3 bar menu

Two Choices – Part 01

In this world, gods exist.

They didn’t manifest in tangible forms to provide guidance to their believers, but it was undeniable that they bestowed divine protection through the mysterious technology known as soul cards. So, people pray.

Gods occasionally granted new Blessings on a whim—whether they had personalities was a matter of debate—but it was a very rare occurrence.

The Kingdom of Ponsonia’s central cathedral, with its magnificent design resembling a colossal work of art, stood dignified with rows of stone columns, forming an imposing temple. It wasn’t long ago when a calamity caused by the Accursed Toxin led numerous afflicted believers to seek refuge there.

When the Accursed Toxin wreaked havoc, one individual played a crucial role in containing it—the Wandering Saint. Although her records were not made public, a masked nun consistently used high-level healing magic every night, saving those suffering from illness or injuries, free of charge.

To express their gratitude for her actions, people took it upon themselves to beautify the neglected churches in the slums within the capital. They speculated that since the Wandering Saint wore a nun’s habit, she might visit them someday. That was the only way they could think of repaying her kindness.

As a result, the desolate churches were revived. Though lacking priests or deacons, people sporadically visited, turning them into places for offering faith.

Paula, the Wandering Saint herself, visited one such church. Given the early morning hour, there were no other visitors, and she was praying in front of a statue.

Since the gods in this world had no specific form, the statue merely had a god-like appearance—a muscular deity raising its fist. It wasn’t clear where the god was directing its excessive energy, but since statues were essentially just easily recognizable objects of devotion, there was no issue.

“…”

Whether she was passionately delivering a speech or screaming, it was hard to tell.

“Lord Hikaru.”

When Paula learned that the warehouse where they used the spell for crossing worlds had been destroyed, she hurriedly attempted to execute it but failed. To be more precise, it worked to a certain extent, but would not ultimately activate. Whether something was lacking or there was too much of something, she couldn’t figure it out.

She couldn’t use the spell to bring Hikaru and Lavia back. Since Japan seemed to lack magical energy, they couldn’t return here using the technique either.

The spell for crossing worlds being unusable meant she couldn’t see Hikaru and Lavia anymore. No. If she could save up and purchase a large elemental magic stone, she could use the inferior version of the spell, which allowed objects to cross the rift, but not humans. However, obtaining a stone was currently difficult; elemental magic stones were in short supply in the market.

Selyse of the Four Eastern Stars had offered to execute the spell using the assets they possessed, but they had to leave the capital due to a commission from the Adventurers Guild. Until they returned, nothing could be done.

There was nothing else she could do but pray. Once Selyse and her team returned, they would use the one-way spell for crossing worlds to contact Hikaru and wait for his decision.

“There must be something else,” Paula murmured as she opened her eyes. “Lord Hikaru wouldn’t want me to just sit idly by and wait.”

She would love it if the Four Eastern Stars completed their mission promptly, but thinking about what she could do right now and taking action wouldn’t be a bad idea.

In fact, Paula knew that Hikaru liked individuals with that kind of mindset.

“Lord Hikaru! Lavia! I’ll do my best!”

With determination, Paula rushed out into the early morning capital.

“But where should I start?”

She had no idea where to begin.

“Serika, Sara, it’s time to head out.”

“Ugh… We’re gonna miss Japan’s Christmas lights for sure! We even booked a hotel nearby!”

“I was really looking forward to Christmas cake and ozoni^[1].”

Under the tent designated for the Four Eastern Stars, Serika and Sara continued to mope in their beds.

Observing them with a wry smile, Sophie turned to Selyse. “I’m starting to worry about what’s in store for these two.”

Sophie laughed. “I think they will return to their normal selves once a monster shows up. But setting aside Sara’s love for food, I never imagined Serika would be so into something romantic.”

Hikaru’s stay in Japan was only ten days because Serika wanted to see the year-end lights. But now it seemed the girls would be extending their stay in this world. The Great Labyrinth of Runay-aas couldn’t be cleared in just a day or two, not to mention the travel time to the Ponsonia Kingdom’s capital.

Sophie chuckled.

“What’s the matter?” Selyse asked.

“It’s just… she’s not just in it for the romance.”

“Huh?” Selyse cocked her head in confusion.

