Morning comes, greeted by the usual vampire maid with water to wash up.
I get through my routine quickly and head to breakfast.
The dining room has the usual extravagant spread, and everyone gathers around the table. The mood is lighter than yesterday, more relaxed now that we have a plan.
Sylphaeris looks tired and haggard. Her conversation with the other Spirit rulers must have gone long into the night. Hopefully breakfast will energize her.
She slumps in her chair, barely touching her food.
[Wright] "Rough night?"
[Sylphaeris] "They wouldn't stop talking. Hours and hours of lectures about respecting boundaries and not being possessive."
[Wright] "You? Possessive?"
[Sylphaeris] "That's what I said!"
Breakfast moves quickly today. Everyone has things to do, and there's an eagerness to get moving.
As we're finishing up, Seraphina approaches with several crates stacked neatly.
[Seraphina] "The eggs you mentioned wanting yesterday."
[Wright] "Thank you."
I open my Storage and the crates vanish into the invisible space.
[Wright] "Be careful out there."
Seraphina smiles, elegant as always.
[Seraphina] "We'll be fine. The capital won't know what hit them."
Lucien nods.
[Lucien] "We'll handle it quickly and cleanly."
They gather their groups—vampires and angels falling into formation—and depart through the mansion's front gates.
Luminor and Nocturna approach next.
[Luminor] "It was a pleasure meeting you, Wright. I look forward to visiting your farm in the future."
[Nocturna] "Indeed. Safe travels."
They both bow respectfully before dissolving—Luminor into beams of light, Nocturna into flowing shadows.
Now it's just us. The heroes, Vesper, Sylphaeris, and me.
[Wright] "Time to go home."
I focus my mana, visualizing my cabin. The clearing. The wooden walls. The small fireplace inside.
The air tears open.
A portal, large enough for everyone to walk through comfortably, shimmers in front of us.
[Wright] "Let's go."
The heroes step through one by one, followed by Vesper and Sylphaeris.
I walk through last and close the portal behind me. The tear in space seals shut with a soft *pop*.
We're back.
My cabin. Home.
[Wright] "Amazing. Magic sure is convenient."
Donny is curled up near the fireplace. He lifts his head, startled by the sudden arrival of so many people. His eyes widen.
Then he sees me.
He chirps happily and bounds over, rubbing against my legs.
[Wright] "I'm back, buddy. Thank you for guarding the cabin."
I scratch under his chin, and he churrs contentedly.
The heroes are looking around the cabin with wide eyes.
[Yuki] "Is that a refrigerator?"
[Daichi] "And a stove?!"
[Aiko] "Wait, is that a Japanese toilet?!"
[Takeshi] "There's plumbing? How?!"
Several of them crowd around Donny, clearly wanting to pet him but hesitant.
[Wright] "Yes, I made sure to create these based on the manga I've read. The toilet is simply the best. And you can pet Donny—he's friendly."
Takeshi cautiously reaches out to pet Donny's head. Donny leans into the touch, churring happily.
[Takeshi] "He's so soft!"
Aiko joins in, gently stroking his shell.
[Aiko] "He's adorable!"
Vesper, meanwhile, has zeroed in on the toilet.
She's crouched down, examining it with intense focus, tracing the plumbing lines with her fingers.
[Vesper] "This is incredible. There's no enchantment. How did you integrate the water flow with the waste disposal system?"
[Wright] "Don't get too close. And please don't break it."
[Vesper] "I'm just looking!"
Just then, the wooden doll sitting on the table begins to glow.
The wood shifts, flowing like water. The grain smooths into pale, luminous skin. Long pale-blue hair cascades down from the crown in silken waves.
The face sharpens into severe, elegant beauty—high cheekbones, a straight nose, lips that suggest authority.
The eyes open.
Deep blue with a faint yellow glow at the center—like looking at the ocean with the sun behind it.
Jyne blinks. Flexes her new fingers. Tests the weight of the body.
She smiles.
[Jyne] "Welcome home."
[Wright] "I'm home."
