Success

Once they had filled their bellies with apples, I decided it was time to talk.

That said, we were still strangers to each other, and making any blunder toward a Divine Beast would be bad.

Since they were clearly acquaintances, it would be best if Simurg-san were present as well.

So I left Aira to watch over Catherine-san and the children, while Wheel-san and I went together to meet Simurg-san.

“Gahaha! You’ve got yourself some fine land here!”

“Enough! You’re noisy! Do not barge into my home uninvited!”

A bipedal guinea pig and a bird just as large standing face to face.

The fact that both were Divine Beasts was something almost too unbelievable once I stopped to think about it.

Divine Beasts, beings said to test humans or protect them.

Picture books often portrayed them as terrifying, but having lived with them, I knew that was nonsense.

Simurg-san, for instance, was one of the most knowledgeable and rational gentlemen in all of Tree Village.

Yes, I stood before two Divine Beasts, but they were not beasts—they were intelligent, rational beings.

I had to approach this properly.

“You should try these mulberries.”

“Munch munch… the hell, this stuff’s amazing!”

Wheel-san’s eyes bulged as he ate Earth Mulberries.

So he seemed to favor the earth element.

Though Simurg-san looked as if he treated Wheel-san with disdain, recommending him something he would like showed their relationship wasn’t entirely bad.

Perhaps they were something like old rivals—or bad friends.

After making sure Wheel-san was satisfied with fruit, I finally got to the main discussion.

Naturally, he already knew about the World Tree Fruit, so as a first greeting, I offered him one.

If Simurg-san’s example had taught me anything, it was that such gifts built goodwill.

“Munch munch… never thought I’d get to eat a World Tree Fruit again. Simurg, your nose is as sharp as ever.”

“Crunch crunch… I merely followed the World Tree’s reaction, and it led me to Woody-dono. The merit lies with him, not me.”

“Bah, I know that.”

Simurg and Wheel began eating World Tree Fruit together.

By the way, though Simurg had become addicted to Wind Muscats, I still faithfully gave him one fruit a day as promised.

For him, World Tree Fruit was a rare indulgence—something he saved for special occasions as a reward to himself.

So now, he was eating it for the sake of conversing comfortably with a friend.

“It’s delicious!”

Though, from the way he eyed Wheel eating, it looked more like he’d simply been tempted into joining.

Side by side, the two of them enjoying fruit looked just like friends sharing drinks.

Ah, that reminded me.

I still had the wine that Keep-san had made. I should bring it out after our talk.

“Well then, let me get straight to the point… Wheel-san, would you be willing to create a Sanctuary some distance away from here?”

“Sure, no problem!”

“Of course, I understand it’s a lot to ask, but if you could somehow… eh, wait—what!?”

“I was already thinking it was time to teach the kids what it means to be a Divine Beast. Honestly, I’d have asked you myself.”

And so, much more easily than I had imagined, I succeeded in welcoming the new Divine Beast.