Blankon Announcement

505: The Celebration and the Children's Meeting

"Now, to celebrate the success of the performances in this country—"

"Kanpai!"

At Shiatro-san's cue, all the members of the circus troupe raised their glasses.

The circus troupe, Complete Troupe, had just finished a week of performances, and to celebrate, I had opened up the game room in our castle for their after-party. Of course, food and drinks were included.

The three gods who had descended to the surface—Shiatro-san, the Theater God; Power-ossan, the Herculean God; and Prima-san, the Dance Goddess—were all present, along with the troupe leader and the rest of the members.

It might seem a bit odd to be drinking in the middle of the day, but since this was a celebration of their hard work, I had arranged for various treats to be provided.

"Y-Your Majesty, we are deeply grateful for providing us with such a venue..."

"Please, don't worry about it. This is our way of thanking you for entertaining our citizens. Please feel free to come again."

As the troupe leader bowed deeply to me, Power-ossan chimed in.

"If they're saying it's fine, then don't hold back. Drink and eat to your heart's content, Leader. It's all free, so you'd be a fool not to!"

"Y-You! How can you say something so rude...!"

The troupe leader was flustered at Power-ossan's blunt remark, but Shiatro-san, who had just finished leading the toast, came over.

"Don't worry about it~. Touya-chan and I are practically family, right?"

"Well, I guess you could say that...?"

Family, huh? Well, if it's not like calling me a brother or sister, then I guess it's fine. It's not entirely wrong, after all.

The troupe leader looked momentarily stunned at Shiatro-san's casual use of "Touya-chan," but eventually accepted the situation and bowed to me once more before heading off to join the others in drinking.

By the way, the venue was attended by Yumina and the other queens, as well as Karen-neesan and the other gods, along with some of our kingdom's important officials. However, the children weren't present. It wouldn't be appropriate to bring them to a place where alcohol was being served.

Although, the god of alcohol, who looks like a child, has been drinking at the counter over there for a while now.

"Nyahahaha! This is delicious! What should I drink next~?"

You're really going all out, huh? This isn't even your party.

Next to Suika, Prima-san, the Dance Goddess, was quietly sipping her wine.

Seeing the two of them, Shiatro-san smiled and spoke up.

"Everyone seems to be having a good time. I never thought we'd be able to meet like this on the surface."

"How has it been for you, coming to the surface?"

"It's been wonderful~. I'm spending my first vacation in tens of thousands of years in a very meaningful way. I might even brag about it when I return to the divine realm."

Tens of thousands of years? That's way too long to be working. Well, maybe these gods don't really think of it as "work." They don't get paid, after all. Their very existence is their role.

"I wish we could have brought Touya-chan's children. I wanted to see them~."

"If it were a family-only party, that would be one thing, but bringing them to an event like this might cause some trouble. I'll let you see them when we send you off."

The Complete Troupe will spend tomorrow dismantling and packing up their tents, and the day after, they'll depart for their next performance location.

Next, they're heading to the royal capital of Belfast. I hope Yamato, Yumina's younger brother, gets to see them. Though he's only about a year old, so he might not understand much yet.

"But you've got it tough too, huh? Being a new god and suddenly being entrusted with the world."

"I don't really understand it myself... But with Karen-neesan and the others supporting me, I'm managing somehow."

To be honest, I'm not entirely sure what I should be doing for this world. I used to think that defeating the Phrase whenever they attacked was enough to protect the world, but...

"If this world were to be destroyed, our precious vacation spot would disappear. So do your best, okay?"

"I'll keep that in mind..."

Ugh. Please don't put too much pressure on me.

"By the way, it seems like something strange is stirring again. Be careful, okay?"

"Something strange?"

"The remnants of the evil gods. They're probably plotting something nefarious... But we're not getting involved in that."

The minions of the evil gods, huh? Indeed, even though Shiatro-san and the others are gods, this matter doesn't concern them. It's something we have to handle ourselves. Just like the World God said, it's like cleaning up scattered trash.

"Well, if you notice anything suspicious during your travels, let us know. And do your best, okay?"

With a wave of her hand, Shiatro-san returned to the group.

The recent incident involving the theft of the "Ark" and the half-fishmen that attacked Aroza Island—both seem to have the evil god's minions pulling the strings behind the scenes. What are they trying to do?

Is their goal the resurrection of the evil god, or perhaps the birth of a new one?

Just when things were finally becoming peaceful, they're trying to stir up trouble again. I won't let them get away with it. I'll crush them for sure.

