It was a relief that no one had taken advantage of her absence to steal the home base from within. If that had happened, she probably would have regretted it to death. And as for her teacher... since she was still alive and not in any life-threatening danger, she supposed she'd let it slide for now.
'But still, I really ought to say something, right?'
That was what Shiraori thought, but before she could find an opportunity to speak, Ash continued on his own, "Also, think about it, she was working for Potimas. Under someone like that, you never know when you'll be disposed of once you've outlived your usefulness. And the way she protects her students is by forcibly capturing them and locking them up, holding the belief that life is more important than freedom. We're locking them up now, it's just returning the favor..."
When he reached the last part, he noticed Shiraori's expression turn a bit off and immediately cleared his throat, changing his tune, "Ahem! Wrong. We're respecting her choices and solving the problem her way. We're not even doing any strange research, so it's an upgraded version, right?"
"..."
'What he said makes too much sense, what am I supposed to do when I couldn't refute a single word? But if I can't refute anything, why does that make me even angrier? Anyway... mm, bite him!', Unable to figure out how to argue back yet feeling pissed off about not arguing back, after some mental deliberation and a bout of brain-storming, Shiraori simply grabbed Ash's hand without further ado and bit down hard.
"What are you doing, do spiders like biting people too? But I've told you before, besides getting your drool all over my..."
"Grrr!"
Ash's dumbfounded complaint was cut off when Shiraori shot him a glare, letting out an adorable low growl as a warning.
"It's so peaceful today... tomorrow will probably be good weather too, huh?", Seeing this, Ash wisely shut his mouth and stopped complaining. He even reached out his other hand to gently stroke Shiraori's silky silver hair, then leaned comfortably against the sofa, gazing out at the blue sky and sighing to himself.
This somehow made Shiraori feel like he wasn't taking her, who was currently biting him and venting her frustration, seriously enough. She unconsciously shook her head and bit down even harder.
Though... it couldn't even break the skin. Instead, the beef flavor that hadn't been properly washed off kept wafting into her nose with every bite, and before she knew it, her own drool was starting to drip from the corner of her mouth.
This scene happened to be witnessed by Ariel.
Initially, Ariel hadn't finished with her work yet, she'd only noticed Sophia hurrying past in the hallway and thought it was odd, so she instinctively came over to check.
What she saw stunned her.
She blinked blankly at first, then stepped out and reopened the door, confirming she hadn't gone to the wrong place or traveled to another world, before tilting her head with an surprised expression and asking in confusion, "Are you two playing some kind of new kinky game?"
"Exactly, look at her, so indecent, practically a pervert," The moment Ash saw it was Ariel, he immediately took the chance to "tattle," trying to separate himself from this awkward situation.
"I-I'm not indecent!"
Of all people to see this, it had to be Ariel. Shiraori's fair cheeks, which had just cooled down, flushed red again. She quickly let go of his hand and retorted indignantly.
But contrary to Ash's expectations, this time Ariel didn't tease Shiraori as she usually did. Instead, she shot him a displeased look, her tone carrying a hint of reproach, "Don't bully Shiro. She's a girl too. You're a grown man, couldn't you be a little gentler with her?"
"Why am I the one getting scolded when I'm the one being bitten? And my biggest flaw is clearly that I'm too gentle, isn't it?"
'Sure enough, Ariel is trending toward doting grandmother syndrome, huh, is this just something old people couldn't help?'
He grumbled on the surface while internally complaining nonstop.
This almost naturally made Ariel immediately widen her eyes, her gaze turning particularly sharp, "Who's a grandmother?"
"Ah... sorry, sorry..."
Ariel's ability to read the room was as strong as mind-reading, frighteningly so. He silently lowered his head in apology, making sure not to think about anything strange anymore.
He watched as Ariel came over and took over petting Shiraori's head, chatting and soothing her while occasionally criticizing his lack of gentlemanly conduct.
———
Shiraori had become a god, but the group's objectives had never changed.
However, Ariel's stance on the matter and recent events had left Shiraori with complicated feelings. So... she simply put this troubling issue aside for the time being, planning to think about it later.
On the other hand, Ash had temporarily left the Demon Lord's castle, flying at supersonic speed to the interior of the Sariella Kingdom, which was very close to the Elf Village, and set up several teleportation gates there. Then...
