I’m a fundamental otaku, so I’m the type to really scrutinize the concept of abilities.
Whether it’s when I watch comics or anime, or even when I play games! Since I hardly play online games, I usually just raise my characters according to my preferences. Of course, if the character concept is clear like in a JRPG, then I won’t think of raising it in another way.
Anyway, that’s why I’ve thought about how to return to my original world when the time comes.
Should I make a grand entrance or just quietly slip back?
We concluded that a quiet return would be the best.
The Emperor didn’t particularly want to draw attention to our return, and Alice and Claire agreed with my words.
We confirmed the bright glow of the portal and took about a week to prepare.
Taking our time, we decided what we would leave behind and what we would take with us.
Alice chose a lot of books. She thought about preparing solutions to whatever might happen in the future once we returned.
Claire mostly packed photographs. It seemed she didn’t want to let go of the memories we built while living here. Besides that, she grabbed a few souvenirs.
The Emperor was… similar to Alice.
“Are you thinking of doing politics again over there?”
“Well, this is my idea; may I share it?”
“…Please go ahead.”
At my words, the Emperor shrugged.
“My shadow won’t disappear so easily. Of course, I might be imprisoned for quite a while. I might even lose the throne. But I don’t think they’ll execute me.”
“….”
I had thought up to that point as well.
“And even while imprisoned, there will be those who fear my name. My political enemies won’t easily attack Alice just because I’m ‘alive.’”
Alice nodded at those words.
“Are you suggesting we use your name?”
“That’s correct. And I could also give some advice in my own way.”
“….”
When I shot the Emperor a glare, he shrugged it off as if it were nothing.
“Well, it’s not that big of a deal. The advice I could offer would be just to apply my knowledge to estimate the current state of the Empire. As long as Alice doesn’t hand over all the Empire’s information, I can’t manipulate her. Besides, I didn’t raise my daughter to fall for those sweet words.”
Alice glared at the Emperor, but he continued speaking nonchalantly.
“I failed to take over the world. But the Empire is still my homeland. I can’t let it fall apart easily. And even if I wanted to manipulate Alice, I assume you wouldn’t think of leaving her side, would you?”
That was… true.
Of course, I had no intention of becoming the Emperor, and I wasn’t planning to rise to any official position, but if Alice were to take the throne, I would become first in line for succession.
So, naturally, I had to help Alice wholeheartedly, and that was my plan as well.
“So… hmm, it feels a bit odd to say this, but you probably don’t need to worry too much.”
“I understand.”
In the end, I could only nod at those words.
We brought the packed items into the living room. A large hiking backpack was almost full. Honestly, it was tough to carry around, but it wouldn’t be a big problem as long as I could head to Azernar.
And—
“About your family in your world…”
The Emperor spoke to me.
“I’ve been thinking about how to give them money.”
“…Is that so?”
“Yes. I believe the simplest answer is simply ‘to give it.’”
“Didn’t you say you’d think of another way?”
“I had a few ideas, but most would take too long. The most straightforward method is just to levy a tax and give them the money.”
“….”
“So, I think we have no choice but to meet them directly.”
“…Father.”
Alice spoke up, but the Emperor was only looking directly at me.
“If you don’t want to, then I won’t force you.”
I pondered seriously and eventually nodded.
“Have you thought about what you will say?”
“Yes.”
The Emperor nodded with a smile.
*
I… had no desire to meet my family in person.
If I got too close to even talk, I might end up crying or calling out “Mom”, or something like that.
In the end, what I chose was to describe my family’s appearances, tell their names, and things like that.
That wasn’t too difficult. I could easily find a place with a family photo. The computer I used was still in my small apartment, and we took it with us when we moved.
…It seems the Goddess thought a family photo wasn’t information that would disrupt the world’s order.
Well, it’s not like I could do anything just by having that. My ‘previous life’ in this world was already a dead person, and they were a real existence. Such photos would likely already be in my family’s computer.
I memorized their faces with the family photo, memorized names, addresses, and contact details.
The method the Emperor came up with was simple.
Open a bank account, deposit some money, and say, ‘Your son made a fortune in coins. I’ve been protecting that money until I finally found you.’ He would also explain that he was handing over the money because he had invested as seed money for stock trading.
He had many other sad stories prepared, but I figured it wasn’t necessary to enumerate them one by one. It was all just made-up anyway.
At a glance, it seemed like a somewhat… flimsy plan, but I had no choice but to rely on the Emperor’s oratory skills.
Alice, Claire, and I set up a spot on the second floor of a café near the apartment where my family lived, watching the street below.
Outside, the Emperor was waiting for my family.
After about 20 minutes of waiting…
“Ah.”
In the distance, I could see my family.
Even at such a far distance where their faces were barely visible, I hadn’t seen them for years, yet I still recognized them.
Mother, Father, and my younger sibling.
The three of them were walking together happily.
It seemed the Emperor spotted my family as well.
With a demeanor that showed no hesitation, he headed toward them.
When the Emperor approached and spoke…
The three of them seemed very taken aback.
I slowly sipped my coffee, watching as they talked.
As the Emperor spoke, at first, they reacted with uncertainty, but when the Emperor handed over the bankbook, it looked like they figured out the truth.
The climax was… the letter I wrote.
Currently, I had no way to prove that I am me. So the choice I made was to write my will myself.
“If anything happens to me, please send all the investments to my family,” I penned, which wasn’t a particularly long sentence.
But since it was written in my handwriting, I figured they would recognize it. Among my belongings, there were probably many things with my writing on them.
If they did a handwriting analysis, it would surely match mine, after all. It was something I wrote myself.
My mother took the bankbook and will, hugging them to her chest.
The Emperor exchanged a few more words with her, shook hands with my father and sibling, and then bowed respectfully before turning away.
The three of them quietly watched as the Emperor walked away, then slowly turned back toward the apartment.
“Are you okay?”
“What?”
Alice suddenly spoke up, causing me to flinch.
When I turned my head, I saw Alice looking at me with a slightly worried expression. The drink in her glass hadn’t decreased at all.
“Are you sure you’re okay without meeting them directly?”
“….”
Truthfully, I wasn’t completely okay, but I felt this was sufficient.
I knew all three were safe, and I had seen that a fair amount of money was passed to them.
The reason I didn’t write a long letter was to avoid raising any suspicious points while reading it and to show that this wasn’t written as a genuine will.
Who would seriously write down detailed content while making a will to someone while investing money? At least, that’s not my personality.
I wrote it because I was told to, trying to create a casual atmosphere.
So—
“Yes, I’m fine.”
I figured that someday I would be able to meet them again. That’s what I believed.
“…Big brother.”
Claire gently placed her hand on my shoulder.
“….”
I turned my gaze back to the window.
The three of them were slowly walking into the complex, eventually entering the apartment building.
As the lights in the communal entrance lit up, their faces became clear even from afar. They looked a bit… sad.
“This is enough.”
I set my glass down and said with a slight smile.
“My family is here right now.”
At my words, both Alice and Claire smiled a little.
Yeah, I should go meet the Emperor again.
And… I should thank him for today.
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