In Another World With My Smartphone: Volume 21 Read online

  “Huh? He’s a pretty nice guy. Helpful and stuff. He’s lugged a few boxes for me before.”

  Damn... She really has no idea, huh?

  “Oh yeah... There was a rowdy adventurer in here the other day who had a little much to drink, but Lanz took care of him. That was pretty cool, to be honest...”

  Ohoho? I wonder if there’s a hint of feeling in there after all...

  “Lanz is a pretty good guy, you know? I’d say he’s real boyfriend material.”

  “Ahaha... Don’t be silly. I’m sure he could do better than someone like me.”

  “I think he’d disagree with that. In fact, I think he might like you...”

  “Huh?”

  Micah suddenly went completely stiff, but hopefully what I’d said made her realize the situation at hand.

  She stood still for a few more moments, then suddenly turned beet red.

  Wh-What kind of spell was that?! You’re red as a rose! What are you, a chameleon?! Hello?! Earth to Micah!

  “Wh-Wh-What?! H-He couldn’t... Me?!”

  “...Did you not notice at all? Haven’t you wondered why he’s always here for you?”

  “Well... he did ask me to dinner and give me a bouquet of flowers once, but... that was as friends, right?”

  “Men typically don’t give bouquets to girls they just regard as friends.”

  “R-Really?!”

  ...Wow. She’s a total idiot, huh? Did she really not pick up on his signals? This would’ve been one of the situations where Karen showing up might’ve actually helped. Damn... these guys are utterly ridiculous. Lanz should have just confessed to her directly, really. Oh well, whatever. I’m sure it’ll all work out fine for them now that she knows...

  “Micah. Order for table three.”

  “Huh?! O-Oh, okay! G-Got it!”

  One of the waitresses called over to Micah, who immediately disappeared into the kitchen. Even her ears were red...

  I guess every small thing Lanz had done for her suddenly hit her all at once. Love comes at you like a lightning bolt... It certainly did for me, at least.

  “Let’s head home now, Kohaku.”

  “Very well.”

  We still had a while before the girls got home. I was slowly getting used to doing things without them around, but it still felt pretty lonely overall... Still, I knew I’d be with them forever once we were married, so enjoying the feeling of solitude for the last time felt good in that regard.

  Smiling to myself, I left the inn and began wandering back home.

  ◇ ◇ ◇

  “M-Milord, thank you so much for inviting me to your wedding! It’s a blessing, truly! An honor!”

  “Uhh... I-It’s fine. Please stand up...”

  I was in the castle’s reception room, standing before a prostrating man. I awkwardly glanced toward the woman by his side.

  “Please forgive him. He’s not very good at composing himself around nobility. I assure you he’s an upstanding man otherwise.”

  “Right...”

  The woman laughed softly at my response. The prostrating man was Joseph, and the woman was his wife, Lana. They were Elze and Linze’s uncle and aunt. They’d showed up because the immediate family members of the wedding party had been brought to Brunhild castle for the eve of the wedding.

  It wasn’t just the aunt and uncle, either. Their children had arrived as well. In order of age, there was Emma (21), Aaron (16), Sheena (10), Allen (7), Kurara (6), Kirara (6), Allan (5), and Reno (3).

  “Wowie! The room’s so big!”

  “The rug’s all soft!”

  “This chair’s all bouncy!”

  “Settle down, children!” Emma, the eldest, was doing her best to keep the kids settled, but they were still rowdy as ever. I, for one, didn’t appreciate little Reno’s boogers being wiped on my coat.

  “Aunt Lana... Will Joseph be okay? There’ll be nobles and royals at the wedding... It’s okay if he doesn’t come to the ceremony, we’ll understand.”

  “Yeah, that’s right... We’re just happy he came here to the castle, you know? It’s okay.”

  Elze and Linze expressed concern for their uncle. I was a little worried about him too. If he was this nervous around me, of all people, there was no telling how badly he’d freak out with the nobles from other lands.

  However, Joseph turned to his nieces and spoke firmly.

