Chapter 730: God's Growth ⑤

After enjoying the cocktail that Iris-san had made for me and eating the snacks that were served, I brought up the subject to Anima.

[So, Anima, there's something I'd like to consult with you…… about Fate-san, and Mom and Dad. Both were trying to step up for each other's sake, but it's not going well. I've been thinking if you have a good way to help mediate between them.]

[……I see, this is quite a difficult problem. I've been in such a situation myself after all.]

[Anima too?]

[Yes, as Master knows, I used to be a Black Bear…… a monster. And a monster like me became a person…… as expected, it took me a while to get used to it. Back when I was a monster, it was common sense that if I didn't like something, I would just solve it with force.]

Now that she mentioned it, I remembered when I first met Anima…… the Anima back then is hard to approach, as she was quick to fight.

This was probably because it was the norm when she was living as a Black Bear. But after that, Anima has gradually softened, or rather, she isn't as intimidating to others as she was in the beginning.

And now, after she acquired common sense and education, she has turned into someone who can be trusted to do various things with peace of mind.

[Fate-dono is a God, and even though she looked like a Human, her values are different from one. Even I, who had only lived as a monster for about 20 years at most, found it quite difficult to change. For Fate-dono who has lived for so many years, I think it may even be even more difficult for her to change herself than for me.]

[……I see. By the way, regarding how Anima's mentality changed, did you have something that triggered your change?]

[……Let's see. Thinking about it again…… I think it was when I first met Alice-dono. Until then, I had been looking down on everyone around me. Perhaps, because I was stronger than the rest of my kind, so other than Master and Shallow Vernal-sama…… deep down, I may have been looking down on everyone as inferior beings.]

As she lightly tilted her glass, Anima had a nostalgic look on her face.

[Even in the beginning, Lilia-dono was much stronger than me, but since I had never personally seen her fight…… I may have vaguely thought that even if I couldn't win now, I would eventually win against her.]

[And that changed when you saw Alice?]

[Yes. In the beginning, I had thought that Alice-dono was a human…… Seeing her fight Sigma-dono brought a chill down my spine. Bacchus-dono, who appeared afterwards, also possessed great power, but even more than him…… Even more than Lilia-dono…… I felt an unfathomable power from Alice-dono.]

I see. It's probably because Anima has lived as a monster for so long, but she has an instinctive sense of smell in identifying strong people.

From that fight with Sigma, she instinctively felt and feared a part of the power shown by Alice, someone who is one of the strongest in the world.

[I felt so tiny. I started wondering why I was so cocky even when I was so weak…… From that point on, as Master may have realized, I felt inferior to Alice-dono…… but Master's words helped me to walk forward. I guess that's where it started. I think my sense of values started to change after I started to change after I stopped looking down on the people around me.]

[……I see, a change in perception, some kind of catalyst……]

[Yes, I think it's best to have some sort of big trigger but…… I don't think it will be that easy. Therefore, even though it might be old-fashioned, wouldn't it be better if you prepare events where they can talk to each other?]

Indeed, I feel that the idea Anima mentioned would be the best course of action here. Whether it's a change of Fate-san's values or the appearance of a catalyst that leads to such change……. All of them need an opportunity for them to appear.

In fact, even if us outsiders talk about this or that, nothing would change immediately. However, preparing a place for them is something even the outsider me can do.

[Thank you, Anima. I think I'm starting to see what I need to do now.]

[I'm glad if I could be of help to Master.]

Yes, the intervention that I could do was arranging tea parties or events like that so that Fate-san and my parents would have more opportunities to meet. Even if they talk through me at first, it wouldn't be any problem.

We don't have to be in a hurry, we could just make it easier for them to talk by having me as their conversation topic. If they talk with each other a lot, the catalyst for Fate-san's change of mentality might eventually appear.

If we don't find it, we could just find another way to find it then.

Feeling as if my vision had opened up a bit, as I twirled my glass of cocktail for a bit and reaching out for the carpaccio-like dish, Iris spoke.

[I'll give you these words then. Jack of all trades are beings who can do everything, but they possess mediocre talent which only allows her to be only second-rate in everything. Even so, an idiot who has spent many years developing every skill to a super-top-notch level once said these words to me. "My dictionary has the word "impossible" in bold red letters in it, but it doesn't have the words "give up" in it.]

[……Those were good words.]

[Yeah…… She had also told me that "There's no point in thinking about whether or not you can overcome a big obstacle in front of you. What you should be thinking about is how you can overcome that obstacle". Well, such positivity…… I did have quite the helpless idiot of a best friend.]

Even if it's impossible, don't give up. If you have the time to think about giving up, you should just think about how to make the impossible possible…… As expected of someone called a Hero in another world. Those were good words.

Well, there's that idiot rolling around on the ground behind me, holding  her blushing red face with her hands, but I just decided to not worry about her…… Thanks to Anima and Iris-san, I saw what I needed to do now. All that's left for me to do is act.

<Afterword>

Serious-senpai : [What's with all these lol's Multiverse-Wide Web comments!? "The only reason I know I'm knowledgeable about alcohol is because I drown my sorrows with alcohol" you say…… There's only cocoa here! I also want to drown my sorrows with alcohol!!! But there's no alcohol here!!! There are tons of books on food, including alcohol, though!!!]

Under King : [……Ummm…… Those…… are mine……]