We enter the formerly restricted area.

In the first place, it's an empty hall, with a wide space in the middle.

It originally might've been a dancing room but got repurposed.

Noteworthy is the mix of apparent knights and scholars staying here in attendance as if they're waiting for something.

I seriously have to know this.

"Uh, Chiaki. Who are these people?" (I)

"Those are my pupils!" (C)

Why is it so often completely pointless when I try to settle things quietly?

"Okay, different question. Why do you have pupils? What can you even teach them?" (I)

"You! Show respect to the master!" (pupil, knight version)

Sometimes it gets really, really hard not to tell them that I'm their goddamn goddess and they can all screw themselves if they're trying to tell me what to do in my own goddamned dream world.

But I'm able to think rationally and can understand how things might look from his perspective.

"She, she isn't..." (E)

Guess my supervisor had similar thoughts to mine but now panics about what she's allowed to say.

"I'm sorry. I'm not used to this place yet. Please forgive my inexperience." (I)

I'm not great at lying, but the fact that my dream realm runs completely wild is estranging enough to allow a semblance of truth when I'm telling them that I don't know how to handle myself here.

"Don't take it so hard! Stuff like this happens!" (C)

"Uff!" (I)

Did Chiaki have to slap my back this hard?

Those people might even believe this was some kind of punishment for speaking out of order.

"Now let's head inside!" (C)

"Master!" (pupil)

Master!?

"You can just continue with your stuff. I have to discuss something important with them." (C)

She walks with a confidence that I could never show to the other side and opens a door.

"Are you coming?" (C)

I quickly cross the room with lowered head, trying not to draw more attention to my person.

Eryna follows hesitantly, still slightly trembling behind me.

I make a conscious effort not to look too intimidating when I close the door behind that terrified maid.

It doesn't work out that well in practice.

"Since when are you such a big shot?" (I)

"What do you mean? I'm the royal magician." (C)

Did she have to make these fireworks with her blast energy while saying this?

"But why the hell are all these people here? They clearly want something from you and, please don't take this personally, you can make your hands shine and strengthen your body but you're still a beginner." (I)

"Oh, you're wrong! I can totally do stuff." (C)

"Okay..." (I)

"I noticed that I've got a knack for this aura stuff. I can feel my own now much clearer than when I was starting out. The training with you helped quite a lot." (C)

"And what about this?" (I)

"You see, I can also send it out and move it. And with a bit of practice I was able to feel it also inside others. A bit like Zika did for me." (C)

Is she crazy?

"Zika also told you that it's extremely dangerous for the affected person if one messes up." (I)

"Oh, did she?" (C)

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"Chiaki!" (I)

"Okay, okay. I'm only using extremely shallow amounts. Basically, I'm not even doing anything. Zika made it move and controlled me from the inside. I'm only sending them a bit of energy to make them aware of it. It's totally safe. And with this power, I can boost the awareness of those who come to me to awaken their potential. And now they're treating me like some kind of kung fu master." (C)

"If you say so. But please be careful." (I)

"Sure, now for why you're here. How did you mess up this time?" (C)

"Hey!" (I)

"What? I know that you wouldn't go through all the effort to contact me without a good reason. And that woman behind you has been trembling this whole time. It's not too hard to figure this out." (C)

"Fine, okay. Maybe she has seen me when I did some... abnormal things." (I)

"I see! I see!" (C)

It feels humiliating when she nods with that attitude.

Nobody should have to experience this from Chiaki.

Not me and not the poor maid I dragged along.

But now Chiaki is determined to walk over to her.

"Was quite much at once, huh?" (C)

"G-great magician? I, I don't know what I saw. It was... I don't know." (E)

Isn't crying a bit much?

You're a grown woman.

"Please, call me Chiaki. We're all the same within Iori." (C)

Can you please word it differently?

"I-I don't understand. What do you mean?" (E)

"We're essentially inside Iori. If she gets a stomach ache we're all in trouble. Pfft. Sorry, bad joke. But yes, this whole world is basically Iori's private place." (C)

"B-but what about Aureas?" (E)

"I never saw that one, but fact is, that Iori created you and is wielding absolute power here." (C)

I wave at them in an awkward manner.

"Yes, that's your god. But don't worry, she's not evil. Maybe a little laid-back and indifferent." (C)

Now it sounds like I'm bad for not caring enough about people I don't know.

"That's unfair. I didn't ask to be a goddess. I simply fell into this situation by accident." (I)

"And now? Do you plan to take care of them?" (C)

Honestly?

No! All I know about religion tells me this is a terrible idea.

In the end, everything I do is going to blow back right into my face.

I tell them to behave in a certain positive way, they're going to eradicate everyone who doesn't.

I don't do anything, they’ll hold it against me that I didn't stop this catastrophe or that war.

I save someone, they’ll argue why I didn't save those thousand others.

It's simply not going to work in my favor.

