By the Grace of the Gods: Volume 1

by Roy

  “We never imagined you’d stay in the forest for three years, though. It feels short to us, but that isn’t the case for humans, no? Above all, while that forest is comparatively safer, it still has its dangers. We assumed you would only stay for a year at most...”

  At that, the three of them wore strained smiles.

  “You used all the skill and magic at your hands to create an environment that you could live in modestly for three years — or more, if you so desired.”

  “That house looked simple, but it was actually amazingly well-made. It was extremely safe, spacious, and clean. You had assembled impressive facilities too. Especially your bathtub, which are only for the wealthy class in this world. And your toilet, which may possibly be the cleanest you can find in this world.”

  “Even we hadn’t imagined your slime research to result in such a way. There were barely any who researched slimes of their own initiative, after all. Those two species in particular were a surprise, the cleaner and scavenger ones. Those were new species, you know?”

  “...O-Oh. So they really were... The tamer family I met by coincidence said they didn’t know of them, so that’s what I presumed.”

  “Indeed. Slimes were originally created by me, but all I did was give them adaptability to their surroundings and the ability to multiply. The potential for evolution was infinite after that. However, they were just so weak the other animals kept exterminating them until they just stopped developing after a few new species appeared. Now, it’s like the land environment decides which slime appears. Even I had forgotten that new species of slimes could be born. This is truly marvelous!”

  Was slime research really that lacking?

  “Even I, the creator of slimes, had forgotten... I would wager to say that you’re even more knowledgeable than me about slimes now.”

  “Even if it was only limited to slimes, having more knowledge than a god sounds...”

  “But you... you still have many thoughts about slimes, no? I took a peek at your research, but you’ve thought of things I never even considered. In the first place, gods aren’t almighty beings. We each have our strengths and weaknesses. And sometimes that may lead to us being surprised by those who live in the worlds we watch over.”

  “For example, as gods, we cannot be harmed by humans. But if you were to punch us here, we’d be beaten up easily. We don’t have combat skills, after all. We can use our divine powers to protect ourselves by causing all your blows to miss, but we cannot best you in a technical fight. A god that specialized in war wouldn’t lose, though.”

  “Huh... Really now.”

  That was news to me.

  “Well, humans do hold this certain image about gods. ...But more than anything, I’m glad you’re having fun. Who would have imagined you’d end up associated with that family...”

  Did they know the people of the House of Jamil? Well, they were gods so that shouldn’t be a surprise.

  “Based on your words just now, is there something special about those people? From the view of a god, and not social rank.”

  Lulutia answered my question.

  “Their ancestors are otherworlders we sent from Earth.”

  “Is that true?!”

  “Yup. She was a good girl. She wanted to become an animal trainer and didn’t seem to understand the situation very well, so we ended up granting her wish of controlling animals before sending her here.”

  “Was that taming magic, by any chance?”

  “That’s half-correct. There was a similar skill already at the time. She studied that skill and combined it with the power we gave her to create taming magic. After perfecting taming magic, her achievements earned a noble rank from the king. She was fairly popular for her beauty, and she went on to fall in love with another noble and marry him. Ever since, her bloodline has had generations of honorable tamers.”

  “Not to mention in the Jamil family, Reinbach has my protection, Reinhart has Kufo’s, and Elise has Lulutia’s bestowed. And the young Eliaria inherited otherworlder traits that skipped generations in her ancestry. Of course we would know of them.”

  “We check on them second to only you.”

  “Huh. So the young miss has talent for taming magic?”

  “She has the talent, but that girl has inherited much more than just taming magic. Her tamer potential comes from her father’s bloodline. The reason why her blood is so strong is because of a different otherworlder on her mother’s side of the family. This one was your classic otaku. He originally hated exercise, so he completely gave up on martial arts and put everything he had into magic. And unlike Ryoma, he also wished to be powerful at it, so his magical force and firing speed was tremendous. Because of that, he took a while to learn all of the magics.”

  “Self-restraint wasn’t a term in his dictionary, that’s for sure.”

  “His one saving grace was that he never committed any evil, since he was such a coward. I shouldn’t be saying this as the one who gave him the power, but we were pretty nervous right up until he died.”

  Just how amazing was this otherworlder...? Well, whatever.

  “From what I’ve heard, there are quite a few otherworlders. Will I ever meet any?”

  “We only ever bring one person over at a time when we take Earth’s magic energy. The shortest gap between which is 200 years, so there shouldn’t be multiple otherworlders in a single time period.”

  “Although we have brought people over during emergencies, like when magic depletion intensifies during times of war. But normally, it wouldn’t happen. There are no large wars ongoing right now, so we probably won’t need to within your lifetime.”

  “If you want to know more about otherworlders, search for their books. The majority of them had high level or unique skills because of our divine powers, so many of them ended up in fairy tales and legends as heroes. For example, the war happened in the same period as the mighty magician on Eliaria’s mother’s side, so we brought another one over and they were both known as heroes. Other than that... there’s a folktale of one arrogant fellow who was treated as a demon king and defeated. You’ve heard of the Alchemy King on your journey, right?”

