Volume 6 Chapter 81 The Night When Stars Fall
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
Why climb mountains? Because the mountain is there.
When we think about the shortest way to the teleport gate, we have to cross the mountain. For travelers, mountains are just annoying walls.
People today who can climb mountains for fun are lucky. Even in this world, thanks to wall barley, no one should starve. But many still waste their time lying around.
I wonder, is that just me? Is it okay to think resting beats going out? Why is being lazy so bad? Didn’t Japan feel like people were forced to always do something fun?
Bread and circuses… Since old Rome, rulers used fun to control people. It also helps the economy. Today, it’s movies, sports, and sex, right? If people work to earn money for play, the country grows strong. Stories distract people from rulers, making them think only about sex so they stay harmless. Athletes become heroes, and people love heroes.
I think I could do that. It’s my skill, after all. But do I need to? I never wanted to rule or conquer lands. For people’s happiness? I used to think that. No, that’s a lie. Happiness means different things for each person.
I just want to eat tasty food and make things I like. If people around me get happy from that, it’s good enough.
Thanks to wall barley, no one fears hunger. So rulers have little work. Officially, their big job is to stop the Demon King’s attack, but he hasn’t appeared lately.
Even with peace, why do some rulers want to grow their lands? To be Demon King? Or enjoy conquering? I get the fun of ambition games, but please don’t do that for real.
Idle hands are the devil’s playground. If they start war because they’re bored, everyone will suffer.
Wall barley, this cheat food, has changed society here. I didn’t understand that well back in well-fed Japan.
Goddess Belzea still tweaks wall barley’s power. She could kill it all or make it poisonous. Gods control life and death. I don’t like that, but that’s gods.
Luckily, gods can’t do anything they want here. I want to believe no unfair punishments come unless we sin.
* * *
We climb rocky mountains, walking paths that don’t exist. A mountain is just a wrinkle on Earth. We only want to reach the other side. We must climb up and down.
I respect tunnels now. I ignored my uncle when he praised the Ena Mountain Tunnel, but people back then were amazing.
Good thing the mountain isn’t very tall. Cyclopes take a full day to cross it. Their strength is strange.
The map says it’s about ten kilometers. Should we dig a tunnel?
If we put dirt in a magic bag, we might finish in one day. But if it collapses or water bursts out, it’s dangerous. We can’t finish so fast. The longer we dig, the longer it takes. It could drag on over a year. Best not to try unnecessary things.
Step by step, I climb, feeling the earth under my feet. Life has ups and downs. We live through hard times.
Higher up, trees disappear. The red-brown rocks show. Still, small succulents cling to cracks. Plants are tough.
No wall barley grows here. Maybe because Cyclopes are allergic?
El said rice is okay, so no food worries. We have hundreds of tons of rice in the magic bag, both local and foreign.
Long-grain rice tastes great boiled like pasta. It goes well with curry. I asked Brother Jirou, and it came in a container. It’s also good for fried rice, so we’ll eat it all.
We got American Koshihikari (rice) cheap by ship. Politics behind it, maybe. It can’t sell in markets. I don’t get it, but the quality is fine. No problem.
We bought different brands of rice, so we plan a curry party at Ms. Hóa’s place.
”This grass tastes good, that one’s poison,” El said, excited, seeing me look at plants.
I chewed the “tasty” grass, and a bitter flavor spread. At least it’s edible. Wild grass like this usually tastes good fried in tempura, like butterbur sprouts. If it’s flour from Earth, El should like it too.
El thinks she’s walking slow, but her steps are long, so she moves fast.
Hover Shield works only on flat ground. Even mountain bikes struggle up hills. Walking is best for rough paths.
Around the fifth station is a crater lake. Its water is bright cobalt blue. Going straight through the crater is the shortest path. No need to climb the summit. It feels incomplete, but the top is just rocks anyway.
El dropped her clothes and jumped into the warm water with a cheer. “Is this a hot spring?” she asked happily.
I touched the water; it was just warm, like a heated pool. It looked nice, maybe I should join.
I’m tired. No, very tired. My legs hurt. Earth made my body weak. A few lazy days, and muscles disappear fast. The body thinks muscles aren’t needed to survive.
”What’s that? Fish here?” I asked, watching small fish swim near us.
Small loach-sized fish gathered, swimming around. Hot spring fish exist on Earth too.
They might be scary if carnivores, but El stayed calm while they swarmed.
”These fish are good but don’t eat them,” El warned with a smile.
They tickled when nibbling dead skin. They clean us. Atami had doctor fish like this in foot baths.
Their black and white stripes look like cleaner fish, the blue-streak wrasse. I once heard larger fish usually don’t eat cleaner fish, though sometimes they do. Nature’s mystery.
”Are there bigger fish in the lake?” I asked.
”There’s probably a master fish,” El said, pointing to the center of the deep blue crater lake. It looked like it reached Earth’s core.
Caldera lakes are often deep, like Lake Toya.
