In a Different World with a Smartphone

Everyone was delighted with the souvenirs from our trip to Earth, but the ones whose excitement levels went through the roof were certain individuals in Babylon.

In particular, Doc Babylon, The Engineer Elluka, the Professor, Rosetta, and Monica had sparkles in their eyes at the souvenirs packed with Earth technology brought back by Leen and Quun.

Doc Babylon was absorbed in the technology-related books and e-books Leen brought back, and Engineer Elluka immediately began disassembling the home appliances. For some reason, the Professor, Rosetta, and Monica were enthusiastically racing miniature four-wheel-drive cars with Quun.

Flora from the “Alchemy Building” was analyzing the cosmetics and shampoos we bought, trying to replicate them with Tica from the “Laboratory.”

Fam from the “Library” was… needless to say, reading books non-stop. I bought every book that looked like it might be useful while we were on Earth and downloaded them to my smartphone. She probably won’t move for a while…

The children went to visit their respective grandparents before our farewell in a week.

Yumina and Kuon went to the Royal Castle of the Kingdom of Belfast. Sue and Steph went to the Duke of Ortlinde‘s residence. Lucia and Arcia went to the Imperial Castle of the Regulus Empire. Yae and Yakumo went to the Kokonoe Dojo in Eashen. Hildegard and Frei went to the Royal Castle of the Knight Kingdom of Lestia. Sakura and Yoshino took her grandmother, Fiona-san, to see His Majesty the Demon King of the Demon Kingdom Xenoah.

Elna, Linne, and Quun remained. They don’t have maternal grandparents…

Strictly speaking, Elze and Linze have an uncle and aunt who raised them, but we haven’t told them about Elna and Linne. It would definitely get complicated.

“It’s Daddy’s turn.”

“Oops.”

Warned by Linne, I turned my attention to the board game in front of me. We were playing a game I bought on Earth with everyone who stayed behind.

This is a cooperative multiplayer game where players work together to eradicate pathogens spreading across the world. Each player has a role like “Scientist” or “Medic,” and possesses special abilities. The player pieces travel to various cities on the world map depicted on the board to remove the scattered virus pieces.

Every turn, you draw a card. Virus pieces increase in the cities written on the cards. We have to create a vaccine to eradicate the pathogens before that happens.

I wonder if this game would sell in this world…? For example, replace the virus pieces with Phrase, and the player pieces with Frame Gears…

The players would use Frame Gears to defeat Phrase appearing in various places. Each unit could have different special abilities…

“It’s Father’s turn.”

“Oops.”

I was vaguely thinking about a new business venture when Elna warned me this time. No good, no good. Since it’s a cooperative game, if I slack off, I’ll cause trouble for everyone.

“We’re home.”

After that, unfortunately, we couldn’t stop the virus threat, and just as we hit Game Over, everyone returned. Since I had asked Yakumo to handle the return trip, everyone came into the living room in a group through the [Gate].

“The Demon King wouldn’t let go of Yoshino, so we had a hard time…”

“His Majesty is also reluctant to part with her.”

Fiona-san, Yoshino’s mother, answered with a wry smile to Sakura, who had a fed-up look on her face. I can vividly imagine the scene… I bet he threw a huge tantrum… Yoshino also looks a bit tired. I’m glad I didn’t go…

“Grandmother, would you like to stay over tonight?”

“Oh my. Is that alright, Your Majesty?”

“Of course. Please stay with her.”

It seems Fiona-san and Yoshino will sleep together. Anyway, everyone went to take a bath to wash off their sweat.

…Hmm, I’m trying to act normal as much as possible, but I suddenly feel lonely… If I’m like this now, I might cry on the day of farewell. That might make me lose my dignity as a father… I have to send them off with a smile…

The next day, wanting to let the children do whatever they wanted before they returned, I asked if they had any requests, and they said they wanted to go for a picnic.

A picnic, huh? Generally, that means going somewhere with abundant nature and eating boxed lunches.

