Kays Translations
Just another Isekai Lover~
Chapter 185: “The First Demon Lord Territory ‘Pseudo-Smartphone’ Countermeasure Meeting”
—Thor’s point of view—
The countermeasures against the “Pseudo-Smartphone” are steadily progressing.
A restricted area has already been established outside the Demon Lord’s Castle, and personnel have been gathered for the purpose of dealing with the “Pseudo-Smartphone.”
Dozens of people have assembled in the grasslands outside the castle.
Everyone wears a tense expression.
After all, the opponent is a magical item from the Hero World.
Under the orders of Demon Lord Rukie, a strict security system has been put in place.
At the center of the countermeasure area stands a large tent.
That is the command center.
Inside, a “temporary warehouse” has been set up to contain the “Pseudo-Smartphone.”
Agnis, Kelve-san, and I are waiting here for the “Pseudo-Smartphone” to activate.
Outside of that, there is a stone wall built by the Minotaurs.
It’s meant to prevent any effects from leaking out in case the smartphone goes out of control and the “temporary warehouse” fails to contain it.
Further out, the elven magic corps has formed a perimeter.
In case of emergency, they will deploy a full-scale magical barrier to stop the effects of the “Pseudo-Smartphone.”
In addition, the minotaur soldiers are on standby.
Even from the castle walls, the tent containing the “Pseudo-Smartphone” is under constant watch.
It’s a defense posture demonstrating the full strength of the Demon Lord’s domain.
“—The enemy is the ‘Pseudo-Smartphone’ from the Hero World. So we must be vigilant.”
“—Protecting the people from the threat of the ‘Pseudo-Smartphone’ is our duty as elves!”
“—The Minotaur Unit will also do their best.”
“—Even ‘Traffic Cones’ and ‘Jump-Out Kids’ are helping. There’s nothing to fear!”
“OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOH!!”
The minotaurs and elves are brimming with determination.
Of course, “Traffic Cones” and “Jump-out Kids” have been placed around the central tent. They’ll immobilize any magical beasts that might emerge from the Pseudo-Smartphone.
With this, I believe we’ve taken every countermeasure we can think of for now.
And so, Agnis, Kelve-san, and I—our analysis team—also began our operations—
First, we decided to hold a meeting to determine our course of action going forward.
“Let’s begin the meeting, shall we? Thor-sama, Agnis-sama.”
This is the tent set up in the countermeasure area.
Agnis, Kelve-san, and I were holding the first “Pseudo-Smartphone” Countermeasure Conference.
“There are two and a half days left until the ‘Pseudo-Smartphone’ activates. We don’t have much time. First, we should try to predict what kind of phenomenon it might trigger.”
Saying this, Kelve-san looked toward me.
“You’ve made a few predictions yourself, Thor-sama?”
“Yes. I’ve come up with four scenarios, ranging from safe to dangerous.”
“Please share them.”
“Understood. Agnis?”
“Y-Yes.”
Agnis unrolled the parchment I had entrusted to her.
Bullet-pointed sentences were written on it.
“The first prediction… is that the ‘Pseudo-Smartphone’ may display a ‘message from another world.’ This is the safest possibility.”
I began to explain.
“Through summoning magic, ‘Hard Creatures’ came to this world. I believe the Hero World used this to reconfirm that the two worlds are connected. That’s likely why they sent the ‘Pseudo-Smartphone.’ Which means—”
“They may be trying to make contact from their side?”
“Exactly.”
“But what about the language barrier?”
“The Empire has had frequent encounters with Heroes, and some people have learned their language. I think we can manage some translation.”
“That makes sense. And the Heroes probably know that.”
“They might have sent the ‘Pseudo-Smartphone’ to the Empire.”
“And the coordinates misaligned and it ended up in the Demon Lord’s territory… is that it?”
“Summoning or dispatch magic is unstable. That’s certainly possible.”
If the Heroes simply wish to make contact, there’s no major issue.
