"It's almost time for the farewell, huh..."
Sitting at the table on the balcony, sipping tea, Yumina muttered this quietly.
I can't help it. As the day approaches, my mood sinks.
For the kids, it's a cause for celebration since they get to return to their original time. It should be a happy thing.
In famous time-travel movies, the doctor who sent his friend back to the future probably felt something like this.
Well, he was bright and cheerful as he sent him off with a "Let's meet again in the future." We have to send them off with a smile too.
"I was surprised when Alice first arrived. To think that she was the child of Ende and Melle from the future. And when I heard that our kids would be coming here too, I was completely confused..."
"That’s true."
Thinking back, that was the start of everything. It feels like it happened so long ago, but it was just a few months ago.
Alice came, then Kuon... and after that, Frei, Elna, Linze, Arcia, Yoshino, Yakumo, Kuon, Steph...
It took quite a while to get everyone together. Yakumo and Yoshino were able to use teleportation magic, so they seemed carefree and kept going back and forth without worrying.
For the kids to come from the future... that was beyond unexpected.
Well, now that I can travel through time too, it seems possible, but back then, I never could have guessed it.
Karen-nee and Moroha-nee had visited the future from time to time, so I guess that was a sign.
"But it was fortunate that we were able to introduce them to my father and mother. And we could introduce the kids too."
That’s true. It was nice that, thanks to all these events, I was able to go back to Earth.
Even if it’s only once a year, it’s great to see my little sister Fuyuka’s growth in person.
"Eventually, your father and mother will be invited here, right?"
"Hmm, my parents want to, but..."
Well, in a more practical sense, I could easily handle the money part, so there’s no need for my parents to worry about working.
The thing is, once they come here, they have to stay for a year, and during that time, we’d have no contact with them.
Maybe I should ask the World God if there’s any way to get rid of the communication restriction. That way, even if they’re here, they could still work remotely. It would also be nice if I could contact my parents through email.
Talking is free, after all. I should at least ask. Plus, I need to give them some souvenirs from Earth.
"I’m going to go visit the World God for a bit."
"Eh? Ah, okay."
With Yumina’s slightly exasperated voice, I used [Spatial Transfer] to head to the Divine Realm.
◇◇◇
"I don’t mind. Actually, since you can use [Spatial Transfer] to Earth now, that rule is effectively gone."
"Eh? Really?"
I was taken aback by how easily the permission was granted.
The World God was happily sipping tea from the teacup I brought as a souvenir and nibbling on some yokan, another souvenir from Asakusa.
"The reason we restricted communication with Earth was because we thought it might cause confusion. If people started posting about 'Hey, I’m in another world now!' with photos and videos, it would cause a huge mess."
"That’s… well, yes."
"Also, if it got out that you were the 'dead' person from Earth, it would be a huge problem for your parents. So, that’s why we had to restrict it."
I see... Indeed, if I had just arrived from the other world, I might have tried to contact my parents. I don’t know if they would have believed me, though. A message from their dead son? It would probably have been seen as a prank and ended up in the trash with the sender blocked.
"But things are different now. After your two visits to Earth, there’s no need to worry. And you’re now in a position where you can take responsibility for any problems that arise. So, there’s no issue with you using your phone to contact Earth, but make sure you choose the recipient carefully. If you cause confusion over there, there will be consequences."
Well, that’s only fair.
It’s like getting a driver’s license and gaining the right to drive, but you still have to obey traffic rules.
At least now I can send emails and images to Earth, so even if my parents come here, they can still work. But to do that, they’ll need to digitize their work.
I think Dad was interested in digitalizing his work, so he should be fine with that. But what about Mom?
A lot of digital picture book authors are rising, so I think this might be a good opportunity for her to try it out.
If worse comes to worst, she can scan her illustrations and send them, but... Well, I guess that’s something to discuss with the publisher.
"By the way, speaking of the next group of gods requesting a vacation on your world..."
"Eh!? The next group already!? It's only been a year!"
In this world, the gods are using it as a retreat, and I’m the one managing it. The first batch of gods arrived during my wedding, so it hasn’t even been a year yet. But now, the next group is already requesting to come!?
"No, no, not immediately. I just wanted to start selecting which gods will come next."
"Oh, I see..."
I was surprised. The ten gods that came last time didn’t cause any problems… Well, except for the Glasses God, who might have caused a bit of trouble...
"The gods that are requesting to come include the God of Livestock, God of the Sea, God of Mountains, God of Flight, God of Drifting, God of Clothing, and God of Destruction..."
