In a Different World with a Smartphone (LN) - Volume 30 - Chapter 1.2

“All right, let’s leave it here for today.”

“Yes, sir...” I whined, spreading out on the ground of the training area after getting thorough training from Uncle Takeru and Moroha.

“Ow... [Refresh]...”

Upon casting the spell, the fatigue left my body, and the pain gradually lessened. When it came to training, muscle tissue grew thicker and stronger through its repeated breakdown and recovery, but if you healed it with magic, you didn’t receive those benefits. My training right now was more to help me acquire skills, so it wasn’t a big deal if I didn’t acquire muscle in the process. Plus, I could deal with that using strengthening magic anyway.

But now that I’d achieved divine status, would my body even grow anymore? I remembered the kids saying I looked a little different in the future, so maybe it would. If I recalled correctly, a human body hit its peak growth between twenty and twenty-five years of age, but I wasn’t human anymore, so did my body even follow that rule?

“Why is a Sovereign doing such things?”

“Hm?”

I heard a familiar voice speak to me in an unfamiliar tone, and I lifted my head to look around for the source. Standing at the edge of the training field was Leylle.

No... This isn’t Leylle. Judging from how they spoke and that poker face of theirs, it has to be Halle.

“Dunno if it’s the answer you want, but I’m just doing it to get stronger.”

“But you’re the Sovereign, are you not? What strength is required of you? Should you have a notably skilled general under your command, there should be no need for that.”

“There’s some things I can’t leave to other people.”

I levered my upper body up and looked toward Leylle—no, Halle. She...no, he was looking at me as if he didn’t like my answer.

“Were the Sovereign all-powerful, the people under their rule would be content. However, when that Sovereign must one day inevitably leave their position, there will be none who can sufficiently take their place. And as a result, the world will fall into endless strife and turmoil. Should the Sovereign not ensure they leave things in the capable hands of the competent?”

“Are you referring to what happened with Melle?” I asked. I saw Halle hesitate. Spot on, then.

Sure, that was one way of dealing with it. I was frequently told by Kousaka to stop taking care of everything myself.

“...My sister was a brilliant Sovereign. Nothing ever went wrong when the citizens followed her command. It is for that reason that they sought the same thing from me. However, the moment they realized I could not fulfill what they wished of me, they all began doing as they pleased. Phrasia fell into constant strife and turmoil. I was unable to become her replacement,” Halle said, his voice fading into a self-deprecating mutter.

This must have been what Kousaka warned me of—that if the one at the top was too talented, the organization as a whole could very easily crumble. If an autocratic president continued to heavy-handedly run a business, you ended up with nothing but useless bootlickers filling your ranks, leading to the gradual decline of your company’s growth in capability, making it impossible for employees to nurture a sense of autonomy and responsibility.

The Odas quickly fell to ruin after the Honnoji Incident for similar reasons. Oda Nobunaga was an outstanding leader who no one could replace. The moment he was dead, his clan fell apart. However, it likely didn’t help that his successor, Nobutada, lost his life in the same battle.

“Do you hate Melle for forcing the role onto you?”

“My sister? I...don’t know. I certainly hate Endymion, at least.”

Oh no, Ende, looks like you’re still not out of the woods yet.

“When my sister first disappeared, it felt as if I had been abandoned. First came sadness, then anger. Most of that was directed at Endymion, but...honestly, I felt the weight of the title of Sovereign. Upon being given that role, I was once more made painfully aware of the greatness of my sister, and was made even more painfully aware of my own powerlessness.”

You did often hear stories of successors who had to go to extreme lengths in order to finally be respected at the same level as their great predecessors. Having taken up the crown after Melle, Halle’d had no choice but to fight the pressure of the unreasonable expectations being placed on him by his subjects.

“Upon becoming Sovereign, I finally understood what my sister must have been feeling. You have the motivation to work hard for those who need you, but you can’t help but wonder why you need to work yourself to the bone for those who only care about your power. To them, anyone would suffice as Sovereign, so long as they had sufficient power. Perhaps that was the reason my sister and Endymion resolved to cross worlds.”

“I do think it would be difficult to want to dedicate your life to people who weren’t even truly looking at you...”