So, somewhere with abundant nature and good scenery. Where should it be? Even if it has abundant nature, the Great Sea of Trees is probably a no-go.

After discussing it, we decided to go to the Kingdom of Ryle, ruled by the Elf King, which possesses the “Green Crown,” Grand-Grün.

Since the Kingdom of Ryle is a country where many elves live, it has a lot of greenery.

There are not only forests but also many grasslands and plains, and plenty of scenic spots rich in nature. Wild animals are also abundant, but we can manage that.

So we came to the Ryle Plains, which spread out a little south of the Kingdom of Ryle‘s capital. I did get permission for the picnic from the King of Ryle, just in case.

“[Prison].”

I set up a barrier imbued with divine aura over a wide area. This will keep most magical beasts out. I made it so animals can pass through, though. It wouldn’t be much of a picnic if even small birds couldn’t enter.

By the way, the picnic members are my family and Ende’s—or rather, Melle’s family. Also, all the summoned beasts, Paula, Parla, and Gold. I plan to send Gold to the future along with Steph.

“Yae, hold that side.”

“Understood.”

Elze and Yae spread out the leisure sheet. It’s called a leisure sheet, but it’s actually more like a light and fluffy carpet made from processed magical beast fur. Not only that, but we also set up something like a small tarp to block direct sunlight.

The children have already run out into the field and started playing. Allis, Linne, and Lyle were throwing a frisbee, and Kohaku and LuLi were fighting over it like they were quarreling.

Elna and Yoshino were making flower crowns with flowers blooming nearby.

Quun was running her radio-controlled car at full speed, and Steph was begging her to let her borrow it.

Yakumo and Frei were playing badminton with the set we brought. Kuon seems to have been drafted as the referee.

Arcia put charcoal into the barbecue grill she took out from her smartphone’s [Storage] and started lighting it. Lucia began making skewered meat.

Huh? Isn’t that more like camping than a picnic…? We brought boxed lunches too, right?

“With Mother-Yae, Frei, and Melle-san and her family joining, I thought it might not be enough. And if we’re going to eat, freshly made food tastes better.”

Ah, I see… Melle and the other Dominant Species Phrase eat just as much as those two…

I’ll tweak the [Prison] settings to prevent smells from escaping, just in case. They can’t come in, but it would be annoying if strange animals gathered around.

“Daddy! Play against me! It’s been a while!”

“Eh?”

Allis, having grown tired of the frisbee, ran up to Ende. Ende, who was relaxing with Melle and the others, made a face that said, “Here?” Well, I think so too.

“Go on, she’s calling for you. Go. Oh, and do it outside the [Prison] so you don’t kick up dust, okay?”

“You…!”

I sent Ende, who was glaring at me, off towards Allis. This is also bonding with your daughter. Go play together. Lyle followed behind the two of them. The clothes Lyle is wearing are the ones Allis bought as a souvenir on Earth. It seems she likes them.

Oops, Linne also pulled Elze along and chased after them. In exchange, Kohaku and Luli, freed from the frisbee, returned. Good work.

Yae and Hildegard went to join the badminton, and Linze and Sakura started making necklaces to compete with Elna and Yoshino’s flower crowns. Especially Linze’s—using flowers of various sizes, the quality is incredible… And what is that dog that looks like a chrysanthemum doll beside her? How did she make that…?

“It’s nice to have relaxing times like this.”

“It is. Though I feel sorry for Kousaka-san and Lapis-san.”

Yumina answered me with a wry smile. Well, yeah, I did push work onto them…

Kousaka-san and the others also know about the impending farewell with the children (though everyone else thinks they are relatives’ children), so they are being considerate in various ways. Let’s forget about work for now. Because once I get back, I’ll be working until late at night…

Leen is gracefully reading a book on a deck chair placed in the shade of a tree. Next to her, Sue is also reading a book on a deck chair, but she’s reading a shoujo manga.

It’s starting to feel more and more like camping. …Well, either is fine.

