In a Different World with a Smartphone (LN) - Volume 11 - Chapter 2

Chapter II: Working Toward Tomorrow 

A barrage of bullets rained down upon the remains of the Steel Battalion that were scattered around the wastes. These bullets were being fired at a rate of several-hundred-per-second from a Gatling gun attached to the right arm of a great, dark mecha. Leen’s Frame Gear, Grimgerde, was ready to roll. 
Nikola’s Knight Baron had a similar Gatling gun, but Leen’s was a little bit different and had a broader spread, so it was still pretty unique. 
Grimgerde’s chest piece distorted, causing the two Gatling guns installed around the center to blow a conflagratory hail of bullets. 
Then, both of the shoulders opened up on either side, revealing missile pods. They promptly began to fire out into the air. In tandem with this motion, hinges on the legs opened up to reveal yet more missiles, and they shot out their payloads as well. 
Each fingertip on the left hand was also spewing machine gun fire, and the Vulcan rotary installed on the Frame Gear’s head was firing off at full pelt as well. It was truly a hail of bullets, like something out of a sci-fi movie. 
“Good lord, how horrifying...” We’d been using broken units from the Steel Battalion as target practice, I’d simply pulled them out of [Storage], but the full force of Leen’s Grimgerde was reducing them to scrap metal in a matter of seconds. 
Grimgerde finished firing and finally came to a halt. I could see steam rising from its form, a testament to just how hot it had become in the process. 
“How many bullets was that...?” 
“Only around fifty-thousand, so not many, sir.” 
Not many... Seriously? I looked at Rosetta, positively speechless. I didn’t really know what to say at all. The thing was downright unstoppable. I had doubts even Elze’s Gerhilde or Yae’s Schwertleite could do anything against a head-on barrage like that... Even if their phrasium armor helped defend them, they’d still sustain serious damage. 
I was pretty sure that Sue’s Ortlinde Overlord would be able to take it, though. 
“Well, sir! It’s good, but there are drawbacks! After a full-power volley like that, the Frame Gear will need to enter a few minutes of cooldown in order to restore itself to full functioning order, sir! That’ll create an opening where it’s vulnerable to attack, yessir it will.” 
“Indeed, Rosetta’s right. The Frame Gear is also designed in such a way that it eats through magic at an enhanced rate. Leen should be okay, but I think only she, you, and Linze would be able to handle a Frame Gear of this type.” Rosetta and the Professor raised some fair points. Magic fatigue was something we’d have to be careful of. It was, after all, pretty much the same thing as continuously invoking the [Explosion] spell. 
“It’s so hot!” The hatch on the Frame Gear’s stomach opened, and Leen hopped out with Paula in tow. Paula toddled out of the opening and rolled on to the ground. 
You okay there...? 
“It’s like a sauna in there, good grief!” 
“Ah, sorry sir! Sorry, ma’am! I forgot to install a cooling unit for the cockpit!” Rosetta grumbled to herself. 
Geez, you dummy. That’s dangerous. If the cockpit ended up superheated, she’d bake in there like an oven-cooked chicken! 
“Also, I could barely hear the radio in there, it was such a racket...” 
“Hmm... So we should soundproof it too, gotcha. I’ll set it so you can toggle it on and off based on the situation.” The cockpit was right next to the twin chest Gatlings, so it was no wonder she hated the noise. 
This Frame Gear was definitely our greatest work as far as large-scale damage went, but it had the disadvantage of catching friendly units up in its fire as well. It wouldn’t really be good for group deployments, so we’d probably want to only use it for cases where it was one versus many. 
“This is certainly the best Frame Gear I’ve ever piloted. But it’s still pretty slow to handle...” 
That’s because it’s almost as heavy as Sue’s Ortlinde! It has to be, in order to withstand the shock of firing so much. 
Whoooooosh...! 
“Hm?” I looked up into the air and saw a blue fighter jet flying overhead. 
It began to slow down and descend, transforming into a more humanoid form as it landed. 
It was Linze’s Frame Gear, Helmwige. 

 

The chest hatch opened, and out popped Linze. Helmwige was a Frame Gear with sharp angles to it. This allowed it to easily shift and convert into a jet plane. The idea was inspired by a mecha anime I’d seen. 
“How was it? Are you used to flying it yet?” 
“I believe so, at least a little... I didn’t get too fast with it, though.” Linze flashed me a stiff smile. If she got used to piloting Helmwige, then she wouldn’t be able to complain about me bringing her along with [Fly]. 
“Well, sir! Ma’am Leen and ma’am Linze are effectively equipped with their Frame Gears, sir! What about the Frame Gears still needed for ma’am Lu, ma’am Sakura, and ma’am Yumina?” Rosetta flashed me a salute as she listed off the names. 
“Doc Babylon didn’t decide on which one to make next?” 
“I suppose Sakura would be the next one if I was to decide. I’d like to make it a support-type Frame Gear that transmits sound. Magic is ineffective against the Phrase, but using sound-based support magic on allied Frame Gears? That would be valuable. We’d be able to increase Frame Gear speed and durability that way. We’ll make a Frame Gear that can project her voice to the entire battlefield.” 
“A support-type Frame Gear with a focus on area-of-effect, sir!” 
Hmm, it’s kind of like my [Multiple] spell, only more broad. Well, back in the olden days they used to raise the morale of soldiers by playing war music, right? I guess it’s the same principle this time, just with vocal magic. 
“Alright, then get to work on Sakura’s Frame Gear.” 
“Copy that.” I sent Grimgerde and Helmwige back through to Babylon with the Doctor and Rosetta. I, on the other hand, went through a portal back to the castle with Linze and Leen. 
The day’s testing was over. 
But I completely forgot about Paula... 
After I returned to the castle, I passed by the training field and saw a bunch of exhausted newbies on the ground. They’d been training to their limit. 
