The battle with God has finally concluded.
“…Haa.”
A sigh of relief escaped my lips. After all, I had fought a god. It was natural to feel tense and on edge.
I didn’t feel particularly exhausted, but I still felt tired. My body, which had been put through so much in this battle, was far from unharmed, but considering the ferocity of the fight, I was fortunate to have sustained only relatively minor damage. As I checked my body, ensuring nothing was broken or torn, I thought about how I wouldn’t have to worry Sueira and the others. This also meant that my aversion to fighting had largely diminished. I could accept it, thinking, “So this is how it is.” I could dismiss it as a consequence of the environment.
Furthermore, I didn’t question why I had to fight such a pointless battle in the face of this fatigue. Based on my experience, these sudden combat situations often involved some kind of test. I figured it was probably a demonstration to appease someone who disliked me, maybe.
My confidence was gradually fading. But yes, if I didn’t find ways to rationalize it and prepare myself, I wouldn’t be able to work in a demon army where they’d attack just because you made eye contact. Sighing a little as if I had been stained as well, I chided my mind, which was leaning towards escapism, and turned a accusatory gaze towards someone who seemed to know the circumstances.
I dissolved the Pile Regret I had deployed into magic and returned it to its harmless state. Taking a step back, I directed my gaze towards the demon who likely knew.
“You can explain, can’t you, Instructor?”
I thought my voice was quite low, even to my own ears. It wasn’t just irritation or anger, but a clear sense of dissatisfaction. I had been brought here without knowing the reason and was forced to fight a god. It was understandable to show some emotion. I believed we had built a… close enough relationship. I regretted glaring at him with a stony expression, but what was done was done. I decided to continue my accusatory gaze.
“Hah! I’d like to say yes, but unfortunately, I was only following the General’s orders this time. I don’t know the details!”
As I expected, the demon instructor, who didn’t seem bothered by my attitude, flatly declared his lack of involvement. A sliver of doubt, “Could that be true?” crossed my mind, but unlike Instructor Fushio, I couldn’t imagine Instructor Kio telling such a pointless lie. He was the type to say something like, “If you want to know, defeat me,” if he were trying to hide something. The fact that he wasn’t displaying the kind of response that would exasperate even the protagonist of a battle manga made his words believable.
“Then, uhm…”
If the instructor didn’t know, I had no choice but to ask the other party. However, as I was about to pose my question, I realized the other party was a god. For a moment, I hesitated on how to address them, and in that instant, I also realized I wasn’t sure if I could just casually converse with them, and I became speechless.
“I forgive you, child of man. You may speak directly. Please, inquire of me!!”
I thought, “What was with that perverted greeting earlier?” as a friendly response came back. In fact, they seemed so eager to communicate that they were practically a talkative person starved for interaction. Could we actually have a normal conversation?
“Ask me anything! If you prefer lolis, or rather, all are to my liking, but preferred shotas… are all also to my liking? Ah, if it’s a question about my tastes and preferences, I welcome it! Well, I suppose I can answer other questions too.”
“Uhm…”
After displaying such an attitude, their mask crumbled in an instant, revealing their true preferences. The jarring contrast with their initial demeanor left me bewildered. “What should I do?” I looked to the instructor for help.
“Hey, young lady, are you done over there? I’m finished on this side, so let’s duel.”
“Yay! Yaml! Yaml! Put up a barrier, put up a barrier!”
“Got it~”
It seemed the ship had already set sail. They were happily playing with the young girls, a sight that wasn’t entirely unlike a father playing with his children on a holiday, but in reality, the scene was much more chaotic. One was a young girl wielding a straight sword with a smile, and the other was a demon with a weaponized face that would make even a yakuza member flee. I couldn’t help but wonder what kind of combination this was, and the content of their play was definitely not something to emulate. However, they seemed to be enjoying themselves, leaving no room for me to interject.
I wished I could join them. As much as I wanted to escape reality again, the corporate slave in me was disheartening. The thought of abandoning my work was gone, and I had to honestly face the current situation… or rather, albeit reluctantly, face reality.
“…”
I couldn’t escape from God. If I had to face that cruel reality…
“Come now! Let’s discuss the wonders of toddlers together!”
I wished I had at least been taught how to handle this god. Before I knew it, I had gone from asking questions to being drawn into a discussion. Did this god really want to talk about toddlers that much? I wished someone would provide me with a manual for dealing with this over-enthusiastic god who wanted to discuss toddlers.
As the instructors shifted their gazes, and my eyes met those of Sister Sanari, who was inhabited by a god, this was the result. Honestly, I couldn’t help but wonder if we weren’t just fighting moments ago. But, “Calm down, me. Be rational. The opponent is a god. A being beyond human comprehension. I can’t handle them if I try to measure them by my own common sense. I should just think of them as… this kind of creature. It was the same at my previous company. That boss was a creature who could only assign unreasonable tasks. If I thought of him that way, I could accept it, couldn’t I? Then this god should be the same. Gods are creatures who impose impossible demands… What a terrible creature. No, no. My thoughts are going in the wrong direction.”
I managed to pull myself back from returning to my past corporate slave self and looked at the god again. The way they looked at me with shining eyes, as if beckoning, was in a way pure and innocent. There was no trace that they had just been fighting seriously, and perhaps for a god, being able to engage in such conversations was normal. We weren’t trying to kill each other. It was more of a “oh well” kind of vibe. Normally, this would leave me with lingering resentment, but Instructor Kio was an example of someone who could move past it. Perhaps it was a prevailing attitude. If so, I should communicate without hesitation.
“Um, Luina-sama?”
“Ah! The Moon God, friend of all toddlers. I am the god Luina!!”
