"I do not know much about the mikado, I do not. Such a person is far above
my station, they are. I should say that we say 'emperor' to foreigners due to
their different understanding of rulership, we do... But in Eashen we would
prefer to call them the mikado, we would." I asked Yae about the emperor, or
rather, the mikado... But that was all she said in response.
This mikado seemed to be shrouded in mystery. Apparently nobody was
allowed to see them, except for their personal aides and Ieyahsu. I wondered if
they were a shut-in or something.
I decided to try contacting Ieyahsu and arranging a meeting.
Eashen hadn't been inducted into the League of Nations, so none of the
feudal lords had mass-produced smartphones. That meant I had to write up an
official letter and send it through the Gate Mirror that led to Ieyahsu's palace,
and then hope for the best.
A few days later, I received a response. The letter said that the mikado would
be willing to meet me. I decided to bring Yae along with me to Oedo.
"It has been a while, Touya-dono..."
"It certainly has, Lord Ieyahsu, I'm glad you're looking well." Ieyahsu greeted
me and Yae with a huge smile. He looked a teeny bit fatter than he did the last
time I'd met him.
We were quickly escorted toward a living room and served some green tea. It
was really good stuff.
It'd been a while since I'd seen a tatami mat, too... Eashen was so similar to
Japan that it basically felt like I was home whenever I visited.
"Thank you for the rice you gave us, it was high-grade and quite tasty. Yae's
been eating it up quite often."
"Th-That is just because of Crea-dono's cooking, it is! M-My chopsticks were
moving on their own, they were! Wh-Wh-Why would you say something like
that in front of Ieyahsu-sama?! Th-That is too cruel, Touya-dono!" Yae started
flailing and puffing out her cheeks in embarrassment. I hadn't meant it in a
weird way. She was overreacting...
To be honest, I loved watching Yae eat. It warmed the cockles of my heart. It
was pretty relaxing to watch her, so it was something about her that I loved.
"Gahaha, it is good to see you two getting along so well! When Yae-dono lived
here in Eashen, all she focused on was the blade... She has changed a lot. Love
changes a person, after all!"
"L-Love, ah... I-I... That is, it is... Uhm... Ah..." Yae's face turned a deep shade
of red and she covered her face with her hands. She peeked out from between
her fingers now and then, but was met with teasing grins, causing her to retreat
back again.
Gaaah, that's so cute! What the hell?! When'd you get so cute?! I wanna hug
you! I managed to restrain myself, cleared my throat, and moved on to the
main subject of our visit.
"So, about the mikado..."
"The mikado is not here in Oedo, you know. They are in the imperial palace,
located in Kyo... It should prove easy to reach with your teleportation magic,
Touya-dono. I would like to accompany you as well."
Kyo, huh? That's an old name for Kyoto back on Earth... Guess it makes sense
they'd be there.
I was mildly annoyed, though. Ieyahsu hadn't given away anything about the
mikado's gender.
Apparently the mikado of Eashen didn't involve themselves in political
matters. Each feudal lord was expected to manage their territories and deal
with trouble as it came up in their own provinces. That way the country would
remain perfectly balanced, as all things should be.
But, in recent years, a man surfaced with the ambition to replace the mikado.
That man was Oda Nohbunaga.
He sought to unite Eashen for himself and become the sole ruler, waging war
on the other feudal lords for the opportunity to bring all of their territories
under his. Alas, he was betrayed by Akechi Mitshuhide at Honnoji Temple and
died there along with his ambition.
In retrospect, it was possible that Nohbunaga's ambition was fueled by the
monkey, Hashiba Hideyooshi. Damn that rotten servile god... It was entirely
possible that all of Eashen's political instability was his doing.
Either way, the entire mess had caused a power imbalance in the structure of
how the feudal lords controlled the land, and Ieyahsu used that opportunity to
rise to the top.
I was glad that the mikado was willing to meet with me. I would've been fine
with Ieyahsu joining the League of Nations as the Eashen representative, but I
had a feeling the other feudal lords might have had a problem with it.
I used [Recall] on Ieyahsu to recover memories of Kyo, and then opened up a
[Gate] to it.
Yae and I walked through the portal with Ieyahsu and a handful of his
personal guards.
"Huh... I see, so this is Kyo..."
It was exactly how I expected it to look... It basically had the aesthetic of
Kyoto in those old historical dramas my grandma used to watch. It was honestly
weird as hell to see it in the flesh. I wondered if I'd see generic townspeople
walking around, saying stock phrases right out of a period piece.
A large vermillion gate stood before us, and behind us stretched a massive
road that led toward a five-tiered tower. Clearly we were on something similar
to a Suzaku Avenue from ancient Japan.
The massive gate creaked open after Ieyahsu spoke with the stationed guard.
We were guided toward the main building by a man dressed in traditional,
regal-looking garments. We removed our shoes and headed deeper into the
shrine-like inner palace.
As we walked through, I noticed a few barriers being set in place here and
there. They seemed to be defensive installations at key points, and were a
mixture of defenses against physical and magical attacks.
We continued walking through the hallway until we reached the innermost
room of the palace. There were two great big sliding doors blocking it off.
Our nobly-dressed guide opened up the doors to reveal a massive interior,
with a raised platform in the middle. A silk curtain surrounded the seat atop the
platform.
There was a presence behind the curtain, it was likely the mikado of Eashen.
Ieyahsu's guards were made to wait outside, and the sliding doors closed
again. We walked toward the curtain before Ieyahsu stopped us a short
distance from it.
"Your Opulence... This is the grand duke of Brunhild, Mochizuki Touya."
Ieyahsu sounded a lot stiffer all of a sudden as he bowed down. Yae followed
suit, and both of their heads were rubbing against the floor before long. I
wasn't Eashenese, so I didn't bother.
