A few days after the incident, the villagers warmly celebrated the safe return of the two youths. After this incident Sun has grown stronger (NOTE: [after the rain falls, the ground hardens] was the proverb used in the original sentence) and started being more open around Yuusuke. Reifold also has not appeared before him since that time at the riverside, so the young man was busy with his life in the peaceful village.

Having slept in late, Yuusuke entered the living room as soon as he washed his face in a water bowl, which was placed in his bedroom, to wake himself up.

“Why was it there?”

“Oh, you are finally awake. You are such a sleepyhead, Yuusuke.”

“Ah, good morning Mr. Yuusuke. Shall I serve you breakfast?”

For some reason Violet was sitting at the breakfast table. Krielov’s figure could also be seen near the front door.

“Still, this [fried] food is also very delicious. Did you create it as well, Yuusuke?”

“Since the ingredients were there… that’s not the point!”

After tasting the palace food, Yuusuke had cooked this dish feeling nostalgic for something slightly more elaborate to eat. Thus, he managed to cook something from the fish that he has left with Bahana before he went to the capital. After adding in flour, eggs, and cooking oil, he customized the ingredients in turns, and created a dish with a splendid grill flavor.

Unlike the sweetness parameter of the rara fruits, aside from creating fine flour from wheat grains, the rest of the dish preparation could be performed without relying on customization. On that very same day the recipe has spread within the village, and now it has become a standard cuisine of every household, with each of them coming out with their own flavor.

“Weeeell, it’s all right. Sit down for now, we will talk about the important stuff after the meal. Sun, bring Yuusuke something to drink.”

“Why are you ordering around here?”

It seemed that the day would be difficult from the early morning.  Yuusuke sat at the table with his head down dejectedly. For now he filled his stomach with deep fried potatoes, deep fried meat with vegetables, and squeezed rara juice. As a side fact, rara juice could be fermented into fruit wine.

The good quality, delicious product was conveniently called [Rara wine], and could be sold for quite a good price.

After a small break following breakfast, Violet began to talk:

“Then, about my reason for visiting you today.”

“It’s not about the sweet rara fruits, is it?”

“That was part of the reason,” replying to Yuusuke’s sudden interruption, Violet took out a letter sealed with the royal seal. By pulling up and down on the edges, she opened the letter and started reading it.

“In light of your recent achievements, you are provided with an opportunity to join public service in my name: Esvobus Volance the Eighteenth.”

“What is this?”

“Simply speaking, it is a letter of summoning.”

Even though the letter contained an invitation to serve in the palace, the message also implied that the recipient was being called to “serve the country.” Basically it was an order for Yuusuke. After drinking the squeezed rara juice in one gulp, Yuusuke scowled while sitting on the chair cross-armed.

“I want to say that I don’t care about it… but can you tell me about it in detail?”

“Uhm, since it’s you, I did not expect you to agree to this easily.”

Two days later, Yuusuke’s summoning became a hot topic amongst the bureaucrats. Of course, the watchtower, which became the highest building in Sanc Adiet, was not officially recognized by the palace. And yet, there were protests coming from the inhabitants of the middle cla.s.s and n.o.ble’s districts who could not tolerate the existence of a taller building, calling it “outrageous”, thus posing a problem in the commoner district.

Their proposal to erect similar structures in their districts was denied with:

“A repeat of the outrage of the commoner district shall not be tolerated.”

As the tower was built for princess Violet, and with it becoming a popular tourist attraction that brought in profit, there were no calls to demolish the structure in the near future. However, if the inhabitants of the middle and n.o.bles districts were allowed to have their way, it would set a bad example that could affect the caste system that the country was based on.

There was also the matter that the builder of the tower was related to Zeshald, who recently defected to the Blue Garden, which weighed down on the bureaucrat’s minds. They were afraid that the instigators, calling people to defect over to the Blue Garden side where caste system was abolished, would gladly put this new information to work for their propaganda, which they spread every day.

They thought that having the source of their worries, Yuusuke, serve the Fonclanc country as a palace guard, would allow them to keep their appearance. As king Esvobus decided to enlist Yuusuke in the public service during the Royal Council, Violet volunteered herself to carry out the duty of relaying the decision to the recipient.

“It matters little that you can tailor clothes and prepare food, the key ability that you have is the divine art that you used to build that tower.“

Currently, as a response to provocations, a plan to build a fortress on the border with Blue Garden is underway. It is expected that you would lend your skills in its construction. If you comply with the public service duties, Rufk village will be given a privilege of special treatment.