I sure wouldn’t be able to find the motivation to be grand duke if the people of my country were entirely indifferent toward me and even those close to me in the castle never truly cared about me. I’d definitely abdicate the throne, go to another country, and enjoy my life there instead.

Some people might accuse me of being irresponsible as someone with power and authority, but what was the issue with me living my own life? I wasn’t self-sacrificing enough to live purely for other people. Those who were had to be what we called saints.

Thankfully, both here and around the world, I’d made proper bonds with many people. That was why I had come to love this world. I had people that I wanted to protect, so I was able to work hard. Halle likely didn’t have anyone like that in his life. I’d heard that, for better or for worse, the Phrase were very much a meritocracy. No doubt a ton of people saw that Halle was inferior to Melle, and that was what led to the chaos in Phrasia.

“My sister... She smiles now. Not just her, but Ney and Lycee as well. She has a daughter named Allis, and she looks like she’s living her life so much more than when she was Phrasia’s Sovereign. I can’t help but think that...she looks really, truly happy. When I think about how Endymion was the one that granted her that happiness, I feel this bubbling rage, but...I also think this is for the best.”

Halle really did love Melle. He had all the right to be mad at her for dumping the title of Sovereign onto him, yet he was glad about her happiness.

“I said I understood my sister’s feelings, right? This body belongs to Leylle, and I am little more than the remnants of the Sovereign Halle, but I want to tell him to abandon the title of Sovereign just as his sister did. He should abandon the title of the one who exists to be used like a puppet. However, I know that it is likely my core is already shattered back on Phrasia, and I have been reduced to nothing but a corpse.”

Was the real Halle back on Phrasia still alive? Though he was created by Yula, given that he was able to give birth to a new power in the form of the Quos, I highly doubted he was an incompetent Sovereign.

“Mngh, it feels like Leylle’s about to wake up. Sovereign of this kingdom, I express my thanks for accompanying me for this talk.”

“I’m not the Sovereign, I’m Touya. Touya Mochizuki. Learn the name already.”

“I see. In that case, may we meet again, Touya.”

Halle flashed a smile at me before his eyes slowly closed. Next thing I knew, Leylle’s eyes snapped open and she started blinking furiously.

“Ahuh? Wha—? Where is this?”

“You’re at the castle’s third training field.”

“Oh, Grand Duke!”

Leylle was naturally surprised upon suddenly finding herself standing somewhere she didn’t remember walking to. Honestly, Leylle and I hadn’t really talked all that much since she’d come here. Apparently, whenever Halle was in control of her body, Leylle only had vague memories as if she had been in a dream, even though Halle seemed to perfectly remember whatever Leylle saw.

“Huh? I was lost, and then I...”

“There you are! Leylle, haven’t I told you not to wander too far away?!”

Dashing at full speed toward us from the other side of the field was Allis. Kuon was also power walking behind her. She was like Leylle’s guardian—she really had become like her older sister.

“Sorry, Allis...”

“So long as you’re safe, it’s all right. I was just scared ’cause I turned around and suddenly you weren’t there.”

It turned out Allis had come with Leylle to visit Kuon, but then Leylle suddenly disappeared. Or rather, Halle’s personality had taken over and come to find me. Allis seemed to remember something as she turned to look at me.

“Your Grace, is there any chance you could make a smartphone for Leylle?”

“Oh, wait, did I not give her one?”

If Leylle had had a phone, Allis would’ve been able to just call her. I’d sealed Leylle’s echo with [Prison], so Allis couldn’t sense where she was that way anymore.

I took out an unregistered phone from [Storage] and handed it over to the girl.

I was going to exchange contact details with her while we were here, but Allis stopped me; she said that the one who should be first in Leylle’s phone contacts was her older sister.

Okay, okay, off you go.

Kuon came over as I was smiling fondly at them.

Wait, why is he wearing glasses?

“Father, there’s a guest here to see you.”

“A guest?”

“I came to find you because your phone’s turned off. They’re currently waiting in the reception room.”

Right, I’d turned my phone off during training. But I was pretty sure I didn’t have any plans to meet anyone today. Who the hell was it?

“They called themselves Glassie, and they’re quite forceful... They’re who I got these glasses from. As a sign of goodwill, apparently.”

