Kays Translations

Chapter 3

The world suddenly turned into grayscale!

Panicking in the state where everything is frozen, I realize that there's a voice coming from somewhere.

"...You! ...Give it back!"

It was so sudden that I missed what was said.

"You can hear me, right?! You... give back the ring!"

I don't know where the voice is coming from.

It sounds like someone angrily shouting through a megaphone, calling for surrender.

"Oh... what?"

Responding with a bit of irritation due to the mix of anxiety and fear.

"What did you do with my ring? You're wearing it! The fact that you can move in this frozen time is proof enough! Why are you even here? How did you come? That's beyond you. Besides, why is the ring on Earth—"

The information is coming so fast that I can't quite grasp it.

I try to see if I can spot the speaker somewhere, but there's no sign of anyone.

Tentatively, I ask 

"Um... can you hear me?"

The voice responds

"I can hear you. What about the ring!"

".... What about it?"

"It's my ring. I noticed it slipped off my pinkie. I've been looking for it, and I suspect it fell to Earth."

The voice is saying something incomprehensible about dropping a ring on Earth.

it's already confirmed that this is another world, I try to sense the person's identity based on the atmosphere.

"Um... are you a god?"

"Nope."

"Not a god?"

"Correct."

I can't help but interject with a retort.

Continuing the conversation in a state of being soaking wet and completely naked is uncomfortably awkward, especially considering the condition of the lower half of my body.

I wish I had at least dried myself off and put on underwear before having time frozen.

The voice, initially intimidating, quickly becomes more amicable. 

I refrain from arguing with the angry person, letting them talk for a while, which often has a calming effect—it's a technique used in handling complaints.

To the best of my ability, I recall what has happened to me and explain the events that led me to this point.

"Hmm... You felt like something stuck to your head?"

"Probably..."

It's an incredible coincidence, but the conclusion is likely that the ring they dropped happened to fit on my head.

"But it disappeared right away?"

"Well... I don't know... but somehow, yes."

I was skeptical, thinking that something like that couldn't happen, but when I told him how I felt, he accepted it.

"So... where is this place exactly? It's not Earth?"

"Hmm? This is Earth."

Oh... it's not another world!?

"Huh? Well, then take me back to where I came from. I've been sleeping outdoors for two days!"

"It's not the Earth you were on. It's the original Earth."

"Huh? I don't understand anymore! What do you mean by 'original Earth'?"

The voice seems to have calmed down, and when I asked for an explanation, they began to tell the story.

First, the voice claims to be not a 'god' but a 'Creator.' When I asked if they were the same thing, they insisted they were different.

So, this Creator... there are apparently three of them.

The voice, as the third Creator, was born when the first two were already around. He is referred to as the 'third.'

Together, these three created the original Earth where I currently find myself. 

Each of them started creating and nurturing their own races.

However, after a while, the first and second Creators began to argue, claiming that "my race is superior..." or something like that. This led to conflicts between their respective races.

The third Creator brought about the creation of humans.

Despite being weaker as a race compared to the other two, humans still got entangled in the ongoing conflict.

And finally, the conflict intensified and never stopped――

Surprisingly, all three races were on the verge of extinction.

The third Creator, who had gotten involved against his will, complained to the first two, but due to his lower position, he was ignored.

Reluctantly, he began nurturing the remaining humans once again.

In reflection, the first and second Creators decided to create a less powerful race than before and started nurturing them once again.

...But again, there was a dispute, and in the end, all three races were on the brink of extinction once more.

Fed up with being dragged into this each time, the third Creator got angry and decided to part ways.

And so, he created the current Earth by copying the original Earth.

"Hmm... seriously?"

While listening to the Creator's story, my gaming brain reacted intensely, responding to it every step of the way.

It's exactly like a "civilization development strategy game with multiplayer battles!"

The first and second are rulers with a war-oriented mindset, the annoying type that seeks territorial expansion through warfare.

The third is a ruler with a domestic policy mindset, the type that dislikes conflict and enjoys slowly building a nation.

