Chapter 251: The Otherworld for This World
“Wait, so Kaede is in that Otherworld…?”
Jushiro muttered in a daze, his expression blank as he pondered how to search for her. Did he not even question the existence of an Otherworld?
“Well, I can’t say for certain, but it’s probably the most likely scenario,” Mr. Jinpei replied.
“Um… I know it sounds strange coming from me, but don’t you doubt our story?” Rio finally asked him directly.
“Hm? Ah, this Japan… or rather, this world has dungeons, you see.”
““What?””
The shocking revelation spilled from Mr. Jinpei’s lips.
“Hm? … Aren’t dungeons everywhere?” Ivan seemed surprised in a different way, having assumed that since Japan was almost identical to his own world, it lacked any fantasy elements.
“……They don’t exist?”
Ivan murmured as he sensed our silence. Phonia, perhaps bored with our conversation, hopped off her chair and joined Nil at the window, exclaiming, “Wow!” as she gazed down below.
“Shu and Rio’s homeland was peaceful, huh?”
I nodded slowly, and it seemed to astonish him. Indeed, it was a country where the threat to life was minimal.
“Well, regarding those dungeons, they were discovered about seven years ago.”
However, according to Mr. Jinpei, they hadn’t existed for long. Although it wasn’t widely announced, dungeons were confirmed after monsters began spilling out from them. Kaede had gone missing two years later, when she was reportedly ten years old. It must have been around a year after that.
“Wait? A four-armed bipedal creature appeared from the dungeon?”
I repeated Jushiro’s words verbatim, the shock still fresh in my mind.
“Yes, indeed. It was a giant, about three meters tall. Aside from its four arms and size, it shared many common traits with us humans.”
“That sounds just like the Majin Tribe…”
Ivan voiced the first question that sprang to his mind.
“Majin Tribe… you say? Do you know of this four-armed creature?”
The conversation I thought was unrelated was now becoming intertwined…? I had thought it would complicate matters, but it seemed I had no choice but to discuss it.
“Yes. As I mentioned earlier, we came to this world from the Otherworld, but we first passed through the Majin Tribe’s realm.”
“Just as Mr. Jinpei said, it was a world inhabited by giants around three meters tall with four arms.”
“W-What…? Could it be that they are the Majin Tribe?”
In any case, it seemed that the emergence of the Majin Tribe from the dungeon had led to an attack on the city, causing significant damage. There were signs that they used some form of language, but in the face of an attacking enemy, there was no opportunity for dialogue, forcing them to fight back. It was said that they managed to repel the invaders about two years ago.
“This area was relatively safe, but the cities that became battlegrounds still bear the scars of that conflict. It seems there have been several retaliatory operations since then,” Mr. Jinpei said solemnly. Had he witnessed the battlefield firsthand?
And yet, the Majin Tribe… We understood their language, but what were those subterraneans they mentioned?
Looking out the window, I saw a clear sky stretching out before me. The sun was setting, casting a dim light, but it certainly didn’t resemble a subterranean world.
“For now, with the emergence of this unknown dungeon, there’s no reason to dismiss the idea of an ‘Otherworld’ as a lie.”
“I see.”
“And we have evidence right before us, like Ivan and Phonia, who are Beastmen…”
That might indeed be the case. Beastmen likely didn’t exist in this world either. Regardless, if they believed us, that would certainly make things easier.
“Now then, let’s return to the topic of my daughter, Kaede.”
As Jushiro began typing on his laptop, he prompted us to continue. He then recounted the circumstances surrounding Kaede’s disappearance. However, there was little information available. Kaede, who was in the fourth grade at the time, had gone out to play and never returned. According to her friends, she had vanished in a flash of bright light.
“…It feels like a summoning, but who knows?”
“Hm, it’s hard to say just based on that.”
“So, Shuu and Rio, you said you came from that Otherworld, correct?”
Mr. Jinpei straightened his posture and asked for confirmation. I had a feeling I knew what he was getting at, but I decided to hear him out.
“Yes, that’s right. We were brought to this world due to some interference, but looking back, it might not have been such a bad thing after all.”
After all, I could eat the things I had longed for again. Even though I still wanted to give that goddess a piece of my mind, perhaps I could afford to be a little lenient.
“Does that mean you can come and go as you please…?”
“Yes, I believe so.”
Thanks to the interference, we hadn’t succeeded in returning to our original world, but I thought returning itself wouldn’t be a problem.
“Is that so…? In that case, I have a favor to ask of you, Shuu and Rio. What do you think?”