Volume 18 Chapter (6-10)

Chapter 6, Goddess Limits

In the end, they didn't know about the new power until they started visiting the sanctuary.

Peach's fortune-telling told her that the existing power would grow rather than become a new power, but she was not that certain about it.

Meanwhile, the feeling Kousuke had when he saw the Black Wolf was still there. However, he did not feel it with any of the other summoned beasts except the Black Wolf.

To be precise, he could feel it in a very limited manner in some black wolves on the 91st Floor.

He went to the black wolves several times after Peach told her fortune-telling, but nothing had changed, except that strange feeling became more apparent.

Meanwhile, the time for him to visit the sanctuary had come, so Kousuke decided to give up and go to make sure that everything was okay.

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"Well, I don't know about that."

Kousuke first asked Asura when he arrived at the Garden of Everlasting, and this was the answer he got.

"What? Huh? Is that so?"

Kousuke felt like the ladder under him had been suddenly removed, but this was his fault for expecting too much.

In the first place, Peach's fortune-telling had only indicated that there was something to be found if he went to the sanctuary, not that he would get an answer from Asura.

"I wouldn't be able to know everything either, no matter how much I try, would I?"

"Eh? Hmmm? Really?"

He repeated himself, but of course, this was intentional.

"That's right. There are things I can do and things I can't do. Of course, there are things I know and things I don't know. Especially when it comes to Kousuke, I just don't know what would happen."

"Really? Is that a good thing or a bad thing?"

"That's a good thing, isn't it? Wouldn't it be boring if I already knew everything from the start?"

"Well, yes, but… Oh, no, wait. That's just me, isn't it?"

Asura looked away from Kousuke's question.

"Well, that's what it is. I'll answer before you ask, it's because your soul is from another world."

"It's because of that?"

"Yeah, that's right. If you were born into this world from the start, I would have most of the answers for you. But you are not."

Asura said this to Kousuke with a serious expression.

Kousuke's reaction to this was, 'Hmmm…' without much thought about it.

He did not realize that he was special to Asura, and did not really put much thought into it.

Of course, this was a big deal for Asura, since it was the first time she had experienced something like this, but unfortunately, Kousuke was none the wiser.

Asura, on the other hand, had no intention of telling Kousuke.

She was convinced that Kousuke's attitude was not going to change even if she did tell him.

Therefore, Asura didn't feel the need to mention it to Kousuke.

"Well, anyway, there's also the matter of Peach's fortune-telling, so why don't you go and relax for a while?"

"Hmmm. I would love to, but I was told that they need me for the dinner party soon."

"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that. That's too bad."

Asura, who said that, was also busy. Thus, even if Kousuke had stayed around for longer, she would not be able to accompany him.

"Well, as long as you are staying here, I would be happy if you could deal with those girls as much as possible."

The reason Kousuke started coming to the sanctuary regularly in the first place was to meet with the Goddesses.

Naturally, he already had plans for this visit.

When Eris handed him the schedule as soon as he arrived, Kousuke, who knew what was coming, couldn't help but grimace.

The only relief was that the schedule was not as packed as in the past.

Kousuke's promise of regular visits meant that he was able to make room for them, since they were not as reckless as they had been the previous time.

"ko~u~su~ke~"

After finishing the dinner party, which was the only event of the day, Kousuke was relaxing in the room he had been assigned when he was suddenly visited by Jal.

Behind her were a giggling Eris and Spica.

"Oh, Jal…! What's the matter?"

"What's the matter, you ask!?"

"Wah…?"

"Because of you, I have no time at all these days!"

Kousuke looked at Eris with a puzzled expression on his face.

"Don't worry about it. It's just a joke."

"Haha. Well, whether it's a joke or not, it's certainly a false accusation by Jal."

Jal's shoulders slumped, and Kousuke became increasingly confused at the relentless arguments of the two sisters.

"Never mind. It's simply that one word from Kousuke has increased Jal's workload significantly."

"A word? What did I say?"

"That's the thing! You said, 'I won't hold back!'"

Kousuke tilted his head for a moment, but could not remember when he said that.

"I'm sorry, what do you mean exactly?"

