"Exactly 3 PM. Alright! The time difference is fine!"
I was trembling with joy while looking at the Elizabeth Tower, commonly known as Big Ben, across the Thames River.
People walking by gave me strange looks, but I didn’t mind. I had finally overcome the trial. It’s only natural to be excited.
It’s been a month since then. After enduring Grandma Tokie’s kind yet tough training, I finally mastered [Dimensional Shift]. Well, it’s limited to Earth, though.
From the other world we’re in, I can now use [Dimensional Shift] to jump to Earth, including Japan, and adjust the time.
Even if I spend a year on the other side, I can return to Earth and it’ll feel like the same amount of time has passed.
I was a little excited to be back on Earth, and during the training, I ended up traveling to several countries, but well, no one who knows me would be here, so it’s fine.
I also made sure to cast a magical spell to obscure my presence, so no one should notice me. Although, I did get spotted by some people in London when I got too carried away earlier.
“Well, it seems like you’ve managed.”
With a soft sound, Grandma Tokie appeared beside me. People walking by didn’t even glance at Grandma Tokie, who had suddenly appeared, and continued walking on their way. She had completely erased her presence.
Not only did she erase her presence, but she also ensured she wouldn’t show up on surveillance cameras.
She said that by lightly covering herself with divine energy, she could avoid being detected by such devices. I tried wrapping myself lightly in divine energy and taking a selfie, but I was clearly visible. Huh?
“Your smartphone is the artifact of the world god. Of course, it will show up,” she said.
Fair point...
"Alright, then let’s return to the moment we started our training."
Grandma Tokie snapped her fingers, and in an instant, we were transferred back to the world of the world god in the divine realm.
“Welcome back. Looks like you’ve gotten the hang of it.”
“Yeah, thanks to you. Now, I can jump to Earth whenever I want.”
The clock on the low table hadn’t changed since the time we started the training. It had rolled back a whole month... No, it seems we’ve returned to the exact time when the training began.
“Just to emphasize, you can only go when I give permission, alright? You’re not allowed to go to Earth on your own. If you do that, I’ll have to punish you, too.”
“It’s to make sure the noisy gods don’t get an opening. It’ll be troublesome later.”
Ugh, that was a harsh reminder. The "noisy gods" are probably the ones who don’t like me.
If I break the gods’ rules and they get a chance to say "I told you so," even the world god would be embarrassed. I absolutely can’t let that happen. I’m a rookie new god here in the divine realm, even if I’m technically a king in the lower world.
And the time travel is only supposed to be for adjusting the [Dimensional Shift]. I’ll need to be careful with that. If there’s any problem, I shouldn’t decide on my own; I should consult with the world gods first. Reporting and communication is important.
"I’ll see you again in a week."
After finishing a month of training, I finally returned to the castle via [Dimensional Shift]. Ah... I’m finally back...
Although, since no time has passed here, nothing has changed.
But for me, it’s been a month since I’ve been home, so honestly, I want to take a little rest...
It was lunchtime, and I was heading to my bedroom when I was spotted by Kousaka-san, who dragged me to the office. Aaaahhh...
"You’ll finish the work that piled up before your trip. The queens has given permission."
Kousaka-san, smiling brightly, started piling a mountain of paperwork on the desk.
I’ll never finish this! This is definitely the kind of thing I won’t finish today! I want to escape with [Dimensional Shift]!
Of course, he wouldn’t let me escape and pushed me right into work. Using [Accel] to speed up my thoughts, I went full speed, moving papers from right to left.
Now that I think about it, we really don’t have enough civil officers here! We need to gather more people from that side or things are going to get difficult. It’ll be on me!
Eventually, I managed to finish when the clock struck midnight...
Because of the training, I felt like I wanted to go back and turn the hands of the clock back... Ugh, no, no, my thoughts are getting messed up.
I’ll just go to sleep... I’ll deal with it tomorrow. I returned to my bedroom and dove into bed.
Ah, I need to tell Yumina and the others that our parents know about us. They’ll be happy to hear that we can visit home once a year.