“Oh.”

I instantly knew who it was the second Kuon explained the situation to me. There was only one person I knew who was like that. But what reason would he have to come here? I wasn’t sure, but I might as well meet him for now. If I wasn’t quick about it, everyone in the castle would be forced to wear glasses.

◇ ◇ ◇

“Oh, Master Touya. I believe your wedding was the last time we met.”

“Um, yeah, it’s nice to see you again...”

When I entered the reception room, the god of glasses was waiting for me with under-rim glasses on. Whether out of habit or him consciously doing it for the effect, he pushed them up with a finger, the lens letting off a mysterious glint.

He looked like an ordinary young man in his twenties with long black hair, but his glasses had this sheen to them that made them unnaturally stand out. Those glasses must have been his main body.

“I’ve already made a round trip of the neighboring countries to inform them of the wonder of glasses. Henceforth, I would like to concentrate my efforts on popularizing them around the world. As such, I have come to you for assistance.”

“What? What kind of assistance do you even want from me?” I asked, confused. As if he’d been waiting for me to ask that very question, the god of glasses’s...glasses gleamed once more.

“Of course, I wish to use you as a walking advertisement! If I were to place glasses on you, the most popular man in the world, then surely people all over will begin wearing glasses too!”

“Are you kidding me?”

To think that what had awaited me was a pushy glasses salesman.

◇ ◇ ◇

“To begin with, glasses are used to assist with abnormalities in vision such as nearsightedness, farsightedness, and astigmatism, and to shield the eyes from strong light. As such, glasses come in all manner of styles, and no two glasses are the same. Actually, scratch that; there are nonprescription glasses—glasses purely for show—that can be mass-produced and are therefore the same. However, if everyone were to wear glasses with the same frames, it would lead to the complete erasure of individuality. Everyone has his or her own pair of glasses that fits them perfectly—no one in this world looks bad in all glasses. Simply by wearing them, one can look intelligent, increase how sincere they look, and even increase sexual appeal. They are practically a sacred treasure for one’s face. That is precisely why I cannot help but pity those who do not wear them. People are unaware. They are unaware of just how much they are missing out on their own charm born from the gap between when they are wearing glasses and when they are not! ‘I thought they were some violent delinquent, but they were actually kind!’ ‘He’s so cool, but he has the sweetest smile!’ ‘She’s usually so flamboyant, but now she looks so homely!’ You can create these exact character gaps with a single pair of glasses! Glasses are a part of one’s face, a tool that adds vibrancy to your whole look! Even those who barely make an impression at all can show off their personal appeal with a simple pair of glasses. In a way, it’s just like a girl’s makeup. In other words, not wearing glasses is like leaving one’s face naked. That, in and of itself, can be a way of showing off one’s natural beauty, but that does not mean we should neglect the effort to look beautiful. Whether man or woman, we are all attracted to that which is beautiful. And if that is the case, then everyone should wear glasses! They should embrace their own beauty and look at that which is beautiful with their beautiful, clear glasses! Glasses can even give the impression that one is pure, tidy, and innocent. A woman has nothing to lose by wearing them, don’t you agree? In this world, glasses are still a luxury item, yet to spread to the common people. And so, I will simply spread them around the world myself! I will make no use of my divine powers. I will spread them around the world as a fellow human being! As an evangelist of glasses, I travel the world and inform everyone of their wonder! That is why I have come all this way to ask for your assistance, Master Touya.”

“I-I see...”

Could you be a bigger yapper?!

Glassie, the god of glasses, had gotten so engrossed in his speech that his divinity was leaking out. The maids in the room had to leave because it was affecting them!

Honestly, it was strange that his divinity was leaking out like this and yet none of the other gods came to check what was happening. They’d definitely realized the god of glasses was here, right? They knew and that was exactly why they didn’t come, right?

Damn you, don’t shove your annoyances off onto my plate!

“Are you listening?”

“Oh, uh, sorry... W-Well, I pretty much get what you’re trying to say. Glasses are still seen as a luxury item in this world, so only a handful of nobles actually wear them. Back on Earth, there were plenty of people who didn’t wear glasses and instead wore contact lenses, but—”

“Contact lenses?” the god of glasses practically spat out, narrowing his eyes, his face contorting as he looked at me. There was a dark and gloomy light within those sharp eyes.