“Touya-san, could you bring out the drinks?”

“Roger.”

At Yumina’s request, I took out a large water jug from [Storage] with a thud. Inside is cold lemon water. I also put out another one with iced tea. Oops, I need to put out cups for everyone, too.

“I’m thirsty.”

Frei immediately came over, poured lemon water into a cup, and gulped it down. The badminton game had heated up and was now a mother-daughter showdown between Yakumo and Yae.

An intense rally is continuing… The shuttlecock and rackets are specially reinforced, so I don’t think they’ll break, but… isn’t there a shockwave coming out every time they hit it back? And do people stand that far apart in badminton…? They are over a hundred meters apart, right…? …Let’s decide not to worry about it.

“It’s time for lunch!”

At Lucia’s call, everyone who was playing came over.

Stacks of tiered lunch boxes were already lined up like mountains on the leisure sheet, and skewered meat had started grilling on the barbecue grill. I handed out chopsticks, forks, and small plates to everyone.

The lunch boxes were packed to the brim with main items like rice balls and sandwiches, as well as a colorful variety of side dishes. That’s an amazing amount…

“We humbly receive this food!”

Everyone reached for the lunch boxes at once.

I also picked up a rice ball and took a bite. The moderate saltiness was just right. The filling was meat miso. This is delicious too.

“This is delicious!”

“Yes, this is good.”

“Delicious.”

For every one rice ball I ate, Melle and the others ate about three. The rice balls were disappearing at tremendous speed—chomp, chomp, chomp, chomp. Wow… now the number of lunch boxes makes sense.

Frei was eating at about the same pace, but Yae seemed to be savoring hers slowly. The side dishes are delicious too. Like this dashimaki tamago.

“Here, it’s grilled.”

“Oh, thank you.”

Lucia handed me a skewer of meat. It was skewered with onions, bell peppers, mushrooms, and paprika. It was lightly coated in sauce. Taking a bite, the savory flavor of the meat filled my mouth. It’s beef.

Melle and the others were also demolishing these at a high pace. Lucia and Arcia’s hands couldn’t keep up with the grilling. They sure eat a lot… No wonder Ende can never earn enough.

“Touya-san, it’s about time for that.”

“Ah, right, right.”

At Yumina’s prompt, I took out my smartphone and activated [Mirage]. A video was projected onto the floating [Mirage] screen. It was a video taken on Earth.

“Hoh, so this is Earth.”

“That is a very tall tower…”

“That’s the Skytree!”

While Ney and Melle were impressed by the projected Skytree, Allis was happily explaining it to Lyle.

The video flowed from the Skytree to the subway, Kaminarimon, Nakamise Street, and Senso-ji Temple. Each time, Allis happily explained things to Ende and the others.

I had sent photos to Ende, but not videos yet. I thought it would be more fun to watch them together.

“Allis looks so happy… It’s incredibly frustrating that I’m not there…!”

“Why does it have to be like that…”

Ende stared at the video with a subtle expression mixed with frustration and happiness. What kind of emotion is that…?

Videos of festivals and aquariums are fun to watch again. At the petting zoo, the sight of the children playing with animals was cute.

“Hmm… keeping animals might be nice.”

“Yeah, looks fun.”

Ney and Lycee nodded as they watched the video of Allis playing with sheep. Well, they say animals are good for children’s emotional education. We have Kohaku and the others… wait, Kohaku and the others aren’t pets.

“How about a Chimera?”

“An Owlbear would be good too.”

Wait, wait, why magical beasts? Get a normal animal like a dog or a cat…

While watching the video and eating lunch, we completely finished all the food. You’re kidding, there was a considerable amount… I didn’t think it would all disappear.

Surprisingly, Lyle ate even more than Allis. Well, this child is also like a Dominant Species, so she probably had the aptitude for it.

Perhaps sleepy after eating, Steph, Allis, and Linne had fallen asleep. Each was sound asleep on their mother’s lap. They must have played too hard. They were running around quite a bit. Yae and Hildegard had also fallen asleep. Elze seems fine.

