A momentary blackout of vision and a feeling of floating.
As soon as my vision returned, I saw a huge dome-shaped white structure. And the phosphorescence that dances around like fireflies. In the distance, you can see a structure that looks like a security gate and the mechanical soldiers guarding it.
"This is... a forbidden area near the Harpy village."
"I see. What's the name of this place?"
"It's a garrison for machine soldiers.
"I see"
Speaking of late, it's too late, but after killing people, the tension doesn't rise. Although it can't be helped to protect oneself, it doesn't feel very good to kill someone who can communicate with them, unlike monsters.
As if she guessed something from my complexion, Elmina gently hugged me and rubbed my back. Wrapped in the soft touch of my body, my depressed mood lifted a little.
"Are you okay?"
"It's not all right"
Be honest. It's mentally tough to kill a person, even if it's an opponent who has attacked you. If the other party is an unorthodox villain, my heart won't hurt yet.
"Did you kill him?"
"Probably. I haven't confirmed the corpse."
If you can live with that, it's a big deal. If it appears again, I will kill it carefully next time.
"yes"
Elmina said nothing more. However, she kept stroking her back while hugging me.
"Don't stand up. Let's rest for a while."
Saying that, Elmina-san separates herself from me and looks at Rifana. Rifana then sat on her grass and tapped her on his knees.
"Look, I'll put you on my lap."
"Oh, oh"
It's like a flowing cooperation or something... it's like they had a discussion beforehand. For now, don't think about difficult things and just sit quietly on your knees. I lie down in the grass and rest my head on Rifana's lap pillow. Rifana's hand strokes my head. I didn't know what it meant, and I started to cry.
"Before you came here, you looked terrible."
"Really"
I feel better while being silently stroked, so I wake up.
"Are you done?"
"Oh, thank you."
I can't stay depressed forever. I'm hungry too.
"I wonder who that man was. I can't believe the Rii clan would treat a human like that."
"I don't know unless I ask him in real life, but I think he's probably a survivor of the ancients. I don't know why he's still alive."
"Did the ancients create forbidden grounds? They live a long life, don't they?"
"Look, there was a dried-up corpse in the facility where you picked up the canned food, wasn't there? Maybe that kind of device continued to work well and hibernated."
"I see"
"For the time being, it's quite far from the Forbidden Garden here, and there won't be any pursuers. Let's take a break until the real guy finishes processing the pseudo-god."
"Yes, then let's prepare for the camp."
With Elmina-san's command, we immediately started preparing the camp. I take out the tent from the storage, set it up, and use earth magic to create a stove, a sink, and a dining table. For the sink, water was easily available through pipes from a tank made of stone. Drainage is perfect.
"Somehow you've become able to use magic quite dexterously."
Rifana, who seems to have managed to set up the tent, mutters while watching me quickly make the sink and dining table.
"Because my strength has returned. Now I can build a stone house in a matter of minutes."
If you take your time, you can even build a fortress. I'm not an architectural expert, so both will probably be sloppy!
Thinking about today's lunch menu while taking out the cooking utensils from the storage. I didn't even have time to take a break after entering the Forbidden Garden, so I'm actually quite hungry. It's already past noon.
"What's good?"
"Things that aren't too heavy are good."
"I see. Then soup or something is fine."
Let's say that we serve mainly soup made from grilled and dried river fish and canned fruits. Besides, the salted behemoth meat is boiled after removing the salt appropriately, and it is served with boiled behemoth, which is not boiled pork. It's good to make a lot and eat it for dinner or as a late night snack.
Elmina-san, who has returned from picking up firewood, throws firewood into the furnace that is generating fire power with fire magic. If you use fire magic to heat it up, you have to watch it all the time, so it's easier if you have firewood.
"I caught a bird, so I'm going to handle it over there."
"If you have edible internal organs, please bring them before they lose their freshness. You can keep them fresh in storage, so you can use them for dinner."
"I got it"
Elmina-san begins to pluck the feathers of an unknown bird that seems to have already finished draining blood a little further downwind. Rifana was sorting out Elmina-san's curly feathers. I wonder if Yaba will do it.
About an hour later, we started having a rather late lunch.
"thank you for your hard work"
"Yes, I'm tired of various things."
"I never get bored when I'm with Taishi-kun."
Rifana looks really tired and Elmina's smiling expression contrasts. She takes a sip of ice water from her improvised mug and lets out a sigh. When you're really tired, ice cold water is blissful.
"For now, let's summarize the situation."
"Yes, I think it's better that way."
"Yes, please."
"Right now, we're waiting to process the pseudo-deity that we took in. The pseudo-deity that we took in from that large sword seems to be quite powerful, so I think we've made a big step forward."
Quickly boiled Behemoth while talking. Yeah, could I use a little more salt? It's a little salty, but the bread goes on with this. Elmina-san and Rifana seem to start with the soup.
"I hope so. The rest is Li's clan."
"That's right. It's just a guess, but the old man who seems to be a survivor of the ancients and the Lii clan have a cooperative relationship... or rather, the Lii clan had the feeling that the old man was respected as a superior. "
"That's right. I don't think those high-minded people would serve a mere human, so Taishi's guess is probably right, isn't it?"