"Well, you don't have to worry about it. It's regarding the titles of the summons."

"… Hmm? Ah! Come to think of it, I did say something like that. The number of summons with titles has certainly increased since then, did it affect you?"

"Yes, it has! Mhoou-"

Jal was about to continue further when Spica interrupted her.

"Yes, yes. Let's stop there. Stop now, or else Sister Eris's lightning will strike…"

At Spica's threat, Jal stopped dead in her tracks.

Jal looked fearfully at Eris with only a glance and shuddered for a moment.

Eris had a smile on her face at that moment, but she knew from her past experiences that Eris's smile was not a good one.

Seeing this, Eris let out one sigh and turned to Kousuke.

"Well, don't worry about it too much, it's just more paperwork to allow them to try and attach a title to Kousuke-sama's dependents."

"Heh. You're doing paperwork screening?"

"Yes. Yes, but most of them fail."

Kousuke's cheeks twitched at this answer.

"….I think the number of titleholders has been increasing quite a bit."

"Less than one percent of the documents we receive actually grants titles, you know?"

Jal, who had been released from Spica's custody, looked at Kousuke with a stern look.

"Are you serious…?"

"I'm serious…?"

"Therefore, Kousuke-sama. Once again, please don't worry too much. Even though the number of paperwork reviews have increased, recently, my subordinates have started working on them, and they still seem to have more spare time."

"Oh, ok. That seems fine, but…"

"Is it really fine!?"

"We have already limited it as much as possible, you know?"

"Eh, seriously!?"

Kousuke ignored Jal, who was ranting about something, and asked Eris.

"There is no problem. As for blessings and etc. Certain conditions must be met first. If there are too many of them, it means that the conditions they have to meet will be harder."

"Ah, I see. In other words, if there are too many, the number of title holders will not increase?"

"Yes, that would be the case."

Kousuke was about to nod at Eris's explanation, but there was something about Eris's words earlier that bothered him.

"Hmm? Conditions?"

"Yes. There are many conditions to bring the power of the Goddesses over there…"

"Ah, no. I'm not talking about titles… No, is this also related to titles?"

Kousuke tilted his head, and Eris also tilted her head, not understanding what he was talking about.

"What are you referring to?"

Kousuke told the three Goddesses about Peach's fortune-telling, which was one of the objectives of this trip.

He had told Asura about it, but he didn't mention it to the three Goddesses yet.

"I see, so that's what you mean. If it's about that, then Jal's an expert…"

"Impossible! If Asura-sama doesn't know, there's no way I could know!"

Kousuke couldn't help but chuckle at Jal's blunt reply.

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Chapter 7, World Record

Kousuke was in his room, located within Asura's mansion.

He was feeling troubled.

"Hmm. I guess we didn't find out anything today."

The room he was now in was the one he stayed before he headed to Earthgard.

It was also the room he used during his visits. Eris had told him to use this room whenever he came to the sanctuary.

The sanctuary was already night, as there was a day and night cycle here.

The reason why day and night existed was to avoid the feeling of being different from Earthgard.

Asura's personal taste of enjoying the night sky was also part of the reason. Though, not many knew that.

He was pondering over the new power while looking at the nighttime scenery. However, he had no idea what to make of it.

He planned to stay until he could grasp the trigger that had appeared in Peach's fortune-telling.

However, he did not intend to slack off forever.

"Ah. No. I don't really know what to think… Maybe I should go for a walk."

Kousuke knew that sitting still in his room would only make his mind stagnant.

When he said it out loud, it seemed like a good idea so he decided to put it into action.

***

He thought about the last time he was here after using the return circle. He never took a calm stroll outside like he did right now.

Before heading to Earthgard, he wandered around quite freely. Though it was strange in retrospect that he did not see any other Goddesses at that time.

Of course, Asura and Eris were working behind the scenes to prevent him from meeting them unexpectedly.

However, they did not physically escort him, but only advised him not to go to certain areas.

That was not a problem for Kousuke, as he had done this frequently before he arrived. Thus, he knew the areas.

This time, no Goddesses came to attack him while he was around. It was thanks to his promise of making regular visits.

