Chapter 632: The World Administrator and a Pregnancy
Taking a break after finishing a chunk of work, I was absentmindedly watching the children playing in the courtyard from the castle balcony.
“We have to say goodbye soon…”
Yumina, who was drinking tea at the table on the balcony, murmured that as she sat across from me.
That’s not good. My mood inevitably sinks when I think about that day approaching.
For the children, it means returning to their original time, so it should be a joyous occasion.
I wonder if that doctor in the famous time-travel movie felt this way when he sent his friend, who had come to the past, back to the future.
No, he sent him off cheerfully, saying, “See you in the future.” We must also send them off with smiles.
“I was surprised when Allis first arrived. To think she was Ende-san and Melle-san’s child from the future. And then hearing that our children would also be coming here, I was completely confused…”
“That’s right.”
Come to think of it, that was the beginning. It feels like a long time ago, but it was only a few months ago.
Alice came, then Quun came… From there, Frei, Elna, Linne, Arcia, Yoshino, Yakumo, Kuon, and Steph.
It took quite a while for everyone to gather. Yakumo and Yoshino could use Teleport Magic, so they were acting all relaxed, thinking they could return anytime, and going here and there.
Children coming from the future… it was beyond unexpected.
Well, although in a limited state, I’ve become able to move through time too, so I understand now that it’s possible.
Karen and Moroha seemed to have been popping into the future frequently, too.
“But it was fortunate that we could greet Father and Mother. We were able to introduce the children, too.”
Indeed. It was good that this series of events made it possible to visit Earth.
Although it’s only once a year, I’m happy to go there and see my sister Fuyuka’s growth directly.
“You will invite Father and the others here eventually, right?”
“Hmm, Dad and Mom seem to want that, too. But they have work and such…”
Well, to be blunt, I can take care of the money, so Dad and Mom don’t need to work.
But once they come here, they have to stay here for a year. During that time, they will be completely out of contact.
Should I ask the World God if he can lift the ban on internet communication? If he does, since they both basically work from home, they can work even in the other world. And even if it’s just email, being able to communicate with Dad and Mom would be appreciated in many ways.
Asking is free. I’ll just ask for now. I have to give him the souvenir from Earth, too.
“I’m going to see the World God for a bit.”
“Eh? Ah, okay.”
Hearing Yumina’s slightly exasperated voice, I jumped to the Divine Realm using [Dimension Transfer].
“I don’t mind. Or rather, the moment you could use [Dimension Transfer] to Earth, that rule became practically nonexistent.”
“Eh? Is that so?”
Permission was granted so easily that I felt a bit let down.
The World God was happily drinking the Gyokuro tea I bought as a souvenir from the teacup I also bought as a souvenir. The tea snack was Yokan bought in Asakusa.
“I made it impossible to communicate from the other world to Earth because I thought it would cause confusion on Earth. It would be a disaster if you uploaded photos or videos saying ‘I’m in another world right now!’ on the internet, right?”
“That is… well, yes.”
“Furthermore, if it became known that it was you, who was supposed to be dead on Earth, it would cause great trouble for your parents. That’s why I placed the restriction.”
I see… It’s true that when I first came to the other world, I might have tried to contact Dad and Mom. I don’t know if they would have believed me. An email from a dead son. It might have been considered an insensitive prank email and sent to the trash or blocked.
“Well, the situation is different now than back then. After two homecomings, I don’t think there’s that worry anymore, and even if something happens, you are in a position to take responsibility yourself. Anyway, there’s no problem contacting Earth with that smartphone. Of course, be careful who you contact, okay? If you cause confusion over there, I’ll have to punish you accordingly.”
Well, that’s only natural. Just because you get a driver’s license and the right to drive on public roads doesn’t mean you don’t have to follow traffic rules.
Anyway, now I can send emails and image data to Earth, so Dad and Mom can work even if they come here. For that, I need to get them to go digital, though.