Even though Brunhild was small, I was still a head of state. I couldn't afford to
casually bow down to any other world leader that shows up. Or that was what
I'd thought, at least... But I did end up succumbing to peer pressure and
nodding my head forward. It was just a little, at least...
"Good day, fair Grand Duke. It is a blessing to lay eyes upon you." The curtains
were parted, as the person from behind it stepped forward.
The person was unmistakably a woman. She was clad in a white and peach
multi-layered kimono, a junihitoe. She was a gorgeous girl, with skin paler than
snow, and hair even whiter than her skin.
...Welp. Guess she's more of an empress than an emperor, huh? Good thing
mikado isn't exactly gendered.
But there was something about her that stood out even more than her pale
complexion. It was her bright crimson eyes and the two tiny horn nubs that
protruded from her forehead.
She looked like a delicate female oni. That's the term that immediately came
to mind, at least. It was more likely that she was a horned demi-human rather
than an oni, though.
"I am Shirahime. I have been acting as the mikado of this land for over two
thousand years."
"Ah... Pleasure to meet you, ma'am. I am Mochizuki Touya."
Two thousand years? Does your species have a long lifespan like the queen of
Elfrau? But... I've never heard of any horned beastmen or demonkin with lives
that long... And I can't quite place where I've felt this presence before, but
there's something familiar about her... Wait...
"Have you perhaps noticed already? I am not an ordinary demi-human. My
lineage is unique. While my father was of the demonkin, my mother was a
spirit."
Shirahime smiled gently. So that was what I was feeling. She exuded a similar
aura to the spirits.
If a spirit incarnated in a human form, there'd be nothing preventing it from
giving birth. But the process was still highly unusual, and even dangerous. In a
worst case scenario, it could take up so much of the spirit's energy that they'd
die.
Spirits couldn't die in the sense that mortals understood it, but the
reincarnated spirit would still not be the same person as the one that vanished.
I wondered if Shirahime's mother had still decided to give birth to her, even
knowing all that.
"Please raise your head. Given your status over the spirit world, it should be I
bowing to you, no? Please forgive me for being unable to do so right now. I
must maintain my composure as mikado. I hope you understand."
"Ah... Please don't worry about that... Who did you hear that from, exactly?"
"I heard from one of the Ice Spirit's subordinates. The Ice Spirit is something
akin to an aunt to me, so I learn much from her peers and offspring."
"If that's the case, who was your mother?"
"The Snow Spirit. She was a gentle and loving mother."
The Snow Spirit, huh? That definitely explains your features.
The Snow Spirit and the Ice Spirit were both on the same level, one level
directly beneath the elemental pillar spirits. Having such a powerful spirit take
mortal form was extraordinarily rare.
Apparently, just after Shirahime was born, her mother had found her powers
waning, and eventually, she faded away.
"I have been meaning to thank you for some time, Grand Duke. For what you
did in dealing with Hashiba Hideyooshi, I mean."
"You mean that monkey?"
"It is shameful for me to admit, but I could not physically or mentally refuse
his whims. His ascension to the role of feudal lord was pushed through rather
insistently on his part, as well."
That made sense. No matter his nature, he still had divinity inside him.
Shirahime had the lineage of a spirit within her, and most spirits were naturally
subservient to gods.
"Ieyahsu, when you handled the remainder of the situation so skillfully, I felt a
weight lifted from my shoulders. I must extend my thanks to you as well."
"Y-Your praiseful words are wasted on me..." Ieyahsu muttered, his head still
pressed against the floor.
Dude... You can lift it up now, I'm sure. "So, Grand Duke. Why have you made
contact with me this day?"
"Ah, right. Well... you see..." I sat down and began discussing various issues
with Shirahime.
She officially approved the idea to have Eashen join the League of Nations,
and expressed interest in attending the next meeting herself. Given the fact
that the next meeting was going to have a beach party at Egret attached to it, I
feared her gaudy getup might be a bit of a problem...
Plus, the tropical heat could have had adverse effects on someone born from
the Snow Spirit.
I reached into my pocket and took out two white mass-produced
smartphones. I passed one to Shirahime, and one to Ieyahsu, then taught them
the fundamentals.
Shirahime got used to the functions way faster than Ieyahsu did. She
immediately started using the camera to take various shots of things in the
palace and even took a few smiling selfies. She seemed to be happy with it.
"I wanted to ask you something, Mikado. Did your mother... Did the Snow
Spirit ever appear before you again after vanishing?"
If it was when Shirahime was young, then it should've been a long time ago.
That meant she should've revived by now.
"...You should know this, Grand Duke. When a spirit vanishes, it will revive
itself as another. The Snow Spirit is no longer my mother, and I doubt they
would react upon seeing me now."
Though she smiled as she explained that, I couldn't help but feel a twinge of
sadness in her face. It was true that the Dark Spirit became someone else after I
defeated it, and she lost her memories as well... But I didn't think that meant
everything was gone. I was sure that the Snow Spirit would feel some sense of
faint kinship with Shirahime.
"...Would you like me to call her over?"
"To my mother...? Is such a thing even possible?"
"It is. There's a high chance that she won't remember you, you are correct...
But I'm sure she'd be able to feel something." Shirahime hesitated and looked
down at her own hands for some time. Then she nodded.
Typically I'd require some kind of medium, like fresh snow, to call on a spirit
like her... But I had unique standing above all spirits, so I was sure I'd be able to
manage without a catalyst.
I welled up a little divinity within me and called out to the Spirit Realm.
"In the name of your master, Mochizuki Touya... Fall unto the ground like
fresh snow, spirit!" I spoke it in spirit tongue, so nobody else in the room knew
what I'd said. But they didn't really care about that, they were more surprised
by the sudden appearance of falling snow on the other side of the room.
The snow fell and gradually clumped together, forming a human shape.
