I reach for the cabin door, ready to welcome everyone inside.
Before my hand touches the handle, the door swings open violently.
[Jyne] "Those fucking idiots have done it this time!"
The Goddess stands in the doorway, her pale blue hair disheveled, her eyes blazing with fury. Her elegant features were twisted in absolute rage.
Then she notices the crowd behind me.
Her gaze sweeps over Vesper, Nym, Kara, Rhevan, Liora, and the wide-eyed children staring at her in stunned silence.
The fury vanishes instantly. Her expression smooths into serene divinity, her posture straightening with perfect grace. She clasps her hands together demurely.
[Jyne] "Ah. Forgive my outburst. I... was overcome with concern for worldly matters. It is unbecoming of a goddess to lose composure so."
She bows slightly, the picture of divine elegance.
I can't help myself.
[Wright] "A goddess needs to keep her emotions in check, Jyne."
Her eye twitches.
[Jyne] "Yes. Thank you for the reminder, Wright."
The high elves are frozen in place, their expressions ranging from awe to shock. The children have gone completely silent, staring at Jyne like they've seen something impossible.
Liora is the first to recover, dropping into a deep bow.
[Liora] "Goddess. We are honored by your presence."
The others quickly follow suit, bowing respectfully. Even the children copy the adults, though they're peeking up at Jyne with wide eyes.
Vesper, however, is craning her neck to look past Jyne into the cabin.
[Vesper] "Is that the refrigerator?"
Everyone turns to stare at her.
[Nym] "Vesper!"
[Vesper] "What? We came for the tour!"
I sigh. It seems like there's an issue, though, and the house tour will have to wait.
[Wright] "Sorry, everyone. Looks like something's come up. We'll have to postpone the tour."
Disappointment ripples through the group. The children's shoulders slump. Vesper looks genuinely distressed.
[Vesper] "But... the artifacts..."
[Wright] "Donny, can you play with the children while I talk with Jyne?"
Donny churrs and waddles over to the kids. One of them immediately perks up.
[Child 1] "Can we ride you again?"
Donny lowers himself, and the children scramble onto his back, their disappointment forgotten.
Liora steps forward.
[Liora] "If there's an issue, we'd like to stay and help if we can."
[Rhevan] "We're here if you need us."
[Kara] "Whatever it is, we'll support you."
Nym nods firmly.
[Nym] "You can count on us."
They're all standing respectfully, clearly in awe of being in the Goddess's presence. They look ready to drop to their knees at any moment.
Vesper, meanwhile, is still trying to peer around Jyne.
[Vesper] "I just want to see the solar panels..."
I glance at Jyne, who gives a small nod.
[Wright] "Alright. Everyone can come in. But Vesper..."
I look at her directly.
[Wright] "Look, but don't touch. I mean it."
[Vesper] "I won't touch anything! I promise!"
[Wright] "Just looking. No taking things apart to see how they work."
[Vesper] "I won't! ...Probably."
[Wright] "Vesper."
[Vesper] "I mean I won't! Definitely won't!"
I open the door wider and gesture for everyone to enter.
The group files in, their eyes immediately drawn to the interior of the cabin. The high elves look around with curiosity and wonder, taking in the furniture, the strange devices, the unfamiliar layout.
Vesper makes a beeline for the refrigerator.
[Vesper] "It's so smooth! And cold! How does it stay cold without ice?"
She's already examining the refrigerator like it's the most fascinating thing she's ever seen.
The others take seats at the table. Jyne sits at the head, her divine composure fully restored. I sit across from her.
Liora, Rhevan, Kara, and Nym arrange themselves around the table, sitting upright with perfect posture. They look like they're trying very hard to be respectful in the presence of a deity.
Jyne clears her throat.
[Jyne] "I apologize for my earlier outburst. The news I bring is... troubling."
[Liora] "What has happened, Goddess?"
Jyne's expression darkens.
[Jyne] "The King and nobles of Aldencrest have truly outdone themselves this time. They've used forbidden magic to summon a group of children from another world. They intend to use them as heroes to save their failing kingdom."
Silence.
Then—
[Rhevan] "Children?!"
[Nym] "They summoned children to fight for them?"
[Kara] "How desperate can they possibly be?"
[Liora] "That's... monstrous. To tear children from their world and force them into a war?"
The high elves look horrified. Even Vesper pauses her examination of the stove to turn and stare.
[Vesper] "Wait, they actually summoned people? From another world?"
I feel a conflicting surge of emotions.
On one hand, using children is disgusting. Summoning kids who have no idea what's happening and throwing them into a conflict? That's beyond cruel.
On the other hand...
An isekai! A real isekai! Summoned heroes from another world! This is a manga staple! The classic trope! I can't believe I'm seeing this happen in real life!
I keep my expression neutral. Now is not the time to geek out.
Jyne continues, her tone sharp.
[Jyne] "Their stupidity knows no bounds. Summoning magic is forbidden for a reason. It's not because the heroes pose any real threat. Frankly, I feel sorry for those poor children being dragged into this mess."