"No way! The God of Destruction is out!"
I interrupted the World God’s words and shouted. If the God of Destruction comes down here, it’s going to be a disaster! Is this some kind of joke!?
"I figured you’d say that... Well, he did promise not to use divine power while he is on the world..."
"I can’t trust him even a little bit. That guy could easily destroy an entire continent without using divine power!"
"Hmm... Well, yes, that’s true, but you could probably do the same, right?"
The World God’s response made me hesitate. Yeah, I could probably do that if I wanted to… But I don’t want to! That guy is the type to think, "Let’s just destroy it!" at the drop of a hat. Letting him walk around on the world could lead to disasters on a level beyond typhoons or earthquakes.
"Nope, no God of Destruction."
"Alright, understood. But he’ll probably complain."
Even if he complains, I’m not changing my mind. That guy doesn’t have any trust, thanks to his behavior.
Still, I decided to leave a few bottles of the expensive liquor I bought from Earth as a gift. The God of Destruction likes alcohol, so hopefully, this will smooth things over. ...Please don’t say he wants to go to Earth now…
By the way, the God of Flight is also requesting a vacation. I’ve met them before; they were a small god resembling a sparrow. If they’re like that, they should be harmless, so that’s fine.
And the Sea God and Mountain God—weren’t they the bickering couple? Are they going to be all lovey-dovey here? Well, as long as they don’t cause trouble, I’m fine with it.
"Did you enjoy your visit to Earth?"
"Yes. I was able to properly introduce my wife and children to my parents, and we got to see many different places."
The World God nodded happily.
"When I accidentally killed you, I was really in a panic... When I dropped the divine lightning while polishing it, I thought I was done for. I managed to avoid dropping the big one, but a small one slipped through my fingers. I thought, 'What a bad luck for that kid.'"
Wait, wasn’t it your fault that I died…? And I really was accidentally killed, huh…
"I was so flustered that I swapped your body with a fake and brought it here to the Divine Realm to regenerate you. And thus, you ended up being revived as a god..."
"Is that something that happens often?"
"Well, it’s not uncommon for those who achieve great things or are worshiped to become gods. There are gods who were once humans or animals. Your wives are also now close to gods, since they’ve become divine beings."
Oh, that’s… something I should have asked about. What will happen to my wives? I’ve heard from Karen-nee that they’ll be on the same level as angels or spirits…
"Since they are divine beings, they won’t die from old age as long as you’re alive. They’re bound to you for life. In about two thousand years, they will be fully deified, becoming subordinate gods, and eventually, gods themselves. The birth of the Nine Goddesses."
Wait… My wives will eventually become gods... That’s... a lot to process...
"As for the kids..."
"They are divine children, but not children of gods. They’ll live for a long time, but they’ll remain demi-gods. After they die, we could make them your subordinates and deify them."
Huh, it’s strange that my wives can become gods while my kids, who are demi-gods, can't...?
"You swore to live your life with your wives, didn’t you? Do you wish for your children to live their whole lives with you?"
"...No, I don’t wish for that."
I love my kids, but I don’t want them to live my life. They should walk their own path.
Children aren’t possessions. They’ll grow up and leave. That’s natural.
I chose to walk through life with my wives, not my children. I get it now—hence the subordination…
Once my kids finish their human lives, I could go and pick them up. It wouldn’t be bad living with them in the heavens again.
But, then again, they might have their own lives and loved ones. They might not want that...
Ugh... Enough of thinking about far-off futures. It’s pointless.
"When I sent you to this world, I was worried, but... I’m glad it worked out. In the end, you became a god, so everything worked out."
"I’m not so sure about that..."
Honestly, I feel like a lot of disasters happened because I became a god... Did you not conveniently alter the memory to make it look better? What about the Evil God?
"And since you came here, this world has garnered attention from the gods. It will become a lively, spirit-filled world again. Since you’re the one managing it, it must be so."
"Don’t put so much pressure on me..."
Well, managing the world isn’t that hard. I can just observe and intervene only when absolutely necessary... But the real stress comes from the gods descending.
And these dimensional quakes...
"For example, if a demon with horns suddenly appeared in the modern world, and photos of it were spread around... would you believe it?"
"Ah... I probably wouldn't believe it, right? I’d think it’s some prank, a trick with photoshopped images, or maybe just a misunderstanding..."
"Now, what if those images were manipulated by people with power, like the government, to serve their interests?"