Rifana nodded as she dipped the bread into the soup and brought it to her mouth.
"Well, that might be true. From the parts of the conversation when we were fighting, I felt like an ancient person, so it seems to be no mistake."
"By the way, why did that man attack Taishi-kun?"
"Ah, no good gods - the real world is like the evil gods who destroyed the ancients.
It's a bit salty, but I can't stop eating boiled Behemoth. Hmm, this bite is good. Behemoth meat. I wonder if it's not in Taikikai either? If there is, I definitely want to hunt it.
"Evil God... are you okay?"
"Isn't it all right? Speaking roughly of the history of the destruction of the old world that I heard, it seems that the ancients enslaved the gods and used them in the form of pseudo-divines, and he was the last survivor. Well, it's too evil, or rather, it's too powerful and uncontrollable, so it seems like it was left to the end, but the ancients who continued to use up the resource of gods finally got their hands on him and destroyed him in a frenzy. I was about to fall."
"There is no element that is okay"
Rifana's cheeks twitch as she opens a can of fruit chilled in ice water.
"Well, listen to the end. So, that sword you found today stopped that guy who was going crazy and was about to destroy the world. He returned to his senses and subordinated the surviving pseudo-divine humans. It seems that he abandoned his duty as an evil god and devoted himself to regenerating the world.He said that his duty was an evil god, but he was the only real surviving god, so he had no choice but to regenerate the world. Tazo'
mouth the soup. Yeah, it's nice to have a light feeling. I feel that the boiled Behemoth is well-balanced due to its saltiness.
"It's a big story.
"Well, the person himself, the true god?, said it. At least I have met the actual Vault and Gaina, and considering their attitudes, I think it's almost true… We've digressed from the topic. So, when we get back to the topic, the current situation is that the number of clear enemies has increased.
"Yes. I don't think the Li clan will come out of their territory, but I think it's better to be vigilant just for the sake of things."
"I don't think it's an imminent threat, as the Rii clan's sphere of influence is quite far away from here. I don't think they can follow us."
Seeing Rifana eating syrup-soaked fruit with a wooden fork, I also reach for the chilled canned food. It's nice to have dessert after dinner.
"Because they flew in by teleportation. However, there is a possibility that the Li clan is hiding the heritage of the old world… There is also the possibility that they will come after us with some special item."
"Well, there are many special items excavated in forbidden areas."
The magic pistol and variable-type magic long gun that I picked up the other day are probably over-spec items for magic tools in this era. I can't even disassemble it because of the unusually strong material. If I could at least disassemble it, I would do reverse engineering.
"For the time being, this is how I understand the current situation. Is there anything else?"
Elmina-san raised her hand at my words.
"I'm a little worried that I don't know where I got my power. What are you going to do?"
"Ah, I don't have a concrete grasp of it either. It seems that the gods aren't monolithic either, so there's just a policy of antagonizing the forces by getting some on your side."
"Is it going well?"
"Well, I just punched him too. It seemed like there was some kind of aim in real life."
Bite into a fruit like yellow peach in syrup. The texture of the slightly hard flesh is comfortable. The sweetness of the syrup is combined with the sweetness and sourness of the fruit itself, making it extremely delicious.
So far, the consumption of this canned food is by far the fastest. I especially like the refana.
"It's practically close to no plan. I don't think we're going to hit each other again."
"Well, no matter how you think about it, it's bad to destroy them even if they hit each other."
Elmina-san smiled wryly. The Vaults may not be true gods, but they are actually worshiped in this world. Up until now, I hadn't had much to do with temples, but it seems there are worldly benefits from believing in them, so if they were to be destroyed, there's a possibility that they would disappear. It seems that there are rare occasions when it descends and wields its power.
"Well, it's pretty usual that it's a game when it comes out. It'll be like that."
"Appropriate"
"If I was a little smarter, I might be able to come up with a better move."
For the time being, I have no choice but to clean up the things in front of me one by one. Because what I can do is limited.
"I have nothing to do for the time being, so let's just flirt and wait."
"Aren't you going to capture the forbidden land?"
"It looks like a military facility, and the security seems to be tight, so it would be better to go when you can move in real life. Besides, if you make a ruckus, the Lii clan might find out."
"Yes.
Perhaps there was a sensor or a barrier that we didn't notice. I think I can see through the barriers now, but I might not be able to see through sensors that have no direct danger.
"Then let's take it easy. Today was a tough day."
"Can I put you on my lap again?"
Sandwiched between the smiling Elmina-san and the red-faced Rifana, a smile naturally overflows. I'm sure they are both taking care of each other. Yeah, let's change our minds without dragging around.
☆★☆
Three days have passed since I fled to the machine soldier's garrison. These three days were really peaceful three days. The forest around here is relatively calm and there are few monsters, and in the first place, monsters do not approach the forbidden area where we are camping, so it is safe at night. There was also my barrier.
As for the food, I was able to cover the amount I had in the storage, and the wild vegetables and the prey I caught in the surrounding area, so I didn't have to worry about anything. Not to mention water and housing.