So if everything I do is wrong, I’m better off doing nothing at all, so I can at least tell myself that I wasn't involved.

"I would prefer if no one would know about me. Maybe I can send them a boon, like better crops for the harvest or a forest that's not trying to kill them." (I)

"You, you truly are our god!? Why? How?" (E)

"Like she does most stuff. She thinks about it and everything obeys her will. She can basically create everything out of nowhere." (C)

That Chiaki had already figured me out this much.

Maybe I underestimate her mental capabilities sometimes.

But she also has this extroverted charisma that makes her words totally believable.

The succubus at least got big eyes.

"You are our god! You brought us into this world! Wh-why?! What is our purpose?" (E)

Uh, damn.

What can I answer here?

No child should hear the answer "you were an accident".

And I kinda get the feeling this applies as well when the goddess says this to her created people.

"Uh... Well... You see..." (I)

"Because a world with life in it is better than one without!" (C)

Huh?

"Wh-what?" (E)

"You need to understand, last time when Iori showed me this place, yes, I'm coming from somewhere else, back then it was totally empty here. Completely boring. Nothing would have ever happened on its own. Now with you folk here, things finally happen. That's much cooler than an endless wasteland, right?" (C)

That's actually at least an explanation that people could count as one.

"C-cool?" (E)

"Ehm, yes? It means more interesting. Or entertaining." (C)

"This, this means that all suffering of our people was only to entertain you? People were killed by the monsters because it was interesting to watch!" (E)

I didn't want to hear this!

I didn't want to have to deal with this!

"No, I didn't watch! I didn't even know that someone was here! Or monsters! Oh my god. this got totally out of hand." (I)

"Grmbl"

I feel terrible.

And now from everywhere, tentacles sprout into this room and the earth shakes.

And this is surely not helping my reputation with this maid.

"Iehk!" (E)

Fortunately, they also blocked the entrance, as apparently someone has heard this just now.

"Great magician!"

"Everything's okay! I only conducted a magical experiment! Seriously, Iori. You should pull them back... wherever they're coming from." (C)

You don't have to tell me this!

I do so and become disturbingly aware that the walls are made of tentacle flesh when I notice there's no real difference to what the tentacles felt like.

When I'm done a terrified maid begs Chiaki.

"Please, let me out of here! Why is she doing this? Is she playing with me?" (E)

"No. no! It's not like this. Iori... most of the times she's doing things unintentionally. She can't control it very well. She's not evil. Only... inept." (C)

Chiaki is helping me out here, so I should quench my annoyance at her remarks.

"She is... inept?" (E)

And word spreads.

"Hey, what was I supposed to do? It's been less than two weeks since I've got those powers. And before you ask, time works weirdly for me, so it was only some days for me, while at the same time, this place developed as it did. Without me noticing a thing that is." (I)

"I don't understand any of this!" (E)

"If this knowledge is too much I'm still willing to erase any disturbing revelations from your memory. Just say so." (I)

"N-no." (E)

"Iori, you're scaring her." (C)

"It was just a suggestion. I wouldn't do anything without consent." (I)

"She doesn't know you as I do. That can be pretty intimidating." (C)

"Excuse me?!" (E)

"Yes?" (C/I)

"I, I think I understand that you're coming from somewhere else. But why are you here now? Isn't the celestial sphere you're coming from many times better than here?" (E)

Seems like she thinks Chiaki is as well a goddess.

Not too far off, but still wrong.

And Japan is not the perfect paradise.

"Uh, we aren't staying here if you mean that. Actually we only wanted to go to a private place where we could enjoy ourselves." (C)

"Yet then there were suddenly a greater number of people, occupying my place. So there wasn't much in terms of vacation activities." (I)

"But it's a shame. I really wanted to go to the beach." (C)

"How would that even happen? We don't have one." (I)

Okay, there's a river but I wouldn't advise going swimming with this current.

"Aren't you an all-powerful goddess? You could simply make one!" (C)

"I am certainly not making a beach just for your entertainment, Chiaki!" (I)

* Beach!

No, I won't!

"Why not? It would be so cool. I was looking forward to it so much." (C)

"Chiaki, did you fucking lose it? Any idea what a beach would mean for the fragile balance of this community? I am certainly not starting with large-scale terraforming!" (I)

* Beach!

I said no!

"Excuse me, I don't understand. What is a beach?" (E)

"Uh, something like the sides of the river. But much larger and with a far greater amount of water and sand. A beach." (I)

* Beach!

No!

"Come on, it would be so nice!" (C)

"Forget it! I won't do this! Look somewhere else for a beach!" (I)

* Beach!

Stop!

* Beach!

Shit!

Something feels off about this mental order to myself.

Suddenly there is an audible rumbling.

And for some reason also in my stomach.

With growing panic, I run to the only window of the room.

Out there I see a gigantic wall of black running in our direction.