Moroha’s intensive boot camp had ended a little while ago, but they were still dedicated to their morning and evening training. 
Most of them were still being put through the wringer by Moroha herself every morning and evening. They passed the exam, though, so naturally, they were all prepared to give it their all. 
“[Mega Heal], [Refresh].” I healed all their wounds and got rid of their fatigue, too. 
They all noticed me as soon as their fatigue vanished, and every one of the newbies bowed in my direction. 
“Good work, twerps! Morning training’s over and done! Get showered, get fed, and take up your posts!” 
“Yes, ma’am!” The knights all filed away from Moroha and headed toward their gender-separated shower rooms. 
They had showers and an enclosed bath that I’d created by magically transporting water from a natural hot spring in one of Belfast’s mountain ranges. 
I was granted permission by the royal family, of course. I even installed a bath in the Belfast royal castle as thanks. 
That reminded me, I wanted to talk to Kousaka about building a proper public bathhouse. 
The newbies had already been assigned to their duties. Those in the castle guard would deal with entertaining visitors and would also be expected to fight or detain intruders. Those assigned to the town watch were expected to patrol the castle town and help out any citizens. The ones assigned to our intelligence corps were to train their social skills and focus on data-gathering. 
Those more suited for clerical work and agricultural reclamation had already been sent over to their positions. 
On top of those duties, we decided to have most of them train in the Frame Units, just in case. 
We had over two-hundred knights, and the vast majority of them knew at least the fundamentals of piloting a Frame Gear. We exempted Samsa the ogre and the lamia sisters from this training, though. They couldn’t reasonably fit into the cockpit. Also, the non-combatants, such as the office workers and farmers, didn’t have to do Frame Gear training either. 
We had no idea when the Phrase would appear next, so preparing for the future was the wisest choice. All we had to do was keep on working. 
 
“A fishery, huh?” 
“Yup, a fishery.” I sat in my office, mulling over Kousaka’s most recent idea. 
By fishery, he meant a way to catch a bunch of fish. I don’t know when he got the idea, but it was true that there wasn’t much in the way of seafood in our country. 
“Do you plan on catching fish from the river?” Brunhild was landlocked and had no seas bordering it. We did, however, have a big river running through our territory. 
“Not the river, no. My idea was to have the fishermen collect large hauls from the sea, and then sell them for high profit.” 
“Huh? But we don’t have any sea access...” 
“Hm? Of course we do. On the other side of those dungeon portals.” 
“Oh!” He was right. The dungeons on the other side of the portals in Brunhild were beneath a nexus of islands. That was Brunhild territory, too. 
We’d be able to harvest plenty of fish over there. There was no access to salt water in Brunhild’s main living area, so it’d probably sell well. I wouldn’t mind getting me some sashimi, either. 
“I see, I see. Good idea, then. So you wanna build a harbor on one of the islands?” 
“Quite. The islands are small, so we likely won’t be able to create anything huge, though. Plus, there are magical beasts on some of the islands, which could pose an issue.” 
Hmph... I guess I could go chase them all down until there aren’t any left, and then sell their raw materials... But I’d feel a little bad taking away opportunities for adventurers. Then again, I don’t think there are any fishermen who would work under such dangerous conditions. 
“What if I erect a barrier that repels magical beasts?” 
“That would do nicely. We’d need to do further investigation, though. There could well be aquatic menaces to deal with as well.” That was a fair point as well. We didn’t want any of our fishing boats getting trashed by sea-based monsters. 
In the end, I decided to summon a Kraken or a Sea Dragon, and give it the order to hunt down any potentially dangerous monsters or beasts in the area. 
“What about the fishermen themselves?” 
“I’ll handle all of that. I can’t say for sure just how rich in fish the seas around those islands are, anyway. I’ll need to run preliminary checks.” I decided to permit it, provisionally, at least. 
I guess I’ll summon a Kraken or a Sea Dragon or something tomorrow, then. I’ll summon a Sea Serpent, actually. One like the Dragon who helped me out near the Kingdom of Egret. Then, he can stay around the islands and act as their protector. If it’s one of Luli’s subordinates, then it’ll be just fine. 
While I’m at it, I’ll have him keep any weird looking ships at bay, too. I don’t want another case of slavers coming in. It was bad enough the first time. 
I checked over the various reports on my desk after Kousaka left. The voice of the people was pretty important when you were ruling over them, so they needed to be heard. 
Guildmaster Relisha would also send me information on current events around the world through the smartphone I’d given her. 
“Man, if this was back on Earth, then I could’ve just browsed the world news online...” Each national ruler had a smartphone, and often they would send me their own information as well. The emperor of Regulus sent me formal information about the engagement between his daughter and the king of Felsen, and the king of Belfast sent me information about how Prince Yamato was finally walking. He’d attached a little photo of the kid, too. 
Conflicts across the continent had slowed down considerably since the founding of the alliance. Everyone was starting to find common ground. Whenever two countries had a dispute, they’d often turn to me to find the middle ground, too. 
Belfast and Mismede were quickly growing their relationship, and Regulus and Roadmare had never been on better terms. Even Ramissh was ending its anti-immigration policy, and Lihnea was establishing friendly relations with Palouf to the north. Things were looking up. 
I looked over these letters and noticed a distinct pattern, however. Phrase activity was on the rise in almost every nation. It was mostly just Lesser Constructs, so they were taken care of by parties of red-rank adventurers. 
Hm... What rank was I when I killed my first Phrase, anyway... Huh... Wait a sec... 
Something suddenly came to mind, so I opened up my smartphone and projected my photo gallery into the air. I scrolled back to a photo I’d taken long ago. Sure enough, the writing on the wall that I’d been unable to understand was still there, preserved in the shot. 