  “Yeah, when we were talking about alchemy. The Alchemy King was an otherworlder too?”

  “That’s right. An extremely infuriating one at that!”

  “He wanted alchemy as his bonus for being transferred, but when we said it didn’t exist in the other world, he demanded we create it! The title of the Alchemy King was something he insisted his subordinates call him, too; he was just that full of himself.”

  “It was hopeless trying to deal with him, so I just made something up.”

  “Made something up... So the reason why alchemy is strangely easy to use is...”

  “Indeed, it was because I threw it together.”

  “I knew it! I thought it was too simple, just drawing a magic circle and placing the materials on it before passing magic energy through the circle while thinking of the separated components! All the other magics needed energy control and adjustments, so it was odd.”

  “I didn’t want to waste time listening to his selfish demands. No matter how free we may be, being idle is much more preferable to insufferable company.”

  “While I agree with that part, still...”

  “It’s actually fairly difficult for the people of this world, you know? This world has none of the knowledge Earth has of the chemical elements. The Alchemy King was a student on Earth so he had no trouble reaping the rewards, but that was the golden age of alchemy, barely anyone has been able to reproduce it afterward. The Alchemy King was especially obsessed with gold and profit, so he never taught anyone else the knowledge and skills up until his death. Modern alchemists are just the sad remains of the Alchemy King’s actions.”

  “So that’s why...”

  That otherworlder sure was a free spirit...

  “But you’re on the more docile side of otherworlders we’ve brought here. It may feel like you’
re being swept along by events, but that’s not the case. You’re still making decisions about yourself by yourself, following your own rules, and trying new things of your own will. You’re a very desirable type of otherworlder to not only us, but this world of Seilfall too.”

  “Why is that?”

  “Heheh! We’re still gods, after all. We have to sound divine sometimes.”

  “Oh, is that a fact...”

  “There’s no need to think too deeply. Even if you lived your previous life being swept along by others, that doesn’t mean it’s still happening here. And going with the flow isn’t always a bad thing anyway.”

  “As long as life is fun, that should be enough, don’t you think?”

  “That’s true. Yeah. Thanks.”

  “Don’t worry about it. We’re gods, giving advice is a simple task.”

  “You’re our source of fun too, so it’s a token of our gratitude.”

  “...It seems like you’ve reached your limit over here, too. That was just a little advice from us before you leave.”

  “Thank you. Unfortunately I wasn’t very eloquent in my previous life, so this is all I can say, really.”

  “Your feelings have been conveyed.”

  “We’re all watching over you.”

  “The other gods have been sneaking some looks too, lately.”

  “Huh? Other gods?”

  The astounding words made my eyes widen greatly.

  “There was the god of war and god of magic, which was rare for those otherworlder haters.”

  “We’re the only ones who watch you frequently, but all kinds of gods have taken a look at you when the mood strikes.”

  “No one warned me of that...”

  “There’s nothing you have to do, so it’s fine. Ah, but the god of skill and craft has bestowed their protection on you. It’s nothing bad, so you can relax.”

  “It appears he’s taken a liking to your drinking habits from your previous life. He’s also the god of wine, after all. You didn’t seem to have much fun drinking, but he praised you for the amount you downed. He also said the drunken fist you were practicing was a rather amusing form of martial arts.”

  “Drunken fist? I sometimes imitated what I saw in movies back in the forest. He was watching? I didn’t think anyone would like that...”

  “You never know what will happen in life. Well, the background we prepared for you did have you raised by your grandfather, who was a dwarf. Tekun, the god of wine, is mostly worshiped by the dwarves, so that part fits perfectly.”

  “True, I guess it wouldn’t be suspicious that way?”

  “It’ll be fine. Now, it looks like this will be all for now. Time is really up.”

  Huh?! Ah, right... We had been chatting easily when time had run out before I knew it. The light started glowing around me once more.

  “Even though we finally met again...”

  “Don’t look so disappointed, we can talk again for short periods of time whenever you come to the church, and we should be able to meet like this again too. Although this result was a little unexpected.”

  “...I see. See you later, then.”

  “Yup, later.”

  “You truly are interesting. We’ll be watching over you until the next time we meet again.”

  Gain said as a soft light filled my vision, and when I opened my eyes again I was back in the baptism room of the church with the sister.

  “That was quite some light. They say the brighter the light, the more loved by the gods you are, so you may have been blessed with the protection of one of the gods. Please check your status board for it later.”

  Like Gain had said, it appeared that time had been frozen here. But wasn’t she going to ask about the protections?

  “Thank you very much. Aren’t you going to ask about the protections?”

  “The protection is something bestowed by the gods, so the only ones who have a right to know are you and the god who bestowed it. If you have any questions, I will answer to the best of my ability, but I will not ask anything myself. Also, it’s normal to hide everything on your status board other than your name, age, and race. It’s personal information, after all. To hide any displayed information, all you have to do is think it in your head. Please give it a go.”

  I looked at the information displayed on the status board.

