“You mentioned the Sea Orb Common Language earlier, didn’t you? Does that mean this world is indeed the Sea Orb?”
“That’s correct.”
Mako once again wrote characters on the ground, this time using Kanji to write “Sea Orb.”
“The Sky Orb Helios is about the sky, while the Sea Orb is about the sea. Does that mean the world of the Sea Orb has a vast ocean?”
“Yes. The Sea Orb is mostly ocean, with land said to make up less than ten percent.”
That truly is a world of the sea, fitting of the name Sea Orb.
“Is the sea that vast? Then ships must be essential for travel.”
“Indeed. It’s fortunate that we have the Multi-functional Beast Carriage.”
“You’re absolutely right.”
I thought so too.
However, since I have no knowledge of the Sea Orb’s geography, I want to avoid setting sail blindly. This is even more so if over ninety percent of the total area is sea.
“This means that even when exploring the Sea Orb, we’ll need to be extremely thorough with our preparations, or we’ll be stranded immediately.”
“From our earlier conversation, it seems there are inhabitants as well, so we need to be mindful of them too.”
“Ah, that’s another issue.”
I remembered that part of the conversation. However, I don’t even know the local civilization level, let alone how they live. Perhaps the Dragonians know, but since they also mentioned being guardians of the Sky Tree, there’s a decent chance they don’t.
“Everyone, if you wish to converse, please use this place instead of here.”
“This place? Does that mean we can enter the Sky Tree here too?”
“Yes. We, the Guardians, use it as our residence.”
So, in the Sea Orb, the Sky Tree serves as dwellings for the Dragonians. The island is only about Alka’s size, so a population of fifty people could live there without issue. However, at a glance, I couldn’t spot any man-made structures. The Sky Tree has a large trunk, so I thought there might be a settlement behind it, but if they live inside the Sky Tree, then it makes sense why no man-made structures are visible.
Well, since they’re letting us use it, I graciously accept.
The interior of the Sky Tree was decorated, though not as grandly as Amagi Castle. It felt more like a temple than a castle.
“It’s more beautiful than I expected. Did you all decorate it?”
“No, this Sky Tree Temple was bestowed upon us by the gods as proof of our role as Guardians of the Sky Tree.”
From the gods? I can understand that. But was this truly a temple?
“This is the reception room. No one has visited since the Sea Orb’s creation. You are our first guests, so this will be the first time this room is used. I apologize, but please check if the facilities are satisfactory.”
“Understood, thank you.”
“When you are finished, please ring this bell.”
“Yes.”
The reception room we were guided to was well-maintained, though not as much as Amagi Castle. It was perhaps only slightly inferior to a Noble’s Mansion. Also, perhaps because it’s inside a temple, a simple altar was set up. Ah, speaking of altars, I remembered that Father God mentioned having something to talk about or convey after we cleared the Sky Tree Labyrinth. This is precisely that moment, but it will likely be after we return to Helios Orb.
“I’ve been waiting. Congratulations on clearing the Sky Tree Labyrinth.”
As I was thinking that, a voice echoed from the altar. It was so sudden that I flinched in surprise. How many years has it been since I felt this way?
“Y-You startled me! Where did that voice come from?”
“It sounds like it’s from the altar. Ah, so it’s Father God, isn’t it?”
“Correct. I’m glad you remembered.”
It really was Father God. I thought he had something to tell me, and I also had questions, so it was perfect timing.
“First, once again, congratulations on clearing the Sky Tree Labyrinth. Helios Orb, which from now on we will call the Sky Orb, has now reached the Sea Orb. You will be presented with one choice. You may choose either, but if possible, I would like you to accept it.”
A choice? What is that?
“What do you mean by that?”
“The Sky Tree Labyrinth is known among us as the Trial Labyrinth. The reason is that those who conquer this labyrinth can be granted the qualification of a Guardian God.”
Huh? The qualification of a god… What does that mean?
“I know you have questions, but allow me to explain this first. Please rest assured. Even if you refuse, I will answer your questions.”
That’s helpful, but “granting the qualification of a god” is truly incomprehensible!
“Let me explain first. The world known as the Sky Orb is the first world that my wife, the goddesses, and I created, and it is also the prototype for this Sea Orb. It is called a Hako-niwa world, but if one can manage and successfully develop that world, they can then create a planet using that Hako-niwa world as its core. That’s how this planet, the Sea Orb, was created.”
So that’s why Helios Orb, now called Sky Orb, wasn’t spherical. And since this Sea Orb is a planet, it is indeed spherical.
“By the way, the name ‘Sea Orb’ was inspired by Earth.”
The sphere of land and the orb of the sea. I can see it when you mention it. But that’s not important right now.
“About a hundred years ago, you resolved it, but Abaricia was plotting to destroy the Sky Orb, wasn’t he? The reason for that was that he had almost destroyed the Hako-niwa world he created due to a slight carelessness. No, he was too arrogant and self-absorbed, so in the end, it was the same outcome.”
I remember hearing a similar story back then. Incidentally, that world still exists, with another god taking over, but due to Abaricia and the Divine Emperor’s continued recklessness, it has become a desolate, hellish world on the brink of destruction.
“He and I are actually contemporaries. Perhaps that’s why he often challenged me. I obtained permission to create a Hako-niwa world first, so I think he was jealous of that. However, for a while after the creation began, no interference was permitted. Therefore, he couldn’t intervene at that point.”
Interference at that point would result in immediate annihilation, so he couldn’t interfere even if he wanted to.
“Since there was no interference during the creation period, I began creating the Hako-niwa world with my wives without worry. That is the beginning of the Sky Orb. For about two hundred years after that, I believe we developed it well by thinking about various things and incorporating the ideas of the local inhabitants.”
