Burp.
“Hey, Noah, say that again. What did that girl do to you?”
“Uh, um… burp… That, well…”
Rubia, trembling with a voice as if she were biting each word out, gritted her teeth.
“…But I think Noah messed up. Don’t you think, Hermila?”
“That’s right. Rubia struggled alone for over a year; this time, it seems Noah’s at fault.”
“Ugh…”
I glanced sideways at Charlotte and Hermila, who weren’t on my side.
They shrugged their shoulders, looking smug.
“No, I didn’t want to… g-gosh…”
“…Right. I believe you. Noah wouldn’t want that. It’s not your fault. That girl seduced you into this. I’m sure.”
But Rubia spoke as if she knew ‘Rubia’s’ thoughts better than anyone.
“Still, though… a little, just a little… I’m upset. And… I know I shouldn’t feel this way, but… I kind of hate Noah a bit too.”
“W-What? You… hate me?”
I quickly turned away, squirming.
My back, still damp from being close to Rubia, trembled, but I held back and stared at her.
She had a face that seemed both sad and angry.
“Uh… R-Rubia… I’m sorry…”
“…You couldn’t help it in that situation. I understand.”
Rubia shook her head while stroking my hair.
Charlotte and Hermila, watching Rubia, whispered to me what I could hear.
“Wow. Hermila, you know how scary that ‘I understand’ can be, right?”
“Of course. I’ve seen so many relationships that start with understanding but end up fizzling out from exhaustion.”
“Yikes…”
I immediately turned to look at Rubia.
Her expression remained unchanged.
Sad yet helpless.
I kissed her on the slightly drooping corner of her lips.
Charlotte muttered something like, “Look at that fox,” but I didn’t stop kissing.
Peck. Peck. Peck.
With every kiss, Rubia’s smile twitched.
Her eyes widened, and her face turned pink.
The heat from our bodies grew hotter.
Peck. Peck.
“I’m… sorry, Rubia… yes…?”
“Mm…”
A delicate snort.
Rubia, who had been looking at me coldly, brought her forehead to mine. Her hand that wrapped around my waist slid down to my hips, while her other hand lifted my chin.
“It makes me think that maybe Noah was the one to seduce first.”
“Y-Yeah…? I-I didn’t… do that…”
Her nose brushed against mine. Rubia’s hair, flowing down, tickled my shoulder.
“Yes. I know you didn’t intend to do that. But that’s what makes it even riskier.”
Then, with a giggle, Rubia looked up and smiled brightly.
“I was only joking. While I was genuinely upset, I don’t actually hate Noah. I’m just grateful that Noah is back. So, don’t worry about these little things. But if you still feel guilty… yes. Properly apologize at night.”
“N-Night…?”
Rubia’s hand gripped my backside tightly.
“Got it.”
I swallowed hard and slowly turned my back.
“Damn.”
“Now you’re not even embarrassed… Noah has… fallen.”
There were Charlotte and Hermila, looking at us with lukewarm gazes.
“Anyway, let’s finish the story we were discussing. So, what happened next?”
Next… uh, where did I leave off?
“I talked about what I thought was Lilith actually being my future self.”
“Oh, right… so what happened next—”
From there, my story flowed continuously.
About divine power.
About Lilith.
About ‘Rubia.’
The promises we shared through trials.
The story of keeping that promise.
And the tale of saving her.
Here and there… Rubia emitted incredibly sharp killing intent, but… in the end, the story wrapped up well.
And then the last story.
I glanced at Charlotte and Hermila, then at Rubia, leaving behind what I did during the year I disappeared.
All three of them stared at me with blank expressions.
…Did I make my explanation too complicated?
“So, uh, Noah. You… to save Rubia, what exactly did you do?”
“I broke it…!”
“…What?”
“Uh… the world…? No, like, everything…?”
Slap! Charlotte’s palm hit her forehead, and she slumped into the sofa’s embrace.
“And then, you re-created it? The world?”
“Uhmm…”
Re-creating the world was a bit off…
“Um, I just left it broken, you see…”
“What about the regulations or whatever? If those things are shattered, and gods go missing, then those nameless freaks could just come barging in.”
“Uh… right?”
“But if you become a god, neither you nor Rubia can exist in this world.”
“Y-Yeah.”
“So, you just left it broken?”
“Yup…”
“And that broken thing, the regulations or whatever, you took its role?”
I nodded.
After some time of gaping, Charlotte eventually spoke.
“…So, uh, you’re a god?”
Huh…? What the heck are you saying?
I just mentioned becoming a god would make it complicated to return here.
“Uh, no, I’m not a god…?”
“What, then? I mean, you filled that void, right?”
“That’s true…”
“But you say you’re not a god?”
“Right…?”