“When Serika was a child,” Sophie explained, “she saw those lights with her family. She was so moved by their beauty that she couldn’t put it into words. That’s why she wants the four of us to see it together. Like a family.”

“I see.”

Surprised by this revelation about Serika’s feelings, Selyse’s expression softened with joy. “In that case, we really need to wrap up this job quickly. I want to explore more of Japan too.”

“But the spell…”

Sophie was aware that the destruction of the warehouse had rendered the spell for crossing worlds unusable.

“There’s a problem. But hey, we’ve dealt with problems many times before,” Selyse asserted. “Let’s address the challenge right in front of us first.”

An ominous mountain loomed a short distance away.

The ladies were about to enter the Great Labyrinth of Runay-aas—though the possibility of it being a fake couldn’t be dismissed.

Selyse believed it to be the genuine dungeon of legends. If it were fake, Einbiest’s leader and their mightiest man, Gerhardt, wouldn’t have gone missing within its depths.

They needed to brace themselves. And with smiles on their faces, they would return to Japan together.

The admin of the Different World Verification channel found himself in a jubilant mood, ready to dance.

The message from someone seemingly from another world two days ago, followed by a live broadcast, had doubled the channel’s subscribers. The admin’s swift recognition that the new otherworlder was real and his subsequent action likely played a pivotal role in this surge, establishing the community’s trust in their credibility.

Views on past videos were soaring, which meant a significant boost in the admin’s annual income. He might just be able to bid farewell to the humble office worker life. Actually, the resignation letter was already prepared; all that remained was to submit it to the boss.

Now, the entire world was abuzz with talk of the new travelers from another world.

Particularly, the popularity of the silver-haired beauty with a mask—her face was mostly concealed, but people assumed she had to be pretty—had skyrocketed.

“Is she from the same world as Selyse? Imagine if it was just cosplay and special effects. Must be some high quality stuff.”

“I’d love to be stepped on by the silver-haired beauty.”

“I want to be stepped on.”

“I want to be stepped on.”

“She’s an object of affection.”

“What? You’ve got a masked beauty and you don’t want to get stepped on?”

“And she should be admired.”

“You want some, punk?”

“Chat is going wild. But we still don’t know why there was an attack on that mansion, right?”

“A silver-haired beauty like her would def stand out, especially in the sticks.”

“Any eyewitnesses of a taxi or train with the silver-haired girl?”

“None at all.”

Needless to say, the viewers were oblivious to skills like Stealth. Hikaru also ensured Lavia used the Imperceptibility skill, keeping eyewitness information to a minimum. He couldn’t do anything about the security cameras all over town, though.

They took a taxi a number of times, but the driver only recognized Hikaru. As for the female innkeeper, he claimed that Lavia had dyed her hair, likely managing to convince her. However, he still felt uneasy. They used Imperceptibility while in the inn, so hopefully there were no potential issues.

“I saw it on the news. There was an incident in Fujinota that night, and the cops were mobilized.”

“Sure, it’s a moneybag in the sticks, but are they actually that rich to get attacked? Rice riot, maybe?”

“Sending a fully-equipped armed group like that in a rice riot? Maybe there’s some special secret involved.”

“My cousin lives in Fujinota. I asked him about it, and there was apparently some land acquisition going on.”

“No way you’d send an armed group just to buy land in this day and age. Especially not land in the sticks.”

“Who knows? Maybe there’s buried treasure?”

“There’s no legend of buried treasure in that area. I’m a buried treasure hunter, so you can trust me on that one.”

“A buried treasure hunter has joined the comments section.”

“I don’t know about all that buried treasure stuff, but it seems the Prime Minister is visiting Fujinota today.”

“Why would he? Is there actually buried treasure, then?”

“Verification teams from overseas are also coming to Japan, heading to Fujinota. Hotel reservations showed all accommodations in Fujinota were fully booked.”

“Whoa. A town in the sticks just garnered worldwide attention overnight.”

Speculations were rampant, but there wasn’t a single piece of concrete evidence. Viewers eagerly awaited the next development.

While perusing the video comments, the admin muttered, “Why is there no response whatsoever?”

Despite repeated questions attempting to understand the video’s authenticity and the purpose behind contacting them, there had been no reply so far. The Silver Mask channel had also been closed, leaving the admin in the dark about the live stream’s purpose.