I’m a little sleepy too, but not that much.

Looking up at the sky, birds were flapping their wings. It’s peaceful… I feel like it’s been a while since I’ve relaxed like this. …Strange, I was supposed to have gone to Earth for a vacation.

As I gazed blankly at the sky, the birds that were flapping their wings suddenly started flying away in flocks from the nearby forest with a loud rustling. What is it?

“Ah, that’s it. Look, to the east. A Wyvern is flying.”

“Hmm…?”

Ende casually pointed to the eastern sky. I can see something like a sesame seed. squinting my eyes, it indeed looks like a Wyvern. Did the birds sense its presence and flee?

For us, a Wyvern is no big deal, but for normal animals, it’s a threat.

“What will you do, Touya?”

“It would be a shame to wake the children. Just shoot it down from here.”

“Right.”

Ende stood up while smiling at Allis sleeping on Melle’s lap, aligned his index and middle fingers, and aimed at the distant Wyvern. Mana gathered at his fingertips.

“Don’t miss, it’ll be embarrassing.”

“Shut up.”

Pew! A beam of light released from Ende’s fingertips disappeared into the eastern sky, and the sesame-seed-sized Wyvern exploded and scattered.

“Ah, geez. …Because Touya said something unnecessary, I put too much power into it.”

Apparently, Ende misjudged the power and caused the Wyvern to explode. Eh? Is that my fault?

“Isn’t it just a lack of training? Shall I ask Uncle Takeru to train you?”

“There are jokes you can say and jokes you shouldn’t!”

Ende yelled at me with a pale face. My bad. Don’t get so angry.

“Mmm… wha…?”

“Ah, geez. Because you were making noise, Allis woke up.”

“Ah, sorry.”

Scolded by Melle, Ende flusteredly apologized to Alice. He’s completely whipped by his wife. …Well, I can’t talk.

“Grand Duke, a stampede is about to happen beyond where the Wyvern was. It might be better to do something.”

Sakura put her hand to her ear and informed me. A stampede?

I checked the area beyond where the Wyvern exploded with my [Divine Eyes]. …Ah, indeed, they are on the verge of stampeding. If left alone, it might involve surrounding animals and magical beasts and develop into a major stampede. Maybe the Wyvern was rampaging ahead of that.

“Can’t be helped. I’ll crush it.”

I took out my smartphone and opened the map screen.

Hmm, right now it’s not that large-scale, but if this reaches the capital of the Kingdom of Ryle, the damage will be significant.

“Target lock. [Shining Javelin] on the stampeding magical beasts.”

“Lock complete. Activating [Shining Javelin]. …Annihilation complete.”

That should do it. It would be bad if it caused a fuss later, so I’ll send an email to the Elf King just in case.

“There were signs of a stampede, so I annihilated them… sent.”

After a while, a reply came saying “Thank you.” Well, since we’re using their space, this much is expected.

“I’m home.”

“Welcome back, sir.”

After parting with Melle’s family, we returned to the castle living room via [Gate], and the maids, Lapis-san and the others, welcomed us.

It was a relaxing and good day. Well, there was a little trouble… I want to make days where we go out with everyone like this occasionally in the future too.

“Welcome back, Your Majesty. It’s sudden, but could you please look through these documents?”

“Oh…”

Smiling brightly, Kousaka-san handed me a thick stack of documents with a thud. Heavy… Um, are you saying I should read all of this? Even if I accelerate my thought speed with [Accel], it’s doubtful whether I can finish tonight.

“If you procrastinate, it will be painful later. I think it’s better to clear them up now.”

That is true… I have to make time for the children tomorrow, and what you are saying is perfectly reasonable. But I can’t easily switch my mind from the fun time I had just a moment ago.

My wives and children raced each other to the bath.

To spend time with the children tomorrow, I have no choice but to do my best here.

Sigh. It’s tough being a father.