  “Don’t be ridiculous! I’d never be able to face my sister in the afterlife if I couldn’t walk her girls down the aisle! Even if I die, I’ll attend as a zombie! I mean it!”

  I didn’t exactly want any zombies at my wedding, but I could appreciate his determination. He desperately wanted to be there for the girls on their big day.

  “Can’t you help him, Touya?”

  “I mean, I could, but...”

  Technically, I could erase his trauma with [Hypnosis], but I didn’t feel comfortable messing with his mind like that. Still, on the off-chance it was okay, I explained the spell to Lana and asked for her opinion. I didn’t want to freak Joseph out too hard, so I didn’t bother asking him. After hearing me out, Lana consented, which made me decide to give it a try.

  “Okay, let’s try it...”

  I stood in front of Joseph, focusing my magical energies. A thin, black mist began swirling around him.

  “Tempt, o Dark! Implanted Falsehood: [Hypnosis].”

  “Whuh?” Joseph let out a quiet sound before falling into a trance.

  “You’re okay, Joseph. You can handle talking to nobles. You might have a little bit of anxiety, but it’s completely fine. You’ll be able to hold up a courteous conversation with them. There’s not a thing to worry about. You’re completely fine.”

  “I’m... completely fine...”

  I had to be careful with my phrasing, since I didn’t want him to be disrespectfully casual with the nobles. Hopefully that was still enough.

  “Is it over?”

  “Yeah. I think he’ll be fine now.”

  Elze clapped her hands, which made Joseph blink. Gradually, he returned to his senses.

  “Uncle... Do you know who the man in front of you is?”

  “Huh? Of course! He’s Mochizuki Touya, the grand duke of Brunhild. Don’t be ridiculous, Elze... I wanted to thank him for his invitation...”

  He seemed to be a bit more comfortable, if not a little twitchy. Brainwashing him was clearly the moral thing to do.

  “So you’re fine now... What a relief...”

  Joseph looked confused at Elze’s words, but I had a feeling he’d get over it.

  “Thanks, Touya. Now he can attend the wedding without any issues.”

  “Heh, no worries. I’m just glad it worked out well. Anyway, let’s get you all to your rooms. Elze and Linze’ll show you the way.”

  Joseph and his family followed Elze and Linze. The kids seemed amazed by just about everything they saw as they walked through the halls.

  Hmm... Kind of crazy that they have so many kids... You’re a braver man than I, Joseph... But I guess I’ll have a family like that someday too, huh?

  I’d seen the future thanks to Babylon, and because of that, I knew I’d have nine children. That was more kids than Joseph and Lana.

  “I wonder if I’ll be a good father...”

  “Oh, Touya-dono. I was looking for you, I was.”

  After Joseph’s family left, Yae arrived with her own family in tow. Her father, Jubei, was there along with her mother, Nanae. Her brother Jutaro and his fiancee Ayane were with them as well. They were staying in the castle, so Yae had decided to take them all on a trip around town. Due to that, I hadn’t expected them to be back so soon. For some reason, Jutaro seemed to be livelier than usual.

  “He challenged Moroha again, he did. And me...”

  “Yeah... Didn’t think I’d lose, either.”

  That explained it... Yae must’ve beaten him in a duel, so he was in a good mood due to how good of a fight it was. It made sense, really. Yae had been training with Moroha
almost every day. She was far beyond regular humans. Given that he’d taught his sister how to fight, it must have taken him by surprise.

  “Have you fought Yae recently, Jubei?”

  “No, watching Jutaro’s fight against her was enough. Maybe I’d have given it a try if I were twenty years younger, but I’m sure she’d wipe the floor with me now.”

  Hmm... I wonder about that... Jutaro’s certainly come a long way too, to be fair.

  “Touya-dono!”

  “Uh... Y-Yes?!”

  Jutaro suddenly prostrated himself in front of me. I had an immediate and visceral flashback to Joseph’s earlier display.

  “If I might be so bold, I ask that you give me time to travel alone in your nation! There are many swordsmen here that I’m certain I could learn from!”

  “Huh?!”

  I was shocked by Jutaro’s sudden request. Apparently, he was unable to get Moroha’s swordplay out of his mind.