However, conflicts persist between races, and eventually, the story follows the usual pattern of descending into a nuclear war and perishing.

So, the third one became fed up with multiplayer battles, copied the settings, and decided to play solo instead... and so on.

And here's the important part— in the contemporary Earth where I was, there was no Mana, the power used in the conflicts of the original Earth.

So, according to the third one's explanation, the reason I was sent here is:

"I gained Mana because of the ring, so I was sent here."

That seems to be the case.

Of course, this kind of thing was unexpected, so it's just a hypothesis, and even the Creator doesn't seem to understand it.

"Can I, um... go back to Earth?"

"Probably, if you take off the ring."

"How do I do that?"

"If I knew that, I'd be doing it."

Seemingly, there's no guarantee that killing me would bring me back, so the suggestion is to explore ways to remove the ring. 

I received assurance that I can consult anytime if something comes up and gained permission to borrow the Creator's wisdom.

"Come to think of it, what is this ring for?"

There was a short pause. It seemed like it was hesitant about whether to continue speaking.

"It's an item that allows you to understand the words of others. I got it from the first one, so if I lose it, there are... various problems."

At this, I couldn't help but chuckle— it's something that would undoubtedly make the first one very angry.

You can't afford to lose something given by your senior.

So, perhaps it wants a definite plan to recover it.

"But you separated from the first and second ones, right? How are they now? Are they there?"

"No... I can't see the first and second ones. It seems like it's been a while. Well... I don't want to meet them, so it's just right."

There's a sense of weakness in his words, like that of a younger brother who can't surpass his older siblings.

It seems better not to ask any further.

I was bothered by the statement that he is not a god, so I decided to ask.

"Oh, speaking of which, do you know about gods like the god of wind or the god of stones? They seem to be gods here..."

"Don't know."

Blunt.

"What about figures like Jesus Christ, Buddha, or Amaterasu, the sun goddess? They are gods from the Earth you created..."

"Not here."

Let's pretend I didn't ask. It seems like it could lead to a religious war on Earth.

Anyway, I left a request for him to find a way to remove the ring, and then the time that had stopped started moving again.

Well, well... so humanity was created by the Creator.

I recalled reading an article that said 40% of Americans believe that God created humanity.

I used to think they were a bunch of fools, but maybe they were right...

　◆ ◆ ◆

After the Creator event was over, I quickly hit the road and couldn't help but celebrate finding a map.

As I walked for a while, I saw three people on horses approaching from the distance.

At this point, it occurred to me that "encountering people doesn't necessarily mean they are good," but it was too late.

After all, the other party was on horseback.

"Oh... by the way, can they understand Japanese?"

A question crossed my mind, but I quickly remembered that the language of the magic book was Japanese, so I decided it should be fine.

As they got closer, I noticed that the three of them were dressed like medieval guards.

Realizing they were a combat group, my heart started pounding with fear.

As we passed each other, I nervously nodded, and to my relief, they went by without saying anything.

After walking for about two hours with a break in between, I could see something that looked like city walls in the distance.

My excitement surged. However, when I checked the time, it was already around 4:00 PM.

Considering the remaining distance seemed to be a few kilometers, I quickened my pace towards the city.

I arrived at the city gate. It looked exactly like a medieval city wall.

I've never seen a real one, but it resembled those often seen in games and manga.

There was no moat, just a gate with open doors, and guard towers on both sides that were several meters higher than the wall.

Two guards stood on each side of the gate, and there were two more towards the back.

Inside the gate, there was a small window-like opening that seemed to serve as a reception.

Unluckily, there was no foot traffic for reference, so I hesitated about what to do.

Since standing still for too long might arouse suspicion, I gathered my courage and approached the gate. I went to the central window-like opening and spoke up.

"Excuse me. Is it okay to enter this city as it is?"

"Hmm? A traveler?"

The guard inside stared at me.

I felt relieved that there was no pressure in his response.

Moreover, he understood Japanese, but his appearance definitely didn't seem Japanese.

"Well, that should be fine. Oh, by the way, I was thinking of selling some herbs I gathered in the forest..."

