In Another World With My Smartphone: Volume 13 Read online

  The pope finished her tale, and the crowd slowly dispersed.

  I was about to walk over and greet them, but she and Phyllis actually ended up dashing towards me.

  “G-Grand Duke! Is he here already?!”

  “Uhh... No... Not yet.” The two of them seemed disappointed by my words.

  “Relax, you guys. He’s coming soon, alright?”

  “I am here, actually.”

  “Wuh?!” Someone next to me started talking, which scared me.

  I turned around and saw that it was none other than God Almighty, the master of worlds himself. He had a gentle expression on his face and was dressed plainly as ever. Woah, that scared me! You gods have gotta stop just popping up like that! “Gah! Don’t scare me like that. Wait, how long have you been here?”

  “Hmhm... I used a little teleportation magic a while ago. Ah, it has been a while, you two.” The god of worlds addressed Her Holiness the Pope, and Cardinal Phyllis. Both of them immediately started to bow down to him in a frenzied panic, but he stopped them in their tracks.

  “Please consider your social positions, ladies. It would be improper for ones such as yourself to bow to an old man. I do not mind it, so it is fine.”

  “A-Ah, okay!” Most people wouldn’t know their status due to the badges they were wearing, but both of them were too fussy anyway, so this was fine. Moroha and Karen had told them to stop revering them too many times to count.

  Still, given that he’d come here using teleportation magic meant that he wasn’t here as an avatar right now. He’d likely humanized himself like the rest of my divine family.

  “Um... Touya? Who’s this?” Yumina tilted her head slightly in confusion. Lu had a puzzled expression on her face as well.

  Oh geez... How do I explain...

  “Good day, my dear children. My name is Mochizuki Shinnosuke. I am young Touya’s grandfather.”

  Shinnosuke, huh... That’s pretty straightforward... You even have the Japanese term for god right there in your name... What’s with “young” Touya, though?

  I smiled awkwardly as Lu and Yumina opened their eyes wide in shock.

  “Touya’s... Grandfather? But how can that be? Touya’s from another world...” God Almighty brought his finger to his lips and gave a knowing wink towards them both. They seemed to understand the meaning of his motions. I hoped that they’d realize he meant he was the same as Karen and Moroha.

  “A-Ah, then... Please forgive me. I am Yumina Urnea Belfast. I am one of nine with the privilege of being Touya’s fiancée.”

  “A-And I’m Lucia Leah Regulus! I too am engaged to Touya, sorry for our lateness in introducing ourselves!”

  “Not a problem at all. Goodness me, you are both rather beautiful young women, are you not? Young Touya here must be quite happy, engaged to the likes of you.” He smiled gently towards them as they bowed their heads. Heh, seems like they’re thankful for the compliments... They’re getting all blushy. So cute...

  “So you’re capable of using teleportation as well?”

  “Ah, yes. That I am. I can use most forms of magic.”

  “That certainly seems fitting with Touya’s family...” Wouldn’t surprise me if he has all attributes and next to no magical power limitations... Actually, he probably has no limits at all.

  “Ah... World G—ramps... Gramps. Did you see Karen already?”

  “Gramps? Aha... Gramps... I like that. Ah, Karen? Karen... Ah, yes! Of course, I know who you mean. She is my grandchild too, after all. I have yet to talk with any of them, but I am sure we will soon.” Yumina and Lu gave each other a curious glance. Given how he was acting, that seemed fair.

  They knew I was from another world, but they probably had no idea that this guy was the god to end all gods.

  “I was thinking of looking around town for a little while after I talk a little with the pope today. How does that sound?”

  “What about the church?”

  “A-Ah, well! That’s fine! We’ll be open later in the afternoon, too!” Phyllis nervously replied, while the pope nodded her head repeatedly. I wondered if they’d actually be fine... The two of them were certainly tense.

  I wondered what they’d talk about...

