The decisive battle at Isengard ended in our victory.
It seems that all of the Evil God’s apostles have vanished. There are two people who are unaccounted for, but from what Goldo told Kuon, they were used as sacrifices to open the time tunnel. It really seems like they were desperate to the point of no return...
Well, from Goldo’s perspective, since he was trying to return to five thousand years ago, I suppose he couldn’t care less about the events in this time.
I really hope there’s no more "surviving Evil God apostles" nonsense. Please, no more of that.
After finishing the cleanup at Isengard, I returned to Brunhild and immediately convened an emergency summit with the World Alliance to explain everything that had happened.
While I couldn’t go into all the details, in summary, it was the memories of ancient magical engineers that were implanted into Golems, and the world invasion orchestrated by the Evil God’s apostles.
Everyone seemed relieved that it had been stopped at the last possible moment.
But there was still one problem.
That was the 'Golden Drug' that the Evil God’s apostles had spread across the world.
A considerable amount had been scattered across the globe, and collecting it had been a huge task.
First, I used [Search] to locate the general areas where the drug was, then we conducted a massive crackdown on those who were in possession of it. We confiscated the Golden Drug, purified it, and disposed of it.
Although the chances are slim, if someone continues to consume the Golden Drug and mutates, and if they still retain their sense of self, there is a possibility that a new Evil God apostle could be born.
So, it was crucial that we handle this thoroughly.
Some had already mutated beyond recovery, to the point that even recovery potions or [Recovery] couldn’t heal them.
It’s unfortunate, but at that point, there was no choice but to eliminate them. Keeping them alive would only bring harm. Even if their souls wouldn’t return to the cycle of reincarnation, I still prayed for their peace.
The half-fishmen, four-armed Golems, and stone giants, who had been subordinates of the Evil God’s apostles, lost their leadership and became nothing more than monsters.
They weren’t particularly strong, so we left them to the adventurers. The half-fishmen were originally human, but considering zombies and skeletons, the adventurers didn’t hesitate to deal with them.
I managed to offload most of the detailed clean-up to the high-ranking officials of each country, and at last, I was freed.
Ah, that was exhausting...
◇ ◇ ◇
"It’s a good opportunity. How about training in [Spatial Transition] until you can go to Earth on your own?"
"Huh...?"
So, when I went to the Divine Realm to ask the World God for permission regarding the family trip, the first thing I was told was this.
"Training, you say?"
"Yes. Though you’re on the surface, you’ve become a god, so you should be able to travel the world freely. Unknown worlds might be difficult, but traveling to the world you were born in shouldn’t be that hard."
"Travel the world, huh..."
But, it seems like even Ende can do it, so maybe it’s not such a difficult skill after all...?
If I can travel to Earth on my own, I wonder if I’ll be able to visit the family there freely from now on...
"Not that it's any new revelation, but you're already dead in that world. It goes against the natural order of that world for you to be resurrected. That's why when I sent you to Earth before, I turned you into a child..."
What? The World God looked around awkwardly, clearly struggling to say something.
Well, it was the World God who accidentally killed me, so I guess it's a bit awkward...
"So, if I were to go to Earth in the form of a child... or in a form where I wouldn’t be recognized, would that be alright?"
"No, it’s still a problem if a god descends into a world that’s not approved, like those other worlds. It’s fine if it’s a world recognized as a resting place for gods, but it’s not allowed for just any world... Well, as long as I, the World God, give permission, it’ll be fine..."
Now that you mention it, when I was learning [Spatial Transition] before, Karen-neesan and I visited many different worlds. I wonder if those worlds were officially permitted?
Many of them were primitive civilizations, so maybe that was a factor too?
"The issue isn’t that... it’s just, well, it’s a bit hard to say..."
"What is it?"
The World God shifted nervously, his gaze wandering. Could there be a problem with me going to Earth?
If I went in the form of a child, I don’t think anyone would recognize me as the same person... so I didn’t think it would be an issue...
"Your parents... probably already know that you’re alive."
"Huh!?"
