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nC110: I’m a villager and a co-fighter

nWith the demon hair spider defeated, there was only one capture point left. Well, that last one is the big problem. I checked my calendar to see how many days I had left.

n“There’s only a little over a week left in June…….”

nThe village is located on a remote island, and I’ve already found out how to get to the nearest fishing village. But I don’t have a way to get to the island. If it was a TV show project, I could charter a boat or ask a fishing boat to take me there. However, as an ordinary person, it was a bit impossible for me to use that method.

nFirst of all, I don’t have a license, so I can’t drive a boat. If that’s the case, it would be too reckless to go using a rubber boat. It would be a disaster waiting to happen.

nI looked on the Internet and found a boat cab and tried to negotiate with them, but they refused, saying that there was no island in such a place and even if there was, they would not take me into an uninhabited island without permission.

nAfter that, I did some research on my own, but there was nothing I could do. For a moment, I wondered if I could make a raft out of the logs sent from the “Village of Destiny.” But after taking a deep breath, the idea disappeared.

n“It’s a dead end.”

nI had the idea of asking my dad if he had any contacts, but there was a good chance he didn’t, and even if he did, he wouldn’t admit it without a detailed explanation. The location of the island was already known thanks to other players. But there is no way to get there.

n“The only thing left to do is…”

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nWhen I told her how difficult the situation was, she said, “I’ll try to do something about it,” but I haven’t heard from her since. I was about to give up. Just as I was about to give up, I heard a ring. After confirming the name, I picked up the phone to answer the call, which led to a video call screen.

n“Are you sure you’re not just timing me?”

n“What, what are you talking about?”

nIt was a close-up of the God of Fate with a look of genuine surprise on her face.

n“Well, I’m the God of Fate, so maybe there is such a thing as fateful timing?”

n“……I see.”

n“That’s a tasteless attitude. It’s not the time to play with words. Have you found a way to get to that island?”

n“I’m sorry, I’ve run out of ideas.”

nThere was no point in lying, so I answered honestly.

n“I see. But I’m glad. I would have been in trouble if you had already made arrangements.”

n“So, could it be?”

n“Yeah, we got a boat!”

nI saw a smug look on her face as she stuck her thumb on the screen of her phone. Upon closer inspection, I saw that she was wearing the same suit as when I met her in Hokkaido, and I could see several desks in the background. I wondered if this was God’s workplace. It just looks like a normal office to me. Oh, it looks like a wonderfully tanned gal just passed by…….

nShe was wearing a sleeveless shirt that was wide open at the chest, and incredibly low-rise shorts. She was holding a cup of tapioca milk tea in her hand and had a straw in her hand. Is that person also an employee or a god?

n“What’s wrong? Are you too happy to be here?”

n“Oh, no. Thank you very much.”

nYes, that was my priority right now. The office is on my mind, but I should concentrate on the conversation. I’m very concerned about the gal-like person pacing around behind her, glancing at me.

n“But how did you find it? I tried to find out if I could charter a boat myself, but they all refused.”

n“That’s true. If you ask someone to send you to a deserted island where they don’t know your name, most people will say no, of course. The one who can help me this time is a player who is a follower of the Water God.”

nWill the player cooperate with me? If so, I can give a detailed explanation and not worry about being rejected.

n“That would be great. Are you acquainted with this follower?”

n“He’s a colleague, after all. I asked him to help me because he is not my immediate supervisor. He said he couldn’t leave me alone once he knew what was going on.”

nThe master deity that the God of Fate follows is the God of the Moon. I’m sure there are factions in the world of the gods.

n“I’m sorry for the trouble.”

n“It’s okay, it’s okay. If the evil gods are involved, it’s our problem as well. I’ll spare no effort to help.”

nI can count on God of Fate to give me her full support. Now I have no reason not to take action. The only thing left to do is to do it.

n“When do you plan to leave for the island?”

n“Well, June ends on the 30th, so I want to finish things before the Temptation of the Evil God, so I want to arrive in Wakayama on the 24th and take the boat from there.”

nHalf a day to travel from here to Wakayama, and half a day from there to the island. I’ve been asked to find out where the cave is on the island, but it will take two days to search and rescue them in case there is some accident. From there, it would take one day to return home. I estimate that it will take a total of five days. The extra day is an insurance policy in case of emergency.

n“Okay. I’ll send you a map later. Can you meet me there around two o’clock on the 24th?”

n“Yes, of course.”

nFrom there, we had a detailed discussion and then hung up. We talked about unrelated things, so we must have been on the phone for about forty minutes in total.

n“Well, now I can’t back out.”

nI wasn’t going to back out, but the outer moat was completely filled in. All I could do was prepare for the trip and have a meeting with Makoto in case something happened.

nI can play the game on my phone, but there’s always the chance that I’ll lose it in an accident. In that case, I’ll have to ask Makoto to protect the village. It is because of him that I can make this decision to go away. The fact that we are running the village together instead of me alone is a great advantage.

