In Another World With My Smartphone: Volume 13 Read online

  “Is that so?” Fiana turned a surprised glance to her daughter, causing Sakura to look away in shame. Seems like Fiana hadn’t been told anything about it.

  “...I simply thought he would be an obstacle to your daily duties, Mother... You were quite busy preparing for the assembly...”

  “Assembly?” The overlord quirked his brow slightly.

  Ah yeah, even I forgot about that. “She’s talking about how they’re gonna invite all the kids in town to the school tomorrow. They’re gonna tell stories and have little events, so even illiterate kids can have fun.”

  “Oh...”

  Books weren’t very cheap in this world, and a massive amount of people weren’t capable of reading. Storybooks weren’t very common for kids, either. Stories were often told by traveling bards or professional storytellers, so the art of telling a story was still kind of theatrical in most nations. There were also plays, but usually, they were a little bit expensive for kids to pay.

  Plus, a majority of the plays had been performed so many times that most people in the world already knew the stories.

  I had a few eBooks downloaded on to my phone, so I employed Linze and Sakura’s help to localize them into this world’s tongue.

  We had to change certain terms though, this world didn’t have stuff like cars or traffic lights, for example. Fortunately, we didn’t need to change much of the fairy tales I’d downloaded.

  I’d wanted to do another puppet show, but we didn’t really have much in the way of staff... Linze had to attend to her family, anyways.

  As I was thinking to myself, the overlord suddenly spoke up.

  “Alright! Let me help with this assembly, please!”

  He suddenly blurted out a befuddling sentence before patting himself on the chest.

  ...Man, what is this guy thinking...? I’m not gonna call him annoying out loud, but there’s such a thing as too eager.

  “No, we couldn’t possibly ask that...” Fiana attempted to get out a gentle rejection, but the overlord butted in and continued talking.

  “Really, it’s no problem. You’re busy, aren’t you? I’ll help you out, far better than this pussycat, here.”

  “Meow dare you! I’ll have you know that I’m an esteemed helper!”

  Proverbial sparks flew from the glare shot between demon and cat. I wondered if I’d need to make them fall on their butts again. Still, this might be a good chance here... They could start patching up their relationship.

  In the end, he was only helping his daughter and ex-lover out, so it didn’t count as a foreign national aiding Brunhild or anything... Plus, he was wearing the disguise badge. This seemed like a good idea, it could possibly even warm Sakura up to him a little more.

  Alright, guess I’ll smooth this along a little. I turned to Fiana and spoke up.

  “If he wants to help, I say let him. We are a little understaffed, after all.”

  “Be that as it may...”

  “Plus, he could learn something that might be put to use in Xenoahs as well, you know? If you think about it, it’s like a cultural exchange.”

  “That’s right!”

  The overlord nodded quickly as if to suggest that was his plan all along. He was certainly a piece of work, but I admired his enthusiasm.

  Sakura looked a little bit frustrated and decided to disregard what I said.

  “Mr. Mittens will do more than enough for this... He can even read books...”

  “Sure, he can read books, but he constantly meows and replaces words with cat puns, doesn’t he?”

  “Meow dare you say such a thing! I’m pawsitive that I can read just fine!” Mr. Mittens yelled out loud, completely proving my point. I decided to test him.

  “Alright, then say the following sentence. ‘I can speak just perfectly, I’m not kidding. Perhaps you were just wrong, friend.’ Say it back.”

  “Ha! I can speak just purrfectly... I’m not kitten around! Purrhaps you were just wrong, fur-end! Oh... Oh no.”

  Thus, my point was fully proven. Mr. Mittens fell to the ground, defeated. Sakura pouted.

  “Look, even putting all that aside, there’s no reason to say no to an offer for help. You want the assembly to go well, don’t you Sakura?”

  “I do... Fine, he may help...” Sakura reluctantly accepted the offer, causing the overlord to break out into a huge smile.

  “Just make sure to stay out of mother’s way... And don’t scare the children, or teach them anything odd...”