It only just occurred to me that I could decipher this with [Reading]. I’d need to know what kind of language it was, though. It was possible that Fam would know more. I decided to hop up and head to the library for more information. 
Still, if the language didn’t exist five-thousand years ago, she could be in the dark about it. But it was true that the language wasn’t known to any native Belfastian, and the ruins didn’t have their origins in Belfast either. It was worth a shot. 
But still, that only raised more questions... Who made those ruins? Why build such a place? How did the Phrase get sealed down there to begin with? 
It was no good, I couldn’t stop thinking about it. 
I headed straight toward the library in search of Fam. 
 
“I have never seen any language resembling this in my life.” I spoke with Fam about it, but she gave me a pretty curt reply. 
“They vaguely resemble the Hidden Letters of Arthema. It’s certainly not Parthenese... These letters definitely didn’t exist before the collapse of Doctor Babylon’s civilization.” 
“So the language must’ve been invented after civilization collapsed back then?” Leen, who was reading a book, suddenly chimed in from across the room. Paula wasn’t around, for some reason. 
“The issue is that this language is a blind spot, an anomaly in the understanding of my library, and your world. I hypothesize that such letters were used only by a small group who died out relatively quickly.” We’d found the ruins in the former capital of Belfast. But the letters weren’t Belfastian at all. It was possible that this small group had created the underground ruins, but for what purpose? And what did it have to do with that sealed Phrase? “What were you saying about the Hidden Letters of Arthema?” 
“It is a language I cannot read. The language was used by a small culture that didn’t leave behind any written evidence. I have only come across parts of their writing in tangentially related works.” That was a bother. It was possible that the culture’s descendants were the ones who made the ruins, though. So it was worth a shot. I decided to try deciphering it. 
“[Reading]: Hidden Letters of Arthema.” The letters slowly became recognizable after I cast the spell. I could understand them at least partially. 
It kind of felt like vaguely understanding Chinese through knowledge of Japanese kanji because of the shared lettering. 
Though it was possible that the letters used here would have different meanings to the letters used in the original Arthema language. 
For example, the kanji ??, pronounced ka-ren, meant something akin to “lovely.” It could be used to describe a pretty girl. But if you read the same lettering in Chinese, it would be interpreted as ??, pronounced kho-lien, and would mean something more like “pitiful.” That’s what my grandpa told me, at least. 
The writing here felt like a similar kind of discrepancy. I could make out bits and pieces of the words, but not whole sentences. 
“Our red... The glimmering monster... Sacrificed... City... Uh... Tiny? Black, and... Knight? Black Knight...? Time and space... Repaired... Returned... Er, no... Left... Repeating... Corpses...? Spilling...?” 
“Red and black? What’s that all about?” 
Hmph. This is a bit difficult. The glimmering monster is probably the Phrase. The city is probably the former capital. But what’s the Black Knight? A Frame Gear? Sounds like a Knight Baron... But what about the small part? 
Given that it says our, I guess the guy was writing on behalf of all the people at the time, but that doesn’t answer much. No idea what the red part after our is all about... Maybe they meant to identify the group? Like our red-haired clan, or something...? 
The repaired part has my attention, though. Did they fix the world’s boundary somehow? 
From what I could vaguely conclude, this red tribe might have had the ability to repair the world boundary. It might’ve even been an artifact or something. 
“I didn’t really learn anything.” 
“You did not.” The Phrase had definitely appeared a thousand years ago and destroyed the former capital. That much was certain. Someone must have defeated them back then or at least held them back enough to repair the boundary protecting the world. 
I wanted to know what the deal was. 
“How about you, Leen? Know anything about Belfast’s situation a thousand years ago?” 
“I’m afraid I’ve got nothing. We Fairies didn’t venture out from our own home territory for quite a long time. I doubt even the current elders would know. Belfast’s history isn’t recorded up to that point, as far as I’m aware.” It was no good. I was hoping there’d be some really ancient fairies. Sure, five-thousand years would be unreasonable, but I’d thought maybe some of them could’ve lived for a couple thousand years. 
It seemed like species with longevity mostly kept to themselves in this world, so they were useless to learn global history from. They were the kinds who simply didn’t get involved with others. 
The Demon Kingdom of Xenoahs was a prime example. They didn’t ask, they didn’t tell. 
It was just one of those things. I couldn’t do anything about it. 
All I could do right now was continue doing what I was doing. Doctor Babylon and the gynoids were working on the Frame Gears, while Lain and Moroha were working on whipping our knights into shape. All I could do for the time being was... Well, negotiate trade with Olba and try to increase funds. That was a little depressing, I thought I was more valuable. 
As I pondered such things, my phone began to vibrate. It was Guildmaster Relisha. 
“Hey, ’sup?” 
“Sorry to bother you, I know you must be busy... But there’s an emergency!” 
“Hm? What is it?” 
“A Behemoth has emerged.” 
A Behemoth. Also known as a mutated beast. Magical beasts that very rarely appeared, but they were always monstrously huge. I faced off against Scorpinas, a twin-tailed scorpion Behemoth a while ago. Naturally, I defeated it in a Frame Gear. 
“It’s in the Elfrau Kingdom, more specifically in the Snorra ice plains. The creature appears to be a mutated Snorra Wolf.” Behemoths often gained special abilities alongside their massive size. I didn’t know if the ability caused them to gigantify in the first place, or if it was a byproduct of gigantification. 
When I fought against Scorpinas, it could shoot fierce, biting acid from its tail. Regular scorpions could only muster up a weak venom. 
From what I understood, this Snorra Wolf possessed a strange power as well... 
“The queen of Elfrau has called for aid against the Snorra Wolf, but the situation is dire. It’s already caused massive casualties to the Elfrau military. The guild has also lost several red-rank adventurers and one silver-rank. It destroyed a village two days ago, and shows no sign of stopping.” 