  ◇　◇　◇

  When the world had only just been created, spirits and magic were already around.

  They acted as limbs to the gods, forming the world’s contents and bringing forth many aspects of nature.

  The spirit of the water filled the world’s oceans, while the spirit of earth created the land and soil. The spirit of fire caused volcanoes to erupt, while the spirit of wind caused hot air to blow around the atmosphere.

  The spirit of the forests raised trees and dense woods, while the spirit of light brought illumination to the world. The spirit of darkness brought night, and the peace of silence.

  From the miraculous feats of these spirits sprung forth creatures linked to the primordial aspects of nature, and the world found itself populated.

  Fairies, Heavenly Beasts, holy spirit trees, and so on... It was said that among the last of these creatures to be born were humans, along with demi-humans such as beastmen, dwarves, and elves.

  The god of this world, satisfied with his creation, ascended back to heaven and left it to the newly born people.

  This world was a paradise for the people to make all their own, so he thought better than to remain.

  “But why did god return to heaven?” A little boy sitting on the front row asked a question after hearing Shinnosuke’s sermon.

  “Because he believed that we should make this world into our own. If you rely on god to save you whenever there is strife, you cannot forge your own path. A child must become independent of his parents to become an adult.” In short, gods couldn’t interfere with the mortal realms of their own creation. That’s exactly why I couldn’t be reborn into my old world. My world didn’t have any method to bring back anyone from the dead, so it could only have been seen as a miracle.

  If I’d died in this world, then resurrecting me might’ve been a possibility. After all, there were magical ways to resurrect people here. The death risk was much higher on average.

  “The lord god on high has entrusted us all with this world. I am sure he would be happy to know that each and every one of us is trying our hardest to make this world a better place.” God Almighty looked over the crowd of people attending his sermon. He was wearing a priest’s robe that he’d borrowed from the pope.

  “Do unto others as you would want done to you. Do anything you can, no matter how little. That alone is enough. Kindness is a solid foundation. All are equal in the eyes of god. Men, women, children, adults, princes, and paupers. We can all live full lives. That would make god happiest.” He bowed to the crowd before leaving the front area.

  Huh... So the spirits really helped the gods form the world? I’ve only met that one in the forest and the spirit of darkness in Ramissh... I didn’t realize they were that powerful.

  Did they lose their power over time, maybe? Or maybe they lost the power to shape the world after the gods didn’t need them to? They don’t seem all that primordially mighty now, at least...

  Especially the spirit of darkness... I beat him pretty easily. Then again, apparently spirits are immortal, so he’ll probably come back eventually.

  “Thank you for the sermon. It was fascinating...”

  “Ah, not a problem at all. Typically I only have conversations with other gods about their difficulties, so it was nice to talk a little.” Elias and Phyllis were already gushing over god’s sermon.

  “No, it was truly amazing! Thank you so much, we’ll ensure that future generations chronicle the tale and take it to heart!”

  “Well... You may do as you wish, but I do not think it was all that interesting...” God Almighty smiled softly towards the pope. You know, old man... You probably don’t realize it but you’ve basically just given this world a solid creation myth.

  “Where are you headed after
this, gramps? I was thinking of introducing you to the others.”

  “I am not quite sure... I was going to ask if you could let me stay here for a night, so I could meet the others this evening. For now, I would like to look around town. Could I get someone to guide me?”

  “I’ll do it, you know?!” Karen suddenly appeared as if out of nowhere to butt in on our conversation. What did I say about you gods and your instant transmission nonsense? Just show up normally for a change!

  God Almighty smiled toward Karen, apparently completely unbothered by her sudden appearance.

  “It’s been quite a while, my dear. Are you in good health?”

  “I get to have a pretty fun day-to-day thanks to you, you know? I’m gonna show you around, so don’t worry about it... How about you stop intruding on Touya’s date, grandpa?”

  “Hmm? Ohh... I see. I did not realize I was intruding. Please forgive me, my children.”

