第４６７堀：秋天と童子切 (Part2)
"You certainly never run out of truly entertaining material. I thought the Dojigiri had shattered and Shuten-doji was revived, but then you go and solve it with that skull trick Yuki mentioned. Well, it’s a bit rich coming from me since I’m the one who brought it, but to think you actually came up with the 'Here's a new face!' gag... My stomach hurt from laughing."
It seems Luna had been watching that chaotic mess, using it as a source of amusement.
Was it because that useless goddess actually tried to do her job for once? No, it was her half-hearted meddling that caused all this trouble in the first place...
"Ah, don't worry, I'll just patch up the broken Dojigiri and put it back. As for the Shuten-doji’s wild spirit, I'll just tell the folks in the 'Eight Million' that the quartet took care of it, and they’ll be satisfied."
Damn it. Another unwanted entry in my personal history...
"Well, it's fine. I'll make sure no museum staff gets fired and no diplomatic incidents occur over it being 'stolen' by another country. I really don't need any sparks from that world flying over here. It would be a real pain if I couldn't watch my anime or movies anymore."
Damn. The reason is so simple it’s infuriating, but I don't know if I should be flattered that the manga artists and film directors I admire are held in such high regard!
"...And so, that's how it ended up."
"...I see. In the end, our efforts to retrieve the Dojigiri were basically a waste of time."
Seraria is right.
Since Luna handled it, it was all for nothing.
*Sigh.* Give me back the tension I felt during that moment.
Well, even if someone told us to go return the Dojigiri, we don't have the guts for that, so this whole affair will be sealed away among us.
...In a way, it doesn't look unlike one of Luna's schemes to keep us from returning to Earth.
"Hey. Come to think of it, I forgot because so many unexpected things happened, but what happened with Ray’s execution?"
"Ah, that's been postponed. Since the top dog, Bitts Terutora, was captured, right? And Nogosh, too. They’ve served their purpose as decoys, so if they are to be properly punished, it’ll have to be back at the castle."
"I see. That’s reasonable. If they don't hold a formal trial for Bitts and Ray, the supporters of the old Ranks royal family will complain. Conversely, using the fact that we’ve captured Bitts, the very last of the royal line, is a good way to consolidate control or pass judgment. Well, for Ranks, the real problems are just beginning."
Exactly.
The real trouble for Ranks starts now.
With Bitts captured, the supporters of the old Ranks royal family have lost their last hope.
However, it’s also an opportunity.
Depending on how things are handled, it’s possible to bring Bitts and his parents—the former King and Queen—back to power.
The royal family is currently treated as being in retirement within Ranks.
They were ousted from the throne due to rebellion, but they are still alive.
Normally, this would be a spark for future conflict, but given their past actions, the number of supporters for the old royal family is tiny. Furthermore, neighboring countries and the great power Gartz support Taiki, so they can't easily complain.
If they had been killed, it might have been possible to raise a banner of revenge, but by keeping them alive, they’ve lost all public support and lack the capability to even start a rebellion, which is, in a sense, a perfect balance.
With Bitts, the last one, added to the mix, I expect some movement, but nothing too flashy.
Bitts himself is already sharing a body with Terutora, and Terutora is surprisingly cooperative with us.
Well, we’re both Japanese, after all.
I’ve explained the situation Bitts is in to Terutora in detail, and he says he’ll talk things over with Bitts.
Terutora doesn't want to lose his vessel, so it seems he’s going to try his best.
"Anyway. Does this mean the immediate problems that required urgent attention are finally over?"
"That's right. We finally finished just before the end of the year... *Sigh.* It’s December, so Weed is going to be busy with Christmas and New Year's preparations."
"Isn't that fine? You finally have time to relax with the children in Weed."
"I suppose you're right. Time to get to work in Weed, then."
In any case, the leaders of the three countries will be coming to visit again this year, so I’ll probably be swamped with that.
Most of my wives have stepped down from the heads of their respective departments, so it’s better than when we first built Weed, I guess?
Well, it seems the final boss of this year isn't Nogosh or Bitts, but the end of the year and the New Year's preparations.
Ah, before that, I needed to summarize the outcome of this whole ordeal.
*Sigh.* What a pain.
It was decided that Akiten would live on as an adopted child, and the vessel, the Dojigiri, was left to Luna.
In the end, it might not be a total loss, but it’s close.
Just one example of how the world doesn't always reward hard work.
***
And now, I have a request. I actually have five chapters stocked up until the 27th, but if I use them, considering the remaining chapter count, I’ll be a little short for the "year-end pitfall."
If it’s alright, since the main story has reached a conclusion, would you mind if I insert a "pitfall" chapter?
The summary of the story might feel a bit incomplete, but I’m sure it’ll be fixed if it ever gets published as a book.
The last resort is to just release all the stock in one day!!
That’s one idea, but it would mean losing my year-end vacation, so I’d like to avoid that if possible.
I’m thinking of making some laid-back Minecraft gameplay videos on YouTube from Christmas through the end of the year.
I have this fantasy—or maybe just a delusion—of wandering around, gathering opinions, building structures, and going on adventures while I'm at it.