Wait. Crap. I forgot that resurrected spirits can change personalities and even
gender... Wh-What do I do if it's some burly old man? I don't wanna cause a
traumatic memory for Shirahime if she sees her beloved mother as a
musclebound beefcake...! I acted too rashly, oh geez...
After a small amount of time, the Snow Spirit manifested before me in the
form of a beautiful woman. I sighed a breath of relief.
She had white hair and white skin, much like Shirahime. They looked like
sisters, aside from the fact that one of them had red eyes and horns.
Hold on a second, that's a physical body, not a spiritual one. Is it made of
snow? The Snow Spirit slowly opened her icy-blue eyes and looked around the
room. And eventually, she stared right at Shirahime.
"M-Mother...?" The Snow Spirit smiled half-heartedly in Shirahime's direction.
I looked up at the spirit and asked her a question.
"You don't remember, do you?"
"...I am afraid I do not. My memories are hazy, but my heart tells me that the
girl there is indeed my child. A beautiful, and precious child... I am certain that
I... love her."
"Gh... M-Mother... Ah..." Shirahime broke down in tears and began to sob.
The spirit responded by walking toward her and holding her in an embrace. The
mikado of Eashen, who was now openly weeping like a little girl, brought her
arms around the spirit's back and tightly held her in return.
The spirit's body was formed of snow, so it should've been freezing to the
touch. Shirahime didn't seem to mind that at all, however. Her weeping face
was buried in her mother's bosom. Given that she was the spirit's daughter, it
made reasonable sense to assume she had high resistance to the cold.
I looked next to me and found Yae struggling to hold back a wellspring of
tears as she watched the touching reunion. ... You got boogers leaking out of
your nose, Yae.
"Wah... Hic... Waaah... I-It is... beautiful, it is..."
"...Here, you dummy." I took out a handkerchief and wiped Yae's face. She
was certainly moved easily, but I enjoyed that innocent maiden-like aspect of
her personality. Yae'd probably get flustered or mad if I said that out loud,
though.
"Waaah... Hic... Th-This is so amazing, Your Opulence... Hic... I-I am so
happy..."
I turned around to find the source of that rough, weepy voice... And I saw
Ieyahsu looking upward with tears flowing down his face. You're crying too?!
I'm not wiping your face, old man!
"...Mochizuki Touya, he who holds dominion over us spirits. Though you have
called me here, could you forgive my rude request? I would like to forge a
contract with this girl."
"Sure. Sounds fine by me, go right ahead."
I didn't exactly summon her here to enter a contract with her, anyway. I
didn't need contracts to call spirits, so there'd be no point. I had a feeling the
two of them would be much happier with this outcome.
"...I will always be with you, my daughter. If you suffer pain, or fear, or
sadness... I will protect and support you, my love. My blessings are all upon you
now, my dear little girl."
"Mother..." The Snow Spirit faded away into particles of light and vanished. A
small white stone was left in Shirahime's palm.
I asked Shirahime to let me see the stone, then reached into [Storage] to pull
out a mithril ingot. Then I used [Modeling] to shape it into a bracelet. After
that, I embedded the stone into it. That would allow Shirahime to have the
summoning stone on her person at all times.
Shirahime took the bracelet for me and gently cradled it for a moment.
"Words cannot describe the good you have done for me this day, Grand Duke.
Let us make strides toward a peaceful future together, as leaders of this world."
"Of course. I look forward to working alongside you."
Shirahime extended her hand, and I took it in mine before giving it a shake.
Perhaps it was due to her having been in her mother's embrace, but her hand
had a faint sense of cold to it. It was a gentle, soothing kind of cold.
◇ ◇ ◇
It was time for the League of Nations to have their scheduled meeting. This
time we'd be joined by the new arrivals from Egret, Eashen, Elfrau, Ryle,
Hannock, and Palerius.
Well, it was less of a meeting and more of a party this time around. The focus
would be fun rather than stuffy formalities.
Palerius had formally become a kingdom after opening itself up to the world.
Mentor Central had officially changed her title to Queen Palerius, as well.
With this, every country in the world aside from the kingdoms of Nokia and
Horn were members of the league. There was now a grand total of eighteen
countries united.
Felsen and Xenoahs had looked into the possibility of Nokia and Horn joining
us, but they didn't receive positive responses.
Apparently both nations were suffering internal conflicts and had no time to
look outward, or something like that.
I didn't want to butt into their business, so I decided to keep an eye on them
from afar for the time being.
I invited the new representatives into Brunhild's game room.
I handed smartphones to everyone who hadn't yet been given one and
showed them how they worked. Everyone also was chatting and getting along
as usual. Some were drinking tea together, while others were playing games.
Shirahime, Eashen's mikado, had already been given her smartphone. She
decided to use this opportunity to teach the other newbies how it worked.
"Hm... This is rather interesting..." Carlo Ol Hannock, king of the Hannock
Kingdom, dialed a number into his phone as he muttered.
I'd briefly met the man once during the Yulong incident, thanks to the
emperor of Regulus. He was a glasses-wearing old man without many
distinguishing features.
He honestly looked like the kind of guy you'd find in an office job. But despite
his average looks, I'd heard he was a great ruler. It was definitely true that if he
had no talent, he wouldn't have been able to resist Yulong for so long. It just
went to show that one shouldn't judge a book by its cover.
"Hoho, it can do a lot! More than a mere communications device... I'd like to
record a few stage shows with this little thing."
The king of Ryle, Balstra Dverga Ryle, laughed merrily as he picked up the call
from King Hannock. He was a short and stout man with a pot belly. Despite his
dwarven blood, he'd proven to be quite a peace-loving man. Since Ryle was also
home to most of the world's dwarven population, he acted as a representative
of their species in the League of Nations, too. Even though he disliked drinking,
and didn't much care for fighting, and should've been considered the opposite
of dwarven values... He was actually quite a good spokesman for his people.
