We returned to Pars, leaving the Elf Village behind. We were blessed by the townspeople once again on our way to the mansion, feeling like we were in a light triumphant parade. Adventurer friends patted our backs, Guild Master Mist discussed the three bags with me, Claire treated us to a delicious lunch, and even at home, Ellie and Ryuka welcomed us with home cooking. My stomach is already full…
It’s hard to believe, but several days have passed since that joyous return. Trisen and Delamis seem to be giving us consideration, as there have been no summons, and our peaceful married life in Pars continues leisurely. Normally, I would have gone out to battle by now, but I was truly satisfied by the events of the past week. For now, I want to stay close to my family.
“I’m ready. Come on, let’s go.”
“…”
Just as I was feeling this fatherly affection awaken, Kelvum suddenly arrived at the mansion and said that. “Hey, isn’t that a bit too early?” Well, it is late at night, so time-wise it’s very late. I just finished comforting Lalanua through her night crying. What if she starts crying again when she sees your face?
“…I have a lot I want to say, but first, please wait in the guest room. I’ll put Lalanua to bed.”
“Hurry up. Come on, run.”
“I’m gonna kill you. I’m holding our precious, adorable angel (super quiet whisper).”
A surge of genuine killing intent welled up, but to avoid disturbing Lalanua’s sleep, I kept my voice to the minimum volume, suppressed my presence completely, and headed to the bed at a safe speed. Goodness, Lalanua is incredibly cute even when she’s asleep. She’s definitely going to become a pure idol in the future, isn’t she! Oh, Ellie, are you watching this princess? Yes, that’s right. I need to handle a sudden visitor. Efil will be joining us, so I’ll leave it to you. Well then!
“—Alright, sorry to keep you waiting.”
“Hey, your expression is way too relaxed.”
“Huh?”
“Master, the mirror, the mirror~”
Damn, the lingering cuteness of Lalanua must have affected me. I corrected my expression with the mirror Ryuka brought and managed to return it to normal. Phew, that was close. My face was about to get stuck in a blissful grin. As I was recovering from the Lalanua shock, the others, who had already entered sleep mode, started gathering in the guest room. Hmm, Sera seems a bit grumpy.
“Fuuu~… Why are you coming at this hour~? I was just in my dream? And I was about to catch a big one. That bite, it was definitely a new record!”
“What are you talking about?”
I think she’s talking about a dream where she caught a huge fish. But now, more importantly…
“So, is it true that you’re ready? When I heard before, you said you didn’t know when it would be, but this is pretty fast.”
“As I said? It depends on Adams. Since fighting you, Adams’ ambition has become even more tremendous. He’s actively learning skills he never possessed before, and every day is filled with a sense of fulfillment. Therefore, opening the door to the Divine Realm will also be relatively faster. And this is the result.”
“I kind of imagined it would happen, but it’s gotten that amazing. Fufu, I’m looking forward to our next sparring match.”
“Adams said the exact same thing. However, such a perfectly in-form Adams has also created an inconvenience. Initially, the plan was to make a request through the Adventurer Guild, but to act as quickly as possible, I came to inform you directly.”
“I see. So, what is this inconvenience?”
“…It’s likely that our revival, Adams’ and ours, has been discovered by Eva.”
“Hoh.”
Let’s see. The operation and management of this world are entirely entrusted to the Reincarnated Goddess, and the other gods don’t know about the situation here yet, right? The Reincarnated Goddess is periodically replaced, so she won’t become lazy. Okay, all right! That’s how it was supposed to be. It’s a super important place where an Evil God is sealed, so manage it more strictly! I thought to myself, but…
“Why was it revealed? Was it because it was time for the Reincarnated Goddess to be replaced by Gordiana, and she just came to check on things?”
“No, I confirmed with Gordiana herself, and they don’t have such a habit now.”
“Seriously…?”
Incidentally, the current Reincarnated Goddess, Gordiana, also questions the current state of the gods and will be participating in this expedition. However, her decision on whether to become an ally is still pending, and she decided to wait until she confirms the current situation of the other gods before deciding which side to join. It’s amazing that Gordiana declares neutrality and yet intends to participate in the expedition, and it’s very Adams of him to fully permit it. … Hmm, does this mean I might be able to fight Gordiana too, depending on the circumstances?
“Hey, Kelvin? What are you zoning out about? Are you listening to me?”
“Ah, yeah, I’m listening, I’m listening. So, what was the reason it was revealed in the end?”
“I told you earlier. Adams, in his perfect condition, caused an inconvenience.”
“Uh, so?”
“…Adams and Eva were originally the same being. You already know this, right?”
“Yeah, he told me himself during our fight. He split into two personalities because he wanted someone to talk to, right?”
“That’s right. And because they are originally the same being, the presence within them has almost the same disposition. Adams used this nature to try to pinpoint Eva’s location by searching for a presence similar to his own. The distance and direction were unknown, but for Adams, that was not impossible.”
“I see, so that’s why it depended on Adams.”
The location is unknown, but the appearance is clear. It’s like searching for a star with an ultra-high-performance telescope, isn’t it? It would take time, but it’s plausible that Adams could do it.
“As I said earlier, Adams is in better condition than ever before. That’s why he succeeded in pinpointing Eva’s location early… but at the same time, it became an opportunity for Eva to know about Adams’ current state.”
“Whoa, whoa, how did that happen? Did you get counter-traced or something?”
“Well, it’s something like that. Adams’ condition was too good, and for some reason, it spread to Eva as well. It’s like we discovered each other simultaneously.”
“Wha…?!”
How can that be? N-no, I remember Sera mentioning some trivia once that identical twins have telepathy… If that’s possible for twins, it’s not strange if Adams and Eva, who are originally the same being, could connect even more closely… right?
“…Well, whatever the reason, it’s certain that Adams’ revival was revealed to them. And we need to attack before they’re fully prepared, is that right?”
“That’s right. Fortunately, the moment we discovered it, Adams opened the path to the Divine Realm. That dark aura, ‘The Man Who Grabs Illusions,’ wasn’t it? That’s tremendous. It normally takes a lot of effort to create a path to the Divine Realm, but with just the pressure of Adams’ fist, that path was formed. Kuku, thanks to that, it looks like we can still make it in time for a surprise attack. This way, we can preemptively exterminate those false gods who are only numerous…!”
So, that’s how the dark Gordia can be used. However, it’s gratifying that the fun has arrived early. Everyone is still groggy and their spirits are a bit low, but my heart is dancing— Wait, hold on? If the path to the so-called Divine Realm has opened, that means we can go there, but they can also come here, right? Isn’t there a possibility that they might attack from here too?
