Death March to the Parallel World Rhapsody

“A great rainstorm is coming!”

An old man suddenly said this on the island where we had come to watch the typhoon.

By the way, a “great rainstorm” means a typhoon. This island was said to be protected by a typhoon-repelling barrier set up by the “wandering saint,” and for about the past 100 years, no typhoons had come here. But after hearing the fishermen’s stories, the old man expressed his doubts.

“Old man, a great rainstorm won’t—”

Before the villager could finish saying “won’t come,” a strong gust of wind roared through.

“—won’t it?”

“Ah, uh, well, there’s the honorable sage’s barrier after all.”

“Since my great-grandfather’s days, no great rainstorm has ever come.”

The villagers denied the old man’s words with trembling voices.

It wasn’t that they completely disbelieved him, but rather, they didn’t want to believe it out of anxiety.

“When I was a child, my great-grandfather said this: when the fin-people and gill-people start taking shelter behind the cape, it’s a sign that a great rainstorm is coming—”

In the middle of the old man’s words, rain began to fall in droplets.

Checking the map, I saw the typhoon was approaching earlier than expected.

“That’s just superstition—”

“Hmm?”

The villagers exchanged uneasy looks. They seemed half in doubt.

“Is this what they call ‘normalcy bias’?”

“Probably.”

I nodded quietly to Arisa, who spoke in a low voice.

Perhaps as people living by the sea, the villagers’ instincts wouldn’t let them simply dismiss the old man’s words as nonsense.

“If by any chance it’s true, it would be terrible.”

I encouraged the villagers to prepare for the typhoon.

“Y-yeah, that’s right.”

“If it’s wrong, the old man owes us some drinks.”

With that, the villagers began taking action.

I helped haul the boats onto shore and secure them.

The old man ran off to notify the village chief.

“Wow, it’s really coming down now.”

Arisa put on a raincoat she pulled from the Item Box.

Since the Shiga Kingdom rarely gets rain, people don’t usually carry umbrellas. There’s the umbrella-type equipment “Umbrella,” but it’s a bit heavy for everyday use.

The wind blew in cycles, heavy with moisture, but the wind speed didn’t seem that strong.

“Master, I told Mia and the others to return to the village chief’s house.”

“Thanks, Arisa.”

We finished our work and headed back to the village chief’s home.

◇

Splash splash~

“I’m home!”

After returning to the village chief’s house, the children who had been exploring came back.

Tama and Pochi were soaked, their fur flattened, looking slimmer than usual.

Nana’s wet clothes clung to her skin, giving her a slightly sexy look, so I draped a towel around her neck to cover her chest.

Since the wooden floor would get soaked, I led everyone to the back entrance with the earthen floor.

“Satou.”

In the dirt-floored room, Mia spread her hands wide, demanding, “Wipe me!”

While I wiped Mia’s hair with a towel pulled from my storage bag, Pochi, Tama, and Nana lined up behind her.

“All done.”

“Thanks.”

“Next is Pochi.”

“…■ Excess moisture evaporation (Dry Water).”

With a smile, Mia used her water magic to dry Pochi, who stepped forward.

Tama and Nana lined up behind also got dried.

“Perfect.”

“—Thanks(…)…!”

Pochi and Tama made complicated faces.

“Mia, it’s unfair to hog all the attention.”

“It’s not unfair.”

Ignoring Nana’s accusation, Mia turned away.

I wasn’t quite sure, but maybe she only thought of using water magic to dry after being wiped down?

“Maiden’s hearts are complicated.”

Arisa said with an aunt-like expression.

As we did this, a noisy crowd could be heard from the main room.

Checking the map, it seemed the villagers were gathering.

“I’ll go take a look.”

Heading toward the main room, villagers with worried faces crowded in the dim room, talking anxiously.

“Why all of a sudden talk about a great rainstorm?”

“If the wind and waves get stronger, won’t the boats in the harbor be swept away?”