Chapter 111: All at Once

When we dived through the portal and arrived at the God’s realm, I felt the warm sunlight and the great atmosphere of the God’s realm. My mood felt a little brighter just by feeling this harmonious atmosphere.

From the portal we arrived at the main plaza of the God’s realm. I noticed that Celseus was cleaning up the garbage around the perimeter of his cafe.

「Ohh! 」

When he noticed our presence, Celseus threw his broom and shovel to the ground, and hid in the shadows. John Dae approached Celseus then.

「Celseus. I apologize for the other day. I won’t ask you to practice swords with me ever again. So, don’t worry.」

「Wha…What! I see, thank goodness! By the way…Ahhhhhh! It’s been quite a while since I’ve felt that bad, you know! On that day, I felt that I could die from a cold, diarrhea and lack of sleep…」

Celseus tried to give an absurd excuse for John Dae and Kiriko for what happened to him during the sword practice…That was not cool! There was no shame to admit that his original power lacked in comparison to John Dae and Kiriko!

If it were Seiya, he would say, “Let me show you all the power I’ve got now.” John Dae was more mature than Seiya and respected Celseus.

「Hmm. More importantly, could you lend us a room right now? I want Kiriko to rest in the meantime.」

「Yeah. Well, I see no problem with that but… 」

Celseus seemed to have noticed the depressed Kiriko. He bent down as he talked to her.

「I can see that any things happened over there, Kiriko. 」

「…Yes. 」

「It’s hard to save a world…All right. Just wait a little. 」

Celseus brought a pot and a teacup on his tray.

「Here. Warm tea. 」

「No, I… 」

「Don’t be shy. It’s delicious. 」

「But… 」

「This tea was made with 100% genuine leaves of the God’s realm. You’ll be absolutely fine if you drink it. C’mon now, drink.」

「No, I can’t, you see…I can’t drink your tea because I’m a machine…! 」

I couldn’t stand to watch this anymore and spoke harshly to Celseus.

「Stop it already!! Are you an idiot!? If you oblige Kiriko to drink tea, she’ll corrode!! 」

「Who…Who’s the idiot!! I just thought of Kiriko with care… 」

「What the hell do you mean with “100% genuine leaves of the God’s realm”!! You are the one who’s a “100% genuine idiot”!!」

「Don’t you dare call me a 100% genuine idiot!! 」

As we argued, I noticed that Kiriko giggled a little. Then, she grabbed the teacup brought by Celseus and put it closer to her face.

「I can’t drink it, but…I can smell that it has a very nice scent!! 」

I was glad to hear a cheerful response from Kiriko.

What a relief! Kiri’s gloomy mood got brighter!

Celseus’ ridiculousness was sometimes useful. However, I noticed that Seiya wasn’t next to us when I looked around.

「Ah, what? Kiri! Where is Seiya? 」

「Mister Seiya walked in that direction… 」

「Well, I thought that he was oddly silent, but now I see the reason why…! I’m going to look for him!」

I left John Dae and Kiriko in Celseus’ cafe and ran away. When I was about to leave the plaza, I found Aria on my way out.

「Ah! Welcome home, Lista! 」

「I’m home! Did you see Seiya around here? 」

「If you’re looking for Seiya, he is in the temple. He said that he wanted to speak with Lady Isister.」

「Thank you! 」

I thanked Aria and went to the temple.

—

「…Ex…Excuse me. 」

I knocked on the door of the Great Goddess Isister’s room. When I opened the door slowly, I saw that the Great Goddess Isister and Seiya were sitting at a table while facing each other. There was a large crystal ball between them, and Seiya was looking attentively at it.

「Don’t leave without saying anything to us first! …Hmm? What are you doing?」

On behalf of a silent Seiya, the Great Goddess Isister spoke to me with a tough-looking face.

「I am looking at the state of Exfolia from one year ago at the request of Ryuguuin Seiya.」

「Is…Is that so. 」

I sat next to Seiya and watched the images of the crystal ball. Seiya looked with serious eyes at the crystal ball. I noticed that it reflected the state of a peaceful village. There were watermills on the stream, and white-haired old people lightening up some cigarettes along the water.

「This village… 」

When I murmured, suddenly I saw that the water of the stream that flowed in front of the water wheel got red!

