“But does that mean something big is going to happen?”
“Hmm. It might happen, or it might not. I don’t think it’s something people should know. But it’s always good to be prepared.”
“But that doesn’t really help me understand.”
“It’s okay not to understand. Not knowing is what makes life enjoyable, don’t you think?”
Regress’s answer felt like he was dodging the question. I understood he probably wouldn’t tell me.
…But.
“Reg-san, are you registered as a Divine Citizen?”
“Hehehe, you’re sharp. Yeah, I am.”
“…Could you tell me your rank?”
“Hmm. I guess it’s fine. Miree-chan seems to have figured it out, after all. But promise you won’t tell anyone, okay?”
“Y-yes.”
I asked directly, but I didn’t really expect him to answer. I was momentarily taken aback by Regress’s response. He smiled, pulled up his pant leg, and showed us the mark of the Divine Citizen Registry on his calf.
“…Huh? But… I guess I can accept that.”
“Hehehe, it’s a secret, okay?”
“…So, it was a pseudonym after all.”
“No, not really. In the world I came from, our first names were given by the gods we worshipped. In my case, it was Regress. But this world only has one god, right? When I transferred here, it disappeared. That’s all. But I never intended to abandon the name Regress, so I still go by it.”
“I see…”
“Well, I guess it makes a good pseudonym. It’s not like I’m lying.”
“Hahaha…”
After that, he turned back to Miree.
“Miree-chan, I know your position. You’re from the Holy Kingdom, an elite who has climbed to the Sky Temple. You might not understand why it’s okay for Sensei’s secret to be known… but I want you to keep it in your heart.”
“…”
“How about it?”
“…Regress-sama, your words are on par with those of the Pope himself. How could a mere priest like me oppose you?”
“My, my… I’m not good with that kind of thing. Just call me Reg-san.”
“…Yes.”
Miree’s sudden change in attitude made Regress give a wry smile as he stood up.
“Well, we should head back soon. If we’re late, your students will be in trouble.”
“Huh? Did you see that with your future vision?”
“Yep. I also promised the old sage, so we need to hurry back.”
“O-okay.”
When we stepped outside the mine, it was still bright out. We quickly got on Genuin and started heading back the way we came. I could still feel a bit of heat in my body as I absentmindedly watched Regress hum and sway on Genuin.
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The return trip was at a similar speed as the way there. But whenever there was a hint of monsters, Regress had me hunt them. He said it was good to get some practice in. Of course, Genuin couldn’t run at full speed all day. We took breaks now and then, moving at a pace that wasn’t too taxing.
And then there was Genuin, the big eater. It devoured the monsters I hunted, munching and crunching bones. At first, the sound was unbearable, but I’ve finally gotten used to it.
As the sun began to set, we set up camp in a suitable spot.
With Genuin around, Regress didn’t hesitate to start a fire or skewer and roast the monster meat. If any monsters came close, it was my turn to deal with them.
Sitting by the campfire, I bit into the freshly roasted meat. When Miree cooked, she made sure it was easy to eat, but Regress just cut the monster meat into hearty chunks and roasted it. He handed me a piece that looked like something out of a manga—thick and rare in the middle. I’d nibble, roast it some more, nibble again, and roast it again. It was oddly enjoyable.
Ever since I reached the eleventh rank, Regress started teaching me more about this world. These were things that, if heard in the temple, could get you executed. I couldn’t even tell my students about it. But I couldn’t resist my innate curiosity and kept asking questions.
“What causes the Monster Parades?”
“Hmm. The dimensional distortions that brought us to this world, right?”
“That’s what I’ve heard.”
“There are also stories that Sensei’s spirits came to this world through those distortions.”
“Yes… Huh? Monsters too?”
“Yep. Just because they’re not human-like creatures like us doesn’t mean distortions can’t occur in their worlds.”
“Regress-sama, that kind of talk…”
Miree, who had been listening nervously, tried to admonish Regress. But he didn’t seem to care.
“Now, now. It’s fine.”
“But… That’s why Galonne-sama lost the title of Sage…”
“Hmm. That’s true. Sensei, let’s keep this conversation between us, okay?”
“Huh? Is it okay for me to hear this?”
“It’s fine as long as you don’t spread it around. Think of it as bar talk.”
“O-okay…”
It didn’t seem like a story the Holy Kingdom would approve of. Still, I couldn’t help but ask, glancing at Miree’s expression.
“So, does that mean the god connected the dimensional rift here to save people from his own world?”
“Yeah, that’s right.”
“…Is that a lie?”
“No, it’s not a lie, I think. But don’t you wonder why this world? I wanted to know, so I traveled around the world for quite a while.”
“And did you figure it out?”
“I’m confident in my own conclusion.”
“Wow.”
“Probably, the god is in a power struggle with another similar being for supremacy over this world.”
“Huh?”
“Hehehe. Just a hypothesis, though. Whether the monsters win or the humans win.”
A power struggle… Now that he mentioned it, it’s clear that humans and monsters are vying for control of this world. But could such a thing really be happening? And if so…
“…So, we were summoned here on purpose, not by accident?”
“No, I think it was still an accident. I don’t think the dimensional distortions are a lie; they happen for some reason. When I came to this world, I didn’t feel any special divine power at work.”
“Now that you mention it, you said you weren’t born in this world.”
“Yep, yep. I came from a pretty rare world. I’ve never met anyone from the same place.”
“Wow.”
Come to think of it, I remember Miree mentioning something like that at the Sky Temple. Something about a shrine that opens once every few hundred years. But if Regress didn’t feel any special power when he transferred, his original world must have had magic or something similar.
“Did your world have magic too, Regress-san?”
“Yep, how did you know?”
“You said you didn’t feel any special divine power.”
“That’s right. Well, in that world, I was a hero fighting battles. That’s why I already had the skills to fight when I transferred here.”
“A hero?”
“Yeah, yeah. It was a pretty rough world. There were constant wars with the demon race, and I’ve been fighting since I was a kid.”
“Is it similar to this world?”
“In some ways, yes. But we didn’t have strange systems like the Divine Citizen Registry or ranks.”
“It’s strange that such systems exist here, like the ranks.”
“Ah, actually, we didn’t call them ranks, but we had the concept of levels. Yeah, unlike this world’s limit of ten levels, our levels could go much higher.”
“Wow, you had levels too?”
“Yep, yep. Well, let’s go to sleep now. Sensei, you go ahead and sleep. I’ll wake you up when it’s time.”
“Ah, okay. Thanks.”
“Sorry, Miree-chan. Just think of it as a tall tale, okay?”
“Y-yes…”
Miree, who had been listening with a pale face, looked pitiful. As a priestess, hearing such things must have been unsettling.
And so, continuing our conversations with Regress, we kept moving toward Doodle Valley.
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