“The vampire clan is actually one of the few clans that make up the demon race. They’re not exactly a rare species, but they definitely know what Ramissh thinks of their kind. So it’s odd that one would show up there. There’s something fishy about this whole situation.” It did sound like suicide for a denizen of the dark to show up there. Though if the vampire hadn’t been caught yet, that meant they were doing a pretty good job of hiding. Hmm, this definitely struck me as odd...
“Well, as long as it’s not affecting us there’s no reason to worry about it. It’s not like the entire clan has started attacking people or anything. Though if Ramissh starts going after the whole clan because of this, I’d take the vampires’ side.” The Beastking harrumphed loudly and crossed his arms over his chest. Beastmen were still discriminated against in a lot of places. He probably hated the idea of someone being persecuted just for their race or birthplace. Though I agree it’s a little fanatic to believe anyone that belongs to the dark is automatically evil.
The Ramissh Theocracy...
It didn’t sound like a place I’d want to go to. I did believe in Gods, and I probably had more reason to be grateful to them than most, but I couldn’t say I cared for religion.
In the end, the Refreese Emperor kept losing to the emperor of Regulus, and the round ended with him in the lead. The four rulers agreed to meet again the next month and went home.
Seems they’d decided to make it a regular thing.
Chapter III: God’s Eyes Are Vigilant
“Ah! I lost again!”
“Me next, milord! It’s my turn!” The sounds of children playing filled the street.
I picked up the small iron top the kid had sent flying. I’d thought to make some toys for the kids.
I’d been teaching them how to spin it properly. They’d picked up on it pretty fast. There was a makeshift arena made out of a bucket with a cloth to protect the sides where the kids were having heated top battles.
Needless to say, my top was the best, and before long the kids had made it their goal to beat me. As of now, they had yet to succeed. Bwahaha, they were fools to underestimate the top spinning skills my grandfather passed down to me.
“Alright, that’s all for today. Here, I’ll give you all your own tops so, be good kids and go home, okay?”
“Really?!”
“Yaaay!”
“I’m gonna be your servant when I grow up, milord!”
If I could buy retainers for the price of a single top, I could probably hire an army of servants.
I watched the kids run happily home, and spotted a familiar figure standing nearby out of the corner of my eye.
A smiling old gentleman with a sturdy build and a thick white beard. There was a pair of fox ears growing out of his head, and a bushy tail sprouting from his back.
“If it isn’t Olba. How long have you been standing there?”
“It has been far too long, master Touya. Or should I now address you as His Highness, the Grand Duke of Brunhild?” It was the Mismede merchant, Olba. The father of Olga and Arma, and uncle to Nikola, one of my own knights.
“I did not expect to find someone of your stature here, playing with children in the street. It was so unusual that I couldn’t help but stop to watch. However...” Grinning, Olba plucked one of the tops left behind in the makeshift arena.
“This is a truly unusual toy. I have not seen its like before. And its structure is so simple. Would you be willing to let my company sell this creation of yours?”
“Yeah, that’s fine. It isn’t exactly something I came up with anyway, and it’s not like the manufacturing methods are a secret. Though, if you could, I’d like you price it low enough that children can afford it.”
“Hmm. If I kept the price that low, there would be no reason for people to buy more than one. In which case...” He really was a merchant to the core. Already, he was calculating how to maximize earnings. If he kept the price low, he’d have to sell large quantities to make a profit. So unless he had an incentive to produce in bulk, there was no point in selling it.
For other toys, you could expect people to come back for more after they broke their first one. However, tops didn’t really break easily. He did have a point. In that case...
“What if I made different varieties... Wouldn’t that solve our problem, making them fun to collect? For example, I could make them in different colors, put the various family crests on some, maybe images of dragons and knights on others. Wouldn’t that make kids want to gather all the different kinds?”
“That’s perfect! Even if they don’t break, kids will want to buy a bunch that way. If we take advantage of that... brilliant!” Maybe I shouldn’t have said take advantage of. That made it sound sinister. But it was true that making them a collector’s item he could produce as many as he wanted. Well kids would probably be happy with just one, and the adults that had an interest in collecting would have the money for more.
“This country truly is a wonderful place. There are so many opportunities for a merchant here. Better yet, it seems most merchants haven’t discovered that fact yet!” His eyes were glimmering at all the possibilities for profit. It seemed that he wanted to open a Strand Company branch store here. And in fact, the initial purpose of his visit had been to obtain approval for that.
As they operated internationally, allowing them to establish an office here would certainly make it easier to import and export goods. There was no reason not to give him permission.
I decided to call over old man Naito and Nikola, to have them help figure out a suitable location for their store. Nikola was more of a bodyguard than a merchant, but I was sure he’d enjoy the opportunity to talk to his uncle so I decided to bring him as well.
I let Olba decide how he was going to sell the tops. For formality’s sake, the country was entitled to ten percent of his profits on it.
I never expected that years down the line my top would be a highly coveted item that nobles from all over were willing to pay ludicrous sums to obtain.
◇ ◇ ◇
“All right, I can use magic to preserve its hardness. Then, just in case it breaks, let’s give it a restoration function. Now, if I [Program] it to absorb the surrounding magic...” Recently, I’ve been busy creating weaponry using the Phrase crystals we’d gathered.