I feel like Dad was interested in going digital, so I think he’ll be fine, but what about Mom…?
Digital picture book authors are increasing, so I think it wouldn’t be bad for Mom to start taking this opportunity.
At worst, there’s the option of scanning the pictures and sending them… Well, that’s something to discuss with the publisher…
“By the way, regarding the second group of gods who want to take a vacation in your world next…”
“Eh!? Already the next group!? It hasn’t even been a year yet!?”
This world has been designated as a resort for gods, and I am supposed to be its administrator.
The gods who came down last time arrived during my wedding, so it hasn’t been a year yet. And already the next gods are coming!?
“No, no, not immediately. I just wanted to select the gods who will descend next.”
“Ah, I see…”
I was surprised. The ten gods who came down last time haven’t caused any particular problems… Well, I feel like the God of Glasses is slightly problematic…
“I’d like to be spared from gods who seem likely to cause problems…”
“The ones hoping to go are the God of Ranching, the God of the Sea, the God of Mountains, the God of Flight, the God of Drifting, the God of Clothing, the God of Destruction…”
“No way! Absolutely not the God of Destruction!”
Interrupting the World God, I shouted involuntarily. If the God of Destruction descends to the surface, it will be a disaster! Is this some kind of harassment?! That old man!
“Well, I thought you’d say that… He said he would promise not to use divine power on the surface…”
“I don’t trust him one millimeter. Besides, that guy could easily destroy a continent without using divine power, couldn’t he?”
“Hmm… Well, he could, but the same goes for you, Touya-kun, right?”
Retorted by the World God, I was at a loss for words. Well, if you ask if I can or cannot, I can…
But he’s a short-tempered old man who says “Destroy it” at the drop of a hat, you know? There’s no telling what damage would befall if he were allowed to walk freely on the surface. It wouldn’t be just like a typhoon or earthquake; it could be a disaster far worse.
“Anyway, no God of Destruction.”
“Understood. But he’s likely to complain…”
I’d be troubled even if he complains. Please consider it a lack of trust born solely from his daily conduct.
However, since I’m making the World God go through trouble, I’ll leave behind some of the high-quality alcohol I bought on Earth.
The God of Destruction is said to love alcohol too, so hopefully, this can smooth things over. …He won’t start saying he wants to go down to Earth, will he…?
Come to think of it, the God of Flight applied for a vacation too? I think I met him before. A god like a small sparrow, right?
If it’s someone harmless like that, there’s no problem.
Also, the God of the Sea and the God of Mountains are that bickering couple gods I met before, right? Are they going to come here and flirt…? Well, they’re harmless if left alone, so that’s fine…
“Did you enjoy your homecoming?”
“Yes. I was able to properly introduce my wives and children to my parents, and we were able to visit various places.”
When I said that, the World God nodded happily.
“When I accidentally killed you, even I was flustered. When my hand slipped and I dropped the Divine Thunder I was polishing… I was panic-stricken. I managed not to drop the big one, but a small one slipped through my fingers. Even so, I thought that while a large lightning bolt would strike the ground, it wouldn’t have much impact, but it hit a boy on the ground directly. I thought, ‘What an unlucky child.'”
No, saying I’m unlucky… it was your fault, World God, wasn’t it…? Or rather, I was really killed by a careless mistake…
“I was so flustered that I swapped your body with a fake and brought the real one here to the Divine Realm to regenerate it. As a result, you were revived as a member of the God Race…”
“Is that kind of case rare?”
“No, it happens occasionally that those who achieved great things on the surface or were worshipped become part of the God Race. There are quite a few gods who were originally humans or animals. Your wives have also become dependents and are becoming beings close to gods, haven’t they?”
Come to think of it… I wanted to ask about that too. What will happen to my wives from now on? I heard from Karen that they are positioned similarly to angels or spirits…
“Since they are divine dependents, they won’t die of old age unless you die. You are truly sharing a destiny. Well, in about two thousand years, they will achieve apotheosis, becoming subordinate gods, and eventually, they will truly become part of the God Race. The birth of the Nine Goddesses.”
