Chapter III: The Gathering Gods
“Alright, this is the newest product.”
“Ohoho... Just what is this thing...? There’s something inside?”
I was talking to Olba Strand in his company’s Brunhild branch building.
The upper part of the device I was showcasing was clear, filled with goods. Below there was a slot for money and a handle you could rotate. Below that, there was a hole where something could come out.
In short, I had invented the capsule toy dispenser. Though the capsules inside weren’t exactly spherical.
“I guess you could call it an automated lottery machine. How about you give it a try?” Olba put a small bronze coin into the gap and turned the handle. A small noise came from the machine as it moved around. In response, the machine released a small, cylindrical capsule through the prize hole.
“What’s this?”
“Open it up and see.” Olba unraveled the string tied around the leather-wrapped capsule, and out popped a miniature Frame Gear. The figurine he’d gotten was a tiny Chevalier. I’d crafted it from a rubber-like substance created by breaking down animal horns. I made sure to include all the details of the real thing.
“Oho! This is certainly well-made... But can’t we just sell these the regular way? Why the machine?”
“The little capsules don’t just have Chevaliers inside, it’s down to random chance which one you get. Here’s the full list.” Olba looked over the list I’d written, and he went wide-eyed upon realizing just how many varieties there were. He still didn’t seem to quite understand, though.
“Ah, well... I’m still a little confused about the little boxes... Can’t we just sell the items in stores? Why the extra fanfare?”
“Well, let’s say you want a Knight Baron figurine, right? You’d be able to just buy it from a store for one bronze penny if we sold it regularly. But if we put it in one of these machines, then...”
“Oh! Ohhh! I see now! You aren’t likely to get it in one try! You’d need to keep on trying until you get the ones you want! Maximum profit potential, you’re a genius!” In short, we were playing on the impulses of the masses. It was still cheap enough not to ruin anyone, and it’d ensure we saw a steady stream of cash. What’s more, we’d encourage people to trade in ten of them for a copper coin. That’d allow us to refill the machines more regularly.
I took out another of the capsule dispensers from [Storage].
“This one has higher quality goods than the older one. One try costs one copper. It costs ten times more than the previous machine. But the prizes in this one are made out of metal.” It was like comparing a child’s machine with an adult’s machine. Though it wasn’t like it’d be an issue if a child used the copper one, or if an adult used the bronze one.
Olba turned the handle on the more expensive one. The prize he got this time was a Blue Moon Frame Gear, the Blue Knight. That was the specially modified Knight Baron that Vice-Commander Norn used.
This one was slightly bigger than the rubber one, and despite its weight, it would look good as a decorative or collector’s piece.
The full list of potential prizes was:
Gerhilde (Elze’s Frame Gear)
Schwertleite (Yae’s Frame Gear)
Siegrune (Hilde’s Frame Gear)
Ortlinde (Sue’s Frame Gear)
Helmwige (Linze’s Frame Gear)
Grimgerde (Leen’s Frame Gear)
The Shining Count (Commander’s Frame Gear)
The Knight Baron (Vice-Commander’s Frame Gear)
The Blue Moon (Vice-Commander’s Frame Gear)
The Chevalier (Standard Frame Gear)
Dragoon (Ende’s Frame Gear)
Various Miniature Weapons
On top of that, there were prizes that weren’t based on Frame Gears, too.
Black Dragon
Wyvern
Snorra Wolf
Mithril Golem
Scorpinas
Demon Lord
Bloody Crab
Wood Golem
King Ape
Various Tiny Magical Beasts
So we had a monster collection and a mecha collection.
I added in the monster collection because I wanted there to be some decent variety to start with. I didn’t want people being like “Aw man, it’s just a Chevalier again...”
Either way, there was still a chance that someone out there might constantly get Chevaliers... That was simply a matter of chance.
For the third time, I took a capsule machine out of my [Storage]. It was the real deal, this time. The main piece. Bigger than the last two, and much fancier.
“This one doesn’t require money to turn the handle. I was thinking that when someone spends enough money in your store, they get one turn of this as a freebie. The items inside this one are a far higher quality than the last two; they’re crafted out of dragon bone. They’re also properly colored and their limbs are fully articulated.” They were action figures, fully articulated to the point where certain models, like Linze’s Frame Gear, could even do a full transformation sequence.
“Spends enough money... Like one silver coin?”
