Chapter 111 - Chapter 111: Do You Believe in God?
While filming a movie starring Iroha, we were attacked by monsters and plagued by trouble after trouble, but the film is finally nearing completion.
There is still one last scene to shoot, and it seems like it might work out, but――why do I have to get dragged into such trouble?
Me?! Is it my fault?!
After the ambush at the warehouse, I met with the director.
It seems the footage shot at that time can be processed and used, so they will use it as is.
The true identity of that monster was a former human, but once it turned into a monster, it is already a monster.
In this world where the existence of dungeons has become part of daily life, it is a common occurrence for adventurers to suddenly turn into Ghouls.
I feel like something in our morality has broken down, but since the world has become like this, there is nothing to be done about it.
Besides, only us know the origin of that guy.
After parting ways with the director, a giant bird landed right in front of me and Sana.
People walking around the Special District, seeing an unknown creature suddenly land, all pulled out their smartphones and started filming at once.
The scene looked just like some kind of ritual.
This thing right before everyone's eyes, which everyone is filming, doesn't look like a living creature, but is it a vehicle or magic?
While on guard against the unknown creature, a middle-aged man who seemed to be my age landed.
Short black hair, denim pants, and a white shirt.
He was dressed very normally.
Besides him, there was a thug-like man with patterned shirts, messy hair in flashy colors, and a girl in a sailor uniform.
Unlike Sana, a fake high school girl, she seemed to be the real deal.
She was quite well-dressed, giving off the vibe of a young lady from a good family.
It was quite a bizarre combination.
Young men and women had descended from the bird, but they didn't look like adventurers.
"Shazam, return."
When the man spoke, the black, giant bird disappeared as if sucked into somewhere.
Shazam? Is Shazam magic?
If this is magic, we could use it to clear Floor 7.
We would just need to fly up to the entrance on the ceiling.
"Ooooh!" "Eeeeh~?!" "It disappeared?!"
Surprised voices rose from the surrounding onlookers.
"It disappeared?!"
Sana reacted to my words.
"Huh? The black bird was sucked into that black hole that person made..."
"What?! A hole? I can't see anything like that?!"
"It's right there?"
She pointed, but I couldn't see anything like that with my eyes.
Sana wouldn't lie, but...
This time, the man reacted to Sana's words.
"Huh? Young lady, can you see that black hole?"
The man came over to us.
"Y-yes..."
Judging by the man's tone, it seems the hole really is right in front of our eyes.
"Heh~"
The man grinned and approached Sana, so I stepped in between them.
"Stop it!"
"What――"
The man seemed to be trying to do something, but a clear anomaly enveloped the scene.
『Do』 『Not』
"What?!"
I don't know where it came from, but I felt like I heard that voice.
No, strictly speaking, it wasn't "heard"; it was a sensation that resonated directly deep inside my head.
It was as if it wasn't words, but pure energy flowing into my brain, and the moment it gained meaning, it was recognized as a "voice"――such a strange sensation.
It was clearly not sound.
There was no vibration shaking the eardrums, nor did it arrive transmitted through the air.
Was it a fleeting moment, or did it flow in over a long period of time?
The sense of time itself became ambiguous, yet something definitely entered.
"Huh?!"
The man was also looking around, turning his head left and right――which meant he must have heard something too.
"Stop it!"
"Tch! It can't be helped, I was stopped by God. Sorry, young lady."
God?
"..."
She was standing stiffly behind me.
Sana is a high-level adventurer, someone with the spirit to face huge monsters, yet...
My intuition was also screaming warning bells, "This guy in front of my eyes is dangerous."
"So, God? What about this girl?"
The man muttered to himself.
From an outsider's perspective, he was just a dangerous middle-aged man, but...
『Se』 『i』 『jo』
It was a voice again.
I definitely heard it.
"Seijo? Saintess? Eh? Seriously? Well, if there's a Saintess among the enemies, it wouldn't be strange for Izal to have a Saintess either... but I've never met one before."
The owner of the voice I heard from somewhere and this man knew that Sana was a Saintess.
The man called him God, but does such an existence really exist?
"..."
Sana was on guard against the man.
I would be on guard against such a dangerous guy too.
"Haha, sorry, sorry! God told me not to lay a hand on you, so I won't do anything! Besides, if you're one of my believers, you're my comrade."
"Believer? This girl shouldn't have joined any religion?"
"That's not true, is it? Young lady?"
"..."