She leans forward, her eyes glowing faintly.
[Jyne] "The real problem is that summoning magic draws directly from the world's energy. And they didn't just summon one or two people. They summoned an entire group. The amount of energy required..."
She pauses, her expression grim.
[Jyne] "The damage is already irreversible, but the world is strong enough to recover, albeit slowly. The world cannot handle another summon, and that magic cannot be allowed to spread."
The room falls silent. Even Vesper has stopped examining the kitchen counter.
I lean forward.
[Wright] "Do you know which world they summoned them from?"
Jyne blinks, looking at me oddly.
[Jyne] "What? Why does that matter?"
[Wright] "Just curious."
Jyne narrows her eyes but answers.
[Jyne] "Earth. They summoned them from a world called Earth."
My heart skips a beat.
Earth.
Earth!
People from Earth. The world where manga comes from. The world where all those stories I've been reading originated.
I stand up abruptly.
[Wright] "I'll go help."
Everyone stares at me.
[Liora] "Wright?"
[Rhevan] "You're going to Aldencrest?"
[Nym] "That's dangerous. The kingdom is on the verge of collapse."
[Kara] "And you'd be walking right into the heart of it."
Jyne tilts her head, studying me with those glowing eyes.
[Jyne] "Why the sudden eagerness, Wright? You've been perfectly content staying in your forest up until now."
I meet her gaze.
[Wright] "Because kids from another world are being used as pawns. That's not right. Someone needs to help them."
It's not a lie. That is one of the reasons.
But also... people from Earth. Actual people from Earth. I can talk to them about manga! About stories! About the culture I've been reading about for so long!
Jyne continues to study me, her expression unreadable.
Then she smiles faintly.
[Jyne] "Very well. I was just about to unleash divine punishment and extinguish the whole kingdom, but if you're going to interfere, I won't stop you. But anyone who knows about the forbidden magic cannot be left alive to use it again. It's too dangerous."
She pauses.
[Jyne] "And be careful. Aldencrest is desperate. Desperate people do reckless things."
[Wright] "I'll be fine."
Vesper, who has been uncharacteristically quiet, suddenly speaks up from the kitchen.
[Vesper] "Can I come?"
Everyone turns to look at her.
[Vesper] "What? If Wright's going on an adventure, I want to come too!"
[Nym] "Vesper, this isn't a field trip."
[Vesper] "I know! But I can help! I'm good with artifacts and magic tools. What if the summoning magic left some kind of residue? I could study it!"
Liora looks thoughtful.
[Liora] "She has a point. If we're going to deal with forbidden magic, having someone who understands magical theory could be useful."
Rhevan crosses his arms.
[Rhevan] "If Vesper's going, I'm going too. Someone needs to keep her out of trouble."
[Kara] "I'll come as well. You'll need supplies and equipment."
Nym sighs.
[Nym] "I suppose I'm coming too, then. Someone has to keep all of you alive."
Liora nods.
[Liora] "Then it's settled. We'll accompany you, Wright."
I look around the table at the determined faces. I appreciate the sentiment, I really do. But we have a farm to take care of. I remind them of this.
[Wright] "We still have a farm to take care of, so we can't all go."
[Liora] "Ah, that's right. We still need to prepare for the second harvest!"
[Kara] "There's too much to do."
[Wright] "Besides, I'm the only one who can cast growth acceleration magic at such a large scale. I'll need to stay until we have everything planted. Then I'll count on you all to handle the harvesting."
[Vesper] "Then I guess that just leaves you and me for the adventure."
Vesper grins from the kitchen. I'm impressed at how casually she can say that.
The others exchange glances. Nym looks particularly concerned.
[Nym] "Just the two of you?"
[Rhevan] "That's... not exactly reassuring."
[Liora] "Vesper, you do realize this is dangerous, right?"
Vesper waves a hand dismissively.
[Vesper] "I'll be fine! Wright's super strong, and I'm great at not dying!"
[Nym] "That's not as comforting as you think it is."
[Jyne] "What a strange elf...."
I sigh and get back on topic.
[Wright] "Is the issue urgent, or can it wait a day for me to prepare the farm? Are the kids in any immediate danger?"
[Jyne] "The kids are fine. They're just training, and I doubt their magicians will have enough stamina to pull off another spell of that magnitude. A few days should be fine, but please hurry."
[Vesper] "Now that that's settled, can we start with the cabin tour?"
[Wright] "It's gotten late, so let's head back to the barracks for dinner with everyone else. Jyne, care to join us?"
[Jyne] "Thank you, but I should head back. I'll need to strengthen the world as much as I can."
[Wright] "Remember to rest properly."
Jyne nods as she stands, her divine presence filling the room.
She looks at me directly.
[Jyne] "Don't do anything reckless. And please, don't break my world."
[Wright] "I'll try my best."
Jyne raises an eyebrow but doesn't answer.
She dissolves into light, her form scattering like golden dust, and the wooden doll drops onto the table with a soft clatter.
The high elves stare at the spot where she stood, still processing everything that just happened.