Chapter 80 – City of Pern (5)
A familiar voice is heard from somewhere.
【Jinuni, can you hear me?】
I opened my eyes, awakening my sleeping mind.
Then, the body that should have been sleeping in the inn bed was lying on the barren ground.
When I saw the land without a single blade of grass, it felt very familiar.
Ah! I remembered.
This is the place that God called me to last time.
Did you definitely say Norden?
I got up from my lying position, looked around, and found a glowing sphere floating in the air right next to me.
“Well, it’s been a while. Gaia…?”
【Yes… I also barely had enough free time to contact Jinu.】
It looks like you have a lot of free time.
This is a scene that I don’t like every time I see it.
I really don’t like the fact that they called me to save their world and then didn’t give me any help.
Of all the things I’ve experienced so far, what on earth has God helped me with?
Oh, there’s just one.
When capturing Baiha Mos, it was difficult for Ellie to catch her before her village fell, so she briefly lent her power to summon Yuria.
Oh, how I had forgotten this great grace!
This is really funny.
It’s natural to help someone who summons a hero to save the world, but should I be grateful for that?
【Um… Jinu?】
I think I was looking at him with a dissatisfied expression without realizing it.
I suppressed the anger boiling inside me for a moment and answered.
“Yes, Gaia. What brought you here?”
【I don’t know how you knew my name, but that’s not important.】
As I listen to the urgent words of this god, Gaia, I feel anxious.
Is this urgent enough to call me directly?
I definitely remember that the reason they sent me back last time was because they wanted to focus on protecting the door as they saw so many demons trying to open the dimensional door, Numeron.
The fact that Gaia, who must do her best to protect the dimensional gate, called me here in a hurry… Probably means that something more serious than that is waiting for me.
“Hah…What on earth? Did the demon invade somewhere else?”
【Yes! You understand right away!】
Hey hey! Don’t get caught up!
What kind of bullshit is this?
“No, what do you mean? Didn’t the Demon come through the dimensional door here or through the gap when I summoned the hero? You’re not saying that a dimensional door has opened to attack from somewhere else, right? Please. “Please say no!”
If that’s really true, I’ll immediately swear at Gaia and call her an idiot.
【Ah, no. It is true that they are attacking, but they have not yet appeared on the Arpe Continent. Please calm down first…】
Gaia responded in a hushed voice as she saw my enraged reaction.
The good news is that she doesn’t shamelessly put an iron plate on her face. Her humble spirit, knowing her current subjects, is quite right.
“Hehe… Then what is it?”
【Again, Demon has not yet broken through the dimension to the Arpe Continent. However, with the dimensional gate Numeron that I am currently blocking, I am now pushed to the limit.】
As I listened to Gaia, I turned my gaze towards Numeron, the dimensional gate.
It definitely feels a lot more damaged compared to the last time I saw it. There are scratches on the iron chain locking the door here and there, and there are even small holes in some places.
No, shouldn’t there be a hole? Just from a distance, it looks like a small-sized Demon could come out through that way, right?
【You may be wondering if it’s coming through that hole, but don’t worry, that’s not the case. Unless that seal is broken, it is impossible for a demon to come through that door. Instead, as you can see, the problem is that the seal is now greatly weakened…】
That would be nice, but…
【So we are going to take special measures.】
Special measures… These are very unsettling words just to hear.
This is not a general measure, but a special measure.
I’m really, really anxious right now.
【I’m sorry Jinu, but I’m thinking of opening a dimensional gap near where Jinu is for a moment and letting demons come out from there.】
…Yes?
Did I just hear wrong? Why do I suddenly hear a dog barking sound coming from that sphere?
I must have heard wrong.
It certainly should!
“… I beg your pardon?”
【Well… I’m planning to open a dimensional gap where demons appear at Jinu’s location.】
After hearing Gaia’s bullshit, I felt a headache.
What kind of nonsense is this idiot saying?
“No, you’re going to open a gap for demons to come out? What kind of bullshit is that?!”
【Please calm down.】
Does this sound like something to calm down? It is clear that this god is not really helpful at all.
“Then, I’m asking you to say something that I can understand. No, if they suddenly call me and say that they are going to open a gap for a demon to come out near me, I say, ‘Ah, I see. Then we have no choice but to work hard to stop the demon!’ Is it okay for me to answer?”
【Sorry. The only thing I can say is that I have no choice but to rely on Jinnu because I am not capable enough. However, we would appreciate it if you could understand that this is an urgent situation.】
I tried to regain my composure as I once again suppressed the anger that had just arisen in my heart.
Yes, that damn idiot absolutely! Never! I don’t want to do this, but I have no choice but to ask for help.
“Okay. So you’re going to open a dimensional rift where I am? First, let’s talk about your plan.”
