“You guys, once you’re inside, keep as quiet as possible. Even if you get excited, don’t yell.” (Yuki)
“I know. We also understand where we should be quiet!” (Illuna)
“…I’m not going to be that loud.” (Enne)
“Ugh… Shii might be a bit nervous. I’m so excited, I might even start to scream.” (Shii)
“…Enne will help keep the others quiet.” (Enne)
“Oh, that’s fine then! Please take care of me.” (Shii)
“Well, I don’t know if that’s okay…?” (Illuna)
Illuna and the others were full of giggles.
We followed the flow of people and entered the cathedral.
The interior was as luxurious, spacious, and beautiful as the exterior.
Polished marble floors. There were few couches, as was typical in churches, but this was probably done to allow people to walk around freely.
More than half of the ceiling was covered with paintings, which were illuminated by light coming in through stained-glass windows and a large chandelier. On either side, there was a passageway nearly as high as the ceiling, and it seemed to be three stories high.
At the far end of the hall, there was a statue of a god, and next to it, a huge pipe organ was installed and stood out.
It was a magnificent organ. It covered the entire wall and reached up to the ceiling. I had never seen an organ of this size before.
It could not be compared to a grand performance, but there were people playing string instruments as well as the grand organ in a light tune.
I wanted to show Riou and Sakuya, but both of them fell asleep just after lunchtime.
Not only Sakuya, but also Riou had cried a lot earlier, and it was no wonder that they were physically exhausted.
Not because of that, but we decided to separate from Illuna and the other girls, who were full of energy and wanted to look around.
Illuna thought about suggesting to take one adult with them… but decided not to do so, since the guards would be following them anyway.
Moreover, after the last incident, guards would be watching their surroundings with a lot of vigilance.
“Well, we’ll just relax around here and keep an eye on things. Just think of it as if you all are going on a new trip for a bit. You can come right back to us if you get in trouble.” (Yuki)
“Yeah, I’ll see you later.” (Illuna)
“A Trip! I’m looking forward to it!” (Shii)
“…I’m looking forward to it. It’s worth exploring.” (Enne)
◇◇◇
Lefi’s POV
I watched the back of Illuna and the others as they cheerfully left.
The three of them walking side by side and the three of them flying along.
They had always been close, but there were many things that had changed since the old days.
“Hmm? What’s wrong, Lefi?” (Yuki)
“Well… I’m just thinking that those girls have grown up.” (Lefi)
Yuki asked me curiously, to which I responded.
What changed from the old days, especially in a big way?
I guess it was the fact that we could allow Illuna and the others to go separately like this.
Not long ago, I would not have allowed them to do such a thing.
Not only because it was dangerous, but also because I simply couldn’t take my eyes off them.
Although all of them were strong for their age, the children were still children. It was the responsibility of the guardians to take care of them.
Until recently, Illuna and the others had been wanting to work with the adult group.
But now, I let them do some work on their own. I think it was okay to leave them without monitoring them.
I was not completely free from worries, as Shii got lost just a while ago, but…. As long as the girls stayed together, they should be able to solve most of their problems on their own.
Shii, after all, had solved the problem on her own and returned safely with Sakuya. Even Shii, who was such a goofball and never thinks too deeply, thought, acted, and came back by herself.
When in the world did these girls grow up so much?
I had sensed that their minds had been maturing increasingly since they started going to school, but… But when I think about it, it appears that the change had already started even before that.
I think the first time I felt it was when we found out that we were pregnant?
In any case, it was very early.
For dragons, 10 years would only feel like a recent time. A few years less than that would be no different from a week or a month in when compared to how humans felt time.
Since Lefi started living with Yuki and his family, her sense of time has changed from that of the dragon tribe to something closer to that of human beings.
The days were noisy and hectic.
They were so condensed that the thousand years before meeting Yuki and the few years after they met seem to be the same length.
But even in such a time frame, the girls seemed to have grown up so fast.
No… Perhaps that may be what it meant to raise a child. This feeling was probably felt by all parents.
Was it Yuki who said that the passage of time was relative and subjectively variable?