“Mm, well I’m not sure honestly. You’re the financial expert here, so I’ll leave determining that to you.” A silver coin was around ten-thousand yen, so I wasn’t entirely sure. But at the end of the day, it was a free gift, so it was his choice.
Making them wasn’t all that difficult, either. The articulated ones would take a little more effort, but Olba had a dedicated dwarven craftsman working for his company, so I was sure it’d be fine.
We installed the bronze penny machine inside Olba’s store, if we installed it outside there was always the risk of theft, after all. A group of kids immediately came over to see what it was all about, and they began turning the handle.
Oh, a Dragoon. That’s pretty rare.
“This is interesting indeed... If we alternate the contents, I’m sure we’ll save on cost...” Olba muttered to himself as he watched people turn the handle. He was probably making a bunch of business choices internally already.
I passed on the various molds for the figures to Olba, then left the store. I was confident he could handle the rest.
I walked down the main street when some commotion up ahead suddenly caught my attention. There was a small crowd gathered, so I peered through the gaps and saw someone making an arrest.
“Pin him! He’s under arrest!” Four of our knights were restraining two rowdy men. They were quickly bound with rope, and then three of the knights carted them off.
“Sorry for the trouble, everyone. It’s quite alright now!” The last knight stayed behind to calm down the panicking people. I recognized him.
“Yo! Good job just now.”
“Hm? Ah... Y-Your Highness!” The blond-haired knight immediately attempted to genuflect. It was Lanz Tempest. He was one of our newer recruits who came from Lestia.
“Hey now, don’t worry about that. You can stand. It’s a little troublesome if you decide to do that every time you see me, so please don’t worry.”
“V-Very well...” He sounded a little confused, but he stood up. His behavior made sense, he was from a kingdom of chivalry, after all.
“So, what happened?”
“Ah, well. A waitress in a nearby restaurant was being harassed. Her son ran over to inform us, and we immediately apprehended the perpetrators.”
I see... So they were getting a little handsy with a waitress, huh. That’s despicable. I’ll make sure they pay for their crimes.
Once I saw they were restraining criminals with rope, I was a little puzzled. It looked like something out of a historical drama. I was sure there had to be something more convenient than that in this world... Did they have no shackles or iron clasps?
“Tsk... Guess I’ll have to make some.”
“Hm?” I reached into [Storage] and produced a steel ingot, which I promptly transformed into a pair of handcuffs.
Oh right, gotta make the keys too... It took a few minutes, but I created a fine set of cuffs.
“Your Highness, what is this?”
“Handcuffs! They’re light and easier to carry around than ropes or shackles. Here, give me your hands.” He stuck out his arms and I clasped the cuffs on to his wrists.
“I-Incredible... They’re surprisingly tough, too...” Lanz tried to resist the cuffs, but they refused to budge. I used the key on them and they easily snapped open.
“You can keep them. Use these instead of tying people up, alright? I figure we’ll make this standard for the patrol. You won’t be able to unlock them without the key, though... Hold on, I’ll make a spare.”
“V-Very well!”
Man, you’re so wooden... If I recalled correctly, Logan was in charge of the patrol. I made a mental note to go check the details over with him later.
“So, how’s life in Brunhild?”
“Quite fine, sir. Everything I see here is so lively and interesting. It’s a truly wonderful, kind country.” I was happy Lanz felt that way. It made me happy to know that people from afar thought so highly of Brunhild.
“Oh? It’s you, Touya? Hm, Lanz as well?” I suddenly heard the voice of Micah, proprietor of the Brunhild branch of the Silver Moon Inn. She was carrying a lot of stuff with her. She must’ve been out shopping.
“It’s been a while since you dropped by the inn. How’re you doing? Staying healthy, I hope.”
“I’m doing well, thanks. I’m keeping healthy, promise.” I smiled towards Micah; she hadn’t changed a bit. It reminded me that I hadn’t had lunch in the Silver Moon in a long time.
“M-Miss Micah... Wh-Why are you speaking so casually to our leader...?!”
“Ahaha, don’t worry about her. She’s an old friend of mine. I’ve known her longer than any of my fiancees, even. She’s fine.” Lanz looked like he was about to fly into a panic. She was basically the first friend I made in this world, other than Fashion King Zanac. I only met her a few hours after him.
“So you know Lanz, do you?”
“Sure do! He’s been visiting a lot lately, you know? He’s a repeat customer!”
“A-Ah, uhm... that... That’s only because your cooking is so lovely, Miss Micah! I-It’s just that the flavor is like no other, it reminds me of home, almost!” Lanz suddenly stood rigid and began stammering. His face was beet red, too...