  “I promise! Trust me!”

  Fiana looked between the two with a gentle smile on her face. It’s a little subtle, but they’re almost acting like father and daughter... Oh, that’s right.

  “Fiana, could you stand over here a sec?”

  “Hm? Here?”

  “Yep, and you stand here, Overlord. Sakura, you go between them. Stay still, okay?”

  “Okay...?”

  I made them stand next to each other with Sakura between them, then crouched down a little and brought out my smartphone.

  “Alright, say cheese!” A little sound came from my smartphone as I took a photo of them.

  All I had to do was pull some paper out of [Storage] and use [Drawing] to print it out.

  It was possible to use [Drawing] to print stuff without a photo, but having a visual reference on hand made the results more accurate. Doctor Babylon said she was going to make an artifact that worked similar to a photocopier that other people could use, but for now, she was focused on interdimensional stuff.

  Once I finished printing out three copies, I handed them to each of the people in front of me.

  “Goodness...”

  “Oh... Amazing!”

  “Hmph...”

  The three of them each reacted very differently to the photographs in their hands.

  “G-Grand Duke, may I take this picture home with me?!”

  “Yeah, go ahead. Use it to remember today.”

  “Thank you so much...!”

  The overlord was practically jumping for joy, but Sakura’s expression was much more subdued. ...Please don’t cut him out of the photo, he’s literally standing right there.

  Sakura didn’t go that far, thankfully, she just made a grumpy expression toward her overexcited dad. I could understand her feelings at least a little... He was jumping around like a little kid, but from what I’d heard the guy was meant to be over 100.

  Fiana was glancing down at her copy with a warm smile on her face.

  Oh, right...

  I took out one of the white mass-produced smartphones from [Storage] and handed it over to Fiana. She seemed like she deserved one, given that she was basically in charge of the country’s education. Sakura would be able to show her how to use it.

  The overlord asked about the phone and, when I explained it, asked for one as well. I told him that it was only for Brunhild government workers and members of the alliance... so he said he’d have Xenoahs join at once. Pick a better reason to join than wanting a phone, old man...

  Xenoahs had been pretty isolated for a long period of time, so it was probably a good thing if they opened up more to other nations... Still, I seriously had a problem with “I want a smartphone” being the reason to kickstart all that. The overlord claimed that Xenoahs was actually looking toward opening up talks with other nations ever since Yulong collapsed, but I wasn’t quite sure if I trusted that...

  Whether or not Xenoahs would join the alliance wasn’t a decision I could make alone, we’d figure all that stuff out after the festival.

  Given recent events, we’d have to consider inviting other countries like Hannock, Felsen, Ryle, Elfrau, and Eashen... Ah, I couldn’t forget Palerius Island, either.

  We were probably going to have to change the name at this rate. It would all depend on whether or not the nations actually accepted our invite, though.

  I let out a sigh as I considered just how complicated things were going to end up becoming.

  ◇　◇　◇

  The t
hird day of the festival had begun.

  The shogi tournament had begun in the morning and was well underway.

  We had four large monitors installed to project a total of sixteen games at once to a wider audience.

  We sat watching from afar, eating miso soup and boiled potatoes. We were seated on some chairs near a couple of food stalls. The food tasted really good. The radishes were crisp and the potatoes were soft, creating a delicious dynamic. Eashenese cuisine was definitely my preference, in the end.

  “The shogi finals and the fighting tournament preliminaries are today, right?” Yumina, half-way through a potato, turned to ask me that question.

  “Yup. Belfast, Regulus, Refreese, Palouf, and Roadmare are all participating in the shogi finals. Mismede, Felsen, Lestia, and Eashen are participating in the battle tourney.” Oh yeah... I guess old man Baba and Yamagata are representing Brunhild, too...

  The knight king of Lestia was probably the guy who’d end up winning, but given that magic was allowed, the beastking could use his [Accel] to give his foes a real run for their money.

