“I—”
“You don’t have to answer right away. I want you to stick around there for a while now anyway. Have fun, okay? Just think of it as a little vacation.”
“Do you want me to stay forever?”
“No, just…it’s the second floor. They found out we sent someone from Japan to the old world, and it’s causing a little friction. We’re trying to fix up the portal so that nothing else can be sent through from this side. I know there are some corrupted gods after you, too, so just sit tight. I’ll try and convince them not to go after you directly.”
If she was this concerned for my safety, what else could I do?
“Okay. Please let me know when things have calmed down, and I’ll try to enjoy myself here until then.”
“Thank you for not arguing. I’ll try to smooth things over as quick as I can. Before the next Day of Corruption, at the very least.”
I nearly forgotten about that. I was in the Village of Fate itself, meaning that I’d be facing a Day of Corruption personally if I was still here at the end of the month. And real monsters. My sunny thoughts of worship instantly dried. My villagers went through this on a regular basis, but I really didn’t want to be here for any large-scale attacks.
“I’ll be in touch, okay?”
“W-wait, I—oh, she hung up.”
She was a kindhearted pers—god, but I wished she was better at listening. At least I knew I had a way back now. All I needed to do was wait and make sure I kept up a convincing act in front of the villagers.
“Which won’t exactly be easy.”
The thought of forcing myself to keep up this formal disciple schtick weighed me down, but I didn’t have a choice. If my villagers started getting suspicious about me, the God of Fate’s disciple, it could damage their faith in the god herself. If I wanted to keep playing the game when I got back home, I had to keep up the act.
“So, what now?”
Ruminating with no end in sight was just a waste of time, so I decided to see how the village was doing. Then I could figure out my next move. I stood up, Destiny clinging onto my chest and poking its head out of my coat. I knew it hated the cold, but it probably wanted to see what was going on, too.
As soon as I left the tent, I immediately felt the villagers’ eyes on me from all directions. When I looked back, they immediately averted their gazes and scattered like baby spiders.
Is this what being famous feels like?
I doubted they got many divine disciples showing up from the World of Gods. I’d be staring too in their position. I tried to ignore them, while still remembering that I was always at risk of being watched. If I was outside the tent, I had to be careful. I stretched, then made my way confidently to where the cave used to be.
“There really isn’t anything left, huh?”
The old mine was completely destroyed. I’d seen it from afar, but I couldn’t help sighing with regret. This place had been vital to my villagers’ survival back when Gams was hurt.
I put my hands together. “Thank you for protecting them all this time.” I wished I could see the space they’d lived in, but it was gone. After an explosion like that, anything we unearthed would just be dust.
Could there still be some useful stuff in there?
A couple of pickaxes and handcarts sat nearby; clearly my villagers had the same thought. I roamed the area, coming across a space surrounded with wooden boards. This was new.
“What’s this? These boards are just a little taller than me…”
They stood close to the former cave, so I followed them until I reached a log cabin. I couldn’t tell anything about it from out here, except that it was large. The door was shut, and I didn’t want to trespass. I could come back later.
I strode over to the log fence that surrounded the village, and, walking along it, I came upon the villagers at their work. The men were busy lengthening and strengthening the fence. The elves were helping Kan and Lan shave down pieces of wood. Elves were good at woodworking; they lived in harmony with nature. Murus, while a skilled physician and marksman, wasn’t so good at crafts. She was overseeing things from a distance. Just like humans, elves had their individual strengths and weaknesses.
I continued my walk, coming upon the watchtowers. They used to only have one, built from logs. Now there were four, taller and made of tough wooden boards. With the village’s recent population increase, the watchtowers could now be manned at all times.
The explosion had left the village with nothing, but it had been restored into something even better. A higher population created strength, and doubtless the village’s development would continue in leaps and bounds.
I returned to the makeshift church tent, my home for the time being. I sat down in front of the sunken fire pit and stared at the God of Fate’s statue through the dancing flames. The old statue had been roughly carved, difficult to tell if it was supposed to be masculine or feminine. This one had been sculpted by a far more skillful hand. I imagined Kan and Lan made this when the old one was destroyed in the explosion.
“What’s a disciple of the God of Fate supposed to do all day?” I didn’t come to this world for a fun vacation. I really just wanted to spend more time with the villagers after so many hours of watching them through the computer. But my story meant I was representing their god, and I didn’t want to ruin their perception of her. The fact that I knew her personally now made that feeling so much stronger. Maybe I should just ask them if they needed help with anything.
I acted the moment that thought popped into my mind. I’d learned that was the way out of being a NEET—act right away. I left the tent again and searched for a villager who didn’t look too busy.