The Supreme Gods who rarely visit the Human Realm aside from the Festival of Heroes, and the fact that all three of them are together in this place certainly shows the abnormality of the situation.
While an enormous amount of magic power splits the clouds in the sky and makes the earth tremble... the God of Life, Life quietly touches the ground.
[...Multitude of Lives. Become my eyes, become my ears...]
Each of the Supreme Gods of the God Realm has been given one ability that transcends the others by the God of Creation, Shallow Vernal.
Life's ability to govern all those who hold life, makes her have the wisdom to see through the world.
Humans, animals, insects, plants, and the earth... Life can gather information from every living thing in the world.
Life searches through the avalanche of information to find the whereabouts of the abducted Kaito.
If a single bird or insect has seen Kaito, it's possible for them to track his whereabouts... However, searching for information about Kaito within that extraordinary amount of information takes a while.
However, there's a God that has the power to compensate for that.
The God of Fate, Fate... The ability given to her is the power to determine one's fate.
She is able to determine the absolute fate within the sea of possibilities of the future.
[...If it's God of Life, "she can find Kai-chan as soon as possible".]
[...!? I've found him. God of Time and Space... I will transfer to you the information.]
[Umu.]
With Fate confirming his fate, Life discovered the whereabouts of Kaito in an instant and transmitted the information to Chronois.
[...Chronois-sama...]
[Don't worry, Lilia.... Aside from Shallow Vernal-sama, there's no one in this world... who's faster than I am!]
With those words, Chronois's figure disappears.
What is given to Chronois, the God of Time and Space, is a mighty power... Having the ability to govern time, Chronois can manipulate time at will and have the speed that sets her apart from the rest.
Chronois's figure disappeared, just as Lilia and the others could recognize that she disappeared... She already reached where Kaito is now.
The robed figures that were defeated by Alice don't seem to be dead, as Alice tied them up with a rope that she took out of nowhere.
[...What are we going to do with these people?]
[Why don't we just let them stay here? We can call for a Knight Order to arrest them later—— Ehh?]
[...Eh?]
It doesn't seem like they would wake up anytime soon, so Alice suggested that we leave them here tied up and leave already, but at the moment I was about to nod in agreement to her... but for some reason, Alice stepped away really far away.
No, that's not it. The people in robes are still close to Alice, does that mean I'm the one who moved places?
[...It seems that you're in quite a pickle, Miyama.]
[Chronois-san!?]
[Ehh? G- Goddess of Time-sama!?]
Hearing her familiar voice, I finally understood that I'm being held in her arms.
I didn't expect that a Supreme God, Chronois-san, would appear. Putting me aside, even Alice was started at her sudden appearance.
[...W- Why are you here?]
[Lilia told me what happened, and I came as soon as I heard it. Good gracious, you're making everyone worry...]
[...U- Ummm, errr...]
[...You are the one who kidnapped Miyama, aren't you? I'm sure you're ready for the consequences...]
[Hyiiiihhhh!?]
Chronois-san quietly mutters while clenching her fist, releasing a tremendous amount of magic power and causing cracks to appear in the stone room.
Feeling the anger of the overwhelmingly powerful Chronois-san, Alice is frightened like a frog staring at a snake, backing away from Chronois-san.
[P- Please wait! Chronois-san!?]
[Miyama!?]
[Ummm, how should I say this... Alice, errr, saved me!]
[...What?]
I hurriedly stop Chronois-san, who was about to hit Alice any moment now.
While Chrnois-san looked doubtful after hearing my words, I frantically tried to explain Alice's reason to her.
I don't feel like I was able to explain myself well because I was quite frantic when I explained to her... but after a while, Chronois-san nodded and unclenched her fist as if she understood.
[...I see. I get the gist of what you're saying. If that's the case, I guess I can't crush you here huh...]
[Y- Yhesh!?]
[...Well, that's enough. I will deal with these kidnappers myself. You've already worried Lilia enough... Let's go back.]
[Ah, yes.]
[You're obviously coming with us.]
[...U- Understood.]
As expected of the capable ikemen Goddess Chronois-san, she promptly made the conversation continue and got Alice to agree without question... Or rather, Chronois-san? How long are you going to hold on to me like this? Chronois-san, you know you're pretty tall, right? Being in this position is pretty scary, you know!?
Whether or not she knows what I'm going through, Chronois-san quickly holds Alice as well, and the scenery changes in an instant.
It's not like the scenery is switched out like Teleportation Magic, but rather, Chronois-san's movement is so fast before I knew it, we're already in a different place.
We are now in Lilia-san's mansion's familiar garden, where Lilia-san and many other people had gathered.
[Kaito-san!? Are you okay!? Are you injured? Are you feeling unwell, or were you hurt anywhere!?]
[Ehh? Ah, no...]
