In Another World With My Smartphone: Volume 17

by Patora Fuyuhara

  An elderly man walked toward me. He was clearly well into his sixties. He had a scraggly white beard that flowed freely down his chin, and he wore a little pair of glasses. I could sense the determination behind his eyes, even if he seemed unsteady on his feet.

  “We. Go. With. You Not Kill. Please.”

  He spoke in broken sentences, almost pleading with me. I thought they only had one guy from the Reverse World, not this whole group.

  Not kill, huh? Guess they’re scared I’ll use my gun.

  I quickly cast translation magic on all the men before me. I decided talking would be best here.

  “Are you guys Gollem technicians?”

  “Y-You understand us? Yes! We’re all Gollem technicians. We were on our way to Isengard, bringing a delivery to the witch-king, when we found ourselves in this strange place... We were forced into servitude by those masked men!”

  The witch-king? Holy shit. If they don’t know that he’s been defeated then they must have been here a long time.

  “I’ll hear the rest later. How many of you are there?”

  “E-Eighteen to begin with, but fifteen now. Three of us were tortured to death when we were captured... Could you tell me where we are, exactly? The technology and language here... It’s almost like we’re in another world.” He was exactly right, but I wanted to save the explanations for later.

  I took off their submission collars and freed them of their confines. Some of them even wept with happiness when I did that. They must have suffered quite a lot.

  “We’re leaving this place. Anything you need to bring?”

  “Ah, excuse me a moment.”

  The old man dug a little hole nearby, and eventually produced a tiny card.

  “What’s this?”

  “It’s my own personal storage card. I didn’t want them to take it away, so I buried it there when I first got here.”

  Pretty smart, old man. I guess it’s true what they say. Wisdom comes with age.

  I decided to bring them to Elluka, since she was a fellow denizen of the Reverse World. And so, I used [Gate] to connect us all to the location she and Doc Babylon were sitting at.

  The two of them turned their attention from the battlefield to us as we came through, but Elluka’s eyes went wide as she ran over to the old man.

  “Professor, is that you?!”

  “Wh-What?! Restore Queen, is that actually you?!”

  The two of them just started pointing at each other and making vague noises.

  “You guys know each other?”

  “Ah, yeah... This man’s an incredibly famous Gollem technician in my world. Does that mean that his whole team got caught?”

  “Uh, yeah. It’s his whole team.”

  “Lass, what’s going on here? Where even are we? This is a bit hard to follow.”

  “Um... How should I put this...”

  I decided to leave the explaining to Elluka, and promptly returned to the fortress.

  Takeru and Ende had almost completely taken out everyone there by the time I got back. I teleported all those guys to Castle Horn, as the officials there would take care of the rest.

  I definitely had to be sure I didn’t miss anyone. If I didn’t completely pull them out at the roots, then these weeds would just keep coming back.

  I used [Search] to confirm nobody was left, and we walked out of the front gate again.

  Takeru said he was going to finish the job, whatever that meant.

  “Now listen up. Wherever there’s life, there’s chi. Chi is found in the air, the earth, and in the sun’s light. If you want to master chi, you must master nature itself. Properly controlling it will allow you to do things like this...”

  Takeru thrust his arms forward, wiggling his hands like he was grasping for something. After a short while, a ball of energy I could tell was distinct from magic gathered in his hands.

  Slowly, the mass grew until it was the size of an exercise balance ball, and the very air around it began to oscillate and shimmer.

  “Haaah!”

  Takeru yelled, thrusting his arms forward and firing out the mass.

  The orb sailed forward before it suddenly detonated, creating a catastrophic explosion akin to a nearby bomb blast.

  When the dust settled, the fort we’d just cleared out was completely gone. All that remained was a smoldering crater... Even the nearby cliff faces were eradicated.

  The power was on the level of an Upper Construct-tier Phrase firing off its railgun attack. I couldn’t believe what I’d seen.

  I was amazed that such a power was possible, even without the use of magic or divinity.

  Thus, the Qulau hideout, along with the underground facility, were completely wiped out.

  “I-I suppose I have a long way to go in my training...”

  “...Honestly I don’t know if I want more people doing attacks like that...”

  I replied to Ende’s blank-faced mutterings with a dumbfounded comment of my own.

  ◇　◇　◇

  The Qulau members were all handed over to the Horn government. The army of Steel Soldiers and Wood Golems were taken out without a hitch, too. With that, the plot to take over Horn had failed.

  Qulau’s leader and all of its elite members were publicly executed. The rest of Qulau were given the lifelong sentence of hard labor in the mines. They would never see the sun again.

  A few days later, a new king of Horn was crowned. Kuoh Da Horn, the one-year-old boy.

  As that happened, Prime minister Schwein Adante announced his resignation, and recommended Ganossa Da Horn, the late king’s former brother, as his successor.

  Thus, the uncle became regent for his nephew, ruling as king until the boy came of age. This was the best outcome from the start, really.

  The Kingdom of Horn decided to join the rest of the world, and end its long-imposed isolation. They started an exchange program for their young academics, sending them out to learn about the world.

