After thinking for a while, I decided it would be safer to discuss with Sigrdrífa first.
I somewhat understand the psychology of some women who prefer female taxi drivers when taking cabs. I must admit that if facing a male player, I would be several times more vigilant.
Male players' competitive consciousness and aggressiveness in virtual online games are inherently much higher than female players, especially in games involving combat. But that doesn't mean I've completely let my guard down around Carol Cat—it's just that considering Carol Cat's relatively casual player status, she might be a suitable candidate.
"It's getting late. Let me arrange a room for you. How about we continue our conversation tomorrow morning?"
"Okay nya~"
The mansion has plenty of empty rooms. I deliberately arranged a room for Carol Cat that was far from Lily's side to prevent Carol Cat from discovering Lily and Sigrdrífa.
Carol Cat has nowhere else to go at night, so letting her stay one night is fine.
After confirming that Carol Cat had logged out of the game and her character was in standby mode, I turned back toward Lily's bedroom.
If Carol Cat makes any moves, I'll wake up immediately. I didn't expect that in just one day, the house would have two more residents.
I returned to Lily's bedroom and heard Sigrdrífa's gentle whisper through the door crack.
"And so, the beautiful girl hero defeated the evil Demon Lord..."
So she's telling Lily a story? Elven fairy tales sound no different from human fairy tales...
"Then, the beautiful girl hero confessed to the Elf Queen, and the two received the nature goddess's blessing under the sacred tree, entering the hall of marriage. They had a litter of cute little babies and lived happily ever after..."
...Like hell! Are all elven fairy tales this bizarre? What's with the beautiful girl hero marrying the Elf Queen? And why describe babies as a "litter?”
I forcibly suppressed the urge to burst through the door and digested Sigrdrífa's strange elven fairy tale outside the bedroom.
"Next, Lifa-onee-chan will tell you... the story of forbidden love between a high elf maiden and a human saint..."
Stop it, that's not a fairy tale at all!
I unhesitatingly pushed the door open. Sigrdrífa was still smiling as she made a shushing gesture.
Fortunately, Lily was already asleep, or I really would have wanted to throw Sigrdrífa out. Does she remember saying with her own mouth that elves are the purest race on Lemoria Continent?
"Who was knocking at the door?"
"An adventurer who claims to admire me—a beastkin girl."
I sat by the bedside, helping to arrange the bedding for the sleeping Lily.
"I let her stay because I think she can help us test whether Lily will really trigger a [Quest]. What do you think?"
"A female adventurer... From my perspective, she's more reliable than male adventurers. The bandits who harmed sacred beasts were all male adventurers. If I had to choose, I'd definitely trust the former more."
Sigrdrífa's viewpoint basically aligned with mine. It's not discrimination or anything else—unless it's a game specifically targeting female players, generally female players in games are much less competitive and aggressive than male players. Many female players even play games just to accompany their boyfriends, and most female players view games as casual entertainment.
"But we can't let our guard down... She says she's your fan, so why don't you test her?"
Sigrdrífa offered her opinion. Carol Cat's claims are one-sided, so directly introducing her to Lily does carry certain risks. But since Carol Cat doesn't have an exclusive ID, it means she's not a particularly famous adventurer. Trying to find out about an obscure beastkin player's character within human kingdom territory isn't an easy task.
I bowed my head in thought for a moment, then nodded to Sigrdrífa.
"Alright, tomorrow I'll test whether she's a real fan of mine. I've met everyone from Anna's Support Group and know them... Hey, don't back away! They're not bad people. Anyway, I'll figure something out."
I paused briefly.
"Thank you for taking care of Lily today. I really can't handle both sides by myself."
"It's nothing. Your cooking skills really opened my eyes."
"I'm confident in my cooking, but preparing food for elves is a first for me. I was somewhat uncertain, so receiving your approval is my honor. Well, go back and rest early. See you tomorrow."
"...Go back?"
Sigrdrífa looked at me in surprise.
"Go back where?"
"Eh? Your room, it's next door."
"Lily said she wants me to sleep with her."
In the night, Sigrdrífa and I stared at each other.
"Elves are supposed to be a pure and self-disciplined race. Sleeping in the same bed as other races would incur punishment from the nature goddess, right?"
"No, Lily's body and mind are pure and flawless. The nature goddess gave me the revelation to stay, which is equivalent to tacitly acknowledging Lily."
"Then I'll send you to meet the nature goddess to ask her true intentions."
"...Don't come near me. The same move won't work on elves—you can't grope my chest again."
What groping? That was a necessary step for [Cardiac Arrest].
Neither Sigrdrífa nor I were willing to back down. I really should have knocked her out right after dinner.
"Anna-onee-chan... Lifa-onee-chan..."
Lily, who seemed to have entered a beautiful dream, murmured fragmented sleep talk.
"I love... you both the most..."
"..."
“...”
Sigrdrífa and I looked at each other again, but without any antagonistic meaning this time.
We absolutely cannot disturb Lily's sleeping face—on this point alone, we're willing to reach consensus.
So we have no choice but to—