However, I immediately understood that conversing with this deity would be difficult. Does this god need to include the word “toddler” in everything they say? Will they die if they don’t use that word? I had a feeling that all our conversations would end up being filled with the word “toddler.” I decided to be careful about that and steer the direction of the conversation. For now, addressing them with “-sama” seemed safe. But compared to that Sun God, their aura was quite different. The Sun God, the embodiment of arrogance. The Moon God, the embodiment of perversion. …Calmly comparing them, I felt I glimpsed why Valse-san disliked them. If I were presented with these two choices when choosing a deity to worship, I would undoubtedly become an atheist. I was confident that even if forced to choose one, I would agonize over it for more than an hour. It was a troublesome situation, as both outwardly maintained the world’s order.
“Anyway, first, I’d like to ask.”
“Ah! Ask away!! If you ask whether I prefer lolis or shotas, the answer is both!”
Putting aside those unnecessary thoughts, I decided to get to the main point. Talking about toddlers was giving me a headache for my mental health, so I’d ignore it.
“Why did I end up fighting you? At least, I can’t think of any reason why I would fight you.”
It was a safe question, and in a way, it was what I wanted to know the most. Fighting was fine. It was probably unavoidable. But I wanted to at least know the circumstances that led to the fight.
“? What are you talking about? Haven’t you heard from Insigne?”
“Insigne? …Are you referring to the President?”
“President? He is the Demon Lord, not some ‘President’.”
“Ah, no, I mean, the Demon Lord.”
The word “President” is only understood in Japan. I thought a god would naturally know it, but perhaps such information doesn’t reach them if it’s a different world. Hurriedly correcting myself, I observed their expression. The innocent, childlike expression with a blank look gave the impression that they truly didn’t know. While it’s an everyday term within the company, it might not exist in other worlds. I realized I might need to adjust my conversation to account for such discrepancies. If they were doing this intentionally, they were quite the strategist, but I had a bad feeling about digging into that, so I decided to ignore it too.
“So, at least, I haven’t heard from the Demon Lord that I would be fighting you. I was suddenly brought here today and fought without any explanation.”
“…I see. Then it can’t be helped. Allow me to explain the circumstances.”
“Please do.”
The god Luina, who had been prattling on about toddlers, seemed to be serious when it mattered. Without pondering where to begin, they started to speak.
“Well, he asked me to assess if there was a human capable of inheriting my Divine Beast, so I thought it would be troublesome to postpone it. That’s when I remembered that it was the day I usually take care of my Divine Beast. So, I asked Raidou to act as my intermediary. That’s all.”
“Troublesome? That was the reason…?”
However, the content was undeniably harsh. Or perhaps, for a god who maintained the world, this was normal? It wasn’t that they were disregarding me as an individual, but more like they were handling a task efficiently. Not swayed by emotion, but simply processing it in a detached, business-like manner. The thought that they were testing me as a side task was purely my subjective interpretation; from God Luina’s perspective, they were simply completing a requested task with minimal effort. But then why choose to fight? Wouldn’t there have been more amicable methods, like an interview or a document check? I wanted to ask, but without posing the question.
“Well, it’s fine, though.”
I understood. This was that kind of company. To understand people, you start by fighting. A company where the first test is combat is normal. Why complain now? If I kept saying such things, I wouldn’t last in this company. More importantly, I shouldn’t miss the crucial information that had just been revealed.
“More importantly, you mentioned giving me a Divine Beast.”
“It’s not confirmed yet. I fought you solely to determine if you have the potential to control a Divine Beast. A Divine Beast will not obey the weak in body and mind. If you cannot demonstrate that potential, I will not entrust it to you.”
The being at the center of the Dungeon Core was an unknown creature called a Divine Beast. By its nature, it was undoubtedly excellent in terms of combat power. The fact that there was talk of entrusting it to me was news to me. And was this a preparatory step for me to attain the rank of General?
“Furthermore, Insigne was concerned about signs of discord. It’s probably in preparation to counter that.”
“Preparation for signs of discord??”
“My foolish older brother.”
I had been struggling to connect the dots, but suddenly it made sense. Instructor Fushio and Instructor Kio had also expressed a bad feeling. And now, the President, and then a god, predicting a turbulent future. God Luina, in particular, realized that their own brother, Isaliza, was plotting something.
“I have no idea what he’s planning, but I doubt he’ll remain silent after the hero was sent and repelled the other day.”
“This is serious,” a trickle of cold sweat ran down my cheek. Should I be happy to be counted as one of the forces to counter this, or should I lament it? The fact that I didn’t know what would happen was the most problematic part.
“There is a period of grace. However, there is no guarantee of infinite grace. Child of man, who is beginning to break free from humanity. If you wish to fulfill your life, do not neglect your efforts.”
“Yes.”
But panicking wouldn’t help. I had to do what I could now. It’s not that I don’t have time. The fact that the President and the instructors aren’t panicking is the best proof.
“And, child of man.”
“Yes.”
“You seem to have some familiarity with a god in the form of a toddler, don’t you?”
“…”
Thanks to the god, who couldn’t maintain the serious mood, I felt that things were still manageable, and I found myself debating whether I should introduce Mimamori-sama.
Today’s word:
Isn’t “I wish this weren’t the case” a form of individuality in a way?
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*The first volume has been published by Hayakawa Bunko JA.
It was released on October 18, 2018.
The e-book version was released on October 31 of the same year.
Volume 2 was released on December 19.
The third volume was released on February 20, 2019.
The content has been revised and expanded from the version posted on Shōsetsuka ni Narō, with the addition of unpublished interlude chapters.
Please consider purchasing the new releases as well!
Thank you for your continued support of this work.
