The fact that the God worshipped by the Demon Lord’s Army has a penchant for children quieted our dinner table, leaving only the innocent voices of my daughters echoing in the space.
“…You’re joking, right?”
I almost retreated into denial, but I pulled myself together and faced reality. Evia often made jokes, but I never imagined she would say something this absurd. Thus, a dry laugh escaped my lips.
“Unfortunately, it’s the truth.”
My heart wished it were a lie. However, no genuine laughter followed. To crush that wish decisively, Evia stated it as fact with a heavy sigh. She shook her head, and her words, “I understand you don’t want to admit it,” only added to its truthfulness. Stories you don’t want to accept are often just like this.
“Seriously, ever since I joined this company, I’ve never lacked for astonishing stories.”
Because of that, I had to accept it, but also find some humor in it. Although I wasn’t religious, the fact that Evia and the others’ God had a penchant for children was hard to dismiss.
Perhaps only Himik, who served a different God, was unsurprised and accepting. No, seeing that she didn’t react to the phrase “penchant for children” at all, it almost made me wonder if such tastes were commonplace in the heavens.
“Oh, is that so? Well, I think it’s a better hobby than the Sun God’s. But, it’s probably not something to discuss during a meal.”
Rather, I wanted to ask what kind of hobbies were more “normal” if a penchant for children was common. But I feared that if I heard the answer, the fact that even the Gods in this world weren’t normal would become common knowledge for me. I felt relieved that she cut it short there.
“True, and besides, so what if God has a penchant for children? If I get involved, I just need to be mindful of that aspect.”
“Yes. I’m not a young girl, after all.”
“In Memoria’s case, it’s more like a girl.”
“I can only blame my mother’s genes for this.”
Memoria’s playful pouting lightened the mood a little. I thought the shocking topic of the God’s sexual preferences had ended there. After that, we moved on to casual conversation, avoiding the subject. We then went to our bedrooms, and the day ended.
When I woke up, Evia, who had been sleeping next to me last night, was gone, leaving a single empty space. Without bothering about it, I went to the kitchen, assuming they would wake me if needed, and found Himik already preparing breakfast.
“Good morning, has Evia left already?”
“Ah, good morning Giro. She left right after I woke up.”
“No wonder it was cold in the futhi n.”
“Fufu, it’s my turn tonight. I’ll warm you with my wings.”
“I’m looking forward to it.”
After exchanging morning greetings, we waited for the freshly prepared breakfast. Himik, with her lustrous, jet-black wings swaying without shedding a single feather, told me seductively that she would warm me tonight. In her hands was the breakfast that had been completed.
“Before that, please eat this and do your best at work today.”
“Ah, I will.”
As I ate the breakfast I never would have eaten when living alone, Suella and Memoria appeared, each cradling Yukiera.
“Good morning.”
“…Good morning.”
Unlike Suella, who was wide awake, Memoria was still groggy-eyed, but she held the child securely.
“Ah, good morning to you both.”
“Suella, Memoria, good morning! Breakfast will be ready soon!”
As we welcomed the two, breakfast resumed. Such peaceful everyday life can be easily shattered. Knowing that, I wanted to cherish even these brief moments, but the time for relaxation passed by in an instant. We ate breakfast while chatting, and after drinking coffee, our departure time for work was fast approaching.
“Is it that time already? Suella, Memoria, Himik. I’m heading out.”
“Ah, have a good day!”
“Be careful.”
“Please come to the store later.”
After exchanging hugs and cheek kisses, a Western-style greeting, I left the house. While walking to work, I mentally reviewed my schedule for the day. But…
“?”
I immediately noticed something was off. Beyond the connecting passage from the dorm to the company. It was a time when I should have passed by employees who had already arrived at work. Yet, there wasn’t a single person. No, there was someone.
“…”
A girl, simply standing there. Her height made her seem even younger than a girl. She wore a white robe, her hood pulled so deep that her face was hidden, and no expression could be gleaned from within. However, I could sense malicious intent. Despite her small stature, she clutched a straight sword in one hand. It was an unnecessarily dangerous item for someone coming to talk.
There was no atmosphere for exchanging “good mornings.” This wasn’t a random act of violence. The target was me.
“Show me the power to repel the Sun God!!”
A youthful voice echoed from beneath the hood. However, the tone sounded like Chuunibyou, despite its youth.
“!”
But there was no hesitation in her subsequent action. Unsparingly, without holding back. Not considering that we were indoors, she skidded the tip of her sword on the floor and sprinted.
As soon as I sensed her intent to attack, my consciousness shifted, and my body reacted quickly. I’m used to fighting against small beings with goblins, but goblins generally prefer fighting as a coordinated unit. They are cowardly, cautious, and ferocious. Hence their group tactics, but the attacker before me was fighting as an individual.
“Fast.”
A combat style prioritizing speed, taking into account her small physique. Her attack judgment, recognizing that I was unarmed, displayed her grasp of distance. Aiming for my legs to nullify the height difference showed a lack of mercy. But.
“I see, you can dodge attacks of this level!”
