In Another World With My Smartphone: Volume 17

by Patora Fuyuhara

  I sighed, but realized that these girls had never really eaten before, so even small variations were probably something interesting to them.

  “Hey, you not joining in?”

  “Not hungry...” I yelled over to Ende, who was curled up on the grass. There were scratches and bruises all over his body. I had no doubt that he’d been put through the wringer by uncle Takeru.

  That being said, the guy’s build was definitely a little different. He was gaining muscle here and there, and it was clear as day. Before he kind of reminded me of a nimble cat, but he was slowly starting to look more like a beefy tiger.

  “You gotta eat or you won’t get any stronger.”

  “If I eat, I’ll just end up puking it out later on... I’m not exactly on the same tier as Melle and the others, but my race doesn’t need to ingest many calories to function either.”

  Oh yeah, I forgot he’s from another world.

  Looking at his state made me wince. I wondered just how brutal the training was.

  I briefly wondered something, so I triggered my divine sight and looked at Ende. I noticed some golden particles floating around and settling on his body. Ohoho...

  “...You did something just now? Your eyes turned gold.”

  “I used my divinity to look at you more intently. There’s some divinity hovering around your body as well. I had a feeling it was the case, but it looks like you’re becoming a divine beneficiary too.”

  “Huh?! What does that mean?!”

  Ende jumped up and started frantically looking at himself. I chuckled a bit after seeing him get so flustered and worked up.

  “Chill out, man. It’s not a bad thing. Basically, it means that, from a cosmic perspective, you’re being recognized as someone related to uncle Takeru. You’re basically in a state where his divinity is enveloping, empowering, and protecting you. Have you noticed any changes in you lately?”

  “Hm... Now that you mention it, I’ve gotten better at taking hits lately, I think...”

  That’s probably just part of the training... Although maybe that is a bonus.

  “Well, either way, it means you’re getting stronger.”

  “He beats the crap out of me in every session, so that’s a little hard to believe...”

  Ende stared off into the distance with glazed eyes and a half-hearted grin on his face. I wondered if he was actually going to be okay.

  “Those mutants that defeated you last time... Do you think you could beat them as you are now?”

  “Leto and Luto...? I’m not so sure. It felt like, even back then, they were still holding something up their sleeve. Actually, do we have any new leads on those mutants?”

  ...Nope, not really. They’ve just been showing up all over the place... like goddamn cockroaches.

  I’d heard reports from both worlds where Lesser Constructs had been showing up. They usually got defeated by adventurers, knights, or Gollem-equipped individuals.

  They’d been appearing so often that if they weren’t killed quickly, the public would probably end up in a panic about these mysterious invaders. Thankfully, that hadn’t yet come to pass.

  ...In the regular world, at least. The Reverse World wasn’t handling it quite as well.

  But that made sense. Unlike the Reverse World, most of the world leaders in the regular world had a full grasp of exactly what it was they were dealing with.

  “What of the Phrase?”

  “Nothing. Not a single thing.” It was probably safe to assume that all the Phrase had been mutated at this point.

  “Then it should be fine to let Melle out, no? Ney said the mutants weren’t exactly interested in her.”

  “Mm... I guess, but the enemy would still know her location...” The Phrase emitted a special wavelength that couldn’t be heard by humans. It basically allowed other members of their species to zero in on their location. The sound could even emanate beyond the world boundary, and it was the reason why the Phrase could constantly chase Melle after she fled.

  Melle had reduced herself down to just her core, which reduced the intensity of her resonance. Then, she hid within the hearts of human beings to mask the tiny sound that was left... But that didn’t exactly have good results.

  I saw no reason to assume that the mutants wouldn’t have the same ability.

  If the mutants came and attacked Brunhild because I happened to let Melle out, then I’d never forgive myself.

  “Is there no way to mute her resonant tone?”

  “It’s like a human’s heartbeat... You can’t just tell someone to turn it off. We could turn it down, though...”

