Chapter 335: The Sister Who Loses Control While Drunk
On this night in the heart of the Great Forest, all life—be it human, god, or magical creature—was equal, reveling in the feast's carnival. Shirou set up a stove and began searing and roasting meat for the inhabitants. For the humanoid magical creatures, Shirou's cooking was an unprecedented delicacy.
Magical creatures from all over showed off their unique skills, bringing various foods: giant wild beasts and mountain produce gathered from the woods. Lion Saber, Panda Jeanne, and the Little Tiger sat directly on the ground beside Shirou, enjoying their privilege as they waited for an infinite supply of delicious food. They ate until their faces were slick with oil, wearing expressions of supreme happiness.
Quetzalcoatl revealed a brilliant smile and pointed at Ereshkigal. "As a rare guest, I'll make an exception and answer your question. Listen well, little girl. As for my current state, I'm actually the same as these magical creatures."
"Eh? You're willing to tell me?" Ereshkigal asked in surprise.
"Of course! I'm very hospitable to guests, but you have to drink this cup first!" The Big Sister Quetzalcoatl laughed heartily, handing a giant cup of liquor to the blonde girl with twin tails.
"Hey! Are you making an elementary schooler drink?!" Shirou, who was busy grilling, interjected.
"Now, now. Goddesses aren't governed by humans, are they? Or would Shirou-chan like to have a drink with Big Sister?" Quetzalcoatl said with a laugh.
At that moment, the Cu Chulainns jumped out. Druid Cu Chulainn said with a smile, "We'll drink in her place!"
Quetzalcoatl grinned fiercely, then broke back into a booming laugh. "Oh! You've got guts! Sister loves men like you. Come then! Let's drink our fill tonight! No one stops until they're passed out on the ground!"
The Cu Chulainns held bamboo tubes that seemed mismatched to their sizes. Even the largest, Black Dragon Cu Chulainn, held his tube with ease, and they guzzled down cup after cup of "Monkey Wine."
After several rounds, the three Cu Chulainns had bloated bellies and faces dripping with sweat. However, the Big Sister Quetzalcoatl opposite them looked even worse. Despite her bold talk, it seemed her alcohol tolerance wasn't actually that high.
"Wait! Don't run, Little Leopard~! Trying to ambush me while I'm drunk again? I won't crush you to death!" The drunken Quetzalcoatl had undergone a complete personality shift.
"Gah! You've got the wrong tiger~!" Fujimura Little Tiger waved her hands frantically, making an 'X' sign.
"Don't be shy. Let Sister see what's underneath... your cute little bottom." Quetzalcoatl wore a lecherous expression, sticking out her tongue to lick the Little Tiger's cheek.
"Ugyaa!!!" The Little Tiger trembled all over, letting out a pitiful wail.
"Come to think of it," Shirou recalled, "there's a legend where Quetzalcoatl was counter-attacked by the Black Jaguar God because she was drunk, leading to her defeat and the loss of her position as the Sun God."
Because she was not a Heroic Spirit summoned by humans, but a magical creature descended into a beast's body, she possessed more "bestial nature" than when summoned by humans, staying more faithful to animal instincts. As a human deity, she might hate alcohol, but as a beast deity, she had no such qualms.
"Is it a leopard or a tiger? He-he-he~! We'll know once I strip you bare." Quetzalcoatl laughed like a predator, preparing to dismantle the Little Tiger's outfit piece by piece.
"Gaaaaah! Shirou! Save me!" The captured Fujimura Little Tiger curled into a ball, desperately guarding her modesty, looking like she was about to cry.
'Now is not the time for contemplation!'
At this moment, the Little Tiger was powerless to stop her limbs from being pried apart; she was about to be flipped over for her backside to be admired in front of everyone. Shirou rushed forward, blocking the rampaging blonde Big Sister.
Feeling her arm being held, Quetzalcoatl, her face flushed and eyes hazy with drink, turned to look at Shirou.
"Wait! Quetzal! Big Sister! Calm down! Calm down!" Shirou pleaded.