The heroes stare in awe. This is the first time they're seeing the Goddess in person.
[Takeshi] "That's... Goddess Jyne?"
[Yuki] "She's beautiful."
[Aiko] "She looks so elegant."
Kenji just watches silently, taking it all in.
Daichi looks overwhelmed.
Vesper is still inspecting the toilet. She reaches up and presses the flush button.
Water swirls dramatically in the bowl, and Vesper jumps back with wide eyes.
[Vesper] "It moves! The water actually moves in a spiral! The efficiency! The design! This is genius!"
I pretend I can't hear her.
A knock sounds at the door.
I open it to find Eldrin and Liora standing outside out of breath. They look surprised to see me.
[Eldrin] "Wright! You're back already?"
[Liora] "We sensed the Goddess's arrival and came to pay our respects."
[Wright] "Come in."
They step inside, and I introduce them to the heroes. Within moments, it becomes clear that the cabin is far too crowded.
[Wright] "Let's move this outside."
I grab a large picnic blanket, then walk outside and spread it out on the grass in the clearing. Everyone settles down in a loose circle.
Vesper is still inside with the toilet.
Sylphaeris shakes her head.
[Sylphaeris] "She's hopeless."
I get straight to the point.
[Wright] "Jyne, is there any way to send the heroes back to their own world?"
Jyne's expression becomes serious.
[Jyne] "The world is already weakened by their summoning. It doesn't have the energy to send them back."
The heroes' faces fall. Kenji and Daichi, who wanted to go home, look particularly disappointed.
[Wright] "If you had the energy, could it be done?"
[Jyne] "Yes. If I had sufficient energy, I could send them back."
[Wright] "Can you use divine power?"
Jyne looks away, almost embarrassed.
[Jyne] "I used up a lot of my own divine power to stabilize the world after they were summoned. I don't have enough left for a return trip."
I nod.
[Wright] "Well, I guess there's no other way then."
I pause.
[Wright] "When I got reincarnated, I redirected my divine power into a medium. Caelum should have it. Just ask him and use that to send these kids back to their own world."
Silence.
Jyne stares at me, eyes wide.
[Jyne] "I could never use your power to do that!"
[Wright] "Don't worry. It's fine."
The others are shocked. Eldrin and Liora exchange glances. Sylphaeris doesn't look surprised—she probably guessed it when Jyne inhabited her body before.
Eldrin speaks carefully.
[Eldrin] "Wright... are you a god?"
I meet his eyes directly.
[Wright] "I used to be. But I'm mortal now. I'm retired."
More silence.
Then Jyne calls me an idiot.
[Jyne] "You're always doing weird things when you get bored!"
I can't really argue with that. She knows me too well.
[Takeshi] "You're a god?"
[Yuki] "A retired god?"
[Daichi] "That explains... so much."
[Aiko] "No wonder the monsters are afraid of you."
Kenji just nods, like this confirms something he'd been suspecting.
[Wright] "Former god. I gave it up to live here quietly."
Jyne sighs, but there's fondness in her expression.
[Jyne] "Fine. I'll contact Caelum and arrange to use your power. But only because you insist."
[Wright] "Thank you."
[Jyne] "It'll take some time to set up. A few days at least."
Takeshi speaks up first.
[Takeshi] "I want to stay. In this world, I mean."
He looks around at the forest, the cabin, then back at Jyne.
[Takeshi] "I don't have anyone waiting for me back home. But here... there's so much to see. So much to explore. I want to stay and experience it."
Yuki nods eagerly.
[Yuki] "Me too! I want to stay. There's magic here, and spirits, and—and everything I've ever read about in manga is real! I can't go back to a normal life after this."
Aiko smiles, reaching over to take Takeshi's hand.
[Aiko] "I'm staying too. Takeshi and I grew up together. I'm not leaving him alone in a new world. Besides..."
She looks around at everyone gathered.
[Aiko] "This feels like home already."
Kenji is quiet for a moment, then speaks.
[Kenji] "I want to go back. I have someone waiting for me. A girlfriend. I need to get back to her."