【Yes, I will say it again, the seal cannot withstand all the pressure from the demons that are flocking to the dimensional gate, and we have reached an urgent situation where it may soon be released. If I had been a little more capable, I should have assisted Jinu-sama and summoned all the warriors as soon as possible to help destroy Numeron, the gate to that dimension…】
Still, you know that you don’t have the ability. I think this is the best information I heard from meeting Gaia today.
【That’s why we’re opening a dimensional gap to divert the attention of the demons currently flocking to Numeron. If they found out that they could come across a gap other than this one, more demons would definitely flock that way and the pressure on Numeron would decrease. So we can maintain the seal a little longer.】
I quietly listened to Gaia without saying anything.
【Of course, I don’t mean to keep the dimensional gap open indefinitely. Doing so would be like leaving Numeron unsealed. I plan to open only until the pressure from Numeron’s demons subsides to the point where I can withstand it…】
I continued to remain silent.
【So… To open the dimensional gap, we will use the dimensional gap that occurs when Jinu summons the hero. I remember you recently summoned a new hero. The dimensional rift should have opened back then, but I thought it would be more beneficial to keep it open for a long time rather than briefly opening it, so I suppressed it and didn’t let it happen.】
Now that I think about it, the dimensional gap that summoned Renia and the demons came out of didn’t open. I was so distracted by Void that I couldn’t even think about it.
【So, if you return Jinu back to his original place, I will give you the strength to summon the hero right away without the materials needed for summoning. With that power, you will summon a new hero, and in the aftermath, demons will pour out from the dimensional gap that opens. If the hero and Jinu work together to catch the demons, I will close the dimensional gap when I think a certain amount of pressure has disappeared.】
If you listen to Gaia’s words, you may at first seem to understand.
Rather than forcefully holding onto Numeron, a dimension gate that may be unsealed due to lack of strength, he is asking for help in maintaining the seal longer by opening a gap somewhere else.
In addition, this means that you can increase your power by adding one more hero, that is, your character, and since the dimensional gap opens when you summon a character, you can start it at any time you want.
But the most important thing is vaguely missing.
I broke the long silence and opened my mouth.
“So… How long are you planning to keep the dimensional gap open? And how many and what types of demons will come pouring out of the dimensional gap at once?”
【That is, until the demon pressure on Numeron decreases…】
This idiot is making me angry again.
“No… So you’re saying we have to wait endlessly until Gaia closes it and deal with the demons pouring out of the dimensional gap?”
I’m not trying to fool anyone, but what I’m saying is that I’m the one who opens the dimensional gap, but Gaia is the one who closes it, but doesn’t that mean she’ll do it when she’s in a bad mood?
And then, if it gets to a point where we can’t handle it, are we supposed to scavenge on the spot?
【Ah, that’s not it, Jinu! I’m not saying I’m going to keep it open until I’m screwed.】
Oh my, it seems like what I was just thinking about came out of my mouth inadvertently.
“Then how long are you planning to keep it open? You have to tell us the exact time. No, just let us close when we want to close. That’s the most certain thing.”
The idea that they will set up the work and take care of it on their own, but set the deadline as they please, is bullshit.
【…All right. Then, I will give you a device that can close the dimensional gap.】
Okay, as expected, he lacks ability, but I’m glad he’s not a god lacking in skill.
【But if you close it immediately after a short period of time, I will be in trouble.】
“Don’t worry about that. I don’t plan on closing it as soon as it opens. At least tell me how long it needs to be open. I’ll try to go past that time as much as possible.”
I’m not a gangster either. It’s annoying, but I have to do my job, right?
【First of all… I think you’ll have to endure it for about half a day.】
“Half a day… It’s quite long. And what about the number and types of demons I asked about earlier?”
【Once the dimensional gap opens, demons will not appear immediately. And the only ones that appear first will be the lesser demons. Then, as time goes by, middle and upper level demons will also come over.】
Getting to the upper level… I think it will be a difficult task.
【And when I said it was pouring, I didn’t mean hundreds of demons would come out at once. There will be 10 to 30 low-level demons at a time, the middle-level demons will be 4-5 at most, and the high-level demons will pass through the dimensional gap one at a time. The interval between the next demon appearance is not per second, so for low-level demons, it’s probably as short as 10 minutes, but for intermediate demons, it’s probably about an hour, and for high-level demons, it’s probably about 3 hours. This is not certain information…】
Summarizing Gaia’s words, it felt like playing a defense game.
It’s a game where you defend a castle with a character against monsters that pour out during one wave.
Although that’s the annoying part about having to risk my life.
“Ha… I understand. If it’s as Gaia said, if we last half a day, we’ll encounter at least four high-level demons.”