  Ende shrugged a little. I looked over at the three Dominant Constructs as they happily enjoyed their meal, and I got an idea.

  “Hold on. How did Lycee manage to avoid the Phrase when she was going around with you? Shouldn’t her core emit the same kind of noise?”

  “Lycee basically reduced her bodily functions until she was one step away from just being a core, and then I used an item fused with my own power to mask the rest. Unfortunately, Melle’s resonance is far too strong for us to mask in that way.”

  Hmph... It won’t be that easy, then.

  “That barrier you have... The [Prison] thing... Can’t you extend it to spread across the whole nation?”

  “No can do. The larger it is, the less effective it becomes. If I stretched it that thin, I probably wouldn’t be able to block the noise.”

  “Then what if you used a smaller one? Couldn’t you put it around her core and set it so that it only confines the noise?”

  “...Yeah... I... could...”

  Why the hell didn’t I think of that to begin with?! Ende stared blankly toward me, and I moved my line of sight to the three girls. They had stopped eating, and were staring at me with equally expressionless, slightly resentful expressions.

  “Wh-Whoops. W-Wanna go outside?”

  “Yes. I do...” Melle smiled and answered me very quickly.

  It was pretty obvious she’d wanna go out...

  I used my divine sight to confirm the locations of all three cores, and then I turned to Ney. She’d volunteered herself because there were potential risks. I gulped hard, and cast a divinity-boosted [Prison] around her core.

  A teeny tiny barrier appeared inside Ney’s body, enveloping her core.

  “...I can’t hear it...”

  “Me neither.”

  “Yep. It stopped.” Melle, Ende, and Lycee all muttered together. I didn’t even know Ende could hear it to begin with. To be honest, if I used my divinity and brought it to my ears, I’d probably be able to hear it too. What would I call that power, though... Divine ear? Divine hearing? That second one probably sounded better.

  Since things seemed to be safe, I cast a similar [Prison] around the other two cores.

  We were mostly worried about Melle’s noise being too strong, but in the end, my divinity proved stronger.

  The moment Melle realized it had all worked out, she smiled broadly and clasped her hands together in relief.

  “Now we can walk the surface with Endymion, right?”

  “Not quite...”

  “Huh...?”

  Hold it, hold it. You guys aren’t human! Clearly! You aren’t of this world at all!

  I sighed and reached into [Storage], producing three star-shaped pendants. I then enchanted each one with [Mirage], allowing the wearer to take on a human appearance.

  “Ooh! Lady Melle, you’re a human!”

  “Goodness, Ney! That red hair certainly suits you!”

  “How do I look, how do I look?” Melle had ice-blue hair, Ney had fiery-red hair, and Lycee had chestnut hair. They also had the illusion of wearing ordinary-looking clothing. The three of them now looked the very picture of pretty young ladies.

  “It’s just an illusion, so if anyone touches you, they’ll find out the truth.”

  “That’s quite alright. I won’t let anyone touch Lady Melle!” Ney spoke out confidently, probably failing to reali
ze that she needed to avoid being touched as well.

  Dominant Constructs felt surprisingly similar to humans on their hands and faces, so nothing would go amiss if they were touched there... Though their low body temperatures could be a point of concern. But their shoulders, back, feet, and other areas were hard as rock. If they were touched there, they’d be caught out.

  I wasn’t really worried though, I doubted they’d let themselves be touched just like that.

  “Take these, too.”

  I used [Storage] to pull out three mass-produced smartphones, along with three users manuals, then passed them to the girls.

  “Use these to keep in contact, okay? I’m pretty sure this one’s obvious, but don’t leave the country either. It’d be pretty bad for me if you guys ended up causing a scene in a foreign place.”

  “Understood. We’ll stay here.”

  Melle, Lycee, and Ney all nodded firmly. I hoped they’d be alright.

  I turned to Ende and gave him a warning.

  “You’re responsible for these three, alright? I’ll look away when it comes to minor issues, but if too much trouble gets caused, then I’m gonna have to keep you confined in Babylon again.”