"Did you make a wish to God like 'Please save me!' or 'I want power!'?"
"Y-yes, I did."
"Sana."
Had she been troubled by that alone?
"Our God is kind to believers."
"Doesn't God treat everyone equally?"
"Basically, yes. A little bit for the rich, a little bit for the poor, everyone gets a little bit equally."
"What about believers of other gods?"
"Since they are under the protection of other gods, they probably don't get the little bit."
"Is that how it is?"
"Well, even Gods want to spoil their own good children, haha!――Shazam!"
When the man shouted, a black, giant hand appeared and lifted the man up.
"Ooh! Magic?!"
"Listen well, everyone here! Does anyone want power that doesn't rely on dungeons?! We won't save you like some other religion, but we can give you power! Pray to my God! The God's name is, 『Izal』!!"
The black, giant palm stood motionless, eerily like a rock protruding from the earth.
It seemed capable of changing its shape freely, but for now, it didn't move an inch.
It stretched from the ground as if supporting the sky, fulfilling its function as a stage for the man.
If something this huge suddenly appeared, it would naturally attract attention.
Underneath the palm, countless citizens gathered, murmuring as they looked up at him.
Their gazes were mixed with surprise and awe.
His words were sharp; were they words of warning or prophecies of salvation――everyone held their breath and listened to the man's words.
On top of the black palm, the man continued to speak.
His appearance was truly like a messenger of God, but...
Even so, Izal?
Is that the name of this God?
It seems that becoming a believer grants some kind of ability, and black patterns appear on the body.
The black pattern on Sana's back seems to match that description.
"So, Sana's power that doesn't originate from the dungeon is power given by that God?"
"I-I suppose so..."
As I was talking with Sana, the black palm and the man descended.
"Phew, today's work is done."
"Is your job preaching, or recruitment?"
"Well, yeah. I'm an Apostle――called a Saint by the believers. I need to increase the number of believers in this world too."
Saint――the man seemed like the furthest thing from such a word, but...
"Saint?"
"That's right. I kill thousands of people and even killed my own parents, so I wonder myself what makes me a Saint, haha!"
"Is that so?"
"To God, humans don't matter at all. There are countless creatures under your shoes right now, being crushed even as we speak. Whether the microbes are happy or sad has nothing to do with human life."
I looked down at my feet.
"Indeed..."
"To God――in other words, humans are such an existence."
"But you still want believers?"
"Yes."
"What happens if you increase them?"
"Don't you know? God's power increases."
"Is that how it is?"
"That's how it is... haha!"
It seems quite different from the God we imagine.
"I feel like he doesn't seem like a God..."
"That's right――it might be closer to think of him not as something noble and lofty that humans conceive, but as a creature of another dimension with immense power."
"I see..."
The man turned his attention back to Sana.
"Young lady, you must have been granted power by God too, right?"
"Y-yes."
"God judged, 'This one seems useful,' and thus granted you power. And to top it off, a Saintess!"
"Useful――what should I do...?"
"There is only one thing you must do, young lady! Use that power to save as many people as possible and direct their faith toward God."
"So, increasing believers increases God's power..."
"God seems to have chosen you as a bridgehead for this world."
I don't know if God's story is a lie or the truth, but it's certain that this man can use power not originating from the dungeon and knows about it well.
"Earlier, that black hand and flying through the air――is that magic?"
"Oh! You don't ask people things for free, do you?"
He told me about God, but does that mean it's also for evangelism?
"Payment――what do you need? Money?"
"That is necessary, but――I don't have something called a National Card."
"No card? If you reissue it..."
"No, I don't even have a household register, so that's impossible."
"Could you be a foreigner? You don't look like one..."
"I used to be Japanese――it's a long story, but I've been living in another world for a long time."
"Another world?!"
Next is another world.
How much of what this guy says is true?
Is he just a liar, or is he for real?
Despite that, his words aren't incoherent; they are logical.
"And then, I thought I was sent back to Japan, but everything is completely different from when I was here, and there's this thing called a National Card, and I can't even pay without a terminal."
"Oh, I see, that's how it is."
"That's how it is."
The man made a face as if he was fed up.
If what he says is true, it means he has been used by an existence called God.
"So, you want a guarantee of food, clothing, and shelter?"
"Oh!? You're quick. If you guarantee that, I'll provide various information?"
Looking at them, three people: a man and a woman.
Taking care of their living needs shouldn't be a problem.
