Chapter 46
After dinner Fer reminded me of something.
"By the way, are you offering your prayers to Ninril-sama?"
"Oh yeah, I completely forgot."
"You’ll be cursed big time! Hurry up and do it." Fer growled.
"Yeah yeah." I grumbled.
It’s only been a week since the oracle told me to make offerings so I’ve not actually broken my promise quite yet. I don’t want complaints from that poor excuse for a Goddess though so I’ll make another offering now.
I look through the Net Super menu while trying to decide what to offer.
The Goddess likes sweet things so I wonder what would be good. What should it be...?
Hmmm, some things from this section might get the goddess to look kindly on me. I start searching the sweets menu but there are many different kinds.
I’ll just choose things that catch my eye to start with. First of all there’s custard pudding and cheesecake.
Cheesecake -- baked cheesecake or unbaked cheesecake? Both?
Next, I think Swiss Roll, cream puff, Mont Blanc, chocolate cake and strawberry shortcake. After that pudding a la mode and tiramisu as well.
Is that a total of ten pieces? Everything’s a Western-style cake but if it’s for that Goddess it’ll be OK, I expect.
I’ve never looked in the Sweets Corner before but it seems to have been the right place this time. Right, I have to pay for all this.
A cardboard box appears as usual. I take out the sweets I purchased and line them up on the instant cardboard box altar.
"Wind Goddess Ninril-sama, I’d like to thank you for giving me your protection although I’m a little bit late. Thank you for your continued support." I pray to Ninril-sama while I make the offering.
[Ooh, finally. Really, how long were you going to keep me waiting?] Ninril-sama sounded snippy.
"I’m incredibly sorry, I was distracted by various things here and I forgot, sorta..."
[Stop lying. I can see you from the World of the Gods, you know. You didn’t *just* forget.]
Ow, she got me.
"Well, I’m incredibly sorry. I’ll take more care next time, please forgive me." I grovelled.
[Hmmm, I’ll forgive you this time but don’t make such a mistake again. I considered sending you an oracle to remind you many times but there are reasons why I couldn’t do it.]
I forgot because she didn’t send me an oracle but it seems she can’t always do that for some reason.
[It’s like this,] Ninril-sama explained. [The Gods and Goddesses watch each other like hawks. If one of us sends too many oracles the others will notice. If I’m not careful then you’ll end up having to make offerings to them too. You’ve got to remain a secret.]
Ah, I muttered to myself quietly, there are other greedy Goddesses too.
"Ninril-sama, as an apology, I have brought together these various offernings today." I prayed with my head bowed. When I looked up again, the items on the cardboard altar had disappeared without a trace.
[Woohoo! This, this is-!!]
What’s with the *Woohoo!*? This is a very disappointing Goddess.
[They’re all so sweet, and so different? And there’s so many of them too!!]
"Yes, Goddess, it’s an apology offering as I said earlier. I thought it might be a bit too much..."
[Wh-what are you saying? Too much? No, this is perfect. Next time you should offer the same amount. That’s an order.]
Yeah yeah. So ten pieces was OK after all.
"Oh, Ninril-sama, these sweets are all cakes so keep them refrigerated so you can enjoy them tomorrow."
[I got it. However we Gods don’t need to refrigerate things, we can just stop time passing for them. I can enjoy one piece each day. Mmphph...]
*Mmphph*... oh Goddess... Somehow in my mind I can see this Goddess jumping for joy.
[Anyway, offer up this amount next time, please. Be sure not to forget again.]
"As you command." Haa- I’m worn out. That is to say, this disciple of a disappointing Goddess is worn out.
I thought about going to bed immediately but Fer and Sui were looking at me intently.
"Wh- what’s with you two?"
"Sui wants to eat some too..." Oh Sui, don’t ask me in that sort of a cute voice...
"That’s right. Shouldn’t we also get a small share?" growled Fer.
"The cakes were an offering to Ninril-sama. They’re not really for eating before you go to sleep."
"Uh-, Aruji-" Sui is shivering and trembling. She really wants to eat some cake... Ah, Sui-tan is too cute. I surrender.
"Three pieces only, understand?" One piece each is’t really enough for Fer and Sui, probably.
"Really, Aruji?"
"Ah. But like I said, only three pieces."
"Yeah, yay-!" Sui bounced up and down happily.
"Hey, what about me?"
"You’ll get some too, Fer so don’t worry."
"Yeah, well."
I search on Net Super with Sui watching over my shoulder to help me choose. I bought a chocolate cake, a strawberry shortcake and a pudding a la mode. A piece each was not enough for those two as I thought but but at least mine was delicious.
Haa- my Contracted beasts are gluttons.