  “N-No, it’s fine...” Lu and Yumina both turned red in the face, waving their arms in a flustered panic.

  Still, I was thankful that Karen was taking care of him now. Even if something happened, they’d be more than enough to look after themselves.

  Plus, it went without saying that Phyllis, the pope, and the Ramissh guardsmen would be accompanying them as well.

  Yumina, Lu, and I all left the church and headed towards the shogi hall. The first set of games had just ended, and the second rounds were all beginning.

  There were a lot more people there than there were in the morning and a lot of people who’d already finished their games. The monitor displayed the names of the winners and losers.

  “Uhhm... Aha, looks like things are coming along...” Barral and Simon from Reflet, the emperor of Refreese, and the doge of Roadmare had all lost their matches. Everyone except the Reflet citizens had pseudonyms listed, though.

  “Ah, my father has been defeated...” Lu muttered to herself after noticing her dad’s name up there.

  If I recalled correctly, his enemy was the king of Palouf. It seemed like the kid was kicking ass.

  I looked around and saw two people sitting on some chairs in front of a monitor. They were the leaders of Regulus and Refreese.

  We approached the group.

  “Good day. Shame about the bad luck.”

  “Oh, Touya! I actually had quite a bit of fun. I’d like to hold a tournament like this next year...”

  “It’s a shame that I lost, but I managed to learn a bit about my own shortcomings. I won’t lose next time.” The two of them didn’t seem to mind their losses, so I was glad.

  I looked to the monitor and saw a silver general tile being moved across a table. The monarchs both let out mixed tones in response to the sight.

  “Who’s this?”

  “It’s the match between the king of Belfast and the king of Palouf. It’s a rather interesting battle.”

  Huh... I see... It kinda looks like the king of Belfast is having a tough time. No wonder he managed to beat the emperor of Regulus. I looked carefully as the young king moved his silver general piece...

  “Isn’t it gonna get taken by the king of Belfast’s rook?”

  “No, this is a tactical invitation. It’s a move that could be a trick, or destroy the balance of the game. If you don’t look with a keen eye, it could be seen as reckless...” I looked back at the monitor after the emperor of Regulus spoke. Man... I really can’t follow this at all...

  The speed at which people in this world improved tactically was actually pretty incredible, but this was also a world that lacked much in the way of entertainment. That meant they could focus on their individual failings with little distraction, and keep on going until they overcame them.

  Their enthusiasm was something to be envied, really. I was already completely outclassed by the top players in this world.

  It seemed like the shogi tournament was still going to last a while longer than we’d expected... So we decided to go and see the combat tournament in the meantime.

  ◇　◇　◇

  In the arena, six fighters were mercilessly clashing against each other.

  They were attacking, rolling, defending, dodging, slashing, thrusting, and jabbing at each other. One after another, they collapsed to the ground.

  Any fallen participants were immediately teleported out of the arena where our trained medical staff could get ahold of them.

  We had a lot of things installed in the combat arena to protect the lives of the participants, the teleporter was only one such method.

  The last two participants standing clashed their blades. One was an adventurer with a greatsword, and the other was an Eashenese man wielding a katana.

  I recognized the Eashenese man. It was Kokonoe Jutaro, Yae’s brother.

  We’d supplied the weapons for the tournament, but that didn’t always help. Even with a blunted edge, a greatsword could inflict debilitating wounds or even death.

  Well, so long as the death wasn’t instant we’d be able to help the person recover. Plus I trusted Moroha as referee to stop the match before anything lethal happened.

  Jutaro kept on nimbly dodging the blows from the greatsword.

  The greatsword guy was the one who seemed to be putting the most pressure on his foe, but Jutaro was clearly looking for gaps. Just as I’d expected, he took advantage of a lull in his opponent’s movements to lunge forwards.

  He danced like lightning and struck his katana into the chest of the greatsword guy.

