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As I tucked the pocket knife with the blade inside my bag, the Goddess let out a light sigh.

I don’t have the time to explain everything in detail either, especially regarding this world and your current state… It would take ages to explain. Still, I mentioned right before coming here that you might not recognize me.

My heart was still pounding.

For the past month, I thought I’d only reconnect with the people I had ties with in that other world after I died.

If things were normal, that would be the case. But…

The Goddess seemed to want to say something more but stopped.

Anyway, you’ll meet your companions again. At first, you might not recognize them… No, you definitely won’t. You don’t look like how they remember you.

That’s right. I had asked for it to be that way.

“Are you really the Goddess?”

…

When I asked that quietly while looking up at the sky, the Goddess paused for a moment. It seemed like she had a lot she wanted to say, but,

Yeah. I’m truly that Goddess you remember. It’s not someone imitating me, and definitely not a figment of your imagination. Want me to show you some proof or something?

“No need to go that far.”

Earlier, I had sensed a strong magical power. It was definitely understandable if my companions were nearby that I felt such magic. Even a simple portal had a powerful aura.

Did it mean my companions had come here?

I wondered if Arna, Dana, and Pia were all here.

Seeing the Goddess speak directly, it was clear she must have used her power to facilitate their arrival.

But then…

“So, what reason did they have to come to this world?”

The Goddess personally intervened to send them over. These four were all party members who had been with me like Dana. They were the crème de la crème chosen to defeat the Demon King. Of course, their power wasn’t directed toward people, but if it were used for war, it could rival a whole legion.

If there was a reason for sending them to this world, it must be—

No.

But the Goddess firmly cut off my thought.

Absolutely not. At least, there’s no threat like what you’re thinking. The wars happening in that world are all caused by humans. It doesn’t even require divine intervention to control; the moment you try, all sorts of issues would arise. You don’t need to worry about that at least.

“What then…?”

…

The Goddess was silent for quite a while after my question.

And in the world where you live, it’s probably better to think to me rather than verbally speak. If you say you’re talking to a God, people might think you’re strange. Just keep it inside. If need be, plug in some earphones instead.

The Goddess’s reply was completely off the mark from my question.

“…Understood.”

After pondering briefly, I nodded.

If the Goddess hadn’t spoken to me, there was certainly a reason for it. So, I decided not to probe further.

Right now, yes. I should be thankful for the chance to converse with the Goddess I worship.

I didn’t set a specific time. But when the time comes, I’ll call you personally.

“Understood.”

Maybe the Goddess didn’t like how eagerly I agreed. She went quiet for a while before saying,

Well, I should be going soon. I won’t be able to intervene on my own going forward… so there won’t be much talking for a while.

“Understood.”

Just knowing I could talk here was a satisfying thought. At the very least, it meant I wasn’t completely alone.

I like that thought. It worked.

“What?”

…No, nothing. And I said to just keep it in your head when you respond.

Only after hearing that did I keep my mouth shut and look around.

The apartment where I lived wasn’t surrounded just by other apartments. It was in a place in Seoul where the land was immensely expensive, filled with all sorts of flashy buildings and shopping centers.

Of course, there were tons of people just getting off work around those buildings.

And right now, at this very moment, it was the time when everyone was leaving work, and many people were passing by me.

However, how should I put it; it felt like there was a round barrier set up within a radius of about three meters around me.

Most passersby kept a certain distance from me. If someone’s gaze happened to meet mine, they’d quickly look away.

…See, what did I tell you?

“…”

I sank my head and quickly left the spot.

*

Only after saying goodbye to the Goddess did I realize I hadn’t asked her where they were.

But I wasn’t too worried about it.

It wasn’t out of the ordinary for them to come to this world, nor were they incapable of escaping if they fell into a troublesome situation. Above all, no matter how strong someone appeared in this world, they wouldn’t easily overpower them unless they were wielding a gun.

There was no way a gun-toting person would suddenly threaten them right in the middle of South Korea, and even if someone with a gun dared to threaten them, they wouldn’t easily be subdued. It couldn’t be said there was no threat, but at least Dana knew what guns were. I had heard various stories about this world from her.

Besides, this world, albeit weakly, was under the Goddess’s guidance. I thought I would never be completely separated from them.

The only thing I was concerned about…

“Did you see that earlier?”

I heard two people talking as they passed by.

Honestly, it wasn’t right next to me. It was a bit of a distance. Maybe about three or four meters?

However, my hearing was sharp enough not to miss words at that distance.

“Is it a cosplay? Is there some event happening nearby?”

Glancing over to where the sound came from, I saw a guy searching for something on his smartphone.

“More likely, it’s just people coming back from an event, right?”

“Don’t they usually change out of their costumes after a cosplay event?”

“Maybe they were just working as part-timers. You know those mascot costumes? Could they be going back to change after the event?”

“Hmm, do foreigners do that kind of part-time job too…?”

“Why not? You see plenty of foreign models in mobile game ads with no names attached.”

“True enough.”

The two guys passed by while having that conversation.

That’s right.

Their appearances were indeed eye-catching, but even more so was the extravagant clothing they wore upon arriving. They could be mistaken for foreigners just by their looks, and their hair color could easily be brushed off as just dyeing. Even if their color was a bit unusual, many people dye their hair that way.

But it was the clothing that stood out.

I hadn’t expected Kalia to wear armor after the war, but still, noble dresses were not what common folk would wear in this world. Dana’s robe, Pia’s saint attire… Arna was always in comfortable clothes, but her design matched what a ranger would wear in a medieval fantasy game.

There was no doubt they attracted tons of attention.

…None of them were the type to be bothered by the public’s gaze. Kalia was a noble, the daughter of a duke, who was used to being in the limelight. Pia, as a saint, was very accustomed to receiving the gaze of numerous devotees, and Arna had, if not now, taken pride in the attention from elves in the past.

These three wouldn’t be particularly shocked to be noticed for their unusual outfits.

However, Dana was a different case. While she was used to being in the spotlight due to giving presentations at major academic conferences, she didn’t find it awkward as a member of the hero party, so she wouldn’t be embarrassed by being noticed while walking.

But Dana valued ‘face.’

Even though she was the daughter of a noble house, she has a personality that is more down-to-earth than most nobles like Kalia, who is accustomed to the public eye, and Pia, who recognizes that everyone is different, and unlike Arna, who had firmly adapted to the different ways of the kingdom and elves over five years, Dana was particularly sensitive to ‘embarrassing situations’… to put it bluntly, ‘shaming scenarios.’

Though smaller than me, who would most likely become the owner of the magic tower and the next dean of the academy, she always insisted on formality when taking on important roles.

What kind of reaction would she have if she realized she was wearing something that could be pulled from a fairy tale in this world?

“…”

Honestly, it would probably be a bit amusing.

Still, I should keep the teasing to a minimum.

To minimize her black history, I hurriedly headed towards where those guys had passed.