  “Sure thing. We told you that we’re your allies, Touya. We won’t do anything to cause harm to your country.”

  ...That better be the case.

  I decided there was no point worrying about it, put my suspicions aside, and warped us all down to the ground.

  I gave them a brief tour of the castle, introducing them as my friends to anyone who happened to pass by.

  ...Actually, where can these guys even stay? They can’t really stay in the castle, and sending them back to Babylon would be kinda lame...

  The Silver Moon was definitely a no-go. I could easily imagine them getting into conflicts with the other guests who were staying there, and I didn’t exactly want to cause any more trouble for poor Micah.

  I decided to go and ask Naito if there were any empty houses related to his development projects. If there weren’t, I’d just have to ask them to build one.

  If they lived in a regular house on their own, then there’d be fewer chances for trouble. Ende and Lycee already had some experience living incognito, so I was sure they’d blend in.

  I called up Naito and learned that there happened to be a vacant home in the farmland area to the east.

  Apparently he’d built it for one of his friends, but the friend ended up being called into a government position back in Eashen, so it went unused. It was even partially furnished, so they could move right in. I was pretty damn relieved to hear that.

  We walked into the castle town, and Melle immediately got excited. She kept pointing at different things and asked Ende to explain them to her. From an outside perspective, they looked like any other happy couple.

  “Lady Melle seems happy.”

  “Mh... Hmph. You’re right, but... It bothers me that she’s so happy with that man by her side...” Ney glared quietly in Ende’s direction, but it seemed like she was being mindful enough to give them space together. However, apparently even Ney had her limits. The very moment that Melle took Ende’s hand into hers, Ney charged forward and raised her voice at the two of them.

  “Lady Melle! Look over here!”

  “H-Hm? What is it, Ney?” And, in a flash, the happy date was broken up by Ney dragging Melle off. Good grief...

  “Ney’s happy too.”

  “...She is?”

  Lycee said something I couldn’t quite understand, but these guys were pretty incomprehensible to begin with.

  Ney and Melle walked quickly toward a yakitori stall by the street corner. The more assertive of the two spoke sternly to the old man who was working the grill.

  “Hey. You. Is this consumable?”

  “Huh? I... I mean, yes?”

  The moment the man gave his confirmation, Ney grabbed some of the food right from the grill and tossed it into her mouth.

  “L-Lady Melle! This is delicious!”

  “H-Hey! You need to pay for that!”

  Ney completely ignored the man and proceeded to pick up yet more meat. She fed Melle some pieces, and then fed more to herself.

  Ende frantically ran toward them, pulling some coins out of his pockets. He passed them to the old man, insisted he keep the change, and then dragged the two girls away.

  “...You’ve got it rough, man.”

  I wasn’t jealous of that guy at all. He definitely had some tough times ahead. But I certainly wasn’t going to help. This was all his responsibility! He was the Phrase whisperer, after all.

  Melle and Ney were taken aside into an alley, where Lycee and Ende explained the concept of money to them. They seemed to catch on pretty quickly to the idea, but I had a feeling it was going to take a lot of effort for them to adapt to regular society...

  Interlude: The Otherworld Restaurant

  “No fair! I wanna eat in the other world, too!” Lu puffed out her cheeks and started grumbling.

  Geez... Yumina must have let it slip that we had that fine dining experience in the Reverse World... Man, that place the queen of Strain was at sure was nice...

  “...It’s not like we chose to go there. It just happened to be part of what was going on that day.”

  “Even so, I feel a little left out...”

  Lu continued to pout. It made sense that she was disappointed. As a person who loved cooking, she would’ve relished the opportunity to have an unusual meal from another world.

  As I thought about that, Lu’s shoulders suddenly sagged and she let out a sigh.

  “...I’m sorry. It’s just when the subject of food came up, I got a little disappointed that I missed out on an interesting culinary experience. Sorry if I seemed selfish.”

