In Another World With My Smartphone_Volume 5 Read online

  “Not me, Touya my boy, you are. After all, that’s what you’ve always done until now, is it not?” This irresponsible God was just planning on making me clean up after his mess! I couldn’t believe his audacity. I knew I wasn’t supposed to rely on divine intervention to solve my problems, but still!

  “Uhm... taking the cardinals out of the picture wouldn’t work out so well. If the truth were exposed, then there’d be public outcry.” But really it was more likely that we’d just be branded as liars. After all, who would believe us?

  “It is not as if the citizens are at fault, but... As things stand, they would only continue to believe in their God of Light. There’s nothing inherently wrong with that, but their justification of anything under the banner of light and justice cannot be excused.”

  “I don’t believe this country can continue to function if we simply outed God as fake... If only there were some way to maintain the charade, but change the teachings...” The pope let out a saddened mutter.

  It certainly wasn’t a simple thing to change the foundation of a religion. It’s not like you could just toss half a bible out the window and call it a day. I had no idea how to deal with that...

  Hm, maybe some kind of incident could change how things are seen around here... Maybe God could just show up, and... no, that’d be too much interference. Guess we’re on our own.

  “Well, I will leave it to Touya. Now, that matter aside... Shouldn’t we deal with the fellow beneath us?” God tapped on the stone floor with his foot, smiling gently. Beneath us? What do you mean? I turned to the pope, whose expression had quickly turned grave.

  “Y-You noticed it...? Th-The presence down there is the Dark Spirit that Ramirez summoned... it’s been beneath the temple since the inception of the Theocracy...”

  “It what?!” Wait, that monster’s been lurking down there for the last thousand years?! Spirit or not, wasn’t it summoned?! I thought summoned creatures needed magic energy to stick around!! Wait no, more importantly, why is it still here?!

  “It didn’t take long for Ramirez to found the Ramissh Theocracy with the Spirit’s aid, but... shortly afterwards, his mind was completely eroded and the man’s mind was taken over by the beast. After all of that, the spirit fused with Ramirez’s body and the cardinals of the era sealed it beneath the temple grounds. It was better for them to keep it here, actually... Because the Spirit’s ability of mentally conditioning everyone in the area never wore off. The brainwashing ability still emanates from it even to this day. Undying, but no longer alive, you could say Ramirez still supports the religion even in this state now.” The pope spoke directly to God, as if confessing a grave sin.

  That was a hell of a story. If that was true, it meant that such a horrible secret had been passed from cardinal to cardinal for the last thousand years. I finally understood how insidious this religion truly was. It also explained how the Spirit was still here. If it fused with the summoner and sustained his body, then it could live here indefinitely. Though, I doubted he was still conscious after so long.

  “The magical power of the Dark Spirit cannot affect you, or this girl, on a count of your high magic resistances... but that does not apply to the regular folk here. Even now, they are being unconsciously influenced by Ramirez and his original doctrine.”

  “So that means, if we can deal with the spirit...”

  “Correct, my boy. The zealous faith will disappear from the hearts and minds of the people. From then on, it would depend on the true feelings of the individual.” That made sense. We had to kill it at the source. But I still had the feeling there’d be some rotten types who’d do anything under the banner of their own justice, even if we broke the mental interference.

  “But I would suggest you two make haste. You said they sealed him, yes? I am quite sure that the seal is weaker than ever right now, and darkness is already emanating from its lair.”

  “You’re right... In fact, there’s been a string of people losing their energy, and even their lives... We officially blamed that on the work of a vampire, but in truth... it was because the spirit seal is waning.” Well, that explained the vampire plot thread away quite nicely. Still, it was pretty bad if it was starting to drain people’s lives. It made me wonder if the Spirit was trying to build power or something...

  “We need to deal with this Dark Spirit before it’s too late... Your Eminence, do you have anyone in this country that would side with you if it came to it?”