Magic was granted at that time, and conversely, new magic was born by accepting opinions from the local populace. This led to the creation of new magical classifications, which were then established as Supplication Magic.
“I tried creating many races to avoid racial discrimination like on Earth, and I think it paid off. In fact, there’s no racial discrimination, is there? Well, a sort of evolutionary superiority theory has emerged in its place, so I must reflect on that.”
Ah, yes, that existed. It’s rarely seen now, but I remember it being quite prevalent until about a century ago. Laws were also properly established, which is why it’s seldom seen now.
“However, it was around that time that he also received permission to create a Hako-niwa world. He, who was burning with rivalry against me, contrary to me, created only one race and kept the male-female ratio at a perfect 1:1. However, due to meticulous attention, it went well at first. But even as a god, there are limits to what one person can do. He didn’t realize that.”
So, a series of minor mistakes led to an irreparable error.
“That’s right. If a Hako-niwa creation fails, it will be a long time before permission is granted again. We’re not talking about ten or twenty years, but thousands, or even tens of thousands of years. However, his world was doomed to destruction no matter what. So, instead of fixing his Hako-niwa world, he chose to drag me down with him.”
How troublesome. If you fail due to your own mistake, you should just give up gracefully. It’s a huge inconvenience to those dragged into it.
“However, while choosing that was one thing, he couldn’t come up with a concrete method. It was then that in the world of our senior, a god who served as our instructor, a human was sent to his Hako-niwa world through a set of arms and armor called an Engraving Divine Artifact.”
What, seriously? I didn’t expect the term Engraving Divine Artifact to come up here, but it was my father who used that Engraving Divine Artifact, and it was the Divine Emperor who was sent to Abaricia’s world.
“The senior instructor god’s world is also Yamato and Mako’s world, but we were also somewhat involved. He found a stone called the Sealing Engraving and became interested. To obtain it, he timed it to look like an accident and summoned the Divine Emperor to his world. That’s the truth behind the Divine Emperor’s transfer to his world. Of course, I think it was a gamble for him as well. However, he won that gamble and succeeded in obtaining the Sealing Engraving.”
From there on, it’s a story we know, or rather, stories we were part of. The instructor god was apparently angry, but Abaricia insisted it was an accident. Of course, his claim wasn’t accepted, but the lack of clear evidence was a fact, so it was eventually glossed over, and Abaricia was not held accountable. However, suspicion always lingered, and it was certain that he was using the humans who had been transferred at that time. So, the instructor god sent a single snake to Father God. That snake was the one I, Mako, Sayuri, and the other guests were transferred to the Sky Orb with, and the one I defeated in what was almost an exchange of blows. I broke out in a cold sweat for a moment, but that snake was merely a measure of salvation for Father God, and if it was defeated, it was simply defeated. Apparently, there would be no repercussions for me. Phew, that’s a relief.
“Using the transferred humans; that happens occasionally, so it’s not a particular problem. That’s why I was able to get help from my senior. Up to that point, it’s fine. However, he clearly interfered with a Hako-niwa world. Yes, he forcibly superimposed his world onto mine. This is a clear taboo, and immediate punishment is given. However, he seemed to be well aware of this and preemptively escaped to the surface.”
To the surface, meaning the Gradia Continent, I presume? Descending to the surface without permission makes it very difficult for even the gods to interfere. That’s why Father God sent the snake at that time, isn’t it? But I don’t recall hearing any stories about Abaricia’s descent at the time.
“Even though he escaped to the surface, it was sudden and didn’t follow proper procedures, so he couldn’t manifest a physical form. Therefore, even on the surface, unless he initiated contact, he likely wouldn’t have been known to exist.”
Ah, so that’s how it is. He essentially became like a ghost, but since our attacks couldn’t harm him and he couldn’t interfere beyond conversing, he was quite a troublesome entity.
“That’s why he desired the demon beasts sealed within the Sealing Engraving as his own bodies. His world had more powerful monsters than the Demise Species of my world. I think that’s another reason he desired them.”
Ah, I can understand that. I still remember how I never wanted to fight the Five-Headed Dragon again. But Abaricia obtained that sealed Five-Headed Dragon.
“At that point, his annihilation was decided. Even if you had lost, he would have been annihilated shortly thereafter. However, in that case, the Sky Orb would have been destroyed along with him, which would have been a defeat for me. Therefore, I was truly saved by you defeating him.”
So that’s why I wasn’t punished at all for defeating Abaricia. The terrifying thing about killing a god is that if there are beings superior to the defeated god, you might become their target. I was told this a hundred years ago, but hearing it again is reassuring.
“And for the past hundred years, thanks to you, the Sky Orb has further developed. The Rival Continent and Erev Continent, which we had no choice but to freeze and isolate due to him, have also progressed. Thanks to that, we were granted permission to create this Sea Orb.”
Surprisingly, the Sea Orb hasn’t even been around for a hundred years. Although the Dragonians have been given the role of Sky Tree Guardians and a civilization level close to that of the Sky Orb, the local inhabitants are said to have progressed from villages to towns, and from towns to cities, with no distinct nations existing yet. Therefore, we will be occupied with the Sea Orb for some time, and a god to serve as their subordinate was needed as guardians of the Sky Orb. The Sky Tree Labyrinth was a trial for that purpose, and it was continued with the hope that they would eventually bear the responsibility of guarding not only the Sky Orb but also the Sea Orb. In other words, the subordinate gods would be chosen from among the locals. This is a rule for creating Hako-niwa worlds, albeit with different methods. Of course, it is possible that no gods are chosen from the local population, but it is acceptable as long as the necessary settings are prepared.
Father God’s wish was for us to become these chosen gods from the local populace.