With the activation of the teleportation gates, the gates within the Demon Realm, the Kingdom, the Empire, and the army assembled underground in the labyrinth were all activated simultaneously. The siege against the elves silently commenced amidst a scene of total peace.
Besides the neat formations of Imperial, Kingdom, and Demon Realm troops stepping through the teleportation gates and pouring out like a tide, countless spider monsters also burst forth from additional gates, as if every spider monster in the world had gathered here, dense and endless, a sight that alone made one's scalp tingle.
And the three factions besides the spider monsters, though they had been warned beforehand, were still terrified when they actually witnessed this scene, each face filled with sheer shock.
Though they truly couldn't understand how this alliance could be formed from beings that would never normally cooperate.
But military orders were absolute. Since the higher-ups had given clear commands, no matter how many worries and doubts they harbored, they could only swallow those emotions and grit their teeth to follow the planned arrangements.
Such an exaggerated, nearly absurdly grand display naturally couldn't be hidden from the Sariella Kingdom. Yet the Sariella Kingdom could only silently pretend not to notice, not even daring to protest.
It wasn't simply because the coalition forces were too numerous for them to resist; the biggest deterrent was the Spider Queen's presence.
That creature's massive body was like a moving fortress, and just looking at it gave off an intensely dangerous vibe.
And indeed, the situation was pretty much that dire... if it so wished, it could easily flatten the entire Sariella Kingdom. Naturally, they wouldn't dare send anyone to question anything. They even hoped the coalition would hurry up and leave without noticing them. However...
Ash had no intention of letting them off so easily. He personally led his people to visit them, and also pressured the surrounding nations, the Goddess Faith, and the Word of God Religion with threats of "join us or we'll attack you first," forcing them to quickly respond, merge into the coalition, and urgently summon their own armies to participate in the campaign against the elves.
The Garam Forest, which fully contained the Elf Village, was roughly the size of Austria.
Within days, three or four armies had completely surrounded this forest, calmly planning their advance routes with supplies teleported from their home nations and assistance from neighboring countries.
Though the human soldiers here, with their strength far surpassing ordinary people, could fell trees and clear paths like chopping sugarcane, the large spider monsters were like wheat harvesters, kicking up dust as they passed, yet opening paths forward. Soldiers from each race, also relying on their superhuman strength, further chopped, cleared, and removed broken trees and rubble, perfecting the marching routes.
This external situation naturally didn't escape the elves' notice.
They could even clearly see everything outside through micro-drones positioned tens of thousands of meters in the air.
The tide-like army surrounding them naturally threw the entire elf race into chaos, the fate of their entire people was about to be decided in this battle.
Yes, they had micro-drones and could clearly observe the enemy's situation.
But even if the elves did possess ancient civilization artifacts surpassing humans, and even Earth's technological level, and even though their technological advantage hadn't regressed over all these years... the external coalition that had come was no pushover either, especially those spider monsters and the powerful enemies hidden behind the Demon Realm. None were to be underestimated.
For a time, the entire elf race fell into a tense and busy state of war preparation, everyone mobilizing actively to make various arrangements for the coming battle.
The entire Elf Village was enveloped in a pre-battle tension as the armies advanced.
———
And while nations across the world, indeed, every power across the entire world, were being mobilized by this impending war... on a spider cart heading to the front lines, a vehicle pulled by a giant spider monster, Ash had already finished all pre-battle preparations and was resting his chin on one hand, staring blankly out the window.
His other hand lay idle naturally, moving by habit to gently stroke the long, silky-smooth silver hair of the girl resting on his lap.
And this girl lying sideways beside him, her head on his thigh... was none other than Shiraori, who had only recently become a god.
"The biggest misfortune of my deification is that my appetite has shrunk! Combat ability? Compared to that trivial matter, eating is way more important, dammit! I want to eat a feast too! Why is my appetite so small now!", Having just finished eating at the Demon Lord's place, yet barely getting two bites in before feeling full without even tasting the flavor properly, from the moment she boarded the cart, Shiraori had been curled up pitifully.
Rather than pre-battle tension or any such nonsense, the inability to enjoy good food caused her more pain and resentment. So from the moment she got on the spider cart, she'd been curled up miserably, silently shedding tears while occasionally letting out small burps,.the sight was truly pitiful... though Ash was having a hard time holding back his laughter.
What could he do, she looked like a cool, elegant ice-cold beauty, but her behavior was utterly lacking in dignity, almost absurd and comical. Ash was at a loss for words even as he patted her head to comfort her.