Eris had told him about how the Goddesses had become more docile after he made that promise. Thus, Kousuke was enjoying his leisurely stroll without worry.

When he was in the Towers, he was mostly confined to the administrative floor, so the only time he could enjoy nature was when he went to check on his dependents.

Perhaps it was because of this, as well as the feeling of fresh air out in nature, he began to be in a somewhat pleasant mood.

Following this mood, he got into the swing of things and kept on walking.

By the time he realized it, it was too late.

"…What? Where am I?"

He was now walking through the woods, not the plains, and had lost all sense of direction. He no longer knew where the mansion was located.

"Geez, this is bad, huh?"

He had a bad feeling about this, but decided to be optimistic. He believed that there was no limit to how far he could walk on his own two feet.

Incidentally, the reason he could take it so easy was because he knew there were no monsters in the sanctuary.

If there were monsters, he would never have thought of going for a walk.

The biggest reason he was not panicking was because he had brought along with him equipment he could use to communicate with Jal. Something functional even in the sanctuary.

Since the communion tool was left as his last resort, he was able to relax to some extent.

***

"Hmmm… I think I've walked a lot already, but I still have no idea where I am."

He continued walking, thinking unnecessary things like. "I wish I had a cheat or something that would allow me to see a map," but there was no sign of anything that would lead him to a place he would recognize.

On the contrary, after a few dozen more minutes of walking, he suddenly found himself in an open area.

The open space did not mean that there was no more forest in front of him.

No trees were growing here, as if the area was protected by something.

It was circular and about the size of a large field.

For Kousuke, who had walked through the forest, the place seemed very bright with the trees gone and moonlight shining directly on it.

He decided to walk to the center of the open space.

At first, he did not notice it, but as he got closer to the center, he noticed that there was a large rock in the center.

Kousuke was curious, so he approached the rock.

As he got closer, his hunch became more and more certain.

He approached the rock and touched it.

…But nothing happened.

"… Huh? That's strange. I thought for sure there was something here?"

He not only touched it, but also stroked it, but nothing in particular happened.

He groped and fiddled with the rock for a while, but nothing in particular happened.

"Hmmm? I don't get it. Anyway, I'm tired, so I'm going to take a short break."

After muttering this, He sat down with his back against that rock.

He had been walking for quite some time and was tired, though he did not feel it while he was walking.

He had no intention of doing so, but he found himself closing his eyes and falling asleep.

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He found himself in a completely white world.

Kousuke was alone there. There was a book as big as an encyclopedia floating in front of me.

[Nice to meet you.]

Suddenly, the book in front of him spoke.

It was not words that came through his ears using sound, but a voice that resonated directly in his head.

"Um? I'm Kousuke."

[I know. I am <—-> I know who you are.]

"What? Excuse me?"

[Unfortunately, you are not yet qualified to hear my name.]

The book in front of him came over and spoke.

"I see… Hmmm, but I can sort of imagine what it is?"

[Oh. Then tell me what you think thy name is.]

"Well, if you'll excuse me… World Record."

The moment Kousuke called the name, the book in front of him lit up and the pages began to flip.

It stopped when it reached a certain page.

[That is one of the names that manifests Me. That is not all. But it is also true that no one can understand all of Me."]

"Ah. In short, you mean that I do not comprehend your existence?"

[I wonder? Perhaps you could understand it after long, long contemplation.]

"I see. By the way, did you invite me here?"

[I did not call for you. You are the one who came to me.]

"Oh? Is that so? I am sorry for the trouble."

[It is all right. It may be good to have a conversation with others once in a while.]

Kousuke was relieved to hear that the tone of her voice did not indicate that she was angry, although her expression was not visible because she was in the form of a book.

[So? You have something you want to ask me, don't you?]

"Oh, I knew you could see through me. But I'll refrain from asking."

[Oh. Why is that? I am the one who knows everything. I can give you the answer if you ask me, can't I?]

"That's why."

[Is there any difference between asking me and asking the Goddesses?]

"No, I don't know, but I have a feeling that you are on a different level… I don't know how to put it into words."

[I see.]

It was a short reply, but it gave him the impression that she was somehow enjoying herself.

[You should cherish that feeling. Well then, it's time for you to go."]