  This town was full of adventurers even on regular days, so it wouldn’t surprise me if we had some strong no-name contenders showing up as well. There’d probably be a few people who joined up just to test their own abilities too.

  “What’s your plan for today, Touya?” Lu noted down exactly how those potatoes were steamed so well before turning and asking me a question.

  “Well, I’ll have to announce the winners for the shogi and battle tourney later on... So I guess I’ll be going around to a few places today. Ah, I gotta stop by the church later, too.” I wasn’t too worried about the fighting tournament since Moroha and Karina were there acting as referees, and Nikola had a keen eye on the shogi tournament as well.

  “What about you two, anyway? Belfast and Regulus are participating in the shogi finals, right?” Knight Commander Gaspar was sort of representing Regulus in the fighting tournament too, but he was there incognito.

  Having a knight commander enter a free-for-all tournament probably wasn’t the best look for a nation, so it made sense to have a disguise. If I recalled correctly, General Leon of Belfast would be participating too. It’d be fine, I figured. They wouldn’t get found out.

  “Father and his friends will be participating in shogi, that’s true... But I needn’t worry about them. My plans are free.”

  “That’s right. We both have free time today... So we thought we’d spend it with you.” Ahh... That’s why you guys brought me out here this morning. Well, that sounds good to me.

  We paid for our food and handed over the empty bowls back to the stall owner, then headed out on a walk.

  Lu and Yumina both snuggled up close to my sides, Lu taking my right, and Yumina taking my left. It was a bit difficult to walk with them clinging to me like that, but... They were happy, so I had no real cause for complaint. There’s no way I could just shake them off or something...

  They’d both certainly grown since we met, they were a little taller... But their petite builds still made them look incredibly young.

  Though, from what I could feel against my arms... There hadn’t been much growth in an important area...

  To be honest, onlookers would probably think of us as an older brother and his little sisters.

  “Touya?”

  “Hm? Ah, it’s nothing.” These girls had sharp senses, I couldn’t let them know what I was thinking about.

  “Oh.” I suddenly heard a tune and realized that Sousuke must have been playing his piano at the clocktower. It was a western song...

  My taste in music had been heavily influenced by my grandpa, so I liked a lot of the oldies. I liked music from the 1950s and 1960s the most. In turn, I ended up showing Sousuke those kinds of tunes, and he took to them well.

  The song he was playing right now was a popular rock and roll piece from the 1950s. The original was so well-liked that they were included on the golden records on the Voyager spacecraft, which was then sent out into deep space.

  There was this movie that had the protagonist ride this car that was also a time machine. He ended up playing the same song on a guitar during a school dance in the past. That was a pretty good movie.

  Everyone listened to the song and moved their bodies to the rhythm, it was a sight to behold indeed...

  I looked a little closer and noticed more people on the stage than just Sousuke, they were playing string and percussion instruments alongside him.

  “Huh...”

  “It’s a travelin’ band. They were passin’ through and thought to join. They accompanied him yesterday, too.” One of the nearby food cart operators spoke up to explain the situation to me. I recognized the voice so I turned to see who it was... It was none other than the god of agriculture, my uncle Kousuke. Wait, why are you here?!

  “Ain’t it obvious? Sellin’ food made with my produce. I wanna get in on the festival too, y’know?” Kousuke grinned a little. The food cart had curry... Or rather, cully, and rice. Next to it was a big box of fresh veggies. I noticed a young man next to him, studiously peeling carrots and potatoes over and over again.

  “Oh! You’re uh... Charon, right?”

  “H-Huh? I-I mean... I am Charon, yes... But...” He looked at me, unsure of who I was. That was probably because of the badge. It didn’t affect Kousuke, but it was turned on right now so I was in disguise. I quickly shifted it to a deactivated state.

  “Y-Y-Your highness?!” Charon went wide-eyed and confused as he stared me down.

  He was one of the knights who joined our order around the same time as Lanz.