  “Um, so... what, you want to join my knight order?”

  “Not at all! I only raise my blade in service of Tokugawa Ieyahsu-sama! What I am asking for is special permission to train with your knights here for a time!”

  He looked up at me with raw sincerity painted over his face. I wasn’t really sure what to think.

  I had a feeling that Moroha would be completely fine with it, but he was technically a foreign dignitary under Tokugawa. I could tell his intentions were earnest, though. And so, I sighed softly before giving him a nod.

  “Fine. I’ll allow it, but I want to ask Ieyahsu for permission first. Assuming he says yes, I’ll prepare quarters for you and Ayane to live in.”

  “Th-Thank you so much!”

  “Yes, thank you!”

  Jutaro bowed even more deeply, and Ayane joined him by bowing her head. I really didn’t see the point in the bowing... They were going to be my siblings-in-law, so it was only natural I’d treat them well.

  “Touya-dono, I truly appreciate this.”

  Yae smiled gently. She clearly loved her elder brother a lot, so I was sure the decision had brought her a lot of peace of mind. But if Jutaro and Ayane moved here, I had a feeling Jubei and Nanae would get lonely... I didn’t exactly want to open up [Gate] portals for them all the time, so I’d probably have to install a portal mirror connected to their dojo or something.

  I shrugged, then carried on with my affairs until nightfall.

  In the evening, we all ate together, played games, and then returned to our respective rooms.

  It was my last night as a bachelor, alone in my massive bed.

  “Tomorrow’s the day... I really can’t believe I’m getting hitched. I’ll be a married man this time tomorrow... To nine people, at that.”

  I certainly had a lot of brides... but I loved every one of them, that much was for sure. I wanted to make them happy.

  I’d met a lot of people since I’d come to this world, but meeting those girls ended up being the most important encounters of my life. If dying meant meeting them, then I was glad I had died.

  “Lots of stuff has happened since I came here, huh...?”

  In a way, dying was the best thing to happen to my life. A little morbid, but that didn’t make it any less true.

  Well, time to get under the covers and go to sleep. Big day ahead of me and all...

  I closed my eyes to get some rest, but for some reason, I couldn’t sleep at all.

  I checked my smartphone. It was ten at night. I had to be up at five in the morning to prepare for the ceremony, but I just couldn’t bring myself to sleep at all. I was probably nervous.

  “Damn it...”

  I hopped out of bed and glanced at the corner of the room. Kohaku and the other summoned beasts were nestled up comfortably, dozing away. Lucky them.

  I wondered if I should just bite the bullet and cast [Sleep Cloud] on myself, but I knew if I did, I’d run the risk of casting it too hard... I definitely didn’t want to sleep through my wedding day. That would’ve been an absolute disaster.

  At times like that, there was only one thing to do... browse the internet on my phone until I fell unconscious with a website open.

  I planned on going to Earth for my honeymoon anyway, so checking up on Earth news seemed useful.

  “Hm... I wonder if we should go to other countries instead of just staying in Japan...”

  I couldn’t open up [Gate] to places I hadn’t been before... Technically. The magic actually worked based on mental images, so I just needed to look up a place online to reach it.

  The internet was filled with all kinds of photos of exotic locations. The pyramids of Egypt, Waikiki Beach in Hawaii, Uluru in Australia... The possibilities were endless. Plus, I could use translation magic to make communication quick and easy.

  ...Wait. Can I? There’s no magic in Earth’s atmosphere, right? Oh, wait. I think I can use residual magic through my divinity... And if not, I can just teleport using my divinity, can’t I?

  Though, if that was the case, Leen and Linze would be able to use a little magic back on Earth. I didn’t exactly want that to happen...

  Earth was a world where magic didn’t exist, so suddenly unleashing it on the planet would cause everything to go sideways for sure.

  Despite my incessant browsing, I wasn’t getting any sleepier. The anxiety grew way too intense.

  “...I’ll treat myself to a cup of tea.”

  I headed to the balcony and took in the evening breeze. The full moon sat overhead, illuminating the night sky.