n“The rest is part-time, right?”

nI’ve been working about four days a week lately, but during the rainy season, it takes me a long time to finish the wax because it’s too humid for it to dry. So I feel uncomfortable taking a few more days off when my work schedule is full even though the number of cases is small, even though I’ve been forced to take the end of the month off.

nI apologized to the president for my long absence when I was in Hokkaido, but he laughed and said,

n“What are you talking about? When someone takes a day off, it makes it easier for other people to take a day off. It’s good to be able to take a few days off a month. Our employees take time off frequently, too. That’s the way our company is, so don’t worry about it.”

nThose words helped me a lot, but I can’t be too picky every time, can I? Yamamoto-san and Misaki-san are filling in for me. It’s time for me to seriously think about how to balance this “Village of Destiny” with my part-time job. I need to lower the ratio of gaming and concentrate more on work. I guess that’s the obvious thing to do. However, I can’t leave the villagers alone.

nSo, I need to stabilize the village and create an environment where I can watch over them with peace of mind. That’s why this territory function is so appealing.

nIf I can see the entire area of the Forbidden Forest, it will be much easier. Balancing work and games, I can’t afford to make any mistakes in order to make that happen. Of course, I’m also worried about the streamers, and what the evil gods are up to.

n“My objectives are clear, so why bother?”

n………………

nIt is June 24th. I’m sitting on the dock with one foot on a round ledge of unknown use, looking out over the ocean. Destiny, peeking out from a bag I’ve placed a short distance away, is staring at me.

n“How’s the ocean after all this time?”

nI asked him about it, he turned his face toward the ocean and made a gesture as if he was sniffing it. When I tilted my head, he stuck out his tongue a little and tilted his head further. I wondered if he was uncomfortable with the scent of the tide.

nNow we are waiting for someone at the port of Wakayama. There are still thirty minutes left until the appointed time, but I came early because I can’t keep the person I’m asking waiting. I don’t know what he looks like or what his name is, but he knows who I am.

n“I’m the only one with any personal information.”

nThe evil gods know my name, face, and address because of the Bible and Carol that we’re sent from the other world. The only player on the Lord God’s side whose identity I knew was Makoto, but this is the second player I’m meeting today.

n“I wonder what kind of person he is.”

nI have heard that he owns a boat and can drive, so I have an image of him as a rich man. A fresh, handsome man who looks good on the sea, dashing in his cruiser or maybe he’s an old man who seems to have a lot of money. Either way, he’s someone I’ll have to take care of. I should try to remember to be polite without prejudice. As I was thinking about this, I heard a sound approaching from the ocean.

nPong pong pong pong pong…….

nWhat came with the distinctive sound of an engine was a fishing boat. A small fishing boat with a slightly rusty and aged body stopped in front of us.

n“Are you a player of the God of Fate?”

nStanding on the deck looking at us was a man with a beard. He has a twisted towel wrapped around his head and is wearing a black cape, a typical fisherman’s style. His beard makes him look old, but on closer inspection, he looks quite young.

n“Yes, I am. Are you the player who will help me?”

n“Yes, I am. God asked me to do it, and it sounded interesting, so I gladly accepted.”

nThen he smiled, baring his white teeth. With his stern appearance, he has a similar vibe to the president.

n“Thank you for your time today.”

nI bowed deeply, and Destiny, who was walking next to me, bowed as well.

n“It’s a good day. You have a very cute lizard with you, don’t you?”

n“He’s my partner.”

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nHe seemed to be a person who was fine with lizards and was stroking Destiny’s head without a care in the world. I was grateful for this reaction, because if he was as bad at this as Seika was, it would have complicated the situation.

n“Shall we talk on board?”

nWe climbed into the fishing boat without being prompted, and the boat pulled away from the dock. There was a chair behind the steering wheel, so I sat down and turned my head to the side.

nWow, this is my first time on a fishing boat, and it’s a lot rockier than I imagined. When I traveled to Hokkaido, I took a ferry, so the rocking didn’t bother me that much, but this might be a problem. I took a few deep breaths to mask my nausea and turned my gaze to the sea, trying to see as far as possible.

n“Destiny, don’t get too close to the edge. If you fall into the water, it’ll be hard to save you.”

nI lifted Destiny, who was trying to look into the ocean, and placed him on my lap. He still seemed to be curious about the ocean, so I put him on my head. He seemed satisfied that he could see the ocean clearly from there, and his tail, wagging in a good mood, hit my back, but I would put up with that.

n“I checked the map, and it should take us about two hours to get there!”

nHe was talking loudly from the wheelhouse, overpowering the distinctive sound of the engine.

n“I understand!”

nI shout back. The engine noise bothers me, but I’ll get used to it after a while. I’m not going to be able to relax once we get to the island, so I think I’ll just enjoy the view of the ocean for now.

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