I returned to the eastern town of Mateo through Greater Teleportation.
“The Supreme God has returned!”
The Half-Elves rushed towards me, their faces filled with excitement.
“Everyone, I’m back!”
“Welcome back, Your Holiness…!”
Wait, are they… crying? What happened to everyone…?
“Thank you for venturing into the perilous Abyss Wood for our sake!”
“Perilous? Abyss Wood…?”
What on earth are they talking about…?
“The Mika Temple. You seem to have forgotten, but Abyss Wood is also known as the Forest of Death. Once you enter, there’s no coming back.”
Ah, right. I had forgotten about that.
“Well! For Mika, it was like going on a picnic in Abyss Wood!”
“““Oooooooh!”””
When the Forest Goddess, Morrigan, said this, the Half-Elves erupted in cheers.
“To be honest, it was almost a picnic… but the battle with Deochi de Kieryuu was similar…”
Luciel chimed in. Right?
“Truly, the Supreme God is amazing!”
“We respect such a Supreme God!”
At that moment, a brilliant light shot up from the center of the town.
“Huh? The Goddess Statue… isn’t it activated?”
To activate it, the faith of the people—specifically, their belief in me—was required.
The Half-Elves, who worshipped the Forest Goddess, should not have been able to activate the Goddess Statue… or so I thought.
“W-Wait a minute!? Have you all switched your allegiance from Morrigan to the Mika Temple!?”
When Luciel exclaimed this, the Half-Elves nodded in agreement.
“Ah, we feel sorry for Morrigan, but… our true God is indeed Mika!”
“Because Mika entered the forest without regard for danger for our sake!”
Seriously?
“Is this really okay, Morrigan…?”
“Of course!”
“Is it really okay…!?”
“Yes, in fact, I am also a follower of Mika.”
“Wait, you too!?”
The Goddess Statue was functioning properly… which meant that the Half-Elves didn’t need to rush to train right now, did they?
“Good news, everyone! The town is now protected!”
Luciel announced to the Half-Elves. However, they… bowed their heads deeply.
““““Could you make us stronger right now, please!?””””
“Huhhhhh!?”
Luciel was taken aback. I was too… yeah, I was surprised.
“The Goddess Statue is moving, you know? Plus, there’s a protective barrier in place. There’s no need to get stronger immediately!”
Then… one of the Half-Elves slapped Luciel’s cheek.
“Ow!”
“You fool! Luciel! We are… Mika’s subordinates!?”
“S-So what…? Why was I slapped…?”
“You understand what I’m trying to say, right!?”
“No, I don’t understand at all!”
Honestly, I didn’t get it either…
“Exposing our inadequacies to the world would mean diminishing the greatness of the magnificent Mika! That’s absolutely unacceptable!”
“That’s right!” the Half-Elves agreed.
“When did you all become so devoted to the Mika Temple!?”
“You fool!”
Thwack!
“Ow! W-Why was I slapped…?”
“Our loyalty to the Mika Temple… is far too lacking! For us, the oppressed Half-Elves, who have risked our lives, this is what the great God has done for us!”
Half-Elves are disliked by both humans and elves, right? In such a situation, the God—me—extended a hand…
So, the Half-Elves’ affection for me maxed out.
“I-I understand the reasoning… but why was I slapped…?”
“Because I injected it! Loyalty!”
“I don’t understand…!”
Sorry, I don’t get it either…
The Half-Elves bowed their heads before us (including Luciel).
“Mika, please… guide us!”
I thought there was no need to get stronger right now…
“Very well.”
““““Morrigan!””””
Morrigan crossed her arms and addressed the Half-Elves.
“I will train you.”
“““The Forest Goddess herself!?”””
Why did Morrigan suddenly decide to train them…?
“Of course, it’s for Mika.”
Morrigan took my hand and nuzzled her cheek against mine as she spoke.
“In order not to trouble Mika, these individuals must become stronger.”