"Ooh, interesting! You can even take pictures of yourself?"
"Ah, Lady Shirahime, what does this button do?"
"Oh, this one makes it shoot out light if you try to take a picture in a dark
place. You can change the setting manually, but I think it is best to leave it on
the Auto mode."
Queen Palerius and Queen Elfrau were attentively listening to Mikado
Shirahime's explanation of the camera functions.
The three of them started taking group selfies and giggling together. They
were acting like high schoolers, despite the fact that two of them were well
over a thousand years old...
"Our country's pretty far from shore, so I'm glad for this thing..." The king of
Egret nodded quietly as he slid his finger along the touchscreen. The golden
feather on his head bobbed along with his motion. I was in the middle of
teaching him how to send a text. I'd initially assumed the guy to be a bullheaded warrior with no brains, but he was surprisingly dexterous and quick to
learn.
After teaching him how to open and reply to texts, as well as send his own, I
ended the lesson.
All the new members started walking around, exchanging phone numbers
with the established league members. Then, they started mingling and chatting
amongst themselves. The plan was to send everyone to the king of Egret's
private beach after the orientation in Brunhild to have a party.
The private beach was about as wonderful as I expected. The sand was soft
and the water was clear... There was also a pleasant little trail that led up
toward a cliffside villa, one with a breathtaking view of the horizon. I'd taken
time the day prior to make the place safe, including setting up a [Prison] around
the area that blocked any harmful marine life from coming near. There were
also precautions to prevent drowning, I had Sango and Kokuyou on duty as
emergency lifeguards.
After all the royals, their families, and their private guardsmen arrived... It was
looking less like a private beach and more like a public one. There were a few
too many people for my liking...
"There are many royals here today, there are..."
"...Yeah, if something deadly went down here then the whole world would be
screwed."
Yae and Elze chatted to each other, as I quietly hoped they weren't bringing
bad omens. They'd changed into their swimsuits and looked nice as ever.
Most of the people there had changed out of their regular clothes and into
more suitable beach attire. Those that didn't really enjoy the beach or couldn't
handle the sun were lounging in the villa instead.
I was wearing a loose-fitting parka and a pair of swimming trunks. All the
swimsuits worn by the people here were top-tier luxury articles created by
none other than Zanac's clothing line.
There were a few children merrily running around the beach, playing with the
beach balls, floats, and other toys I'd provided them. It was cute.
There was Mismede's Prince Remza, he was ten years old, along with his
brother Prince Alba, who was seven. They were playing along with ten-year-old
Princess Lilac of Hannock, and her sister, the eight-year-old Princess Milneah.
The king of Palouf, who was around ten, was splashing around in the water
with his fiancée Rachael. She was the same age as him, if I recalled correctly.
They looked to be having fun.
I looked over and saw the Prince of Refreese, a twelve-year-old named Redis,
and the Princess of Mismede, eleven-year-old Thea. They were laughing as they
rolled around together and play-fought. I could sense a budding kinship
between them.
"Ah, first love, you know? It's as vibrant as the sun... you know?"
"...There you are..."
Karen was peeking out at them with a happy look on her face. With her pink
bikini, she was already fully dressed for a vacation.
"...Just don't meddle with them, okay?"
"I won't, you know...? It's their first love, I won't do anything stupid... A
situation like this is delicious enough as it is..."
Delicious? Just don't mess anything up, damn it... Well, whatever, I'll trust you
this time...
I shrugged as Karen ran off toward Yumina and Sue. I was about to sit down
on some of the lounge chairs, but I looked over and caught sight of a man laying
face-down on the beach. He wasn't moving a muscle and looked completely
dead.
"...What the hell are you doing, Overlord."
Is it heatstroke? I wondered quietly, but I was wrong. Spica, Sakura's dark elf
guard, walked up to me and told me what had happened.
"Well... earlier, His Horribleness the Overlord, kept taking picture after picture
of Lady Sakura in her swimsuit. But then she turned around and glared at him...
And after that, she called him disgusting." According to Spica, the moment he
heard her say that, he collapsed on the spot. This guy was never gonna stop
being a moron, apparently.
To be honest, I could understand her irritation. Father or not, it's a little weird
to take pictures of girls in their swimsuits.
"...I don't want him catching heatstroke, so could you drag him into the
shade?"
"Certainly."
I didn't really think the overlord could get too damaged by the sun, but I
didn't want to take any chances. Spica, along with her father Sirius, each took
one of the overlord's legs and dragged him along the shore until they reached a
shaded area.
"Touya..."
"Hm...? Linze, and... Oh, Princess Reliel?"
"It's been a while."
When my eyes fell upon the princess of Refreese, I subconsciously shifted into
a defensive stance. In a sense, this woman was a frightening enemy, after all.
She wrote those dangerous romance books.
"You know Linze?"
"I have spoken to her through Yumina a few times. This girl is quite a fan of
my work, after all."
Princess Reliel lowered her voice as she spoke. Seemed like she didn't want
her father to find out about her job as an author.
If her books weren't so... risque, then she wouldn't need to keep it hidden,
though.
"Um... Touya? I was wondering if... If you'd be able to give Lil, er... Reliel, a
smartphone of her own..."
"Hm? What for?"
"For my writing, of course! The things I write are, well... risky, yeah? If I put it
down on paper, a maid might find it, or someone might find an old draft and tell
my father... But if I had one of these devices, I could carry my stories forever!
Anywhere! I could write wherever I want! It's the perfect writer's aide!"
I almost fell from my chair as I shuffled backward from the overenthusiastic
princess. I-I see... I guess that makes sense...
To be honest, I questioned whether or not it was okay to give her one. I felt
like I needed to put my foot down and say no, lest she use another poor man as
the basis for her terrifying erotica.
But, as I was faltering, Linze moved in for the kill.