“It beat a silver-rank? Seriously?” There were only a few people in the world on that level. I only got there after achieving the titles Dragon Slayer, Golem Buster, and Demon Killer. 
I got to gold-rank after killing Scorpinas, but that was mostly thanks to my Frame Gear. 
I wondered if the silver-rank guy was hoping he could kill it and become the next gold. 
“This request comes directly from the queen of Elfrau. How should I respond?” 
“It’s a quest to me as a gold-rank adventurer, right?” 
“That’s right! Any gold-ranked adventurer can take it, since it’s a formal guild quest. The reward is vast, a hundred royal gold coins. They also say you can have anything from the royal treasury! But at this rate, there won’t be anything left in Elfrau to save.” 
Hrmph... It’s not like I have an obligation to save them or anything. I’m not the only gold-rank in this world, either. There’s that old retired perv, so he could take it... 
Damn it, if I don’t do it, then innocent people are gonna get hurt. 
If I’m thinking practically here, I should send two or three Frame Gears to take care of it. Then I wouldn’t have to go. Ah, but if I do that it won’t be me acting as an adventurer, it’ll be me acting as a grand duke... People will assume I ordered my knights to intrude on Elfrau and take it out. 
Either would be fine since Elfrau would be saved, but I should go in person. I don’t want to cause an international incident. Plus there’s some stuff I wanna test out. Also, I don’t wanna be known as the gold-rank guy who relies on his Frame Gears to fight all the time, so I’ll just go by myself this time. I should take some time to actually fight using my body once in a while, otherwise Moroha and the others will always be physically ahead of me. 
“Alright. I’ll take it. Send me a message with the location, got it?” 
“Got it, thank you. I’ll do that now.” I closed the call with Relisha and immediately called Kousaka to inform him of my trip to Elfrau. He seemed surprised, I kind of figured he’d be used to it by now. 
Hearing him get like that reminded me of this old show about an older man who served a feudal lord. The man would sigh in disbelief every time his master would leave the castle without permission to do something crazy. I used to watch reruns of that show with my grandpa. 
It was kind of funny that Kousaka and I had that kind of relationship the characters in the show had. 
“This Behemoth Snorra Wolf... It sounds interesting, take me with you.” 
“You wanna come, Leen?” This was a job for a gold-rank adventurer, but Leen seemed pretty keen on coming with me, so I didn’t see why not. 
To be honest, Leen’s magical mastery probably put her at gold-rank in terms of skill anyway. 
My smartphone chimed to signal the new message from Relisha; it was the exact location of the Snorra Wolf. The Elfrau military had been tracking it, apparently. They were keeping their distance from it because it could smell them if they got too close. 
The plan was to use [Gate] to move Leen and me to the little bit of Elfrau I had been to in the past during my search for the Babylon pieces. After that, we’d both use [Fly] to get to the snow plains. 
“[Gate].” We left Fam behind in the library and came out in Elfrau. Holy hell is it cold! 
“B-Brr... C-Come forth, Fire... A Cozy Cloak Scatters Down: [Warming]!” Leen immediately cast a spell to heat us both up to a comfortable temperature. I really thought I was gonna die for a second... 
It was unreasonably cold in Elfrau. A little detail I had completely forgotten about, apparently! 
“Good grief... You really are a fool, aren’t you?” 
“Y-You went through the portal unprotected too, Leen...!” 
“...That aside, where’s the Snorra Wolf?” 
Hmph... Don’t just brush off my comments! I grumbled a little as I opened up my map and determined my current location. 
“Let’s see... We should track the Elfrau soldiers first.” I’d never seen a member of the Elfrau military before, but I was certain I’d be able to recognize one at a glance. I was correct. They appeared on my map after I ran the search. 
I held Leen in my arms and invoked [Fly] to head straight for their location, I saw several of them in a forested area near the snowy plains. 
We landed next to them swiftly. 
“Hm?!” The Elfrau soldiers wore heavy winter coats and hats that resembled Russian ushankas. They immediately pointed their weapons at me in confusion. 
“I’m Mochizuki Touya, the grand duke of Brunhild. The queen of Elfrau has requested I come here to kill the Snorra Wolf. This is Brunhild’s court magician, Leen. Who’s in charge here?” 
“The grand duke of Brunhild?!” My feet slowly sank into the snow. I definitely wasn’t dressed for the weather at all. I sighed quietly and pulled my card out of my pocket. 
“A golden guild card... Goodness...” 
“If you want further proof, should I produce a Frame Gear?” 
“No, no... Not necessary... I have heard that the queen sent out for aid. I am the man in charge here, the name is Alexei.” A man stepped forward from the group of ten, he was a full head taller than the rest of them. They seemed to accept me pretty readily, but I wasn’t sure if they really believed what they were seeing. 
From what I was told later, Alexei’s father worked at the guild office in Elfrau and often talked about me due to my high rank. They’d been paying attention to me without me even realizing. 
Either way, I passed him my guild card so he could confirm it. 
“So, where’s the Snorra Wolf?” 
“Just north of here. It has eaten many Brudboars out on the plains, and is currently resting.” 
Brudboar...? Oh, I think I heard of them, those white wild pigs. Seems like this Behemoth isn’t exclusively attacking humans, at least... But indiscriminately eating anything isn’t really that good either. The longer it stays, the more damage it’ll do. Better wrap this up. 
“C-Captain! The Snorra Wolf is coming!” 
“Say what?!” A soldier holding a pair of binoculars points to an area behind us. Then we saw it come into view. A massive white wolf, around twenty meters long, was kicking up snow as it charged toward us. 
“Welp, alright then! Time to fight!” It wasn’t quite the size of the Behemoth I’d fought last time. But it was still far bigger than a man. I didn’t need to field a Frame Gear. 
