Volume 6 Chapter 108 The Sun Is Yellow
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
The sun is yellow. Ah, the sun is yellow.
This is the result of engaging in the sacred act of life. During the act itself, a sense of happiness and the rushing pleasure make me feel invincible. But after fulfilling my duty as a male, I’m exhausted and drained.
It’s like the feeling of salmon after spawning—though in this world, salmon apparently return to the sea energetically after spawning.
Although the ultimate goal of the “Bedchamber Technique” is to not let any leak, making babies is a different story. The relay of life is a risky business.
T/N: “Bedchamber Technique” — a euphemism for careful control during sexual intercourse to prevent pregnancy or leakage.
In this world, humans don’t get pregnant easily, so there’s immense pressure from the family. They say that if you’re not blessed with children, your in-laws will even barge into your bedroom. Auroora-hime, Saria-chan, and Shea-chan are the ones who might pay us a surprise visit. As for Auroora-hime’s younger brother, he won’t be able to enter the bedroom, so it would probably be someone like a lady-in-waiting. Saria and Shea’s mamas live nearby, which is problematic.
Being watched by beautiful mommies while doing various things with their daughters would be a treat for some people with peculiar preferences, but it’s not my cup of tea.
Recently, there have been many books about pregnancy sent to me from my uncle in Japan. Why are there so many of them? But fertility is indeed important. If we can’t boost the birth rate in this world, even if we manage to defeat the Demon Lord this time, the human race won’t have a future.
Although there are no statistics, the word “brothers” might become obsolete because of the world’s low birth rate. As far as I know, only Auroora-hime has a younger brother. Tizzy’s siblings are all deceased, and they were all older half-brothers, I think.
Despite the fact that wall barley has ensured no one starves, the birth rate has decreased dramatically, resulting in a population decline. Apparently, having ten siblings used to be common, but now, only one child is born.
At this rate, the population will halve with each generation. This world’s future is genuinely perilous, yet the sense of crisis seems muted.
* * *
Perhaps some divine power is controlling the population so it doesn’t explode due to the availability of wall barley. The Grand Shrine’s stance is that as long as one believes in the gods, everything will eventually work out for the best. But the shrine maidens seem to know very little about the gods’ nature.
Anyway, last night, I successfully satisfied both my wives, Miss Floria arranging a schedule that ensures all my wives are content. I’m truly grateful to her for that. Her role as the manager of the harem makes me think of Kasuga no Okoto’s story. Miss Floria isn’t an evil woman, but Kasuga might not have been either. There are just some things beyond our control.
T/N: “Kasuga no Okoto” — a historical figure from Japanese history known for managing palace affairs, sometimes associated with complex power dynamics.
The instinct to leave descendants has never considered my health. It’s ready to sacrifice me for the cause, pushing my limits. My heart rate was alarming. No wonder people die of heart failure.
I knew that managing a harem was going to be tough. But I didn’t think it would be any easier with human girls. I’m considering using the Dragon God’s Herb, but I hesitate to rely on an elixir so easily. It’s a last resort. I do have some Japanese nutrition drinks sent by my uncle, who claimed they’re an instant cure for the common cold. Since they have long shelf lives when stored in my magic bag, I haven’t brought myself to drink them. It’s a kind of elixir syndrome, I guess.
In the end, quality sleep is the most important thing. The Demon King stuff has doubled the king’s workload, but I’ve decided to only do the bare minimum with a will of steel.
”We’ve been flooded with inquiries about the pottery factory,” I said.
”Well… should we just throw it all to the relevant parties?” SheaShea asked.
”Is that really okay? With bribery, equipment theft, and it seems like it’ll end with the engineers being poached…” she added, her concerns probably turning out to be true.
This is that kind of world. Just passing the buck will lead to even more hassle later on.
I get it! I really do, but we can’t handle everything ourselves, me and SheaShea. Not enough time? Dragon’s nest? How about that solution?
