All around, there was nothing but sea. Looking into the distance, Japan was barely visible. If the weather was bad, it was so incredibly empty that you wouldn’t know where anything was.
I arrogantly thought that if I just sailed in a certain direction, I would get there, but it was so empty that I nearly got shipwrecked.
On the contrary, I felt like I should praise them for how incredibly empty it was.
“Yeah, it’s remarkably empty,” I muttered.
I doubted if an island could actually be made here.
“That’s probably true. It would be more troublesome if there *was* something here. But even we are having doubts about whether we can actually create an island here. Do you have any information you can share about that?” Kirie asked.
“Well, I suppose the only thing I can say is that the Demon Lord’s Army can create more than one or two islands,” I replied.
I had come for an inspection, but the scene was completely devoid of land, unlike what I was used to. While answering Kirie’s question, I received the attaché case Keiri had been holding in order to accomplish the purpose of our visit.
“I suppose it’s about this thing we’re about to sink.”
“What is that?”
I entered the passcode and unlocked it. With a light click, the attaché case opened, revealing its contents. It looked like a dropper.
It was clearly not a dropper, despite its dropper-like shape, due to the metal used in various parts and the transparent blue jewel-like object in the center.
Kirie, seeing it for the first time, of course had no idea what it was.
“It’s an anchor. You could also call it a marker. It’s a magic tool for setting coordinates to create a transfer gate here, where we’re building an island.”
Having been explained beforehand, I began preparations to activate it, calmly explaining what I could.
“Is it alright to talk about that? From what I hear, it seems like quite an advanced technology. Since there are no guards here, if someone were to come and retrieve it, it would be a big problem.”
Objects that use magic power are undoubtedly valuable technology in this world. Leaving such a thing unsecured in the middle of the sea might indeed be dangerous.
“It’s fine. It has safety features, and in emergencies, it’s designed to self-destruct and turn into a mere rock or piece of metal.”
“I see. Speaking of which, is it alright to ask about the safety features? I’d prefer to avoid any accidental damage to the surrounding area.”
“We’re not so naive as to incorporate a function that would indiscriminately attack everything. The Demon Lord’s Army isn’t that foolish.”
As I poured magic power into the magic tool, which began to glow faintly, I pushed forward with the preparations with Keiri’s assistance, leaving Kirie to gaze at it with interest.
I confirmed the connection of both the main and sub magic stones and checked that the mechanism was operating normally to maintain the designated time.
Then, I checked if the safety device, which Kirie was worried about, was functioning correctly.
“Huh? It disappeared.”
“It hasn’t actually disappeared.”
Kirie’s eyes widened as the magic tool vanished with a sudden disappearance when that function was activated. I beckoned Kirie over and pointed to the area near where I was placing my hand, gesturing for her to touch it. Kirie crouched beside me and cautiously reached out.
“It’s here. How does this mechanism work?”
Kirie was impressed by the fact that it was still physically tangible. Although I called it a safety device, its function was akin to optical camouflage.
It would be extremely difficult to find an object of the same color floating in the sea. Metal detectors are almost useless at sea, and it emits no heat, nor does it emit any radio waves.
“That’s a corporate secret.”
It would be nearly impossible to find an object that fits into a simple attaché case in this vast ocean. And, though I didn’t tell Kirie, while it normally floats on the surface, if anyone approaches it, it will rapidly submerge and hide itself.
Of course, if someone searched the entire area with a net, like in fishing, they might catch something. But even then, there’s no need to worry.
It’s designed to compress its body and evade nets, allowing it to pass through them. In fact, its smallest unit is the size of a water flea. It can pass through any net unless it’s extremely fine.
Even then, if it fails, it’s set to self-destruct, a double or triple security system.
“Alright, now I just have to throw this in.”
By then, the magic tool was ready, and I took it out onto the deck. I then threw it in, and the magic tool immediately camouflaged itself with the sea, disappearing from sight in an instant. I could tell it was there by the faint residual magic power, but its camouflage was so perfect that it was invisible to the naked eye.
“I really can’t tell where it is. It’s not sinking, is it?”
“Yes, it’s still floating for now. Once we leave, it will stay here until we return.”
It’s equipped with a device to prevent it from being washed away by waves or damaged by fish, so there’s no need to worry about the magic tool disappearing from here.
“Well, now that my part is done, the rest is…”
If I could just head back, that would be fine, but I looked at the doll on Kirie’s shoulder and judged that wouldn’t be possible.
“Unless you have any requests from your side, god, I’d like to head back now?”
The god had remained silent until now, merely observing. It’s said that touching a god invites misfortune, but a god that only watches is terrifying. I thought it odd that there was nothing but silence, so I asked.
“Hahaha! How thoughtful! That’s excellent! I shall bestow a perfect score upon you!!”
A voice I recognized came from the doll. It was the voice of God, nostalgic and unexpected. Mimamori-sama.
“It’s been a while.”
“Ah! It’s good to see you’re doing well! Though, you seem to have deviated from human norms more than a little… but even so, it’s good to be healthy!”
