Returned from Another World, Earth Turned Out to Be Quite the Fantasy Too. Also, Losing Heroines, Stop Looking This Way. - Chapter 70

Chapter 70: “Shouldn’t There Be Some Salvation?”

The members of the Minazuki family deeply bowed their heads as they watched Natsuki’s back as he left. 

After a while, they all raised their heads. 

“Natsuki Yura-sama… He performed a deicide as casually as one would visit a friend’s house and left as if nothing had happened. He’s a very mysterious person.”

Kaya reflected on Natsuki, a sentiment seemingly shared by all as they nodded in agreement.

“Still, Kaya, if you had clearly disclosed Mio’s origins, we might have had more options! No matter how young you were, as the head of the family, you should have made such judgments. What would we do if Mio had become a sacrifice!”

“I apologize. However, I heard that Unkai-sama had also been collecting weapons for slaying gods for Mio’s sake.”

“Hmph. None of them could be used by humans or held any significant power.” 

“Grandma…”

It seemed Unkai, the elderly woman, had also been secretly plotting to slay the local god but lacked the extraordinary power like Natsuki had, hence she sought tools. 

However, it appears there was nothing potent enough to kill a local god. 

“I’m sorry, Mio. I was too harsh on you.” 

“No. I knew grandma cared about me.”

“Is that so? You no longer have to bear such a heavy burden. From now on, you are free to live your life.” 

“Yeah.”

“Onee-chan, I’m so glad for you!” 

Miyako, moved to tears, reaffirmed the bond between Unkai and Mio. 

Kaya didn’t say it out loud, but she was surprised by Miyako’s transformation.

Knowing that Miyako had her own struggles with the prospect of her sister becoming a sacrifice and failing to come to terms with it, she was somewhat perplexed by her behavior. 

“Regardless, thanks to Yura-dono, the long-standing suffering of us and Mizuchi-sama has been relieved. The problem lies with the young ones, but, well, there’s no need to worry.”

“Without a doubt. Probably, no, certainly, they wouldn’t dare to harm Yura-sama.”

Hiragi affirmed the words of Counselor Seiun. 

True to Hiragi’s words, the younger psychics of the Minazuki family, initially resentful towards Natsuki, now harbored a different sentiment. What remained was pure fear towards Natsuki. 

Witnessing his overwhelming power, they realized they couldn’t win against him, let alone should they challenge him. Except for a few, many were still in a mild state of panic. 

“But now the question is how to interact with Yura-dono going forward.”

“As the head of the family, no, as an individual, I want to repay the favor.”

“I feel the same way. But it’s also true that he’s still young and vulnerable. How about we watch over him under the guise of surveillance and support him wherever possible?” 

“That seems like a good idea. To start, let’s try to keep as much information about the deicide as confidential as possible. Perhaps we could even suggest that the god passed away due to corruption before a sacrifice could be offered.”

“While it may be a stretch, reporting the god’s death as corruption rather than murder could be more acceptable to others. If we were to reveal that a deicide occurred, they might try to involve Yura-dono. That’s something neither he nor we would desire.”

Gods are not always benevolent entities to humans.

Sometimes, they may even bring curses. 

At the Institute, there are instances of defeating gods that harm people, but few humans are capable of battling gods. 

If they knew of Natsuki’s existence, they would certainly try to scout him. 

“Miyako”

“Yes?”

“Stay close to Yura-sama. But, please, be very careful not to be disrespectful!”

“I understand! I won’t do anything foolish anymore!”

“…That would be good.”

With her relationship with her sister improved and the matter of the sacrifice resolved, one would want to believe that Miyako’s behavior has fully recovered.

“Mio”

“Yes?”

“You also owe Yura-sama for his power.”

“Yes. He’s the benefactor who saved father. I will properly repay him.” 

“Good.” 

Watching Miyako and Mio nod, Counselor Seiun murmured,

“If it were a different era, forming a bond with Yura-dono might have been the quickest solution… but that would be insincere.”

“…If only I were twenty years younger.”

“Unkai-dono, I think that might backfire,”

Unkai, though she didn’t say it out loud, hoped that either Miyako or Mio might somehow form a connection, but she had no intention of forcing anything.

She reflected on her bad habit of even considering sending her own grandchildren as a regrettable impulse.

“Well, for now, we need to clean up the damaged house. And we can’t neglect the mountain either.”

The Minazuki family shared a laugh, acknowledging the abundance of work ahead.

■

The soul of the local deity Mizuchi floated in a pure white space.

“You’ve had a tough time, Mizuchi. Because we in the higher realms kept our interference to a minimum, you land gods have had a hard time. I feel sorry, but these are the rules. Forgive us.”

A white shadow, though speaking in a slightly rough manner, gently enveloped Mizuchi’s soul with a tender touch. 

“Soon, you’ll be reborn, but your soul has been quite worn down. I’ll need to infuse it with some additional divine essence. That individual possessed more power than I had anticipated.”

The white shadow carefully stored away Mizuchi’s soul.

“Hey, old man! Hurry it up!”

“Shut it, old lady! Complaining after just a few minutes!”

A black shadow appeared behind the white one, speaking with a strong voice.

“Want to go without dinner tonight?”

“It’s meat today, stop it!”

“I’ll drink up the sake too!”

“Go ahead, I might just leave home again!”

“You damn hag!” 

“Quiet, you old fart!”

The white and black shadows disappeared from the white space amidst such exchanges.

〜〜Afterword〜〜 

Mizuchi’s soul was safely recovered.

…Who exactly did it, and from where?