“Let’s go!” Leen jumped forward as if to guard the Elfrau soldiers, raising her hand and charging her magic at the same time. 
“Come forth, Wind! Sorcerous Stabbing Squall: [Air Impact]!” 
Leen invoked an ancient Wind spell, and the enormous wolf was stopped mid-charge and blown away. She’d evidently been brushing up on her ancient spells in the library. 
“This is my first time using it on a living target... It’s less like a wall of wind and more like a bullet, fascinating. This has good defensive applications.” The tumbling wolf fixed its balance and stood up to face us again. It stared me down with golden eyes, howling loudly as its maw gaped open. 
“Grawoooooo!” A large mass of ice began to form inside its mouth. It seemed like this was the special ability it had developed when it became a Behemoth. It roared again, sending the lumpy mass our way at incredible speeds. 
Oh crap. That’s bad! 

There was no way for me to avoid it, either. The soldiers were right behind us, after all. 
“Burn forth, Wind! Gale of Flames: [Ignis Hurricane]!” A flaming vortex emerged from thin air, melting the chunk of ice into nothing. The spell I’d cast was one similar to [Fire Storm], but it was several times more powerful. 
It was an ancient spell, known as a compound spell that fused both wind and fire affinities. Over time it’s likely that usage of the spell wasn’t well understood and became the basic Fire spell known as [Fire Storm] today. 
Unless someone had both wind and fire in their affinities, they wouldn’t be able to use it. That brought with it a ton of disadvantages to offset its sheer power. 
“Spark forth, Ice! Frozen, Jolting Maelstrom: [Vortex Mist]!” 
“Grrrgh!” A sparkling mist began to rise around the wolf. If it touched the foggy mass, it’d be electrocuted. We’d immobilized it completely. The spell Leen had cast was a compound magic designed for incapacitation. 
I didn’t want to use a Fire spell to finish it off, since that’d damage the value of the corpse. 
There was a new spell I wanted to try out, but it required physical contact, so I had Leen disperse her spell. 
The second the fog disappeared, the Snorra Wolf roared and charged straight for me. It was extremely fast, but not fast enough. 
I used [Teleport] to warp to the beast’s side, then I delivered a [Power Rise] infused kick to its ribs. 
“Graugh, awrhhh!” I heard a snapping sound from its body, then a dull crunch. Something inside it had broken. It fell to the ground, and I dashed forward to place my palm on its neck. 
“Wither, o Dark! Sap Life From My Enemy: [Energy Drain]!” 
“Grawooo!” The Snorra Wolf’s very life began flowing into me. It started to die, and my body started to heal. The effect on me felt much like [Recovery]. It was a little slower than a Healing spell, though. Probably because of how large the beast was. 
“Grargh!” 
“Hmph!” I jumped back to avoid the bite. It tried to get up, but its knees were weak. It was the end for the creature. 
“Goodnight.” I unholstered Brunhild from my waist and fired true into the beast’s chest. A divine bullet pierced its heart. 
“Awooo...” It raised a tiny howl as life slipped from its mouth. With that, the Snorra Wolf, terror of Elfrau, was dead. 
I approached the wolf to ensure I’d finished the job, and sure enough, it wasn’t breathing anymore. 
“That [Energy Drain] is quite the frightening spell...” 
“You need to keep contact to make it lethal, you know? It was probably meant to be more of an incapacitating spell, like my [Paralyze].” Leen had no aptitude for darkness, so she couldn’t use the spell. Yumina and Sakura were capable, but they had no interest in learning about stuff like that. 
Wh-Whoa, what’s with that fur?! It’s unbelievably soft! It’s nicer thank mink, holy shit! I mean, I’ve never actually touched mink, but it’s softer than what I imagine mink to be! This is gonna sell for a lot! 
“G-Grand Duke... Th-The Snorra Wolf...” 
“It’s dead. You can come out now.” I offered words of reassurance to Alexei and his men, most of whom were hiding behind nearby trees. A few of them ended up slumping to the ground in relief. That wasn’t unreasonable on their part. 
Now all I had to do was show proof of my deed to the queen. I’d head to Elfrau castle, show off the corpse, and be on my merry way. 
I stashed the dead Snorra Wolf in [Storage], and then traversed Alexei’s memories with [Recall] so I could get information on Elfrau’s capital, Slanien. 
Then, I opened up a [Gate] that took us straight to Elfrau’s royal castle. 
It was seriously beautiful to see from the outside. 
“We’re in Slanien...?” 
“So quickly...?” I asked for Alexei and his men to take me through to the castle. 
Elfrau castle was pretty gothic-looking in general, and it was smaller than most of the castles I’d seen. It still had Brunhild castle beat in terms of size, though. It just exuded elegance. It felt prim and proper. 
We walked to the castle courtyard, and I took the Snorra Wolf’s corpse out from [Storage] as proof of my deed. 
The castle guards stared in awe and disbelief at the size of this wolf. 
Just as I was about to pull out my phone and call Relisha to report my success, I heard a voice call out to me. 
“You are Brunhild’s grand duke, are you not?” I turned to face a woman with long, blonde hair. Two soldiers stood on either side of her. She wore elegant furs in pale cream tones and wore a beautiful circlet on her head. It was adorned with green gemstones. 
The thing atop her head was far too gaudy to be called a tiara, yet far too meager to be called a crown. It shone bright like a diamond. 
She looked to be in her mid-twenties, and her emerald eyes were trained on me. 
“...Right. I’m the grand duke of Brunhild, Mochizuki Touya. This is Leen, my court magician. You must be the queen of Elfrau, I presume?” 
“Indeed. My name is Fortuna Tierra Elfrau, queen of the Elfrau Kingdom. We are indebted to you for coming to our aid.” Though the queen was thanking me, my eyes were focused on another part of her body entirely. Her pointy ears. They were the same ears that Relisha had. 
