Exactly one month had passed since my return from Lenaf.
I woke to a crisp, blue morning sky. While the air was still cool at dawn, the sunlight had been growing increasingly intense during the day. The temperature promised to climb again soon. Over at the Adventurer Guild, I had started seeing more and more mages skilled in Ice Magic boast about how much they were going to rake in... Summer had definitely arrived.
For the past few days, I had been cooped up in the tunnels stockpiling waterproof cloth for future deliveries, so the clear weather felt especially refreshing. It would be a waste to spend such a beautiful day hidden underground.
I’d reached a good stopping point with my work, so I decided on the spot to take the day off.
Having made the decision on a whim, however, I realized I had no actual plans. I found myself wandering toward my shop just to check in, only to find the front door firmly shut.
Right... I had only just started implementing fixed closing days this month. Even though it was my own shop, the change had completely slipped my mind. I figured I would just take a stroll around town instead, but just as I turned to leave, a voice called out to me.
"Oh, if it isn't Ryoma-kun. What are you up to?"
It was Pauline-san from the flower shop next door.
"Good morning, Pauline-san. The shop is closed today, so I was just going to wander the city. It seemed like a waste to stay indoors on a day like this."
As I walked over, she gave me a warm smile.
"I agree. It’s far too nice to stay stuck in a room. Hey, why don't you stop by my husband's place? He’s already set aside the usual scraps for your slimes."
"Thank you, as always."
I followed Pauline-san to Sieg-san’s butcher shop to collect the waste blood, meat, and bones. With summer approaching and meat spoiling faster, the portions seemed a bit more generous than usual.
They were always so good to me; I briefly wondered if I should make them a refrigerator. No, that would only make me busier. Without me in town to maintain it, a refrigerator was just a box. Gifting one was a bad idea.
As I was lost in thought, a loud voice suddenly boomed through the shop.
"Mom!"
"I can hear you just fine without the shouting!"
The culprit was Pauline-san’s son—the energetic scamp, Rick.
"Oh, Ryoma's here too?"
"Morning, Rick."
"At least try to greet people properly!" Pauline-san said, giving him a light swat. Rick rubbed his head where she’d tapped him.
"So, what is it?" she asked.
"Oh, right! Toll is here, so I'm heading out!"
"Is it that time already?"
"Is Rick going somewhere?" I asked.
"What, you didn't know, Ryoma? Today is the Church Cleaning Day."
"Once every two months, the local kids handle the cleaning and chores for the town church," Pauline-san explained.
"We’re gonna make the church sparkle to show the gods we’re thankful!" Rick added.
It sounded like a local community service project. I was actually a bit impressed by his words until Pauline-san gave a wry chuckle.
"Don't let him fool you. There's no way my boy would say something that noble on his own. He’s just parroting what he heard someone else say. Rick’s real incentive is the treats they hand out after the cleaning."
Rick looked away immediately. Bullseye.
"By the way, Ryoma, aren't you going to join them?"
"This is actually the first I've heard of it."
I considered it. Since it was a community activity, it was probably a good idea to participate. I didn't have anything else to do today anyway.
"Would it be alright if I joined in?"
"Sure, no one would mind."
"Then I think I’ll go, too."
"Alright! Then follow me!" Rick shouted, thrusting his hand into the air as he marched out. I gave Pauline-san a quick nod and followed after him.
"Ryoma! You're too slow!"
"I'm coming, I'm coming."
Rick was cheeky, but he made sure to wait for me to catch up. I suspected he might grow up to be a surprisingly reliable, "big brother" type of guy.
As we walked, we met up with Leni and Toll, who were waiting outside. When we reached the church, a girl in monastic robes—one I recognized from a previous visit—instructed us to follow the signs to the chapel. Arrow-shaped placards were posted all over the grounds, making it impossible for even a newcomer to get lost.
The chapel was filled with a crowd of children and a single woman overseeing them. There were roughly sixty kids in total. I wondered if that was a small turnout for a city this size, or a large one.
We were told to sit and wait until the cleaning began, so I took a seat in the pews with Toll and the others.
Suddenly, a flash filled my vision... Light?
"Where... am I?"
This was strange. I hadn't been praying, yet I saw the familiar radiance. However, looking around, I wasn't in the usual pure white void.
"A library?"
I was surrounded by gargantuan wooden bookshelves. They were packed to the brim with heavy-looking tomes. Some stood on the floor, while others drifted through the air. This was clearly no ordinary archive.
"Hmm... It seems I was able to summon you after all."
The voice was new to me.
I looked up to see a thin young man floating above. He descended slowly toward me. I figured I should start with a polite introduction.