  “No, no! You didn’t! I was the one who was being bad here. I should’ve thought of you. I should’ve at least picked up a recipe from the restaurant to bring back or something.”

  “I doubt a high-grade restaurant would hand out their recipes just like that, you know. But I’m certain that if I ate some of it, I’d be able to reproduce it by myself...”

  Wait, seriously?! I remember hearing about certain incredible chefs who have such refined palates that they can remember any food they’ve eaten before... Do you have that ability, Lu?!

  “Well... let’s go eat some food in the Reverse World, then. How about it? Just lunch, though.”

  “Oh? Y-Yes! Of course! I’ll get dressed right away!”

  Lu smiled broadly and dashed off. It seemed like her sour mood had been remedied, at least.

  But where should we eat... I’m a little apprehensive about eating in the place we went to with Silhouette, since she probably has informants there. Anything I discuss with Lu would probably get leaked to her.

  Still, it wasn’t like that was the only nice restaurant in the Reverse World. We didn’t even have to go to the Strain Kingdom. We could just head over to the Allent Theocracy instead.

  As I wondered about where to eat, Lu came back into the room. To my surprise, Yae was with her.

  “I happened to bump into Yae, so I invited her.”

  “I heard that we are going to eat, I did. I am quite famished, I am.”

  Yae smiled softly, and I immediately knew why Lu had taken the liberty of inviting her. Lu enjoyed eating food, and she’d want to analyze whatever meals she ate over there. But Lu alone would only be able to handle one meal, which wouldn’t be ideal if there was a varied menu. She couldn’t order a lot if she was all by her lonesome, and would have to come back for repeat trips if she wanted to sample the entire variety.

  But if she had Yae with her, the legendary big eater that she was, then there’d be no issues. Yae would surely order a bit of everything, and Lu would be able to sample it all. This was a cold and calculated decision on her part. It wasn’t strictly ethical, but it was certainly a brilliant scheme.

  “Yae sure is a good girl...”

  “Wh-What are you doing all of a s
udden, Touya-dono?!”

  I reached out and petted Yae’s head like one might a friendly dog. I quickly came to my senses and focused on my phone.

  I pulled up the map as Yae blushed. Lu pouted again, seeming a little jealous of what had just transpired.

  Hmm... Guess we’ll go to Allent. If we go to Allen, the holy capital, then we can meet up with Mr. Sancho. He’ll probably know a good place to eat.

  I took Yae and Lu by the hand.

  “Alright, time to launch.” I used my divinity to warp us straight to Allen’s city streets. More specifically, we landed in the back alley where I met the Red Cats for the first time. There weren’t many people around, so I wasn’t worried about being caught out.

  To be honest, I still needed a good base of operations that wasn’t as secluded as Drakliff island. I thought about buying a home in one of the major cities, but I didn’t exactly have that kind of cash. There was a limit to how often I could sell rare metals to Mr. Sancho without it looking suspicious, after all.

  We left the alley and headed out on to the main street. It was busy as ever.

  There were Gollem carriages running up and down the streets, and various other Gollems of different shapes and sizes walking with their masters. Some were even carrying shopping bags for them.

  The sight of all these machines clunking around really hammered in the fact that this was another world. Though the world I had just jumped from was also another world to the one I was born in.

  “So, where do we go...” It was a royal capital, so it wouldn’t take long to find a restaurant. All we had to do was find one that looked tasty enough.

  “Touya-dono, how about this restaurant? There is quite a long line, there is.”

  Yae pointed to a building with a decent-sized line of people outside it. The building itself looked kinda gaudy, with gold decorations sparkling here and there. It was called the Golden Pig, which made me wonder if it was a restaurant that specialized in pork.

  The big golden signboard with an image of a pig on it seemed to suggest so, at least. The size of the building was also massive... It felt a little too flashy for my tastes.

  That being said, the presence of the long line certainly caught my interest. I wondered if it was really worth standing around for... While I internally deliberated on whether or not to stand in line, Yae and Lu already joined it. I shrugged a little and joined the two of them.