The queen of Elfrau was, in fact, an elf. 
Aren’t Elves forest-dwellers...? I know I’m not huge on fantasy, but still... 
Oh, duh... The elf in Elfrau probably comes from elf. Although... Are there many elves around here? I guess it’s too soon to judge. 
“Shall we? I have tea prepared for you.” 
“Ah, right.” I followed after the elven queen into Elfrau Castle. 
Elfrau castle was pretty warm, which led me to believe they’d cast some kind of heating spell on the place. There weren’t any fireplaces in sight, after all. Nothing I could remotely identify as a heater in the big guest room I’d been led to. Either way, they clearly had some kind of magical climate control. It was nice, like air conditioning. 
I’d been to a few castles in my time. Belfast, Mismede, and Regulus to name a few, but they all paled in comparison to the beauty of Elfrau’s. It felt like a masterwork, as if not a single inch of the place was wasted. It’s as if it was designed to be luxurious and gaudy, but also intimate and delicate. 
In a sense, it felt more like the glow of silver than the shine of gold. 
I sat down on a nearby sofa with Leen, and a maid came into the room with some tea. The queen sat nearby. She also brought a small pot of jam and a little serving spoon for each of us. 
That definitely reminded me of what I’d heard about Russian tea. I read about it a while ago, apparently you’re supposed to enjoy the tea by taking a little spoonful of jam and then sipping the tea while it’s still in your mouth. I watched the queen’s movements, and she did just that. 
I didn’t quite know how to do it, but I gave it a shot. I took the sweet jam into my mouth, and then washed it down with the comparatively bitter tea. It was an interesting combination of flavors and wasn’t half bad at all. Leen also took her tea this way and judging from her expression she liked it. 
“Firstly, I would like to express my most esteemed gratitude for your slaughtering of the Snorra Wolf. Given the sudden circumstances, I truly appreciate your swift handling of the situation. Rest assured that you will be fairly compensated for your deed.” 
“Ah, thanks. It was nothing, really.” The queen looked like she was about to go into a full-on bow, so I quickly tried to dispel that kind of atmosphere. 
She seemed to notice, and she flashed me a smile. 
“It was little Relisha who told you, right?” 
“Hm? Are you familiar with her?” 
They are both elves, I guess... Wait, is that racist? Hmm, maybe I got contacted so quickly because the queen’s an elf... Hmm... Maybe. 
I kept on with my jam and tea as I pondered the intricacies of elf relations. 
“Well, I suppose you could say I am familiar with her. She’s my niece, the daughter of my little sister to be precise.” I almost spat the tea and jam out right there and then. 
Niece?! Relisha’s aunt is the queen of Elfrau?! The queen let out a soft chuckle; it seemed she’d caught on to my surprise. 
“Relisha is my niece, yes. But she’s not affiliated with this country. It’s somewhat amusing, and it’s a sensitive topic these days, but... Don’t you find it a little strange that I, an elf, am queen of a nation?” 
“Hm? Ah... W-Well, I suppose.” She had me figured out, I’d been wondering. 
“Elfrau was founded a little over a thousand-and-two-hundred years ago. The land was harsh and inhospitable, but we were given hope by a lone adventurer. He united with the Frau Clan, remnants of a ruined older nation, and founded Elfrau with his own hands.” 
“An adventurer? Who...?” 
“Heheh... His name was El Carterede. He was the first king of this nation, and my husband.” 
“What?!” 
Husband?! But that’s... She’s seriously that old...? That’s older than Leen. No, like twice as old...! Geez, lady. You only look like you’re in your twenties. 
“The name of this kingdom, Elfrau, comes from his name and the clan that followed him. After he died, there was only myself. I was an adventurer, and I knew what I needed to know about governance. The elder of the Frau Clan also supported me, so I took the mantle of queen. Since then, I have reigned over this nation. All to honor my husband’s legacy.” 
“What about succession...? Forgive me for being rude, but your children?” 
“We had none. There was many a time that I have lamented that fact... If we could’ve only had a child before he passed.” 
Well, I guess succession issues weren’t such a big deal for long-lived species like elves. It’s the same for Xenoahs, I guess... Though the overlord does have a tentative heir, so it’s a bit different. 
...What about my kingdom, though...? I turned to Leen, pondering the future of my nation. 
If I end up becoming a god properly, then I probably won’t die of old age... I might end up reigning forever... Frankly, it might be better if I pass on the mantle to my son and retire forever to Babylon or something. 
Though, I don’t know which one of my wives will give birth to a son... I guess if he, or his son, or his son’s son, does a bad job, I’ll descend from the sky and kick his butt. 
“It must be a harsh duty, reigning for so long.” 
“It isn’t as tough as you might expect. The Frau Clan are a gentle and peace-loving people. They speak their mind, but not in a cruel or impolite manner. Everyone here has a fairly open policy and a broad mind. We’re typically free of major disputes, and the land is so barren here that we’re not at risk of other nations coming to attack us. There might be little arguments here and there, but I’ve been queen long enough that solving them is a trivial matter. I also have a team of capable advisers.” She had been there since the founding of the nation, so it wouldn’t surprise me if she was somewhat of a necessary symbol for the country at this point. 
Elfrau was around the same size as Ramissh, but most of the land was uninhabitable. The uninhabitable land was the dominion of an Ice spirit, but it was through keen negotiation and proof of skill that the spirit allowed land to be granted to the people who would go on to found Elfrau. 
Apparently, the queen herself was the one who negotiated with the spirit. Leen informed me that Elves had an innate affinity for nature, and thus could appeal more to the supernatural. 
It seemed that if anything happened to the queen, then the contract would be broken and the kingdom would regress to a land of inhospitable ice and snow. A permanent frosted wasteland. 