After all, it was an item that changed magic into hardness. The greater amount of magic it received, the tougher it became. It also increased its cutting ability, as well. That was the secret behind the sharpness of the Phrase’s attacks.
I filled the crystal with a significant amount of magic. That allowed me to replicate Phrase’s hardness, sharpness and even its regenerative abilities.
“And that’s how I made this sword. The first one of its kind. I call it ‘Touka.’”
“Touka...” Yae took the colorless, translucent sword from its sheath. The crystalline blade was reminiscent of ice. The light coming from outside the Workshop gave it a brilliant shine.
“Just so you know, I made it automatically absorb magic from the surroundings — primarily the air itself — so I don’t think it will ever run out of that. If that ever happens, though, you should know it by how well it cuts. Just fill it up with magic and it should be back to normal.” She tested its sharpness on a piece of iron I’d prepared, and the blade cut through it like paper even though she just lightly touched it. This sharpness is borderline scary.
“This should be able to cut through the Phrase. You have my thanks, Touya-dono.” After putting Touka into its sheath — which was made of a Phrase crystal, too, but painted to not be translucent — Yae looked at me and gave me a blissful smile. That made the creation more than worth it.
However, behind her, I saw four highly familiar faces — all pouting at me.
“...I’ve made things for you too, so stop looking at me like that.” First, with Lu being a dual-wielder, I gave her two short swords. They were pretty much just like Touka.
I didn’t have a
ny weaponry for Yumina and Linze, but I gave them both a set of Phrase crystal bullets. I set them to, upon landing, create an [Explosion] behind them, causing them to get wedged into the target.
Though the [Explosion] itself wouldn’t have much effect, it worked pretty well as a propellant. I also made the bullets sharp and used magic to increase that sharpness even further. The idea behind it was based on a fictional weapon that used explosives to launch a high-speed metal stake — the pile bunker.
Then there were Elze’s gauntlets, which made good use of the crystals’ toughness.
I’d spent some time thinking on how I could make their power more focused, and I’d ended up adding some brutal-looking, cone-shaped attachments on the fists. Two sharp horns — left and right — focused on a single point. It was easy to imagine just how destructive a hit from those would be...
Normally, they would be hidden inside the back of the gauntlets, and I made it pop out when she made her fists face forward — a sort of “pulverize mode,” so to speak.
“Just so you know, it’s dangerous to use it outside of battles, so don’t keep it in that state when—” Suddenly, a crash. Right as I was saying that, the stone spread out on the Workshop grounds was pulverized. Damn it! I know you want to try them out, but that’s gonna make Rosetta cry!
“Not bad. Breaking things is much easier than normal.”
“That’s because I’ve made it that way... Ahh man...” As I was thinking of what excuse I’d make when Rosetta saw what happened here, I heard the sound of trees falling down.
“Impressive sharpness.”
“Amazing! The trees are so large, yet they get cut like radishes!” As Yae and Lu turned gleeful due to the effectiveness of their blades, I looked at the fallen trees and concluded that no excuse would work now.
Guess I’ll bite the bullet and get scolded... I’m sorry, Rosetta. It’s odd, though. How did it come to this? Yumina and Linze, too, were putting the bullets into their gun chambers, so I somehow got them to stop. I couldn’t allow the casualties to increase. Why are my wives so keen on fighting? Good grief.
After testing the weaponry, we made our way back to the castle, where we were met with a panicked Lapis. Did something happen?
“Sir... No... Your Majesty. You have messengers from another country. Please get appropriately dressed and go to Kousaka.” Eh? Messengers? That’s a first. I wonder what country they’re from... My Duchy of Brunhild was gradually becoming a proper country. Naturally, international relations were next, but I haven’t made any preparations for this.
My country was surrounded by Regulus in the east and Belfast in the west. That meant that there was no chance of me getting invaded as long as I was on good terms with these two countries.
However, that didn’t mean that not getting along with other countries was a good idea. Every nation had their motives and methods, and there was always the possibility that they could do something indirectly.
Still, so far, not a single nation considered my new, small country to be worth interacting with. The countries in the western alliance knew me very well and I interacted with them often. However, I didn’t know how to react if the messenger came from a country I didn’t know.
“It is a pleasure to finally meet you, Your Majesty, Grand Duke of Brunhild. I am Nesto Renaud, a messenger sent here on behalf of Elias Altra, Pope of the Ramissh Theocracy.”
“And I am Phyllis Rugit.”
“Very well.” I sat on the throne in my throne room. Kousaka — the ex-Takeda Elite Four member — was standing next to me and throwing me glances.
I know, I know. I have to avoid saying much and leave most of it to you. After all, we didn’t know what they wanted. Rather than saying something unnecessary, it was better to just stay silent. “Silence is golden,” as they say. Also, I had little of the so-called “majesty” about me; I had to be considerate so they wouldn’t underestimate me.
