“How much longer do I have to do this?”
I kicked the head of the god I lost track of how many times.
It’s been a month since I started dealing with the outsiders after the meeting with Hecate.
I sighed deeply while sitting on the body of the 17th outsider.
I’m so sick of this.
How many gods have I banned to be plagued by these pesky pests?
“The… hunting dog of Kalon…”
“Still not dead, huh?”
I had driven a shovel into its heart, yet the thing was still kicking. I pulled the shovel out of its heart and checked the devastation it had caused once more.
A whole village annihilated.
The insane townspeople offered up sacrifices.
The surrounding area was in ruins.
If every time a god descends it results in this kind of devastation, humanity is the one that ultimately gets chewed up.
Even if we win, it’s not really a win. If this continues, we’ll accumulate losses bit by bit until one day it’ll turn into a catastrophic event that sweeps us all away.
Honestly, it’s probably better to just go and deal with that god quickly.
The banished ones seem to only think about causing a ruckus, whether out of nostalgia or a desire for revenge after coming to this world.
[Contractor, are you okay? You look tired…]
“Ah, I’m fine. Just fine.”
A grumble slipped out before I could stop it. I sighed again and took off the head of the thing that was still babbling on. The eagle’s head rolled bloody across the plains until it got caught on a rock and stopped.
Was it the seventh or the eighth? That thing had trouble staying dead even after I chopped its head off. I still remember how ridiculous it was when it shot a beam out of its mouth.
“I caught it easily again this time.”
“It wasn’t very strong. Can it be okay to tail me like this?”
“If it doesn’t speak directly. Kalon has always been weak against magic.”
“How much more do we have left?”
“Well, I’ve never counted the number of gods before. Still, it shouldn’t be more than three digits.”
“Are you kidding?”
Three digits?
At this rate, it feels like it’ll never end.
It might just be better to gather them all at once and sweep them away. I can’t say I’m completely devoid of losses either, and at this rate, I feel like I’ll collapse first.
Do I really have to traverse from the western end of the continent to the eastern end to catch each and every god? No matter how many blessings I’ve received and how overflowing my stamina is, I can’t ignore the mental fatigue.
“It might be better to gather them all and handle them at once.”
“Just kill all of them as they pop out, and that’ll be it.”
“If I knew that, I would’ve wiped them out long ago.”
If I knew where these pests were crawling out from like cockroaches, I would’ve gone first and sealed the entrance. They say gods who just returned to this world are weak right after coming, so it’d be less of a burden too.
“Didn’t Kalon tell you?”
“Lately, he hasn’t responded at all.”
I don’t know if he’s busy or if he’s deliberately ignoring my messages.
Either way, the uncertainty is equally unsettling.
It’s been a month since I heard various stories from Hecate, and even more so now.
“He must be busy.”
“That’s not a very enlightening guess.”
“It’s only natural that I can’t make any guesses without clues.”
“…Anyway, do you know where the outsiders are jumping out from?”
“Well, it’ll be tough since the route I passed is blocked, but I do know a few points.”
Points, huh…
Today’s Friday, and I want to take a break over the weekend, so I think I’ll start checking from Monday.
I haven’t seen the kids’ faces because I’ve been going back and forth so much lately. I need to spend some time with them, relaxing and chatting like old times.
I used my crafting skill to bury the god’s corpse deep underground and cleaned up the place.
Now only I will know that there was a village here.
“…Rest in peace.”
“Humans are really something. Praying for the dead, huh?”
“It feels a bit creepy.”
“Is that so?”
I prayed for the souls of the victims sacrificed by the god.
They were all unwittingly lured by the god and turned into offerings, so I should at least pray for their pointless rest.
I turned and walked towards Kalon City.
——————–
“Uncle? Did you have another round today?”
Viola greeted me at the entrance of Yeomyeong-gwan with a face full of joy and naturally took my hand.
It seems that embracing like other couples is still a hurdle for her.
“Yeah.”
“I haven’t seen your face much lately, so I’ve been… lonely.”
“Don’t you have friends?”
“Are my friends the same as you, Uncle?”
“Thank you for thinking of me that way.”
