Chapter 180: Divine Beast
{TL: By Creed}
"By the way..."
Lyra's gaze shifted to something behind Aisha.
"......"
Snow was sitting politely, waiting patiently.
Even in the middle of their conversation, Snow didn’t bark or cause any disturbance. For a dog that was just picked up, it seemed remarkably well-behaved.
“What’s with that one? I didn’t see it before...”
“Aisha-chan picked it up and decided to keep it.”
“I see. Still, hmm...”
It seemed Lyra’s interest had shifted to Snow. She stepped closer and peered intently at the dog.
“Woof...?”
Snow, startled by the sudden proximity, let out a hesitant bark.
Even so, there was no sign of it lashing out or becoming aggressive. Snow didn’t snap or attempt to drive Lyra away.
It remained composed and behaved politely. Quite impressive.
“Good dog.”
Aisha proudly petted Snow, who, while still sitting, wagged its tail enthusiastically in delight.
Matching Snow's rhythm, Aisha began wagging her tail as well.
It was a duet of wagging tails.
“Is there something about Snow?”
“So this one’s called Snow? Hmm...”
Lyra started touching Snow’s face, body, and various parts, examining it all over.
Although Snow looked a little annoyed, it stayed still.
Snow likely judged Lyra, a friend of its owner, to be harmless and thus tolerated the situation.
“These eyes, this fur... I’ve never seen a breed like this before.”
“Not even you, Lyra-san?”
“Nope. I dabble in beastfolk research, so I’m decently familiar with dogs, but I’ve never seen one like this.”
“I see... What a mystery.”
Sofia made a troubled face.
No one doubted Snow's affection for Aisha by now.
But what kind of breed was it, and what traits did it have?
Knowing that could make it easier to handle any unforeseen situations in the future.
That’s why when Lyra took an interest in Snow, Aisha had hoped she might be able to identify its breed.
Unfortunately, it didn’t seem to be that simple.
“What is this? It really is a mystery... Hey, can I borrow this one for a week or so?”
“N-no way!”
It wasn’t Sofia but Aisha who immediately rejected the idea.
She hugged Snow tightly with both arms, glaring at Lyra with teary eyes.
“Nooo!”
“Ahaha, sorry, sorry, I was just joking. I wouldn’t do something like that.”
“...Really?”
“Really, really. I’m sorry for saying something weird.”
“When you say it, it doesn’t sound like a joke, you know! Honestly, don’t cause trouble, okay?”
“Is it Licorice saying that to me now...?”
After that brief commotion...
Everyone took their seats again and resumed the conversation.
“That dog might actually be a descendant of a divine beast.”
“A divine beast?”
“Something similar to an apostle or shrine maiden. It’s a servant of the goddess, but an animal version.”
“Such beings exist?”
“There’s no solid proof yet—it’s just a theory. But I’m convinced they do. I’ve found plenty of things that are close to evidence, even if not definitive.”
“...Could you tell us more about these divine beasts?”
What if Snow really was a divine beast?
Or perhaps its descendant?
It might be the key to discovering its true nature.
Sofia trusted Snow, but it was true that it was better to know various things in case something happened.
So, she decided to add more questions.
However, Lyra made a slightly troubled face.
“Hm... I’d love to tell you, but honestly, I don’t know much about it either.”
“Really?”
“Even though there’s information about the shrine maidens, for some reason, there’s hardly any information about divine beasts. I’ve had to piece together a lot of different materials to make the hypothesis that divine beasts actually existed.”
“That’s strange...”
If divine beasts existed, it would be hard to keep their existence hidden.
Those with great power are usually passed down in some form to future generations.
The fact that nothing like that has been done... what could that mean?
It could be that divine beasts never existed...
Or maybe there’s some reason, something unimaginable, that has been concealed.
“My theory, though it has no solid proof... is that divine beasts were probably tasked with protecting people, just like the goddess. I think people have been saved by divine beasts multiple times. When I look at various documents and connect the dots, it leads me to that conclusion.”
“So, does that mean... Snow is a good dog?”
“Snow, good dog.”
Affirming Sofia’s words, Aisha petted Snow.
Snow happily barked and nuzzled Aisha’s face.
“Well, there’s still a lot we don’t know... but I don’t think it’s a problem, right?”
“Yeah, that’s right.”
Aisha and Snow played together happily, enjoying each other’s company.
Watching them, Sofia couldn’t help but smile.
TL Note: New Adventures of Aisha and Snow?
Comments
Post a Comment