After all, I currently have more money than I can use.
There's no point in leaving it in the account as is.
I just need enough money left to not be troubled in my old age.
If the information about the other world is true, I might get hints for new magic and items.
At the very least, if he has that black, transforming magic, I can fly.
If I can fly, clearing Floor 7 of the dungeon will be easy.
"Alright. I live over there."
I pointed to the hotel where I was staying.
"Eh?! Brother! That hotel is a luxury hotel!"
"I'll pay for all the accommodation there."
"Does that mean for the three of us?"
"Yes, there should still be a special room available, so it should be quite comfortable."
"Is it okay to be so generous?"
"I may look like a normal middle-aged man, but I'm super rich, even though I look like this? She is too."
I pointed at Sana.
"Heh~! In that case, we'll treat ourselves! Haha! Since coming back to this world, I had nothing to rely on, so I was struggling hard."
"Then it's decided."
"Wait, before that."
Suddenly, something black extended from the man into the crowd of onlookers.
"Uwaaaah!" "Hiiiii!"
Two men were lifted up, wrapped in the black substance.
They seemed to be foreigners.
"Hey! You think I won't understand if you speak in a foreign language and curse?! I heard everything, you idiot!!"
The black substance snapped like a whip, throwing the two foreigners away.
"Gwaa!" "Agyaa!"
The men rolled around on the ground.
"Haha! Don't underestimate me!"
It seems a cat saying that line was popular in my father's generation.
"Do you speak foreign languages?"
"No, this is also a power given by God. It's called the Blessing of Languages."
According to the man, he can understand any language.
"English and French too? Even super obscure languages?"
"Yes, I can even talk to Beastmen and Elves."
The moment his words reached my ears, my heart jumped up like a grassland that had survived a long winter, receiving a warm breeze.
It was just like the sensation I felt when I heard stories of adventure I longed for as a child.
I couldn't verify the truth of the words yet, but that didn't matter at all.
The only thing that mattered was that the sound awakened the innocent joy of a boy sleeping within me.
"Elves?! Beastmen?!"
"Yes, Beastmen are cute. Good fur, fluffy."
"Are Elves beautiful, as expected?"
"Both men and women are beautiful. But they are super exclusive."
I've seen settings like that in fantasy, so is it really like that?
From his demeanor, it doesn't seem like a very good impression.
Personally, I think the monsters that pop up in the dungeon are sent from somewhere else.
It takes too much effort to create and send those monsters one by one.
If what this man says is true, another world exists.
Soon, races like Elves and Beastmen might be sent over.
No――even believing in another world makes me wonder if I'm okay...
If dungeons exist where we can level up, and monsters spawn and can be defeated with magic, then another world must exist too, right?
"Being granted power includes things like being able to translate?"
"Well, yes."
It seems ordinary humans have weak faith, so they don't receive much blessing.
That's why Sana, who received the ability of "Saintess," must have prayed with such seriousness.
Anyway――the matter was settled.
As we started walking toward the hotel together, we heard their backstory along the way.
"Are those two acquaintances?"
"This thug tried to mug me, so I beat him up and now he uses his wallet for me. The girl seems to be running away from home, but she's just following me."
"Fuhihi, sorry!"
The thug was bowing repeatedly.
Since he can't buy anything without a National Card, he seems to be using the thug's card to shop.
"In that case, if I pay for everything, that man becomes useless, right?"
"Yeah, that's right! Alright, you can go home."
"That's not it, brother! I can't go back to that town anymore!"
"None of my business."
I don't know what happened, but it seems like a very cold relationship.
"What exactly did you do?"
"I beat up the local yakuza and took their money, haha!"
"If you get caught, it will definitely be bad!"
"The leader of the yakuza was killed by a monster, wasn't he?"
"Indeed, he did look like that..."
"Do monsters spawn in the city?"
"Yes, yes――monsters appear outside the dungeon too. It's become a very dangerous world."
While talking, we arrived at the hotel.
"This is the hotel."
"Heh~ you live in a nice place, don't you?"
He looked up at the hotel and let out a sigh of admiration.
"This girl is also staying in the room next to ours."
"The young lady too! You're quite something."
"By the way, we haven't introduced ourselves yet."
"I'm Tetsuo. I forgot my surname, haha."
"I'm Daisuke. She's Sana."
"Nice to meet you."
"Y-yes."
Sana still seems a bit on guard.
Upon entering the hotel, we consulted at the front desk.