Hmm... I wonder what that’s all about...
“She’s got you under her spell, has she, Lanz?”
“Wh-?! Y-Your Highness, I... Wh-What?!”
“...The spell of her cooking, of course. Did you think I meant something else?”
“Ngh... N-No! Not at all, sir!”
Ahahaha... This guy’s head over heels... Micah simply tilted her head, unable to read the atmosphere.
“Micah, those bags look heavy... You should help her back to the Silver Moon with them, Lanz.”
“Oh, yes! That’d be a big help.”
“V-Very well! I’ll do my best!” Lanz, still red in the face, took Micah’s bags and began walking to the inn. I waved the two of them off.
Micah was around twenty years old, while Lanz was twenty-two. They certainly seemed to be in a good enough age bracket, but... Micah’s father was a muscular, bearded giant. He’d need a lot of luck to face that mountain of a man.
“Their relationship’s becoming pretty interesting, y’know?”
“Whuh?! Where’d you come from?!” Karen was suddenly by my side. I hadn’t sensed her presence at all. Just where the hell did she come from.
“Ufufufu... In the presence of budding affection, you’ll find me! In the presence of blossoming love, you’ll find me! It is I, god of love, Mochizuki Karen, y’know?!” She struck an elaborate pose and made a peace sign, but I just stared at her flatly.
“...I was just keeping an eye.”
“Sure you were...!”
Man, you’ll get in trouble one of these days. Still, her reputation as the love goddess was spreading, she gave out a lot of advice to people, and those people often ended up getting together.
Still, there were those who broke up after getting together, and she would often persuade those with hopeless affections to give up on the people they cared about. Karen said that giving up on unhealthy things was also a valid part of love, and she encouraged it.
“Don’t meddle too much, alright?”
“You shouldn’t be rude, y’know? I don’t interfere with anyone’s love life unless they ask me directly! Love is a natural feeling in the end, y’know? You can’t hurry love.” She sounded pretty reasonable, but I still had my doubts. After all, she wasn’t the kind of person who held back often.
“So, what brings you here? Did you get them together?”
“Mm... Oh, that’s right! There was something bothering me a little, y’know? I can sense some divinity in the south-east!”
“Wait, what?!”
Is it the servile god again? I can’t sense any right now, but Karen and Moroha are much, much better at it, I guess...
“Is it the servile god or something...?”
“Nope! Smells different, y’know? Definitely belongs to a lesser god like me and Moroha. I didn’t think that was possible, though...”
Wait, what? I had a bad feeling in my gut...
“Yep, looks like a third one’s come down to join us, y’know?”
Wait, what?! Gimme a break! I sighed quietly and pinched the bridge of my nose. Just what kind of god could’ve landed?
“So, where are we looking?”
“Around here, you know? I didn’t get a solid read because the divinity vanished in a matter of moments.” Once we got back to the castle I opened up a map and asked Karen to pinpoint where she felt the spike of divinity. She pointed at an area to the southeast, past Ramissh and near the Kingdom of Ryle. It was just a bit into the Sea of Trees.
The region she guessed at was pretty big... I honestly had my doubts we’d be able to find the god. Moroha was in the Sea of Trees when we met her, too. That led me to believe that there must’ve been some kind of landmark or special aspect of the area that made it more convenient for gods to descend.
“So, let me get this straight... This person, or, uh, god, I guess... can freely use their powers?”
“In a sense, yes and no. We’re not allowed to interfere with the lower realms using our godly powers, but we can use those powers to make ourselves appear more human, you know? Interfering down here is fine so long as we don’t use any divinity in the process, too. Loopholes are pretty handy, y’know?” Guess that makes sense... Kinda. Neither of my sisters have been able to use their divinity except for dealing with that servile god, after all... Even if Moroha’s super-powerful, I guess she just counts as apex human instead of god... Though I can’t help but suspect she must be cheating a little.
“Even in your case, Touya. You probably shouldn’t use your true divinity too much, you know?”
I was at a loss. I couldn’t tell where the other god was, so there was nothing to be done for it.
Well whatever, I guess it’s fine. Still, I kind of hope no other gods show up. Karen’s bad enough as it i— My thoughts were cut off by my intense pain.
“You were thinking of something impolite just now, right?!”
“Ow, ow! I’m sorry! Let go!” Karen was squeezing my cheeks. That chick had a supernatural talent for knowing what I was thinking! Though, she was supernatural herself...