“We wholeheartedly welcome you. Now, might we hear what is your business here?” Kousaka spoke to the messengers. The person before me — Nesto — was a grown man with short, blond hair. He was clad in a fancy white robe with golden embroidery on it. At first glance, he looked like a priest. He appeared to be over 40 years of age. His hair seemed kinda weird, though.
The person next to him — Phyllis — was a quiet, bookish-looking girl with light purple hair in a bob cut. She looked about as old as me. Her robe was white, too. It wasn’t nearly as flashy as Nesto’s, though.
They looked like priests of the Ramissh Theocracy. They worshiped the God of Light — ‘Lars,’ I believe. If they were priests there, then they had quite a lot of political power.
One of them — Nesto — spoke up.
“Our theocracy’s pope — Elias Altra — wishes to befriend the Duchy of Brunhild. We also wish to propagate the Church of Lars in your lands by having you accept it as your state religion. If you are willing to do that, Ramissh Theocracy will recognize you as a sister country and always support you.”
...Huh? State religion? As in, one that’s protected by law?
“We invite you to undergo a baptism and begin building a church in your lands. If you follow the teachings of Lars — the God of Light — your nation will surely become more prosperous than ever before.” Nesto spoke those words with great zeal and enthusiasm, but I felt the exact opposite, and it only got stronger with every word spoken.
The hell’s this guy saying? Why should I undergo a baptism from such a weird cult?
“The teachings of our Lord Lars destroy evil and bring forth light and justice...”
“No, thank you.”
“...Huh?” My words caused him to stop his heated speech and turn stiff.
“Whatever do you mean?”
“Exactly what I said. I don’t need a religion in my country.” The speech dragged on for a bit, but it was basically an invitation to his faith. And honestly, I found it shady as hell. The God of Light? Did he really exist?
“So you are saying that you have no need for the teachings of our Lord? Do you not believe in God?”
“I’d prefer it if you didn’t say such silly things. There’s not a man in this world who believes in God more than me. I thank him every day.” I spoke those words as Nesto glared at me.
It’s not your God, though.
Reacting to what I’d said, the Phyllis girl joined the conversation. Unlike Nesto, however, she didn’t seem mad. She looked more confused than anything else.
“Then why? If you believe in God, why do you refuse to spread his word? Seems contradictory, if you ask me.”
“It isn’t. Also, you say that your God is the ‘God of Light,’ Lars. Does ‘Light’ mean that there’s a God of Dark? Are there any other gods?” I answered her question with another question. The one to answer was Nesto, who puffed his chest as he did so.
“God of Sea, God of Mountains, God of Earth — certainly, there are many various gods. However, the one standing above them is the God of Light, Lars — the most glorious of all. He’s an absolute God of justice, and not even the God of Dark can stand up to him.”
“Doesn’t seem like it, though.”
“What?!” Nesto went past just glaring at me. His voice turned ragged as he stood up — anger palpable in his expression and demeanor.
Well, I expected as much.
“Are you saying that our Lord is powerless?!”
“You called him an ‘absolute God of justice,’ right? Then why are there still criminals and evil-doers?”
“Th-That’s... That’s what we’re here for! We punish evil in His stead! It’s our duty! We are His limbs and...!”
“That’s just your power, isn’t it? Nothing divine about it. Don’t confuse that.” Nesto’s shoulders were shaking at this point. Did I say too much? Am I wrong, though?
“Then what has your God given to us?!”
“Nothing. He’s pretty busy. He leaves us to take care of ourselves. Doesn’t intervene unless there’s something importan
t. Also, it’s not like I’m completely rejecting your teachings. If you believe in your God, it’s all fine by me.”
Everyone has their very own God inside their hearts. Let people believe whatever they want. It’s fine like that. However, I don’t like people using their Gods in international relations.
Nesto looked at me with pure hatred in his eyes.
“...It appears that you have been bewitched by a wicked God. It appears we will have to purify you.”
“Ah?”
What did he just say? “Kohaku. Hold him down.”
“As you command.”
“Augh?!” Kohaku attacked Nesto from behind, pushed him down on the floor and kept him there with its front legs. Naturally, Kohaku was in Byakko mode.
I walked over to Nesto, crouched down and looked in his eyes — full of fear of Kohaku.
“I don’t care what God you believe in. You can pray to whatever divinity you like, regardless of whether they actually exist or not. However, I won’t allow you to treat my God as wicked. You don’t know anything about him, so I don’t want you saying stuff like that.” I glared at Nesto, opened a [Gate] on the floor and teleported him... Straight to the river outside the castle.
When he disappeared, he left behind his blond hair.
I knew it was a wig.
I looked to the side and saw Phyllis, who was wordless with shock.
Oh. Crap. I overdid it.
He was a messenger from another country. I had better methods of dismissing him. Hearing him talk badly about God got to my head. I mean, seriously, how could that nice old man be a wicked God? Still, I went too far... I turned around and saw Kousaka with his hand on his forehead, exhaling a long sigh. Crap, I really messed up. And he told me to not talk too much, damn it.
“Umm... Priest Nesto is...?”
“Well... I teleported him outside the castle. Don’t worry, he’s not hurt.”
Probably wet as hell, though. Guy might even catch a cold. Not that I would care.
In Another World With My Smartphone_Volume 5 Page 8
