Chapter 730: Gods Growth ⑤ (1/2)

After enjoying the cocktail that Iris-san had made for me and eating the snacks that were served, I brought up the subject to Anima.

[So, Anima, there's something I'd like to consult with you…… about Fate-san, and Mom and Dad. Both were trying to step up for each other's sake, but it's not going well. I've been thinking if you have a good way to help mediate between them.]

[……I see, this is quite a difficult problem. I've been in such a situation myself after all.]

[Anima too?]

[Yes, as Master knows, I used to be a Black Bear…… a monster. And a monster like me became a person…… as expected, it took me a while to get used to it. Back when I was a monster, it was common sense that if I didn't like something, I would just solve it with force.]

Now that she mentioned it, I remembered when I first met Anima…… the Anima back then is hard to approach, as she was quick to fight.

This was probably because it was the norm when she was living as a Black Bear. But after that, Anima has gradually softened, or rather, she isn't as intimidating to others as she was in the beginning.

And now, after she acquired common sense and education, she has turned into someone who can be trusted to do various things with peace of mind.

[Fate-dono is a God, and even though she looked like a Human, her values are different from one. Even I, who had only lived as a monster for about 20 years at most, found it quite difficult to change. For Fate-dono who has lived for so many years, I think it may even be even more difficult for her to change herself than for me.]

[……I see. By the way, regarding how Anima's mentality changed, did you have something that triggered your change?]

[……Let's see. Thinking about it again…… I think it was when I first met Alice-dono. Until then, I had been looking down on everyone around me. Perhaps, because I was stronger than the rest of my kind, so other than Master and Shallow Vernal-sama…… deep down, I may have been looking down on everyone as inferior beings.]

As she lightly tilted her glass, Anima had a nostalgic look on her face.

[Even in the beginning, Lilia-dono was much stronger than me, but since I had never personally seen her fight…… I may have vaguely thought that even if I couldn't win now, I would eventually win against her.]

[And that changed when you saw Alice?]

[Yes. In the beginning, I had thought that Alice-dono was a human…… Seeing her fight Sigma-dono brought a chill down my spine. Bacchus-dono, who appeared afterwards, also possessed great power, but even more than him…… Even more than Lilia-dono…… I felt an unfathomable power from Alice-dono.]

I see. It's probably because Anima has lived as a monster for so long, but she has an instinctive sense of smell in identifying strong people.

From that fight with Sigma, she instinctively felt and feared a part of the power shown by Alice, someone who is one of the strongest in the world.

[I felt so tiny. I started wondering why I was so cocky even when I was so weak…… From that point on, as Master may have realized, I felt inferior to Alice-dono…… but Master's words helped me to walk forward. I guess that's where it started. I think my sense of values started to change after I started to change after I stopped looking down on the people around me.]