“And just what’s all this commotion...?”
“Ah! Moroha!” The other sister appeared as if from nowhere, to save me from my suffering. It kind of made sense that she’d be here too, she probably sensed the divinity like Karen did.
“You felt it too, huh?”
“Sure did, you know? We were thinking about whether or not we should go meet the new visitor.”
“Hmm... I wouldn’t mind giving them a little visit myself. Mostly I just wanna know who up and rolled down here. It won’t be a big deal unless it’s the god of apocalypses or something.”
What?! If it’s that guy then send him back right away!
“People can only come down here if they have the permission from the World God, so I doubt it’s anyone hostile. Could be the god of the forge, the god of agriculture, or the god of commerce.”
“Aww... Forge and agriculture are fine, but... I’d rather not have it be commerce, you know?”
“You two really don’t get along, huh?” I listened to the two talk and learned that certain gods just had bad affinities with each other.
“I’d personally be pretty pleased if it was the god of katanas, god of spears, or god of war. Touya over here hasn’t been giving me much fun lately.”
Oh, gimme a break. Training with you even wears me out, sheesh... Hell, last time I sparred with you I had to rest up for a full day! Of course I ain’t gonna play around with you if you come at me with killing intent, you lunatic! Not to mention the fact that I haven’t won a single match against you. Fifty-two losses! Can you blame me? I knew nothing of the god of spears or the god of katanas, but I had the sinking feeling they’d be similar to Moroha. Though... If it was one of them that came down and they agreed to be Moroha’s sparring partner, that would actually be a major relief.
“Well, that aside... Let’s go look around. There’ll probably be a reaction or something if I let loose some of my divinity in the area.”
“Gotcha. They’ll know about you as well, Touya. So I don’t think there’ll be an issue meeting up, you know?” I opened up a [Gate] to the Kingdom of Ryle’s border. More specifically, it was the large expanse where I had fought the Scorpinas Behemoth. After that, we walked toward the Sea of Trees.
“Hm... Can’t you two fly?”
“I mean, we could, but we shouldn’t really be using our divinity.” Moroha had a point. Still, going through the Sea of Trees was a problem, so I decided to finally use something interesting I’d found in the storehouse.
I opened up [Storage] to reveal the matter of interest. I spread it on to the ground. It was a little bit big, more than wide enough for the three of us to sit on.
“What’s this?”
“It’s a magic carpet, apparently. Let’s sit down and see how it goes.” I told my two confused sisters to sit down on it, and they obliged. Then, I sat down in front of them. In almost an instant, the carpet began floating a full meter into the air.
“Alright, let’s go.” The carpet slowly began to move forward. There was a barrier that automatically deployed around it in order to prevent wind resistance or accidental falling. It was a pretty handy feature. I also applied [Invisible] so nobody saw me gallivanting around like I just leaped out of a Disney movie.
“Oh gosh... This is really nice, you know?”
“The only issue is that it takes a ton of magical power to operate, so it’s useless for most people.” The two of them gradually got used to it, so I took the speed up a notch. I didn’t get to do any cool loops or acrobatic tricks, though.
Eventually, we arrived above the Sea of Trees. I stopped the carpet, and we hovered in the air looking down at it.
“I’ll release some of my divinity, then.” I triggered my Apotheosis very, very carefully, and almost immediately afterward a flash of divinity came from the forest in response. It seemed like they had sensed mine, then flashed theirs back as a signal.
“Hngh?!”
“Hmph?!” Karen and Moroha briefly had goofy expressions on their faces, like they’d been electrocuted for a few seconds.
“Something wrong?”
“Ah, well... That divinity we felt just now...”
“It came from multiple sources, you know?”
Multiple sources?! What the hell is that supposed to mean...? There are multiple literal gods over there? What are they doing, having a goddamn party?!
“What does this mean?”
“I don’t know... But there’s only one way to find out, you know? Let’s go, Touya!” I didn’t know what to say, so I had to go and see in order to believe. I made the magic carpet head toward the source.
Gradually, I could make out someone in a small forest clearing. Not just someone, but several someones.
As we got closer, we could hear some lovely music. On top of that, there was the sound of laughter and a delicious smell.
“...What the...?”
“Goodness...”
“That’s amazing, you know...?”
They were actually doing it. They were actually having a goddamn party.