After exchanging greetings, a cheerful conversation began. The next topic was what he wanted…
“Don’t be so wary! I have no intention of hindering you! I’ve only manifested here to ask a small favor.”
“If that’s the case, you could have just passed on a message. Why did you have to create a clone and come with us?”
It’s understandable why I would be wary of a “small favor” from a god. A god’s “small” is a human’s “difficult.” The scale is different just because the measuring tool is different. The fact that he didn’t ask Kirie to deliver a message didn’t bode well.
“Unfortunately, I am a busy person, so I must preface this by saying I don’t know if I can accept it.”
“That’s fine! Even so, I can say with certainty that you will not refuse this request!”
Adding to that, it was a request that I couldn’t refuse, so my negative premonition snowballed. A wry smile threatened to form due to the internal conflict between not wanting to hear it and the intuition that I *had* to hear it, but I managed to compose myself and grin.
“I will listen.”
I adopted a posture of preparedness.
“Umu!”
Still, it must be difficult to maintain dignity with a doll. The doll serving as a vessel was, by all appearances, a handmade stuffed toy. It placed a hand on its hip to puff out its chest on Kirie’s shoulder, but I wondered if it didn’t realize that this actually diminished the tension.
“Let me state the request first! Jiro Tanaka, I want you to arrange a matchmaking!”
“Haa, a matchmaking… A matchmaking!?”
I had been wary of what the doll would say, but it began by asking me to arrange a matchmaking.
“That’s right! As for marriage with you, it would likely lead to marital troubles, so I’d rather you establish connections with someone related to you by arranging a matchmaking!”
“Mimamori-sama! That…”
This seemed to be news to Kirie, who tried to admonish him.
“Kirie, I’ve noticed the increased activity of mysterious organizations in various countries. While we are currently leading the movement, it’s only a matter of time before that changes. Therefore, we need to act now to gain even a slight advantage.”
“But that would create friction with the Japanese government.”
“With that in mind, I will select the candidates myself. Don’t worry, I won’t provide any incompetent individuals.”
It seems the Association has its own struggles.
“Please wait a moment. We have no benefit in accepting this. By becoming involved, we risk breaking the delicate balance with this world. I cannot accept that proposal.”
As a general, or as a member of the Demon Lord’s Army, Mimamori-sama’s proposal was difficult to accept. Strengthening ties with Japan. In a sense, it was essential, but there was no need to do so at the risk of disrupting the balance. Therefore, I refused the offer. I predicted that even if I brought it back to the company, they would likely refuse. Keiri, too, would naturally refuse.
“Hahaha! Your response was as expected, and Kirie’s intervention was also as expected!! Did you think I wouldn’t anticipate such a response?!”
However, I couldn’t believe Mimamori-sama’s next words, where he stated with certainty that he had anticipated such a conversation.
“In the past, there have been an increasing number of cases where souls from other worlds are brought into this one through summoning. We gods are also troubled by this problem, and as a solution, we plan to cooperate with the gods of your world to contain these summonings. Specifically, we intend to strengthen our response to summonings from other worlds by collaborating with the mysterious organizations of each country.”
Summoning from another world. I myself had witnessed it several times, and Mimamori-sama said they would respond to it.
“Your organization would also benefit from fewer troublesome beings being summoned from other worlds, wouldn’t you?”
At the same time, he was aware that Earthlings summoned from other worlds and empowered could cause significant damage to the Demon Lord’s Army. If he brought that up, I absolutely could not refuse the offer here and now.
“Therefore, to deepen our relationship, we want you to arrange a matchmaking session. The reason Japan is first is to get a head start and seize the advantageous position of matchmaker. We will handle the coordination with the rest of the world afterward, so your burden will be arranging the matchmaking partners.”
And in the moment of hesitation, Mimamori-sama pressed on. The card Mimamori-sama could play was the condition of reducing the number of summoned heroes or sending envoys who could persuade summoned heroes. If someone were forcibly summoned and, with no one to turn to, was subjected to brainwashing, there would be a possibility of bringing them back without a fight. The ability to reduce enemy strength without fighting would be a significant factor. In exchange for that condition, they wanted us to deepen our interaction with our world by arranging a matchmaking session and forging marital ties. Japan, as the pioneer, would aim for the position of mediator thereafter. This would increase their influence over organizations worldwide.
“…I cannot make a decision on my own, so may I take this proposal back to the company?”
“By all means.”
I couldn’t refuse. It was frustrating that his declaration had come true, but it couldn’t be helped. Having learned negotiation tactics from Evia, I expected to be lectured when I returned, and I looked at Mimamori-sama’s face, likely wearing a smug expression.
Today’s word:
Seeing is believing, and that’s true.
Thank you for your continued feedback and reports of typos.
If you enjoyed this, please leave a review, rating, or bookmark.
I am currently serializing another work:
“Pandora Pandemic Panic” – The box of Pandora has been opened again, but we’re fighting back with various things in our secret base!!
Please check that one out as well!!
