Chapter 179 Shrine Maiden
{TL: By Creed}
"Hello,"
"Hello..."
"Oh, welcome, you two,"
When we visited Lyra's home, she greeted us with a smile.
However, Aisha seemed a bit shy, and her greeting was a little awkward.
As a mother, I wanted her to grow up brighter and more energetic, but...
Considering Aisha's past, I couldn't push her too hard.
I just needed to support her without being too forceful.
"Hmm, shy Aisha-chan is cute too. How about it? Let's take a little blood sample... no, just kidding, sorry,"
Lyra quickly bowed her head, having been glared at by Sofia midway through her sentence.
"Come on, it was just a little joke. You don't have to react so strongly."
"Was it a joke? Really?"
"Maybe it was half serious..."
"Really..."
Sofia sighed wearily.
Lyra was certainly a troublesome person, but...
I didn't dislike her.
Although her thirst for knowledge could sometimes get out of hand, she was kind and sincere otherwise.
Knowing that, Sofia simply gave her a warning.
If she had seriously been aiming for Aisha's blood, Sofia would have knocked her out without hesitation.
"I'll make some tea now,"
"Thank you."
"Thanks."
"Fufu, Aisha-chan is so cute. Okay, I'll give you some cookies too!"
"Yay!"
Hearing about the cookies, Aisha's face lit up.
Her tail wagged happily from side to side.
Seeing that, Sofia thought.
Compared to when they first met, Aisha had become much more emotionally expressive.
She laughed like a child and cried like a child.
That was a very welcome thing, but...
The fact that she was so happy over just one cookie was a little worrying.
What if she was lured away by a bad person with candy?
"Have you found out anything more about Aisha-chan since then?"
"Hmm..."
When it came to the main topic, Lyra had an indescribable expression.
To say there was something would be true, but to say there wasn't would also be true.
That was the feeling.
"I'm a scholar, after all. I don't want to tell you stories without any basis."
"Didn't you do that just now?"
"No. That was because I had my own basis. There was no proof, but when I put together various pieces of information, there was no other answer. So, I was pretty sure."
"I see."
"However, what I'm about to tell you has no basis at all. It's more like a fairy tale. So, I wonder if I should give you such strange information..."
"Please tell me anyway."
Beastmen possess great power.
They have disappeared, harboring hostility towards humans.
That's about all we know so far.
If we don't get deeper information, we won't know why Aisha is being targeted.
And if we don't find out the reason, it will be difficult to eliminate the cause.
That's why I want any information, no matter how uncertain.
Regardless of its truth...
I want to gather any information right now.
I can verify the information later.
"Phew... Fine, I guess. Well, thanks to Aisha-chan, my research has progressed a bit. I'll tell you."
"Thank you."
"Just understand that there's no basis for this, okay? It's really like a fairy tale."
With that preface, Lyra began to spin her tale.
"I think I told you this before, but beastmen possess great power. Among those beastmen, there seems to be a special existence. That is... a Miko."
"Miko...?"
Sofia tilted her head at the unfamiliar word.
Next to her, Aisha was holding her cookie with both hands and munching away.
[Note: A "Miko" is typically a shrine maiden in Japanese culture, often associated with Shinto shrines. However, in this context, Lyra seems to be using it to describe a specific type of powerful beast person.]
"Do you know about the goddess?"
"You mean the god who is said to have created this world? And that humans stole magic from that goddess."
"Wow, you know a lot. So, humans are hated by the goddess, but beastmen seem to be favored. Even though they have strong powers, they don't do foolish things. The goddess liked those beastmen and welcomed them as her servants."
"Servants?"
"Well, like subordinates. Like knights dedicated to the goddess."
"I see."
"And... those servants received great power and worked for the goddess. I don't know what they did. After they finished their tasks, the servants returned to their companions. The servants took wives, had children, and started families."
"...Could it be that their children are the Mikos?"
"Correct. Children born with the blood of servants were said to have special powers. Therefore, they were revered as Mikos by other beastmen."
Lyra closed her lips, as if she had finished.
If it were before, she would have continued talking, adding explanations or her own opinions, but she didn't this time.
As she had said beforehand, this story had little basis.
Therefore, she ended the story without any further additions.
"I see... that's a very interesting story."
"Even though I'm the one who told it, do you believe it? It's almost like a fairy tale, with hardly any evidence. If I presented this at an academic conference, I'd either be laughed at or kicked out."
"That might be, but it makes sense to me."
Aisha has strong magical powers, unlike ordinary beastmen.
Could it be because she's a Miko?
Could she be targeted because she's a Miko?
Thinking about it that way, many things could be explained.
However, considering the future, it's quite troublesome.
Assuming Aisha is a Miko...
I don't know what to do from now on.
Lyra doesn't have any more information about the Miko.
I have to investigate it myself, but there are no sources of information.
I've gone back to square one.
I've taken one step forward but one step back.
I couldn't think of any effective measures, and my worries remained.
My head hurts.
"...However..."
"Mom?"
With a gentle motherly face, Sofia hugged her daughter, who was eating cookies.
No matter what happens, I will protect you.
Muttering those words to herself, Sofia gently kissed Aisha on the forehead.
TL Note: We have to protect Aisha at all costs.
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