A young man was playing the mandolin as a little red-faced girl sat chugging booze. If that wasn’t odd enough, there was a middle-aged man nearby shoveling berries and nuts into his mouth while a young woman merrily grilled meat nearby.
What the hell is this? I jumped off the carpet as it landed before turning to Karen.
“It’s the god of music, the god of alcohol, the god of the hunt, and the god of agriculture, you know?”
What the hell?! There’s four of them?! I stared on in abject confusion as the little girl noticed us and waved us over.
“Heee~! It’s the blade goddess and the love goddess, hic! Come and have a drink, hic!” She was a little girl with long, blue hair, and looked to be about seven years old. She was clearly younger than Sue as far as appearances went, too. Though, oddest of all, she was clumsily waving a bottle of booze around.
What the hell, this kid is the god of alcohol?! The one playing the mandolin was clearly the god of music. He looked to be in his twenties, he seemed like a pretty-boy as well. He smiled gently in my direction, his blond hair swaying in the breeze, but he didn’t stop playing for a single second.
I can smell it on your breath! You’re acting like a total drunkard. Plus, you’re breathing really heavily too...
I turned to Moroha for help but she was already unconscious.
How the hell is the god of swords such a lightweight?! I figured it was better than her suddenly brandishing knives and forks after getting drunk, but I was kind of relying on her to save my ass.
The god of alcohol kept on chugging, the god of the hunt kept on laughing, the god of agriculture kept on eating, and the god of music kept on strumming. I had nobody to help me.
Good lord... Are these lunatics really our gods?
We decided that the new arrivals would take on the roles of my uncle and his kids. I didn’t want to add any more siblings, after all.
I definitely didn’t want the god of agriculture, who looked about forty, to be my brother anyway. Making him my dad would be troublesome from a political perspective.
Either way, he became my uncle, and the other three became my cousins.
My uncle was Mochizuki Kousuke. (God of Agriculture).
His eldest son was Mochizuki Sousuke. (God of Music).
His eldest daughter was Mochizuki Karina. (God of the Hunt).
And last but not least, the youngest daughter was Mochizuki Suika. (God of Alcohol).
Only the god of alcohol looked younger than me, so it gave me an excuse not to be as formal with her.
When I introduced them to the others, everyone was less surprised by my new relatives and more surprised by the fact that Suika was absolutely blackout drunk. I quickly improvised an excuse on the spot, claiming that if she didn’t drink a shitton of booze, then she’d suffer debilitating spasms due to her mysterious illness. I was pretty sure they bought it.
According to Leen, dwarven children started drinking around the age Suika resembled. So, though I couldn’t write her off as a dwarf, I just so conveniently happened to remember that her mother was, in fact, a dwarf. What a weird coincidence.
“Hm... More of your family, then?”
“Yeah, sorry... It just kind of happened.” I was walking east toward the farmland with Yumina when she suddenly spoke up.
She and the others knew I came from another world, which meant they also knew my sisters weren’t blood-related. And so, it went without saying that they understood my relation to my uncle and cousins was also not a blood-related arrangement, either. I couldn’t exactly tell them the truth, though.
“So then... these new relatives are the same as your sisters, yes...?”
“Ah... Well... I mean, skill-wise, sure. They all have individual talents, but not all of them are combat-related. Karina is a serious huntress though, she’s almost unmatched with a bow.” That was to be expected of the god of the hunt, though. She’d never let her prey escape. She also seemed to be talented with machetes, guns, axes, and snare traps. I briefly wondered if that actually made her better than Moroha, but it likely didn’t. Moroha was specialized in sword combat, while Karina was simply more versatile.
The four of them quickly got used to life in Brunhild and began to work in their own ways. That was why I was heading over to the farmland. I wanted to see how they were getting on.
“Oh... I-Isn’t that your uncle now?” Yumina pointed toward a man in the distance, and she was right. He was tilling a field with his hoe. Uncle Kousuke was wiping his brow, the straw hat on his head protecting him from the sun. He looked like he’d worked up quite a sweat, though. His farm clothes were all sweaty. The guy certainly suited the look. But that really went without saying, he was the god of agriculture after all.
“Mornin’ Touya, Yumina. How’re you two holdin’ up?” He greeted us with a little smile. The man really came off as... unremarkably plain.
“You’re tilling the field all by yourself? You know you can hire people for that, right...?”
