First chapter.
Arc 27: The Reverse WorldChapter 276: The Help of God, and Reflecting on one's actions
What's the meaning of this? That [Door] isn't a regular transfer gate! It's a dimensional transfer gate which connects to a different world. Is that what all of this means?
I guess a magic artifact as absurd as that is possible for someone like AleriasPalerius whose forte was space-time magic. No, it was just me, an irregular, who had made it possible from something which was not.
「Touysan? Are you okay?」(Pedro)
Having stopped talking, I was called out by Pedro.
「Ah, no, everything is okay. I was just surprised that I dropped further away than I had initially thought…」(Touya)
「Dropped? Then, didTouysan arrive here using transfer magic or something similar?」(Pedro)
「Yes. It looks like that…」(Touya)
I give a stiff reply to Sancho who's looking at me with worry. Putting that aside, it looks like there's magic in this world as well.
We part ways after I refuse his proposal to take me along to the royal capital. It's because I have a lot of possible means for travel and because I just want to think about what's happening to myself right now.
Having been reminded to come visit his store in the royal capital should I gothere, I then send off the Crab Bus containing Sancho-san.That carriage then becomes more and more distant as time pass by.
Now then, what should I do?
「Gate」(Touya)
I invoke the transfer magic, but it doesn't connect to anywhere I know. Eeh~…
H-How will I be able to return home…?
This is probably bad… The situation on the other side will turn into a huge uproar on the other side once they find out that my whereabouts are unknown…
Shortly after I have a slight panic, the smartphone in my breast pocket starts to ring. The letters [Incoming: Kami-sama] is written on it once I've taken it out.
Ooooh! It's a help from god, literally!
「H-Hello, hello?!」(Touya)
『Ooh, my call came through. Touykun, are you safe?』(Kami)
「I'm fine and quite safe, but I'm having a bit of a panic here…」(Touya)
『Hhha. I've never expected for you to transfer to another world. I'll send a welcome now, so do wait there for a moment』(Kami)
A welcome? Faster than when a question mark could appear and float above my head, the light in front of me intensified and a certain person appeared from it along with a flash.
「Good grief… You still make us worry like that ~noyo」(Karen)
「Karen-nee-san…!」(Touya)
The one who came out from the light is Karen-nee-san, the Love Goddess. She's making an astonished face while putting her arms on her hips.
「It was terrible on the other side, you know? Kohaku-chan suddenly disappeared. You didn't pick up your phone, and we were wondering if something bad had happened to you. As for Yae-chan, she called me while sobbing」(Karen)
Oops… I guess my magic power could no longer reach Kohaku's group to supply them. Naturally, it's inevitable that the others will wonder if something happened.
「Even we couldn't feel the existence of Touykun at all, so we understood that you had disappeared from that world ~noyo. With that in mind, we then contacted the World God and asked him to look for you ~noyo」(Karen)
「I've caused all of you a lot of trouble…」(Touya)
Timewise, I've been thinking that not even an hour has passed, but it's apparently almost ten hours since I went through the transfer gate.
I can understand Yae's worry since she saw Kohaku disappearing right in front of her eyes. She probably judged that I had ended up in an abnormal situation.
「And, how can I return to my former world? 」(Touya)
「You can use "Different Space Transition" for that, but the toll on you, Touykun, will still be large ~noyo. That's why we'll go to the Divine Realm first, and then return to the original world from there ~noyo」(Karen)
Saying that going to the Divine Realm will be easier than going to a different world surely sounded like a bad joke.
Well, both this and that worlds are missing their "World Barriers", so it's likely that going to a "world which can only be entered by gods" will be easier for me. Though it should've been absolutely impossible for other people.
I then open a [Gate] and step into the Divine Realm where Kami-sama is waiting for me. He's sitting in the all too familiar 4.5 tatami wide room.
「I am sorry for causing you trouble…」 (Touya)
「No-no, it wasn't anything major. Other world transfers and the like are common after all」(Kami)
It does appear so. The worlds are full of people traveling to different worlds. Speaking of our world, travelling to other worlds is seen as being spirited away.
「In any case, you better return quickly and reassure everyone. We'll talk next time」(Kami)
「Yes. Excuse me then」(Touya)
I once again apologize to Kami-sama, open [Gate], and return with Karen-nee-san to the place I transferred from, the top floor of the temple on Palerius island.
The ones I see over there are Yae, who's sitting in a seiza in front of the [Door], and the professor who's examining it. The knights serving the four representatives of this island are enclosing and watching the artifact from a distance.
