The dinner was sumptuous, made with an abundance of mountain delicacies. It had been decades since I had eaten such a feast. I used to eat it often when I was the president, but now that I think about it, I used to have a very extravagant life.
“Hey, your glass is empty. I’ll pour some for you.”
“Thanks.”
“There’s still some left. I’m going to pour it, so drink it quickly!”
“Okay.”
Sandwiched between Erna and Liz, I am busy drinking beer. Whenever I emptied my glass, it will be instantly refilled, then I had to drink again. I kept doing that cycle.
Ugh, my stomach is about to reach its limit.
I don’t even know how many bottles were opened.
“The food in this little pot is delicious! Yum!”
“Aaaaahhhhh! Fluffy! Fluffy!”
Pero, who is enjoying the food, wags his tail vigorously. Freya responds to it excitedly. She is chasing his tail like a cat with a toy being swing to it.
“I can’t drink anymore!”
“Come on, come on!”
“N-no more (Shaking his head)”
“Just drink it! Here you go!”
“Hiiiiiiiii!”
Liberto opens his mouth after being threatened by Margaret. A bottle of sake was shoved into his mouth and he is forced to gulp it down. Not long after, Liberto crawls on the floor and comes to me for help.
“M-Master…… help.”
“Liberto~ Where are you running off to? Hmmm~”
“W-wait! Aaaaaahhh!”
Margaret grabs him by the leg and forces him back to Dominique, Layla, and Tina, who are smiling darkly again. I have to be careful not to be like that.
“I’ll be the first to sing!”
Kurohime took the microphone and stands in front of us. The song that is played is “Tsugarukaikyō fuyu rei-shoku (津軽海峡・冬景色)”. I was surprised that she started off with this song so suddenly, it was cool, or rather, she knew it well. What’s more, I was even more surprised by how well she sang it.
The second is Eugrapia. She sings an American song in fluent English. Moreover, her beautiful voice, befitting a goddess, stirred up intense emotions. I even suspected that there was some magic in her singing voice.
The third is Naoki. He performed a song that is currently popular. His singing voice is neither good nor bad. However, it is quite good and it feels quite good to listen to.
“Fourth, I, Erna will sing!”
Erna took the microphone. That alone made everyone anxious. The melody that flows is that familiar masterpiece, “Okuro Kotoba (贈る言葉)”. Of all things, Erna put magic into her voice and began to sing. Not only was it a strange choice of song for this timing, but her singing voice was just awful. And yet, there is a heart-wrenching emotion.
Crash!
I heard the sound of something falling from outside the room. When I opened the door and looked down the corridor, I saw the waitress who has been carrying food, curled up on the floor crying. Many other guests are also sobbing in the hallway. Thinking that this is not good, I asked Erna to stop singing.
“Why can’t I sing?”
“Go and look outside!”
“Eh? Outside?”
Erna, who had seen the situation in the hallway, returned and laughed awkwardly, “Ahahaha……”
Looks like putting magic on our voice is a dangerous act. We’ll be very careful in the future. After the banquet was over, the men decided to take another bath.
“Phew.”
It is best to see the night sky in the open-air bath. I leaned my body against the edge and enjoyed the moment.
“I think I understand why Father wants to save this world.”
Pero says as he wipes the moisture from his face with a towel. Finally, he lightly wiped the tip of his nose and then he put the towel on his head.
“This country is so cozy. The service is good, the food is delicious, so I like it here. It does feel a little bit small compared to the one over there though.”
“That can’t be helped. This is an island nation with a large population after all.”
Shortly after, Liberto and Naoki joined us and soaked in the hot spring as well.
“So Master, do you think we can beat Gohma?”
“I have a plan prepared. But to be honest, I don’t think we have a 50/50 chance of winning. From what I’ve heard, their military strength is in a different league. We’ll be at a disadvantage if we fight them head-on.”
“Maybe we could try to get the other gods on our side.”
“I thought about that as well. However, according to Naoki, the gods who are still resisting are no longer reliable as they lost their spirit to fight. They are now only doing their best to protect themselves.”
I’d rather they continue to attract the enemy forces like that. It will be convenient for us because in that way, the enemy will be dispersed.
By the way, according to Eugrapia and Kurohime’s prediction, the first opponent will be about 100,000. We believe that the number of enemies joining from there is between 100 million and 200 million. It’s such a ridiculous number, but it’s only normal because we are fighting against the entity that controls this vast universe. The good news is that they are just angels, not gods.
“Angels aren’t the only problem. Don’t forget that there are also the Four Zodiac Gods.”
The Four Zodiac Gods are the four powerful gods who serve Gohma. They are subordinates who have sworn absolute loyalty to Gohma. Unless we defeat them, we cannot face the Chief God, Gohma.
“We’ll take care of the Four Zodiac Gods, Father can just fight Gohma.”
“That’s right. If master can defeat the big boss quickly, it will be easier for us.”
“Gohma doesn’t have the proof of the Creator God so he is no match against Dad now. Let’s get rid of them quickly and live together again.”
The three of them spoke powerfully. Well, that is right. If we defeat them quickly, this battle will be over sooner.
◇◇◇
The next morning, after taking a bath, we ate sumptuous breakfast and went out to town.
“Hey, Shinich, look, look. This is cute!”
“This one is not bad either.”
Erna and Liz are having fun with drawstring purses. The two of them in yukata looked really sexy and I can’t help but look at their breasts instead of their drawstrings purse. When I came to my senses, the two of them made me buy drawstring purses and a few other items.
“Dad!”
Naoki, who has returned in a hurry, hurriedly hides behind me. Several policemen ran past him. When I looked closely, I can see that their figure is blurry. They are angels.