My parents!? Why!? Did I accidentally leave any clues behind? I made sure they believed it was just a dream, didn’t I!?
"Remember that house you used as a base when you were in Japan? Your mother went there. She found a lot of strange things."
According to the World God, after that, my mother came to clean up Grandpa’s house after a long time.
While cleaning, she found long golden, silver, and even Sakura-colored hair. Even my mother, who isn’t particularly sharp, must have connected the dots when she saw that.
Oh no... Mom met Sakura in that dream too...
Realizing the presence of my wives, Mom apparently figured out that the dream wasn’t just a dream.
Afterward, she rummaged through the house, noticing that Grandpa’s special liquor was gone, one album was missing, and there were traces of something having been put into the fridge.
She even told Dad about it and used a detective friend of his to trace where Yumina and the others had gone. She also found out that they were with a little boy.
When the restaurant staff saw a childhood photo of me, they nodded, confirming that the boy in the photo was the one who was with them.
"My mother... what an activeness..."
"Well, she has been sending thoughts to me every night saying, 'Let me see Touya, let me see him.'... Honestly, I got a bit scared."
"I’m really sorry about my mom..."
I bowed deeply to the World God, feeling bad for her. Don’t threaten the god, mom...
"You’ll have to talk to them properly once you get back."
"Eh... Is that really okay? If I tell them about gods and other worlds, won’t that be a problem...?"
"I can erase their memories if needed... But, of course, I can’t just do that. After all, I was the one who took you away from your parents."
It seems the World God feels somewhat guilty about my parents. I’d want to say, "Don’t worry about it," but maybe it’s not that simple...
"Of course, make sure they’re sworn to secrecy. I don’t think your parents would say anything careless, but if that happens, we’d really have to erase their memories."
"I understand."
I’d prefer for my parents to think I’m alive, rather than dead, even though it’s impossible for them to be close.
"Wait, so if I can eventually go to Earth on my own with [Spatial Transition], I can visit my parents anytime? Oh, of course, if I get your permission, that is..."
"Yes. I can’t give permission for it to happen freely, but... once a year should be fine."
Oh! Does this mean I can visit home once a year? That’s great. This means I’ll be able to see Fuyuka grow up!
"Just know that this is a special allowance because you’re one of my followers. Think of it as a special reward for the work you’re doing managing the world I’ve designated as a godly retreat."
"I see. So it’s like a bonus?"
"Strictly speaking, it’s not the same, but... let’s go with that."
"Well, if there’s a reward like that, I guess I’ll be able to work hard for it."
...Work? Huh? But wait, doesn’t this mean that the gods will keep coming to that world, causing various problems, and it’s up to me to deal with them? This feels more like an advance on a huge and difficult job... Is this a sweet trap to get me to work, rather than an actual reward?
I glanced at the World God, and she was whistling and looking away, pretending not to notice. That’s an old trick. Looks like I’ve been caught...
Well, it’s something I have to do anyway, and having a reward is definitely better than not having one. I’ll just accept it.
"Then, let’s start your training right away."
"Huh!? Now!?"
"It’s fine. I’ll give you a proper guide."
Suddenly, Grandma Tokie appeared beside the World God. So, is Grandma Tokie going to be the guide?
"After all, she’s a time-space god. When it comes to this kind of thing, it’s god-level work."
Wow, here we go with the god jokes... It’s true that she’s a god, but...
"But, Grandma Tokie, aren’t you busy fixing the dimensional rifts...?"
"I’ve already dealt with the cause. There’s no problem if I take my time now. Besides, I’m sure you’d prefer it this way, wouldn’t you, Touya-kun?"
"Well... I suppose..."
If things were wrapped up too quickly, I wouldn’t have time to spend with the kids... So, it would be better to take as much time as possible.
If that’s the case, I’ll gladly accept her training. It’s not every day you get to learn [Spatial Transition] from a time-space god.
"You don’t need to worry about how long the training will take. No matter how many years pass, you can always return to this time."
"Wait! Are you saying it’s going to take years!?"