「I'm back」(Touya)
「T-Touydono…? Touydono!」(Yae)
Raising her voice, Yae stands up as if snapping and comes to hug me closely. Guho~. It can't be compared to Suu, in a lot of ways…
(Black: Fufufu. Enjoy the sensation while you can Touya. It's the calm before the storm.)
「W-worrying… I was worried… Kohaku vanished too,and the call didn't go through as well… I-I thought that you've returned to your former world… Uuuu~」(Yae)
I see, she was that worried about me, wasn't she? I hug the sobbing Yae close while gently brushing her silky hair.
「There's no way I would've left Yae and everyone else and gone off somewhere now, would I?」(Touya)
「*Sobs*… right…」(Yae)
「Sorry for the good mood you're having there, but there's one more person here who was also worried」(Regina)
Looking from the side, the professor is glaring at us with scornful eyes.
「I've made you worried. My bad」(Touya)
「I have a feeling that your apology to me is different from your apology to Yae, given how you've said it in a monotonic way and such… Oh well, I'll buy it this time. So, you've found what kind of place this [Door] is connected to, haven't you?」(Regina)
「Aah, this is…」(Touya)
As I look onto mentor Central who's coming from the stairs leading to lower floors, I'm at a loss as to what explanation would be good for them.
Uumu. I wonder what explanation they will find acceptable.
「A different world…? You mean that [Door] leads to another kind of world…?」(Central)
Following mentor Central and the four representatives, the professor is also naturally opening her eyes to the truth wide with astonishment. In the end, I've decided to tell the truth — no one could activate the door except for me — though it's a different matter if they can believe it or not.
「I suppose it may even be called the "Reverse World". It resembles our world, but it seems to be different in a lot of ways」(Touya)
I've taken a photo of the map that Sancho-san showed me, so I display the transcription made with [Drawing].
「So this is place called as the "New World" by AleriasPalerius-sama…」(Dient)
Dient murmurs in a tiny voice. This is perhaps a correct assumption. Though accurately speaking, it was probably the four disciples, who inherited the research of AleriasPalerius about transfering to different worlds after he had died, and tried to use it in order to travel to a world without Frazes in it.
However, the aforementioned disciples didn't reach AleriasPalerius' genius level by a large margin — they were, in the end, unable to finish it. Thus their descendants are now being trapped on this island.
「Well then, the number of options you guys can take has now increased. Will you continue living on this island while fighting against behemoths the same as before? Will you undo the barrier, go live and get involved with the outside world? Will you let go of only those who want to go to the outside world? Or will you pass through the [Door] and travel to another world? 」(Touya)
The conference room fell silent. Not minding that in a bit, I continue speaking.
「I've already told you this, but please consider that returning to this world is no longer possible once you go to the other world. I'm only lucky for me to be able to return here, but it will be almost impossible for you to do so. The other side also doesn't understand our language, and their world affairs are unknown. I would like to ask you to give your answer after you yourselves have made a resolution about this 」(Touya)
Frankly speaking, it's a world that contains those double-headed lizards wandering about in the wilderness. It is, by no means, a safe world similar to the likes of modern Japan. I guess that it isn't on the same level as this one as well — it's likely safer than this world, primarily because Frazes aren't going over there.
「We can't answer your question immediately…. May we have a several days to consider everything?」(Central)
「No problem. It's not like we're particularly in a hurry. Please discuss this matter carefully」(Touya)
I quietly nod towards what mentor Central said. She's also correct in a certain sense — their decision will decide the fates of those living in this island. It'll be better for them to discuss everything properly.
Let's go home for today then. I'm really worn-out.
When I return to Brunhild, everyone jostles me. I'm glad that you've been worried about me, but isn't this an exaggeration, everyone?
I summon Kohaku's group anew, and apologize to them for suddenly sending them home — they must've been surprised by that event.
I also summon Snow, the snow rat I left in the care of Ropp and his newbie adventurer friends.
「I'm sorry. Now, go back to everyone」(Touya)
Having snow hold onto something intended to be an apology for Ropp's group, I let him outside. He then disappears into the darkness just like that.
Hhhmmm. Still, I guess I should prepare a tank of magic power for my personal use somewhere — it'll ensure that the situation that happened to me just now won't happen again in the future. I wonder if I'll be able to prepare about it by doing something that will allow me to store my magic power, similar to a battery,which will serve as a backup supply when the need arises.
