66 – After the battle
As per her words, the moment Anri spoke some words in a language I couldn't understand, the amulet reacted and time started to rewind. The landscape returned to normal and all our wounds were also cured.
Even my stamina was back at max. Our condition was literally in the same state before we started our clash. And once everything settled down she happily handed over the bottle of medicine to me. That being said…
"Hey, Anri, the giants aren't stone statues anymore so why are they still frozen in place?"
"Because of the law established by lady Chronoa. They will begin to move when I leave. They are not meant to see me. But honestly, leaving that aside, you sure are a monster.
Your potential feels infinite. It's the first time I lost to a human. Even now, my heart is beating so fast."
"Naturally. Shishou is the strongest!" (Sasha)
"Umu. When Shishou goes on the prowl, you can't help but fall for her!" (Stella)
"I have gathered valuable data. Onee-chan, I believe I will be able to serve you better." (Gamma)
"Hmph. Don't get impressed by just this much. I was never the one that liked to be flattered."
However I will admit that it feels good.
"So, Anri, what's next?"
"What do you mean?"
"You said you prepared a settlement for me. Where is it located?"
"Err… you can't go there now. It's not finished yet."
"Huh? After all that speech… seriously are you retarded or something?"
"Calling a Goddess retarded is not the best course of action. You're hurting my feelings here. But I will overlook your rudeness. I mean you can't just expect me to snap my fingers and instantly make a settlement with girls appear, right?"
"Why not?"
"Why not? Eee!? Look, I may be a Goddess, but there are rules. I can't just do whatever I please. It's under development. That's all I can say."
"Meaning all this was pointless."
"You're hurting my feelings again. Please stop. Look, you yourself said you want to act independently. Use this chance to do whatever you want or whatever you've been doing up until now.
I'll come back to see when it's finished and take you there. Alright?"
Yare yare. Such a troublesome woman. It seems that more and more weirdos are surrounding me.
"Regarding that other matter… if I ever need to claim my favor from you, how can I contact you?"
"Pray to me. Call my name in your head and state why you are calling me. I'll set my pager to prioritize your call."
"You got a pager?"
"I get millions of prayers. Do you think I have the time to go through all of them?"
Well that's dumb. I really hope that the remaining Gods are not this stupid like this one. Sorry, but at this point I really don't have much respect for this person.
“Anyway, I guess that’s that. All the details have been ironed out. So it’s time for me to go, or else I’ll get into trouble.”
“Hey, wait!! You can’t just go right now! If you do that…”
But she didn’t wait for my reply. She just waved with all her hands and vanished in the blink of an eye. And at that point…
“Huh!? What happened?”
“I can move again!?”
“All I remember was being turned into stone and…”
“Mama, I thought I was a goner!”
Yup. All the giants started moving again. And they were really confused as expected. After all, a God turned everyone into stone. And I’m not sure if they all were aware of what happened. Eventually one of them noticed us.
“Oi guys. Look. Some strange tiny women!”
“Huh!? How did they get inside?”
“Are they spies? Quick, go get the chief!!”
Yare Yare. Anri, I don’t know if you hear me, but the next time we meet I’m going to give you a hell of an ass spanking. You dumped everything on me.
“Hey, Gamma…”
“Yes, Onee-chan?”
“Do you have some sort of recording function? It would be easier to explain things to them. They look like they are about to pop a vein, and I seriously am not in the mood for another fight.”
“Yes, Onee-chan. I can also project images from my internal memory.”
That’s convenient. A walking projector is going to make things easier. Well, since the dice have been rolled, guess I have no choice but to play along. So let’s start by chilling all these giants out.
------
Back inside the God Realm, as soon as Anri returned, she immediately collapsed on the ground. She was heavily panting and trying to catch her breath. Once she settled down, another woman made her appearance. Her sister, Nyarla.
“Well, well, look what the cat dragged in. I take it that you enjoyed your meeting with Edelweiss?”
“Mou… the battle, yes. I never felt such a rush and thrill since my sparring session with the Goddess of Destruction, Lady Titania. But… everything else…”
After a short pause and taking a deep breath she shouted from the top of her lungs:
“Is she fucking retarded?”
Nyarla could not help but giggle.
“Serves you right for going behind my back.”
“Honestly, how did you even manage to come to a deal with that woman? She’s stubborn and just trying to have a rational conversation will lead to a headache.”
“That is just her nature. Eventually when you understand that, it will be easier to waltz around her.”
That being said, the two remained silent for a while. And afterwards…
“Hey, Nyarla, do you really think we can prevent the terrible future that Lady Chronoa saw?”
“I don’t know. But it’s our best bet. That guy is even more fucked up than than Edel. I’m glad when he approached me, I saw his true nature and didn’t fall for his lies. Imagine what would have happened if he gained the powers of the Ice Age Dragon instead.”
“True. However he seems to hold a grudge against you.”
“Let’s not talk about that. Don’t you think instead of lying around, you should start working on the modified souls for Edel’s town?”
“All by myself? Aren’t you going to help me?”
“You took on this task. It seems only fair for you to take it all the way from start to finish. We’re all counting on you, Anri?”
“Waaaa!? No. That’s too much work! I won’t meet the deadline alone. Please. I’m sorry for the trouble I have caused. I’m begging you. Help your sister out!”
After deeply bowing, Nyarla couldn’t help but laugh once more.
“You’ve always been like this. Running to me every time you dig your own grave. Very well. I suppose I’ll bail you out. But just remember, you may be stronger than me, but between us, I hold the authority. Got it?”
“Yes, yes. Anything you say. Just don’t let the inner Gods scold me, please.”
“Follow me, then. We got lots of work to do.”