Scoring a New Island ♥

I pondered what kind of building to put up. A sprawling medieval-style mansion? Or a castle? A castle on a cliff, though — wasn't that a little old-fashioned? Maybe something you'd only ever see in the movies.

What a nice problem to have.

I was resting my chin in my hand, turning it over, when a notification about the island appeared.

So each island had its own gimmick. The first one was basically a prologue, so it being empty made sense. This was where the real game started — an island that spawned monsters.

That's why they'd called it a pain in the ass earlier.

Now that the mission was over, it had reverted to island form. The total area looked about twice as big as the first one. Then again, who knew? There might be more field hidden under all that fog.

Waves came roaring in and shattered against the rocks, breaking into white spray. The air was fresh and invigorating, and I liked the feel of the beach sand under my feet. More than anything, I loved the backdrop itself — palm trees lining the jungle's edge along the shore, big, handsome coconut crabs scuttling around in clusters. It felt like I'd gone overseas.

I really like this place too. It's like watching Survivor.

The problem was the building site. Picking the right house mattered just as much. Gotta pick a good spot. Our founding ancestors picked a lousy one, and their descendants have been paying for it ever since.

I looked around for somewhere safe that still had a killer view of the night scenery. Then my eyes stopped on one place — that white cliff I'd spotted earlier, framed by palm trees.

That's the one.

My gut was telling me this was the perfect spot. I kicked off with a sharp breath and soared over on a streak of dawn light. Up close, it was more than big enough to build a mansion. On top of that, it got plenty of sun — I could even plant a vegetable garden.

The cliff alone covers about half the beach sector, so it's huge. All right, let's do it here. I'll make it like the protagonist's house from Iron Man 3.

Watching Iron Man 3, I'd been jealous of the hero's suits, sure — but I'd also been jealous of that house perched on the cliff. Technically it was more of a private residence than a mansion. But when you factored in the sheer scale of the place and that panoramic view, it was in a league of its own.

In a single instant, a cutting-edge private residence that belonged in a movie settled onto the cliff. A low mechanical hum rolled out, followed by a string of sharp cracks, and then — as mission rewards — random decorative pieces started appearing one after another. Stuffed animals, fake palm trees, furniture draped with tribal masks, a giant statue of a half-naked woman. All kinds of random junk materialized to dress up the area around the house.

Time to bring the girls over.

When I headed toward the invisible bridge, it materialized on its own — like a legendary blade accepting its master.

Holy shit, I could customize this too? What even was this place?

I went with the one I was most curious about — clouds. The bridge instantly transformed into one made of condensed cloud. I carefully took a step. It gave under my foot with a soft, springy bounce.

"Whoa. It feels like I'm running through the sky."

It felt like floating in midair and, at the same time, like stepping on light cotton. Holy shit. This was actually insane.

I crossed the bridge and headed home. After giving the girls a rough rundown, I looked at my aunt.

"Auntie, I need you most of all! Please help me!"

My aunt laughed, cool as ever.

"You're still such a mess, nephew. Can't do a thing without your auntie, can you?"

"Nope..."

"Ohoho~ I want to hear more of that!"

She was weirdly similar to the Goddess in this regard. My aunt shot me a wink.

"That's what's cute about you, though♥ All right, let's go!"

I took the girls to Predator Island. Predator Island — even the name was cool. They giggled and marveled as they crossed the cloud bridge, like a bunch of schoolgirls on a field trip.

"Oh, this is fucking awesome!"

"Oh my gosh, we're walking on the sky!"

"Mmm... can we eat this?"

When we arrived near the house, Lumina looked up at it and tilted her head.

"Hmm, but we'd have to go all the way around to get up there?"

"Yeah."

"It's right up against the jungle, and you said monsters spawn, right? If those bastards come charging at us, that's gonna be a problem."

"We'll need a path."

My aunt tossed that out casually. She was going to cut a new path?

Looking at the current terrain, the house sat on top of the cliff, and the only way up was a path that looped about halfway around clockwise. And just as Lumina had pointed out, that path butted right up against the jungle. With my aunt's power, carving a path would be nothing. But where?

Fieri, who'd been watching, chimed in.

"Hold on. If you consider the slope angle, it'd be better to cut it toward the beach. Around forty-five degrees."

Min Jiyou stepped up as well. She looked surprisingly serious.

"Please make it an uphill path, but a gentle one!"

They look like two secretaries advising the CEO.

Then again, my aunt would get treated like a CEO anywhere she went. She was the Empire's greatest Saintess, after all.

My aunt studied the cliff a while longer. For a fleeting moment, something cold flickered through her smile.

A piercing ring cut the air, then a cascade of crystalline cracks. Using her Crystallization ability, she started carving away the side of the cliff. The cliff was so massive to begin with that shaving off that much didn't even leave a dent. Stone split and sheared in rapid bursts, and in less than five minutes, a gentle uphill path had been created. That made two routes to the mansion.

"Ooooh, that's our Saintess!"

Lumina gushed with near-manic praise. Dinora let out a whistle.

