Heh heh, it's the best one!
Yeah, right.

　Finally I sit on the bed, nudging Itsuna on my lap, nudging her.
　I can feel Itsuna's back against my chest, warm and my heartbeat.
　I wonder if it's because of her doggie aura that I don't feel like I'm having s*x with her.

"So, how did it go?
Oh, yes. So, you see, the kids want to play with the devil and Mr. Sacagawea!
That's it?
'Yeah, I guess that's all the request itself that the kids said. But, you know, I'm just thinking--

　You just want to play.
　Hmm, wait.
　I'm pretty sure we've seen this pattern before.

"For how long?

　I have a bad feeling about this.
　I interrupt Ituna who is about to say something and ask a question.

''-- Those kids........what?　Um, he said something about wanting to play all the time.
All the time...

　No, it's not possible.
　These kids are going to grow up eventually, and they will until they get bored at best.
　But still.

I'm going to have to estimate that it'll be at least 10 years before the youngest kids stop playing.
Is that what you're saying?

　I don't understand how Ituna can be so unruffled, but........
　It's all settled.

Break your vows!
What? Why?

　Ituna screams in protest at my callous declaration.

'Of course!　I don't know if I can stay with you for ten years of goggle-playing!
'It doesn't have to be demon gobbler. Maybe a game of tag!
It's not about the content of the game!

　It's not a joke at all.
　I'm trying to get my head around the quota as quickly and efficiently as possible, and I'm not going to waste my time playing mommy stuff with those kids!

So the question is, what are you going to do with the proxy pledges?
Wait, wait, wait!　Don't make that decision so easily!　Hear me out!

　As I started to consider bringing it up to the next story, Ituna hung on frantically.

'Did you forget rule two?'

　I feel a little sorry for her, but I check my heart out.
　But Ituna doesn't relent.

''No, it's not!　I'm not asking you to wait for me because I feel sorry for you or anything like that!

　Can I talk to you?　I nodded back as he confirmed it.

'We have a lot of, you know, kids here?　There are plenty of people to play with. Even so, I thought that the fact that he wants adults to play with him shows that he wants adults to play with him.

　Mmm, Ituna sounds like a smart guy sometimes.
　Slurring such long sentences.

''It's true, but why does it have to be me?
'Mr. Sacagawea but I mean, don't be angry with me, okay?　To God--

　Pfft.

Don't be angry!

　Snap!

Yup.
'I've been praying to God, those girls!　I miss the sisters being so busy and not playing with me.　

　Ho-ho-ho.

'Well, um, well, you know, and... um, well...'

　Ituna tempers and becomes sluggish.
　But I understood what she was trying to say.

I mean, the kids wanted someone to play with them because the sisters wouldn't play with them. That's why they called me out. Is that what you're saying?
Yeah, that's it!　I'm sorry I couldn't sum it up better!
No, good job.

　I smiled and stroked her, and then, feeling relieved, Itsuna curled up in my chest like a pampered child.

　It's true that if that's the case, you don't have to break your pledge to do it.
　I can't even think of a particular pledge that can be made on behalf of someone else.

'Then maybe we can get him to rescind his pledge.
Cancel?

　I nodded hawkishly while patting Itsuna's head as she looked up at me with a big smile.

''Yeah. I thought I was summoned with a wish to defeat the Demon King, but just a little while ago, a brave man had defeated the Demon King, and so on.
I see!
In that case, the pledge is rescinded and I'm shipped off to the next world.

　My existence is the agency that makes wishes come true, so to speak.
　Only when there is a summoner who wants to fulfill my wish can I stay in another world.
　So if there's no wish itself, there's no reason to stay in the other world.......I'll have to respond to the next summons.
　But.........

'In this case, it's a pattern of 'the summoner's true wish was different'.
'Real desire?　Yikes.

　He took Ituna in his arms and made her stand by the bed as she asked back.

'Those kids, if it were true, I should have wished them to eliminate the cause of the sisters' busyness, not something to play with,'
I don't want a kid who thinks that scary stuff!

