In the middle of the night, as I was sleeping with Teto, we both found ourselves back in the dream oracle space.
"I wonder what's the purpose of Liliel and the others today..."
"It should be to have tea with Majou-sama! What will you make today, Majou-sama?"
Occasionally, we were summoned to this place to have tea while talking about everyday affairs. However, a tea party needed tea and snacks so I usually created them with and ate them together.
In the beginning, it was just black tea and cakes, but gradually it changed to sweets and other snacks from my previous life at the request of Liliel and others. And now, we'd sometimes have dishes from Japanese family restaurants, junk foods, or at other times, the cheap sweets that I created.
However I must say, should any believer see their beautiful and divine goddesses eating junk food with cola in one hand while chatting, they would definitely faint from the shock.
Well, even for me, it was only in this dream space where I could quietly create and eat food items from my previous life. In reality, there were just not that many chances to create them......
"Well, I'm thinking of having wagashi (traditional Japanese sweets) today."
For today's menu, I came up with dorayaki, fortune cookies, manju, castella, yokan, fried dough cake, and rice crackers. I made them with . I had just arranged the green tea to go along with these snacks when Liliel and a young girl appeared softly floating.
"Liliel, hello."
"Welcome-nanodesu! Majou-sama has created a lot of things!"
Liliel gently pushed forward the young girl who came along with her. She glided through the air and floated in front of us.
The young girl had shoulder-length white hair with a halo shining on her head and wings growing from her back— most probably, she was a goddess like Liliel.
"Perhaps Underworld Goddess Loriel?"
"The final goddess-sama!"
This continent called the Ninth Continent has five goddesses and I had pretty much met most of them. It was only the Underworld Goddess Loriel who I hadn't met so far as she was in an eternal slumber.
However, recently I heard — well it was just my skewed timing sense as it has already been a decade since the stampede in the western continent — that she had finally woken up. So I expected to meet her one day.
<hmm, nice="" to="" meet="" you......?=""></hmm,>
The white-haired young goddess who looked no older than 12 years like me opened her sleepy eyes and stared at us with her pale purple irises.
<recently, i="" have="" received="" some="" comforting="" prayers.="" that's="" why="" like="" you.=""></recently,>
"Huh, by prayer— ah, what?......"
<...... I am tired.>
Loriel, as she was quietly floating in the air, plopped down on the ground, suddenly losing strength.
While Teto and I were surprised at the sudden situation, Liliel let out a troubled sigh.
<sure enough,="" it's="" still="" a="" bit="" early="" for="" you="" to="" come="" out.="">
<...... Don't wanna. It's not fair that only Lili Onee-sama and the others get to eat delicious food. I will also eat them.>
Loriel said, raising a voice of protest against Liliel while lying on the ground.
"Uhm, it wouldn't be good to sleep on the ground, let me create a bed— !"
I created a soft bed with creation magic and along with Teto, we shifted Loriel from the ground to the bed as she flashed a satisfied smile feeling the fluffiness of said bed.
<fua...... the="" bed="" is="" so="" nice.="" can="" i="" take="" this="" along="" with="" me?=""></fua......>
<loriel, can="" you="" have="" some="" dignity="" as="" a="" goddess?=""></loriel,>
Liliel said, feeling somewhat embarrassed.
Loriel just casually glanced at her as she lounged languidly on the bed and pulled a dorayaki with what seemed to be psychokinesis power before putting it into her mouth.
<...... It's tasty.>
Her face still harbored a sleepy expression, but the slight upward curve on the edges of her lips as she happily ate the snacks gave a warm and fuzzy feeling inside, creating a soothing sight.
Then we each reached out for the sweets of our liking and sipped on the green tea. Since we were on a bed, though, it looked more like we were there to goof around......
"Come to think of it, Liliel, did you call us today to meet Loriel?"
<no, it="" seems="" loriel="" has="" a="" favor="" to="" ask="" of="" you.=""></no,>
A goddess's request...... I had already undertaken the others' requests so far, so I wasn't going to reject them at this point. But the scale of Leriel's request involving the crisis of the western continent was just too big.
As I braced myself for what might come this time, Loriel spoke.
<...... Even though I was asleep, I continued the cycle of life and death on this continent.>
"Yeah, I've heard about it."
"It must've been awful!"
As the souls of the dead entered the cycle of reincarnation, and new lives were born, the mana they exuded served to fill the world. That should be why she had kept it working.
<however, there="" are="" still="" a="" lot="" of="" souls="" that="" have="" been="" left="" stranded="" in="" the="" space-time="" rifts="" after="" recklessness="" ancient="" magic="" civilization="" 2000="" years="" ago.=""></however,>
"And a portion of them returned to the cycle of reincarnation after the stampede."
As I filled in the words, Loriel nodded her head in affirmation.
Loriel spoke with a serious expression but it didn't last long with her holding another castella in her hand and the traces of it on the corner of her lips.
"Huh? We were talking about scooping out souls from the space-time rift, why did the topic change to a festival?"
"Oh, it sounds fun-nanodesu!>
Teto looked excited, but I was at a loss about what to do for such an important task as a festival. Just as I wondered what kind of sacred ritual would suit the occasion, Loriel, as if she had read my mind, answered.
I see, that solved the riddle, but weren't festivals all held around the world? Or so I thought.
<certainly, festivals="" are="" held="" at="" various="" places="" in="" the="" world.="" however,="" this="" is="" only="" place="" where="" space-time="" wall="" weaker="" due="" to="" ancient="" magic="" civilization="" disaster.="" holding="" other="" wouldn't="" even="" be="" half="" as="" effective="" here.=""></certainly,>
Liliel explained, and Loriel nodded in affirmation while reaching out her hands for some fortune cookies.
"I think I get the gist of it. Winter holistic festival, huh? It sounds fun."
Drinking and eating under the sakura trees while enjoying the sight of the flowers and the fluttering sakura petals— the flower viewing event has become a staple in the though each village also has its own harvest festival.
Having a festival on the winter solstice, the shortest day of the year, for the deceased — a requiem festival — sounded perfect.
<hmm, i="" am="" looking="" forward="" to="" it.="" and="" if="" possible,="" please="" hold="" it="" every="" year.=""></hmm,>
"Each year, huh?...... Well, that sounds more challenging than I thought......"
"But it sounds fun-nanodesu!"
The intention was to hold a festival to call back the wandering souls to this world, but I also wanted it to be a festival for the people currently living here.
I inexplicably felt that it must be done with the help of the residents of the .