It might be a betrayal, but isn’t it also important to trust and leave it to others? It’s a necessary process to expand the business further.
”How about we give it a shot, even if it’s a long shot? If we know in advance that we’ll be betrayed, dealing with it will be easier. Plus, having the Yakou apprentice squad keep an eye on things would be good training,” I proposed.
”I see, it’s like a decoy operation. You catch them in a situation where they can’t make excuses and then execute them as a warning. It’s that kind of ‘serves you right’ development, huh?” SheaShea replied, her tone darkening.
Trying to preach the importance of trusting people somehow ended up provoking SheaShea’s dark side. Also, I think that ‘serves you right’ development is a bit different from my definition.
Well, whatever. If you don’t commit a crime, there’s no need to punish. Let’s leave it to SheaShea to see what happens.
Now then, time to sleep. It’s morning nap time! The privilege of the powerful! In this world, even commoners take morning and afternoon naps as a matter of course.
”There are people here to request an audience with Your Majesty,” the hardworking page announced.
He brings work without missing a beat. Hired through connections with Sar-Sar. Loyalty seems high, but he looks like a useless hard worker.
* * *
They say they’re already waiting in the waiting room, so it can’t be helped. If it’s not urgent, should I ask them to leave? No, if it’s gotten this far, it’d be quicker to have a meeting.
”Hey, long time no see. Looks like you’ve climbed the ranks quite a bit,” he said.
A well-tanned group. For a moment, I didn’t recognize them.
Ah, it’s the Professor and his merry band, isn’t it? Didn’t they get exiled because of the chicken farm issue?
”I heard you were exiled, but did you get a pardon or something?” I asked.
Acting less like a king and more like an acquaintance. That’s why I came in casual clothes without changing.
”There’s no guard, so I’m not sure if it’s a pardon or not. I heard from Marsha that the country has fallen, and now the Demon King is attacking. Isn’t it the Hero’s turn?” he replied.
Ah, the escaped Raoh was heading to the island relying on the Professor. Apparently, there wasn’t even a watchman in the exile. Isn’t that a bit too lenient?
”I don’t know how you’re being treated now. Let’s check with the judicial authorities of the Holy Kingdom. Oh, and since Pakkyamarou is a criminal, we have to capture him. Can you tell me where he is?” I said.
”What did he do?” Mr. Kondou, who had been waiting in the back, suddenly interjected. Come to think of it, he used to be a detective.
”He attempted rape, you see. If he hadn’t run away, there might have been room for a settlement,” he explained.
It seems Marsha’s side was also looking for a chance to set a honey trap, and if Raoh had just proposed normally, it might have actually gone well.
The problem is that I angered the god of gambling. Not because I cheated, but because I ruined the god’s face, so I received divine punishment.
”He only said he had obtained a cursed power, right? I was really taken aback when he turned all the alcohol on the island into vinegar. So, that was divine punishment, huh?” Mr. Kondou said.
Mr. Kondou, despite being a former detective, is soft on criminals. This guy is too good-hearted—it’s kinda sad.
”Ah, thanks to the large amount of vinegar I got, I was able to make something interesting. This is a souvenir,” the Professor said, producing a large jar in his hands. It looks like one of those wide-mouthed Luzon jars.
He stopped the guard, who was readying his spear, with one hand. In this world, using a magical bag in front of nobility without permission can get you killed, and it seems the Professor didn’t know that.
The summoned Hero often gets away with etiquette violations, so they remain ignorant and cause even bigger troubles. If you summon them, you need to take responsibility and educate them properly.
”It’s pickled herring. To be precise, it’s a close relative of the southern variety of herring,” he explained.
It’s a bit taller than regular herring. Isn’t it kohada?
T/N: Kohada is the Japanese term for gizzard shad, a small fish commonly used in sushi. It’s prized for its flavor and texture.