...That said, there's not much I can do about it right now.

"Touya."

"Touya-san."

As I was staring into space, lost in thought, Elze and Linze, who had finished their duties, approached me.

"Good work. Is everything going well with everyone else?"

"It's easier than entertaining the queens and princesses. I wish it could always be like this."

Elze isn't particularly fond of parties. Well, it's not that she dislikes parties, but she's not good with formal settings.

At events like world conferences, where leaders from various countries gather, she has to act as the queen of Brunhild, which makes her tense. That's what she finds difficult.

Linze, on the other hand, seems to have gotten used to it. Although she's naturally shy, in such settings, she seems to adopt a different persona—that of the "Brunhild Queen."

Well, that's still a part of her, after all.

"I wish we could have brought the children."

"Well, even though it's daytime, this place is full of drunkards... It wouldn't be good for their education."

As I said this to Linze, I glanced at a corner of the room where people were already heavily intoxicated.

In this world, drinking is generally allowed from around the age of fifteen. If we brought the children here and they developed an interest in alcohol, what would we do? I don't want my daughters to become heavy drinkers.

Fortunately, my wives aren't particularly interested in alcohol. Only Leen and Luu show some interest. Leen enjoys wine in moderation, and Lu only tastes alcohol when she's trying to find a good pairing for her cooking.

"Do you think the kids are behaving?"

"They should be fine. Kohaku and the others are watching over them."

The children are being looked after by Kohaku and the other divine beasts, as well as Albus. If anything happens, they'll contact me via telepathy.

"Where did they say they were going?"

"To 'Parent.' They said they were going to eat cake, so I gave them some money."

Aer-san's café, "Parent," huh? Well, it should be fine for the kids to go there on their own.

...I just hope they don't cause too much of a disturbance for the other customers.

I'm starting to feel a bit worried. I think I'll excuse myself early and go pick them up.

◇ ◇ ◇

"Yakumo-neechan and Kuon are late, but Steph is even later."

As she sipped the last of her juice through a straw, Linne muttered.

"Where was Steph at that time?"

"Hmm, she was probably next to Kuon. I'm not sure, though."

Yoshino answered while munching on some fries. Steph is their youngest sister, just five years old.

"In that case, it wouldn't be strange if both of them have already arrived in this era. They could at least contact us."

"Maybe they dropped their phones. We dropped ours in the river too..."

Elna chimed in, following up on Asia's complaint. When they first arrived in this era, Elna and Linne had dropped their phones in the Gau River. Without them, they couldn't contact Brunhild or their siblings.

If they had transfer magic like Yakumo and Yoshino, it wouldn't be a problem.

"Yakumo-neesama will be fine, but the real concern is Kuon and Steph..."

"Kuon should be fine, right? That kid is pretty sharp, and he's good at putting on a front, isn't he?"

Asia's harsh words about her own brother went unchallenged, which was typical of this group of siblings.

"You're too naive. Kuon has the same troublesome magnet for trouble as our father. What father calls a 'troublemaker.' Even if he doesn't mean to, weird things just seem to gravitate toward him. Like fish drawn to bait."

"Ah... That's true."

Kuhn nodded in agreement with Asia's observation. Their brother might seem harmless, but among the siblings, he has the highest probability of getting into trouble. He's been nearly kidnapped more than once or twice, and he's gone overboard more than once or twice as well.

"Well, even so, I don't think Kuon will be in any real danger."

"With those 'Seven Magic Eyes,' he should be able to handle himself. If we're lucky, he might arrive here soon. That leaves Steph as the bigger concern. That kid is so restless, it's worrying."

Linne, acting like the responsible older sister, received lukewarm looks from the others. As the seventh child, Linne is older than Steph, but to the other sisters, the difference isn't that significant. You're just as restless as she is, they seemed to say.

"By the way... Could you two please join the conversation, Frey-neesama? And Alice too."

"Mmm?"

"Fweh?"

Kuhn shot a glare at Frey and Alice, who were busy tackling a giant parfait from "Parent." Both of them had cream smeared all over their faces as they devoured the dessert.

"It's fine, it's fine. Kuon and Steph will be okay. No one can do anything to our family unless they're a god or something."

"But there are people with the power of gods that we need to worry about."

The minions of the evil gods. Those who have inherited the power of the evil god that our father defeated are plotting something in this era.

According to Tokie, the Space-Time Goddess, the flow of time originally had many tributaries, each leading to different futures.