Wow… So my wives will eventually become gods too… Somehow… I feel immensely guilty for dragging them into this…
“What about the children…”
“They are children of a god, but not children between two members of the God Race. They will live quite long, but they will likely end their lives as demigods. Well, after death, it is possible to make them your dependents and deify them.”
I wonder, isn’t it strange that my wives, who are mere humans, can become gods rather than my children who are demigods?
“You swore to be with your wives for life, didn’t you? do you wish for your children to be with you for life too?”
“No, I don’t.”
My children are important. But that doesn’t mean I want them to walk the same life path as me. I want my children to walk their own paths.
Children are not their parents’ property. Children will eventually become adults and leave the nest. That is natural.
Because the ones I decided to walk through life with are not my children, but my wives. I see, that’s why they become dependents…
If the children finish their lives as humans and are satisfied, maybe it’s okay to bring them over. Living together again in the Celestial Realm isn’t bad.
No, maybe the children will find their own special someone and won’t want that…
Ah, stop, stop. There’s no point thinking about such a distant future.
“When I sent you to this world, I was worried about various things… But thanks to you becoming part of the God Race, it worked out somehow. Well, all’s well that ends well.”
“No, I wonder about that…”
I feel like being part of the God Race attracted a lot of disasters…? Aren’t you rewriting your memory conveniently? Like about the Evil God.
“Besides, because you came, this world has attracted the attention of the gods. It will become a lively world full of spirits again. Well, since it’s a world you manage, it has to be like that.”
“Please don’t pressure me…”
Well, even if you say world management, basically unless something major happens, I just have to watch over it without intervening, so it’s easy in a way…
The biggest source of stress is that many gods who seem likely to cause that “something major” are coming down.
Other than that, maybe dimensional tremors like this time.
“Even with the ‘World Barrier,’ foreign objects occasionally wander in from other worlds. It happened frequently on Earth in the past too. Things like ogres or vampires or unknowns drifting in from other worlds.”
Ah, so the monsters and yokai in Earth‘s legends are like that…? Could aliens be that too?
Come to think of it, maybe that Kappa I saw in Kappabashi Kitchen Town was actually a drifter from another world.
Or rather, since there are species like Ende that cross worlds, I have to be careful about those too.
“If civilization hasn’t advanced that much, it won’t cause a big fuss, but even if it has advanced too much, it might not cause a fuss… It’s difficult.”
“…? I sort of understand that it won’t cause a fuss if it hasn’t advanced… But what do you mean it won’t cause a fuss even if it has advanced too much?”
I don’t really get what he means. If civilization isn’t developed, even if someone says, “I heard an ogre appeared in the capital,” others would say, “No way. Really?” and since it wouldn’t be transmitted as reliable information, it wouldn’t cause a worldwide uproar… I can understand that. Though it would become a fairy tale or legend.
“For example, if a horned ogre appeared in modern times and photos of it were scattered… would you honestly believe it?”
“Ah… I wouldn’t believe it, I guess…? I might think it’s someone’s prank, a photoshopped trick, or a mistake…”
“Furthermore, what if those in power or the government manipulated that information for their convenience?”
“The truth remains in darkness… huh.”
I see. So that’s what he means by it not causing a fuss even if civilization is too developed.
I hear those kinds of stories often… Like the Roswell incident or UMAs. I don’t know how much of it is true, though.
Melle and the other Dominant Species Phraze look like aliens or UMAs no matter how you look at them.
If Dominant Species came to Earth and made deals with the government behind the scenes… No, no, surely not.
“Well, ask the spirits to keep a close watch. Make sure you can deal with any abnormalities immediately. Just in case, you should keep the divine artifacts you made without sealing them.”
“I’d like to think I won’t use them, though…”
It would be trouble if an Evil God or Fallen God appeared.
