"Mm."
Tsukuyo Inaba nodded, a few cookie crumbs clinging to the corner of her mouth.
"They're still delicious."
"Then have some more."
Maria smiled and poured her another cup of hot milk.
"I'll bake you more if there aren't enough."
"Oh, Tsukuyo."
Maria seemed to remember something, and her expression grew a little serious.
"That god... he really hasn't forced you to do anything dangerous, has he?"
"Like... making you fight those terrifying monsters?"
As an adult, and an elder who had always been responsible for looking after Tsukuyo.
Maria had always felt worried about going to another world.
Especially after hearing Hanabishi Warabi loudly proclaim how frightening those monsters were outside earlier, her worries had only deepened.
Chapter 82: Aichi Kyosei Academy Comes to a Temporary Close.
"Don't worry, Miss Maria."
"Lord God... he isn't the kind of god who would force us to be cannon fodder."
"The Dungeon really is dangerous, and it's full of monsters that want to tear people apart."
"But..."
Tsukuyo Inaba tilted her head slightly, as though savoring a memory.
"Lord Haimo gave us strength, and he also gave us the right to choose."
"Whether we're fighting or living our lives, he stands behind us."
At that, the corners of her mouth lifted slightly in a faint smile.
"And... the food there is delicious too."
"We all live together, and the house is huge. There's even a Magic Stone heater that's always nice and warm."
"Even a somewhat noisy goddess like Lady Hestia is easy to get along with."
Hearing that.
Maria's tense shoulders finally relaxed a little.
She looked at the child before her, whom she had watched grow up.
They had only been apart for a few days.
Yet the fragility about Tsukuyo, as though she might shatter at any moment, seemed