“Ain’t how I do it, lad. If a man ain’t willin’ to till the soil... then he ain’t worthy’ve tastin’ nature’s bounty... Well, iffin’ I’m bein’ honest that’s a mighty hardline approach ta take... Really, it’s just what I wanna do, aye? I’m happy that we kin reclaim some’ve the wildlands an’ set down the seeds fer harvest.” If he used his divine powers he’d probably be able to get all this done at once, but there wouldn’t be any love or fun in that. Also, he wasn’t allowed, which was a good point too.
Still, he was definitely living up to his title. I could see he was making the most of his specialized knowledge. He started scattering some stuff along the fields, and I asked him what it was. Apparently, it was bone meal made from the ground bones of magical beasts. He said that the magical qualities of the creatures’ bodies did uh... something to promote... something or other. I didn’t quite get it. Lakshy the Alraune, on the other hand, seemed to take great attention to this detail.
He wasn’t just willing to till or sow, either. He also said he’d tend to the rice paddies. He was such a plain and simple man it was almost hard to imagine he was actually a member of the divine pantheon.
We returned from the farmlands only to notice an unusual sound coming from the central plaza in town.
“Is something going on...?” As we got closer, we determined the sound to be music. I had an inkling as to who it was.
I pushed through the crowd and saw the face of the god of music, my cousin Sousuke. He was skillfully playing a guitar in front of a water fountain.
The guitar was one of the instruments I’d made on Sakura’s request. He must have taken it and brought it out here to play. I first made a piano, but quickly moved on to flutes, trumpets, castanets, and all kinds of other things. I kind of went a little overboard and might have quietly challenged myself to make every instrument imaginable. I didn’t know how to play them though, so they ended up piling up and going unused. I left them in the knight order barracks since a couple of the recruits ended up having more than a passing interest.
Sousuke’s performance ended, punctuated by a rapturous applause. Some of the people were even moved to the point of tears. I was surprised his performance was that amazing...
“What a wonderful display...!”
“Yeah, I don’t think there’s anyone that can outdo him...” We left Sousuke as he started up his encore, and walked through the streets past the guild. I happened to turn my head and look towards the bar, only to see...
“What the...?” There were a bunch of guys at the entrance to the bar, all steaming drunk.
They were all on the floor too, so I stepped over them and checked inside. Just as I expected, Suika was there chugging booze like no tomorrow.
There was a man sitting opposite her, clutching his glass. He was wasted.
“Oh, Big Brooo! Wanna have a dwinking contest? When I win, set the money down there, gahahaha!”
“...Why would I do that?” Suika was merrily swaying her glass around, but I was just plain annoyed.
The other patrons were either unconscious or unsteadily heading for the door. They must’ve all tried to challenge Suika, only to be drunk under the table in no time. I wondered just how long this had been going on for.
“You’re laaate, so we’re gonna start you with three cupsh, hic...”
“I’m not here to drink, get it? Enough of this.”
“Aww...”
I took Suika’s drink out of her hand. She was absolutely the worst out of the four who had arrived. After that, I took her with me and apologized to the barkeep. He actually seemed fine, though. Apparently, he’d made a tidy profit from all the drinking that had gone on.
“Geez... Please don’t drink this much.”
“It’s beehn awhile since, hic, sincesh I had a drink, you dummy! Lemme jush cut loose a little... How about Yoomina and I get close over shome whishkey, hic!”
“I-I’m quite fine, thank you...” Yumina smiled very politely and gave a dismissive handwave.
I wondered what the bar was thinking by letting someone so little drink so much, or even at all, but apparently, she had just flashed the royal name of Mochizuki and no questions were asked.
Seemed they weren’t sure whether or not to believe her, so they had to call some knights over to verify the situation. I made a mental note to apologize to those guys later on...
“Oh, Touya and the others, huh?” Karina walked out of the guild as we walked out of the neighboring tavern.
She registered with the guild pretty quickly and immediately set to work doing hunting-based quests. She didn’t see the need to delve into dungeons or seek out treasure. For her, the thrill was in the hunt... and in eating the products of said hunts.
It seemed like she’d just got done hunting, as well. There was a very large bird in her hands.
“Caught you guys at a good time. This is dinner for tonight, tasty stuff. Give it over to Crea for me, wouldja?”
“Roger.”
Karina kept bringing in all kinds of wild game recently, so our diet was gradually growing a little more varied. I opened up [Storage] and stashed the bird in there.
“If I’m honest, I wanna hunt bigger beasties than these. There’s nothing so spooky in Brunhild though, so you better take me out into the world later!”
