落とし穴番外：夏のひと時 (Part1)
Pitfall Side Story: A Summer Interlude
A Summer Interlude
Side: Yuki
"So, if we trace the roots of yesterday’s commotion, it all stemmed from good intentions, then?"
"It seems so, based on what we’ve heard."
I’m tidying up one of the houses in the village while discussing the aftermath of yesterday’s events with Taizo.
"Because Luna simply rewound the time in this area, the physical objects returned, the forms of faith returned, and consequently, the gods returned as well, is that it?"
"That’s how it looks. I checked with Luna, and it seems the original deity of this village had already been properly relocated to another land."
"That is a relief. It would be a tragedy if a god were to wither away and be forgotten while trying to look out for the people."
As a side note, the god—or rather, the god-adjacent object of worship—I encountered last night ended up being transferred to the Lilishe Church, thanks to the mediation of Suzuhiko-hime.
I had wondered if it was really okay to just accept a deity from another religion so casually, but...
*“It’s perfectly fine! Besides, we already have Hairen, and more importantly, a ‘God of Child-rearing’ is just wonderful, isn’t it? My own title emphasizes the ‘Love’ aspect, so I’m a bit thin on the protection of expectant mothers. This is a huge help!”*
Surprisingly, Lilishe was delighted to accept.
Well, when you think about it, this otherworld is home to countless gods, each with their own domain—love, war, agriculture, magic, and so on—and there doesn’t seem to be a single, omnipotent deity.
That’s why the concept of a “sole god,” as seen on Earth, is actually the rarity here.
And above all, in this world, the “blessings of faith” are a tangible, if slight, reality.
Perhaps that is why there is no rigid mindset of worshipping *only* one specific god.
It’s more of a “let’s offer prayers to the god that suits our needs” approach.
In a way, this world’s philosophy might be closer to Japanese Shinto than I thought.
Though, I suppose it’s not quite as far as saying that gods reside in eight million things.
"So, once we finish tidying up the village and getting the environment in order, everything will be resolved."
"Indeed. It’s a vacation home of sorts, then. Still, even through the call screen last night, the sight of fireflies dancing in the night here was truly fantastical."
"It was. Actually, those swarms of fireflies seem to have even managed to bewilder Kirika’s subordinates."
"They say illusions are part and parcel of fireflies, and it seems that was literally the case."
"Yes."
Apparently, Kirika’s subordinates, led astray by the phantasmagoria of the fireflies, couldn’t track Hairen and Kagura and ended up wandering aimlessly through the forest.
Kirika had looked genuinely frustrated when she reported that.
I wonder if I need to implement lectures or training for that kind of thing.
But finding an expert... the only one who could probably handle it without issue is Kyuten.
Maybe Sota or Water are candidates? Well, I’ll have to consult with them later.
I suppose a department for counter-ghost measures is essential after all.
Thinking this over, I pick up the scattered luggage one by one and deposit them into my Item Box.
"You know, having an Item Box makes cleaning a house so much easier."
"It really does. Magic is just so convenient. We don’t have to carry heavy loads between two people anymore."
"Moving companies would only need a tiny staff."
"In Weed, there are actually moving companies that utilize Item Boxes and bags. I hear nobles in other countries use them when transporting large amounts of cargo, too."
"But I imagine there’s a high risk of massive losses from people running off with the goods or losing the Item Bags."
"That does happen, so they usually split the cargo into halves. But for the average person, there’s little fear of theft, so many still use them."
I suppose for nobles, there are many tools and pieces of furniture that would be problematic if stolen via an Item Box.
Well, nobles and wealthy merchants usually own their own Item Boxes or bags and use them to transport their valuables personally.
In other words, a standard Earth-style moving company would be driven out of business in this world.
"The rest is deciding what to do with this haul. Just sorting through what’s usable and what’s trash is quite a task."
"I’m planning to hand that over to the antique dealer As is running. I’ll make sure to properly filter out any over-technology, of course."
"I see. To each their own, then."
"Exactly. But the real hard work starts now: the deep cleaning and renovation of the twelve houses."
Fortunately, thanks to the Item Box, moving the luggage was easy, but the cleaning that follows requires human hands.
Well, I’ve already called in the super-maids Kirue and Sasari, and I’ve mobilized my assistants, Orelia, Yayui, and Hobis.
And, of course, Steve and his group are here too.
"Why do we have to do manual labor like cleaning for free..."
"This place will double as a retreat facility. You’re welcome to use it when we aren’t around."
"Eh? For real?"
"Nice! I’m going to cool off in the river."
"Come to think of it, and it’s a bit late to ask, but won’t Surakichi-san dissolve if he gets in the river?"
"That’s true. I’m worried he might melt."
"I won’t melt! I take baths just fine, you know. Anyway, let’s eat that watermelon. Doesn’t that interest you, John?"
"Of course it does. It’s a watermelon grown by a Japanese farmer! I’m looking forward to it. Right, Steve?"
"Hm? Ah, yeah, I suppose so. You know, it might be nice to bring some back for Alfin, too."
The four of them are already getting excited about their future plans, looking forward to enjoying the summer.
But that comes only after we finish the work here.
"Alright, let’s knock out this work quickly so we can enjoy ourselves. If we all pitch in, it shouldn’t take long. Let’s stay hydrated and get it done."
"““Yeah!””"
And so, we put our hearts into the cleaning and renovations.
That said, as far as the construction goes, since this is inside a dungeon, I’m grateful that I can just snap my fingers and change the settings.
I could have just erased the luggage in the same way, but I chose this method to ensure we didn’t miss anything unexpected.
Of course, I told As to contact me if anything strange turned up.
In the end, nothing cursed or ominous appeared; we only unearthed some historically valuable antique looms and sewing machines.
Honestly, it was a bit surprising to find such things in a village that had only been around for twenty or thirty years.
"Well, you’d be surprised what you find in old country storehouses. Like this, for instance."
Taizo said, drawing a rusted katana to show me.
And it wasn’t just any sword; it was a *daito*, a long sword.
"...Why is something like this here? And in such quantity?"
It wasn’t just one; there were fifteen of them hidden in the attic of the storehouse.
"That storehouse is likely quite old. Someone probably recovered these from a nearby battlefield long ago and hid them away. Then, time passed, and they were forgotten."
"Ah, hiding weapons, you mean?"