"Oh my~! Shirou-chan! Do you want to play games with Big Sister too?" Sparks flew in the Sun Goddess's eyes.
Something felt wrong. It was as if a long-repressed longing had surged forth; she was burning hot all over, her logic completely overtaken by carnal desire. At that moment, a flash of inspiration hit Shirou as he remembered something else.
"There are many legends of Quetzalcoatl. One says that she was tricked into getting drunk by other gods, lost control, slept with her sister, and was finally driven from the throne of the Sun..."
Shirou realized he had recalled some terrifying information, but it was too late.
There are two types of gods: gods of primordial concepts, and gods within the human imagination. The former have no desires; they are the "Heavenly Way," a part of nature—like mountain gods or water spirits. Even if humans ceased to exist, any creature with intelligence would still believe in them. The latter are painted with magical colors: all-knowing, all-powerful, unique in the world, governing life and death.
Logic dictates that such things are illusions. Earth has existed for 4.6 billion years. Humans have only existed for 2 million years since Homo erectus, and Homo sapiens has only been around for 200,000 years. Human civilization has only dominated the world for a few thousand years. To call humans the "sole primates of the world" is sheer arrogance. The all-powerful gods of religions that supposedly created the world in seven days are likewise delusions.
Perhaps that is why when the white light of the first "God"—the creator of all things—descended, it was enough to strip these deities of their power. Because the world no longer permitted the existence of "Man-Gods." Quetzalcoatl had stayed deep in the forest and never interacted with humans, which is why Little Gil didn't know of her.
Quetzalcoatl had descended to this world as a Beast God from the start. Unlike humans who emphasized morality and etiquette, beasts possessed affection, friendship, and love, but were more faithful to their desires—especially when dead drunk, when the brain feels as if in a dream, forgetting common sense and discarding all inhibitions.
Having turned into a blonde predator, Quetzalcoatl tossed the Little Tiger aside and looked at Shirou, smiling foolishly. "Looking at you now, even an un-grown Shirou is quite cute."
"Wait! Wait! Put me down! Why do you become like this just from being drunk? This is scary!" Before he could react, Shirou was hoisted onto her shoulder.
Even in her human form, Quetzalcoatl stood over 1.8 meters tall barefoot. If she wore heels, even an adult Shirou would feel pressured. In his current elementary schooler body, faced with such a disparity, Shirou could only struggle.
"Gao!" Lion Saber and Panda Jeanne tried to save him, but they were held back by their own kind, who blocked them with complicated expressions.
"Sorry... Shirou, gawu..." The Little Tiger covered her face in agony, unable to watch. She wished she were the Jaguar God so she could stop this atrocity.
"Don't be shy. Well then, let's do this!" Quetzalcoatl stomped her foot, and a circular crack split the ground. The spot she stood on became like an elevator platform. With another stomp, the ground sank several meters. Another stomp, and it sank further.
Her destination was a massive cavern dozens of meters underground—a leylines space connected to the Holy Grail to store magical energy. Usually, Quetzalcoatl guarded it and no living thing entered, but now she seemed intent on using it as a bridal chamber.
"Shirou! She likes dancing! Dance with her!" Ereshkigal was terrified, but in her tension, she managed to shout out a suggestion.
"Right! Quetzalcoatl! Dance with me first!!!" Shirou yelled at the top of his lungs.
"Dancing? Hic! True... before entering the bridal chamber, there must be dancing!" Quetzalcoatl let out a drunken burp and finally stopped her descent. She grabbed Shirou's hands, jumped back to the campfire, and began a strange dance.
However, Shirou had it rough, being held up and swung around until the world spun. Quetzalcoatl held Shirou high, kicking her legs and waving her arms, laughing loudly. "Ahahaha, ahaha, aha..."
Finally, she let go of Shirou and face-planted into the sunken pit. There was a dull thump of a heavy object hitting the floor, and she went still. After a while, there was no sound. The magical creatures peered into the hole, only to hear steady snoring coming from below.
Shirou, who had been dropped on the ground at the last second, lay there for a long time without getting up.
"Hey, Shirou, are you okay?" Ereshkigal stepped forward worriedly and patted his shoulder, feeling his body trembling slightly.