I instinctively leaped backward, dodging the slash aimed at my knees. Before she could pursue, I reached out to the space beside me.
“Partner!”
“Yeah!”
Valse-san’s contracted bonus, the otherworld storage. From a space with abundant magic power, I could summon it without an incantation. Grasping the hilt, I drew it out with a single slash, without hesitation.
“Whoa!! Cool!! Not that!! You have a good weapon!! But! I’ll test if you have the skill to match that weapon!!”
For a moment, she seemed impressed by my movement, but shaking her head, she spoke the words that seemed like she was reading from a script. I had no room for doubt about who this attacker was. Or rather, there was no concrete evidence.
“Prepare yourself!!”
Her courageous posture, challenging me head-on. Her sword radiated a power that, judging by her appearance, seemed considerable. Among the testers in my department, even a newcomer would be no match for her. Kaido and the others would lose if they let their guard down. She possessed that level of skill. Ultimately, even considering the possibility that she wasn’t going all out, the chances of defeat were slim for me. However, I didn’t understand why this place alone could be cleared of people.
“What’s wrong! Is this all you’ve got!!”
While casually evading the girl who was desperately swinging her sword, I searched for the presence of Evia, the master of this Dungeon, just in case, but she seemed to be nowhere around. In fact, it felt as if this space was isolated.
“Hey.”
“What! It’s rude to exchange words in the middle of a fight!!”
“No…”
It’s fine to play with a child, but I have work to do. If this continues, I’ll miss my work hours and be marked as late. So, I can’t afford to be drawn out for too long.
“I’m going to get a little serious.”
Thinking it a bit childish to do so against a child.
“Don’t cry, okay?”
“Huh?”
This is the best way to subdue her without injuring her, I thought as I deflected the girl’s sword once with the Ore Tree. After making her lose her balance, I instantly moved the Ore Tree horizontally and took a step forward. A horizontal slash. And I severed the object above that slash, along with space itself.
“There, I win. Come back when you’ve improved a bit more, little lady.”
With the sound of something shattering, the silence vanished, and the noisy everyday life returned.
“Eh? Eh? Why!? The barrier!? Yaml! Yaml!”
The girl before me began to panic at the sudden change, and then looked around for someone. For an attacker, her methods were clumsy. Moreover, I couldn’t think of any reason why I would be attacked. I scoured my mind, wondering if I had made an enemy somewhere, but found nothing. However, I had an idea of the girl’s affiliation thanks to her earlier statement.
As the girl frantically looked around, a shadow approached, raising a crying voice. I didn’t interfere and watched silently. Another small figure ran up, their footsteps echoing, fitting their small stature.
“Saml~ My pendant, my pendant broke~”
“Eh!?”
From the voice, which sounded similar, it was likely that this girl was also from the same organization. The pendant in the hand of the girl, who appeared dragging a long staff unbefitting her body, had its central jewel-like part shattered.
“What do we do, what do we do? Sister will be angry~”
“It’s… it’s okay. She’ll forgive you if you apologize properly… probably.”
The words that came from the two flustered girls. The word “Sister” made their affiliation clear. Despite having just fought, I was now out of the loop.
“Partner, what should I do?”
“Don’t know.”
It was entirely my fault for breaking the barrier that the two before me were in trouble, but if they were left unattended like this, I wouldn’t know how to deal with them.
“Hey~ You two from the Temple. I don’t think attacking and then ignoring is a good idea.”
So I decided to call out to them.
“Shut up, idiot! We’re busy right now!!”
But this is what you call being rebuffed. The two before me, caught in a state of confusion, had already stopped caring about me. They were desperately trying to fix the broken pendant.
“Partner.”
“What is it?”
“Do you think our daughters will go through such a rebellious phase in the future?”
“Don’t know. I am a sword.”
Seeing them, I worried if my daughters would also start saying they hated their father. Who was it that said that in a certain industry, verbally abusing young girls was a reward? I was simply shocked.
“F-for now, try gathering the fragments and sticking them with glue.”
“The fragments turned to dust and disappeared, so it’s impossible~”
“Gah! Magic! If you infuse it with magic, it might work!!”
“How~?”
“With willpower!”
“It’s impossible~”
One is crying, and the other is frantic. A seemingly incompatible combination. I, becoming calmer, began to think about what I should do.
“…”
After a moment of deep thought.
“Haaai, what is it so early in the morning, Jiro-kun. I’m sleep-deprived because of your research.”
“Sorry to bother you in the morning, Keiri-san.”
From her voice, which carried a hint of sleepiness, I guessed she hadn’t arrived at work yet. It’s almost time to start work, but is she okay? I wondered, but I was in the same boat, so I got straight to the point.
“Does our company have a lost and found for stray children?”
“Haa?”
I expected Keiri-san to respond with confusion to my question about our company’s facilities. And then, I heard her scream from the other end of the telepathic call as she looked at the clock.
Today’s word:
When dealing with children, don’t panic.
Thank you for your continued feedback and for pointing out any typos.
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*The first volume of the novel 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 two 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 intermissions.
Please consider purchasing the new releases as well!!
I look forward to your continued support for this work.
