The anger began to well up within her again, but she clenched her fist and replied to him calmly.
“And what happened to Salia?”
“She denied it completely. I suppose since it was the second time, she was better at escaping.”
“Please stop! That was…that incident, it was all Zephalis and the others!”
In spite of the dragon god gazing in wonderment, and the children looking in surprise from the water mirror, Salia began to speak.
“Lord Zephalis, no, the ones behind him, proposed the game of the gods. They used the existence of monsters in Salia’s world as an excuse to turn it into a battlefield, and show the usefulness of the games.”
“Only Salia made that argument. She said that someone entered her star’s barrier and killed the world devourers. The gods and demons blamed each other, but no one knows who the mastermind was.”
“It was I who led them inside.”
‘Canila…?’
Once she said, it was as if the weight lifted from her chest.
“You and Salia created that protection together, so you would also know how to get through it.”
‘Why…would you do such a thing?’
Fi asked in a stunned voice.
“To protect Salia’s world. It was supposed to help eliminate the world devourers and prevent a battle. It is ridiculous, isn’t it? That I could be deceived by such a lie.”
“So the reason you did not want to see us. It was not just because the Seer was threatening you.”
She smiled bitterly and bowed her head. To everyone who was listening.
“Keita, I am really sorry. It is all my fault. The reason I could not stand up against the Seer, the reason I did not cooperate with Fi or the Dragon God. It is because I could not admit my own crime.”
‘Canila…’
“In the first place, had I not done such a thing, Salia would not have been hurt. I am to blame for everything.”
‘Um… Can I ask you something?’
The small blue dragon looked up at her with a surprisingly calm expression.
‘When you say that you were tricked, you mean that it wasn’t your intention to hurt Salia, and you didn’t mean to join the other gods in their plotting, right?’
“But it was something I should have realized after just a little thought. I believed the sweet words of a thief, and instead of helping someone important to me, I ended up aiding the people who would ruin her.”
‘Uh, so that’s… I’m not saying you did nothing wrong, but… It’s not so easy to say what is right or wrong, and… Umm…’
“Thank you. It’s enough to hear you say that.”
Fi was doing his best to show his sympathy, and so she stopped him gently. While she was happy to hear it, she did not need that kind of mercy.
“They actually told me that I would not be able to live if I told anyone. However, now you share the same secret, Dragon God.”
“Oh, so now you are threatening me? You and Salia are quite alike in some respects. Birds of a feather? Or feminine cunning, I wonder.”
“No, I just thought that if I’m going to be defeated anyway, it should be by the one who deserves to do it.”
The dragon nodded to her confession, and then he called to the empty air.
“Hey, Salia. Come over here to Canila’s god seat. She has something she wants to tell you.”