceiling? Why were they surrounded by foreigners? People were saying,

"Two Holy Maidens?"

"Which one is it?"

"Is this a movie shoot?"

"You speak Japanese well. Are you an extra? Should we get out of the way?"

Makoto slowly stood up but sat down again.

"Uh-oh, there are quite a few people coming."

"Okay, let's slowly get down while sitting."

Supporting each other, they carefully descended from the pedestal.

At that moment, a creaking sound was heard, and a door suddenly opened. A tall person held the door open while a person with long hair ran in.

"Which one is the Holy Maiden! Oh! Oh?"

They froze. Behind them, a tall person walked in slowly. What? Dog ears? Looking down, a bushy tail was wagging. Even though they were drunk, Chiharu and Makoto were modern kids. This situation could only mean one thing.

"Summoned to another world..."

Chiharu muttered in a daze, and Makoto started to walk unsteadily towards the person.

"Rush"

No, that's not it! It's just a person with ears and a tail! Makoto slipped past Chiharu's hand, which tried to stop her. By the way, Rush is a retriever that Makoto's family keeps. Chiharu had seen a photo of it. And Rush's ears are floppy, right?

"I named him after 'Patrush'"

"Naming him is a death flag?"

Chiharu couldn't help but point out, but Rush, who is 12 years old this year, is healthy and will live a long life. Makoto had doted on him so much that it was the thing she regretted most about living alone.

Makoto, reaching out to touch the ears, approached the dog-eared person, who looked at her with a mix of confusion and happiness, as if dealing with a child. He lifted her up by the armpits, giving her a high-five. Makoto giggled like a child.

But that's not good! Chiharu ran to get Makoto down, but she tripped. Yes, her right foot caught her left foot. Right, I'm drunk... She thought this while looking at the approaching ground when someone supported her from the side. It was the person who had run in.

Oh, long ears. Silky white hair. Blue eyes. A handsome man.

But sorry. Lifting a drunk person by the armpits is a no-no.

Naturally, he put her down.

The temple was momentarily silent, then erupted in chaos. The dog-eared person and the long-eared person remained frozen for a while.