“Well? The proposal doesn’t sound bad, right?”

As Yuusuke was lost in his thoughts, Violet stood up, walked behind him, and twined her arms around his neck.

It seemed she was trying to use her s.e.x appeal as a young woman to bend Yuusuke’s will, but a fourteen  year old girl embracing a man in his twenties looked more like a brother that was pestered by his younger sister, who was hugging him. Smiling, Sun cast down her gaze.

“A guard, eh…?”

“As you will be serving in the palace, the pay will be good as well. You want to provide Sun with a comfortable life, don’t you?”

“What do you mean, saying random things like that… It is not like I could commute from the village.”

“As expected, there is quite a distance from here to the palace.”

As Yuusuke asked for some time to think, Violet ordered him to come to the palace with his reply after three days.

“There is no way for me to ignore it, is there?” (NOTE: lit: I still have to go down this road, dont I?)

“As I told you before, this is a written letter of summoning. Disregarding it means ignoring the king’s order.”

Disregarding a king’s order is equaled to military insubordination. As the definition is obscure, you are unlikely to be punished. Still it is not like the king’s order can be ignored.

“In that case, a different type of service will be forced on you“, added Violet.

“How troublesome…”

“He hee, well, have fun thinking about it. I will expect to hear a favorable reply from you.”

After speaking these words, Violet left their house, tightly holding her sweet and spicy exquisite rara fruits.

“What should I do?”

Mumbled Yuusuke, sighing in a now quiet room, while asking for Sun’s opinion. He was told that the village would also benefit from that, so it probably was not an awfully bad decision when thinking about what was best for the village. However, Sun would be left living alone by herself, should Yuusuke accept the offered position.

“Amazing Mr. Yuusuke. This is a huge promotion!”

“Uuuungh, it turns out like that after all…”

“It seems that you will also be able to come home at times, I think it’s a good offer.”

Sun seemed to perceive the governmental position in a favorable way. As for Yuusuke, just when his life with Sun has finally gotten on the right track… just as he began to enjoy it… it was too good to be true… it happened all too fast… thus his feelings were complicated.

[“Won’t you feel lonely?”]

However, unable to ask this question,Yuusuke feet as a failure of a man.

[“Yes or No, either answer would make me feel depressed”]

Thinking like that really appeared to be “fun”. After drinking whatever was left of the squeezed rara juice, Yuusuke looked at the ceiling.

“Oh, Yusuke. Heading off to the forest?”

“Miss. Bahana.”

The next day, Yuusuke met Bahana as he left the house while carrying the fishing tools. Yuusuke asked her if he should do his best and go to the city only because of a selfish wish to honor Sun’s feelings. Bahana’s answer to this question was:

“In case a fight broke out, you would be protected, right?”

“Probably… I was ordered to help in the construction of a fortress with my abilities. Afterwards my responsibility should be adjusting the taste of the food.”

According to Violet, king Esvobus seemed to have no intentions of sending him off to war. Yuusuke thought that after the fortress was completed, it would also make trespa.s.sing into the foreign territory difficult for the Blue Garden side.

“Well, the decision is still up to you.”

Bahana patted Yuusuke on the back, saying, “Well, think it thoroughly, before making your decision”. Yuusuke cried out. The women of this village were really strong.

Yuusuke, who was lost in his thoughts, sat on a bench he made by customizing the earth at the bank of a streamlet running through the nearby forest, which became his standard fishing spot. Due to all the thoughts, he couldn’t concentrate. Despite that, in about thirty minutes he already caught four fish in his basket.

“Wow, your fishing hook is really awesome, I want one of these for myself.”

“Wah?! Don’t scare me like that!”

Reifold, who appeared at Yuusuke’s side without a sound, was examining the fur bait that Yuusuke had created. He seemed to be a spy for Blue Garden, who carried an otherworldly atmosphere around him, and had the ability to appear out of thin air.

“What hole did you crawl out of?”

“Fufuu, I belong to the forest tribe after all.”

Usually referred to as the [Wind artist], the wind arts user was also excessively elusive. He quickly changed the topic towards the invitation from the palace. Yuusuke instantly started questioning things like how much did he know. He wondered if the fact that he would become a palace official would trouble Blue Garden and force them to make a move.

“That’s right, you can instantly raise a giant fortress with your divine arts. That is why I must get rid of you…”

“?!”