  The usual hustle and bustle had died down due to how late it was, and only a few flickering lights from the castle town provided evidence of human life in the area.

  Suddenly, I felt a presence.

  “Having trouble sleeping?”

  “...Well, I guess you could say that. I think it’s the nerves.”

  I didn’t even have to turn around to know who it was. He was sitting at the balcony table, a small cup of tea in front of him.

  I was a recipient of God Almighty’s own divinity, so I could sense him whenever he came down to this world. Thus, his arrival hadn’t shocked me. It was different when Karen just popped up, though. I could never see her coming.

  “Here, my boy. This divine tea should help ease you into slumber.”

  “Oh, thanks.”

  I sat down across from him and took the tea. The stalk in the middle of the liquid was standing on end, which was a sign of good luck. The first time I’d met God Almighty, the stalk had stood on end as well.

  “Tomorrow is the big day, my lad. I am quite nervous, I must admit. It will be the first time I have attended a ceremony quite like this one.”

  “Ahaha... It’ll be nice to have you, though.”

  I was glad he could attend. Without him, I had a feeling Karen or Suika would go too far in their revelry.

  “I know now, my boy. It was the right decision to send you to this world. The problems that had been bubbling here have just about been quelled. All it took was a little push from another world.”

  His words were comforting to hear, and more than encouraging.

  “Touya, my boy... Have you come to like this world?”

  “I have, yeah. This world and its inhabitants are all important to me.”

  “I see... That is rather pleasant to hear. As the god of worlds, I manage a great many realms. Some worlds are more difficult to handle than others, but that comes with the territory. Before I sent you here, this world was lacking in any definitive features. The other gods certainly had no interest in it, and as shameful as it is to admit, I had been neglecting it. It was rather boring.”

  Speak for yourself, man. This world’s been anything but boring to me. The one I came from didn’t have any of the magic or wild stuff like this place.

  “Thanks to your hard work, this world is becoming noticeable again. The gods are flocking to it, even. That may cause you some difficulties in the future, so I will apologize in advance for that...”

  I was the custodian
of the world, so I didn’t have a huge issue with gods visiting in human form... Well, as long as they stayed out of trouble, anyway.

  “I shall have the newcomers greet you before the ceremony tomorrow. I assure you they will cause no trouble for you or your brides-to-be.”

  “I appreciate that.”

  I definitely didn’t want any divine pranksters ruining my big day.

  “Now then, I think it is time for bed, wouldn’t you agree? You have a big day ahead of you, my lad.”

  “Yeah, you’re right...”

  The tea had certainly worked wonders. I could feel my eyelids starting to come down. I stifled a yawn before saying goodnight.

  “Take care, my boy. See you in the morning.”

  God Almighty smiled, then vanished into thin air. A wave of exhaustion suddenly washed over me, so I ran to my bedroom as fast as possible.

  Once I’d scrambled into bed, the black void of sleep consumed me. With one long, final blink, my last night as a single man came to an end.

  ◇ ◇ ◇

  Several booms rang out as heavy guns fired their blanks skyward, signifying the beginning of a very important day. Almost immediately after that, the crowd looked to the clear blue above them.

  Brunhild’s castle town bustled with far more people than usual. It was their grand duke’s wedding day, so people had come from near and far to attend the event. Even though it was still early in the day, merchants were opening their stalls and attending to their customers.

  A parade had been planned, but the newcomers to Brunhild were far more interested in the enormous metal soldiers at the town’s large gates.

  Those who had never been to Brunhild before were surely amazed by the massive Frame Gears. They stood in static poses, holding their weapons high. Nobody was allowed to climb on them, and guards were posted to ensure there was no vandalism. Anyone who wanted a closer look at them had to buy capsule toy versions of the machines from Olba Strand’s store.

  The capsule dispensers were guarded too, of course. They had attracted children and adults alike, and suddenly created a whole crowd of people who wanted to take a stab at the lottery. In many ways, it was no different from similar things on Earth. Some people wanted to collect entire sets, as well as those who were content with just one. Regardless, they were proving to be quite the hot commodity.