"I will remain in this village...."
I speak my decision to God, the management.
"Oh, yeah, I get it. Yoshio, you are officially a resident of another world."
"No, wait a minute. Please listen to me until the end of the story. I'll stay, but can't I stay here until the temptation of the evil god is over and then return?"
"Yes, but it would be safer to return to Japan and give instructions before the temptation begins, wouldn't it?"
"I can't just run away when the villagers are about to face hardship. It's not cool to run away and give orders from a safe place...."
I've been exposed to a lot of uncool ways of living. It doesn't matter if it's vanity or vainness. I'm the God of Fate here!
"I see. To be honest, I thought you would choose to stay in the other world. If you use miracles and talk about the followers of God, you can even dream of a harem there. I'm sure you'll be able to find something that works for you."
"...Please don't tempt me with such a mind-boggling offer. But I refuse."
"I'm not going to do it. I'm sure you'll be happy with the results."
You say that as if you've been watching me my whole life.
"Did you see me?"
"Of course. Yoshio, you've been spying on the villagers, haven't you? I can do the same thing, I'm a god."
"I'm just wondering if you've been watching...in private?"
"...No comment."
I was just making a light-hearted joke, but there was a slight pause that bothered me.
"Well, I guess I should say something godly. I'll grant you your wish. When the "Temptation of the Evil God" is over, you will return to Japan."
The management, speaking in a different tone of voice, was indeed like a god.
"Thank you for being so selfish."
"This kind of selfishness is very welcome. It looks like I made the right choice in choosing you as my player."
"By the way, I've been wondering for a while, do you have any criteria for choosing a player?"
"In a manner of speaking, yes. Well, that's a trade secret. When you become one of the best players in this game, I might be able to tell you. Then, the day after tomorrow, you'll have to go to...and survive the attack."
"Yes, I will. I'll do as much as I can. Oh, and there's one more thing I want to ask you. I'd like to ask you one more thing about the Evil God side…"
As soon as the call ended, my whole body relaxed. Was I able to finish the conversation safely? Even though he was talking to me casually, he was a god. As a mere mortal, even just talking to him would drain a lot of my mental energy.
"Now there's no way out of this. I'll just have to..."
It's been proven that I'm the type of person who can't exert myself unless I'm cornered. The situation was even more critical than before, as I was about to be attacked by two players. If I really wanted to save the village and survive, I would have to push myself.
"I'm not going to let my guard down anymore. I've even had a conversation with one of the enemy players. It's not a situation I don't know anything about."
He was a man who was both cautious and bold. He was not afraid to go behind the scenes and get others involved. In Japan, he couldn't do anything reckless because of the eyes of the police, but here he didn't have that constraint. Anything would be possible here. I'll go talk to them. It was night, but still early enough to go to bed, so I paid a visit to someone's house and told him my thoughts.
The day before "Temptation of the Evil God"
The preliminary preparations were already done, so today's job was to check the details. Gams, Murus, and the elves are working together to explore the surroundings. In the village, they were buying supplies from Doldold, who had arrived this morning.
"You probably shouldn't have pushed yourself on a day like this."
"Tomorrow is the day, so if you leave here around noon, there will be no problem. Besides, I have invested a lot of money in this village with high hopes. It would be a great loss if it were to fall into ruin."
Doldold replied to Lodis's question and laughed while slapping his plump belly. He says it in a joking way, but I think he means it too. He's not a bad person by any means, but it's also true that he's a hard-working merchant. Incidentally, the reason why Doldold visited today was because I activated the miracle beforehand.
"So you are Mr. Doldold. The villagers are indebted to you."
I bowed as politely as I could; imitating the greetings of nobles I had seen on TV.
"Oh, I've never seen you before. May I ask who you are?"
His smile faltered for a moment, and his eyes darted across my body.
"Mr. Doldold. This gentleman is—"
"That's all right, Mr. Lodis. Let me introduce myself. My name is Yoshio. I am a follower sent here on behalf of the God who watches over this village."
I smiled at him, and Destiny climbed up and settled on my shoulder. He made me look like a follower of God, didn't he? He's a witty guy. Normally, this would be a statement from a crazy person. Doldold seems to have taken it as such, and looked at Lodis with an unusually tight smile on his face. When he saw Lodis nodding slowly, a great deal of sweat appeared on his face.