　Really?　No, you're right.
　In the past, I often thought, "I wish my annoying predecessor would go away.
　But it's true that I'm an annoying kid.

But, of all things, I'm the one who's been called out to compensate for my desires. The kids have subconsciously given up on having the sisters play with them. Instead, they get their needs met by letting me play with them.

　I get up from the bed, following Ituna.
　We're going to do it.

Good. First of all, let's examine the sister's daily schedule. There's definitely something in there somewhere that keeps the sisters busy!
This is getting interesting, isn't it?

　Ituna's eyes sparkle for the first time in a long time at my gut punch.

　It's something I have to do anyway.
　Then it's a matter of being thorough, until I enjoy it to the bone!



It all became so easy to understand.
Huh.

　Where was the enthusiasm of earlier?
　Ituna and I were leisurely drinking tea.

　I didn't need to look into the cause of the sisters' busy schedule; it was clearer than fire.

'You've been praying a long time.
..................

　d*mn, they're using these tea leaves that aren't too bad.
　Surely the f*cking gods here must be some evil religion that is tricking people into donating large amounts of money to the cause.

"I've got an idea.
Oh, really?

　Yes.
　You shouldn't be in a vicious religion that forces you to pray for such a long time, I mean!

'Excommunicate the sisters!　Then we won't have to pray.
'No!　Excommunication is usually a no-no, but then the sisters won't be able to stay here and the kids will miss them!

　What, so that I won't be released after all!

d*mn I thought it was a good idea.


　Gunn!
　Ituna made fun of me!
　An idiot called me an idiot....

''What?　Mr. Sacagawea, you're sinking to the ground!

　Oops, I shouldn't.
　I guess my gravity control has gone out of control due to my mood being a downer, haha.
　Huh.....

It's a yawn!
Have fun!
I don't like it.

　Ugh, you kids, you don't even know what people think.
　Let's just kidnap the kids and send them all to the demon world like real demons.

Oh, no. Hey, guys. The demon misses the demon world, so let's go!

　I don't know what Ituna has figured out, but she dismisses the kids from me.
　Fine play, Itsuna.....

　Ituna.....
　Oh, no, killing the sisters and making them stop praying is just the end of the world.
　The only thing I can think of is how to free the kids from this world and make their lonely, playful desires disappear.
　I can't do that in front of Itsuna.

　I'm afraid I've been trying to do too much lately.
　I think it's okay to just relax in this other world for a little while....
　No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no.

"d*mn, isn't there some kind of boss that is easy to beat and it's the end of the story?

　What did I say, so there's a knock on the back door.

'Ooh, the boss came through the air!

　I jumped up and rushed to the door, but of course it wasn't the boss.
　On the other side of the door was a small, dirty looking bald father.

'Oh, you're new?'
Yeah, yeah, well,

　A balding father wiped sweat off his hands with a hand towel, smiling a friendly smile.
　Judging from his clothes, he might be a farmer.

All right, I'll take the donations to the warehouse like I always do. Tell the sisters I said hi.
'Oh, yes ... and hey!　All of this!

　Outside the door was a cart with a ridiculous amount of cargo, several of them.

'Oh, oh. Oh, yeah, that's all the villagers collected. In times like these, we need to help each other out.
Helping each other out... hey. Can I see this for a minute?
Yeah, go ahead.

　I'll ask my bald dad's permission to let me reform the package.
　I also remember to secretly activate my appraisal eye.

　When I saw the results, I made a business smile and looked back at my bald father.

You've given me something of such high quality, haven't you?
Oh, you know what I mean?　Yes, the crops have been coming in quite well lately.
But I'm surprised you gave me so much. I wonder why.
'Yes, and that is, of course, in gratitude to the fertility god, Raiely Lancia...'

　Bald Dad's sweat wiping speed increased.
　'Lies, isn't it ... you're hiding something.

That's a wonderful consideration. But this is indeed too much. I'll give you some back.
Yeah, no, that's... umm...
How can I help you?