When the book in front of him said that, it emitted light just like before.

What was different this time was that the light enveloped Kousuke.

When the light disappeared, Kousuke was not there anymore

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Chapter 8, What is "That Being?"

A sensation of his consciousness surfacing enveloped his entire body.

Somehow, he understood that his body and soul had been separated up to now.

In response to his body's desire, Kousuke continued to awaken.

When he opened his eyes, he found that he was lying on a bed, not by the rock on which he was supposed to have his back resting against.

Looking at the ceiling that came into view, he realized that it was his room assigned to him in Asura's mansion.

He shifted his gaze to the side and saw Eris, but for some reason her expression showed surprise.

"Eris, is something wrong?"

"Oh, no… I was a little surprised… No, before that, please don't make me worry about you too much."

Eris was a bit reserved for a moment, but quickly regained her composure and came over with a few small words.

Looking at the situation, he understood that he had been brought here after falling asleep by that rock.

"No, sorry. I was tired from walking and fell asleep… Just, doh-?"

Kousuke was about to make an excuse when he noticed something was wrong with his condition and Eris's.

"… Uh? Did I sleep for a long time?"

"It's been about a day and a half."

"…Really?"

'Yes, we found your body right away, but your soul was not in it at that time. You returned only a short time ago."

With that statement from Eris, Kousuke realized that he had gone to that world with only his soul.

"Ha. I see. So? Why were you surprised?"

Eris had a surprised expression when Kousuke woke up.

Kousuke was half asleep at the time, but he somehow got the feeling that she knew something was going to happen, so he asked.

The question made Eris look as if she had been caught red-handed.

"Have you noticed something?"

"Hmmm? Somewhat?"

"…I see. No, I think it would be better to hear about it from Asura-sama than from me."

"Alright. I understand."

Kousuke knew that Eris was not one to avoid answering questions without a reason.

To put it in another way, she felt like it would really be better to hear it directly from Asura.

"So? Where is Asura now?"

"She is working in her office. But since she was worried about you, I think it would be better to show her your face."

"I see. I'll do that. Speaking of which, have you contacted the other side?"

"I contacted them myself, of course. I didn't tell them you weren't conscious because I knew they would be worried, but I did tell them you were unreachable."

"I see, thank you."

Kousuke thanked Eris for her consideration.

Besides, what Eris said was not a lie.

He had been somewhere where he could not be reached.

He did not realize that he had been gone for more than a day.

What's more, he had a feeling that he would not be able to return back to Tower anytime soon.

He did not know if his chance encounter with the world record was in line with Peach's fortune-telling, but from the moment he woke up, he felt a different sensation enveloping him.

"Now then, let's go to Asura's… Oops!"

Kousuke, who was about to get off the bed on which he was lying, swayed unsteadily.

"Kousuke-sama! Are you okay?"

"Uh, yeah… It's like my brain hasn't caught up with the changes in my body. No, the changes in my soul, I guess?"

"For now, please lie down. I'll go get Asura-sama."

Kousuke's words gave Eris a momentary headache, but she quickly regained her composure and told him to go back to bed.

Needless to say, a soul, once created, was not something that could be changed so easily.

And there was no way that he could have known that.

It was impossible even for the Goddesses.

This included Eris herself, of course.

The only one who was exempted from this was Asura.

"Oh, I'm sorry, do you mind?"

Having said that, Kousuke laid back down on the bed, and Eris immediately went to Asura.

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"Heh. It is getting interesting again, isn't it?"

As soon as she came to Kousuke's room, Asura said so.

Incidentally, when Kousuke realized that Asura had arrived, he only raised his upper body.

He still felt uncomfortable standing up, so he refrained from straining himself.

"…You look kind of happy, huh?"

Kousuke, who somehow got a bad feeling from Asura's expression, asked while his lips twitched.

"That's right. Finally, there is an existence in this world that can be called a true God."

Asura said something extremely disturbing.

Eris, who was standing beside Asura, had a look of surprise on her face.

"Somehow I don't think I want to hear about this…"

"You have no need to listen, but now that you've met that being, It is inevitable, isn't it?"

Kousuke didn't bother to ask who she was talking about.

