"In that case."
"Your will, I have understood."
Ganesha was not the kind of god who liked to be pestering.
Furthermore, since Heimdall had already put it that way, forcing someone on him would instead make it seem like he had ulterior motives, easily causing dissatisfaction in the other party.
"Then regarding the matter of the Lv.4 Adventurer's Conversion..."
"Just consider it as if I never mentioned it; it will be replaced by a request that the Ganesha Familia must do its utmost to fulfill."
"However..."
"Heimdall."
Before Ganesha left, he still asked the question that made him most apprehensive on this trip, and also the one he most wanted to confirm in his heart.
"Although saying this violates the unspoken rule among the gods after descending to the lower world to not talk about the past."
"And..."
"Given your personality, no one can change a decision you've made."
"But... Heimdall..."
"This is the lower world."
"The children of the lower world are different from us gods of the celestial realm."
"The lives of the children of the lower world happen only once, and they are very fragile."
"When they die, they are truly dead."
"If you have any needs, you can say so at any time."
"I will do my best to cooperate."
"But please, stay on our side."
—At least on the side of order.
—Or.
—Don't stand on the side of destruction.
The games of the gods in the lower world are often played with the bones of mortals as stakes.
Ganesha was exceptionally clear on this point.
Especially if Heimdall were to lose control.
That would surely trigger a series of chain reactions.
The consequences would be more than the gods could bear.
Heimdall naturally understood.
"Rest assured, Ganesha."
Heimdall set down the coffee cup in his hand; the porcelain and saucer met with a crisp clink.
Then.
He turned his head, his gaze lifting upward.
His sight passed through the vaulted hall and fell upon several small heads peeking out from the second floor.
Those pairs of eyes were darting around; they didn't seem to be listening to what was being discussed here, but were instead curiously sizing up the black cat maid with cat ears.
"The tens of thousands of years of silence in the celestial realm have already made me realize many things."
"The current me only wants to watch these children of mine grow up slowly."
"As long as no one comes to provoke me."
"I can't be bothered to care about those things."
"..."
That was enough. With these words, for Ganesha, the weight was sufficient; a god's word is his bond.
"Then! With those words from you, I am at ease."
"Shakti and I will not stay here any longer to disturb you."
With that said.
Ganesha seemed to have a great weight lifted from him, returning to being that Elephant God loved by the citizens of Orario.
Shakti, who had been standing behind Ganesha acting as a background piece, also stood to the side and gave Heimdall a slight bow.
Her manners were impeccable.
She had the air of a perfect captain.
Heimdall simply waved his hand, indicating there was no need for formalities.
He had never cared much for such red tape.
...
However.
When Ganesha and Shakti were saying their goodbyes and leaving, passing through a corner of the hall.
Shakti's footsteps paused for a brief moment.
Only a moment.
Shakti turned her head slightly, casting those sharp eyes meaningfully toward Chloe and Lunoire, who were still pretending to wipe the stair railing with rags.
In that one instant.
Being watched by a gaze enough to make a child stop crying, Chloe felt the fur all over her body stand on end, and her tail tensed up as if struck by an electric shock.
Lunoire simply froze right there.
Fortunately.
Shakti didn't say anything more.
She just withdrew her gaze and followed Ganesha out through those heavy mahogany doors.
Their figures disappeared around the street corner.
The suffocating feeling that had been weighing down on Chloe and Lunoire like a thousand pounds finally dissipated completely.
...
As the door closed with a thud.
Almost at the same time.
The two of them let out a long sigh of relief.
"Phew—"
"Scared me to death, meow..."
"I really thought I was going to be taken away and put in solitary confinement this time, meow..."
Chloe looked as if her spine had been removed, sliding down the stair railing to sit directly on the floor.
That tail she had been tucking in finally dared to stretch out, limply thumping against the floor with a "patter-patter" sound.
That feeling of being stared at by Shakti just now.
The fear of being handcuffed and dragged away at any moment, and then interrogated in a dark room for three days and three nights, made Chloe really want to find a place to wash her face and calm her nerves.
"Speaking of which."
"Since that bringer of calamity is gone."
"Then can we also slip away, meow?"
Chloe's eyes darted around as a devious idea came to her.
—If not now, then when! As long as they slipped out of this door and blended into the crowd on the street, they would be free again!
When Mama Mia asks later, they'll just say they woke up late and helped an old lady across the street on the way; after all, there's no proof!
"Um..."
"Lord God, meow..."
Thinking of this, Chloe spoke while moving her feet toward the door in an extremely sneaky manner, trying not to make a sound, her face covered in a fawning fake smile that almost scrunched her features together.
"Since the guests are gone."
"And our misunderstanding has been cleared up."
"Then the two of us won't disturb your rest anymore, meow?"
"After all, the pub needs to open for business, and Mama Mia can't handle it all alone; we have to go back and help chop vegetables and wash dishes..."
Lunoire also caught on, following closely behind Chloe in seamless cooperation.
"Yeah, yeah!"
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