We can just discuss how to handle it.
Then we can take our time to disassemble and analyze the “Pseudo-Smartphone” however we like.
“The second prediction is that the Hero World might include other information along with the message.”
“Your parchment says ‘a message embedded with a trap.’ What does that mean?”
“I tried to imagine something specific. Please take a look at this.”
I handed another parchment to Kelve-san.
He examined it and said,
“…It contains a magic circle, a spell, and an explanation. ‘We will teach you Hero World magic. Use this and become the strongest mage instantly! One year’s worth of training effects in just 10 minutes,’ is it?”
“I modeled the wording after ‘mail-order catalogs.’”
“Well, it’s a prediction, so this is fine.”
Kelve-san nodded with a serious expression.
“You believe that the Hero World might send magical knowledge?”
“Yes. Everyone would leap at the chance for magic from the Hero World. Especially people from the Empire.”
“That I understand.”
“If it were information about otherworldly items, I’d jump at it myself.”
“Please restrain yourself.”
Kelve-san cleared his throat.
“But… where’s the trap in this?”
“Well, what if they claimed ‘this spell will make you stronger,’ but it’s actually a summoning spell to bring ‘Hard Creatures’ from the Hero World?”
“…Huh?”
“As I mentioned, if the magic comes from the Heroes, the Empire will jump at it, right?”
“Y-Yes. Anyone from the Empire would cast it without hesitation.”
“If that happens, then the people from the Hero World could send ‘Hard Creatures’ into this world.”
“Ah…”
“Ah…”
Seeing Kelve-san and Agnis surprised, I continued.
“Ordinary people in the Hero World are having trouble handling ‘Hard Creatures.’ So I think they might be considering banishing them to another world. Though, this only applies to regular folks.”
Previously, we discovered a certain box from the Hero World—a “fireproof safe.”
Inside it was a document stating that “countermeasures against Hard Creatures are being implemented in the Hero World.”
Apparently, there are those with immense power in the Hero World, and those without.
The Heroes are probably happy to fight “Hard Creatures,” but those who aren’t Heroes seem to be troubled by how to deal with them.
So maybe, as a countermeasure, they’re thinking of banishing “Hard Creatures” to this world.
The people of the Empire all seek “strength.”
If they’re told that they can become stronger using magic from the Hero World, anyone would jump at the opportunity.
If they truly became stronger, their status in the Empire would rise. It’s hard to resist that temptation.
If the information about the magic that summons “Hard Creatures” is spread using large quantities of “Pseudo-Smartphones”… there will be people who use the magic without thinking. And when that happens, the Hard Creatures will come here, reducing the number of them in the Hero World.
Of course, I might be overthinking it.
But still, I thought… that kind of thing might be possible.
“However, that’s unnatural, Thor-sama.”
Kelv-san shook his head.
“If they wanted to send Hard Creatures, wouldn’t it be easier to use dispatch magic from the Hero World? After all, they’ve already managed to send those ‘Pseudo-Smartphones.'”
“I’ve considered that too.”
I’ve been thinking about it ever since I found the Pseudo-Smartphones.
Those Pseudo-Smartphones were likely sent using dispatch magic.
But if dispatch magic is usable, then why haven’t the heroes returned to this world?
I thought the heroes had been satisfied after defeating the Demon Lord’s army.
But the Hero World summoned Hard Creatures.
That means the heroes still crave battle.
However, there are no records of the heroes returning to this world.
In other words—
“Maybe only small things can be sent from the Hero World to this one.”
I said it aloud.
“I believe it’s due to compatibility between worlds.”
“Compatibility?”
“The gate from this world to the Hero World can be opened. But from the Hero World to this world, only a narrow gate can be opened. From the Hero World, they can freely open gates to the world of Hard Creatures. But from this world, we can’t open gates to the Hard Creatures’ world. That’s the hypothesis I’ve come up with.”
“…That might be possible.”
Kelv-san pressed his forehead, lost in thought.