"I'm saved!" Shirou quickly turned around and hugged the girl, his body shaking and tears in the corners of his eyes. To find his "original heart," Shirou had been reverted to an elementary schooler. Though he kept his memories, the change in physique had a massive impact on one's psyche.
Even a simple cold or fever can make a strong man who has lived alone for years feel exceptionally fragile, wishing he could just go home to his parents' cooking. In a completely foreign environment where his life wasn't guaranteed, Shirou was far less resilient than the battle-hardened adult he once was. He had merely been keeping his mental strings tight, building a wall to force himself to act strong.
Quetzalcoatl's rampage had shattered that wall. The string had snapped, leaving the boy feeling helpless.
"Wait!" Suddenly hugged, Ereshkigal's face turned bright red. She didn't know where to put her hands, but feeling the boy's tension, she sighed and patted his back. "There, there, it's all over now."
Nearby, the Little Lion, Little Tiger, and Panda Jeanne—who had been worried sick—were moved to tears. They ran over with snot and tears flying.
"Wooo!" "Gawu!" "Shirou!"
"Everyone!!" Shirou emotionally embraced his companions. It was truly terrifying—a woman losing her mind while drunk was just too scary.
The surrounding magical creatures sympathized with the boy's grievance. They patted his shoulder or back and then left. A long time passed before Shirou let go of Ereshkigal.
"Thank you... Ereshkigal." The boy thanked her with a slightly red face.
"Hmph, only this once! You're a boy, so don't always act like such a spoiled baby." Ereshkigal, also blushing, crossed her arms and looked away. She quickly walked to her luggage, pulled out a blanket, and lay down. She closed her eyes, but the heat in her crimson ears didn't fade for a long time. With her back to Shirou, the corners of her mouth curled into a slight arc.
The rest of the night passed in silence.
.
.
.
The next morning, the rising sun shone into the clearing at the center of the forest, dispelling the cold and gloom. When the boy woke up, he saw the sun was already high. Exhausted by the previous night's events, Shirou had rare lie-in.
Shirou sat up and saw the three small animals sleeping beside him as if guarding him. He smiled softly and tucked them in. He stood up and looked toward the stove he had built. He found Ereshkigal stirring a cylindrical iron pot with a spoon.
"Good morning, Ereshkigal. Sorry for letting you handle breakfast." Shirou walked over.
"Good morning, Shirou. It's no problem. I was interested anyway. Since I finally have a human body, I wanted to try eating food I made myself," Ereshkigal said with a smile. After eating Shirou's cooking yesterday, she had gained an interest in culinary arts. She had tried making breakfast using ingredients from Shirou's backpack.
"I see. Is it alright if I watch you make breakfast?" Shirou asked softly.
"Of course. If there's something I'm doing wrong, please guide me," Ereshkigal said humbly.
"Alright. So, Ereshkigal, what are you making?"
"Well, I'm planning to boil the wheat into a cream-colored porridge, paired with some mountain greens and wild mushrooms fried in animal fat, and the smoked meat you made last night that we didn't finish. Is that alright?"
"Of course. You've done more than I imagined. Porridge, huh? That's more common in China. In Japan, we rarely drink porridge unless it's a special day or when someone is sick as a liquid food that's easy to swallow."
Compared to ancient Japan where the classes were polarized—samurai and nobles ate white rice while farmers ate beans and konjac—China had a long tradition of people "rising up" when they couldn't even get a bowl of porridge. Before rice noodles and flour noodles were invented, porridge was the only choice for commoners to fill their bellies.
Shirou thought to himself: Commonly speaking, China at this time probably hasn't reached the era of Great Yu controlling the floods. The Xia Dynasty hasn't risen, and Chinese civilization
hasn't officially begun. I can only say that Tohsaka's Chinese cooking soul can still affect a goddess with a similar face even in this world.
"Good morning... everyone~ Haah!" At this point, Quetzalcoatl woke up. She used her legs to prop herself up into a sitting position and yawned.
Druid Cu Chulainn asked, "Big Sis, just a quick question: do you remember what happened last night?"