Wait, did future me take the kids to visit my parents?
Ah, it’s because if I took them now, it would change history since it would be the first time they meet my parents...
If I ask Grandma Tokie, she could probably help, but even she’s already helped me so much.
So, I guess the next time Dad and the others meet Kuon and the rest will be at least ten years from now...
Considering that I never would have met them in the first place, this isn’t so bad... but still, I feel like I’m being a bad son.
With a sense of guilt towards my parents, I let sleep overtake me.
◇ ◇ ◇
“If you’ve been found out, there’s no helping it. The world god has forgiven you, hasn’t he?”
"Yeah, I don’t think there’s any problem.”
“Then we can meet properly now, can’t we? What’s the problem?”
When I told my wives about what I’d heard from the world god yesterday, they responded with that.
Well, I guess there’s no problem, but...
“I'm probably going to get an earful. From my mom, mostly.”
“Well, there’s nothing to be done about it…”
Linze said that with a bitter smile, but that’s easy for her to say. She doesn’t know how bad my mom’s lectures can be.
Especially when I’ve lied or tried to cover things up. The lectures I get when that happens are a whole different level—like being harassed by a drunk! It’s that persistent!
Well, from her perspective, I guess it would feel like she was tricked, thinking this was all a dream, only to find out it wasn’t. She might feel deceived, but I just wish she’d understand that we have our own circumstances too.
“Well, I suppose the parental matters are something you’ll have to handle on your own.”
Ugh, Leen threw in the towel. Great, I’m all alone on this.
“So, what about it? Are you bringing Alice along?”
“Since she’s Kuon’s fiancée, I want to introduce her to both Father and Mother.”
“Hmmm, so what will you do about Leylle?”
“Leave her behind?”
“It seems a little harsh to leave her out…”
The topic had already shifted to Alice and the others. I guess there’s no point in hoping for backup anymore. I need to figure out how to handle my mom’s scolding on my own.
“Anyway, we’ll discuss things with Melle and the others first. The biggest issue is…”
“Ende, right?”
When Linze said his name, everyone sighed in unison.
“With him, the worst-case scenario is that he might say he’s coming along too.”
“His abilities certainly make him troublesome, don’t they?”
Elze and Lu were having that conversation, but I wasn’t too worried. I think we’re safe.
Ende’s power of “crossing” does allow him to move between worlds, but I don’t think it lets him travel through time.
So even if Ende and I moved to Earth at the same time, I believe he would end up in the future Earth, not the Earth I’m heading to. If it’s beyond the two weeks we’re planning to stay, we’ll return without meeting him.
Well, if I say that, he’ll probably demand to come with us using my [Dimensional Shift]... but that’s to be expected.
◇ ◇ ◇
“That sounds fun! I’m going!”
“No! You never know what could happen!”
As expected—or maybe not—it was a complete split between the daughter and the father.
We’d come to talk about taking Alice on the trip, but as soon as they heard the conversation, Alice was thrilled, and Ende got angry.
“Crossing between worlds… traveling to another world is not something that’s easy! The common sense here doesn’t apply there, and you’ll have to adapt to their customs. Even with all the precautions in the world, we could be attacked by things that don’t exist in our world, or chased by uncivilized barbarians! How can I allow Alice to go somewhere like that!”
As expected of a man who’s crossed many worlds—he knows the dangers of other worlds very well. By the way, when he says uncivilized barbarians, is he talking about Earthlings? Hey, wait a minute...
Haha, did you get chased by one of those barbarians before? Was that a personal experience?
It’s true that not knowing the local customs can be dangerous. If you don’t know about traffic signals, you might cross on a red light, or you could stick your finger in a socket and get electrocuted.
But we’ll keep an eye on things, so there’s no need to worry. Well, mainly it’ll be Kuon keeping an eye on things, but still, I think it’ll be fine.
"Why not!? I'm Kuon’s fiancée! Of course I should go with him!"
"You’re not married yet! It’s obvious!"