"Nice to meet you, I am—"
"I have heard the stories. You are the Otherworlder from this cycle, yes? Rumor has it quite an intriguing fellow has arrived this time."
If he knew that, he had to be a god.
"I am Fernobelia, the god who presides over magic and learning. This is my domain. You seem surprised that the scenery differs from where you met the others, but make no mistake, this is still the Divine Realm. You will be able to return once enough time has elapsed, so you may as well make yourself comfortable."
"Thank you very much."
The God of Magic, Fernobelia... Tekun had mentioned he was a rare one to encounter. He seemed a bit more formal and perhaps more difficult to read than Tekun.
"This was to be expected," he continued. "Since the other gods claimed they could summon a living soul and consciousness to this realm, I decided to test the theory myself given the opportunity. I have no intention of mistreating someone I summoned on a whim."
He explained that they were currently investigating the mechanics behind my ability to visit the Divine Realm. Hoping to find a clue, he had seized the chance to summon me the moment I stepped into the church. Essentially, it had been an experiment.
"I would like to ask you a few questions. Do you mind?"
I had no reason to refuse—and honestly, no power to do so—so I answered him truthfully.
The questions started with my previous life and my current one. They ranged from trivial things like my favorite foods to what I thought about when being summoned. He even touched on weightier topics like my views on war and slavery.
I answered everything as best I could, though I couldn't spot a pattern in the interrogation. Finally, he reached the last question.
"I appreciate your cooperation. One last thing: what do you think of this world?"
What did I think? The question was so broad I didn't know where to start. However... I thought it was a wonderful world. Of course, I hadn't seen all of it, and I was still ignorant of much of its history. But almost everyone I had met had been kind, and I had managed to make true friends. Between magic and slimes, there were so many fascinations to discover, and my life felt fulfilling. I had no complaints. From the bottom of my heart, I was glad I had come here.
"Hmm... I see. I understand perfectly."
"Oh? Did I speak that out loud?"
"You didn't. I was simply reading your thoughts."
I realized then that you really can't tell when your mind is being read.
"My apologies. I was somewhat wary, so I took the liberty of looking into your heart."
"Wary?"
"Regrettably, not every Otherworlder has been a person like you."
Apparently, some transmigrators had drowned in their granted power and turned to crime. Others, even without malice, had caused disasters by misusing their abilities. Because of this, Fernobelia had decided to observe me carefully during our first meeting.
It was an understandable precaution. It would be a nightmare for the gods if the people they empowered went on mindless rampages.
"Precisely," he said, still reading my mind. "We do not bring those with clearly dangerous ideologies to this world in the first place. However, there is nothing to be done for those who lose themselves to power after the fact. Furthermore, once a person has transmigrated, we can rarely interfere directly. The most we can do is use an Oracle to persuade them to atone. We can intervene personally if someone causes an incident that threatens the entire world, but such cases are rare—and by the time we can act, it is usually far too late. ...I appreciate your understanding."
Fernobelia-sama's explanation had taken on a slightly grumbling tone, as if he were venting. He eventually caught himself and went quiet.
"I'll continue to do a lot of different things, but I'll make sure not to let the power go to my head," I said. "I'm sorry I can't give you an absolute guarantee, though..."
"Those who claim 'absolute' so lightly are the ones who cannot be trusted. I shall take your answer as a sign that you have taken my words to heart."
"Thank you. I’ll keep doing my best."
Immediately after I spoke, the familiar white light began to glow.
"It seems our time is up. One last thing. Regarding the anomalies occurring with you... in truth, they are not that special. Though it is limited to Otherworlders from Earth, almost all of them shared similar tendencies to some degree."
Anomalies? Did he mean my ability to come here or bringing Artifacts with me?
"While the cause remains a mystery, there have been those in the past who achieved things that should have been impossible for humans. Your case is simply a more prominent example. It was because of these precedents that Gain and the others could assure you that your body and soul were fine. Others showed these same signs, yet none suffered sudden death or a fractured mind."
That made sense. The Saint Kufo had mentioned before was said to have wiped disease from the world at the cost of her life. That was certainly no ordinary human feat.
I hadn't thought I was particularly worried about it, but hearing his words brought me a profound sense of relief.
"Thank you for telling me that."
The light enveloped me, and my consciousness snapped back to the chapel.
I wondered if my last words had reached him. The timing of the departure was always so abrupt it left me feeling a little anxious.
Perhaps my inner turmoil was showing on my face, because Toll and the others were staring at me.
"Why are you making such a weird face, Ryoma?" they asked.
In the suddenness of it all, I had completely forgotten they were sitting right next to me.