”Around the island, you could catch as many as you wanted, regardless of the season. The resource amount is probably considerable. If there was enough salt, I would have pickled them,” he added.
They say they boiled seawater with fire magic to get salt, but since the salt concentration is lower than Earth’s oceans, the efficiency was poor.
Even with cheat-level MP, sticking to the salt pan all day using fire magic is just plain boring, and even then, the amount of salt produced is just a pinch, so it seems it breaks their spirit.
I wanted to tsukkomi about not knowing about flow-through salt fields, but it seems no one knew. It’s the most important knowledge if you’re summoned to another world.
T/N: “Tsukkomi” is a Japanese comedy term meaning a sharp retort or corrective comment, usually in a manzai (double-act) comedy routine.
”Oh, the pickled fish is quite good,” I said.
There are a lot of small bones, but they’ve softened in the vinegar, so you can eat them without worrying about the bones. A strong rival to farmed crucian carp has emerged.
”Hey, everyone’s eating fish! We’re the reinforcements! We came to fight the Demon King!!” shouted some guy who sounded like a rural yankee mixed in.
I feel like I’ve seen him before… oh, he’s the one who was rude to Sar-Sar. Has he gotten even worse? Is he in a rebellious phase?
So he ended up hanging out with bad company and then reformed to follow the Professor and the others. He doesn’t look reformed at all, but according to the Professor, it’s that age where you can’t be honest.
”If you want to fight, I can write you a recommendation,” the Professor offered.
Fortunately, since the taste competition, the Demon King’s army has stopped their invasion. But are the gods just quietly watching and holding back?
For example, can a grade schooler who got a rhinoceros beetle be satisfied just by observing it quietly? That’s what it’s like.
The gods want to do unnecessary things.
”If we achieve some merit, we can become kings too, right?” someone asked.
”You should ask the Professor about that,” I replied.
Throughout history and across the world, there have been people who became kings by achieving merit on the battlefield. They exist, but it’s a super rare case. It’s like winning the lottery.
Even if the summoned Hero defeats the Demon King, they’ll probably just become a knight, right?
Even if they manage to carve out a country amidst the chaos caused by the Demon King’s army, getting approval from the surrounding nations will be quite a hassle.
Speaking of which, it seems that as a result of the taste competition, that rocky mountain has become my territory. It feels like I’ve been saddled with a bad debt. I don’t need an exclave, but it’s a uranium mine, after all.
I’ll pickle it to seal away the dangerous stuff.
”Isn’t a herring millionaire just like a noble? If you want a good life, I think it’s more practical than going to war,” I said.
Right, right. If you have a stable source of income, you can manage most things. Pickled herring, that’s great. If someone takes on that kind of work, the food culture will flourish.
If you make a profit, you can build a herring mansion, you know? Kazunoko has a history of being called yellow diamonds, and in Europe, the Hanseatic League made a killing with herring.
T/N: Kazunoko (literally “fish eggs”) refers to herring roe, considered a delicacy in Japan. The Hanseatic League was a powerful medieval trade alliance in Northern Europe that profited heavily from herring trade.
”So that’s not it, you know? A man’s romance? Something like that? It’s not about money, you get that, right?” the Professor said.
”Don’t worry, if losses pile up, the Summoned Hero will be called up whether they like it or not. If they achieve something, they might even get a medal,” I replied.
Just giving honor doesn’t hurt the wallet, you know. I have to spread those medals around well too.
”What, are you losing? Then forget it. Fighting under someone else’s orders isn’t my thing,” the rebellious youth declared.
Yeah, yeah, I wish they’d just go home soon. I’m running out of nap time.
The thing that always troubles me during meetings is the person who just won’t leave. Do I have to serve them some bubu-zuke to get them to go?
T/N: Bubu-zuke is a Japanese dish where rice is soaked in green tea or dashi broth—here, humorously suggested as a way to get rid of unwanted guests.
”Um, we’re getting to the main topic now. Actually, while investigating our charges, I noticed this world’s inconvenient truth. The sky whale…” the Professor began.