“Sure, why not. I’ll do a little investigating into Mismede’s hunting grounds for you.” Brunhild didn’t have much in the way of large monsters, but I was certain that Mismede would have them in abundance. The Sea of Trees was also filled with stuff that’d make any big game hunter squeal with glee.
It seemed like the four Gods had settled into Brunhild perfectly... Man, I’m really happy they’re all helping in their own ways. Except for Suika. Suika is the worst.
“Hmph, hic! You thinking of something ruuude, Big Bro?!”
...Damn. She can read my thoughts as well as Karen. I guess I really can’t treat these guys lightly...
“So... what did you learn about the island?”
“A few bits and pieces. Culturally, they’re not too far from us. But there aren’t many people there, and they don’t have much in the way of living space. I’m gonna go out on a limb and say that’s due to all the Behemoths, though. They can’t really do anything to expand beyond their protective barrier, but they do have a couple of unshielded outposts.”
I answered Leen’s question as I munched down some ramen that Crea had prepared. I’d looked up the recipe online and she replicated it perfectly. I was glad. The soup was a little bit watery, but it tasted damn great. She even managed to replicate the narutomaki, so I felt blessed.
I should make her do gyoza next time... Probably won’t taste quite the same as the stuff you can get in convenience stores, though.
Leen and myself aside, I shared this room with Elze, Linze, and Yae. Yumina was spending time with her little brother Yamato, Hilde was off in Lestia seeing her older brother, and Sue was at home with her parents.
Lu was learning how to cook almond-based treats with Crea, and Sakura was helping out Fiana with school-related activities.
“So the barrier’s still intact... Since people are living there and surviving...” Linze muttered as she ate her ramen, taking a moment to blow on it. She wasn’t very good at using chopsticks, so she used a fork instead.
“The barrier itself is covering the exterior island, the four main cities in each cardinal direction, and the temple in the middle. I’m going to assume that the temple is probably the source, and probably something the Sage of Hours left behind.”
That would make it an artifact. It would also mean they couldn’t change the areas that were being protected. Their safe zones were inherently limited, which meant they couldn’t expand. In other words, the people would be attacked by Behemoths as soon as they wandered from the safe zone. Still, the Behemoths were too big to get much out of eating people...
It was more likely that they’d be focused on hunting each other, or magical beasts. Though, if people decided to build outside the barriers, then the Behemoths would trash anything built out there. They couldn’t get much more than an outpost created, for fear of destruction.
“Can’t they kill the Behemoths? They’ll win if it’s a life-or-death situation, right? There are enough of them.”
“I’m not so sure about that. They do have enormous catapults that they use to ward off any that come too close, but they’re playing it safe and fighting defensive for the most part.” Besides, if they hadn’t been playing it safe, I doubt they’d have lasted all these years. I wondered if they’d figured out their own ways to deal with Behemoths due to the isolation. Either that or they were counting on the barrier to save them.
“It is only humans on that island, is it not?” Yae spoke up as she skillfully slurped her ramen. Soba and udon existed on Eashen, so her proficiency didn’t catch me off-guard. She was already on to her third bowl, too.
She didn’t gain weight at all, despite the fact that she kept shoveling away food. Then again, she worked out a lot, so it wasn’t like she had some innate fat-blocking talent. It was a simple case of calories in vs calories burned.
“Actually, no. There are mostly humans there, but there are a few beastmen and demonkin mixed in there as well. There isn’t any discrimination in their society, either. They all live equally.” I felt like our society could learn a lot from that approach. That being said, the prejudice might have just been put by the wayside in favor of survival. They needed to work together in order to stay alive in such a hostile land.
“There aren’t that many people living there though, even with the limited territory, but that’s probably because they can’t fish or do proper agriculture.”
Even if they managed to fend off monsters to claim farmland, a Behemoth could just walk in and trash it the moment anything was ready to harvest. Having such hard work go to waste would make it hard to consider even attempting in the first place... It’d be too demoralizing to even try.
It’d be wiser to build their farms inside the barrier. Have something like the houses built around the perimeter of the barrier, and the crops on the inner area.
If something attacked, the houses might be trashed, sure... but the food would be okay. It’d increase their chances of surviving that much more.
“Still... an island of Behemoths, eh? It really makes me curious... I mean, why would magical beasts have evolved in such a way in one place?”
“Doctor Babylon proposed the theory that Behemoths are spawned based on magic element density.”
“Element density?” Elze and Yae raised a brow in confusion at my words.