“Summoning and dispatch magic are unstable. So the Hero World might be trying to make this world open the gates instead… is that your thinking?”
“It’s just a hypothesis.”
“Their goal… would be to protect the Hero World?”
“That’s Hypothesis #1.”
“And Hypothesis #2?”
“Maybe they’re saying to the people of the Empire who admire heroes: ‘Hey, look! We’ve found some incredibly strong beasts! Let’s fight them together and grow stronger!'”
““Totally possible!!””
“Right?”
Kelve-san, Agnis, and I nodded in agreement.
Because the Empire really has summoned Hard Creatures into this world.
It wouldn’t be strange for people from the Hero World to think, “Oh, the people of that world also desire combat!” They might even kindly try to teach a better summoning method.
The heroes are a battle-loving race, and the people of this world admire those heroes.
“And so, the third prediction is: the Pseudo-Smartphones automatically summon Hard Creatures without asking.”
“…What?”
“This is what’s called ‘Delayed Magic.’ Suppose the heroes embedded summoning spells inside the Pseudo-Smartphones, set to activate about ten days later. Then they use dispatch magic to send them into this world.”
“Delayed magic, huh…”
“Well, they are heroes, after all. It can’t be helped.”
“Yes, it can’t be helped because they’re heroes.”
“…I-I see. So, Thor-sama, what’s your fourth prediction…?”
Kelve-san peeked at the parchment.
Reading my final hypothesis, his eyes widened.
“…Um, Thor-sama?”
“I’m sorry. I couldn’t make a concrete prediction.”
“‘Explosion’? ‘Something incredible might happen’… is that it?”
Yeah. It’s the Hero World we’re talking about.
There’s a good chance they’ll easily surpass anything I can imagine.
That’s why I wrote down the possibility of something completely unexpected happening.
For now, that’s the best I can do—
“…Thor Canaan-sama and Chancellor-sama… you’re both incredible.”
Just as I was thinking that, Agnis muttered softly.
She looked at both me and Kelve-san, eyes sparkling.
“When the two of you talk, things I didn’t understand before become clearer one after another. The Chancellor raises questions, and Thor Canaan-sama answers them—then it becomes very clear what the issues are and how they might be resolved.”
“Is that so?”
“Huh…? U-uh, is that… really?”
“Maybe the two of you are actually an excellent team…”
That might be true.
Kelve-san keeps asking questions about my ideas.
By searching for answers to those questions, I’m able to find new solutions.
Perhaps Kelve-san is the kind of person who helps others grow like that.
As expected of the Chancellor of the Demon Lord’s domain. I’m glad we got him on the team.
“So then… Thor Canaan-sama. What’s the countermeasure?”
Agnis said this while looking at the parchment.
“We just need to be careful about the first and second ones. But if a ‘Hard Creature’ comes directly…”
“For now, I’m thinking of surrounding the ‘Pseudo-smartphone’ with ‘traffic cones’.”
“I see! That way, the ‘Hard Creature’ will also move more slowly!”
“Then during that opening, we can drop a ‘Fake Meteor’ onto the ‘temporary storage’ where the ‘Pseudo-smartphone’ is being kept.”
“The ‘Hard Creature’ will be smashed to pieces along with the ‘temporary storage’.”
“Even if it happens to get outside, the ‘Fake Meteor’ will still hit. No problem.”
“It’s reassuring.”
Agnis and I clasp each other’s hands.
However, it’s entirely possible that the Hero World will exceed my expectations.
In that case, we’ll need a backup plan as well.
I was thinking of consulting Kelve-san about that too, but…
“Chancellor, may I ask for your thoughts on my plan?”
“…I don’t see any problem with it.”
Huh?
For some reason, Kelve-san has a vacant look in his eyes.
He’s leaning tiredly against a tent pole—why is that?
He looks like he’s trying desperately to steady his breathing…?
“Thor-sama”
“Yes, Chancellor?”