"Touya! She actually pens plays as well! She's in the middle of writing her next
one right now! Please, can you help her? She'll use the smartphone to help with
those works, too."
Oh, a play? That reminds me of the one I saw back in Belfast, about the heroic
young man Toyya who saves Princess Yuina from a dragon... I think Reliel wrote
that one too...
It was pretty obviously based on me and Yumina, but the plot was pretty
original and wholesome as well. I enjoyed it.
I sighed before glancing toward Linze. Man... How can I say no to a direct
request, huh? There's nothing I can do...
In fairness, Princess Reliel wasn't likely to misuse her phone. She might have
had a few... quirks to her personality, but she was a good person at heart. After
all, she was a friend of Yumina.
I reached into [Storage] and pulled out a mass-production smartphone. Then,
I handed it to Reliel.
"Have Linze teach you how to use it... And please don't use it in a way that
disturbs the general public order, alright? Please... think of common decency."
"...Why'd you have to emphasize it...? But fine, of course... Thank you. Oh,
while we're at it, would you happen to have anything I could use for printing my
text?"
...You sure like asking for a lot, don't you? But... I actually do have something
like that. I was planning on handing it out to the other world leaders, but it's not
like you can ask your dad to borrow it. He might get suspicious.
I opened up [Storage] again and pulled out a thin device that kind of
resembled a notebook.
All you had to do was put a blank piece of paper between the two halves of
the device, then place your smartphone on top of it. After that, you just had to
press the print button and it would magically transfer the selected contents
from the smartphone to the paper.
It was something I'd innovated on my own instead of asking Doc Babylon to
help me, so it was limited... You could only do one sheet at a time.
"It's in the prototype stages, but it's usable. It should be enough for you, at
least."
"Thank you so much! This is really great... I promise you I'll pay you back by
giving you some of my new books!"
"That's really not necessary! Really!"
I definitely didn't want a weird gift like that from her.
Linze and Reliel then headed back toward the villa, presumably to get the
basics of the smartphone's uses down.
"Hey there, Grand Duke. Having fun?"
"Sure am. Oho, what's that?"
The king of Egret showed up and sat down on the chair next to mine. He
offered me a certain kind of food. It was dry, and kind of like a stick, but it let off
a unique smell.
"That's the dried Tentacular, right?"
"You're right, it's finally done drying out. Try a bit!"
I put the tip of the tentacle into my mouth and bit down, the flavor spread
out across my tongue, and I found the texture quite palatable. Huh, this is
pretty good... I guess it was a success after all.
"It's pretty good! Thanks."
"Mhm. Goes well with booze, too. Hard to believe something this yummy
came from those gross, slimy things..."
"I feel you, yeah... It actually goes especially nice with mayo."
I reached into [Storage] and took out a little dish of mayonnaise, then dipped
the dried Tentacular into it. It tasted even better. Some kind of spicy condiment
would probably be great, too...
The king of Egret, following after me, dipped his own tentacle into the mayo
and chowed down.
"...Mmm! I like it a lot... Really makes me wanna chug some beer."
He invited me to go drinking with him, but I politely declined due to my lack of
interest in alcohol. I was a minor by Japanese standards, but people in this
world were fine to drink booze as young as fourteen.
At some point, probably summoned by some psychic link to any and all
nearby mentions of alcohol, the kings of Mismede and Felsen came over and
started to drink with the king of Egret. It wasn't long before they got rowdy and
started snacking through all the Tentacular sticks. I looked for an excuse and
quickly made my way out of that situation. I didn't really like dealing with drunk
people, and the fact that those three guys were naturally boisterous meatheads
meant it'd be dangerous to stick around.
I looked out on to the beach and saw Moroha was sparring with Knight King
Reinhard. Wooden weapons, of course. I couldn't help but wonder if something
so intense was appropriate for a beach party...
I saw Karina catching fish with her speargun, and somehow I'd completely
missed Suika getting mixed up in the warrior trio's drinking party. As for the
source of the Hawaiian-esque music playing to the background of all of this? It
didn't take much sleuthing to figure out who was performing.
I saw uncle Kousuke chopping up watermelon and handing out the slices.
Brunhild's watermelons were extra ripe and sweet, but given the fact that they
were nurtured by the god of agriculture, that was kind of a given.
I was getting a little hungry, myself. Dried Tentacular was yummy, but it
wasn't exactly filling. I wanted to have some real food.
I opened up [Storage] for the umpteenth time today and pulled out a BBQ
set. I covered half the grill with a wire mesh and the other half with a metal
hotplate. I had uncle Kousuke give me some veggies, and started grilling them
along with some dragon meat.
Sue, Yae, and Lu, three of my fiancées who happened to enjoy food the most,
were all drawn by the smell.
"Looks yummy..."
"It certainly does, it does..."
"They'll be done pretty soon, actually. Wanna help me cook, Lu?"
"Sure thing!"
Lu was a talented cook, so I asked her to start prepping the yakisoba while I
focused on the grilling. I brushed some soy sauce over the corn-cobs and
handed them over to Sue and Yae.
"Phew... Phew... Hot, they are!"
"Hot but sweet, yum!" The two of them started cramming grilled corn into
their mouths with great vigor. I began adding more dragon meat to the grill,
ensuring I was wasting no time or space. Then, I threw in some more veggies.
Onions, bell peppers, and pumpkin. I had to make sure I was contributing to a
balanced diet, after all.
"Hoho, this looks positively scrumptious!"
"Touya, my boy. Could we trouble you for some as well?"
"Coming right up!"
The smell had drifted further, attracting the king of Belfast, and the emperor
of Refreese. Slowly, but surely, more people began surrounding my grill.
"Yakisoba's ready!"
"I shall try some, Lucia! This looks incredible."
"As will I!"
Lu's father, the emperor of Regulus, ate some of the yakisoba. Then, his other
daughter, Ellicia, quickly did the same.