It would be scary if a monster lived there. Radar Scan shows nothing, but it’s not certain.
If El isn’t scared, the master fish is probably safe.
After a while, fish hot springs feel nice. I want to stay, but we must move on. We can’t linger forever.
One day, I want to bring Ms. Nina and friends for a camp by the lake. There are many spots to pitch tents and cabins too.
If I add solar panels on the roof, we could even use air conditioning—like a cheat.
To have fun here, I must reach the teleport gate first. No rush. Even if slow, ten days max.
I took out the Eye of the Cyclops and checked the shortest route.
The mountains on the globe match reality, but the lake isn’t on the map. Maybe it didn’t exist then?
It’s a volcanic crater lake. Water filled an erupting crater fast. If it’s new, it might erupt again soon. No, I might be overthinking.
A faint buzzing came from somewhere, like a mosquito. Is it electronic? Coil noise? No, it’s the Eye of the Cyclops shaking quietly.
Magic tools sometimes make noise. Many reasons. If on purpose, no problem. But often it means breaking soon.
”Before dawn, a great wave will sweep the world. The sacred mountain’s peak will sink in water,” a serious female voice said suddenly.
I jumped, thinking it was a goddess’s prophecy.
”Huh? El?” I said, surprised.
El said it. Her voice was different. I didn’t think she’d prank like that.
She took off her eyepatch, showing her right eye glowing red. It flickered with the Eye of the Cyclops.
Is that the sealed magic eye? Predictions like this are dangerous. This one is clear—a great wave washing the world—a tsunami.
”Before dawn means early tomorrow morning?” I asked.
El nodded sharply. Was the Eye of the Cyclops causing this trance? That’s not good for her. I quickly put away the Eye of the Cyclops.
* * *
The red glow in El’s eyes was gone, but she was not the usual El anymore. Was this a new personality?
No, I had to worry more about the tsunami. Was an earthquake coming?
Could my Stargazer’s Astronomy skill predict earthquakes? It was made to read stars’ luck—related to the sky, not the earth. But maybe it worked for earth science too?
For the first time, I used my star-reading power seriously. I saw something bad.
A huge rock, as big as a building, was heading toward this planet. It was on a crash path. It would fall into the sea tonight.
That was probably the cause of the tsunami. Nine times out of ten, it had to be.
The meteor that hit the Yucatán ended the dinosaurs’ time. But was it really okay now? Would the dust change the climate? This one fell deep in the sea. Was that safe?
More important was the tsunami. If the holy mountain sank like this, the Cyclops village would be destroyed.
Even if we rushed back to warn, was there enough time to leave? We were safe on the mountaintop, but it felt like walking toward death.
Where was the Cyclops’ death spot? Probably Osamu’s small tent. The tsunami would swallow it too.
”Will the waves reach this far?” El asked, pointing quietly at a big rock near the third level.
”If we get above that, everyone will live… Okay.”
”Let’s hurry to the village. Maybe we can make it in time,” I said, pulling out my mountain bike.
I rode down fast on the rocky slope. No matter what, I’d try! I could survive if I didn’t get badly hurt. Dragon God’s Herb could heal me.
I sped down to catch El. What’s with the Cyclops’ body? They were truly superhuman.
Using the Ujikohoshi reverse fall and jumping again and again to slow down, I barely stopped at the mountain foot. (T/L: Using the Ujikohoshi reverse fall and jumping again and again to slow down, I barely stopped at the mountain foot.)
My bike was beaten up, but I gained time.
I gave Dragon God’s Herb to El, who was hurt but caught up. If it was only surface wounds, healing was quick.
The tsunami’s power was terrifying. But if people escaped to safe spots, they would survive.
Osamu trusted El’s red magic eye and prophecy right away.
El was hated because she always warned of disasters no one wanted to hear.
She did not cause this, but that was how they saw it. Unfair.
Osamu told people to leave, but half of them refused.
Why were some so stubborn? They hated change and feared breaking their daily life.
It was an emergency. We had no choice.
Emergency drills were important. Practicing once made real escape easier. Not everyone could act fast.
Should I talk to the angry people shouting at us? Or help those who ran right away?
Time was short. We had to focus on saving as many as possible. Sadly, some had to be left behind.
In Japan, to escape means only yourself sometimes. But if people lost everything, living tomorrow would be hard. No help was coming.
I decided to put my stuff into the magic bag. Moving often with Tizzy helped me. Even if the tent was messy, breaking it into small parts made it fit.
”Take the old and kids to the mountain lake first. The waves won’t reach there,” El said, now calm and clear.
Even the elderly could walk alone. If we left now, we might make it.
Osamu begged the stubborn villagers to flee.
Thanks to him, some started moving quickly, handing their things to me.
It was fine, but it meant I couldn’t leave early. I felt bad.
Night came, stars twinkled, and a big fireball flew across the sky.
Then chaos broke out.
People made bad choices.