  Thus, Horn would enter a golden age of cultural growth, learning more about other nations and how to improve their own as a result. They would work hard to be a shining example, the opposite of the Yulongese who had clung to the past so desperately and shamelessly.

  It was fine to be proud of one’s past, but you could not hinge your entire existence around it. Otherwise, you’d be someone trapped looking backward all your life.

  I had to hope that the new generation in the remnants of Yulong would grow up to understand that.

  As for the rescued Gollem technicians...

  All of them except one worked at a factory in Isengard. The one in charge of the factories in Isengard was the witch-king.

  Unfortunately, as far as the public knew, the witch-king was missing, and none knew if he was alive or dead. Isengard ended up devolving into chaos as a result, and currently stood fragmented without a leader.

  Even after I told them that, the majority of the men still wanted to return home, so I took them back.

  I could understand why. They had families and stuff back there. But it had been so long since they went missing that they were considered dead in Isengard, and their jobs had been filled up. I was also worried that they might be treated poorly by authorities because they lost the three-thousand Gollems they had with them. Frankly, it would be dangerous to have them live in Isengard.

  That was why I went to speak with the former prince of Gardio, Lucrecion. He was now in charge of Lowe, after all, so I asked if he would take the men and their families in. Thankfully, he accepted. Though I knew he would. They were all exceptionally talented men.

  Thus, the men decided to live a new life within Lowe’s territory.

  Only one man stayed behind...

  “So, that old man... or, uh, professor? What’s he gonna do?”

  “He said he wanted to travel this world and see all the countries.”

  Elluka grumbled a bit as she chewed a straw in her mouth. The ice cubes inside her glass of orange juice clinked around as the st
raw moved.

  “Isn’t it a little risky for him to be roaming around alone? He’s pretty old.”

  “He made a few basic Gollems using dwarven tech before he left. Apparently he had some G-Cubes and Q-Crystals on him. At a glance, they’d look like five armored knights walking with him, so I imagine he’ll be fine.”

  Damn, he really made that many Gollems in such a short time? He really must be pretty famous.

  “I wanted him to help me out a bit, but he said he wanted to see the sights first and foremost. I guess he probably wants to forget the harrowing experience he had building those crude machines.”

  That was fair. At the very least, the fact that he willingly built some on his own meant the trauma wasn’t too deep. He probably just didn’t want to do any intensive Gollem building for a while.

  “Hey, dumbasses! Your break’s like, totally over and stuff! You should help out already.”

  “Geez... You’re so mean, Monie...”

  We were sitting and having a drink during our chat, which prompted Monica to come out and yell at us.

  The two Over Gears were behind her, awaiting a diagnostics report.

  Elluka grumbled quietly before getting up and walking toward them with Fenrir.

  Just as I was about to leave, my smartphone began ringing.

  Hm? Oh, God Almighty, huh? How rare.

  “Heyo!”

  “Ah, young Touya. There is something I wish to speak of. Could you come to my realm for a spell?”

  I had no plans, so I said that wouldn’t be a problem before ending the call. I wondered what he wanted from me. Ah, I think I should swing by the kitchen and get him something before going, though... I don’t wanna show up without a treat.

  Crea had made some tasty yokan desserts, so assuming Karen hadn’t eaten them all, they’d be good to bring along.

  I was in luck. Karen’s greedy gaze had not yet fallen upon the tasty treats, so I managed to bring some to the divine realm with me.

  I found myself in that familiar room that floated amidst a cloudy backdrop. There were no walls nor ceiling, it was simply us.

  “Hey there. I brought you a gift. Here you go.”

  “Ah, lovely. I shall make some tea to go with it.”

  God took out some plates and a knife, then placed them down on the table with some tea. Tea along with yokan was a very nice combo indeed.

  “So, what’d you wanna discuss?”

  “Ah, yes. It is happening in three days.”

  “Huh?”

  God spoke quietly as he sliced up the yokan into smaller pieces.

  What’s happening in three days?

  “What do you mean, exactly?”

  “The two worlds are going to complete their overlap. They will fuse into one new world in exactly three days. That is when they will leave my jurisdiction, and be guarded only by you.”

  “WHAAAT?!”

  I blurted out my confusion. I knew you’d tell me in advance, but isn’t this a little short notice?! I didn’t even hold the multidimensional summit yet! Agh... I mean, I guess this could be a positive. Somehow. If it actually happens, then nobody’ll be able to deny it, so they’ll have to listen to me. That way the leaders of the Reverse World might be more inclined to listen to me, too.

  “I do apologize. It was rather hard to predict, you see. This world was supposed to be destroyed due to its unpredictability, after all. It grows yet more unpredictable by the day.”

  “Hm... I see... Three days, huh?”

  Wonder what I can do in such a short time.

  “What about cataclysmic events and stuff?”