Ah, talking about the sky whale in an official setting is a no-go. They get exiled for not reading the room.
”Let’s discuss that story in another room, just the two of us. I’ll guide the others to Gourmet Street,” I said.
”I’ll take you to our country’s proud Gourmet Street. Here’s an all-you-can-eat ticket for the day,” the new maid said.
She seems to be getting the hang of things. The all-you-can-eat ticket is, well, kind of like bubu-zuke.
”Lucky! There’s gotta be all-you-can-eat yakiniku too, right? Let’s hurry, old men. We gotta eat like crazy to get our money’s worth!” the delinquent hero shouted as he dashed out, pulling Mr. Kondou along.
”Isn’t he cute in his own way? He’s not a bad guy at heart,” the Professor said.
Nah, is that really the case? Is it true that the more foolish a kid is, the cuter they are?
* * *
In the small conference room, facing the Professor. In a closed room, any slip of the tongue can be smoothed over. Except for anything related to gods.
”You seem to know about the sky whale. If you dig through old books, you’ll find records scattered about, but at first, I thought it was some kind of metaphor or urban legend. A whale that swallows cities flying in the sky? That’s fantasy, you know.”
In a world with magic, worrying about fantasy and such seems pointless, but…
”By the way, when I study history, I divided the eras into before and after the arrival of wall barley. The emergence of wall barley collapsed the feudal system that had been in place until then.”
It seems like he plans to define various things before moving on. Very scholarly of him, but I wish he’d consider my precious nap time. Still, I’m a bit interested because I once researched the sky whale myself.
The Professor’s research on the sky whale was pretty much the same as mine. I think he’s smart, so his reading of the materials is impressive. But he’s never actually seen a sky whale, which is where we differ. Hearing a hundred times is not as good as seeing once.
Not that I’m competing over wins and losses or anything. But if I can get even a little closer to the mystery of the sky whale, what happens? At the very least, my curiosity will be satisfied.
I wanted to know the reason why talking about the sky whale is considered taboo.
”As for whether it even exists, nobody besides me seems to care much. There’s nothing to gain from fighting it, and it seems you can’t even defeat it, so it’s really just a story that feels like grasping at clouds.”
Occult stories are popular on Earth, but here in this world, monster hunting is all about efficiency. In a world of swords and magic, most adventurers say you can’t eat romance, which is just annoying.
”The point of concern is that the records of sky whale sightings are limited to after the introduction of wall barley. I hypothesized that monsters are thinning the population to prevent an overabundance of grain supply.”
I thought the same thing. If the Goddess of Fertility gave wall barley to humans, then isn’t the sky whale the same? But the sky whale has a bad reputation; it’s in the realm of evil gods. It’s only natural to fear something that can wipe out entire cities.
”The gods of fertility and grain can be found in myths all over the world. Of course, it was humans who actually spread the grain. The grain god is thought to be the deification of great people’s achievements. In other words, both wall barley and the sky whale were created by human hands. The biotechnology in this world is far more advanced than on Earth. In the large-scale farms near the penal colony, they were cultivating ornamental plants that could easily be mistaken for humans. It’s a realm that is utterly impossible with Earth’s scientific power.”
Ah, there’s a dryad farm around there, huh? It’s positioned as an expensive adult toy, but apparently, it’s selling quite well. I want to say, what are they doing with the declining birthrate? Well, I guess that’s that and this is this. If you’re not blessed with children, there’s a lot of pressure on the male parent too. I can understand the desire to escape to dryads. Plus, there are many men in the commoner class who can’t get married.
There are shops in my town that cater to people who enjoy dryads and hypnotic frogs, and for now, it seems they’re managing to balance interests with the temple. If problems arise, they’ll have to crack down, but I hope it doesn’t turn into a hassle.