The only existence that Asura, who stood at the top of this world, pays respect to is the World Record that he encountered earlier.

"I see. Okay, can you tell me about it?"

"Yeah. It's easy to understand. First of all, Eris and the others are 'Celestial Maidens', they are not really Gods. Neither were you before you met the World Record. However, now, you have become a true god."

Meeting the World Record had evolved his soul.

He was the same, but his soul had changed drastically.

Eris and the other Goddesses were deities that could be recognized only in the world of Earthgard. Meanwhile, Asura and Kousuke were deities that could be recognized even when they went to other worlds.

"… What can I say? I didn't really realize this at all."

"What are you saying? The reason you couldn't stand up properly now is because your body hasn't been able to keep up with the changes in your soul."

"Yeah, that's true."

If things went badly, it could result in the body not being able to adjust to the changes in the soul. However, neither Kousuke nor Asura were worried about that.

If that were to happen, Kousuke would have encountered a much more violent rejection.

"Anyways, you should rest for a while."

"I will. Yeah. Anyway…"

"…Hmm?"

"Can I ask you what that being is?"

"I can't answer. Or rather, even I don't know."

Kousuke nodded in agreement with her response, which was, in a sense, as he had expected.

It was hard to imagine that anyone could fully understand that existence in the first place.

"I see."

"If you could fully understand it, you might even be able to stand at the top of the Gods. Do you want to aim for such a position?"

"No, no, give me a break. I don't even think that's possible."

"Really now? That's too bad."

Kousuke's reply made Asura grin, as if she had expected it.

***

As they concluded their conversation, Eris interrupted.

"So, shall we announce this?"

Asura looked at Kousuke with an expression that indicated what Eris should do.

"Give me a break. I'm good enough with my current position."

In the world of Earthgard, Kousuke was already widely known as a living god.

He had no intention of going out of his way to sow unnecessary sparks.

"I see."

Eris showed a somewhat relieved expression.

Depending on Kousuke's response, he probably could have usurped their rights.

Of course, Kousuke was not that kind of person.

Eris wasn't so attached to her current position, either.

But if that had happened, the world would definitely be in turmoil.

Eris did not want that to happen.

"No, wait, why are you relieved by my answer?"

"You don't have to think so much about it. From Eris's point of view, it just can't be helped, you know?"

"I see, well, I don't really get it. But, I'll leave it at that."

Kousuke agreed with Asura's follow-up.

If the Goddesses, including Eris, had been the kind who demanded unreasonable things, Kousuke would certainly feel troubled enough to act.

But fortunately or unfortunately, they were not the type who would do such a thing. Therefore, there was no way he would be forced to go out of his way to disturb the world and usurp their positions.

On the contrary, he didn't want to hold such troublesome positions.

"If that's the case, why don't you just switch positions with me?"

"Please give me a break."

Kousuke quickly bowed his head in rejection to Asura, who suggested such an outrageous offer.

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Chapter 9, Kousuke Wavering

It ended up taking him a day more for Kousuke to be able to get out of bed.

And when he said he could get up…

"Ugh. I still can't…"

He was once again suffering from slight dizziness.

He didn't feel any discomfort when he was sitting up on the bed, but it was no good when he tried to walk.

Kousuke, sensing that further straining himself was no use at this point, quietly returned to bed.

Obviously, he was exhausted from lying around in bed all day yesterday. However, there was nothing he could do about his physical condition.

***

Returning to bed, Kousuke attempted to make an oracle to Sylvia, which he was unable to do so yesterday.

[Sylvia, can you hear me?]

The situation was not as difficult as yesterday, so he decided to continue the conversation.

[Ko-Kousuke-sama!? Are you okay?]

Sylvia replied, sounding quite flustered.

Eris told her that he would be late because he had more things to do, but since there had been no word from Kousuke himself, she had been worried.

Kousuke heard her voice and realized that he could not speak truthfully about his condition. Therefore, he tried his best to reply in his usual tone of voice.

[Don't worry, I'm fine. I'm fine. Also, I think I can get a hold of that thing Peach talked about, so I'll stay here for a little while longer.]

[…I understand]

Kousuke pretended not to have noticed that it took a long time for her to reply.