Oh no, I said something I shouldn’t have, didn’t I?

“You’re not one of those, are you? A foolish supporter of those foolish lenses you insert into your eyes, I mean. Are you telling me that you think inserting a foreign object into an organ as sensitive as your eye will end well? This world has healing magic, but even that is not all-powerful. You may be able to heal a wound to the eye, but you cannot cure the growth of bacteria. Make one wrong move and you can even blind yourself, yet you claim that such horrors are on the same level as glasses? Abandoning one’s captivating glasses and replacing them with contacts is like going to fight an enemy buck naked with not a single piece of armor on your body! If you have bad eyesight, then wear glasses! Even if you don’t have bad eyesight, wear glasses! They are a companion that will accompany you for life! Contacts are the heretic’s path! Glasses are the most supreme existence in this world, the ultimate item with infinite possibilities!”

“Wow, amazing...”

I couldn’t think of anything else to say to the glasses god monologuing with rabid eyes.

Gimme a break, seriously...

The god let out a breath and said, “My apologies. I became a touch enraged.”

“Only a touch?”

“I had a flashback to a fight I had with the god of contacts a thousand years ago, so I couldn’t help it...”

A god of contact lenses actually existed? Would contacts even have existed a thousand years ago?

“You’re thinking purely in Earth terms. There are other worlds with thriving civilizations that developed contact lenses well before Earth, you know? No matter the world, however, glasses were always made first! That said...there are civilizations that ended up so advanced that sight correction operations became possible, so both glasses and contact lenses decreased in usage...”

The god of glasses slumped over in sadness. Apparently, when humanity progressed far enough, everyone stopped having bad eyesight and glasses became a fashion item. Even that eventually started to go out of fashion, and everyone stopped wearing them. It was true that no one really wore monocles back on Earth anymore. No matter the world, some things trend while others fall into disuse.

“There are worlds where the races that live there do not need glasses or contacts either. Worlds like this with this level of civilization are the ones best suited to spreading the gospel of glasses. Oh, returning to why I came here, this is why I would like your assistance in doing so.”

“Mmm...”

Honestly...I couldn’t give two flips! It didn’t matter to me whatsoever if glasses became popular or if they died out. Actually, wait, no, the latter might be a problem; there would be people out there with bad sight that would suffer from that, especially the common folk. There would most definitely be many commoners who would benefit greatly from glasses being sold at an affordable price. In that sense, I didn’t think it was such a bad idea.

But if that was the case, we’d need to start by spreading the technology of lens grinding more widely. I was pretty sure we could easily share it between countries by holding a technological conference with the alliance. We did have an expert right in front of us, after all. We could start by spreading it among the nobles and upper classes, and then finally make cheap, affordable glasses that could go to the commoners.

For nonprescription glasses, people didn’t need to know how to grind lenses, and we could probably get it trending among people without bad eyesight as a fashion accessory...

“But, eh...I doubt me wearing glasses is going to magically get them trending.”

“Really? But I thought using famous people as a walking advertisement worked.”

“Famous? Well...I guess I am famous to some people. But if you’re wanting glasses to start trending as a fashion item, you should get a girl as a model.”

Putting glasses on someone like me with the most normal face ever wouldn’t have much of an impact. If anything, it would just power up my plainness. In that case, why not get a beautiful lady to increase how captivating it looked?

“Hm. Then may I ask your wives for assistance?”

“Huh?”

“I saw your wives at the wedding ceremony, and they’re all beautiful women. Were they to model my glasses, their beauty would be even further emphasized. They would make for the perfect advertisements. How does that sound?”

“Using the girls as walking ads? Hmm...”

I was sure they’d look good in glasses, at least. I’d even seen Linze wearing them once before, back when she was using my translation glasses. They really did suit her.

“Let’s bring it up with them for now,” I said. “But if they say no, you better not force them.”

“But of course. Thank you.”

To be honest, I’d like to see them all wearing glasses too. Maybe not as an ad, but they might like wearing them as a part of their outfits. Anyway, we could only ask and see.