However, if the people on the surface can’t handle it, I might have no choice but to lend them. Since they aren’t demigods like my children, they might only be able to bring out about 10% of the power, though.
Hmm, if it comes to that, there’s a high possibility it’s due to my lack of supervision, so maybe it can’t be helped.
Well, this is also a god’s job. I muttered to myself that I’ve been put in a difficult position again.
“I’m counting on you for that world from now on.”
“Yes.”
At my reply, the World God gave a small, happy nod.
When I returned to the castle, dinner was already ready. This smell is… curry.
Partly because the children like it, curry often appears on our dining table. Well, there’s also the reason that Lucia and Arcia compete to create new curries one after another.
Most of them are delicious, but occasionally terribly experimental ones appear… The blue curry that killed my appetite was a bit of a shock. It was delicious, though…
Then there was the Magical Beast Offal Curry. I’m not fond of offal itself, so I passed, but even Yae had a subtle expression. It seems it was a miss for Yae. I wonder what kind of repertoire it is today…
“Today is Lamb Curry using sheep meat!”
Lucia declared confidently.
Sheep. Ah, maybe she was influenced by the dishes we ate at the petting farm?
Of course, there are sheep in this world too, but they have a rather gamey taste. Compared to Earth‘s sheep which have been selectively bred in various ways, that is.
There are magical beast sheep too, but I haven’t eaten those. Don’t tell me it’s a curry using that?
“We humbly receive this food!”
I stuck my spoon into the curry placed in front of me and put a large piece of meat into my mouth.
Yes, it’s a bit chewy but delicious. I don’t think there’s much difference from the sheep I ate on Earth. Conversely, I feel it lacks impact.
If it doesn’t show more “Sheep!” individuality, it feels like beef or pork would be fine. Well, it’s delicious so there’s no problem. Oh?
While everyone else was eating and saying it was delicious, there was one person with a pale face.
“Ugh… E-excuse me for a moment…”
Saying that, Yae covered her mouth with her hand and ran toward the washroom.
Eh, did it not suit her taste that much? This Lamb Curry. Could it be that offal was in it?
“Is Yae-mother okay? Eh, Mother?”
At Frei’s mutter, Hildegard next to her stood up with a clatter, her face pale just like Yae’s.
“S-sorry, I also… urp.”
Saying that, Hildegard also left, chasing after Yae. Huh? Is my curry different from everyone else’s? did Lucia and Arcia make them separately?
“See, Arcia. That’s why I told you to be more careful with the preparation…”
“That’s a false accusation! My preparation should have been perfect!”
Somehow a mother-daughter quarrel is starting in a strange place.
It’s true that I feel there’s a slight smell, but it’s not that terrible. If anything, depending on the person, it’s a taste that could become addictive. Does that mean it didn’t suit those two?
Thinking about that, I noticed Leen looking at me with exasperated eyes. What is it?
“Sigh… As expected, my husband is dense…”
“Leen-san, then… as expected?”
“Eh, no way…! Really!?”
Linze reacted to Leen’s words, and Elze joined in. What is it, what’s happening?
“It’s a pregnancy. Both of them probably have babies in their bellies.”
“Eh?”
I was dumbfounded by Leen’s words for a while. Eh? Hah? Babies? In their two bellies?
That means…
When I looked around, Yakumo and Frei had subtle expressions and were smiling wryly.
Yakumo and Frei are the same age. Yakumo said she was born a few months earlier.
“Well, I kind of thought it would be around this time…”
“I never thought I would see this scene myself.”
Yakumo and Frei seem to have predicted this considering their own birthdays. I assume they didn’t mention it until now because Granny Tokie stopped them.
…I see. A child is really going to be born. What is this feeling? Something warm is welling up from deep within my chest.
“Anyway, congratulations! Right, Touya!”
“…Ah, yes.”
I felt a bright future, knowing that the time I meet the children here isn’t that far away.