I asked uncle Kousuke to take over the cooking while I tried some of her food
too.
The black pepper she'd sprinkled over the noodles gave them that extra little
bit of punch, and the ginger root she'd added really brought out the flavor. I
was amazed that no matter how many times I ate Lu's cooking, it just got better
and better.
The king of Lihnea brought over a good haul of fish that he'd dredged up, and
Lu continued to make dishes with the new ingredients. Without missing a beat,
she was churning out meals like grilled onigiri, spare ribs with a honey glaze,
grilled turban shell, grilled shrimp, okonomiyaki, and so on.
Each and every dish was tastier than the last. Kousuke stepped up and started
making grilled tomatoes and cheese, as well as seared onions. They were
yummy, too. The guy was adept at bringing out the natural juices.
Delicious smells mingled in the air as we brought the night to a close.
After I'd returned all our guests to their respective countries via [Gate], I
waved goodbye to our Egret hosts and took my family back home as well.
"Phew... I'm beat..."
"You're the one who spent your day running around so much!"
"...Yeah, you got me there." I grinned quietly as I slumped back against the
couch. Elze had a point. I had a lot to attend to, so the day really took it out of
me.
"...It's bad manners to slouch, Touya."
"Sorry... Just lemme do it a little."
Hilde was telling me off, but I wanted her to let it slide just this once. I was so
tired I felt like I could drift away to sleep where I was... I actually almost did,
when...
"Sorry to intrude, especially when you're so sleepy."
"Whuh?! You scared me!"
I opened my drooping eyes to find Cesca, my annoying maid, with her face
pressed up right against mine. That's way too close for comfort! I scrambled due
to the sudden confusion and ended up falling off the couch.
"My my, for you to wake up before I press my lips against yours for a delicate
wake-up baiser? You're quite a brute, mon cher..."
"Shut your trap! What is it?"
Don't try to kiss me at all, you pervert!
"There are two people at the castle gates, master. They're demanding an
audience with you, and claim to have met you before."
"Two people? Who?"
"I'm afraid they were wearing hoods and cloaks. I couldn't make out their
features, but they were both women."
I had absolutely no idea who they could be, maybe they were female
adventurers I'd met in the past or something.
"...Goodness, you filthy horndog. You must have impregnated them, right?
They must be here for child support!"
"WHAT. STOP. NOBODY SAID ANYTHING ABOUT ANYONE BEING PREGNANT!
HEY, PLEASE DON'T LISTEN TO CESCA. YOU GUYS KNOW SHE'S INSANE. I MEAN
IT!"
My fiancées suddenly shot confused glares toward me, so I immediately tried
to nip it in the bud. It sucked because I hadn't even done anything wrong, I
didn't deserve looks like that!
"Do not worry, Touya-dono. We believe you, we do. After all... you do not
have the courage to do something like that, you do not."
"Indeed. You just happen to attract women to you, Touya..."
"It's possible that they think they have a chance with you, you'll just have to
go send them on their way."
...Attract women to me? What am I, a flower? A magnet? A goddamn angler
fish?!
I decided to figure out who the two at the gate were, so I activated [Teleport]
and jumped there right away.
Just as Cesca said, there were two female figures at the gate. They wore
hooded robes.
One of them spotted me and walked a few steps forward.
"It has been some time, Tohya."
"Hm...? Oh... You!"
Even though the light outside was dim, I immediately recognized the face
hidden under the hood. I'd only seen her once before, but she was
unmistakable.
"Lycee, right?"
"Indeed. I am seeking Endymion. Could you perhaps tell me where he is?"
It was her. One of the few creatures that stood at the apex of Phrase life. She
was a Dominant Construct, but one that had sided with Ende.
From what Ende had told me, she'd split off from him in search of her sister,
Ney.
But that meant...
I turned toward the other hooded figure who was still standing a little bit
away from me. I narrowed my eyes as I saw the face of someone who had
attacked me in the past. My body reflexively took a defensive posture.
Standing before me was Ney, the leader of the Phrase that had caused me
trouble for so long.
I began speaking to her, careful to keep my wits about me in case this was a
trap.
"...Ney, right? I'm surprised you actually came here."
"...You know my name? Did Endymion tell you?"
"He did. Melle mentioned you as well."
The moment she heard me say that name, she charged toward me and
grabbed me by my collar. The guardsmen at the gate suddenly drew their
weapons, but I raised a hand to tell them I was in control of the situation.
"Bastard! Why did you say that name?! Is she awake?! Has the Sovereign
awakened?!"
"...[Power Rise]."
"G-Gauugh!"
I grabbed Ney's arm and twisted it until she let go of my coat, then I tossed
her into the nearby moat. She sank right to the bottom in an instant. Dominant
Constructs had heavy bodies, and they weren't buoyant at all.
After a few moments, an enormous pillar of water erupted from the moat as
Ney landed nearby. She'd jumped up right from the bottom.
"You wretch!"
"Ende and Melle are currently in my care. I will bring Lycee there, but I can't
take you."
"Wh... What?!"
"Melle wants to talk to you, but she doesn't want you hurting anyone. If
you're hostile toward me, in my territory, that means you're going against her
wishes. That means you can't visit her."
"How dare you... How dare you!" Ney howled at me, fury blazing in her eyes.
Crystal armor began forming all over her body as she entered her combatoriented form. But she was suddenly stopped by Lycee stepping in front of me.
"Ney, calm yourself. If you act improperly here, then you may never see the
Sovereign again. Don't you have something you need her to know?"
"That... That is true, but he..."
"He isn't the kind of person who would hurt the Sovereign, Ney. And you
know... he killed Gila. Do you think you can win against him if he decides to
make you his enemy?"
"I... I understand. You're correct, Lycee... I must meet with the Sovereign and
calm myself. I'll listen to you for now..." Ney muttered to herself as she shed
her combat armor. I was glad that Lycee had spoken sense into her. I was under
the impression that Ney was the elder sister, but it looked like the opposite in
this situation.