However, in this world, where we've borrowed the power of the time spirits, the flow of time is firmly fixed. No matter what happens in this era, it won't affect the future we came from, as the power of the time spirits will alter it.

If things go as they should, we'll naturally return to our original future and our original world.

But with the addition of the evil god's minions as a wildcard, it's hard to say how the flow of time might change. The power of the time spirits is no match for the power of gods. If the flow of time changes even slightly, we might not be able to return to our original future. At worst, our very existence could—

"Okay, stop. I know what Kuhn-chan is thinking, but it's pointless to worry about it."

"But..."

"We have our father and mothers with us, right? It'll be fine, it'll be fine. Instead of worrying, you should eat some parfait. Here, say 'ahh.'"

Kuhn was momentarily taken aback by the spoon Frey held out, but she obediently opened her mouth and took a bite. The rich sweetness of the cream spread through her mouth.

"Haah... Talking to Frey-neesama makes me feel silly for overthinking things..."

"Kuhn-chan just thinks too much. All we need to do is crush the evil god's minions. It's simple."

"Well, I suppose so."

When Frey, who seems airheaded but is actually quite sharp, says it like that, it does sound simple.

"If only we still had the 'Ark' from Chrome Ranshese. It would have been helpful if it hadn't been stolen."

Kuhn glanced at the "White" Crown, Illuminati Albus, sitting at the table next to them.

While Kohaku, Ruri, Sango, Kokuyou, and Kougyoku were busy eating the sweets they had ordered, Albus, who doesn't have the ability to eat, sat idly in his chair.

Kuhn decided to ask Albus a question.

"Albus. Let me ask you again. Can we assume that the other side has obtained the 'Crown'?"

『Affirmative. I dare say "Gold" and "Silver."』

"Do 'Gold' and 'Silver' also possess special Crown Skills like you do?"

『Unknown. "Gold" and "Silver" are incomplete. The probability of them possessing abilities is low, but not zero.』

Incomplete. If they're just golems from the Crown series, they're nothing more than keys to operate the "Ark." That would be fine. But what if those golems possess Crown Skills?

The "Crown" grants immense power in exchange for demanding a "price" from its master.

Even if they're incomplete, the other side has the technician who created that four-armed patchwork golem. It's possible that the golem technician could restore "Gold" and "Silver."

"We need more information... Information from all over the world... If we were in the future, we could gather it through SNS— Ow!"

Kuhn rubbed her head after Frey suddenly chopped her.

"I told you! Stop making that serious face and overthinking things! All we need to do is wait patiently for everyone to gather."

"But, still..."

"Hmm?"

"O-Okay, I understand."

With a spoon still in her mouth, Kuhn backed down as Frey smiled cheerfully while holding a hand in a chopping position. She knew better than anyone how scary Frey could be when angry.

The other sisters, who also understood this, focused on their desserts to avoid getting caught in the crossfire.

Trying to change the mood, Erna brought up a different topic.

"S-So, what should we do after this?"

"Ah, I want to go to the Adventurer's Guild!"

"Me too!"

Alice chimed in after Linne. However, Asia and Yoshino didn't seem too enthusiastic.

The two of them possess non-combat-oriented magic. Asia has 【Apport】 and 【Search】, while Yoshino has 【Teleport】, 【Absorb】, and 【Reflection】—magic focused on defense. Additionally, neither of them particularly enjoys fighting.

That said, Asia does hunt magical beasts for ingredients, and Yoshino can use fire and wind magic. They're both much stronger than the average adventurer.

"What are you going to do at the Adventurer's Guild? We're too young to register, you know?"

Kuhn pointed out the obvious, which Linne likely already knew. While there's no official age limit for registering as an adventurer, if you're too young, you'll be turned away at the reception desk. The guild isn't about to send children to their deaths.

That said, if you can demonstrate your abilities, they might let you register.

"It's not about registering. It's about selling the loot. Frey-neechan's 【Storage】 has a bunch of magical beasts we hunted the other day, right?"

"Ah! I forgot about that. You're right, you don't need to be an adventurer to sell loot."

Frey clapped her hands as she remembered.

Generally, the children don't have much spending money. While they're princesses of a nation and don't lack for necessities, they aren't given much in the way of personal funds.

The Mochizuki family's policy is self-sufficiency, so if they want money, they have to earn it themselves. This could be through helping out family or doing odd jobs, but the biggest source of income is from the Adventurer's Guild.

As for how they spend their money, Frey tends to splurge on rare weapons, Kuhn uses hers for developing magical tools, and Asia spends hers on high-quality ingredients. Each of them has their own personal savings.