【Thank you for your understanding, Jinu!】
Gaia’s words spoken in a cheerful voice were the happiest answer I heard today.
“So are you going to send me away now?”
【Yes. I have told you everything I wanted to convey. If Jinu goes back to where he originally was, he will be able to summon a new warrior at any time. And it will also have the power to close the gap in the open dimension.】
Saying that, she extended her arms towards Gaia, who was trying to send me away, and stopped her.
“Wait a minute. I also have something to ask. I’ve been traveling around the world catching demons, and among them, I’ve come across a strange organization called Void. Do you know anything about this organization?”
【Void… You mean? I’m not sure about that either.】
If you have expectations, you will be betrayed.
I asked, but I didn’t expect to know.
And of course Gaia didn’t know about Void.
“You saw me fight the Void, right? A person fusing with a demon.”
【Yes, I’ve seen that one too, but it’s the first time I’ve heard of that name. I don’t even know where it suddenly appeared. The moment I saw it, I tried to investigate it, but for some unknown reason, I was interrupted by an unknown force, so I couldn’t investigate properly, and I was focused on protecting the seal like I am now…】
Again, don’t get your hopes up.
The disappointment only increases.
“I see. Okay, let’s do some more research on Boyd.”
【Thank you very much for your understanding. If it weren’t for Jinu and the Hero, it wouldn’t be surprising if our world were destroyed by demons at any time. Thank you very much.】
Right now, it’s speaking to me in the form of a glowing sphere, but if it were in human form, I think it would be bowing down in front of me with its head on the ground and saying thank you.
After finishing what she had to say, Gaia sent me back to her original inn.
When I opened my eyes again, I saw a familiar ceiling.
“Jinuni, are you awake?”
I woke up and woke up when I heard Ellie’s voice next to me.
I looked around and saw no one but Ellie.
“Where have the other kids gone?”
“Jinunni was probably tired and didn’t wake up, so it was said that it would be better in terms of time to have one person escort her and the rest take Cherry to look for the equipment, so I stayed here and the other sisters and Yuria went out to look for the equipment.”
While listening to Ellie, I came out to her bed and guided her stiff body to stretch her.
“Ugh… I see. That’s a good idea. But I have to tell you something urgent. I need to bring everyone back.”
It seems like it will take quite some time to go out to the inn with Ellie and search through Fern and find everyone again.
So what came to mind was a whisper.
‘Rhenia? This is a whisper I can send to you from afar. I have something urgent to deliver to you right now. Could you all come back to the inn?’
Not long after I sent the whisper, everyone who had gone out returned to the inn.
Whisper is a very convenient feature.
“Jinu? How can you say that it needs to be delivered urgently…”
“Now that we’re all here, I’ll tell you what happened that night.”
I relayed to everyone the content of my conversation with God Gaia.
“Huh? Gaia? Summoning? What do you mean?”
Naturally, Cherry, who had just joined our group, could not follow our conversation.
There was no way he could understand my explanation because I didn’t really explain who we were.
“The god here is truly incompetent and shameless.”
“That’s right. It’s ridiculous that he called Jinuna to this world to help him because he’s an idiot, really.”
“If we can somehow meet in the future, I will feed you a stomachache.”
“Ooh… He’s such an annoying god!”
Ignoring Cherry, everyone who heard me said one word filled with anger.
“I’m annoyed too, but it ended up like this anyway. If I don’t, the seal will be broken, so I have to do something. Let’s prepare to last at least half a day today and summon it tomorrow.”
“I… I can’t follow the conversation. What should I do?”
As I concluded, Cherry raised his hand and asked:
“Cherry, unfortunately, you are of no help with what we are trying to do now. I think all you can do for today is to guide us in buying the supplies we need. You will have the rest of the day here at the inn by yourself tomorrow.”
There will be no time to protect Cherry while dealing with the demons pouring in from the dimensional gap.
Rather, it must be difficult for my body to handle.
“First of all, I understand that this is a very big deal… Then, as the boss said, if you tell me what you need, I will tell you where you can get it.”
So today I spent the day preparing to fight Demon tomorrow.
Even if I did prepare, it actually didn’t require much preparation.
Thinking that I could last about half a day or a day just in case, I took only food and herbs and medicine to help me recover.
There was no need to obtain the equipment here, as it was significantly insufficient compared to the equipment I had strengthened and used.
The next day, since we couldn’t summon it in the middle of the city and cause damage, we decided to open a dimensional rift some distance away from Pern.
We boarded Minercia and found a wide plain with nothing around, so we all got off there.
“Okay then, let’s summon it!”
I activated the summoning using the divine power I felt in my body.
I felt the divine power in my body disappear and a magic circle formed in the sky.
Who will come out this time?