However, Ash's lap-pillow and head-patting made Sophia across from them watch with pure jealousy, even reaching out to scratch the carriage door with her nails, producing a spine-chilling sound, while bitterly spitting out words dripping with resentment:
"Mr. Ash, you're way too good to this brat, aren't you? That's why she's turned into such a useless lump!"
"???", Ariel, who had been sitting elegantly beside Sophia with her legs crossed, seemingly lost in thought, turned at the sound and gave a strange look, "You're saying that..."
"What's wrong, Miss Ariel? If you've got something to say, just say it, don't be so secretive."
"I was just thinking... aren't you the one with the biggest problem, spoiled rotten by Ash?", Ariel raised an eyebrow with a sly smile. Upon hearing this, Sophia's face filled with displeasure, "No way! I'm way better than that spoiled brat!"
Sophia looked thoroughly annoyed.
"Ah, sure, sure," The older Ariel naturally wouldn't be childish enough to argue with someone who refused to admit it, just giving a vague smile and nod.
Besides... Sophia was mostly raised by her anyway, she bore considerable responsibility for leading her astray. Pushing the issue would only hurt both sides.
This attitude clearly didn't satisfy Sophia, but her main target wasn't Ariel right now. A friend's betrayal was harder to bear than an external enemy's invasion.
So she kept staring at Shiraori with an expression as if she'd grind her teeth to dust, her accusatory gaze silently condemning Shiraori's sneaky, unfair behavior, as if hoping her pressure-filled stare would make Shiraori get up from Ash's lap immediately. However...
'Whatever, no matter how much I regret it, deification can't be undone. Might as well take a nap!', Her inner sorrow far surpassing Sophia's glare, Shiraori directly ignored Sophia, let out a sigh of her own, turned her back, tightly hugged Ash's waist, buried her face in his abdomen, and muffled herself like that, as if she could escape this vexing reality.
This childish behavior left Ash, whose stomach was getting warm from her breath, at a loss. In contrast, Sophia was practically hopping mad, even starting to wonder if this brat was deliberately provoking her.
In this situation, Ash could only wear a pained expression and repeatedly urge Sophia to calm down, even asking Ariel to help talk her down.
But Sophia wouldn't listen at all, she simply flung the curtain aside, jumped off the cart to get some fresh air, leaving the few people inside looking at each other.
When Ariel followed off the cart to look after that capricious girl, Ash let out another helpless sigh, his hand habitually caressing the spider head in his arms, ah, no, it was no longer a spider's head, but that of a full-fledged beauty.
"How time flies. Even the spider from before has metamorphosed into such a lovely maiden," Ash said with emotion, unconsciously playing with her silky silver hair as he spoke.
He let his fingers wander through it, feeling the fine texture of the strands sliding between them.
Sensing the change in his touch, Shiraori cast a sidelong glance, tilting her head upward to look at him. Her clear eyes carried a hint of reproach, clearly protesting at him with her gaze.
"What is it?", Noticing her look, Ash lowered his head and asked.
"Keep going," Shiraori said flatly, her voice cool and soft, urging him quietly. The corners of Ash's mouth twitched up involuntarily as he played dumb, "Pat your head?"
"Mm."
"You're not a child anymore, you're a big girl now. Sit up on your own. What would people think if they saw this?"
He couldn't really scold her in front of others, but now that they were alone, Ash felt he should say something to Shiraori.
After all, she was already a beautiful young maiden, so lovely that every move she made carried an otherworldly elegance, yet she would still roll around on the floor for no reason. He really felt he had to say something.
"No. What's wrong with that?"
'So what if I'm acting like a kid? I'm not that old anyway! I am a k!d! So you should spoil me more!', Shiraori pouted slightly, as if warning him that if he kept talking, she'd roll on the floor right in front of him.
"You really are...", Ash found himself with a headache, momentarily unsure what to do with her.
After all, at this point, he was starting to realize he might have to admit he lacked talent when it came to raising kids.
He frowned, mulling it over for a while, before suddenly slapping his palm as if a good idea had struck him, "How about this, if you act a bit more mature, I'll give you a reward, okay?"
"Reward?", Shiraori, who had been clinging tightly to his waist without letting go, blinked her big eyes at this, then suddenly thought of something, with an air of self-abandonment, and buried her face back into his stomach, "What good would that do? I can't even eat much anymore!"
