The Land Where Magic Was Born (3)
The 21st century on Earth had a genre called Isekai. It was such a classic fantasy template that it became a beloved plot device across countless media and works. Yet for some reason, the protagonists in those stories rarely revealed to their friends or lovers that they came from another world. The ones who did spill the secret either told their companions from the very beginning, or the setting itself made it common knowledge that people from Earth existed in that world. Cases where someone who had hidden it for so long finally confessed were surprisingly rare.
I have no idea why. I’m not a novelist or a screenwriter. But if I had to guess… maybe it’s because the worlds would get mixed together. The moment the protagonist talks about Earth, the isekai world stops being a completely separate “other world.” It loses that sense of being cut off from the original reality.
To 21st-century Earthlings, Earth wasn’t exactly a place worth missing or a particularly happy world. Unless you were born with a silver spoon or had the world’s most fulfilling job, who wouldn’t get more excited about their favorite fantasy world than their actual workplace? Hell, even I’ve grown fonder of this house I’ve only lived in for a month than the animal hospital I used to work at.
When I think about it that way, I can actually relate. The past you abandoned on your old world suddenly chasing after you into your happy new life? That’s straight-up a horror movie. Just imagining it made my stomach turn with instinctive revulsion.
It was the same kind of primal rejection you’d feel if Vector Man Tiger—my kindergarten friend—suddenly showed up in this world and started banging on my front door. Like, why the hell did you pop out of nowhere? That kind of gut-level disgust.
So I had to acknowledge the fact that my goal could lead to unprecedented terror. If even an unknown encounter on a monitor felt this horrifying, what kind of panic would erupt if Earth and this world were completely connected?
An encounter with another civilization, another world entirely! It would deliver more culture shock than an alien stepping out of a UFO and releasing psychic modified dinosaurs. My dream was a reckless challenge that needed to be approached with extreme caution in every sense of the word.
“That’s why I never told you until now.”
I wrapped up the three-hour-long story with those words. The living room fell silent the moment I finished. It felt like a lecture hall right after a reserve forces briefing. The barrage of shocked questions from my wives had only lasted the first hour. The next two hours were just me repeating explanations over and over. Maybe the beginning had been too intense, because after that, there were almost no reactions at all. They barely even nodded when I mentioned things like Bicorn or Odin.
It was one hell of an efficient shock delivery method I hadn’t even considered.
“……I already knew my idiot husband was a crazy bastard, but another world? For fuck’s sake.”
Dana muttered after several minutes of mental agony. She was the kind of person whose heart had been stolen by my charm, which was clearly different from what her eyes suggested. She must have suspected I wasn’t your average normal-type Kitai country bumpkin, because she poked my shoulder with a tired expression.
“I was prepared for you to be some fish-man from a sunken ancient civilization, or an apostle descended from the heavens. But you’re saying you’re from a completely different world connected to the Underground Tower?”
“Yeah. It was tearing me up inside having to lie to you guys. I really wanted to tell you.”
“……I’m glad you did.”
When I answered, Franc joined the conversation. She rubbed her cheeks as if trying to hold back a sigh.
“I’m still a little too shocked to feel like this is real. I was surprised to hear that Nord came from another world, but I’m completely clueless about magic, so I honestly don’t know how big a deal this is.”
Franc rested her chin on her hand for a moment, then raised it. For a second I thought she was going to slap my cheek—after all, I’d been lying to them for a long time and probably deserved it—but of course, our sweet Franc was simply raising her hand to ask a question.
“Nord. A lot of important things came pouring out at once, so it’s hard to keep up, but I have a question.”
“Ask me anything. I’m not hiding a single thing anymore.”
Over the past three hours, I had spilled every last secret without holding anything back. Well, except for the sexual harassment I’d committed against Veronica in my dreams. But aside from that, I really had revealed everything I’d ever hidden from others. I summarized my life on Earth in about ten minutes, but I broadcasted every secret from my three-and-a-half years in this world, including all the Nord Top Secret files. It was literally Nord TV Surprise.
“Thank you for trusting us enough to tell us. But even if you dump this much on me all at once, my head can’t keep up with the story.”
Franc poked my cheek with a pouty expression, as if she were upset with my answer. Wow, she’s been hanging out with that naughty older sister and picked up some bad habits. What’s the point of touching my cheek fat like this?