“I now fully understand the saying, ‘Fight poison with poison.’ I shall ensure this incident is recorded as part of my duties as chancellor.”
“Yes, Chancellor.”
“However… the idea that you and I make a good team… that’s just too much pressure… so I would appreciate it if you didn’t think that way…”
“Um, Chancellor?”
“Yes?”
“Why are your eyes darting around?”
“It’s just your imagination.”
“Isn’t the tent pole leaning a bit?”
“It’s an illusion.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes. More importantly, Thor-sama, do you have any other thoughts?”
“Yes. I’m wondering what we should do if the ‘Pseudo-smartphone’ behaves in an unexpected way.”
“…That would be difficult.”
Kelve-san said that while holding his forehead.
“If it breaks through the ‘traffic cones’, ‘temporary storage’, and ‘Fake Meteor’… then we’ll just have to rely on numbers. That’s why we’ve surrounded the tent with stone walls and stationed soldiers and magic troops in formation.”
“Exactly. So Agnis and the others will have to give it their all…”
“In that case, I have a proposal.”
I spread open a ‘mail-order catalog’ on the table.
“I got the idea from your words, Chancellor, about ‘fighting poison with poison.’”
“Could you please stop using my words as inspiration?”
“That aside, how about using the ‘smartphone countermeasure goods’ from the mail-order catalog? In a sense, ‘fight hero with hero’.”
The ‘mail-order catalog’ doesn’t list smartphones themselves.
But ‘smartphone countermeasure goods’ do exist.
“Smartphone countermeasure goods, you say!?”
“There are countermeasures for that magical device!?”
“Exactly because it’s the most powerful magical tool, countermeasure items exist.”
The Hero World always prepared countermeasures against powerful weapons and magic.
Against the ultimate magic, Ultimate Vivid Light, there’s the UV-Cut Parasol.
Against the overwhelming power of the hero, there’s the Chain Lock that binds them to the earth.
And for heroes that can’t even be stopped by that, there are traffic cones and jump-out kids.
There are magic items specifically to restrain heroes.
Precisely because it’s a world of overwhelming power, deterrents are necessary.
So of course, items to reduce the power of magical tools like the ‘smartphone’ also exist.
That’s what the ‘smartphone countermeasure goods’ are.
“It says here, ‘Using a smartphone generates electromagnetic waves. These need to be suppressed.’”
“Electromagnetic waves?”
“Lightning—in other words, something like wind-based magical power?”
“Since they’re called waves, there could be a connection to water-based magical power too.”
In any case, it’s still magic.
Previously, I used the ‘mail-order catalog’ as a reference to create a ‘magical power detector’.
That was based on a ‘radio wave detector’.
In the end, radio waves were the same kind of thing as magical power.
Which means electromagnetic waves might be something similar too.
If electromagnetic waves are emitted when a ‘smartphone’ is active… then it’s reacting like magic.
Before magic is cast, magical power overflows around the caster.
If you disrupt or erase that power, the flow of magic gets disturbed.
As a result, the spell fails.
If this works the same way—then by doing something about the electromagnetic waves, we should be able to interfere with the ‘Pseudo-smartphone’s’ function.
“So, I looked into electromagnetic waves, and here are some sheets and gloves for electromagnetic wave protection. Also, there’s something called ‘grounding’, which lets magical power flow into the ground—”
‘Grounding’ is a method of letting excess magical power flow into the ground.
It’s said to be essential for high-output magic items in the Hero World.
Even the Hero World’s ‘Chain Lock’ has a feature called ‘Land Earth Lock’ that binds the hero to the ground.
Borrowing the power of the earth to suppress great power seems to be a fundamental principle in the Hero World.
If that’s the case, it should also be possible to apply this to the ‘Pseudo-smartphone’ or even magic itself.
If it works—
This could become the trump card against the ‘Pseudo-smartphone’…
Or even against dangerous magic.
That’s what I explained to Agnis and Kelve-san.