"It’s just an example. If you focus on one world... well, it should take about a month."
A month, huh.
I guess if I can return to this time, I don’t need to worry about the time it takes. But that also means it’s going to be a pretty tough job...
If they had told me it would take a thousand years, I might have given up.
Anyway, I have no choice but to do it. It’ll be useful for the future. If I can go back home once a year, that would be very convenient!
"Well then, first, let’s start with time travel."
"Huh!? Time travel!?"
I was taken aback by Grandma Tokie’s sudden statement. As a time-space god, she controls both time and space.
The magic for moving through space is teleportation magic, like [Gate] and [Teleport] that I use.
Since [Spatial Transition] also crosses space, I thought we’d be training in that, but...
"Different worlds have different rates of time flow. For example, the world you came from and the world you’re in now—time flows faster in the world you’re currently in. So, if you go to 'Japan' and spend a few days there without adjusting for time, you’d return to this world, and several years might have passed."
Wait... Really? Is that how it works? When you cross between worlds, does the time difference act like the Urashima effect?
Wait a minute... Is the Urashima Tarou story based on the idea of being invited to another world, and then coming back to a future world? I think the theory of being taken to space was what caused the Urashima effect... Maybe space and alternate worlds aren’t so different after all.
Also, it seems that both the World God and Karen-neesan had no trouble doing this kind of thing.
"So, if I use [Spatial Transition] to go to Earth, will I end up in the past or future?"
"Due to the differences in time flow, I don’t think you’ll end up in the past. If you’re not careful, you might end up millions of years in the future and find a world where civilization has already collapsed."
Really? The future? What if that future is ruled by monkeys? I really don’t want to see a ruined Statue of Liberty...
"When you cross between different worlds, those discrepancies happen. But if you do a proper [Spatial Transition], there won’t be any problems with the time discrepancies. So first, let’s work on simple time travel within this world."
Saying this, Grandma Tokie placed an old-fashioned alarm clock on the table. Hmm?
"Huh, so what do I do with this?"
"Focus on imagining a world one hour ahead and use [Spatial Transition]. If you do it correctly, the clock’s hands should point to one hour later."
I see. So, I’m jumping to the world one hour into the future?
Imagining the world one hour ahead... the clock pointing to one o’clock.
Alright, let’s give this a try.
I closed my eyes and envisioned a clock pointing to one o’clock in my mind.
"[Spatial Transition]"
For a moment, my body felt lighter, and then it quickly returned to normal. When I opened my eyes, the clock in front of me wasn’t exactly at one o’clock... It was pointing to 1:05.
Oh! For my first try, I think I did pretty well!
"Too bad. That’s a failure."
Grandma Tokie, who had been sitting in front of me, smiled as she spoke. Huh? That’s harsh... It’s only five minutes...
Wait, where did the World God go? Did she leave during the one-hour period?
"Well, five minutes is a bit of an error, don’t you think? It’s not like you need to be that precise..."
"Five minutes? Oh, no, no. You’ve ended up in a future that’s seventy-three hours and five minutes ahead. That’s a complete failure."
"Huh!?"
Seventy-three hours!? Does that mean more than three days have passed!?
While I was shocked, Grandma Tokie clapped her hands. With a light, floating sensation, I suddenly noticed that the clock on the table had returned to twelve o'clock.
The world god was casually sipping tea next to Grandma Tokie. Has the time returned to its original state?
“I guess it was a failure. Well, that's to be expected at first.”
“Maybe you just imagined the time the clock’s hands were pointing at and moved accordingly. Try imagining the hands of the clock making a full rotation and then jumping.”
Following Grandma Tokie's suggestion, I decided to imagine the hour hand moving forward, completing a full circle, and then jumping, aiming for one o’clock. Just one hour... just one hour...
"[Dimensional Shift]"
A momentary feeling of floating. When I opened my eyes, the clock was pointing to one-ten. Was this... a success or a failure?
Looking at Grandma Tokie, who was standing in front of the clock, she smiled brightly. Huh? Another failure...?
