第４１７堀：休む暇無し (Part2)
"For now, let's hear what Faide’s intentions are. Is he just a messenger for the other gods, or did he come to see things for himself? Or perhaps both..."
To be honest, I’d been expecting some kind of big shot to show up eventually, given how much I’d been stalling their investigations, but I didn't think an actual god would descend in person.
It would be great if he just spilled all their plans right here. It would turn Dressa and the others' mission into a simple cleanup job, which would be much safer.
『I see... I don't mind telling you, but what do you intend to do once you know about Yuki-san?』
『Personally, if he is a good person, I would like to speak with him and cooperate.』
『That’s your personal take. What about the other idiots?』
『As I said before, they are burning with rivalry. They claim that granting divine gifts to humans so easily is an insult to the gods...』
『Um, are you referring to this dungeon?』
『Precisely, Lady Hifi. These revolutionary supplies are surely the work of a god. No, even we couldn't pull this off. That means Lady Luna, a high-ranking goddess, must be providing him with inexhaustible power. That isn't good for humanity. Therefore, their stance is that he must immediately cease the supply of goods and dissolve the alliance.』
『『......』』
Lilishe and Hifi both fell silent at that absurd answer.
And honestly, I couldn't blame them.
It wasn't a "work of a god" or "Luna’s blessing"; it was just technical support from Earth. And basic technology at that. Back on Earth, this level of support is standard. Teaching the technology of a pump to a place that doesn't have one is a perfectly normal aid activity. If you tried to act all high and mighty or charge exorbitant fees for something like that, you’d be blacklisted instantly. Of course, taking enough to cover necessary costs is fine.
Depending on the situation, if someone were suddenly thrown into an alternate world and used Earth's knowledge just to survive, that would be one thing. But my situation is a bit special. Aside from being a Dungeon Master, I’ve already confirmed the existence of and made contact with numerous other Japanese people. In this current climate, if I were to clumsily extort money using technology that’s considered basic support on Earth, it would likely backfire in several ways.
To put it simply, if a competitor released the technology for these pumps for even cheaper, Weed’s standing would plummet. More importantly, it could ruin my relationship with fellow Earthlings. Furthermore, if there were ever intervention from the Earth side, we could be wiped out in an instant.
It’s a difficult balance to strike. You have to lose a little to gain a lot; kindness isn't just for others' sake—it eventually comes back to you. That’s the feeling.
Of course, even on Earth, the latest technology is a top-tier national secret. Or rather, it’s kept strictly confidential by individual corporations. If I were to begrudge providing technology that any average Japanese citizen could know, then I’d be nothing more than a cheap imitator of great men.
The important thing is to have the next ace up your sleeve. By the way, Weed’s next "top secret" ace is a line of technological development that fuses magic and science.
I let my mind wander, but to Faide and his lot, everything here must truly be beyond their comprehension. Humans—and apparently gods—hate admitting there’s someone above them. Even if there is a gap, they like to think it’s only a small one... but in Faide’s case, they’ve found a convenient entity to blame for this incomprehensible source of technology.
As they said, that entity is the useless, pathetic goddess, Luna.
To break down the logic of Faide and the others:
*We don’t understand Weed’s tech or how they gather people > Because we, as gods, can’t do it > Therefore, a mere human like Yuki couldn't possibly do it > So, it must be Luna’s power > Therefore, Yuki, who is putting a burden on Luna, is a villain.*
What a magnificent leap in logic! Now that I’ve laid it out, it’s incredible! It’s total nonsense, but I suppose that’s just how the world works. It’s like those stories where a professor steals a student’s thesis. You see it in detective dramas all the time.
*"There's no way you could have done this! I'll take this as my own thesis! Therefore, you have to die!" > *Stab* > "Eek!" > "I'll find the culprit for sure! On my grandfather's name!"* ...And so on.
Well, their thought process aside, I wonder how those two will respond to Faide’s completely off-target remarks.
I watched the scene while sipping tea with Jessica and Dressa, wondering what would happen next, when Lilishe finally opened her mouth...
『In that case, please tell them this: You are making fools of yourselves and are an embarrassment to all godkind, so just hurry up and drop dead.』
Lilishe spat out that venom with a beautiful, radiant smile, causing the three of us to spray our tea in unison.
「「「*Pffft!!*」」」
What on earth could have happened to make the usually airy Lilishe snap like that?!
It really is "godly" logic, though. Since it’s "impossible," they convince themselves it’s the work of someone even higher up. You see it with tools all the time too. The classic: *"You can't handle this! Therefore, I, who can handle it, shall take it!"*
Well, I look forward to seeing how this conversation unfolds!
It seems Yuki is going to be busy even after getting out of the bath.
Oh, and for anyone who was imagining Vilia and the others in the bath—you're out!