"So, what do we do from here?"
"I'm going to seal you two in a barrier much like the one Ende and the
Sovereign are in, okay? I won't be able to bring you to them otherwise."
"Very well."
Lycee nodded, while Ney simply 'hmphed' and looked down at the ground.
Getting their consent was easier than I thought, but Ney probably believed she
could smash anything I created.
I cast [Prison], imbued it with divinity, and projected it around them. I didn't
want them rampaging around Babylon, so this was an efficient way to keep
them contained.
Ney immediately became suspicious of the barrier around them, while Lycee
curiously knocked on one of the walls.
If Ney and Melle got along, it was possible to end any and all conflict against
the regular Phrase... But any wrong step could mean all-out war, we had to
navigate this carefully.
Still, while Ney was in my [Prison] she'd at least be contained and prevented
from causing serious carnage.
If they were Dominant Constructs that were affected with the divinity of the
wicked god, then they'd probably be able to break my [Prison], though... Ende
got out by using those sacred treasures.
I took out my smartphone to warn Ende and Melle in advance. Thankfully, I'd
given them a phone earlier.
Because the two of them were effectively under house arrest, the least I
could do was provide them with basic entertainment like books and games.
Sometimes they even went to Cesca's Garden to hang out together, and they
were apparently there right now.
"Yep. Mhm. Lycee and Ney are with me. I'm gonna come up there now...
Prepare yourself, you might get attacked or something."
After finishing my conversation with Ende, I hung up on him. He was yelling
something at the end but I ignored it... I had a feeling Melle would stop Ney if
she actually tried something stupid.
"Alright, let's go."
The two of them nodded at me, and I warped us all up there with [Teleport].
The garden and all its greenery looked especially pretty beneath the pale
moonlight. Melle stood alone beneath a nearby tree.
Huh? Where's Ende? Did he run away?
"Sovereign... M-Melle! Lady Melle, I... Augh!" Ney immediately dashed
toward the Sovereign and... promptly bashed her forehead against the wall of
the [Prison] she was sealed inside.
Oof... Hey, don't give me that look. It wasn't my fault.
Melle walked toward us with a worried look on her face. There was already a
separate [Prison] around the Garden and the Ramparts, so I dispelled the
smaller one around Lycee and Ney.
"Lady Melle..."
"Good evening, Ney. It's nice to see you." Ney's voice was overflowing with
emotion. She immediately dropped to her knee and kissed Melle's outstretched
hand.
"Lycee... You're looking well."
"...Indeed."
Hm? Did Lycee just giggle a little? That's pretty rare, since she's usually so
reserved.
"Touya. Thank you for bringing these two to me."
"Don't worry about it. I just want you to make your feelings clear here. I'd like
the Phrase attacks on humanity to stop already."
"...Now I know the Sovereign is safe and sound, there's no reason to attack
anyone anymore."
"Well, that's a relief. If you guys continued, I'd have had no choice but to
commit mass genocide on your entire species... And that really would've been a
pain."
Ney glared at me when I said that, but I felt as if my comment was justified.
She'd clearly stopped considering the vast amount of people who had been
slaughtered through the actions of her people.
It was true that we'd fought back and killed plenty of Phrase, but striking back
after being struck is a natural reflex. Nobody in the world would simply bow
down and die if someone came after them.
I remember a quote that went along the lines of "The only ones who should
kill, are those who are prepared to be killed," and I believed in it wholeheartedly.
"...It'd be impossible for you to commit genocide against us at this point.
Nearly all of our soldiers have been consumed by the gilded at this point..."
"The gilded? You mean those mutants?"
"Mutants...? A strange name, but certainly appropriate. Those traitors, Leto
and Luto... They attacked us and forcibly converted the majority of our forces.
We no longer have a method of opposing them. Those absorbed by them
transform into the gilded, the mutants... They are no longer our kin, and they
gleefully hunt us." The wicked god's cells seemed to act like a viral agent,
forcibly converting anything it came into contact with into a new being.
It was kind of like seeing a virus spread in a zombie movie, with the infected
never being able to return to normal. Honestly, it was a little ironic that their
worst predators would rise from their own ranks.
"...Given that you systematically slaughtered entire worlds before reaching
this one, I'd call it karmic justice. Wouldn't you?"
"Tsk..." Ney had nothing to say to that. I was irritated by her lack of response,
it made me seem like a bully.
If someone close to me had died because of the Phrase, I'd have taken this
much further, but as it stood I had no personal grudge against their species. So
long as they left this world and never came back, I'd be fine with it.
"...For now, all four of you need to talk this out."
"Four of us?" Lycee tilted her head as she said that.
"Yes. You three, and the person hiding in that tree over there."
"...Don't reveal me like that, Touya!" Ende grumbled quietly as he hopped
down from the treetop. I could see his scarf poking out from the branches.
The moment Ney set her sights on him, her eyes blazed with anger.
"Endymion!"
She suddenly stood up straight, cladding her hands in crystal gauntlets. She
looked mad, which worried me.
Though, through Ney's eyes, Ende was a man who had tricked someone
precious to her and taken her off to another world.
"W-Wait a moment, Ney! You cannot lay a hand on Endymion!"
"B-But Lady Melle, I... My fury toward that man is..."
"C-C-Calm down, please! Melle's telling you, right?"
"How dare you speak so casually of her!" Ney charged forward, but was
physically restrained by Melle when she tried to swing a punch.
Quit messing around... I sighed and looked toward Lycee. She was just
watching the scene without any sort of expression on her face.
I personally didn't care if Ende got hit or not, but it felt like things were at a
standstill so long as this went unresolved.
"Hey, Ende. Just let her punch you once, then you guys can have a proper talk.