  The man fell to the ground with a resounding thud and teleported out of the battlefield.

  “Match over! The winner of the G Block is... Kokonoe Jutaro!” The audience went crazy with clapping and cheering as Moroha announced the victory.

  Jutaro bowed his head before heading off towards the participant waiting room.

  “He didn’t even break a sweat...”

  “My brother is skilled, he is.” Yae proudly grinned and nodded towards Yumina’s statement.

  Yumina and Lu had accompanied me to the arena, where we’d met up with Hilde and Yae.

  The preliminaries were going well. Half of the winners had already been determined. There were so many participants that we ended up going for a battle royale structure.

  “Did the knight king... Did Reinhard already qualify?”

  “My brother was part of the A Block, yes. He’s downstairs in the waiting room watching the other matches.” Hilde pointed down to where the winners were all socializing.

  Oh, right... I guess Yae and Hilde’s brothers might end up fighting each other... Which one should I cheer for? I can hardly cheer for them both...

  “Anyone we know qualified as well?”

  “Commander Gaspar, General Leon, and Baba did!” Dang, even the old guy did... I hope he doesn’t overdo anything.

  Still, it wasn’t too surprising. The guy was a member of Takeda’s Elite Four. I was sure he could even give Reinhard a run for his money.

  “Ah, Touya... Look...”

  “Hm?” I looked over and noticed a familiar face amongst the participants of the H Block.

  It was a girl with slightly darker skin and pointed ears, with scales on her body here and there. She had two draconic horns pointing out of her head, and a thick tail around her back.

  “Ahh... I didn’t know Sonia was here.” She was a draconic fighter, an adventurer. A friend that we’d met back during the Pruning in the Sea of Trees. She also helped us out against the heavenly emperor of Yulong a while back as well.

  Apparently, she continued dungeoneering across the world as an adventurer, and she’d even been to Brunhild’s dungeon islands a few times. I wasn’t too surprised she was participating, since she started traveling the world in pursuit of martial prowess anyway.

  That probably meant Rengetsu would be participating too. He was the staff-wielder with the bald head. If I recalled correctly, the two of them were traveling companions who had similar philosophies on battle.

  I was remembering them fondly when
the match began, and the arena immediately turned into a veritable melee.

  Sonia smacked an ax-wielding man with her gauntlet, almost knocking him out of bounds immediately.

  Just as he was about to recover from the staggering blow... A second, invisible impact sent him crashing out of bounds. He was disqualified immediately.

  This was part of Sonia’s power... And what a fearsome power it was.

  In the end, Sonia was the winner of the H Block’s warriors, and she carried on to the main contest. Leon from Belfast fought very similarly to her, but I had a feeling she might have been even more skilled than he was...

  Either way, victory had a lot of factors to it beyond mere skill.

  “I wanted to join as well, I did...”

  “As did I...”

  “C’mon you two... Don’t get sad. We’re needed here for the important act of keeping people safe, got it?” Yae and Hilde seemed downtrodden, so I put on a smile and reminded them of how important they were.

  That was my outward reason, but in all honesty, I was worried about letting them participate in a tournament like this... I wouldn’t let Elze do it, either.

  They had the blessing of various gods shining on them, after all. I didn’t want first, second, and third places being dominated by Brunhild. The event might’ve been seen as boring, or even rigged if that happened.

  “Seems like the tournament’s going fine, anyways... Let’s look around a little more. Oh, maybe we could visit Sakur—”

  Just as I was suggesting to the others about something to do, one of my summoned beasts deployed a telepathic message to me.

  “...Sorry, something came up. I gotta bounce.”

  “Huh?” I was unable to answer their confusion as I used [Teleport] to leave the arena.

  I landed in a back alley so I wouldn’t cause any attention, before coming out into the main street.

  I pushed my way through the crowd and saw a man wearing a black bandana. He was being followed by one of Kohaku’s subordinates, a little mouse. That’s how I knew it was the right guy.