I bent down to show appreciation for Viola’s cute demeanor. I saw her eyes go wide when my face got suddenly close.
So cute.
Straightening up, I looked down at Viola, who was fiddling with her lips and blushing.
“Uh, Uncle?”
If nothing else, the sensation of skinship with Viola is the best.
Her reactions are so fresh and sweet—it’s simply delightful.
“I’ve missed your lips after all this time.”
“That line just now was a bit cheesy…”
“Is that so?”
“No, I like it since you said it… even if it’s a bit cheesy… because it’s someone I like…”
Viola’s face turned redder, and her voice got quieter. Seeing her satisfied expression made my mental fatigue lift.
I think I should just take it easy for about two days. Luckily, tomorrow is the weekend.
“Where are the others?”
“Millia and Sif are probably working. Elisa and Karina should be at the library, and Renny should be there too.”
“Everyone’s busy. So what were you doing?”
“I was just taking a walk because I had nothing to do, and then I saw you…”
So you came running like a puppy, huh?
“I need to go see everyone after a long time.”
“Let’s go together.”
I held hands with Viola as we headed for the library. It was the closest place from the lobby anyway.
“Uncle, you’re not hurt, are you?”
“Of course not. There’s no way I’d get hurt by those pesky little things.”
“Even if they’re pesky, they are gods, right?”
“That’s true, but… I’m stronger.”
At least when it comes to fighting on this land, it’s nearly impossible for a weakened god who forcefully entered this world to beat me, who’s been blessed with all sorts of powers.
The real issue, though, is that this eventually becomes a war of attrition.
[Contractor, I’m going to look for my body!]
“Take care.”
Rue, who was hanging onto my waist, jumped up and disappeared down the corridor.
“It’s always bizarre to see that…”
“You get used to it eventually.”
“Can you really get used to it?”
“I’ve even turned my arms into tentacles before.”
“Oh, right.”
Viola and I chatted as we arrived in front of the library. I quietly knocked on the door three times with the back of my hand.
“Who is it?”
“Who’s there?”
“Who is it?”
“It’s me.”
“Johann?”
“Yep.”
I immediately turned the doorknob and pulled the door open. Familiar faces came into view beyond the opened door.
Renny, Karina, and Elisa. The three greeted me with joyful faces.
“Johann, welcome back!”
“Yeah.”
“Johann, it’s been a while.”
“Did you have a good trip?”
As I received greetings from everyone, I pulled a chair over and sat between Elisa and Karina, wrapping my arms around their waists as they leaned against me.
“Did you all do well while I was gone?”
“We were sad because you weren’t here…”
“It’s only been three days, hasn’t it?”
I may have taken care of three gods in that span.
“I felt weak without Johann.”
“Everyone was low on energy while you were gone… Since you weren’t around for almost a month, we were anxiously waiting for you to come back. You’re not leaving again soon, right?”
“I plan to rest this weekend.”
“I want to spend time with you…”
“I guess we can finally have some cozy moments together.”
Not seeing each other for a few days has made everything much more proactive. I felt the utmost satisfaction as I looked back and forth at the two lovers gazing up at me with their heads resting on my shoulders.
Is this happiness?
This is happiness.
“Let’s leisurely go on a picnic this weekend. Is that time okay?”
“I can rest for the weekend.”
“Me too.”
“…Well, I’ll be escorting Karina anyway.”
“Me too.”
I’ll have to ask the other two when they return. Even if I don’t have to ask, they’ll probably participate on their own, but still, it’s important to ask everyone to keep relationships smooth.
Since there are six of us now, it could become really troublesome if things go awry.
“I’ll ask the two of them and check some locations as well.”
It would be best to go somewhere secluded to let Karina rest.
Watching the happy expressions of my lovers filled me with pride.
If I had known they’d be this happy, maybe I should’ve taken them on outings more often.
It feels like I might have made them too considerate, which leaves a slightly bitter taste in my mouth.
“I’ve seen several good places while traveling across the continent, so just pack some clothes.”
Let’s take a break this weekend and check out the holes where the gods Hecate mentioned are sneaking into on Monday.
With this promising plan in mind, I chuckled softly and pulled the two of them even closer.