Seeing the two of them glaring at each other, I let out a small sigh, and Melle and the others, who had been watching, also sighed quietly.
"What do you all think?"
"Well... Personally, I don’t mind if she goes..."
"It’s a bit lonely, but if Alice wants to go..."
"Hmm, broadening one’s horizons isn’t a bad thing. But is it really safe over there?"
It seems that Melle and the others are generally in favor, but there’s still some concern.
"The world we’re going to has very little mana, so most magic can’t be used, but that’s not really a problem for Alice. The country we’re going to is one of the safest in that world, so I think it will be fine. Of course, accidents can happen, so we’ll need to be cautious."
I remember Japan is usually ranked within the top ten safest and most peaceful countries. Was Iceland number one?
In general terms, it’s a safe country, and with Alice’s strength, I don’t think anyone could harm her. Even if a thug with a gun showed up, I think she’d be able to stop him without a scratch. Actually, the thug might be the one in danger...
"See! Even Mom says it’s fine!"
"Ughhhh...!"
With the powerful backing, Alice got more confident. Meanwhile, Ende, isolated and without support, glared at me. Don’t look at me like that.
"Then I’ll come along too...!"
"I refuse. I can’t babysit you, and this is technically a family trip, you know? I’m not going to take my son’s fiancée’s father along."
I cut off the expected words from Ende halfway. If Kuon and Alice get married, I guess you could say they’re technically relatives, but I’ll keep that to myself. Having him tag along would definitely be a nuisance.
"In my world, there’s a saying, 'Let the child travel.' It means that it’s not good to pamper children; they should be sent out into the world to gain tough experiences. Overprotecting them is bad, you know?"
"Ughhh...! Touya, you say that!? It's supposed to be a fun trip, not a tough experience, right!?"
Well, yeah, but... How is it okay for my son’s fiancée’s father to join a family trip? Isn’t that a bit of a nightmare? I guess it depends on the family, though.
"Still, as her guardian, I should—"
"You, be quiet."
"...!"
A voice, cold as ice, came from Leylle, who was sitting between Ney and Lycee.
Wait, it’s not Leylle. This voice belongs to Halle, the king of the Freys within her.
Thanks to Mel and the others’ patient persuasion, Leylle has been able to maintain control even when Ende is around. Alice knows of Halle’s presence, and she recognizes him as "Uncle Halle."
As a result, even when Ende is in the room, Leylle no longer loses control and can return home safely.
But now, here comes Halle’s presence again... Please don’t cause a ruckus, alright?
"‘You push your own views onto others without considering their feelings. Don’t treat her like a convenient tool for your own use,’ was it? Watching you do the same thing to Alice is rather amusing."
"Ugh..."
Ende, clutching his chest after hearing Halle’s words, seemed to be struggling.
What’s going on, Halle? Was he really saying all that?
"For us, the dominant Phrase, parents are nothing more than those who gave birth to the core crystal. We live freely from the moment we are born, and if we don’t get along with our parents, it’s normal to never meet them again. So I don’t understand at all why you’re so obsessed with your daughter."
Dominant species are already adults from birth, and they inherit knowledge and experience from their parents. So if a dominant species feels strong self-loathing towards their parents, it could lead to a situation like this.
"Since she wants to go, you should let her. I forced my feelings on my older sister without considering hers, and as a result, she disappeared from my life. I don’t mind if you make the same mistake I did, but if you make Alice sad, that’s another matter."
"Halle..."
Melle cast a glance at Leylle... at Halle, with an indescribable expression.
Well, with Alice, even if told no, she seems like the type who would insist on coming anyway.
"...Alice, do you really want to go that badly?"
"I do. I want to meet Kuon’s grandparents. I want to greet them properly."
Alice looked directly into Ende’s eyes and clearly expressed her intention.
Eventually, Ende let out a small sigh, as if resigned.
"......Fine. But really, be careful. Listen to everyone, and don’t do anything reckless."
"Thank you, Dad!"