"Last night?" Quetzalcoatl rubbed her throbbing head and said confusedly, "We held a feast, drank some wine..."
"And then...?" Everyone locked their eyes on her.
"And then? Then I fell asleep, right? And slept until morning. My, Shirou's meat was delicious, the wine was great, and the dancing was fun. I have no memory of anything else." The blonde Big Sister laughed and threw up her hands.
"Ah... I see." Every other being present wore a complicated expression and looked away.
"Eh? What's wrong? Did something else happen?" Quetzalcoatl looked at everyone's strange reactions. Sensing she might have done something irredeemable again, she said, "If I did something, just say it!"
"No..." The surrounding magical creatures tacitly turned away again, unwilling to meet her eyes.
"Shirou-chan?" Quetzalcoatl felt her prestige had taken an unprecedented hit and looked toward the boy for help.
"No, it's nothing. But Big Sister, it would be better if you drank less in the future. I'm going to help Ereshkigal with breakfast. Goodbye," Shirou said politely, but his body involuntarily increased the distance between them.
Calm words and indifferent, stranger-like politeness were the most heartbreaking. And that distant look in his eyes—what was that about?
Left isolated, Quetzalcoatl felt a chill in her heart. She blinked blankly, then clutched her head and screamed at the sky, "I knew it! Something DID happen!"
When breakfast was ready, Ereshkigal brought the steamed meat, greens, and wheat porridge to Quetzalcoatl.
"Eresh-chan... you're the only one who cares about Big Sister." Seeing that no beast was willing to talk to her, the depressed Quetzalcoatl was moved by the kind goddess girl, feeling ashamed for teasing her yesterday.
Ereshkigal raised a palm to stop her. "No, Goddess from another land. I'm just here to make you fulfill yesterday's promise. Tell me the secret of the Holy Grail and why you still possess your divine power!"
"Ah... so it was for that." Quetzalcoatl's eyes turned to ash. She felt the fickleness of the world; they were talking happily last night, yet the world had changed by morning.
"Well, as I said before, I am essentially the same as the magical creatures here. Something between a Heroic Spirit and a Divine Beast—like a beastified Heroic Spirit. It's just that the energy I received is much stronger than the other children. But in exchange for power, I became the guardian of this forest. Unless it's an emergency, I cannot leave," Quetzalcoatl explained.
"An exchange? You mean the Holy Grail? The Grail gave you this body?" Ereshkigal asked.
"Specifically, it's the leylines. Under the influence of the white light, the Grail was also in danger of disappearing. But while you gods were fighting the white light, it went into hiding in the leylines here, merging with the Great Forest. The forest underwent a mutation and gained a consciousness, and then it made a contract with me," Quetzalcoatl continued. "Didn't the gods on your side also get human bodies because of the light? In this world, the bodies you had in the Divine Realm can no longer be used."
"Mhm, that's true." Ereshkigal nodded. Originally dwelling in the Underworld, she had no physical body.
"That's how it is. But I think little Eresh looks very happy right now. Especially when she's with Shirou-chan," Quetzalcoatl said with a grin.
"Incorrect! It's not like that! Shirou and I... we aren't in that kind of relationship!" Ereshkigal's face turned bright red as she jumped up.
"Eresh? What are you saying?" Hearing his name, Shirou looked over in confusion.
"None of your business! Don't look over here!" Ereshkigal shouted at him.
"Eh?" Shirou was even more confused.
"Tch!" At that moment, a sound came from a bush no one had noticed. Hiding inside was a blonde girl with twin tails who looked exactly like Ereshkigal, though her aura was much more arrogant.
"What are you doing, Ereshkigal? Getting so close to the enemy... you really were tricked. And that guy—he looks somewhat irritating! I really want to run over and kick him."
Ishtar, watching from a distance, gritted her teeth in annoyance. For some unknown reason, her heart felt extremely restless. She crossed her arms, watching the unknown yet intriguing boy, her fingers tapping rhythmically against her arm. Finally, her veins popped, looking as if she wanted to bore a hole through the boy with her gaze.
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