“Everything you told us is the kind of secret that would give me a headache even if I only learned one or two of them. If you dump them all at once like that, I don’t even know where to begin being shocked.”
“Exactly. That’s what I’m saying.”
Dana spoke up, raising the corners of her eyes like whips.
“Husband dear. So you’re saying you came from another world, and that world has myths similar to ours? And because there are shared myths between the two worlds, you think there might be a way to connect them?”
“Y-yeah. That’s right.”
I answered with complete honesty as Dana neatly summarized my words like she was taking notes. Then Franc asked another question to confirm what she’d heard.
“You said that ever since you came to our world, you could understand what other people and animals were saying, right? For some reason you can lift the curse on Hamal or the Bicorn clan, and those Bicorns were actually descendants of the Germania gods who had lost their original forms because of a curse. Is that correct?”
“Y-yes.”
“Recently you peeked into the memory of when Odin created the runes, and he even called you his successor? But Odin feels like he’s already close to having lost his life, and you have no idea what being his successor actually means?”
─Nod. Nod.
I sat there on a cushion of thorns like a student forced to read his own reflection essay in the teachers’ office and silently agreed. It was a wordless answer.
“During the trip with Tirsi, you fought an ogre that could speak human language. That ogre seemed to have seen records of the past using an ancient rune stone, and the way Odin appeared in your dreams and left you a message was probably the same kind of magic, right?”
“P-probably?”
“And there’s a prophecy handed down in the Bicorn clan’s holy land. The savior mentioned in it is very likely to be Odin’s successor—our husband? Also, the Berserk clan you defeated before said something similar to you, didn’t they?”
“If Veronica’s interpretation is correct.”
When I added that, Dana let out one last sigh and pointed at Veronica. Veronica, who had been listening to my explanation, had lost her concentration from the shock and reverted to pony mode.
“So what you’re saying is, you brought that Bicorn named Veronica—who’s currently sitting over there whimpering—because her curse is only half-lifted and she might be able to look into Odin’s memories in your dreams?”
“Yeah. That’s everything I wanted to say today.”
My three-hour-long explanation dump and past-recap session had been neatly cut down to a five-minute summary. It seemed my wives had the talent of YouTube reviewers. They could probably summarize all nine Star Wars movies in a thirty-minute video.
“After hearing everything Lord Nord has said, I find myself unable to close my mouth. Now I understand why you commanded me to swear my oath.”
─Flash.
Veronica, who had been watching our reactions and carefully returned to her divine form, spoke. As a side note, Franc had apparently guessed that Veronica was the same Bicorn she had seen before just by looking at her horns. The shape of the horns was identical in both pony mode and divine mode. Our Franc really has sharp eyes. She had been surprised that Veronica could transform to look human, but she had simply assumed it was some kind of transformation magic. She never imagined that the pony form was the result of a divine curse and that she was originally from the gods’ lineage.
“Miss… Lady Veronica? This is the first time you’re hearing this story as well, correct?”
Franc asked Veronica rather stiffly. Since they hadn’t actually spoken the last time they met, this could be considered their first real meeting.
“That is correct. I am simply astonished to learn that there existed another world that established its own independent civilization apart from the Middle Branch. However, Lady Aetrinen, I beg you to speak to me without honorifics.”
In response to Franc’s words, Veronica bowed at the waist like a queen receiving counsel. Her extremely polite attitude was the same one she had shown me. It seemed to stem from her belief that I was Odin’s successor. Of course, our Franc seemed to feel awkward about such formality instead.
“U-um… Can’t we just speak comfortably with each other?”
Franc fidgeted, clearly uncomfortable. She looked like a ballerina forced to dance in shoes that didn’t fit. Dana jumped in on Franc’s suggestion.
“Yeah. You’ve heard all our dumb husband’s secrets anyway. Wouldn’t it be fine to just drop the formal speech?”
It was an incredibly cool proposal. Dana’s straightforward suggestion showed just how much she trusted Veronica. It seemed Veronica’s decision to even curse herself to earn that trust had been worth it. But maybe being trusted and speaking casually were two different things?
Veronica’s mouth opened and closed wordlessly.