『Gyahhhhh! Die, die, die, die! 』

The voice of a vengeful monster echoed from the crystal ball! A two-headed monster wearing a dirty dress had an old man’s head in its hand!

「Ce…Ceremonic!! 」

I couldn’t forget this monster. This enemy cursed me not too long ago, and I almost died because of that. Therefore, I didn’t want to stare too much at the crystal ball because Ceremonic was a trauma for me…However, I did stare anyways. If I looked closely at the monster, I noticed that another female head stood behind Monica and Serena’s heads.

…Shanak! Her sisters didn’t kill her yet!

The crystal ball showed a village that had become the scene of horrifying screams when Ceremonic appeared. Seiya spoke with an impassive tone.

「This village is the Sage Village that I was supposed to visit one year ago. 」

「So…So, this is the Sage Village…! 」

Many villagers of the Sage Village were wise old people who seemed to be enlightened. However, the old people were slaughtered one after another by Ceremonic.

「After the Demon King killed the reckless me and gained power of the evil god, he sent Ceremonic to the Sage Village. He wanted to eradicate the wise men because they knew the secrets of his constitution.」

「Ugh…So terrible…! 」

Seiya spoke calmly even after looking at the corpses that were ripen from their necks and bled as they rolled in the ground.

「I wanted to know what kind of village it was…So, old hag. Can you show me the current state of this village?」

「As you defeated all of the Demon King’s Emperors, the black mist covering Exfolia has also cleared away. The near future is still unpredictable, but it is possible to look at the current situation of Exfolia.」

A new landscape was projected on the crystal ball when the Great Goddess Isister recited a few words. The crystal ball was like Seiya’s earth snake cameras, and reflected the state of a desolate village.

「Hmm. What’s that? 」

Seiya pointed to the corner of the village shown in the crystal ball. The Great Goddess Isister brought the image closer to that point.

There were people wearing odd-looking masks and cloaks surrounding a red magical circle in the ground. The Great Goddess Isister also stared at that particular scene.

「Those people are not human beings. Are those demon priests? Though I don’t know what kind of ritual they are engaging themselves now…」

「I see. 」

Said Seiya, who had both his arms folded for a while…

「Perhaps, it’s better to check it directly on the site. 」

「Is that so? Well, there’s nothing on this village, except for the presence of these demon priests, even so…」

「I’ll go there just to be in case. 」

Apparently, Seiya felt dissatisfied to stare only at the crystal ball. I asked the Great Goddess Isister the following question.

「Great Goddess Isister. Is it safe to open the portal directly to the Sage Village? 」

「Yes. I will allow it. 」

「Thank you very much! …Seiya. What do you want to do? Do you want to go now? 」

「No. There are enemies in the village. I have to prepare first. 」

The Great Goddess Isister said with a smile.

「There are several demon priests at the village, but they aren’t exactly a threat at your current state, am I correct?」

「They’re not necessarily enemies per se. At first glance, the village seems to have been wiped out. But, if some of the wise men survived, they might attack because of their grudges against me.」

「The…They are wise men, I doubt that they would attack anybody at all…」

「Either way, the fight against Artemaeus is near. I want to prepare for that too. 」

Then, the Great Goddess Isister nodded positively.

「I understand. You can stay in the God’s realm until you are ready. In order to save the SS-rank difficult world Exfolia…I’ll support you as much as I can.」

「Well then, old hag. I have a request. 」

「Yes, yes. What is it? 」

「First, I want to find gods with these attributes… 」

Seiya thought it was faster to ask the Great Goddess Isister than search a god for his training with me. Seiya spoke about the god who he wanted to practice in detail.

Somehow, I felt like an outsider mosquito, and I asked him.

「Li…Listen, Seiya! Is there anything I can do? 」

Then, Seiya looked at me with sharp eyes.

「Let’s see. First, go to your room in the temple. 」

「Go to my room, you say? And then? 」

「You will find your bed there. So, lay your body on your bed. 」

「Okay, okay. And then? 」

「After that, close your eyes quietly. If possible, forever. 」

「Okay, I understand…Wait!! You want me to be in my room and do nothing at all!! 」

「So noisy. Then, play with Kiriko. 」

「Ah no, that wasn’t what I meant!! C’mon!! Great Goddess Isister, please say something!!」

However, the Great Goddess Isister laughed softly.