"As expected of the Empire's greatest ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Saintess."

My aunt started up the path. We followed.

"First, I should lay down a permanently sustained barrier here."

"Permanently? Is that even possible?"

My aunt nodded casually at my question.

"If it's a low-level barrier that's excellent for security, then yes."

One went down at the entrance. Another was laid near the hill path leading into the mansion. That ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠made things safe, at least for now.

The girls' eyes sparkled like stars as they looked at the house.

"Oh my, it's so stylish!"

"The last house was great, but this one's the best too!"

"This doesn't even look like a building from this world. Oh my, look at this glass!"

"Whoa, there's even a basement? We could turn the basement into a gym!"

Watching everyone enjoy themselves, I felt pretty pleased myself. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠It meant I'd made the right call. That's one expansion down.

Should I put Lin in the basement? Come to think of it, I don't think Lin even poops or pees.

While I was pondering about Lin, someone came up and took my arm. I turned — it was Min Jiyou. A soft, springy warmth pressed against me through her touch. She wore a look of something like longing as she glanced around.

"This really is an amazing place."

"Haha, right?"

"Um... are you free later?"

"Later? Why?"

Did she have something on her mind? Min Jiyou whispered a little lower. Luckily, I heard her just fine.

"I want to... be alone with you."

HOLY SHIIIIIT?!

Meanwhile, in Myra, the capital of the Dharma Empire.

The city was in ruins, fires still burning here and there, when a knight appeared with his cloak billowing and seven points of light flickering near his chest. He asked the order knights following behind him,

"Those Who Recite Sins... I've heard the name often enough. Roughly how many?"

"Well, according to the comrades who witnessed the scene, they were wiped out. All except one cardinal."

"Is that so? So they've finally shown their true colors? What a headache."

"Yes, sir. It appears to have been a terrorist attack stemming from an internal conflict, which then spread to the surrounding area."

At the knight's report, the man swept his faded blond hair aside and clicked his tongue.

"That's how war always goes. It starts as a fight between two sides, but one small mistake, one variable, and it spreads everywhere. And yet most of our history is war."

A sigh escaped him on its own. Though this particular sigh had one more reason behind it.

Of all times, this had to happen when the Knight Commander and the Archmages were away on a campaign against the foreign tribes. This is bad.

The timing was almost too perfect. The Dharma Empire was a military superpower worthy of its reputation — and it wasn't just its warriors. Among those called mages, there wasn't a single one who hadn't been called a monster. And most of ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠them just happened to be away in the north, suppressing foreign tribes. In other words, this was the most vulnerable moment in the Empire's history. And of course, this was when everything blew up.

A mage who'd followed after him asked, like a secretary.

"What will you do, Captain Gagaren? Shall I request reinforcements?"

"We need to catch the mastermind behind this. If anything happens to me, request reinforcements remotely."

"Then you intend to take down Cardinal James...?"

"Cardinal, my ass. That cultist scum. We'll catch him and make him pay!"

Gagaren wasn't a man whose strength had soared far beyond the effort he'd put in. But that effort had carried him all the way here. He'd surpassed Expert and risen to the position of Guard Captain at the early Master stage.

I'm sick to death of these reactionaries.

As he advanced, a long shadow stretched out in front of him. Then a voice rang out.

"Pay? Pay for what, exactly?"

A changed James appeared. The order knights swiftly cut off his escape and surrounded him. Gagaren spoke smoothly.

"I finally get to meet the famous man himself. Would you come along quietly?"

"I am God and Savior. That you would dare harm me is proof that you are heretics — children of the devil!"

"Look at what you've done. You're worse than the devil himself. Pretty impressive for a guy who claims to believe in God."

"Hohoho. The sacrifice of the few for the sake of the many. I've done nothing wrong."

"You poor bastard."

Gagaren snorted a laugh and shook his head. James's brow twisted.

"What?"

"You should've stopped there. Prey on some broken people, skim a little cash, screw a few women. That should've been it. But you wanted more, and you bit off more than you could chew. Am I wrong?"

It was harsh, but it was the truth. James had stacked greed upon greed to climb to where he was. And in the end, it had all blown up in today's disaster.

"Heh... heh-heh-heh-heh-heh-heh-heh-heh!"

James let out a booming, hollow laugh.

"The devil's child still has a mouth on him!"

"Anyway, I don't even need to lift a finger. My secretary here will wreck you with a single word."

Gagaren pointed to the secretary behind him. James smiled in a way that sent chills down the spine, his ring gleaming.

"A single word? What word?"

"Urgh, ghk...!"

The secretary was instantly seized by a thick tentacle. In a single instant, the tentacle squeezed him until he burst. Gagaren ground his teeth and drew his sword.

"Kh... overwhelming power!"

He activated his aura and closed the distance in less than a second. The instant his blade swung toward James's neck, the corner of James's mouth curled up.

A bizarre sound rang out. Gagaren clutched his chest and collapsed. He died pouring blood onto the street.

Looking down at the dead Gagaren, James smiled grotesquely.

He began to walk forward, slowly.