After looking around the area for the wealthy, we decided to go to the plaza where the main venue was located, and Sky-san led us all there.
The main venue is where various performances are held, and the guests of honor, such as the Human Realm's rulers and the Six Kings, are said to be in the plaza where the main venue is located.
[...Speaking of which, Sky-san. I've been thinking about this for a while, but did Magnawell-san not come to the festival?]
[Hmmm, he must have received the invitation, but since Dragon King Magnawell had that size, he often appoints one of the four Great Demon Dragons as his representative, so I guess it would be the same case this time. The middle-level isn't as wide as the lower-level, so he may have been being mindful?]
[Ahh, I see...]
Since Magnawell-san is that huge, it would have been easy to recognize him from a distance if he had come, so I guess it would be as Sky-san said and he had sent a representative.
Alice also said that she sometimes enlists Pandora-san as her representative as a fake Phantasmal King, so it probably would turn out into something like that.
Well, even if the middle-level is smaller than lower-level, I think this place was still quite large, so I actually think that there isn't any problem even if Magnawell-san were to attend. But at the time the invitation came, he probably didn't know exactly how much of the area would be used for the White God Festival, so wondering if they were to use the entire middle-level, he'll be troubled if that weren't the case so just to make sure, he decided to not attend?
As I was walking along with this in mind, I suddenly heard an unfamiliar voice.
[Ohh, if it isn't Miyama Kaito, what a coincidence.]
Approaching our way is an elderly man with a white beard. He was quite tall, over 190cm, and wore a light gray coat-like outer garment over a suit-like shirt, and a hat of the same color as his coat, giving the image of an old gentleman.
[Eh? Errr———– !?]
I was puzzled by the unfamiliar person, and soon after, Anima, Caraway, Eta and Theta stepped forward in front of me with a clearly alarmed look on their faces.
I could feel their tense emotions, which could have been perceived as them preparing for battle, but rather than hostility, they felt more like dogs growling at the approaching threat... The expressions on the faces of the four of them showed a strong nervousness and a slight "fear".
I somehow understood why. How should I say this... It was the atmosphere of the old gentleman in front of us. At first glance, he looked calm and intelligent, but he had this unique presence... Even though I'm not well-informed when it comes to matters regarding battle, I could tell at a glance that he had this presence that makes you feel like he isn't just anybody.
...Yes, it's just a guess, but this old gentleman is stronger than Anima's group of four... Overwhelmingly stronger...
[...Who are you? This level of presence, comparable to the Six Kings and the Supreme Gods... No matter how long I try to estimate your strength, even the most powerful Count-rank couldn't be compared to your power, but this is the first time I've seen you.]
The old gentleman calmly smiles when Sky-san asks, with a strong hint of caution on her face, just like Anima and the others.
....H- Hmmm, I can understand why Anima and the others are wary. They must have felt as if an unpredictable and powerful person had suddenly appeared.
However, well, I feel a little skeptical about this guess, but this old gentleman is probably...
[...Errr, "Magnawell-san", right? I think I'm right...]
[Fuhahaha, as expected, you've seen through Shalltear's disguises after all. You immediately figured it out... Umu, you're right.]
[No, I'm honestly skeptical too. I mean, I'm still in a bit of disbelief... but Magnawell-san, I thought you couldn't use Humanization Magic to turn human-size?]
Yes, that's the reason why I was puzzled even though I somehow thought it was Magnawell-san. Magnawell-san himself told me that there's a limit to the size that can be changed from their original size with Humanization Magic.
It seems that there's a limit of "up to 5000 meters difference from the original size", so if the 30,000-meter-tall Magnawell-san used Humanization Magic, he'd just become a "25,000 meter-tall giant".
With his vertical length, he would have become a humanoid taller than a normal human, having a height where he's unable to see his feet at all, so Magnawell-san doesn't bother using Humanization Magic... that was what he told me back then.
But now, albeit a large one, standing in front of me is a human-sized Magnawell-san... It's a strange situation "different from what I heard from him", so I'm confused.
Even Sky-san reacted like she'd never seen him in this form before, so seriously, what's going on?
[Umu, your questions are understandable... but this body isn't the result of Humanization Magic. I suppose you could describe it as... remotely operating a special clone?]
[That kinda sounds complicated and unclear, doesn't it?]
[Ahh, I just got this the other day "from a transaction with Shalltear", so I also don't know much about this. If I remember correctly, that Shalltear... said something like "program kowd" or "kowd dragneel".]
...I'm not sure what he meant, but I understand that Alice did something again. Since he mentioned this clone was something he received from a transaction, she must have demanded something in exchange for this special clone.
Good grief... What the heck is she doing this time...
[Afterword]
Makina : [...I was made to make that.]
Serious-senpai : [I knew it! If it were anyone else who made it, I'd be surprised.]
Makina : [...Telling me that as an apology for that time with the temple festival, she had me make it... Because of that, I was very busy explaining this and that to Shallow Vernal.]
Serious-senpai : [How did you explain that? Shallow Vernal doesn't know about your relationship with Alice, right?]
Makina : [She knows that I... or rather, Eden highly evaluates Alice, so telling her that it's the result of a deal I made with Alice, I've gotten permission to bring that program code to Shallow Vernal's world. In exchange, she wanted some information about yukatas and fireworks, so I gave her that.]