「Is that so. Lista, it’s okay for you to play. 」

「No way!! 」

「It’s also important to spend some time with your friends. 」

「Ehhhhhh… 」

I…I knew it. Maybe the Great Goddess Isister thought that I was a useless goddess too. Certainly. Not too long ago, I was cursed and bothered everyone with it. Ahhh…

—

In the end, I went back to Celseus’ cafe on my own. I saw Aria and Adenela in the cafe, and Kiriko talked with John Dae happily. John Dae noticed me then.

「Goddess. What about the hero? 」

「He’s going to train again. He said he’s going to the Sage Village once it’s over.」

Not too long after, John Dae looked serious as he put his hand on his chin.

「I see. Maybe this is his last training. 」

「Eh? 」

「A great degree of danger as disappeared when he defeated the Death Emperor, right? Originally, he planned to strike the Demon King first while he was accumulating power.」

「Cer…Certainly…! 」

「Now, it’s probably the final adjustment of his preparations for the battle against the Demon King Artemaeus. After training and stopping by the Sage Village, won’t he go straight away into war with the Demon King?」

My heart bounced a lot as I heard John Dae’s remarks about Seiya’s upcoming endeavors.

Tha…That’s right! Next, was the battle against the Demon King! Suddenly, I felt nervous…!

There were various hardships along the way, but I got more nervous each time I remembered the SS-rank difficulty world Exfolia. My heart beat faster.

…In the S-rank difficulty world Geabrande, Seiya defeated the Demon King in the last battle in exchange for his own life! The upcoming battle with the Demon King Artemaeus will surely be more difficult than the previous battle!

Adenela, who was listening to us, whispered while looking at the temple.

「Spe…Speaking of which, Se…Seiya has…come. 」

I was surprised when I saw him coming in our direction. Not only me, but also Aria seemed surprised that she even raised her voice.

「Se…Seiya is bringing many gods with him! 」

That’s right. Behind Seiya, stood Frala the Goddess of Wind, and Orlando the God of Thunder…There were other gods I had never seen before.

I rushed over to Seiya.

「Seiya!! What is the meaning of this!? 」

「I asked Isister if I could gather gods with various types of attributes. Exfolia is a world where skills such as magic are fragmented, unlike Geabrande. That’s why I’m going to focus on my profession.」

Seiya showed me a memorandum.

—

『Martial Artist. 』

『Spear Wielder. 』

『Wizard (Wind, Thunder, Light, Earth). 』

『Merchant. 』

『Fortune Teller. 』

『Pleasant Flute Player. 』

—

It was the list of new professions from Enzo of the Light of Hope. Enzo gave this list to Seiya to choose a different profession while in Exfolia.

「In…In other words, do you plan to master each profession for the sake of the final battle against the Demon King!?」

「That’s right. However, it seems that I won’t be able to learn “fighting with bare hands” because the Fist God Arx isn’t available right now. Besides that, in addition to fire and earth magic, I already learnt the Pleasant Flute Player. Therefore, I’ll discard it for this practice…」

After explaining it, Seiya unraveled the long packet that he brought with him. Then, he took an old spear from that packet. Seiya wielded that spear.

Ohh? I’ve never seen a spear like that before. Actually, it’s the first time I’ve seen Seiya wielding a spear…Seiya was quite versatile!

Then, a male god, dressed with warrior clothes, came out of the crowd of gods that came along with Seiya.

「Oh. So first, you’re going to train with me, the Spear God. 」

The other gods took a step back.

「We’ll be waiting here. Call us when it’s our turn to practice with you. 」

「…What are you talking about? 」

Seiya stared at the gods with scornful eyes.

「That’s a waste of time. All of you should come together. 」

「What do you mean? 」

「Exactly as you heard it. While I’m practicing with the Spear God, you should attack me with your magic.」

「Do…Do you mean you want to do magical training at the same time you do the physical training!?」

「It’s more efficient. All the skills I need will be acquired in an actual battle.」

Frala, the Goddess of Wind, showed a bitter smile upon hearing Seiya’s remarks. On the other hand, Orlando, the God of Thunder, made a fluttering face.