I didn't have anything in particular to do, so I spent these three days very calmly. It was already a fulfilling three days, being spoiled by Elmina-san, being spoiled by Rifana, and taking a nap with the three of us.
"Cheating. Isn't it cheating?"
And Real, the useless god, is the crown.
"While I'm dealing with pseudo-divines without sleep and rest, are the three of us going to be tails~?
"Okay, okay. Next time, next time."
"That's a guy who definitely doesn't want to do that. No, no, no!"
I bent my navel with that feeling, so I ended up spending another day trying to cheer myself up. No godliness or shit. There is no need to ask and answer, and if you say that you are a being, you are a being.
Elmina-san and Rifana are going to the nearest Harpie village to stay overnight, so today is just the two of us in real life. Well, I was immediately pulled into the tent.
"You've got a pretty good one. I can't destroy those kids, but it's a good weapon to repel them."
Real says so while toying with the sword I stole from the old man after the match. It doesn't matter, but they're both naked, so be careful how you handle them. That's because the sharpness is not half bad.
"What does it mean?"
"This sword can destroy avatars that interfere with the world."
"Avatar?"
"It's a temporary body used by gods to interfere with this world. To put it simply for you, it's kind of like a control character in a game. No matter how much the control character in a game is beaten up, the player himself will feel pain and itching." Probably not?"
"Hmm...? Well, is that so?"
"This sword can completely destroy such a god's avatar and make it unusable, in other words, unable to continue. Creating a new avatar takes time and money, so we can repel it for the time being." reason"
"I was able to understand it somehow, but the vault I cornered last time seemed pretty painful, you know?"
It's true that normal slashes and magic didn't do any damage, but my father-in-law, the hero of the sword, had his special move, Hyakusen, and it seems that the slashed parts of his body were stored in storage. Storing it in and dismantling it seems to have been insanely effective.
"That's because your slashing momentarily transcended the laws of the world and damaged the main body of God, and because I, a higher god, damaged his main body along with the avatar of the vault. The former is a game character. It's like the wounds received by are fed back through the monitor, and the latter is like a hand suddenly growing out of the monitor and punching me in the face?"
"What's that scary?"
"Vault must have been very surprised."
Real puts down his sword while laughing and strokes my chest. It feels like it's scary to be able to imagine the content of the analogy clearly.
"Isn't that so? Right now, I'm like a character who suddenly appears in a miniature garden training game, and when I try to get rid of it, I'm a horror existence who punches me directly through the screen."
"I guess it's like that.
I'm going to rush to get rid of it. Is it a field? What are you harvesting?
"If it's a game, you should either reset it immediately or load the save data before it appeared."
"If it's a game. Unfortunately, it's not a game, so it's not possible."
"It would be nice if you didn't mess with me and wait until you die in your lifespan."
From God's point of view, my life expectancy wouldn't be that long. It's like leave me alone.
"Well, I was involved.
"Is it your fault?"
"As one of the factors.
"I see"
surely. Apart from that, if I just want to live a good life, I could have spent my time working as a magician or a blacksmith working in the city after training. Where did you get on the hero's route from? If I had passed through that place, I might have been living a completely different life than I am now.
"It's useless to talk about if. Rather than that, how will you move in the future? How is your strength recovering?"
"That's right, well, have you recovered to the same level as before? I'd like to add a little more."
Real says so while looking at his own hand.
"Right. So, what are you going to do when the time is ripe? I haven't asked you what to do specifically."
"Speaking of which, yes. I'm planning to bring some of those children over here, but as a concrete measure, I'll have you undergo God's trial."
"God's trial?"
"Yes. Break through the trials imposed by the gods and receive blessings. And in the end, have them rise to the throne of the gods."
"No, no, I don't like it. Going up to the throne of a god means becoming a god, right? I refuse to do that."
"Why?
"No, immortality is no good.
"It's fine if you make them your vassals. Then you'll be able to spend eternity with your companions."
"Hmm..."
It sounds like a no-brainer, but to be honest, I don't really get it. What does it mean to be a god, what does it mean to be a god Even if it's resolved as a family member, in the end it means that the wives will be immortal just like me, right? how is that
Even in creation, I don't often see happy endings with gods or immortality.
"Well, don't jump to conclusions in a hurry. For now, it's better to meet the conditions to reach the throne of God in order to stop those children's interference. After reaching the throne of God after your life is over If you decide to take care of the rest, those children will probably agree for the time being.Whether or not you really want to act as a god should be decided after consulting with your spouse.How long until the end of your lifespan? There's a reason for that."
"Don't say it's easy"
"It's not that different from now. It's just that I'm stronger than I am now, and I'm not bound by human ties. Of course, there are various restrictions as a god, but basically it's easy."
Real leans over me as I lie down and whispers in my ear.
"Besides, since you even laid a hand on me, you have to take responsibility, right?"
"You must be a little cowardly..."
"It's an evil god.
Real laughs with a giggle. Well, no. Let's put it off for now. If you can make a decision by the time you die, don't worry about it right now. Let's go with the spirit of doing tomorrow what we can do tomorrow. I'm just postponing the problem.