第319話~悶々としながら体を動かす~
バカでかいワームや変な魔物の巣とやらを掘り起こさないように戦々恐々としながらソレル山地の一部である名もなき山の山裾をガシガシと掘りながら、チラリと採集拠点へと視線を向ける。アクアウィルさん達は採集拠点に設置しておいたバルコニーでこちらの様子を見守ってくれているようだ。
「そのような記憶は......無いこともないような」
初対面で服が崩れかけたのをチラッと目撃したとか、彼女の母であるセラフィータさんや姉であるドリアーダさん、イフリータと仲良くしてるとか。
「まぁ、一番気に入らないのは彼女のお父さんの立ち位置に俺がすっぽり収まってしまってることじゃないのかね」
「あー、なるほどっすね」
彼女とシルフィ達の父であり、セラフィータさんの夫でもあるイクスウィルさん――メリナード王国の前王陛下はアクアウィルさんを含めたシルフィ以外の家族の命と尊厳を守るため、自らの命と魂を対価として時間ごと全てを凍りつかせて果てた。
一方、俺は黒き森とオミット大荒野の境に迷い出た俺はシルフィと出会い、クラフト能力を駆使して解放軍を支え、最終的にメリナード王国から聖王国の連中を叩き出すことに成功した。シルフィの手によって凍りついていたアクアウィルさん達の時間は再び動き始め、紆余曲折あって俺はセラフィータさんと仲良くなり、ドリアーダさんに気に入られ、イフリータとつるむことになったわけだな。
セラフィータさんにはセラフィータさんの、ドリアーダさんにはドリアーダさんの、イフリータにはイフリータの事情や思惑、様々な思いがあって俺と絆を育むことになったのだろうけど、それは自然の流れみたいなもの――いや、俺の能力が影響している可能性は拭えないのだが――であるはずだ。何かイクスウィルさんに思うところがあっての行動ではないだろう。
俺だってイクスウィルさんの居なくなった隙間に入り込んでやろうという思惑のもとに行動したわけではない。勿論、シルフィの家族なのだから仲良くしようとは思っていたし、セラフィータさんに関してはかなり思いつめて精神的に危うげな感じだったので、色々と踏み込み過ぎてしまったきらいはある。
それでも、別に俺はイクスウィルさんに取って代わってやろうとか、蔑ろにしようとか、そういう意図は一切無いし、無かったのだ。
「そうなんだろうな」
ミスリルシャベルでザクザクと山裾を掘り返しながらトズメの言葉に頷く。
多分だけど、誰も悪くはないんだよな。いや、うーん......セラフィータさんの対応が若干まずかったのかもしれないけど、彼女は彼女で下手すれば自殺しかねない程に精神的に弱ってたからなぁ。
夫を失った上に、多くの守るべき民を失い、苦難に喘がせる羽目になったということに責任を感じて押し潰されそうになっていた彼女を支えることが出来たのは、ある意味で完全なる部外者であった俺だけだったのだろうし、そうしなければ彼女は今頃どうなっていたかもわからない。
「ま、根気よくやっていくしかないな」
「そして旦那のハーレムにまた人が増えるんすね」
「そういう意図で仲良くしようとしてるわけじゃないからね?」
俺の言葉にベラがニヒヒと楽しそうに笑って応える。別にエルフの四姉妹姫全員の攻略を企んでるとかそういう話じゃないから。
というか、シルフィはともかくとしてドリアーダさんが俺を慕ってくれて、それどころかいつの間にか他のメンバーに混ざって俺とそういう関係になっていることのほうが実は大問題と言うか、意味がわからないんだよな。彼女とも一度じっくり腰を据えて話をしなければなるまい。本当に今更だけども。
「モテる男は大変だねェ?」
「おかしいんだよなぁ。俺は元々そんなにモテる性質じゃなかったのに......やっぱこの能力が何か悪さをしてるんだろうか」
相手は時すら停めて俺に干渉してくるような存在だ。俺の能力経由で俺の周囲にいる異性の心を操ることなど造作もあるまい。そう考えると今の状況は恐ろしいな。この能力が突如消失してしまったりしたら、俺や俺を慕ってくれている人達との関係は一体どうなってしまうのだろうか?
「どうしたの? 突然顔色を悪くして」
「嫌な想像をしちゃっただけだ。考えても仕方がないことをな」
何もかも今更だ。もし俺が能力を失い、皆の信頼をも同時に失ってしまったとしても俺は俺にやれることをやるだけだ。いよいよどうにもならなくなるまで足掻くだけだな。
そう言いながらふと採集拠点の方に目をやると、アクアウィルさん達が双眼鏡を空に向けているところだった。何を見ているのかと思ったら、どうやら空の彼方に大きく見える地球型惑星――確かオミクルと言ったか――を見ているらしい。
「あの星にはどんな生き物が住んでるのかね」
「あの星って、オミクルのことかい?」
「神様が済んでるって話っすよね?」
「え? あの世って話じゃなかった?」
「魔物の大地って話じゃなかったかい?」
「バラバラなのかよ」
三者三様の答えが出てきて思わず突っ込む。まぁ、見えるとは言っても雲と海と陸地だけだし、そもそも遠すぎて何があるのかもよくわからない。ふむ、遠くてよく見えないか。
「天体観測なんてのも良いかもな」
「てんたいかんそく?」
「うん。まぁ、夜になってご飯食べてからな」
採集拠点にはこれと言った娯楽もないので、暗くなったら晩御飯を食べて風呂に入って寝るだけだ。護衛対象である俺とアクアウィルさんはともかく、俺達を守るその他の人達は酒を飲んでへべれけになるわけにもいかないので、晩酌をするというわけにもいかないしな。倍率の高い天体望遠鏡でも作って、皆で天体観測をするというのは面白い試みかもしれない。幸い、ここは周りに人家なども無いのでそれはよく星やオミクルやこの世界の月であるラニクルがよく見えることだろう。
「そうと決まればお仕事をしっかり果たすとするかね」
鉱石と土、粘土を十分に採集したら木材も調達しなければならない。どれだけ使うかわからないのだし、インベントリの容量には今の所限界も無いようなので、資材はいくらあっても困らないのだから、重篤な環境破壊にならない程度にごっそりと採集してしまうことにしよう。
今は考えるよりも身体を動かす時間だ。
320 Episode 319 - Moving The Body In Agony
As we shoveled the base of the nameless mountain that is part of the Sorel Mountains, we glanced at the collection point, shuffling around the foot of the mountain, trying to avoid digging up a nest of ridiculously large worms and strange monsters. I'm sure you'll find that Aquawill and the others are watching over us from the balcony we've set up at the collection point.