They gave me all their belongings (luck). Families stuck together and moved slowly. Kids and old people hesitated.
”No good! It’s too late! Leave your stuff and run to the mountain!” I shouted.
”The second tribe is too arrogant! How rude!” someone yelled.
”You bring bad luck by talking like that!” another said.
”Why is only our stuff unlucky?” they complained.
Because they waited too long!
Some got angry and violent. It was hopeless. I had to leave them behind.
I started climbing the mountain with El.
Osamu couldn’t leave the slow people. He panicked but was a good guy.
”Anyone behind me will be eaten by the waves! Hurry, climb!” El said, but walked slower.
If I passed her and climbed faster, I might make it.
A prophet… someone who sees the future? It’s a heavy job.
No thanks, only hate.
But saving lives might be the reward. El was strong.
A mother gave up her things and ran with her child.
They might just survive.
For those who didn’t get it yet, I drew a dotted line in the sky with my fire magic. It showed the line between life and death.
El’s steps climbed the mountain slowly, and so did the deadline.
Those who saw the light ran fast. It was the strength of a fool in fire.
If they tried, they could do it. Why didn’t they try sooner?
The ocean sounded far but scary in the night sky.
During the day, huge waves would have hit the shore.
I couldn’t see it, but I felt danger.
No time to worry about others. We were close to the edge.
I had to trust El. If I were alone, I’d already run.
The sky grew lighter. Not sunrise yet, but El said it was time.
”A wall! A wall!” someone shouted.
Was it a tsunami? Not just that.
The horizon had a water wall rising up, charging at us. The wind was strong.
It was useless now. People behind El would die. Many were old or young.
Did their families leave them alone at the last second?
We couldn’t save everyone.
At least I wanted to remember their last moment.
Maybe I could have done better? There was time.
Even just my strength might have helped.
I saw the sacred mountain we climbed get swallowed by waves.
The tsunami was lower here. Maybe it wouldn’t reach? A quick hope.
But the water wall kept climbing the mountain like it was alive.
Fear? No, acceptance maybe.
At the wave’s swallowing moment, people gave up. Or prayed to gods.
This was their last chance.
Reach out, hold on to something invisible.
Some fought to live, some gave up, some tried to hold on but couldn’t.
They looked up as they sank.
But they drowned fast. Their bodies didn’t resist. They were stored away quickly.
If saved fast, they could come back.
The waves almost reached us.
Osamu, running behind, got hit by a wave below his knee.
It hit like a hammer. It was scary but lucky he wasn’t dragged away.
* * *
We lined up all the bags we saved by Lake Caldera.
Those who kept or saved their things were confused by what happened.
The drowned came back alive just by opening their airways. It was a strange life power.
Osamu ran around calling people. He was fine.
Ten people were missing. Some went to the top, so they lived. Maybe they pushed too hard escaping. But only El knew how far the waves came.
We couldn’t save all villagers.
Still, the Cyclops should thank El.
Many seaside towns were gone.
Could I have saved them if I had stronger magic?
The distance was too far. I didn’t even know those towns existed.
”You brought disaster! Kick them out! Get out of our village!”
Osamu shouted crazy things without rest.
It was unfair, but I felt this would happen.
”Throw them out!” others cried.
”No, kill them!” some yelled.
”No! Don’t kill! We’ll be cursed!” others screamed.
The giants got angry.
I took El and ran away.
It was fine. If I stayed, I couldn’t leave for years.
Osamu did good in his own way.
Did he exile us on purpose? Maybe. Maybe not.
Our trip was one day late, but lives were saved.
No regrets.
El was back to normal and looked happy. This was okay.
Notes:
• El – She is a giant woman, appeared as Saburou’s captor, living alone in a large tent, skilled in hunting and cooking, proposes marriage to Saburou.
• Jirou – Male. Saburou’s other older brother. He is a shady businessman with a villainous look. He is more understanding of Saburou’s experiences in another world due to his exposure to light novels and anime. He is also tight-lipped, which makes him a good confidant for Saburou’s secrets.
• Ms. Nina – Doll Princess (Auroora 217), renamed by the protagonist. Beautiful blonde, ~168 cm, slim waist. Wears adventurer attire. Made from artificial parts and wooden limbs, resembling a princess. Knowledgeable, can read, write, and use basic healing magic. Reliable partner, often saves the protagonist with her skills.
• Nina – Doll Princess (Auroora 217), renamed by the protagonist. Beautiful blonde, ~168 cm, slim waist. Wears adventurer attire. Made from artificial parts and wooden limbs, resembling a princess. Knowledgeable, can read, write, and use basic healing magic. Reliable partner, often saves the protagonist with her skills.
• Osamu – He is an old giant, appeared as the village head, overseeing El’s marriage contract, and enforcing the divine axe delivery obligation.
• Tizzy – Claims to be Duke’s daughter, a noble with advanced magic skills. MC and Ms. Shirakaba lover.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
Thanks for reading.
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