Alright?"
"What the...? Hey! You'd think differently if it was your face on the line!"
"I'll heal you up, assuming she doesn't kill you instantly. Does that sound fine
by you, Ney?"
"...I must admit it won't be enough to fully satisfy me, but I'll accept it for the
time being."
"Just don't kill him, alright?"
"Obviously. I don't exactly feel great about letting this cur live, but Lady Melle
would surely be sad if he died."
I felt a little sorry for Melle, since she seemed caught between the two
parties, but this was the easiest way to wrap up the tension. They wouldn't be
able to have a good discussion with all this hanging over them. Frankly, Ende
probably needed a good smacking, but I kept that part to myself.
A few moments later, a dull impact rang out through Babylon's garden, and
Ende sailed through the air in a perfect arc.
...Damn, that's a home run.
◇ ◇ ◇
"What happened next?"
"Not all that much, to be honest. Melle is trying to convince Ney to give up,
but Ney still wants to bring Melle back to their homeworld. It'll probably take a
while for them to reach a consensus."
I held back a yawn as I answered Hilde's question. They spent the whole night
talking, and ended up chatting in circles the whole time. It was like water
circling the drain, over and over. The Phrase probably didn't require sleep...
They only entered a dormant, hibernation-like state when low on magic or
sunlight. Or that was what happened with the first Phrase we ever
encountered, at least.
If I block all magic from entering the [Prison] and suck out all the magic inside,
would the three of them enter that dormant state? If I tried something like that,
Ende would probably try to kill me... It was only a hypothetical situation, so I
decided not to give it any further thought.
I drove those intrusive thoughts out and sipped down my cup of tea in a
desperate bid to fight off how tired I was.
It was late in the morning, and everyone had already left to attend to their
daily duties. The only person sitting on the terrace with me was Hilde.
"Lestia has suffered at the hands of the Phrase as well... I suppose my feelings
are mixed on this subject."
I could understand why she felt that way. We were effectively attempting to
become friends, or at least become neutral, with a party that had been
desperately trying to kill us. The fact that our heads understood the benefits,
while our hearts felt uneasy, was a very human problem to have.
"What are you still doing here anyway, Hilde?"
"Ah... I-I was just reading a book that Linze had given me, that's all..."
"...A book from Linze?"
I remembered the incident yesterday involving the nefarious author princess,
and suspiciously turned my eyes toward the book Hilde had set down on the
table. I recognized the title of the book as a popular romantic story from
Roadmare. I sighed a bit of relief, content in the knowledge she wasn't reading
anything... freaky.
"Is it good?"
"I'm finding it rather unique, as I'm not used to stories like it. Most of the
novels I've read in the past are tales of adventure and heroism."
Hilde seemed a little embarrassed as she spoke. It was understandable, given
that she'd been raised in a knightly family, but I still questioned her father's
parenting skills...
"It's a little embarrassing, but I always enjoyed the characters in those
stories."
"You mean the damsels in distress?"
"No, the knights that saved them."
"Ah, I see." Yep, the knight king's child-rearing skills were very questionable.
"But I definitely understood how those damsels must have felt when they
were saved... The first time we met, you appeared as if from nowhere to rescue
me, Touya. As you slashed the Phrase to pieces, I had my eyes fixed on you..."
Oh right, totally forgot I first met her during that Phrase attack.
"After that, I started gathering as much information about you as I could...
Even my brother found my actions queer. Your killing of the Black Dragon...
Your quelling of the coup... Each tale of your dashing exploits made my heart
grow fonder. It wasn't long before I hoped we'd meet again."
Man... That's so embarrassing to hear... I guess Hilde being this direct is also
because she's so knightly... Her brother's kinda like that too.
I decided to brush off my embarrassment by spouting a cheesy line.
"But you know... if the Phrase had never appeared in this world, we might
have never met. That's one thing we have to thank them for, eh?"
"I-I suppose so... Though it may be a little selfish..." Hilde said as she chuckled
softly.
"But that's why when I read romantic books like this, I can connect with the
way the protagonist feels... Things like her loneliness when separated from the
man she loves, or the frustration she feels when she can't voice her emotions
properly... or the happiness she feels when her dashing hero does something
for her. That's how I came to enjoy these works of romantic fiction."
That made sense to me. It was a little embarrassing to hear her say those
things about me, but I understood her perspective.
I wanted to do something to make her happy, so I opened my mouth.
"So... would you like to maybe go watch a romantic movie with me?"
"Oh! A motion picture?! It has been a while since I've seen one. I'd love to!"
Hilde clasped her hands together in joy. I watched movies with the girls now
and then, but sometimes it was difficult because I had to explain concepts and
technologies that were unique to Earth... It ended up eating a lot of time up.
Due to that, we typically watched fantasy flicks, basic comedy movies, or simple
action movies. Watching a romantic movie would definitely be a first.
I opened up the movie app I'd downloaded to my smartphone. God Almighty
had given me a ton of virtual currency so I could download basically whatever I
wanted without feeling guilty for pirating them... I also made sure to avoid
certain adult films. Hmm... Which would be good...
I settled on a movie about an Englishman who owned a bookstore and ended
up falling in love with a Hollywood actress. I'd seen a little bit of it on TV some
years ago, but remembered it looked interesting enough.
We walked into the living room and I closed the curtains, then we snuggled up
on the couch and settled in.
I pressed play, and the movie began. It was the Japanese-dubbed edition of
the movie, but for some reason, the people of this world were capable of
understanding it. Still, I was instantly able to speak the language of this world
when I came here too, so I decided not to think about it and just assumed God
Almighty did it.
As I thought about silly things, I could see Hilde getting engrossed in the
movie. I decided to join her.
I got flustered and embarrassed during the more... intimate scenes of the
movie, but Hilde seemed to really enjoy it. That made my heart warm. I was a
lucky man.