Alice grinned and hugged Ende. As I relaxed, thinking we had somehow convinced him, Ende’s glare, as if saying “You understand, right?” pierced through me. Oh, come on... I’ll make sure she gets back safely.
"What about Leylle? If she wants to go..."
"No, she fears crossing between worlds. If she’s not careful, she might summon a large number of Quores again. That’s not something you’d want, is it?"
It wasn’t Leylle who answered, but Halle.
Quores... those jewel-like artificial Phrase. Now that I think about it, when we first came to this world, a swarm of Quores appeared to protect Leylle.
If those appeared in large numbers in Japan, it would be complete chaos... That would be way too dangerous.
"Eh!? Leylle, you should come too!"
Alice pouted, and Leylle’s fierce expression softened, as if her personality had returned.
"I'm sorry, Alice-neechan... But I'm still scared. If I cause trouble in that world, it’ll inconvenience a lot of people, so I’ll stay here."
"Ugh... Well, I’ll bring back a lot of souvenirs! Look forward to it!"
"Okay. Thank you, Alice-neechan."
Alice pulled away from Ende and hugged Leylle. I really wish Leylle could go, but if she went and started rampaging... that would be problematic.
If we cause trouble over there, there’s a chance we might never be allowed to travel back to Earth.
Unfortunately, Leylle will have to stay behind. But as Alice said, she'll bring back lots of souvenirs.
"By the way, when do we leave? How long will we be gone?"
"We leave in a week. We’ll be there for two weeks."
I informed Ney of the schedule. And after we return, in a week, I’ll send the kids back to the future...
"I’m sorry for taking two weeks of your time with Alice..."
"It’s fine. This is what Alice wanted. Besides, for us, the dominant species, ten or twenty years pass in the blink of an eye. We’ll be able to meet Alice again soon."
Lycee answered without changing her expression.
...Wait, I just realized. Do they live for centuries? If Kuon and Alice’s child remains as part of the royal family here, does that mean these guys will continue living in Brunhild forever? It’s a bit reassuring, but also a little concerning...
Even though they’re dominant species, they don’t live forever, but they must have lifespans far longer than humans. Well, there are elves and other long-lived races in this world, so it’s probably normal here.
As for us, we plan to retire to Babylon once we’ve lived for a while. Then, when the time is right, we’ll move to the divine realm. A life as a god begins.
According to Karen-nee and the others, Yumina and the others, being my subordinates, are apparently treated the same as angels. They’re in a supporting role, like helpers for the gods.
Since they’re not gods, they can only live in the heavens below the divine realm, they said.
And from there, if they work hard enough, they could become subordinate gods, and if they push even further, they could become true gods.
Yumina and the others might even become goddesses... Yeah, becoming a goddess... This talk is getting too big for me to grasp.
Well, that’s a story for a distant, distant future.
"Touya... make sure to take lots of pictures of Alice. Videos too. Everything except the bath and the toilet."
"Don’t turn me into a stalker of your own daughter."
I’ll take videos, of course, but my kids are the main focus. I’ll make sure to take pictures of Alice too, so don’t worry about it, you jerk.
Ignoring the strange things Ende said, I decided to head back to the castle.
Well, with that, I think the biggest concern is settled. Now I just need to teach the kids the basic rules of Japan. Especially things like traffic lights, crosswalks, and train crossings—basic traffic rules.
I also need to teach them not to follow strangers, not to go off alone... Should I ask Fam from the "Library" to make a travel itinerary for them?
If they get lost, as long as they have a smartphone, I’ll know where they are, but I’m still really worried. They tend to drop their phones a lot...
Then there’s the issue with Mom... I know I’m going to get scolded for sure, but I still have to go. It’s such a tough situation...
Well, I’m going as a kid, so I guess there won’t be any headbutts like last time? Oh, but I do remember being scolded and having my temple rubbed when I was a kid...
...Yeah, even if I get scolded, I’ll make sure she doesn’t do it in front of the kids. I have to maintain some parental dignity...
Sigh...
Even though it’s supposed to be a fun trip, I find myself sighing multiple times.
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