Still, it was interesting to hear more about spirits. This was the third time I’d heard or seen about them, the first being the incarnation of darkness in Ramissh, and the second being the tree spirit back during the Pruning. 
I wanted to meet with this one sometime, too. 
“Ah, yes. About that Snorra Wolf... Would you mind selling its remains to us?” 
“To you?” 
“Yes. Snorra Wolf pelts are extremely high-quality, and they’re an uncommon item. If you could, we’d ask you to part with it in exchange for compensation. I think you’ll find our offer more than generous.” 
“Sure, no problem. I can imagine it’d be needed more here than elsewhere anyway.” I wondered if she actually just wanted a nice fur coat, but I didn’t think too hard about it. The Snorra Wolf’s meat was apparently tough and gross, so it was no big loss to me. 
“Thank you, then. If you could give us a little time to prepare your reward, I’d appreciate it. In the meantime, I believe you were promised a treasury grant.” 
“Ah, yes.” 
Oh, right... Part of the reward was to take an item from the royal treasury. 
The queen guided Leen and I down to the basement, and we finally came to the treasury. There were a lot of items arranged orderly on shelves and in fancy cabinets. There were items that could immediately be recognized as treasures, but other items that simply made you blink in confusion. 
I asked about various things, but there wasn’t really much that caught my eye. I was fairly sure that most of the stuff collecting dust in Babylon’s storehouse was more valuable than the things in here, after all. 
Leen seemed a lot more engrossed than I, she was asking about all kinds of things. 
She looked down at one particular item and beckoned me over. 
“Take a look at this.” 
“Hm...? What’s... Oh!” What Leen had shown me was some kind of ax. It was a little special, though. It was a heavy battleax with a red tint covering it entirely. 
But that wasn’t what had caught her eye about it. It was the writing inscribed on the handle. 
It was the exact same lettering I’d seen back in Belfast. It absolutely resembled the Arthema lettering, but was slightly different, just like the words in the ruins. There was no mistaking it, this ax must have had some relation. 
“Your Highness, what is this?” 
“Ah, this was a gift given to us by another clan when Elfrau was founded.” 
“What clan was that?” 
“If memory serves, they were the Arcana Clan. They referred to themselves as the Red Folk. In their culture, the color red was regarded as sacred.” 
The Red Folk... That must be it, then. This matches up perfectly with what I could piece together earlier. 
Leen prodded me with her elbow as if to tell me to connect the dots already. But I already did in my head! 
“[Reading]: Hidden Letters of Arcana.” I quietly invoked my linguistic spell. 
What does this say... Dusk... Judgment...? I don’t get it. 
There wasn’t much writing here, so I thought I’d be able to get it. But it seemed like this language was slightly different as well. That was kind of a problem. Arthema... then Arcana... Somewhere along the line, the tribe and their language must have slightly changed, and it might have changed again before they wrote the stuff in Belfast. 
“Does this weapon have a name?” 
“Ah yes, I believe this one is called the Twilight Condemner. It amplifies the strength of the wielder at least tenfold.” 
Twilight Condemner... So my reading wasn’t too far off, but it wasn’t fully accurate to the meaning. Damn, translation sure must be a difficult job. It looks like a handy ax, but I don’t really need it. 
“Do you know if any of the Arcana Clan’s descendants exist nowadays?” 
“I’m not sure... They were a nomadic tribe, you see. I wouldn’t be surprised if there were living remnants or descendants of the tribe, if they successfully found a good place to settle.” Apparently, the queen hadn’t met the Arcana representatives in person, it was only her husband who had. I tried asking about Belfast, but she had no knowledge of the country’s state a thousand years ago, either. Elfrau was pretty far from Belfast and Regulus, after all. 
Hmph... Well, even if this isn’t a perfect lead, I should count myself lucky to have this much info on the Red Folk already. 
“Would you perhaps like the ax?” 
“Ah, no... I was just curious about its origins... Hey, what’s this thing?” I pointed toward a nearby pendant. It was a small oval, around three centimeters in diameter. It resembled a pearl more than a diamond or gem. 
“Ah, this is an artifact known as the Lifeblesser. If a woman wears it during intercourse with her partner, then it massively increases the likelihood of her conceiving a child. For some reason, no matter how I wore it when my husband was... with me, it never bore any fruit. We did lend it to our household retainers, and they easily produced heirs, however... It’s possible there are certain criteria you need for it to take effect.” 
Hm... Sounds like the guy might’ve been shooting blanks or something... Obviously, I didn’t say that out loud. 
Still, this is kind of a perfect item in a way, isn’t it? If a couple wants a kid but hasn’t been able to have one, this would really save them. Then again, it’s not like it guarantees pregnancy, just makes it more likely. I feel like if this kind of thing was sold on the market, people would look at it suspiciously. Well, it’s clearly an artifact since it’s full of magic power at least, but I can’t tell its effectiveness at a glance. 
“You know, Grand Duke... You do have many fiancees, don’t you? Perhaps you ought to think about producing an heir soon enough.” The queen offered me some advice, probably from her personal experience. 
One of those fiancees is right next to me, you know... Leen sort of leaned in a bit, desperately trying to act calm, collected and indifferent. She was clearly interested. 
Hmm... Don’t tell me that the reason I have a bunch of kids in the future is because of this thing... Well, no... I’ll have nine wives, so if you think about it like that then at least nine kids is kind of a given. 
I glared down at the pendant in front of me. I didn’t really want my kids not to be born, and I was comfortable with having a child with each of the women in my life. 
“Would you like it, then?” 
Hmmm...... 
 
“And that’s how I got this thing, Duke Ortlinde.” 
“Ohoho!” I was at the Ortlinde estate, sliding the Lifeblesser across the table toward the good duke. 