  * * *

  Name: Ryoma Takebayashi

  Gender: Male

  Age: 11

  Race: Human

  Physical Energy: 11,052

  Magical Energy: 198,000

  Everyday Skills

  Housekeeping 10, Etiquette 7, Performance 3, Singing 3, Calculation 5

  Combat Skills

  Unarmed Combat 7, Sword Mastery 7, Dagger Mastery 6, Hidden Weapon Mastery 7, Spear Mastery 4, Bow Mastery 6, Staff Mastery 6, Chain Weapon Mastery 4, Throwing Weapon Mastery 7, Stealth 7, Trapping 6, Body Control 6, Energy Meditation 5

  Magic Skills

  Taming Magic 2, Barrier Magic 2, Healing Magic 1, Alchemy 2, Fire Magic 3, Water Magic 3, Wind Magic 2, Earth Magic 4, Neutral Magic 3, Lightning Magic 1, Ice Magic 2, Poison Magic 2, Wood Magic 3, Light Magic 2, Dark Magic 1, Space Magic 3, Magic Detection 3, Magic Control 4, Magic Recovery Speed 2

  Crafting Skills

  Medicine 6, Blacksmithing 1, Architecture 3, Woodworking 3, Modeling 4, Painting 4

  Resistance Skills

  Physical Pain Resistance 8, Mental Pain Resistance 9, Health 7, Stench Resistance 3

  Special Skills

  Oracle 3, Survival Arts 5, Life Enhancement 3, Super Recovery 3, Stamina Enhancement 6

  Titles

  Rise from Below

  Overcame an Unhappy Life

  Beloved Child of the Gods

  Apprentice of the Sage

  Apprentice of the God of Military Arts

  Protections

  Protection of Gain the Creator

  Protection of Kufo, God of Life

  Protection of Lulutia, Goddess of Love

  Protection of Tekun, God of Wine

  * * *

  I had learned that magic energy would go up with regular use before transferring here, but it looked like several skills had leveled up too.

  And now that I looked at it again, there really was a lot of magic skills... hmm? The apprentice titles were a balance of the skill levels that had been written in the letter when I first came to this world. I had protections from the three gods and the wine god Tekun.

  For now, I should hide everything except my name, age, and race... There.

  “I’m done.”

  “Then I shall lead you to the room where your companions are waiting. We can discuss the details where they can listen, too.”

  At the woman’s prompting, we left the room.

  That was when I heard voices from outside.

  “Wait! Wait up!”

  “Ahahaha! I’m over here!”

  When I looked in the direction of the voices, I saw some children in worn-out clothing playing outside the window.

  “Those are the children being taken care of by the church. They’re always full of energy and play outside like that once their chores are done.”

  I didn’t know if they were orphans or there because of family circumstances, but whatever.

  “Now, let’s go.”

  Thus, I was led to a room where the ducal house and Sebas were all waiting expectantly.

  “Sorry for the wait, the baptism has been completed without issue.”

  “Thank you for waiting, everyone.”

  “If that is all, then I will be leaving here. Feel free to use this room until you wish to leave.”

  “Thank you very much.”

  “You’re welcome. Now, if you would excuse me.”

  Immediately after we met up, the woman departed. I watched her leave the room and close the door behind her.

  “Mister Reinhart, why did she look like she was in such a hurry to leave...?”

  “The status boar
d has personal information, after all. She was being considerate.”

  “This is a room prepared for people to discuss the contents of their status board with their family in secret.”

  “Really?”

  “Yes. One should not reveal it carelessly. It used to be illegal to hide your information, but as more people used the contents for malicious purposes it became commonplace to keep it confidential.”

  “You can get the general gist of someone’s past from their skills, and for a fighter it would be disadvantageous to reveal your fighting style. Even your magic and physical strength is directly related to your power, so nowadays you would only show the people you trust. The same goes for protections, for similar reasons. All you reveal is your name, age, and race, and some choose to display their titles too.”

  “I see.”

  “That’s why you have to make sure you keep yours a secret, okay? You can ask us if there’s anything you don’t understand, but you don’t have to tell us anything you don’t want to, all right?”

  These people were truly kind-hearted... I’ll decide what to tell them later.

  “I understand.”

  Once I gave that answer, Reinbach nodded in satisfaction and continued speaking with a serious look.

  “Now, Ryoma. Now that you’ve received your status board, there’s one thing I’d like to say.”

  “What is that?”

  “It’s about your abilities. Based on what we’ve seen until now, your abilities are extremely refined compared to other children your age. Because of that, you will be approached by many bad people. If you want to avoid that, you must either hide your powers or quickly earn status to protect yourself. However, in your case, your abilities are so strong they will be difficult to hide. That’s why you should register with a guild quickly, in order to obtain status. I’m talking about the ranks within guilds, to be precise. If something happens, we will lend you our strength, but you yourself need to be aware.”

  “In your case, your abilities are so disproportionate with your age, it’s obvious that you have a god’s protection. Depending on which one, you may seriously be targeted.”

  ...I hadn’t really been keeping an eye on it myself, but was it really that strange? I hadn’t even gone all out in front of them yet...