“Then, what are you?”
“I’m… Noah?”
Charlotte, who had been raising her fists and banging on the desk, let out a grr sound.
“I can’t grasp this at all. How about you, Hermila?”
“…Same here.”
“What about you, Rubia?”
“I… also find it a bit challenging.”
I looked around at the faces of the three in confusion.
They all had bewildered looks on their faces.
…Clearly, I must’ve not explained it well.
“Then, Noah.”
Rubia, who had been lost in thought for a while, finally spoke.
“Can you tell us how you filled that void so the world could be maintained?”
“Of course. Uhmm…”
Now, how do I explain this…
What’s the easiest way to clarify it?
While I pondered, a brilliant method struck me.
“Shall I show you…?”
Exactly! Just showing them will work.
I had everything mostly sorted out, so it wouldn’t be risky, and even if some outsiders barged in, I could protect these three.
And showing them would also explain what I did during that missing year!
Of course, I’m a genius.
“I’ll just show you…!”
I hopped out of Rubia’s embrace and took her hand.
“Charlotte and Hermila, come along too.”
“…Where to?”
With Rubia trailing behind me, she tilted her head.
“I can’t describe where, but… let’s just go. You’ll figure everything out once we arrive! And you’ll understand what I did for that year!”
Rubia’s eyes widened.
“I’ll go.”
Soon enough, Hermila also nodded, pulling her chair back with a scrape.
“I shall join as well.”
Observing the two stand up, Charlotte remarked.
“…Will it take long? Even though I might look this way, I’m supposed to be an emperor, and it’ll be pretty troublesome if I’m away too long.”
She asked with a worried expression.
“…Uh, it shouldn’t take long…?”
It should only take a moment to show them, so it won’t take ages.
“Okay… then, let’s go. I need to know something to respond to whatever happens. Whether I can or not is debatable.”
Finally, Charlotte rose as well.
“But can we go straight from here?”
“Uh… we can, but…”
I wondered if it’d be okay to open a ‘door’ here.
“By the way, is the soundproofing good here…?”
“Soundproof? Yeah, it’s fine, right?”
“Then… hmm…”
I’ve only ever opened a ‘door’ there, so I wasn’t sure what would happen… but surely the Imperial Palace wouldn’t fall apart, right?
“We can go…”
“…It’s really safe, right?”
“Yes…! Just trust me…!”
Charlotte gulped as she approached me, and Hermila steadied herself to my side.
In contrast, Rubia clung to my hand as if she had faith in me, showing no signs of tension.
That’s just like Rubia.
“Alright… I’ll begin now.”
After receiving consent from Hermila, Charlotte, and Rubia, I placed my hand over my chest.
I felt a little pulse of excitement and then clenched my hand.
Boom—! The subtle tremor transformed into a colossal thrum, shaking the office.
“Whoa?! Noah! Is this… really okay?!”
“W-Wait a second… Noah? What the heck is this…?”
Charlotte and Hermila clung tightly to my waist and arms, their faces white as a sheet.
Should I reassure them?
Nah, I don’t think it’s necessary.
I merely smiled quietly and raised my tightly clenched hand.
―――!
With an enormous roar, the great sword appeared, scattering crimson energy everywhere.
The sound… is way louder than I expected.
Since I’ve only drawn it in open areas, I didn’t realize it would be so intense in such a cramped space.
…I should probably ask Hephaestus later to make me just one great sword.
“Whoa!! At this rate!! Soundproofing is, hell no!! It’s completely useless!!!”
Charlotte shouted, burying her voice beneath the roaring sound while clinging to my waist.
Hermila still trembled, her face pale.
What about Rubia?
She still looked like she believed in me… Uh, wait.
Rubia also had a slightly frightened face.
I need to finish this quickly…
“I’m going to open it…!”
“What, what are you opening?!”
Hearing Charlotte’s scream, I lifted the great sword.
Crimson divine power surged from me, filling the office.
And then, in the center of the blue sky visible outside the window.
No, now it’s in the center of the blood-red sky.
The black sun rose.
…I wasn’t expecting this.
For now… let’s pretend I didn’t see that.
…Surely, Charlotte will handle it.
Kukuku Even though my conscience pricked me, I ignored it and swung down the great sword.
Zzzzt—
A thin line formed, warping space. It twisted, tore, and opened up.
A door large enough for four people to pass through.
The door opened. A deafening roar erupted. My divine power poured from the open door, dyeing the office, the Imperial Palace, and then the entire territory in its crimson hue.
Sweat dripped from me, but I thought Charlotte would take care of it while I stepped through the wide-open door.
Meanwhile, Charlotte, whom I had dumped everything onto, was muttering, “World, damn it…”
As if she was wronged.
…Hehe.
This is quite the problem.