  “That is likely to happen in most cases, but you recently attained dominion over spirits, did you not? I am sure if you speak with the relevant spirits, you can mitigate the potential damage. There may be some small earthquakes here and there, but I am sure that the worlds will join simply enough. At the very most, the maps of both worlds may be slightly altered.”

  Landmasses being altered is kinda scary, but as long as I can avoid disaster-movie type scenarios, I’ll be fine. The people would definitely freak out way too hard if really bad stuff happens.

  “Once the merge begins, the world will be out of my hands. Since I do technically owe you for the short notice, I will use my power to make both worlds speak the same language. Or rather, I will simply make them believe they are all speaking the same language.”

  Holy cow, that’s something else... You’re basically casting translation magic over the whole world. I don’t think I could do something like that.

  Well, maybe I could... but it’d definitely take my smartphone well over a week to lock on to that many people.

  “Is that okay? I thought it was against the rules to interfere with lesser realms.”

  “Well, that is true... But in this case, I think the advent of a wicked god is cause for this one little cheat. Plus, this world is about to be out of my hands anyway, so it matters little.”

  I guess it’s like tossing away a troublesome book that was once in a library. Once it’s tossed, it isn’t owned by the library anymore so they have no obligation to keep it checked on. After that it’s just a matter of whoever gets their hands on the book next.

  “This is your job now, young Touya. You must exorcise that wicked god from the newborn world. Once you do that, the world will earn its right among other worlds, and the god of destruction will be satisfied as well.”

  “Man, this sure is a problem...”

  “Now, now... You are a beneficiary of my own power. The enemy is spawned from a failure of a god. By all rights, you have no reason to worry about losing. However, that wicked god is a tricky one. There is no telling what they might do. Keep your wits about you.”

  “Sure thing.”

  I guess it’s like me taking over a project or something. I’m the newbie entrusted with the workload by the veteran, or something like that...

  “You have seven gods supporting you right now. I am quite sure you will prevail.”

  “...I feel like they treat it more like a vacation than anything else, though...”

  I had the god of love, the god of swords, the god of agriculture, the god of hunting, the god of music, the god of alcohol, and the god of combat on my side. They weren’t exactly like the seven lucky gods of Japanese folklore, though... They were mostly just pains in the ass.

  “Well, even if they enjoy themselves, they help in their own way. Sometimes, it is simply the way of things. Though, if I am quite honest, I would not be surprised if that world became some kind of resort for the gods after you take full management.”

  I’m not sure how to feel about that... Surely there are better vacation worlds out there in the vast cosmos... Well, whatever. I don’t need to worry about that stuff yet. This’ll all come after the wicked god’s dealt with.

  I need to go speak with the spirits, then meet with the other world leaders. No idea what’ll happen from here-on, so we’ll need to stay as alert as we can...

  I quietly ate my yokan and sipped my tea, resolving to make things go as smoothly as possible.

  But, three days later... An entire country was wiped off the map of the newly-joined world.

  Afterword

  Hello again, I hope you enjoyed reading In Another World With My Smartphone Volume 17. Thanks for sticking around as always.

  It’s currently May as I write this, so the book won’t be released for a few months. It’s getting hot already, though... What’s the deal with that?! I can’t stand it. I wonder if summer’s gonna be a scorcher this year. To be honest, my productivity plummets in the summer months... I just get tired all the time.

  I eat, then I get a stomachache, then I get fatigued, and then I get all hot and bothered. It’s tiresome.

  Summer months are like hell to me. If I leave the air conditioner on, I just end up feeling queasy after a while... That’s why I hope from the bottom of my heart that summer passes fast.

  I bought a massage chair recently becau
se I had trouble sleeping, but the front door of my house had to come off when bringing it in... I ordered it without taking proper measurements, whoops.

  First time I used it, I was all like “Owowow... Oof...” but I quickly got used to it. Now I can fall asleep on that thing like a baby.

  However, since it’s in a room that doesn’t have air conditioning, I have a sinking feeling that it’s going to become a torture device in the summer months...

  Either way, I’m glad I’ve been working more efficiently lately.

  It’s been four years since the books started releasing in Japan. I can’t believe we’re already at seventeen volumes! It feels like it was just yesterday that I got a call about novelizing my story.

  Thanks for your continued support, everyone.

  And here are my other thanks, as usual.

  Thank you to Eiji Usatsuka, I appreciate you always coming through with your illustrations despite your packed schedule.

  Thank you to Tomofumi Ogasawara, your mecha designs are on point as ever. We finally got to see Rossweisse in illustrated form, and I really appreciate that.

  Of course, K, and everyone else at Hobby Japan’s editorial department. This series wouldn’t have even become a full novel series without you. Thank you to everyone involved in the process of publishing this book.

  And to everyone who supported me on Shousetsuka ni Narou, I thank you all as well.

  Patora Fuyuhara

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  Copyright

  In Another World With My Smartphone: Volume 17

  by Patora Fuyuhara

  Translated by Andrew Hodgson

  Edited by DxS

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is coincidental.

  Copyright © 2019 Patora Fuyuhara

  Illustrations Copyright © 2019 Eiji Usatsuka