[So, I'll leave everyone there in charge until I come back]

[Yes.]

After hearing Sylvia's reply, he immediately ended the oracle.

In truth, the moment he tried to make an oracle to Sylvia, he was in the same state as when he stood up, so he was trying his best to avoid being noticed.

"Ummm… Am I seriously going to be okay?"

Kousuke realized after all this time that he could not be optimistic about his own condition.

***

Kousuke still felt dull, but he was not feeling pessimistic because he knew that he had recovered quite a bit compared to yesterday.

He was certain he would recover in time, but he knew that if his return would take too long, he would not be able to fool his close associates.

He estimated that he had a week at the most, but there was no guarantee that he would recover by then.

However, he knew that there was no point in being impatient.

He laid back quietly in bed, but since he had slept so much yesterday, there was nothing he could do but toss and turn.

That was until Jal came to visit him.

"I'm here to visit. How are you feeling?"

"Oh. I'm glad you came. I'm bored out of my mind."

"Oh, as I thought?"

Jal knew Kousuke would be bored, so she came here in her spare time from work.

She felt bad for Kousuke, who was sick, but it was not every day that she had such a chance to speak with him in such a leisurely manner.

So, she took this opportunity to visit him.

Incidentally, Jal was not the only one who thought of doing so. Spica and Eris came to visit him later as well.

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It was night.

Kousuke had managed to pass the tedious hours with visits from the Three Great Goddesses, had his last and greatest guest.

"…I don't like the way they treat me like I'm some kind of last boss."

"Haha. No, sorry, sorry. But it's actually how you are, isn't it?"

Asura, sensing mischievousness from Kousuke's tone, became grumpy.

Kousuke chuckled to lighten up the mood.

"So? How's it going?"

"Well, I don't really know. I'm perfectly fine when I'm lying on the bed like this, but when I stand up, well, I can't really manage to stay on two feet."

"Well, bipedal animals use a lot of energy to stand up and walk, after all."

Kousuke nodded in agreement with Asura's opinion.

"No, but don't oracles usually use more energy?"

"Not really. What's crippling Kousuke right now is when he moves as a human, right?"

"Ah, I see. I see. That's what you mean."

Understanding what Asura meant, Kousuke nodded again.

Kousuke's soul had undergone some kind of transformation thanks to meeting the World Record with only his soul.

Asura did not know what it was, but she knew that his body was not keeping up with the changes in his soul.

His body was trying to stabilize the changes in his soul, but it wasn't able to keep up with movements, such as walking.

"Can't you adjust my body like you did when you first put my soul in this body?"

"No, I can't. Even if I was able to precisely adjust Kousuke's soul at that time, it is impossible even for me to accurately adjust your soul now after that being had transformed it."

In the end, there was nothing that could be done unless Kousuke himself understood the state of his soul.

"Hmmm. Understanding the soul…"

If he could do that, he would have no issues. To get out of this situation, he would have to overcome it.

"Is there a better solution?"

"If there was, I would have given you some advice. There is nothing I can do about it."

Asura shrugged her shoulders.

In reality, there was no way for one to understand the state of one's soul based on what one heard from others.

He must inevitably understand it on his own.

"Hmmm… Well, I think it would be easier to understand if you could leave your body and become just your soul."

"What? You can do that?"

Kousuke's statement made Asura look at him with a puzzled expression.

"Well, yeah! I mean, if you can read minds, you should be able to do it!"

"Don't be absurd. But if that's the solution, can we quick do it?"

"What do you mean?"

"What do I mean, nothing, really? But it should be easy for you to separate my soul from my body, right?"

Asura looked at Kousuke as if she was saying 'what are you up to?'.

"By all means, please do it."

Kousuke pleaded and then bowed his head toward Asura.

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"Oh. So, this is what astral projection is like."

Kousuke gazed with deep emotions at his body lying on the bed.

When he was lying on the rock in the forest, he had no awareness that he had become a soul because he only had the sensation of falling asleep.

This time, however, it was easier to understand because his body was clearly in front of him.

Kousuke had been contemplating about this rare experience for a while. He changed his mind when he noticed something while he was looking at his body.