　He smiles and asks his bald father, who has a toothless smile.

"No, I don't think it's okay for me to talk about it.
Of course.

　Gritting his teeth.

'....God forgives all.

　I managed to say it off by putting a whisper, shit, on my head.

'That's not how it works, is it?'

　My bald dad looked unrepentant, but he told me what happened.

''........So that's what happened.
Don't tell the sisters what I say.

　The bald dad left in a buzz.
　I'm no longer interested in his back.

'I finally got my tail ... the tail of this otherworldly boss.

　I turn myself around and head to the chapel where the sisters are.



　Even though it was a chapel, it was a small convent.
　Rather than a solemn atmosphere, it even had a warmth to it that would be acceptable to anyone who was friendly.

　This is where the sisters are still praying.
　They are praying innocent, idle, futile prayers.
　Forever and ever.

'Yo, Sister,'

　When I called out to her, of course, the sisters didn't look back.
　I wondered if it was against the commandment to interrupt her prayers or something like that.

You're praying a little too much, aren't you?　Yeah, you can just listen to me. I'll speak for myself.

　If it were true, I wouldn't be allowed to interfere with your prayers.
　Unfortunately, I'm a punishing slaughterer who kills a lot of people and gods in my profession, so I don't care about that.

'Twelve hours. I heard you've been praying for twelve hours, except for the bare minimum of food, hydration and flower picking. Even the bishop of the city is an unbeliever compared to you. You have a lot of guts. At first I wondered if your pious attitude was being rewarded with donations of quality food, but I guess I was wrong. The recent economic boom is thanks to the victory over the barbarians in the Northern Logging War. I heard that the country has been benefiting from the war with the barbarians.

　I heard it's said to be a blessing from the fertility god, Raiely Lancia.
　To a barbarian, a fertility god would be nothing more than an evil god who raises a people to plunder the land and crops.

Those kids are war orphans. They were starving for ... well, for their parents.

　That's why it could be a pledge enough to get me called out.

But even this is just background information. 'But this is just background information,' he said, 'and even the information about the victory is just that these villages can afford to give away a wide variety of high quality foodstuffs to a small monastery under the guise of donations. Even your prayers to the fertility gods to give back so much of your crop... is a deafening deception that the villagers tell themselves, that they are led to believe.
　There is one point, and one point only.

　He pauses for a breath and then tells you.

"Your brother was killed in the Battle of the North.

　The celebration of the prayer ceased.

'Your family has been taken away from ... no. Taken away by the convenience of the world.'

　I can't see the expression on Sister's face from me, but I can imagine what she's remembering by looking at her back.

"Now that you know, it's easy enough. You're still praying for your brother's peace. Or maybe you're praying for self-discipline because you can't take out your anger at the unreasonable loss of your brother, but, well, there's a lot going on there, and I won't ask. What I'm trying to find out is how long you're going to continue this stupid escapism by turning your back on the kids. Your beloved brother is not coming back forever, and he's not even coming back to God. So your prayers to the gods are just a waste of time and effort, and if you have the time to do that, you should live your brother's life to the fullest...



You......



　At that moment, I was pushed down with tremendous force.



''What do you know!



　The sisters hit me, covering me and crying out.
　It's as if all the calm I had been praying for was erased. She was shaking her monk's robes and flailing about like the ocean that had turned into a great tempest.

　I dared to break free and disable all the cheats, and was beaten over and over again as I was done.
　If she didn't, she would destroy Sister's body.
　Before that, they would share her pain and receive her pain and anger, but defending is the ultimate in tactlessness.

''Well that's your face.''

　Oh, how awful.
　Ugly.
　It's hard to believe that he's a messenger of God, he looks like a demon.

　But it's all good.
　It's the scariest thing I've ever seen and it's awesome.

That's all I need to see. That's what I wanted to see.

　Oh, sister.
　We get to see some of the best shit we've ever seen.
　If you're a godd*mn, God-slaying, demonic bastard, I'm just gonna let you beat the shit out of him until it's all right with you.