  “There are a few amongst the clergy that hope for the same outcome as I. But our numbers are minute compared to those backing Cardinal Zeon.” It was better than nobody, at least. I wanted to avoid revealing the true origins of the country to the public, though, and everything about the Dark Spirit’s mind control. But, I also wanted the cruel and inconvenient justice that Lars, God of Light’s doctrine spoke of to be stricken out entirely.

  “Very well, I think I have seen enough. I will keep watching from my perch, so best of luck, Touya my boy! See you soon!”

  “What?! Wait!! You can’t jus—!” Before I could voice my protests, God vanished into beams of light. You coward! Get back here!! You’re making me deal with these messes that aren’t even mine, augh!! But, as much as I didn’t want it to, time began to flow again. Kohaku eyed me with suspicion.

  《My liege. I feel as though something very unusual just happened to you...》

  《Don’t mind it. It’s no threat to us.》

  《Very well...》 From Kohaku’s perspective, we must’ve instantly teleported from one position to another, so the tiger was having difficulty processing how our pose and location had shifted so suddenly. It would be a pain to explain though, so I decided not to bother.

  “...I feel as though I’ve awakened from a dream.”

  “Me too, Your Holiness...” I wondered if that was part of the exhilaration of meeting with God. As I watched the pope and Phyllis giggling together, something bit at my mind.

  I felt it, an unpleasant crawling sensation up my spine. An electric shock that jolted right through me, making me feel ill. It... can’t be...

  “...Don’t panic now, but... The Dark Spirit’s seal just broke.”

  “Wh-What?!” Phyllis went pale in the face. Then, we heard the rumbling from below. It got louder, and louder. We need to get out, now! I twisted the iron bars with [Modeling] and carted Phyllis and the pope along with me up the stairs. The rumbling grew steadier, faster, louder. I had no doubts that the earth beneath us would crumble in seconds. We came out into the long passageway that led into other cells, and I quickly checked for other prisoners. Thankfully there were none, so we continued upwards.

  “Prisoners?! How did you escape from your cel— haghgh!!” We passed a guard, and I instinctively shot a paralysis bullet at him. Ah crap... I can’t leave him here, can I?! “Kohaku, return to your beast form!”

  “As you wish!” The pope opened her eyes wide in surprise as Kohaku both spoke, and turned into an enormous White Tiger. But I had no time to explain, I simply put the knocked-out guard on Kohaku’s back, and continued running.

  As we escaped from the prison, we came out into the temple’s halls. I continued to run, finally stopping in a courtyard. It was at this point that I realized it was no longer day time. The moon was high in the sky. I checked the time, and it was just past the stroke of midnight.

  The barrier wasn’t set up across the entire temple, so I used [Gate] to take us to the middle of town.

  The rumbling beneath the ground became more of a violent quake. Unsurprisingly, the streets were filled with bewildered people, apparently they assumed it was a simple earthquake scare. They didn’t seem extremely afraid, so I figured earthquakes weren’t uncommon in this region.

  As I took the guardsman off Kohaku’s back, the people in the area quickly noticed I was with Her Eminence the Pope. That wasn’t especially surprising, she was the head of their state and seemed quite well-known. Everyone in the streets began swarming around her. They were probably uneas
y, because the rumbling wasn’t getting any gentler.

  “Y-Your Eminence! What is going on?!”

  “Please, everyone! Be calm! For your own safety, you must vacate the—” Just as she began telling the people to take refuge, an enormous explosion blasted away part of the temple. From amidst the dust and debris, something began crawling out of the building. WHAT THE ACTUAL HELL IS THAT THING?! It was enormous. Its shape wasn’t even remotely human. Its skin was pitch, two black horns jutted from its head. On its side, countless grasping arms writhed from its body. On its back, six long tentacles squirmed. Its lower body was a mass of tendrils, without number. And its head had no eyes, only an enormous mouth, one that almost split across its entire face.

  “GauUguguHGhh!! GooOoraaRaaAagGghH!!” It raised a monstrous roar, as if the depths of the earth were screaming for salvation.