“Did they find you?”
“No, I don’t think they found out because I didn’t show my face. But I might have gotten suspicious because I suddenly ran away.”
They even stationed angles in places like this. The other Naoki, who continues to run away, must be having a hard time. It’s so frustrating that I can’t help him.
“Gather everyone, we’ll get out of here right away.”
“Understood.”
The hot spring trip ended after only one night. After that, we returned to the abandoned factory while being wary of the angels. I was relieved that no one was missing.
『Next news. Last night, a prisoner escaped from prison. He is still on the run and police are pursuing him.』
As I was watching the news in front of the sofa, my eyes widened when I saw Naoki’s face projected on screen. When I switched to other news programs, a special feature on Naoki Tanaka’s upbringing and criminal record is being broadcast.
“That’s right. Around this time, angels had infiltrated the government and a major crackdown was underway. It was all nonsense of course. I remember being pissed because it even affected Dad.”
“Hmm, but if you knew this was going to happen, why didn’t you tell me? We could have been a bit more careful.”
“Don’t worry. By this time, the police had already tracked down my hiding place. They were paying attention to that, and I’m sure they never dreamed that there would be another me here.”
He sat right next to me, opening a bag of sweets and watched the news. In other words, time is flowing smoothly as before.
But in the end of all this fuss, Naoki could not be found. So Gohma, who had been fed up, attacked Tokyo in an attempt to draw him out.
“Gohma is going to go in person, right?”
“That’s right. Well, if history hasn’t changed, he will come after me. He even injured me then after all.”
It can be assumed that he sustained some serious injuries. It is also a special attack.
“Gohma has the skill to reduce healing power. He can also copy his own skills and give them to others. Plus, he has the skill to kill gods. He’s an expert at fighting gods.”
“That’s why he kept the Creator God close at hand huh.”
“Un. That way, it can keep the other gods in check. It became even more important after the God of Destruction was sealed away. Rumor has it that Gohma was the one pulling the strings behind the denouncement of the God of Destruction.”
He is well-prepared and shrewd. The battle ahead will undoubtedly be fierce. It will be far from the peaceful days like now.
Knock. Knock.
Someone knocked on the shutter. Everyone was on guard and gripped their weapons. I don’t think there is anyone in this world who would come to a place like this. Moreover, since Eugrapia had put up a barrier, the angel should not have known where we are. I put my index finger to my mouth and signaled them to be quiet.
Erna approaches the shutter and calls out to the other party.
“Who is it?”
“Well, uhm, my name is Tanaka Naoki. I don’t know how to explain why I came here….. this place is veiled, and I can’t see it clearly at all even with my far vision. I came here thinking that maybe you are one of my kind.”
Uh-, the other Naoki came?
I exchange glances with Naoki. He shook his head as if to tell me to chase the other Naoki away. I instructed Erna with a gesture to ask him to go back. If we made contact here, our plan would fall apart. I feel bad for using him as a decoy, but I can’t meet him now.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about. Can you please go back?”
“—Please. Even if I try to teleport, I can’t get in. There is a strong barrier here. I beg you, please let me in. Help me.”
“Go back. I don’t know who you are, it has nothing to do with us.”
“No— ….Aren’t we from same race!? Can’t you protect me at least for a little while? Just a little while is fine!”
I gritted my teeth. This is terribly heartbreaking. When I tried to stand up, Naoki grabbed my arm and stopped me.
“Bear it Dad. If we are found out, Gohma won’t show up and a larger army will be sent to us. Our advantage now is that they don’t know about us.”
“Damn!”
That’s absolutely correct. I sighed heavily and sat quietly.
“Please go back.”
“Why!? Why don’t you take my side? Are you so scared of Gohma!?”
“Please go back.”
“Fine! I don’t know what kind of god you are, but I was foolish in trying to rely on you!”
The sound of footsteps recedes into the distance. He seemed to have given up. Everyone exhaled heavily.
“I’m sorry. But at that time, I was mentally exhausted. I was worried because of the shadow of the angels looming every day and the uncertainty of the future. The place where I lived was in the sewers so I was looking for a place to escape as soon as possible.”
“I see…… You must have a really hard time then.”
“It’s okay. I’m with Dad and younger brother now. Oh, and my stepmothers too.”
However, it’s painful that this place has been discovered. The other Naoki will definitely come again. In addition, the angels may also pay attention to this place. It is time to move.
“Kurohime, do you still have the money?”
“Ufufu, actually, I increased it.”
Huh? Increased it?
With a thud, three chunks each worth 100 million yen rolled out.
“Why are there so many?”
“That’s because I won. If you’re as good as me, you can see through cards, and I can put out the fastest horse in history. If you want to make money, there are plenty of ways to do it.”
“You bet the money I had deposited to you without permission?”
“It’s a surprise. That will make it twice as fun, right?”
Kurohime laughs so loudly that I lose the desire to get angry. My goodness…… But really, I’m thankful that she took an initiative. I’ll use this money to buy a new place to live.
“Everyone should prepare to move. Leave the facilities here as it is, in case someone who comes here uses them.”
“Then do you want to leave some food?”
“It would be better that way.”
Naoki should still be around here anyway. I’m sure he’ll come back given the pinch he is in. When I asked Eugrapia if it is possible to set up multiple barriers remotely, she replied that it was possible.
We will continue to maintain the barrier here, and we will hide somewhere Naoki and the angels can’t see us. As we tried to keep a low profile, it wasn’t until midnight that we left the abandoned factory.
This is translated by Yume Neiji. Kindly read at yumeineijiworks.wordpress.com.
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