「What an arrogance. Don’t regret what you just said, human…! 」

My heart was pounding with extreme velocity, but at the same time, a timid voice came out of the crowd of gods.

「Ex…Excuse me. What should we do? 」

A gorgeous god wearing a kimono, held an abacus* in one hand. Next to him, stood a mysterious looking goddess with a mask and a grey hood. From their appearances, they should be the “God of Trade” and the “Goddess of Fortune-Telling” respectively.

Seiya spoke as if he were annoyed.

「I already told you. Everyone should engage in this practice session. You too. One of you will discuss this together with me and the other will stick to fortune telling.」

「What does that even mean!? 」

The gods around Seiya shouted aloud.

No, wait…Se…Seriously!? Seiya was willing to practice with the magical gods of nature, the Spear God, the God of Trade and even the Goddess of Fortune-Telling!? Everyone at the same time!?

The Spear God drew his formidable spear in a glorious position! Frala, the Goddess of Wind, and Orlando, the God of Thunder, held their magical canes against Seiya! The others gods also surrounded Seiya!

「Deities are the pillars of the world…Prepare yourself! We’re starting now! 」

The Spear God took the lead and headed towards Seiya in an offensive mode! However…

「…State Berserk Phase 2nd. 」

Seiya, who became the Crazy Warrior, held his spear furiously as if madness burst, and wielded it against the spear of the Spear God! Then, Seiya dodged the thunderbolt of Orlando, the God of Thunder, which went on his left side; and the cutting winds from Frala, the Goddess of Wind, which charged from the front! At the same time, Seiya managed to counterattack the tremendous shock waves of the magical spear from the Spear God! Meanwhile, the God of Trade and the Goddess of Fortune-Telling approached Seiya watchfully and gave him the abacus and a hexagonal fortune box! Seiya played the abacus and waved the fortune box!

「Today’s heavenly average stock price declined by 3.22% compared to the previous day.」

「Ah… Today’s lucky color is blue.」

The gods that engaged on a continuous practice with Seiya spoke with a frustrating tone!

「Ugh! Thi…This fella…! 」

「While he’s counterattacking our offensive strikes… 」

「He even manages to play the abacus…! 」

The gods were extremely irritated…

「No, what the heck is happening in this practice session!? 」

I also agreed with them. “Playing the abacus while attacking and defending”…What on earth!? The meaning was unknown and ridiculous to me!!

Both John Dae and Kiriko were surprised as their eyes rounded with amazement.

「I…I don’t know the meaning of this weird practice but…somehow, it looks incredible!!」

「Yes!! I can’t even describe it with words!! 」

The gods became gradually afraid of attacking because they felt in awe of Seiya. Then, Seiya, who held an abacus and the spear, slowly approached them.

「What’s wrong? Why don’t you come over here? 」

On this precise moment, a person showed up from behind my back.

*laughs weirdly and crazily*

「La…Lady Adenela!? 」

「Blo…Blo…Blood…made a…no…noise…! 」

When Adenela, the Goddess of War, laughed happily with her thirsty bloody eyes, she pulled out her sword and rushed forward! In addition to the magical flash that passed through the ground, a metallic sound of swords colliding shook the “earth” and a large smoke generated from the place where everyone was practicing!

At that juncture…

「Oh. What’s the fuss? Is it a festival? 」

I heard a husky voice and looked back to find the half-naked goddess beside me! The God’s realm no. 2, the fearsome Valkyrie, was also by my side!

「This looks interesting. Let me join as well. 」

While wielding the chains, the Goddess of Destruction rushed towards the practicing group!

A magical explosion and a weapon’s metallic sound reverberated through the air as if rage engulfed the God’s realm! Unexpectedly, the lightning explosion, which was shot away from the fierce practice, directly hit the garden table of Cafe De Celseus!

「What!????? My coffee shop is going to be destroyed at this rate!! Guys, just go over that side!!!!!!!!!!!」

…Eve…Everything became a huge mess!!

Aria and I somehow managed to take Kiriko and John Dae with us, and we evacuated to a safe place.

Thus, the unprecedented multiparty practice session began.

Previous | Next

*A simple device for calculating, consisting of a frame with rows of wires or grooves along which beads are slid.

—————–

Thank you to the Patrons for the continued support!