”The true nature of the gods is a mysterious technological group behind the temple. Magic? Monsters? We need to look at reality, not fantasy. Everything is a product of advanced science. Have you told anyone about this?” the professor’s eyes darted around. Ah, he’s talking. This guy is basically a chatterbox. “No, I just thought of this hypothesis while organizing things at the penal colony. You’re still… the first. I talked about it among my peers, but nobody took it seriously. There must be heresy trials, right? This is bad, I might get erased?”
I wonder? What the professor has sniffed out is probably the existence of the inner sanctum behind the Grand Temple and the Hero Administration Bureau, but they are not gods, nor do they claim to be. I think.
As you read many books and accumulate knowledge, you start to get a vague sense that such organizations exist. Even Miss Floria and SheaShea are aware of it. But saying it out loud is taboo. Why is it taboo, I wonder?
”Then, it might be bad to talk openly about the sky whale. Ah, so that’s why the number of legs for livestock? It seems there’s no problem with the herring swarms, so fish are out of the question. If poultry is a no-go, then what about beyond birds? How about farming crayfish or edible frogs? Frogs are eaten in this world, right?”
Umm, you really don’t learn, do you? What’s next, planning to farm edible frogs?
* * *
So, to clarify the professor’s new hypothesis,
The wall barley and the sky whale were created by the inner sanctum, and the true identity of the god of this world is also the inner sanctum. That’s about it.
This is quite a dangerous ideology in this world. It’s said that the Goddess of Fertility, Goddess Belzea, is the one who gave wall barley to humanity, so it would mean turning the priests of the Belzea temple into enemies. I wonder if Goddess Belzea would get angry about having her achievements stolen?
There’s too little information about the Okunoin to say anything, but what’s the point of provoking them carelessly?
T/N: 奥の院 (Okunoin) — literally “inner sanctum” or “secret chamber,” referring here to a shadowy, technologically advanced organization behind the temple’s authority, not actual gods.
I don’t want to get involved, but I at least want to give a minimum warning, or rather, I want to nail it down.
”In Japan, there’s a saying: ‘Touch not the gods that you do not know, lest they curse you.’ Even if they are gods that someone else believes in, I show them a minimum of respect, but I won’t get involved. You shouldn’t carelessly touch what you don’t know well.”
I tried to say it abstractly. The rest, I hope you can figure it out. I wonder how much nuance is conveyed through telepathy?
”Hmmm, I just want to determine the chicken line where I won’t be affected by the sky whale. If I can clearly understand the threshold, I can rationalize both farming and pig farming. The people of this country must want to eat meat every day.”
That’s right, meat is delicious, delicious is justice. I thought so too. But listening to the professor, I think… wasn’t that just a pushy sale of justice?
Maybe the Okunoin folks have their reasons for keeping knowledge from the masses and making them live simply. I suddenly thought of that.
The organization that I mistook for a god is hiding advanced scientific knowledge. They might be enforcing justice with a futuristic value system that I can’t even imagine.
If there’s anything I gained from this meeting, it’s that I could question the values I believed in.
”I respect your curiosity, but please be careful with your words and actions. This is not Earth; it’s a world where it’s only natural for bothersome people to be erased.”
”Don’t worry. Scientists are not gods; they worship the truth. For that, they wouldn’t hesitate to sacrifice their lives. I want to live like Galileo Galilei.”
Saying something cool like that. Was he always this passionate? Does he have that kind of energy? Did his exile ignite a fire in him?
But didn’t Galileo lose his trial and abandon the heliocentric theory? I heard he said something like, “But the Earth moves.”
If scientists have to cater to religion and politics, the world would still be in the Middle Ages, but if many people think that’s happiness, maybe a medieval world isn’t so bad after all. I can understand the church’s reasoning for judging Galileo. Don’t shine the light of science on the comfortable darkness. Even if the truth is revealed, what will remain in the end?
* * *
Today, I give up on my nap and head to Gourmet Street with the professor.
