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THAT incident resolved (as much as it could be anyway), I turned my attention to my rumbling stomach and moved to the second-floor dining hall. Jiril and Mirage followed me. They were livid, insisting I was too soft on those men and that they should be barred for life. I told them I felt like they were too harsh on humans who didn’t worship Air.
“Hello there, little Holy Woman,” a voice greeted me as I entered the dining hall.
“What the?! A-Air?!” I exclaimed.
“Air?!” Mirage and Jiril echoed me, reflexively bowing.
Sitting there was Air, sipping water. He’s here again?!
“H-H-Huh? C-Can I help you?” I stuttered.
“Now that’s a curious reaction. I just wanted to drop by and tell you I added another warning about the Stella.”
“Wait…you did do something to the Stella?!”
So I wasn’t just hearing things when I heard his voice earlier! What did he do?!
“I don’t appreciate that implication…” Air sniffed. “The Stella simply adapted to your body and grew stronger. I originally made that purifying power for Akari. But since you’re such a hard worker… Plus, your bread and steak were so tasty… Ah! I mean, I did it because you’re my…dear nephew’s lover.”
“…Would you like me to make you some omelet rice?” I asked, reading between the lines.
“Is that another tasty dish from your world? I’d love some!”
He’s just a bit too easy to please… It feels like I’m taming him with food. But I guess I’m just working hard to satisfy a divine guest, right?
More than anything, I was happy he praised my food. Plus, being called Renge’s lover made me so happy! (Not that we did much on that front…) So making him an omelet with some stir-fried chicken rice felt like the least I could do.
“So…” I said as I headed to the kitchen, Air following me, “you said the Stella’s power…evolved within me.”
“Yes, it took a shape more suited to your body. And it’s only in its first stage.”
“You’re saying it’ll get even stronger?!” I exclaimed.
“When Akari possessed it, its powers of blessing and purification only extended a few dozen feet when she actively focused on it,” Air explained. “It could even extend a few hundred feet when she really wanted to. In fact, if she really focused on giving a blessing, it could envelope a whole continent. One prayer a day and she could have blessed the entire planet in less than a week.”
“The entire planet?!”
Lady Akari was much more powerful than I thought. I can even see why people worshipped her. She was a bigger deal than I realized. And Air’s saying I could use a power equal, if not greater than hers?
“If she really tried, she could even resurrect someone. Not if someone’s soul had already been broken down by the Spherits, of course. But, under certain conditions, she could manage it handily.”
“You… You mean she could raise the dead…?” I asked.
“Yes. Albeit not without certain conditions. But this power I’ve given you is that special and more. It’s far too great for humans to possess. But since you’re the child my nephew chose, I thought I’d spoil you. I tend to be generous to my relatives, after all.”
“Relatives…”
As I stood in the kitchen, I felt my face redden at that phrase. He considers me family…! And more than that…as Renge’s lover! That makes me so happy!
“So…what’s this omelet rice thing, then?” Air asked.
Boy, he’s awfully curious for a god.
“I found some wild rice on the Mythical continent,” I explained, prepping and cooking as I did so. “So now I can cook rice! I mix it with some fried finely chopped oniuns, kyraots, and pieces of chicken meat. You can add mushrooms to suit your tastes if you’d like, but I kept it simple this time.”
A lot of people dislike mushrooms. But I love them!
“You crush timatos,” I went on, “and mix them with chopped oniuns, salt, herbs, and vinegar and let it sit to make ketchup to put on the omelet rice! With this, the chicken rice stir-fry is ready. Then you fry a beaten egg in another frypan!”
Making omelet rice is very difficult. I couldn’t make it very well in my past life. Only now had I figured out how to make it right. Running the inn’s kitchen for so long paid off!
“Ha!” I cried in triumph as I finished and plated it. “And that’s how you make a nice and fluffy omelet rice! After that, you put on as much ketchup as you like for flavor.”
Air picked it up and dove in with a spoon. “Oh, that’s impressive! So that’s what omelet rice is like.”
“Since you use ketchup on the rice, you don’t need to put a whole lot of it on the omelet.”
“All right…!”
Air looked kind of cute…like an excited little kid. You almost wouldn’t think he’s a god. Ahhh! But I shouldn’t be thinking he’s cute right now!
“Air…” I asked, worried as he scarfed the omelet rice down. “What should I do now…?”
“Hmmm?” he asked through a spoonful. “Just…keep doing what you’ve been doing. You could try purifying the world. It should clean up all the monsters in one go.”
“Purifying the world? I can just…purify all the monsters at once?!”
“You certainly can. That’s what the Stella does. But monsters,” Air went on as he kept eating, “will keep appearing so long as there’s life. Humans in particular produce Camilla very easily.”
Oh, so that’s how it works… But if I purify all the monsters presently in the world, I can go back home, right?
“Can…can I do this world purification thing as I am right now?” I asked, hopeful.
“Easily. You have plenty of mana to do it,” Air said as he put his now-empty plate down. “Oh, and the omelet rice was delicious.”
“Thank you!”
“Now, what’s for lunch?”
“Lunch?” I repeated dumbly.
He wants more? The omelet rice wasn’t enough?
“W-Well…since I have rice now, I figured maybe I could work on some rice recipes,” I said. Who was I to turn down a food order from God? “If you don’t mind helping me out, I was thinking of making chicken and egg on rice?”
“Chicken and egg on rice? That’s new… Let’s try it. I did like this omelet rice thing.”
So he’s letting me practice my cooking on him… He’s really a kind god after all.
“Air! Why are you back here?!” Renge cried as he came into the dining hall, Lord Revireus in tow.