"I see."

There were no requests for identification or tolls, but if I resembled someone on a wanted poster or seemed suspicious, I might be taken to a separate room for examination.

"Um..."

"Hmm?"

"Is there a Tiara Adventurer Guild in this city?"

"There is. Oh, you came to sell herbs, right?"

"Yeah, well..."

Selling herbs at the adventurer's guild, huh. I felt relieved to learn that by chance.

"Go straight down this street for about ten minutes, and there's a square. It's at the back."

"Thanks."

"............"

After a moment's thought, I decided it might be something the guards should know, so I decided to tell them about the dead bodies I encountered.

"Um, you see... I got lost in the forest, and, well, at that time, I found what seemed to be the bodies of adventurers. I was wondering if I should report it to the guild, so I thought I'd ask..."

The friendly expression on the guard's face, who had been talking to me, turned serious at the sudden report of discovering corpses. 

The four guards at the city gate also turned their attention towards us.

"Where?"

"In the middle of the forest."

"Which part?"

"I don't know. I found it while I was lost in the woods..."

The guard seemed to be discussing something with someone inside.

Then, the side iron door opened, and a middle-aged guard with a shaved head appeared.

"Can I talk to you for a moment?"

I was told to follow him.

Turning right after entering the east gate, we arrived at the guard's waiting area, and I was ushered into a corner of the interrogation room.

It was a small, windowless room—I regretted whether I had heard correctly. But it was too late.

As the bald guard stood next to me, he towered over me by at least a head.

He seemed to be around 190 centimeters tall... and being a guard, his muscles were incredibly developed.

"I'm Guttmill, leader of the third squad of the Franta Defense Force. And you?"

"I'm Mizuki Mitarai."

"Mitarai Mizuki..."

"Oh, Mitarai is the surname, and Mizuki is the first name."

"Myouji..."

He didn't seem to understand, so I thought about it a little and changed the wording.

"Hmm, do you understand the concept of a family name?"

"Oh, a family name. Does that mean you're a noble? It doesn't seem like it, though..."

"I'm just an ordinary citizen. In my country, everyone has a family name."

"Which country is that?"

"Japan."

"Japan..."

A feigned ignorance. Well, that's natural; it doesn't exist in this world.

"So, where did you find the corpse?"

"Well, it was when I was lost in the forest..."

I take out the map and the request letter they had from my bag and show them.

"Is that what they had in their belongings?"

They look suspicious, so I quickly explain. It would be troublesome if they thought I was the one who killed them.

"Yeah, that's right. I was lost too and happened to come across the place where they had died... Their belongings were the only things left, so I took what I could. I didn't have any food, and luckily, there was a map, so it really saved me..."

I spoke quickly, feeling anxious that my hurried explanation might make me seem even more suspicious.

The captain observed me for a while, then with a casual "Hmm," he looked at the map.

"Oh, these are their dog tags" 

He said as he handed them over, giving a brief glance before returning them to me.

As he examined the request form, he rubbed his head while wearing a somewhat annoyed expression.

"A delivery request to Rocknam, huh?"

It's strange how he doesn't seem very interested. 

For a captain of the guards, he appears oddly unenthusiastic. Perhaps that's the way things are in this country.

"Um... you don't seem too concerned about this, but..."

"Hmm? We don't usually get involved just because some adventurer died in the forest."

He explained, taking into consideration that we were people from another country.

They maintain public order in the city and within the territory, and their responsibility ends at the city outskirts. Even if someone dies in the forest, it's considered beyond their jurisdiction.

Moreover, adventurers dying is a common occurrence, so such reports are nothing out of the ordinary.

"There's no denying the suspicion that you might have killed him, but it's unlikely that anyone would be foolish enough to report it. If it's true, take the detailed story to the guild."

The captain said his thanks and stood up from his seat.

It seems I didn't appear to be a criminal type.

While thinking that the inspection was surprisingly lax, I decided it was best not to say anything unnecessary and quickly leave, grateful that things had turned out well.

I heaved a sigh of relief.

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