There are rooms available in the special suite, so there's no problem.
While talking at the front desk, the floor manager came running over.
Well, we are regular customers.
Besides, I'm the one paying this time.
"Tetsuo, a moment."
"What?"
"I heard from the front desk that only twin rooms are available."
"It doesn't matter, it doesn't matter! It's free, right? Haha, just put him on the floor."
"Rude!"
The thug was grumbling, but he seems to be at the bottom of the hierarchy in this group.
Well, I can't put a girl on the floor anyway.
The usual employee sister showed us to the room.
It's on the same floor as our room.
"This is our room, and the one next door is Sana's room."
Sana bowed slightly and returned to her room.
"Here you are."
When the woman opened the door, a spacious room appeared.
The center part was lowered, and a sofa was placed there, just like our room.
The bedroom was private, divided into two rooms.
"Oooooh, this is an amazing room, isn't it?"
"Well, it is a special suite."
"It was supposed to be a twin room, but the bedrooms are separate? Then you can sleep on the sofa."
"Well, it's better than the floor..."
"Don't complain about staying in such a nice room for free. Besides, Daisuke is paying for everything, so I told you to go home."
"Brother, that's not it~"
"Room service is all on my tab too."
"Heh heh~, that's welcome. By the way, I'm hungry."
He was holding his stomach.
"If curry is fine, I'll treat you at our place..."
"Curry... sounds good."
"I have some questions I want to ask too."
"Oh, right. Ask me anything, haha!"
It seems the flashy-haired man wants to eat hotel room service rather than curry.
"Girls can order room service too, you know?"
"I'm Aoi. I'll have curry too."
"I see. Aoi-chan. Nice to meet you."
"Likewise, please take care of me."
She bowed politely.
She really seems like a young lady from a good family.
Returning to my room with Tetsuo and the others.
"I'm back~. Sorry, but we have guests."
The Princess was lying on the sofa, watching something on a tablet.
"Oh, sorry for this attire."
The Princess jumped off the sofa.
"Daisuke-san, you should at least contact me."
"Sorry, something surprising happened."
"Hey hey! Are you with such beautiful women? That girl earlier didn't seem to mind..."
Tetsuo was surprised looking at the Princess and the others.
He probably didn't expect him to be staying at a hotel and surrounded by beautiful women.
Though he isn't really surrounding them.
"Girls...?"
The Princess's gaze pierced straight at me.
"It's Sana, Sana."
"Why are you together?"
"I met her by chance outside. I also met Iroha and talked with the director."
"Mou... I should have gone out with her after all..."
"You don't need to worry that much――by the way, Princess!"
"What?"
"We might get hints for clearing Floor 7 from him."
"What?!"
The Princess also got excited by my words.
"Daisuke, introduce these beauties to me."
"Oh, right――sorry. They are from my guild, and I'm staying with them."
"――so, they are the adventurers who dive into the dungeon?"
"Yes. They are the Cherry Princess, the top-ranked adventurer, and the Empress."
"Nice to meet you." "Please take care of us."
"Heh~"
Tetsuo seemed completely uninterested, but the girl named Aoi got excited.
"Eh?! Are they the Cherry Princess and the Empress?!"
"That's right."
The Princess put her hands on her hips.
"Amazing!"
The girl knew the rankers.
Well, in this era, it's the number one career children and young people want to have.
"Is it amazing?"
"It is amazing!"
It seems Tetsuo is still uninterested.
Let's put the talk aside and prepare the meal.
I took out the stocked curry from my Item Box.
"Kaorulko, sorry, but prepare the dishes."
"Yes."
"Oh?! A Magic Bag?"
Tetsuo mentioned a word that caught his interest.
"Magic Bag? No, mine is an Item Box."
"Eh?! An Item Box?! Amazing! There really is someone who has one!"
Aoi looked extremely interested.
"What, if it's about storing things, I can do it too――Shazam, bring out my bag."
Before his eyes, something black and writhing slowly stretched out.
"What?!" "Monster?!"
The Princess and Kaorulko stood up in surprise and assumed a stance with their hands.
It swayed like a shadow with a will of its own, moved flexibly like tentacles, and in the next moment――it opened up like a flower.
Dropping from it was a colorful bag with embroidery.
"That's right, that's what I wanted to hear."
"That? This bag?"
"No, that black tentacle."
"Oh, Shazam."
Shazam?
It's like a living creature, but what exactly is its true identity?