"I'm sorry, Asura, but can I return back?"

"Eh? Okay, but… You should be able to go back as soon as you want to go back"

Kousuke closed his eyes and tried to imagine going back into his body.

The next moment, he felt a strange sensation of weight on his body.

After returning to his body, Kousuke quickly opened his eyes, but felt dizzy and quickly closed them.

That made him understand that what he sensed earlier was not wrong.

"Uh, yeah… I now understand why my physical condition is like this."

"What? Really?"

"Well. It's partly because my soul has not been anchored properly into my body as you said. It also seems like my soul was still unknowingly separated from my body."

This was also why he felt dizzy when his soul came back.

When he saw his body in his soul state, he had a strange feeling about it.

With his intuition and what he saw… he decided to go back immediately and asked Asura how to do so.

"Does it affect you that much?"

Apparently Asura didn't understand this either.

"Yeah. Well, I don't know if this is the case because it's me, or if it would be the same for other humans."

In the first place, it was impossible even for high-ranking priests or priestesses to separate their soul from their body. It was safe to say that no one could answer that query of his.

Even more so since Kousuke did not acquire the ability to separate his soul from his body through extended training.

"I see, but now that I know the cause, I can spend less time being bored."

"Oh, really?"

"It's just a possibility. I can't do it today, so I'll give it a try starting tomorrow."

"I see. Don't do anything rash. You're going to sleep like this today?"

"Yeah, I will."

As Kousuke replied, Asura touched Kousuke's forehead.

When Asura pulled her hand away, Kousuke was already sound asleep.

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Chapter 10, Finally Returning Home

When Kousuke performed astral projection, he somehow understood the cause of his poor physical condition.

The reason was that his physical body did not match the changes (evolution?) of his astral body, i.e., his soul.

He was able to understand this because he was properly conscious while his soul had left his body.

Based on that experience, Kousuke was now trying to resolve the discrepancy between his soul and his body.

From the outside, he appears to be sleeping normally, as he was simply lying in bed with his eyes closed.

In reality, however, he was not sleeping, but meditating.

It was the same state he was in when he first performed an oracle in the city of Mixen.

In that state, he could use Divine Power to investigate any discomfort in his body.

It would be necessary to correct the discomfort so that it matched the current state of his soul.

However, this was the first time he was doing such a correction, so it took a lot of time.

During his first modification, time passed quickly, partly because he was unfamiliar with the process.

So much so that Eris, who came to check on him, became concerned when she saw Kousuke not moving.

Eris would not have been worried if he had just been meditating, but he was working so deeply and intensely that she hardly felt any vital signs from him.

When he managed to correct the discomfort of the first part and return, Eris was looking at him with an anxious expression on her face.

In addition, he had the rare experience of becoming lethargic, even though he was not physically tired.

Kousuke, who clearly felt mentally exhausted, immediately fell asleep.

The next time he woke up was when someone called him for lunch.

At first, there was no progress at the beginning, but as he became accustomed to the process, the speed of modification became faster and faster.

Later, he realized that it was not enough to just fix the parts that felt strange. Balance was also important, and thus, he was forced to work in more detail.

He felt somewhat strange correcting his own body, but since there was no one else who could do it, he had no choice but to do it himself.

More than anything, he knew that what he was doing was actually making him feel better, so he stayed in bed and continued to work on the corrections.

***

Overall, it was only three days later that he was able to correct his physical condition until he no longer felt any discomfort.

Thanks to this, the dizziness subsided, and he could have a more normal experience.

Incidentally, there were no visits from the other Goddesses during those three days because of Asura's instructions.

The only ones who came to visit him were Asura and the three Great Goddesses.

They would have been in trouble if the other Goddesses had barged in at their usual pace. Therefore, Kousuke thought he was saved. Unfortunately, it was not a good plan considering the other purpose of his visit.

Therefore, instead of returning to the Tower as soon as he was healed, he decided to stay in the sanctuary for one more night and interact with the other Goddesses during that time.

Perhaps they had already been informed that Kousuke had been ill and were not as vigorous as before. Nonetheless, they treated him as if they were greatly concerned about him.

