By the Grace of the Gods (LN) - Volume 9 - Chapter 17.3

Yui’s Musings

“Um... Would you like to go with me, then? I have the day off too. I think I would be able to help, in some small way...”

“Really? That would be great! In that case...”

Phew. That should do it for the day. If things go smoothly, I might have another couple on my hands by the time they return to the manor tomorrow morning.

The maid, who had been watching a couple of servants with reddened cheeks conversing from the shadows, now moved to the garden. Along the way, she passed many servants and guards, but none of them reacted to her.

More and more people are becoming hyperaware of the opposite sex. It’s obvious what caused this change, though.

The maid recalled the wedding of Hughes and Lulunese the other day.

A wedding like that is extremely rare. Even in the many years I’ve spent in this world, I’ve never seen such a grand celebration with that large of a crowd in attendance. Moreover, the happy couple received five blessings from the gods between them. No other couple could have dreamed of something like that, even at a royal wedding... It’s only natural for people to want to ride the wave from their nuptials, especially if they already have someone they fancy. It’s more fun for me, but it’s hard work just keeping an eye on so many potential pairings. Speaking of, I wonder what he’s doing? He’s the catalyst of all of this, after all...

The maid pondered about the boy from another world...and someone else.

Maybe it’s because he was from Earth, more specifically from Japan like Shiho, but there was a tiny bit of resemblance when he celebrated the happiness of others... Not that I see any other similarities. And what’s with him, anyway? I approached him to help him out because Shiho asked me to... Shiho had struggled to escape the forest, risked her life to make it to civilization, and took a long time to acclimate to this world. Meanwhile, he apparently survived in the same forest for three years, and then completely adjusted to town life in under a year. After all the trouble of approaching him, there was barely anything I could help with! Not that it’s his fault for being so independent... I just thought Japanese people were physically and mentally fragile in exchange for their sophisticated technology. Or was Shiho just weaker than average?

The maid remembered her old mistress, then shook her head.

No. From what I’ve heard about Japanese people from Shiho, he’s got to be an outlier. Like how he nonchalantly brushed off my illusionary magic because of some unexplained immunity. How humiliating. I’ve only been using illusionary magic for three hundred years. If that wasn’t part of the powers given to him by the gods, then what powers did they give him? Shiho had received the ability to communicate with all species, and could read people’s minds and experience others’ memories, all with the bonus of remaining undetected by those she used her powers on. She had close to no combat abilities, but she was unparalleled when it came to interpersonal battles of wits and information, especially among the nobles. Not that she often liked to use her powers in that way... Nonetheless, any powers bestowed by the gods would certainly be strong. Knowing that, I’ve always wondered if those powers of his would ever become a threat to the family—Shiho’s descendants. While he seems to bear no animosity towards them, I still can’t help considering it.

One possibility is his swordsmanship, like what he showed in his matches against that slave. But I sensed years of training, a sort of history in his moves. Weapons and fighting techniques do tend to survive even in peaceful civilizations. He must have been a renowned swordsman or something in Japan. His magical abilities were mediocre, if I’m being fair. He shows he’s had great practice, considering it’s only been three years since he came to this world, but there are still plenty of magic users with greater potency. His magic simply isn’t good enough to be god-bestowed power. The amount of his magical energy was remarkable, but so was Shiho’s; apparently, that’s a default feature of people from Earth. So was he given more obscure, specialized powers instead...? I wish I knew...

The maid continued contemplating the matter until she arrived at the now-deserted wedding venue. She then gazed up to the sky.

“He doesn’t seem like a bad person. If given the chance, I wouldn’t mind seeing him again.”

The voice of Yui, a fairy in maid’s clothes, faded into the wind before she disappeared herself.