Well, I understood the logic behind it since I didn’t know how long I could take care of them.
“Besides, I did nothing this time. I was just on a date with Mika.”
“A date…?”
“So, this time, I will take care of them. Please, Mika, take your time and rest.”
…Honestly, I was a bit tired from the picnic and thought I could use a break. If she was going to train them, I might as well leave it to her.
“Alright, I’ll leave it to you.”
“Yes! Mika… um, if things go well, I would like a reward…”
Morrigan placed a finger on her lips, fidgeting as she spoke.
“A reward?”
“Yes! Um… it’s not about money! It’s just that… there’s something I want you to do for me…”
“Well, as long as it’s something I can do.”
“Is that true!? It’s a promise!”
Ah, the pressure…
Morrigan cleared her throat.
“Hurry up, Half-Elves! Line up!”
With a whoosh, the Half-Elves lined up in front of Morrigan.
“W-Wait, Forest Goddess… calling them Half-Elves…”
Luciel said, looking perplexed.
“Hey, you!”
“Me!?”
“Yes, you! You’re a Half-Elf too! Line up!”
“Uh, um… I don’t really feel like training…”
“Silence! Can you not hear the words of the Forest Goddess!?”
“Eep…! Has your character changed or something!?”
Reluctantly, Luciel joined the line of Half-Elves.
Morrigan stood before them.
“From now on, you will undergo training to increase your Magical Power.”
““““Yes…!””””
“The method is simple. Keep casting spells until you faint!”
““““Yes!””””
Luciel hesitantly raised her hand.
“Um… if we all cast spells at once, wouldn’t that be a problem? We’re in the forest, after all…”
That was indeed a valid point.
Morrigan had to have some measures in place for that, right?
“Don’t worry about it.”
Ah, I knew it.
“After a few thousand years, there won’t be a single tree left in this forest anyway.”
So she was thoughtless, huh? Good grief…
“Forest Goddess, I must respectfully say… aren’t you being a bit reckless!?”
Oh, Luciel is quite bold…
But still, I guess I have to do something about this.
After all, I was the one who brought it up.
I needed to prepare a place where this many people could cast spells simultaneously without any issues.
Doing it in the forest was out of the question.
I needed to think of a good solution.
I used Omniscient and Omnipotent (Internet) to search.
“Oh, how about this?”
“Mika Temple, do you have a good idea? We are counting on you. This Goddess… I mean, the Forest Goddess seems a bit… absent-minded.”
Yeah, sorry about that, our Morrigan is a bit of a ditz.
“■(Box), open!”
I activated the ■(Box), which I usually used to summon the Four Divine Beasts.
This enhanced Item Box had some unused functions.
The ■(Box) began to expand rapidly.
It grew large enough for people to enter.
“Alright, everyone, get inside!”
I led Luciel and the others into the ■(Box).
Inside was a blank, white space.
“W-Where are we, Mika Temple!?”
“In the ■(Box)… inside the Item Box.”
“Inside the Item Box!? C-Can people really fit in here!?”
“Yeah. Normally, an Item Box can only hold materials, but it seems mine can hold people too.”
It was written in Omniscient and Omnipotent (Internet).
“This is a separate space disconnected from reality, so you can go wild without worry.”
“That’s amazing, as expected of Mika! We need to give this ■(Box) a name right away!”
“A name… then how about 【■Garden (Hakoniwa)】?”
In an instant, the blank white space transformed dramatically.
A grassy field, a blue sky, and brick buildings appeared.
“W-What is this…?”
“Mika named this space and defined it, which caused the space to evolve!”
“Wait, just naming it made it evolve?”
“Exactly!”
I was dumbfounded, as was Luciel.
“Whoa! The Supreme God is incredible! Creating a separate space like this! You’re amazing!”
Luciel let out a deep sigh.
“…Seriously, this is getting out of hand… Is there anything you can’t do…?”
Then Morrigan said with a smug expression.
“There isn’t! Why? Because Mika is a God!”