[Calm down, Lilia. If you keep talking and talking, Miyama won't be able to answer.]
[Ah, y- yes... I'm sorry.]
[Miyama doesn't have any injuries of particular concern.]
[Is that so... That's good. That's really...]
When she saw me, Lilia-san's expression literally changed as she began checking if I wasn't injured. She then looked really relieved when she heard Chronois-san's words.
It seemed like she was really worried about me, and it may be a bit imprudent of me, but I was happy.
Speaking of which, there's even Fate-san here... Unnn? Who is that person with the green hair? I feel like she's sleeping while standing up though...
[...U- Ummm~~]
[Eh? Huh!? It's you!!!]
[Hieehhh!? P- Please wait a moment! Kaito-san, help!? Heelllllpppppp!?]
When Alice was about to timidly speak, Lilia-san's expression suddenly changed to a sharp one and she drew her sword.
It wasn't just Lilia-san, but also Lunamaria-san and Sieg-san as well, who turned their gazes with their sharp killing intents directed towards Alice.
[U- Ummm... Why did this situation happen...]
[Ahhh, apparently, Lilia and the others had exchanged swords with the strange fellow over there.]
Strange fellow, she said... No, well, she certainly is one but...
It seems that I have to explain to them again. For a moment, I thought about just letting them go attack her since they're attacking Alice and she won't die but... In the end, I explained to Lilia-san and the others.
Lilia-san and the others, who had been cautious for a while, seemed to understand after hearing my explanation and they each put away their weapons.
It would have been fine if that had been the end of it, but no matter how much they were convinced with my explanation, their perception of Alice would still be bad.
She may have saved me, but because she's someone they're not familiar with, and because they've fought against each other once, their wariness still hasn't disappeared and I can still feel it with my Sympathy Magic.
[...Alice, remember our bet where you would listen to one thing I said?]
[Ehh? Yeah, I still remember it, but why mention it now?]
[...Then, there's something I need you to investigate.]
[You want me to investigate something?]
Thereupon, I remembered the document that the Phantasmal King gave me yesterday.
She said that this document contains information on the person that set up Lilia-san's division in a trap, and that if I showed this to a person who works in the underworld, I might be able to get evidence.
Alice called herself a handyman who works in the underworld, and from the feeling I got so far from her, she seems to be good at gathering information, and in a sense, she's the right person for the job.
[...I want you to look at the people in this document. I heard that they were involved in that incident with the Knights Order four years ago...]
[ [ [!?] ] ]
Hearing the words I said as I held out the document to her, Lilia-san, Lunamaria-san and Sieg-san's eyes widened.
[Ka- Kaito-san!? T- That is... how in the world...]
[I'm sorry. Lilia-san, I was actually going to tell you yesterday, but after all the commotion that happened, I forgot... This document was given to me by the Phantasmal King, and it seems to contain information about the people involved in the incident with the Knights Order four years ago.]
[Wha!?]
[...Hoohhh... It wouldn't be surprising that the Phantasmal King would have some information about that in her possession... However, if you're asking her to investigate it, that having that alone wouldn't mean anything?]
[Yes, the Phantasmal King said that this isn't enough to use as proof. However, she said that if I can get someone working from the underworld to investigate it, we might be able to know something...]
It seems that Chronois-san highly evaluates the Phantasmal King's information gathering ability, and if the Phantasmal King had prepared it, it feels like she was sure it would be correct.
[...In that case, I'm also going to ask you. Lilia informed me of the situation, but Shallow Vernal-sama has instructed me not to become too involved with the affairs of the Human Realm, so I'm not at liberty to investigate... So, can I ask you for that? Masked woman.]
[Ehh? Ah, yes. Of course.]
[Thank you, Alice. Well then, here's the document —— [ There's no need for that. ] ——–!?]
I was about to hand the document to Alice, thinking that if Alice could successfully investigate this, the impression Lilia-san and the other had for her would be restored.
However, at that moment, I heard a familiar high-pitched voice.
[If you so wish it, I can provide the proof as your reward for overcoming your fourth trial.]
[...Phantasmal King...]
[Eeeehhhhh!? T- This time, it's the Phantasmal King? Seriously, what the heck is with Kaito-san's connections...]
A being clad in a black robe calmly appeared, gathering the gaze of those around us... The Phantasmal King descends in the garden of the mansion.
Saying those infuriating words, that I have cleared the fourth trial...
Dear Mom, Dad——- Anyway, the kidnapping incident is now over, and I thought that if I asked Alice to help me, I could get the information that Lilia-san wanted but... Right at that moment, the Phantasmal King appeared again. Putting that aside—— Phantasmal King, are you that bored?
**********
{Author's Notes}
It may not have been written in the novel... but they just met yesterday! And now, today she has come to meet him again!!! I'm starting to suspect that Phantasmal King is actually Kaito's commuting wife.