However, on their father's orders, most of their earnings were deposited into the guild's bank, so they didn't bring much with them to this era.

"Then let's head to the Adventurer's Guild after we finish eating."

"In that case, Frey-neesama can treat us."

"Ugh... Well, I guess it's fine. I'll treat you all since I'm the oldest sister here."

Yoshino's words made Frey hesitate for a moment, but she put on a brave face for her sisters. After all, it was Frey, Linne, and Alice who had gone hunting. It wouldn't be right to make Alice, who isn't family, or Linne, the youngest, pay.

After settling the bill, Frey's share of the allowance their mothers had given them for meals at "Parent" was completely gone.

However, her 【Storage】 contained loot worth far more than that, so the financial hit wasn't too bad.

In fact, now that they had a source of income, Frey was happily leading the way to the Adventurer's Guild.

"It's been a while since I've had this much money. I think I'll buy some new weapons."

"Honestly, Frey-nee-sama... Shouldn't you stop wasting money like that?"

"I-It's not a waste! It's a necessary expense!"

What kind of expense, exactly? Asia sighed in exasperation, and Kuhn shrugged.

Soon, the children arrived at the Adventurer's Guild and confidently approached the reception counter.

The adventurers around them were puzzled by the sight of so many children, and the receptionist, a cat beastman named Misha, was equally confused.

"Umm, how can I help you?"

Misha tried to maintain a polite smile, though she was clearly flustered. It wasn't unheard of for children to visit the guild, but it was rare. Usually, they were either accompanying their parents or running errands for adventurers.

Misha assumed it was the latter.

"We'd like to sell some materials."

"Huh? Sell materials?"

Misha was taken aback. While the guild did buy materials, it was almost never from children. At most, they might bring in rabbits or birds, which would fetch a better price at a butcher's shop. Had they come to the wrong place?

"Listen, we only buy materials from magical beasts here. If you have rabbits or birds—"

"We have magical beasts. King Bears, Bloody Goats, and, well, just the tail, but we also have a Nidhogg."

"......What?"

Misha's brow furrowed. King Bears and Bloody Goats were both high-ranking monsters, and a Nidhogg was a dragon. This had to be a joke.

"Listen, kids. If you're here to play around—"

"Frey-neesama, it's faster to just show them."

"You're right. Here we go."

Thud! A massive, blood-red goat suddenly appeared on the wide counter. It was a Bloody Goat.

The guild fell silent as the corpse of the high-ranking monster was displayed. It was rare for such a creature to be brought in, even in Brunhild, and everyone was stunned.

Misha, however, was shocked for a different reason. That was definitely storage magic, and it reminded her of a certain someone.

When Misha looked from the Bloody Goat to the children, she noticed a familiar white tiger cub lazily grooming itself at their feet.

"W-Wait a minute... Are you related to His Majesty...? P-Please hold on!"

Misha, pale-faced, rushed up the stairs behind the counter. The other adventurers and staff were left staring in shock at the Bloody Goat and the stairs Misha had just run up.

"Frey-neechan, there's blood. Blood is dripping."

"Huh? Ah, oops."

At Erna's warning, Frey quickly stored the Bloody Goat back in her 【Storage】.

Items in 【Storage】 are frozen in time, so the Bloody Goat was still in the state it had been in when defeated, with its blood not yet drained. The counter was now stained with blood.

Just as suddenly as it had appeared, the Bloody Goat vanished, leaving the other receptionists and adventurers speechless.

"The atmosphere feels a bit strange."

"Yeah. Everyone suddenly went quiet. What's going on?"

Asia and Yoshino exchanged words. In the future's Adventurer's Guild, the children were well-known, so while they might be surprised, it wasn't to this extent. They could sense the difference.

They didn't fully realize how unusual they were, so they didn't understand why everyone was so shocked.

"Hey, hey, what's with these brats?"

Amidst the silence, a rough voice called out from the guild's entrance.

A towering man, nearly two meters tall, with a mohawk and a well-worn battle axe at his waist, entered. He wore a sleeveless leather jacket with shoulder armor, giving him the appearance of a thug straight out of a post-apocalyptic wasteland. Behind him, a group of similarly dressed men filed into the guild.

The mohawked man glared at the children lined up at the counter. Most children would have run away or trembled under such a gaze.

However, the children didn't flinch. Instead, they looked up at the post-apocalyptic gang with curiosity.

"Your hair looks weird."

Linne's casual remark froze the atmosphere in the guild.