Yuusuke immediately prepared for a fight. Opening a customization menu by concentrating, he called out [Customization status for the map item] that he practiced many times just in case he needed to fight. He instantly erected multiple defensive walls around himself, as well as trap zones similar to the pitfalls he has used before.

“What’s this, what’s this? The aura you have looks really dangerous. I specialize in relaying information. Unrefined jobs like a.s.sa.s.sination are outside my field of specialties.”

“Hey, listen to yourself…”

Reifold sat down on the bench, interested in the walls that Yuusuke had erected around him.

“Say, how effective are they?”

“Want to try them out yourself?”

Grinning, Reifold manipulated wind, creating a golem by collecting nearby leafs and fallen branches. Yuusuke watched him, thinking, “So it is possible to do things like that too.” Through the use of wind pressure, the golem was made to look humanoid. Just as it entered the trap zone it stepped on the thin cover of the pitfall and fell in.

Immediately after that, several protective walls slid down into the hole, falling onto the trapped golem. The bottom of the pitfall became a mix of shattered branches and pieces of earth.

“Whaa, that was pretty harsh. I didn’t notice the pitfall over there.”

Showing complete ignorance on the tragic fate of his golem, Reifold shook his shoulders. His attention focused to one of the walls, the wind user touched the cover of another pitfall with the tip of his boot. Again, trap activated and the wall fell down on the hole. This wall did not break and became a bridge over the trap.

“So, you are becoming a castle official?”

“It was too sudden. I am troubled over making the decision.”

“Oh? Would it hurt to try working for the country?”

“Why?”

Since refusing the offer would be in favor of the Blue Garden, rather than receiving duties and responsibilities, it would be better to argue for a more profitable offer. Yuusuke’s attempt to pry on how much this man knew was splendidly avoided by the self-called member of the forest tribe.

“Whichever road you choose, it would better come with rewards and favors.”

“Hmmm.”

Truly, Yuusuke wondered what did Reifold had to gain from talking to him like this.

“Say, why did you…. did he leave already?!”

Just like last time, Reifold disappeared as suddenly as he came. He also took one of Yuusuke’s fur baits, as well as some information regarding his divine arts.

That night, enjoying an evening meal comprised of finely sliced chicken, a salad with some dressing of cube sliced rara fruits, and grilled small fish, Yuusuke talked to Sun about his plans to travel to Sanc Adiet the next day.

“Understood. In that case I should wake you early, right?”

“Ah, Thanks”

Yuusuke could hardly say that he was already used to handling a wagon. Still, he had no choice but to somehow manage to drive it alone. As he only had to head straight on the highway up until the city, the trip tomorrow did not worry him too much.

As they stopped talking, the sound of the tableware and the crunching sound, heard when eating fried food, were the only sounds present in the living room.

“Mr. Yuusuke?”

“Eh? Wh-What is it?”

Being talked to so suddenly, Yuusuke staggered for a moment. Sun was worried about Yuusuke from the depths of her heart as she said, while smiling awkwardly:

“I will be all right. Certainly it will be sad living alone, but such things also happened often when I was living with teacher.”

Given that there were times when the house got empty due to Zeshald going on a long trip, Bahana often worried about her, and having gotten the chance to feel the same way, Sun wanted to give her all as she said those things to Yuusuke. Still… that was a somewhat embarra.s.sing experience for her.

“Teacher has told you that with time, you will become a person that will move the world.”

“The world, eh…?”

“Because of that, you need to use every chance to learn more about the world.”

“……”

Remembering Zeshald’s words, Yuusuke was also reminded of his vague reason for appearing in this world.

After all, he was the [Evil G.o.d], an existence called here from another world. What is he supposed to accomplish? Why was HE called here? No matter how much he thought about it, he could not come up with the answers, so the only way left to find them was to continue living in this world and broadening his knowledge.

“You’re right…”

After finishing their meal, until the time they went to sleep they did not say a single word to each other.

The next day….

Before the morning mist lifted, Yuusuke, with a change of clothes in a small backpack, sat on the driver’s seat of the wagon. The only one to see him off was Sun, who had woken him up. If he became a palace guard, he would probably be unable to return to the village for a while.

Yuusuke, trying to think of an appropriate way to bid Sun goodbye, finally exchanged a simple greeting with Sun.

“I’m heading off, Sun.”

“Good luck, Yuusuke.”

Thus Yuusuke, riding Zeshald’s wagon, left Rufk village and disappeared into the morning fog, towards Sanc Adiet.