”What’s all this noise?” I ask.
It doesn’t seem dangerous, but what happened?
There’s a crowd at the large communal dining hall. I can see Sar-Sar. She’s been really into cooking lately, coming over to help out under the pretense of playing.
Sar-Sar and Agito—mixing those two is dangerous.
T/N: 大食堂 (daishokudō) — a large communal dining hall, common in Japanese schools or institutions.
”Ah, Your Majesty! That villainous Hero is acting strange. He started crying after eating the rolled cabbage…” someone reports.
T/N: “Rolled cabbage” (also called “cabbage rolls”) is a dish where cooked cabbage leaves are wrapped around a meat filling, often ground meat and rice.
This isn’t the kind of trouble I was expecting.
He’s really crying. He’s saying something like “Au au” pathetically. He seems so overwhelmed he can’t find the words.
Was it so delicious that you cried? Rolled cabbage to that extent?
Well, the level of flavor reproduction is a pretty confident work. This world’s cabbage? I don’t know if it is, but it’s using a large-leaved cruciferous herb. It doesn’t form a head, so it looks like a big komatsuna, but you can definitely feel that cabbage-like sweetness in the core.
T/N: Komatsuna — a Japanese leafy green vegetable, similar to spinach or mustard greens.
The fact that we can get ground meat is thanks to Mr. Pansy. In this sparsely populated borderland, there are nomads, and if we can secure a means of distribution, a stable supply of meat is possible.
Probably, the nomads are figuring out the line where the empty whale won’t come based on experience. In short, as long as they don’t overbreed their livestock, it’s fine. If the Professor knew, he might want to go study it.
T/N: “Empty whale” — metaphor for an area with no resources or life; nomads avoid overusing pastureland to prevent it from becoming barren.
”For him, rolled cabbage must have been a taste that evoked nostalgia. Everyone has one or two, right? A taste of memories,” the Professor says quietly.
A taste of home? Maybe a mother’s taste?
Cooking has not only delicious and disgusting, but also the power to awaken memories and emotions when you eat.
After all, meals are important. I don’t think my idea of wanting to improve my diet is wrong.
To deny food is to deny life. In other words, justice is still with me!
Being with the Professor makes me realize various things. His perspective is different from that of ordinary people—more irregular than otherworlders. Scientists must be a rather strange breed.
Notes:
• Saria – Sar-Sar. A young girl from a noble family, the Toyata Viscount house. She is the daughter of Lady Laara and is destined to bear the fate of her clan.
• Tizzy – Claims to be Duke’s daughter, a noble with advanced magic skills. MC and Ms. Shirakaba lover.
• Miss Floria – Elegant, silver-haired noblewoman in her 40s, referred to as an ‘older sister’. Judge of the Supreme Court and Baroness. Former tutor of Princess Auroora. Initially stern but warms up, showing a playful side. Close with Ms. Nina (Princess Auroora’s doll copy), treating her like a sister. Trustworthy and explains legal matters clearly.
• Yakou – A newly created kunoichi spirit with high specs from Mubiel. She pledges loyalty to the Narrator as her ‘Lord Shogun’ and seeks to punish villains.
• Marsha – a second-rank priestess in the Hero’s Temple, tasked with handling the protagonist’s ‘job change’ as the summoned hero. She is described as a beautiful woman with long brunette hair, gray eyes, and a gentle demeanor. Her role includes guiding the hero and addressing his concerns about his new life in the other world.
• Raoh – Pakkyamara. An infamous, scheming, but somewhat incompetent senior adventurer known for meddling with hero summoning rituals; often gets beaten up as a result. The one who want japanese food.
• Holy Kingdom – Located on the east of the continent.
• Agito – A cocky, high-level adventurer who is proud of their status and doesn’t respect those below their level. The one who was defeated by MC with stick.
Please bookmark this series and rate ☆☆☆☆☆ on here!
Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
Thanks for reading.
Leave a Reply