“Y-you wish me to speak casually? That cannot be. How could someone as lowly as I dare commit such insolence toward the ones chosen as consorts by the successor of the Sky God!”
“You already speak casually to this guy. Using polite speech only with us feels even weirder.”
─Press. Press.
Dana pressed her head against my shoulder. How cute. I almost wanted to pounce on her right then. In retaliation, I stroked her hair. Since I rarely touched this purple head of hers, it felt strangely fresh. Franc smiled awkwardly and added her own opinion.
“She’s right. Just speak casually. Or rather, let’s all speak casually. I think it’s right for both sides to compromise a little. I don’t really like being addressed with extreme honorifics every time I speak either.”
“I-is that… so? Then… yes, I shall do so.”
It seemed Veronica had also realized how strange it was to use extreme honorifics only with the two of them. With the speech issue resolved, the topic returned to the secrets I had revealed.
─Glance.
Franc and Dana exchanged looks before speaking.
“Nord. Can we talk among ourselves for a bit?”
“Sure. If you want, we can continue tomorrow.”
I was willing to give my wives time to organize their thoughts if they needed it. Franc shook her head.
“No, it’ll only take a moment. Oh, but I’ll take Veronica with me.”
“Alright. Take your time.”
When I gave permission, my wives + @ left the living room together. I wondered what they were going to talk about with that lineup. I tried to supply energy to my elite brain, but my exhausted mind only moved sluggishly like a rusty millstone. The only thing in my body that stayed energetic for twenty-four hours was my damn dick.
─Creak.
The three of them returned after about ten minutes. They had reached a conclusion. My wives + @ took their seats again. Our positions had completely reversed from earlier. Now I was the one sitting alone, separated from them. Still, Veronica didn’t sit in a chair as if she were an outsider. It seemed this was a conversation meant only for our family.
“I talked with Dana. Obviously I was shocked, and Dana said she was very surprised on the inside too.”
When I noticed, Franc spoke first. It looked like Dana had yielded the role of speaker to her.
“But even if Nord is from another world, we don’t think anything between us will change.”
─Nod.
I nodded seriously. I didn’t make a pathetic display of running my mouth. Sometimes a man just needs to stay heavy and silent. Franc smiled warmly, as if she found such a me reliable. Just as I was a wife-obsessed fool, our Franc was a husband-obsessed fool.
“No matter how much we thought about it among ourselves, there were far more things you told us than things you hid. Nord, if I turned out to be a half-elf instead of a half-dwarf, you’d be surprised, but you wouldn’t suddenly hate me, right?”
“Isn’t that obvious? No matter where you were born or who you were, you’re my family. Even if I could return to Earth, if you can’t come with me, I’ll stay here.”
“Yeah. We feel the same. No matter where your hometown is, Nord is still Nord.”
When Franc nodded boldly, Dana swept back her messy purple hair and opened her mouth.
“Your hometown story was surprising, but it doesn’t really change anything that you came from another world. Both Franc and I think the only difference is that the day we go to visit your parents has been pushed back a little.”
Dana waved her hand as if it were no big deal. It was such a touching thing to hear that it made my chest ache, but I decided not to say thank you. While it’s good to express gratitude often among family, right now I was the heavy, silent, manly Nord. It definitely wasn’t because my throat was tight. The trembling in my Adam’s apple was purely from emotion.
Fuck. This feels really weird.
The human body really was mysterious. Even though I told myself it definitely wasn’t time to cry, moisture still gathered at the corners of my eyes. I couldn’t even figure out my own tear triggers anymore.
Ah, I see.
As I was thinking that, something suddenly came to mind. It was how Tirsi had shed tears when she heard my story at the celebration party. I felt like I now understood a little why she had done that. Being understood by someone after hiding a secret might unconsciously bring about deep emotion—especially for people who hadn’t received much praise or encouragement as children. My father and mother had been overly doting, but they were never generous with praise or encouragement. Actually, most modern people tend to be stingy with compliments, don’t they?
But even at a time like this, maintaining my bravado was what a real man did!
Vector—Kill the Tears.
I absorbed the tears back into my eyeballs and held back the overflow. It was only natural for a man not to want to show weakness in front of his wives. After all, I couldn’t use the excuse that it was raining inside the building.