"Don't say that, think of something else that would make you happy?", Ash patted her back gently, coaxing softly.
"...."
His words made her pause for a long while. After some thought, she silently sat up, straightened her hair, looked straight into his eyes, and said softly, "Then, I want to get ahead of Ariel..."
"Meaning?"
"Meaning... that thing," Shiraori's cheeks flushed slightly as she spoke, delicately extending a slender finger to point at her own soft pink lips.
"That... uh, mm...", The sudden turn made him hesitate.
But the silver-haired girl before him stared at him with bright, earnest eyes, and a subtle tension slowly spread between them.
Looking at this silver-haired girl's flushed cheeks, her trembling lashes, and her nervous yet expectant gaze, as their eyes met, it felt as if some invisible force was pulling him in.
'No, no! Shiraori and I aren't like that... She's certainly cute, and very pretty! Her figure is totally my type too! But! Her personality is different from what I expected! Is this really okay? Is it? Actually, it doesn't seem bad at all... She's really cute, and she smells nice, and she looks delicious, and it's always soft and cuddly when she sits behind me,' Ash's mind churned with indecision. He'd started out trying to firmly refuse, but the more he thought about it, the more his once-solid defenses began to waver, as if they might collapse at any moment.
Various messy thoughts tangled in his mind, leaving him momentarily at a loss, even gradually piercing through his reason and bottom line. The hands that had been on her shoulders unconsciously shifted from pushing away to pulling closer.
Shiraori still gazed at him quietly, her eyes full of nervous anticipation. Her pink lips parted slightly, as if silently inviting something, or as if waiting for Ash to make that decision.
Time seemed to stretch endlessly in that moment, each second drawn out like an eternity. Ash's Adam's apple bobbed as he swallowed hard, trying to cling to one last shred of sanity, but his gaze couldn't tear away from her delicate face.
And Shiraori slowly closed the distance, near enough that Ash could clearly feel her warm breath on his face, carrying a faint sweetness.
That scent seemed to have a bewitching effect, making his head grow even dizzier.
Just as the girl drew close enough that their noses almost touched, his reason finally overcame his desire, and he instinctively flinched back.
But his action... made a flicker of panic cross Shiraori's eyes, as if afraid of being rejected. Her slightly parted lips involuntarily pressed together, yet her gaze remained stubbornly fixed on Ash, refusing to look away.
Seeing her like this made Ash feel as if something had clutched at his heart. His struggling reason crumbled instantly, all his concerns thrown to the winds, and he finally leaned in and kissed Shiraori's lips.
Shiraori froze for a moment, then nervously closed her eyes, her hands unconsciously gripping Ash's clothes. She immersed herself in this sudden intimacy, and Ash couldn't help but reach out and gently wrap his arm around the girl's slender waist.
How much time had passed, whether that kiss was given as a reward, or happened unconsciously in that moment of intoxication, Ash himself wasn't sure.
The two simply gazed at each other in silence, neither speaking, as if any words would be superfluous. Only the lingering intimate atmosphere surrounded them, yet...
'This atmosphere is so weird! My face is burning! What do I do... I want to run! Even though we've done all sorts of strange things before, this is the first time for something like this, because! Before this, my butt, my stomach, everything got touched! But we've never kissed! W-what do I do? Wah! Wah! Wah! What should I do? Should I say something? Or should I just pounce on him? Ah, no, I'm a pure maiden! How can I have such indecent thoughts! Calm down! Calm down! In times like this, counting primes is the way! Right, take deep breaths and count primes!'
In this extremely intimate moment, Shiraori's inner thoughts were even more active than usual, and what she was thinking of was... rather hard to evaluate.
Meanwhile, Ash felt a strange sense of guilt, as if he'd done something to someone he'd known too well. But the girl before him, her face red as a ripe apple, her eyes misty with a thin veil of moisture, unexpectedly even more alluring in her daze, made him inexplicably... want to do it again.
'No, no, she trusts me. If I keep going without thinking, that would be really bad. And besides, there are people everywhere outside! If we actually did it and someone heard strange sounds or noticed strange movements, that wouldn't just be normal pervert territory anymore!', He looked at Shiraori so close before him, her clear eyes reflecting his own image, but forced himself to look away, struggling not to let his mind wander.
Though this airheaded girl really made him want to play all sorts of pranks on her... the marching footsteps of the soldiers outside were quite effective at bringing back reason.