「Nevertheless, that [Door] leads to a different world, huh… From the story told by Touysan, I believe I've already understood that worlds like that exist, but… 」(Yumina)
Still in her white pajamas, Yumina is rolling on top of my bed while muttering so.
It isn't just Yumina, all my other fiancees have invaded my bedroom. They called for a punishment for making them worry, but I naturally didn't have any intention of doing that. …It's still early.
This bed is a specially ordered article, made with consideration for intentions like these (the likes of which I wouldn't talk about), and is large enough so it'll be fine even if ten people are lying on it. Well this time, one stuffed bear plushie is also an addition to us, but something like that is within the acceptable limits.
Frankly speaking, the bed alone is about 14 tatami units in size. Still, I usually sleep on a personal bed placed next to it whenever I sleep by myself.
「Hey, Touya, how did the world on the other side feel like?」(Suu)
Suu comes clinging onto my back in her cute yellow pajamas. Her tension is high which might be caused by her stay over here…
「Hmmm, I didn't stay there for a long time, you see, and I couldn't continue to sightsee that much. I thought that everyone was worrying about me, so I believed that I have to return quickly」(Touya)
「Just so you know, everyone did worry」(Linzie)
「Were… worried…」(Sakura)
Both Linzie and Sakura gaze at me as if they're criticizing me for a little bit. I've already apologized time and time again, so I'd like for them to forgive me already though…
「When Kohaku vanished right before my eyes, I thought that my heart would stop… 」(Yae)
「Me too. I didn't know what I to do when I received a call from Yae」(Elzie)
「Still, we're glad that you've returned safely」(Hilda)
Apparently, it wasn't just Yae who was worried that time, but also both Elzie and Hilda. That situation is outside of my expectations as well though.
「Even so, Touysama…. You've managed to properly return to our world here from that other world, haven't you? Weren't you unable to even use [Gate]?」(Luu)
「Aah… Yep, about that, how do I say it…?」 (Touya)
「… You're still hiding something from us, aren't you?」(Rin)
Pointing at my hesitation to answer Luu's question, the glint in Rin's eyes shine.
Mm-mm-mm. Should I tell them about that now? It's not like I'm forbidden to talk about it, and it's painful to keep on hiding that stuff from them.
So I've decided to tell everyone my greatest secret. About what kind of existence I'm in the process of becoming, about how I arrived at this world, and about Kami-sama.
At first, they think I was just joking as well. But then,what they're saying become more and more scarce. By the end of the story, they're expressing faces filled with amazement along while expressing exaggerated sighs.
「I don't even know from where I should start retorting」(Elzie)
Elzie speaks in complete bewilderment.
「So our darling is, in addition to someone from another world, is also a part of Kami-sama's family… This is the first time in my long life that I was so surprised」(Rin)
「Still, a lot of things can now be understood 」(Luu)
Luu nods to what Rin has just said, being the first one to consent. I somehow feel complicated for them to accept me with the story I've just told them.
「In other words, your elder sisters are…」(Yumina)
「They are divine beings. However, it looks like they're prohibited from using their godly powers since they're in the lower ranks」(Touya)
「Now that I think about it, this country is quite outrageous, isn't it…? Jokes aside, it's still not invincible 」(Rin)
Rin breathes out a sigh for who knows how many times already.
「Well, it goes without saying that Touysan is our important husband no matter what kind of person he may be. That's still a fact」(Yumina)
Everyone lightly nods after Yumina puts it all together in that manner. Seriously though, the fiancees of our household have that much of courage within them.
Even though I'm glad for their acceptance, I also end up feeling somewhat embarrassed, so I hurriedly climb into the futon in the corner of the bed, calming down.
Although I can hear the laughs and giggles of the girls, I'm going to pretend that I didn't and decide to sleep.
I'll be going to Kami-sama's place tomorrow as well and express my gratitude for today. I guess I'll have to bring him some sort of present.
According to Karen-nee-san, it looks like I'll be able to go to that world if I learn the divine skill of "Different Space Transition", but it's likely impossible to do so from the get-go. And even if I could, I should still prepare the tank for my magic power first so that there won't be any problems anymore.
While I think about those matters, drowsiness creeps in, and I began my trip to the world of dreams.
TL: greujnikTLC: Airsblue
ED: Blackswordsman, Empress Shameless Advertisement: Memes aren't something one considers when writing isekai novels...But this...hehehe...does put a smile on my face