  The air itself trembled. The sound it released was enough to bring the townspeople to their knees with fear. The ground began to tremble, people everywhere dropped to the ground. Is it manipulating people’s minds? Making them afraid?!

  This thing’s like... a God of Evil... I couldn’t stop that cliché kind of term from floating up into my head. This was the Spirit of Darkness that was once called forth and manipulated by the summoner known as Ramirez. But now, it was in command. And after a thousand years... it was free.

  I can’t stress enough how big this thing was. Its dark tendrils moved forward, and the creature began to rise up. It was enormous, and ominous enough to strike disgust into the hearts of anyone.

  One of its back-tentacles came down, smashing apart some of the temple. It let out another scream as debris and dust scattered around the area. This thing was a serious threat.

  “GoGOaghaAgGuU!!” Unintelligible nonsense leaked from its maw, which was now unhinged and wide open. Along with the sound, a tar-like black fluid began bubbling out of its mouth like vomit.

  Droplets of the stuff began falling, but they didn’t hit the ground. Before they had a chance to, they transformed into winged, bat-like creatures. They had insectoid legs, but muscular human torsos. Their heads were elongated, but had no defined features like eyes, noses, or ears. Just mouths.

  They flapped their wings and scattered across the city. The townsfolk began to shriek and scream, the entire city became a discordant tune of horror.

  “GaAaAhgUGuhhRuuUugghahaAahahaAaA!!” The Spirit of Darkness screamed towards the heavens.

  “I-It’s a monster!”

  “G-God will... God will s-surely save us... y-yeah...!” All around me, I heard people lapse into desperate prayer. Sorry, but this monster... is your God.

  It probably didn’t even remember Ramirez at this point. I could only assume that the spirit was operating on some base, destructive impulse.

  “You said a thousand years ago that the cardinals teamed up to seal it away, right? Can’t we do that again?!”

  “I don’t think we can... We simply can’t match up to the power of the church from back then. The majority of the appointed cardinals nowadays can’t even use magic!” That’s useless, then... Well, I guess what she says makes sense. If we were to compare the two eras, the difference is clear. In the olden days they probably prioritized strength or wisdom, but the current clergymen are just people in it for the faith, or political gain. Which makes them completely useless when the going actually gets tough.

  Guess there’s nothing for it... But what can I... oh... there’s an idea.

  A sudden flash of inspiration struck my mind.

  To be blunt, I saw an opportunity to change their doctrine at its core. Obviously having the real God appear was a no-no, but that didn’t mean I couldn’t pretend to be him. If I did that, defeated the monster, gave the pope some kind of fake divine message, and said a few words... then she’d definitely have the upper hand against the cardinals, and I could quash the idea of Lars once and for all!

  But wait... isn’t this just as dishonest as Ramirez? I am tricking everyone... But, hm... even if I am tricking everyone, I’m tricking everyone with the best intentions! I’m just going along with what the actual God wants, acting on his behalf, so it’s fine... right? I wasn’t able to decide by myself, so I quickly took the pope and Phyllis aside and asked them about it.

  “...If I’m entirely honest, I do not wish to deceive my people. But, I think we could create a much better situation than we’ve ever had before. If we defeat this beast, then we at least stop it from influencing their minds. That way, the warped ideals of justice can be easily removed from our doctrine as well.” Her Holiness looked right at me, and asserted her belief. She had no hesitation.

  “As pope, I have spread the gospel of a God I knew did not exist. I was crushed by guilt, restraining my true feelings and refusing to show them. I told myself it was for the sake of the Theocracy, but... If we were to change the doctrine, I would freely talk of God. The God you spoke of, Grand Duke, He would be the God I speak of. Even if the people don’t know it, I would carry His ideals in my heart, proudly puff out my chest, and be happy. Don’t you think such a thing would be wonderful?” I agreed. Though I felt a little awkward for using God’s name in vain like this... it was still necessary.

  After all, I was sure the citizens would be happier if the monster threatening them was slain by their God, and not by the leader of a foreign nation. And, on an international level, this would definitely give Brunhild a more favorable position with the bigwigs of Ramissh. ... That being said, I wasn’t motivated by such things.