“This time it's a success. It's a little off, but you’ve jumped exactly one hour forward.”
“I’m glad...”
I let out a relieved sigh. It seems like it worked after all. I’ve traveled one hour into the future... though I can’t really feel it.
Could it be that the world god secretly moved the hands of the clock while I had my eyes closed?
When Grandma Tokie clapped again, the hands of the clock quickly snapped back to the top.
“Alright, next we’ll try three days later.”
“W-wait a second. Does that mean I need to imagine the hour hand making seventy-two full rotations?”
That sounds difficult, doesn't it? I might fall asleep while counting how many rotations it makes...
“You just need to imagine the sun rising and setting three times. If you repeat it enough, you’ll get the hang of it.”
I see. That makes it easier to imagine three days ahead. But... it feels like this will only work for the morning of the third day. Well, if I think about it, I could stretch it to midday as the sun rises... No, I suppose I can work with that.
After repeatedly traveling through time again and again, I eventually got the hang of it. Though I was exhausted...
Once I got the sense of how to turn the clock back, I could also jump to the past. Who would have thought I’d be able to travel through time?
“Just so you know, time travel is permitted here in the divine realm, but it’s strictly prohibited in the lower world. It’s a technique for adjusting when crossing between worlds.”
“Huh? Is that so?”
“As you saw in this recent chaos, time travel comes with great risks. It’s not easy for me to cover all the consequences.”
Indeed, without Grandma Tokie’s support as a space-time god, altering the past could create a time paradox or completely change the course of history.
Especially since I’m alive in the mortal world, traveling back and forth through time could lead to a huge mistake...
“For example, if you went back in time, could you abandon a child you saw who was about to die by accident?”
“Well, that’s...”
“Saving that child could dramatically alter history. Or, if that child survives, someone else could die instead. If you're not absolutely sure you wouldn't interfere, it’s better not to jump through time recklessly.”
I understand what Grandma Tokie is trying to say.
The spatial issues that started from this dimensional quake are exceptions, and normally, altering history wouldn't be allowed.
Being able to freely travel to the past or future carries inherent risks.
I can’t just casually travel through time and expect Grandma Tokie to clean up my mess every time. That would be too much.
“Alright, next we’ll actually transfer to Earth and make adjustments. I’ll guide you at first. Now, let’s jump.”
“Eh, wait…!”
Before I could say anything, Grandma Tokie grabbed my hand, and in the blink of an eye, we were transferred to Earth through a [Dimensional Shift].
◇ ◇ ◇
“This is...”
Led by Grandma Tokie, we arrived in a jungle thick with trees. I could hear strange bird calls from all around. Wait, is this really Earth?
“I chose a place with no people. It’s better to be here, since we can make some noise without anyone noticing.”
I see... that’s the reason... But where exactly is this? It feels like a tropical rainforest. Maybe South America... the Amazon, or perhaps Malaysia’s jungle?
“The [Dimensional Shift] just now was adjusted by me. Since the time you left this world, the time in this other world has passed equally. There’s not even a second of difference. We’ll use this time as the starting point. Make sure to remember it.”
Wait, so you’re saying we went back to Earth after our honeymoon in Japan, and the time passed here the same as it did in the other world?
Apparently, time flows slower on Earth, so does this mean we’ve arrived in the future...?
I can somehow sense the time. It doesn’t feel like we’re too far into the future. Even if time in our world moves faster, it doesn’t seem to be by centuries or anything like that.
Adjusting to this doesn’t seem too difficult. It would be tough if I were asked to do it suddenly, but... this doesn’t seem impossible.
“Now then, let’s start the training.”
With that, Grandma Tokie pulled out that retro-style clock again.
“Five minutes will pass soon since we got here. You’ll need to return to the other side in exactly five minutes.”
Wait, suddenly? Five minutes, five minutes... Um, the hour hand will rotate five times... no, that’s five hours later! Right, the second hand will make five full rotations...
I started my training to master [Dimensional Shift], battling with the spinning clock in my head, ready to perfect it.
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