  He came from a line of herbalists, which made him pretty knowledgeable about plants and natural medicine. That’s why we assigned him to Naito’s charge and had him help with agricultural development.

  “This lad’s plenty promisin’, you know that? S’why I asked him to help me today.” That made sense. I could definitely understand why Kousuke said that. During the knight exam, he managed to survive because he could identify which foods were safe to eat, and which plants he had to avoid.

  I wondered if that made him a beneficiary of Kousuke’s divinity as well, then... It definitely couldn’t be a bad thing to be favored by him.

  “Is it just you two running this cart, then?”

  “Nope. We got that Lakshy lass helpin’ out as well. She’s out fetchin’ the seasonings. She can’t be around open flames, after all... So the cookin’ is down to us.” Lakshy was an Alraune, a demonkin descended from a plant-like lineage. It made sense she’d need to avoid fire. She was also part of the agricultural team, so she probably had the god of agriculture’s blessing as well.

  I gotta admit, I wanna try some of this... But I already had the potatoes earlier...

  Before I forgot, I moved in to whisper into Kousuke’s ear.

  “Ah, right... This afternoon in the church...”

  “Karen already told me ‘bout it. Don’t worry about me, alright?”

  “You sure? It’ll have been a while since you guys met, I’m sure...”

  “Been a couple thousand years, but fer a god that ain’t all that different from a day or two. If I wanna meet him, I’ll go meet him. Don’t need to, though.” Well, fair enough. If that’s how he sees it, then that’s how he sees it.

  We left the main square and looked over the stalls that lined the various streets.

  “Ooh...”

  “This totem is a popular icon from northern Regulus.” Lu explained the little wooden figure I was looking at. It was a sculpture of a Thunderbear holding a weird fish in its mouth.

  My world also had craftsmen who made stuff like this, but they’d been on the decline in recent years...

  “Ohh, this is...”

  “This is a little doll used as a charm. It’s said to symbolize happiness for an entire family line.” It was a doll that looked kind of cylindrical. You could pop it open horizontally, and a smaller doll would be inside it. Then you could pop open that one to
reveal yet another smaller doll inside, and so on... Until there was a teeny tiny doll in the middle that didn’t open.

  It was certainly similar to something I’d seen before. Specifically, those traditional dolls from Russia. This one was a lot simpler in design, though.

  Going around the stalls and seeing the various wares was pretty interesting. There were trinkets similar to stuff from my world, as well as stuff that looked completely different. We spent the entire morning wandering around and aimlessly buying this and that.

  Around lunchtime, we decided to head towards the church.

  The church was located a little out of town. It was on a small hill and was managed by two people from Ramissh, a priest and a pastor. But currently, two more people from Ramissh were there.

  They’d been wearing the badges I’d given them to mask their looks, but it was the pope of Ramissh, Elias Altra, and one of the cardinals of Ramissh, Phyllis Rugit.

  There were people in the area who looked like adventurers, but they were actually just the templar guards of Ramissh going incognito.

  Brunhild didn’t really have any people who believed in the god of light that Ramissh preached, but given that Phyllis and Elias were technically preaching the word of God Almighty now, you could call me a believer too.

  Still, I felt weird worshiping someone who was basically like a grandpa to me at this point, so I’d never really gone into the church.

  We entered into the church and heard the pope giving a sermon about something that had happened in Ramissh.

  Her story was called “The Miracle of Isla.”

  So the story went, the god of light had descended into the Holy City of Isla one year ago, and vanquished the evil spirit of darkness that was trying to consume the city and its people.

  The story ended up being spread around the world because there were several eyewitnesses, including those that didn’t even subscribe to the Ramissh faith.

  Many people thought it was nonsense, but a large number of people couldn’t deny what their eyes had shown them.

  That being said, the story was actually based on a trick I’d pulled.

  Ramissh had been doing good since then. Apparently, all the ill-intentioned people who had done all manner of bad things in the name of god had all been cast out of positions of power, too.