CH 319

Chapter 319 – Move Your Body in Anguish

While digging at the base of the nameless mountain that is part of the Sorel Mountain Range, I glance at the collecting base, fearing that I might dig up a huge worm or a strange monster’s nest. Aquawill-san and the others seemed to be watching over us from the balcony I had set up at the collection base.

“That princess is quite stubborn, isn’t she? Did you do something to her to make her resent you?”

“I don’t recall… any such thing.”

When I first met her, I caught a glimpse of her clothes almost falling apart, and I heard that she gets along well with her mother, Seraphita-san, and her sisters, Driada-san and Iphrita.

“Well, isn’t it that what she doesn’t like the most is the fact that I’m completely in her father’s position?”

“Oh, I see.”

Aquawill-san and Sylphy’s father, as well as Seraphita-san’s husband, Ixwill-san―the former king of the Merinard Kingdom―froze everything in time in exchange for his own life and soul in order to protect the lives and dignity of his family members other than Sylphy, including Aquawill-san.

Meanwhile, I wandered out to the border between the Black Forest and the Great Omit Wilderness, met Sylphy, supported the Liberation Army using my crafting abilities, and finally succeeded in driving the Holy Kingdom’s people out of the Merinard Kingdom. Through Sylphy’s help, the frozen time of Aquawill-san and the others began to move again, and after some twists and turns, I became close with Seraphita-san, Driada-san took a liking to me, and I ended up hanging out with Iphrita.

Seraphita-san has her own, Driada-san has hers, and Iphrita has all sorts of reasons and thoughts that led them to develop a bond with me, but it’s like a natural progression―or perhaps it’s just my ability that may have had an influence on it. I don’t think it is because of anything Ixwill-san has in mind.

I didn’t act with the intention of entering into the gap where Ixwill-san had disappeared, either. Of course, I was trying to get along with Sylphy’s family, and since Seraphita seemed to be in a very troubled and mentally dangerous state, I might have overstepped in various ways.

I had no intention of trying to replace or belittle Ixwill-san.

“She must really love her father, that princess.”

“I’m sure she did.”

I nodded to Tozume’s words as I dug around the base of the mountain with my mithril shovel.

Maybe, but no one is to blame. No, umm, maybe… Seraphita-san’s response was a little bad, but she was so mentally weak that she could have killed herself if things had gone badly enough with her.

She was about to be crushed by the loss of her husband and the responsibility of losing so many people she had to protect and make them suffer, and in a sense, I was the only one who could support her as a complete outsider.

“Well, you just have to persevere, I guess.”

“And then there will be more people in Danna’s harem.”

“I’m not trying to be nice to her with that intention, okay?”

Bella responds to my words with a grin and a happy smile. It’s not that I’m planning to capture all four elven princess sisters or anything like that.

Or rather, putting Sylphy aside, the fact that Driada adores me and, on the contrary, has somehow joined the other members in having such a relationship with me is actually a bigger problem, or rather, I don’t understand the meaning of it. I should sit down and have a long talk with her as well. It’s really too late for that, though.

“It’s tough being a popular guy, isn’t it?”

“It’s funny, isn’t it? I was never that popular, to begin with… but I wonder if this ability is doing something wrong.”

The other person is the kind of being that even stops time and interferes with it. I have no way of manipulating the minds of the opposite sex around me via my abilities. When I think about it, the current situation is frightening. If this ability were to suddenly disappear, what would happen to me and my relationships with those who adore me?

“What’s wrong? You suddenly turned pale.”

“I just had a bad imagination. It’s something I can’t even think about.”

It’s too late for anything. If I lose my powers and everyone’s trust at the same time, I’ll just do what I can. I’ll just keep on struggling until there’s nothing more I can do.

As I was saying this, I looked toward the collecting base and saw Aquawill-san and the others pointing their binoculars at the sky. I wondered what they were looking at, but it seemed that they were looking at an earth-like planet―Omicrule, I think it was called―that looked large in the sky.

“What kind of creatures live on that planet?”

“By “that planet,” do you mean Omicrule?”

“I heard that God lives there, right?”

“Eh? I thought people said it was the afterlife.”

“Didn’t they say something about a land of monsters?”

“It’s all in pieces, isn’t it?”

The three answers came out in three different ways, and I couldn’t help but rush into the conversation. Well, although I can see it, it is only clouds, sea, and land, and in the first place, it is too far away to know what is there. Hmm, too far away to see well.

“Maybe astronomical observation would be a good idea.”

“Astronomical observation?”

“Yes. Well, maybe after dinner at night.”

There is no entertainment at the collecting base, so we just eat dinner, take a bath, and go to bed when it gets dark. Aside from me and Aquawill-san, who are under protection, the other people who protect us can’t drink and get drunk, so we can’t drink at night. It might be interesting to build a telescope with high magnification and do astronomical observations together. Fortunately, there are no houses around here, so we will be able to see the stars, Omicrule, and Ranicrule, the moon of this world, very well.

“If that’s the case, I’d better get on with my work.”

Once I have collected enough ore, soil, and clay, I must also procure some wood. Since I don’t know how much I will use and there seems to be no limit to the capacity of my inventory at the moment, I will collect enough materials to the extent that it will not cause serious environmental damage.

Now is the time to be physically active rather than thinking.