Such memories can be found at ......
I've seen glimpses of her clothes nearly falling off at their first meeting, or that she's friends with her mother, Seraphita, and her sister, Doriada, and Ifrita.
Well, isn't the thing you don't like the most about me fitting into her father's position?
"Oh, I see.
Her and Sylphy's father and Seraphita's husband, Mr. Ixwil - the former king of the Merinard Kingdom - ended up freezing everything in time in exchange for his own life and soul in order to protect the lives and dignity of his family members other than Sylphy, including Mr. Aquawill.
Meanwhile, I was lost on the border of the Black Forest and the Great Wilderness of Omit, where I met Silfi and used my crafting abilities to support the Liberation Army and finally succeeded in beating the Holy Kingdom's people out of the Kingdom of Merinard. The time of Mr. Aquawill and his friends started moving again after being frozen by Sylphy's hand, and after some twists and turns, I became friends with Seraphita, Doriada liked me, and I ended up hanging out with Iphrita, didn't I?
I'm sure Serafita had her own reasons and thoughts about it, and I'm sure I had my own reasons and thoughts about it, but it was like a natural progression - no, my I can't shake the possibility that my abilities are affected by it - but it should be. I'm not sure if you have any feelings for Mr. Ixwil.
I didn't act with the intention of stepping into the void of Mr. Ixwil's disappearance either. Of course, since they are Silphy's family, I was trying to get along with them, and since Seraphita was feeling quite stressed and mentally compromised, I might have stepped in too many things.
But still, I don't have any intention of replacing him, or belittling him, or anything like that.
I guess so.
Nodding to Tosume's words while digging through the foothills with a mithril shovel.
Maybe, but it's not anyone's fault, is it? No, hmm ...... maybe Seraphita's handling of the situation was a little bad, but she was her and she was so mentally weak that she could kill herself if she was not good enough.
I'm sure that I was the only one who was able to support her, who was almost crushed by the responsibility of losing her husband, losing many of her people to protect, and having to gasp in hardship, in a sense, I was a complete outsider, and I don't know what would have happened to her now if I hadn't done that.
Well, we'll just have to be patient.
"And there will be more people in your husband's harem.
"I'm not trying to be friendly, you know?
I'm not saying that I'm planning to attack all four elven sisters or anything like that. It's not that I'm planning to capture all four elven sister princesses or anything like that.
It's actually a big deal, or maybe it doesn't make sense to me that, aside from Sylphy, Doriada-san adores me and, in fact, before I know it, she's in that kind of relationship with me along with the rest of the members. I'll have to sit down and have a long talk with her. It's really too late for that, though.
It's hard to be a man who is popular, isn't it?
'It's funny. I wasn't really that popular to begin with. ...... I wonder if this ability is doing something wrong?
They are the kind of beings that even stop time to interfere with me. It's not possible to control the minds of the opposite sex around me via my ability. I'm not going to be able to get rid of it. If this ability suddenly disappeared, what would happen to me and my relationships with those who love me?
What's going on? Suddenly you look pale.
I just had a bad imagination. I can't help but think about it.
Everything is a bit late now. If I lose my ability and everyone's trust in me at the same time, I'll just do what I can do. It's just a matter of struggling until there's nothing left to do.
As I said this, I looked toward the collection point, where Aquawill and his team were pointing their binoculars at the sky. I wondered what they were looking at, but they seemed to be looking at a large terrestrial planet in the distance in the sky - I believe it was called Omikuru.
'I wonder what kind of creatures live on that planet?
Is that star an omicule?
We're talking about God's done, right?
"Huh? I thought you were talking about the afterlife?
Wasn't there a story about the land of demons?
"It's in pieces!
I couldn't help but poke around as three different answers came out. Well, although I can see it, it's only clouds, sea and land, and it's too far away to know what's there in the first place. Hmm, too far away to see clearly.
Maybe astronomical observation is a good idea, too.
"Tentaikaungsu?
Yes. Well, you'll have dinner in the evening.
There is no entertainment in the collection base, so we just eat dinner, bathe, and sleep after dark. Aside from me and Aquawill, who are our guards, the rest of the people who will be guarding us can't afford to get sloppy with alcohol, so it's not like we'll be having a nightcap. It would be interesting to build a high-powered telescope and observe the stars together. Fortunately, there are no houses in the vicinity, so it will be a good way to see the stars, the omicule, and the runicule, the moon of this world.
If that's the case, I'll do my job well.
Once we've collected enough ore, soil, and clay, we'll have to procure wood as well. Since we don't know how much we will use, and since there seems to be no limit to the capacity of our inventory at the moment, we can have as much material as we want without causing serious environmental damage, so we'll just collect it quietly and quietly.
Now is the time to move our bodies rather than think.
Goshujin-sama to Yuku Isekai Survival!
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