In the end, I chose the pendant, said my goodbyes to Elfrau, split with Leen, and headed straight for his estate. 
Leen went back to the castle, and I was fairly certain all my wives-to-be would know about the Lifeblesser before the day was up. 
Well, I had no plans on using it yet at any rate. 
“So you want to give this to me, lad?” 
“Tentatively, yes. The queen gave me it, so it’s mine to do with as I see fit. Before I even think about using it, I’d like you and your wife to test it out.” 
“Ahaha... Then we’re your experimental subjects, hm?” He wasn’t exactly wrong, honestly. Though apparently, it had worked for dozens of people in the past without any negative effects, I was still curious to see it with my own eyes. 
When Sue joined Brunhild as my bride-to-be, Ortlinde was left with no heirs. In a way, I felt like I owed him, so I thought I’d help him make another one. 
“You have those uh... vigor pills I gave you the other day, right?” 
“Ohoho, yes I do. I gave a few out to some gentlemen I know, and they were quite shocked by the results.” 
Well duh, anyone would be. They could make even the most wrinkly old fogy sexually active and virile again. And it’s even worse if you give it to a young guy, since apparently they can go to town on a girl for three days and three nights non-stop with them. 
“Would you perhaps be interested in selling those pills to the general public?” 
“Not right now, no.” I didn’t really want Brunhild being associated with big dick energy. We were just a fledgling nation, so it’d be bad for our image. I didn’t want people calling me Pervy Duke, either. 
“Anyway, I’m lending this to you for now. It’ll work if your wife wears it during the, uh... act. There shouldn’t be any weird side-effects either, so I’ll let you have it for a year and see what happens.” 
“Is it fine for us to borrow one of Brunhild’s national treasures? If it’s just testing, then we needn’t keep it for the whole year, right?” 
“Mm... Honestly, I still have my personal doubts about its effectiveness, so I wanna see. It’s not really a proper treasure of Brunhild, either. We haven’t used it. I’ll register it as a national treasure once Sue’s little brother or sister gets born, right? Plus, it’ll help out the Ortlinde household, so it’s the least I can do.” To be honest, it would be impossible to prove whether or not any pregnancy was caused by the item. I had my reservations about it, or maybe I just wanted it to be fake... Hmph. 
It’s gonna be a serious hassle proving whether or not this thing actually works. Is it even worth it? I sighed slightly, mulling over such thoughts as I looked over at the smiling duke. 
 
I headed back to the castle, only to be greeted by Kougyoku flapping her wings around the corner. I extended my left arm and let her perch there. She was in her small parrot-like form, so the weight wasn’t that bad. 
“A message has come from one of my subordinates I sent to the island. But there’s something you need to know...” 
“Hm? What is it?” 
“Well, to be blunt. The island is swarming with Behemoths.” 
“I’m sorry, what?!” 
Behemoths? S-Swarming? What? I expected some evolutionary differences, but an island full of giant beasts is a little much... 
“Are there any people there?” 
“Yes. There are several locations on the island with erected barriers not even the Behemoths can breach. Within these barriers are towns with living people inside. There are four in total, one in each cardinal direction. In the center of the island, there’s a large structure that resembles a temple, connecting them all.” 
Whoa, there are really people there? I bet the Sage of Hours is behind this, given that it must have taken serious magic to put up barriers like that. 
“What does the barrier do? Negate magic?” 
“Not quite. It disperses magic. And there’s an effect applied to the sea that causes vehicles and people to lose their routes.” 
I see... So the barrier cuts off magic at the source, interferes with artifacts, and even leads ships astray? Guess that explains why stuff would crash or lose their way in the area. 
It meant that [Gate] was probably possible for me, since having my magic disrupted a little wasn’t too big of a problem for my deep reserves. 
I had a better understanding of the mysterious island thanks to that intel. I was amazed people were living there, but now I had to figure out what to actually do. 
Kougyoku said it was swarming with Behemoths, so it was totally this world’s Galapagos. 
I was super interested, as the mystery of the place wasn’t lost on me. But on the other hand, I was conflicted about actually interfering with them. 
They might not have known anything about the outside world, after all. I didn’t want to create an incident by intruding on their territory. 
“Hm... What to do.” If I were a tyrant, I’d simply invade it under the banner of expanding my territory. Or I could go in with attempts to open up trade, like Commodore Perry and his black ships. 
Come to think of it, 1853 was the year that all went down, right? There was a mnemonic way to remember it, but I can’t quite recall... 
Even if I go in there and tell them I’m a ruler from a foreign land, they might not entertain me. If I don’t handle the situation right, they might even try to kill me. Unless I leave an impact that has them thinking I’m someone amazing or someone worth talking to, they probably won’t give me the time of day. 
There was always the option of going in with about a hundred Frame Gears... 
But I wasn’t so fond of that, since I’d just be doing what Commodore Perry did. I didn’t want to threaten them, but I almost felt like I might not have a choice. 
Then, there was the matter of whether or not it was right for me to take this action alone. From a trade perspective, Hannock, Elfrau, and Palouf probably wouldn’t be interested in trading with them. Xenoahs was a no, as well. 
Honestly, I wasn’t even sure if there’d be merit in opening up trade with them to begin with. Well... ultimately, I decided it was too soon to tell. 
“Nothing we can do right now. Just keep up the scouting through your subordinates for the time being. Collect info on their culture, and what kind of society they have. Remember to be safe, though.” 
“As you wish.” 
It would be nice if the Sage of Hours left behind something of magical importance... 
He could’ve left a secret behind on that island. 
I still didn’t know what to do with the island, but if there was any possibility of something like that, then I’d have to confront them someday. Even if there was nothing there, I’d have to investigate. 
When it came to saving the world, there was no such thing as a wasted venture. 
I affirmed my resolve there and walked down the hall.