  “B-But will you really be okay?! Can you win against such a huge beast?! It’s a Spirit of Darkness, understand?!”

  “Mmm... I think I can handle it.” Phyllis had reasonable concerns, but I had an inkling that it wouldn’t be as tough as I expected.

  This spirit’s specialty was likely its brainwashing ability. And, from what I understood, it was an area-of-effect skill rather than a direct target kind of thing. In short, it worked in a large area, which is probably why Ramirez thought to use it to govern a nation.

  For someone like me, with my obscene magical resistance, it was no matter of concern. That being said, I didn’t want to hang around it for too long... I had a feeling I couldn’t resist it forever. In fact, it was pretty much a guarantee. Even Ramirez fell victim.

  I think I’ll be fine, but I won’t know until I give it a go... The only issue now is making myself look like a God. I decided that the best way to handle it would be to cast [Mirage] on myself and call it a day.

  As I headed towards it, the dark spirit cracked one of its tentacles across the ground, shattering streets and houses. It seemed to deal basic physical attacks, which definitely weren’t a matter of concern for me.

  I should probably hurry, though... the entire Holy Capital is gonna go up in rubble if I don’t. I left the pope, Phyllis, and the townsfolk, and hid in a back alley. The two girls were leading a prayer circle. Typically I’d have told them to leave, but this was part of the plan. I would descend, as God, in response to their prayers.

  I changed my appearance with my [Mirage] spell. Although it was more like I was masking myself than actually transforming. I decided to take the form of a traditional Greek-style God with long flowing blond hair, and blue eyes. I made myself pretty handsome, too.

  “Well?”

  “It looks good, but it feels like something’s missing...” Kohaku gave the tiger equivalent of a shrug. But I look just about as plain as the real God! It’s not my fault you haven’t met him! What kind of Heavenly Beast are you if you haven’t even met God, huh?!

  Hm... what’s missing then... how about... I created another illusion that caused light to cloak my entire body. I briefly considered adding a halo and angel wings, but I didn’t want to look like an angel. If I ended up being a messenger from God, rather than God himself, that would defeat the point.

  Just as I was putting the last parts of my disguise together, I realized something. Normally people would expect a God to actually fly in the sky, des
cending from the heavens. If I just appeared and walked amongst people, claiming to be God... that’d be a little weird. I really should’ve learned a flight spell. I made a mental note to pick one up later. Ugh, pretending to be God is a real pain in the ass, I hate this! Still, there was nothing I could do about it. I decided to project the image of God into the sky... Which completely defeated the point of cladding myself in it to begin with! Then again, I’m going to have to look like this when I fight the monster anyway, so I guess it’s fine.

  As I projected the divine image of the one true God into the sky above the city, the people let out yell of wonder and surprise. God had descended, and He was basking them in His glow. First thing’s first, we’ve gotta take care of those minions.

  “Come forth, Darkness. I seek the shining warmaiden: [Valkyrie]!” ...Frankly, calling forth divine warriors to help me with a chant of “Come forth, Darkness” sounded super silly to me, but I had to roll with the punches.

  Summoning circles appeared around the projected God illusion, and angelic warmaidens were called forth into the sky. I made a contract with Valkyries after the incident in the Regulus Empire. I liked the Griffons, but having them as my sole air support was troublesome.

  《The Dark Spirit has created shadowy monsters, slay them, and protect the townspeople.》 I conveyed telepathic orders to the angelic maidens, and they scattered across the city.

  It honestly would’ve been easier to use my Smartphone to lock on to all of them and wipe them out at once with light magic, but they would’ve died too quickly. The citizens wouldn’t have even known what saved them, and that wouldn’t do. I was directing a scenario here!

  Still, people’s lives were at stake. I didn’t think the Spirit’s minions were specifically targeting people, they seemed more like they were mindlessly rampaging, but that didn’t mean they were any less dangerous. If they continued roaming around and trashing whatever, then people could still die through collateral damage.