His voice is firm, certain.
Daichi nods in agreement.
[Daichi] "Same. I want to go home. This world is amazing, but... it's dangerous. There's fighting, monsters, corrupt nobles. I'd rather go back to my peaceful world."
He pauses, then adds with a small smile.
[Daichi] "Besides, I miss video games."
Jyne nods, acknowledging each of their decisions.
[Jyne] "I understand. Those who wish to return will be sent back once the preparations are complete."
Yuki looks at Jyne, her expression grateful.
[Yuki] "Thank you. For blessing us when we were summoned. We wouldn't have survived without it."
Jyne's expression softens.
[Jyne] "You're welcome. Though I should clarify—if I hadn't blessed you, you wouldn't have survived at all."
The heroes look confused.
[Jyne] "The nobles and the king would have seen you had no blessings and deemed you useless. They would have disposed of you and tried the summoning again until they got blessed heroes."
The clearing falls silent.
The weight of that revelation settles over them.
[Takeshi] "They would have killed us?"
[Jyne] "Without hesitation. If you'd arrived without blessings, they would have considered the ritual a failure."
[Aiko] "So you saved our lives."
[Jyne] "I did what I could within the constraints of the situation. I'm sorry you were put through this at all."
Kenji's expression darkens.
[Kenji] "They really were planning to use us until we broke."
[Daichi] "And then throw us away."
Yuki's hands clench into fists.
[Yuki] "I'm glad Seraphina and Lucien are hunting them down."
The mood has grown heavy.
Then, on cue, Vesper finally emerges from the cabin, soaking wet.
[Vesper] "I figured out how the toilet works!"
[Sylphaeris] "What happened to you?"
[Vesper] "There was a button. I pressed it. Water shot out."
[Wright] "That's the bidet."
[Vesper] "It's amazing! The pressure control! The angle! The—"
[Sylphaeris] "Please stop talking about the toilet."
Vesper sits down on the blanket, water dripping from her hair, completely unbothered.
[Vesper] "What did I miss?"
[Sylphaeris] "Wright is a retired god."
Vesper blinks.
[Vesper] "Oh. That makes sense."
[Wright] "Nothing gets past you."
An idea suddenly comes to mind.
[Wright] "Since we're going to use my power anyway, I want another skill."
Everyone turns to stare at me.
Jyne blinks.
[Jyne] "What?"
[Wright] "Another skill. You're already going to tap into my divine powers anyway. And I can't use Creation Magic. Might as well get another skill to replace it."
[Jyne] "You—what skill could you possibly need? You already have everything!"
[Wright] "I'll tell you later."
I smile. Jyne stares at me, mouth slightly open.
Before she can respond, Yuki raises her hand tentatively.
[Yuki] "Um, if we're asking for skills... could I get one too?"
[Jyne] "Yuki—"
[Takeshi] "Oh! Me too! Can I get a new skill?"
[Aiko] "I'd like one as well!"
Jyne's eye twitches.
[Jyne] "This is not—"
[Yuki] "Please? We're staying in this world, and having additional skills would really help!"
Vesper, dripping wet, perks up.
[Vesper] "Can I get one too?"
[Jyne] "You don't even have a blessing in the first place!"
[Vesper] "Oh. Right."
Sylphaeris is trying very hard not to laugh.
Eldrin and Liora look like they're witnessing something both sacred and utterly ridiculous.
Jyne pinches the bridge of her nose, her elegant composure cracking.
[Jyne] "You always—ALWAYS—turn serious moments into chaos!"
[Wright] "But you'll do it, right?"
Jyne glares at me.
Then she sighs, long and suffering.
[Jyne] "Fine. FINE. We'll discuss what skills are appropriate later. When I don't have a headache."
Jyne sits down heavily on the blanket, rubbing her temples.
[Jyne] "Why do I put up with you?"
[Wright] "Because I'm amazing."
[Jyne] "Debatable."
But there's a small smile on her face.
[Jyne] "In the meantime, rest. Recover. You've been through a lot."
The heroes nod.