The theory that the doctor had was that magical beasts evolved from regular animals that absorbed residual magic elements from the air. For example, a bear species that gradually built up elements of Wind magic in the air might have mutated into the Thunder Bear species.
The theory expanded into the idea that Behemoths came about when a dense amount of magical elements were infused into a creature.
Typically, the residual levels of magic in the air were too thin to have an effect. However, there were a few places in the world where the density was greater than others. Places rich in nature, holy mountains, the sea floor, and the depths of huge forests were all regarded as these so-called Mana Wells.
According to the doctor, those Mana Wells created Behemoths frequently.
I asked her why Behemoths didn’t just appear all the time in these places, and she said that the number of creatures that could actually absorb elements from the air was surprisingly low. Apparently, humans were capable of it as well, though.
Anyway, the issue with the mysterious island was the very barrier that protected it. The magic in the air couldn’t disperse, so all of it was trapped inside. In other words, it was constantly cycling around the animals and probably being absorbed by any compatible ones. Just because it was being spread around to them didn’t mean it’d disappear, either.
That was why the island itself had basically become an artificial Mana Well, and also probably why there were so many Behemoths as a result.
“So wait, does this Mana Well thing affect people?”
“Humans can’t absorb more magic than their maximum capacity, Elze. That being said, mana sickness is a thing, and can also be caused by overexposure as well as underexposure.” Leen quickly responded to Elze’s query.
In the case of the Behemoths on the island, it wasn’t likely that these creatures were born as regular animals. It was probably that after several generations of being in such a magically dense place, the Behemoths simply became the evolutionary norm.
That being said, Behemoths typically weren’t capable of successful mating due to their genetic irregularities... Though, it was also possible that the Behemoths on the island could just be very old. They had extended lifespans after all.
I guess the real issue was whether or not the Behemoths were now being born naturally or not...
It would be fine to have them pop up now and then, since they were just freak mutations, but we could be dealing with an entirely new species here, and I wasn’t sure how to proceed in that regard.
Still, the place definitely gave me a Monster Island kind of vibe. It would’ve been pretty convenient if a silver warrior from space came down and sorted it out for me. I wasn’t quite sure if he’d be able to clear out the island before the Three Minute Rule was up, though.
“Then will the possibility of Behemoths being born go down after removing the barrier, will it?”
“Most likely, yeah. But I can’t say for sure... and I don’t know if the people maintaining the barrier know that either... or even if anyone is maintaining it...”
Either way, the barrier had to come down at some point. If not, the people in there would be trapped indefinitely.
“At any rate, I’ve been thinking I want to contact the people on the island. I need to tell the neighboring countries about it. Elfrau and Hannock agreed to meet, but I haven’t got a reply from Palouf yet. I’m hoping Lihnea’s king can persuade them to come, but I’m also unsure about how much I should tell them...”
In the worst-case scenario, we’d proceed without Palouf’s consent. Opening up trade with the island would give the rest of the world access to relatively cheap monster materials. However, the island seemed to have a strange half-barter based currency, so I wasn’t sure how it’d go. They definitely had gold, silver, and copper coins, so they at least recognized how the system worked.
“It’ll take a while before we open up channels with them, so I guess it’s not urgent... But I think we should—”
I was cut off by the familiar buzzing of my smartphone. It was a mail from Relisha. Odd.
“What is it?”
“A message from Relisha. Seems like some Phrase have been detected. They’ll come through any time starting tomorrow and ending a week from now...” I answered Linze’s question as I scanned over the mail.
“Did she mention how many? Or their power?”
“Not yet.” Phrase appeared regularly around the world, but typically it was just Lesser Constructs, the kind of thing a coordinated party could take out. A few people were even good enough to take on the Intermediates.
Still, the Advanced Constructs and, god forbid, the Dominant Constructs, were way too much for regular people to contend with. Brunhild was typically only asked to help if it was a major issue. When we were called out it was typically a given that something big was going to come out.
“Where is the emergence point, Touya-dono?”
“Regulus. I’ll have to tell Lu.”
“Tell me what?”
I turned to find an apron-clad girl standing in the doorway. She had almond tofu on a tray. Lu placed it on the table, and man did it look good...
I decided to talk about the Phrase situation after trying out the treat. Couldn’t pass the stuff up.
Mm, that’s good... I scooped up the white stuff in my spoon and shoveled it into my mouth. It was tasty and had the texture of gooey snow.
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