"The truth would remain hidden in the shadows..."
Ah, I see. So, even if civilization advances too far, it still wouldn't cause a huge uproar because people might just dismiss it.
It’s like those famous stories—like the Roswell incident or the UMA (Unidentified Mysterious Animals) sightings. I’m not sure what’s true or not, but there are plenty of stories like that.
Melle and the other dominant species of Phrase definitely look like aliens or UMA from any perspective.
Maybe there have been dealings between these dominant species and the government behind the scenes… No, no way. That’s too wild to think about.
"Well, we’ll just have to rely on the spirits to keep an eye out for any anomalies. We need to make sure we can deal with anything quickly if something happens. It’d be best if you kept the divine artifact you created, without sealing it away."
"I’d rather not have to use it..."
Yeah, dealing with Evil Gods or Fallen Gods would be a real headache.
But if things get beyond the control of the people on Earth, I might have to lend out my artifact. I probably can’t use more than 10% of its power, not being a demi-god like the kids.
Hmm, the situation leading to that could be my fault for not keeping a close enough watch. Well, I suppose there’s not much I can do about it.
"Well, this is just part of being a god. I guess I’ve ended up in a pretty tough position."
◇◇◇
When I returned to the castle, dinner was already being prepared. The smell... Is that curry?
Since the kids love it, curry often appears on our dinner table. Well, it’s also because Lu and Arcia seem to compete with each other, constantly making new versions of curry.
Usually, it’s delicious, but sometimes the experiments get a little too creative... Like the blue curry. It was surprising, but still delicious.
Then there was the monster offal curry. I’m not fond of offal, so I passed on that, but even Yae made a weird face. Seems like she wasn’t fond of it either. I wonder what today’s curry will be like…
"Today, we’re having lamb curry!"
Lu declared with confidence.
Lamb, huh. I wonder if this was inspired by the dish we had at the petting farm?
Sure, there are sheep in this world too, but they have a wilder taste compared to Earth’s domesticated sheep.
There are also monster sheep, but I’ve never tasted those. Could it be that Rue’s using that for the curry?
"Itadakimasu!"
I dug my spoon into the curry placed in front of me and took a big piece of meat.
Hmm, it has a bit of a chew to it, but it’s delicious. Honestly, it doesn’t taste much different from the lamb I had on Earth. I feel like it lacks the "sheep!" personality though. If it doesn’t stand out more, it could just be beef or pork.
But hey, it’s still good.
Wait, why is there someone looking a little pale while everyone else is eating happily?
"Ugh... excuse me for a moment..."
Yae said as she pressed her hand to her mouth and rushed toward the washroom.
Did she not like the lamb curry? Was there offal in it?
"Is Yae okay? Wait, Mom?"
Frei murmured, and suddenly, Hilda stood up with a pale face, much like Yae.
"I... I’m sorry, but I also..."
She said, following Yae toward the washroom.
Wait, are Yae and Hilda eating a different curry from everyone else? Did Lu and Arcia make separate batches?
"See? I told you to be more careful with the prep, Arcia..."
"It’s not my fault! My prep was perfect!"
A mother-daughter squabble was suddenly underway.
Sure, I could sense a slight odd smell, but it wasn’t bad enough to cause a huge issue. For some, this might actually become an addictive flavor. It just seems like it didn’t sit well with those two.
As I was thinking about this, I noticed that Lean was giving me an exasperated look. What’s going on?
"Sigh... my husband is really thick-headed, huh..."
"Leen, does this mean...?"
"Eh? No way... really!?"
Lean’s words had Linze reacting, and then Elze joined in. What’s going on?
"Congrats. Both of you probably have babies in your bellies."
"Eh?"
I was stunned by Leen’s words for a moment. Wait, what? Babies? In their bellies?
That means...
As my gaze wandered, I saw Yakumo and Frei both wearing awkward expressions and giving shy smiles.
Yakumo and Frei are the same age. Yakumo was born a few months earlier, if I remember correctly.
"I had a feeling this time of year, but..."
"I never thought I’d be seeing a scene like this."
Yakumo and Frei had apparently predicted this based on their birthdates. They’d probably kept quiet about it because of Grandma Tokie’s instructions.
...So it’s really happening. I’m going to be a father again. It’s funny how a warm feeling is slowly growing inside me.
"Anyway, this is a happy occasion! Right, Touya!"
"...Yeah, that’s right."
As I looked at the kids, I felt the bright future ahead of me. The day when I’ll meet them won’t be too far away.
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