Kousuke still felt somewhat unwell even though he had already made a full recovery. Nonetheless, he did not want to leave without doing something for these Goddesses. He decided that it could not be helped and tried to meet as many of them as he could.

***

"Are you sure you are okay?"

The next day, Kousuke decided to return to Amamiya Tower and was seen off by a worried Asura.

Even Asura did not expect him to return the day after he got completely healed.

"It's okay, it's okay. Physically, I'm already fully healed."

Kousuke worked on it himself, so he knew that he was fully healed.

Asura also knew that he was much better now, but she still could not help getting anxious.

Knowing it was futile to stop him, Asura handed Kousuke something that looked like jewelry.

"Then, take this at least."

"Hmm? What is this?"

"A marker in case the return fails. I don't think you would need it, but just in case."

"….Okay. Thank you."

It would be unlikely that something would go wrong when using the return spell. After all, his body got restored to match the state of his soul.

Though, he didn't have any assurances and if the transfer did fail, he would be in serious trouble.

Depending on the situation, he might end up wandering from one world to another.

Kousuke knew this, so they prepared a marker so that they could find him if something went wrong.

Kousuke understood their intentions and decided to gratefully accept it.

"Well then, I'd better get going."

Kousuke bid them farewell, and returned, this time, using the return spell.

Asura and the others were greatly relieved when they confirmed that he had arrived safely without any failure in the transfer.

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When Kousuke returned to the Administration Floor, he was greeted by all the members.

"Welcome back, Kousuke-sama!"

Sylvia said on behalf of all the members.

Kousuke, who felt that this reception was somehow different from the usual one, wanted to run away from the group.

"…Eh? What's wrong?"

Sylvia stared at Kousuke, and Peach asked Sylvia.

"What do you think?"

"I'm sure of it."

The two of them exchanged something that Kousuke did not understand.

He looked at the other members, confused. Unfortunately, no one seemed to be able to help him out of this situation.

Sylvia, seeing Kousuke like that, let out a sigh.

"… Shall we have him tell us what happened in the sanctuary?"

Kousuke's attempts to escape were reinforced by the fact that Sylvia seemed to be somewhat distant from earlier.

"Eh? Well, I was just going about my business as usual, you know?"

"Then, shall I ask you to explain to me why Kousuke-sama's divinity has risen?"

[Divinity? What's that?] Kousuke thought, but Sylvia's eyes could not be fooled, so he gave up.

***

He had originally intended not to talk about what had happened in the sanctuary, but he suddenly found himself on the wrong end of the stick.

Nevertheless, the story about the World Record was kept vague.

Sylvia was aware of this and did not probe too deeply into that matter.

"By the way, what do you mean by 'divinity'?"

Kousuke asked Sylvia when the conversation was over.

"I think I told you before… It's the aura priestesses and priests experience when we are in the presence of a deity."

"And are you saying that it has increased?"

"It is rising. If it continues to rise, it would soon be enough to rival Goddess Elisa Meir-sama."

"Isn't that just an exaggeration?"

Kousuke was about to laugh it off, but stopped himself when he saw how serious Sylvia looked.

"Uh, seriously?"

"Yes. It's true. You should seriously start training to suppress your divinity. If you don't, even ordinary priestesses and priests will notice."

"Really…"

Kousuke held his head in his hands at Sylvia's advice.

He was currently in a state where his divine presence was leaking out.

With his former level of divinity, an ordinary priestess or priest would not have been able to notice him unless they paid close attention.

However, now, a priest or priestess with a certain amount of training would notice him immediately.

"Hmmm. I'll try to do something according to what you said…I'm going to cause trouble for you, so please assist me."

Kousuke did not know how to suppress divinity in the first place.

He would definitely need Sylvia's help. After all, she was the most knowledgeable person in the group.

"Of course. That's what I'm supposed to do."

Sylvia nodded in agreement.

Sylvia didn't know how to suppress a God's divinity, but she could check to see if it was leaking out.

Rather, that was her specialty.

She was the perfect person for Kousuke's training on how to suppress his divinity.

Eventually, the first thing Kousuke did upon his return from the sanctuary was not to check on his new power, but to train himself to suppress his own divinity.