"I didn't know you, sir, but I've been so rude!"
He slumped back and rubbed his head on the ground.
"Please look up. I may be a follower of the gods, but I am equal to the villagers. There is no need to be polite."
I wear a gentle smile on my face, which has become a bit of a thing after weeks of playing this character; I take Doldold hand and make him stand.
"Thank you so much for all you do for our village. On behalf of the gods, I say thank you."
"Oh, no, sir!"
I'm afraid I've frightened him. But this means that I look like a follower of God, right? I've grown up.
"I hope you will continue to take care of this village. God bless you."
I'll say something like that and then pray. By the way, this prayer pose was imitated by Chem. Doldold looks at me and bursts into tears. This is the same reaction I had when I first came to this village, but it's a little scary. Unlike Japan, this is a world where gods are real and people can benefit from their miracles. It seems like an excessive reaction, but I can understand it.
"Mr. Doldold, do you mind if I take a look at some of your products?"
"Yes, please! Take any item you like!"
I looked through the items on display as they were recommended. I was hoping to find something that I could use for tomorrow's raid.
In the evening, Gams and Murus came home, so we had an early dinner, but I cooked most of the food. This would be the last dinner I would have with them. I had no choice but to show off my skills. The food seemed to please them, and we all finished the meal with a satisfied look on our faces. After taking a relaxing bath in the hot spring, we all gathered at the huge tent that served as the village meeting place.
"Tomorrow we will enter the "Temptation of the Evil God". Let's all stay alive!"
Lodis declares in a strong tone, and everyone responds, "Ooooooh!" We haven't officially decided on a representative for this village, but from the looks of it, I think Lodis will be the village chief. I'll tell the oracle when the time is right.
"Master Yoshio, may I have a word with you?"
When Lodis spoke to me, I scooted up. I had already expected this. I've already thought of some phrases that sound like.….
"I can only tell you one thing: Survive together. God is always watching over you. May God bless this village!"
I tried to speak loudly. It wasn't so long as to be a speech, but it was the best I could do. Still, the villagers were praying, their eyes moist with emotion. I touched the heads of the villagers who were bowing their heads in fervent prayer, and said their names. When I finished calling out everyone's name, I urged them to look up and smiled at them.
When we disbanded and returned to the tent, I kneeled on the floor and plunged my face into the blanket. I was so excited! Who the hell was that? Is that me? I tried to act like a squire, but I couldn't do it! The shame overtook me and I squirmed.
I was touched that I could pull off such an embarrassing act to cheer up the villagers! I did it because it was the last time! After a few moments of agony, I calmed down a bit.
"We've done everything we needed to do, haven't we? All that's left is...tomorrow."
I checked the time on my phone and found that it was already past twenty-one in the evening. I lay down and covered myself with a blanket to try to get some sleep, but I was too...excited to sleep. I've only lived here for almost a month, but I'm going to miss it.
A log stands in the middle of the tent as a prop. A travel bag and a wooden chest of drawers are placed against the wall. Since I came here, I've been wearing the same clothes as the villagers, and in my bag are the clothes I wore on my trip to Hokkaido, folded up. The only thing I have on is my coat, which I put on over my head to keep warm, so the villagers seem to be judging me by that.
In the basket on my side of the bed was a curled up Destiny, sleeping comfortably. Other than that, there are statues of the God of Fate next to a log. The wooden statues of God are carved with more precision than the first generation, because Kang and Ran worked on them. The two swords that are used to control the golem are also placed there. There are arrows and buttons on both sides of the screen that can be tapped to control the golem. I had practiced the operation by invoking miracles indoors at night, so there was no need to worry.
"Destiny. This is the last time I'll be spending the night with you. Do you want to sleep with me?"
I jokingly lifted the blanket and asked him if he wanted to come inside. He looked up and took a glance at me, then shook his head and curled up again, as if he was in trouble. I know, right? That's okay. I'll be busy tomorrow, so take it easy and get some rest.
I lay down and closed my eyes. Even if I can't sleep, I'll feel a little better just doing this. After a while, I felt a weight on my body. I opened my eyes and saw…..Destiny lying face down on my chest.
"Good night."
His weight is not uncomfortable. In fact, it makes me feel safe and helps me sleep a little.