kscans

Chapter 67 - 67

On the way back to the hotel from the Yellow Dungeon, I suddenly remembered something.

"There's a famous castle around here, isn't there?"

When you think of Germany, you think of that castle. We're currently in Füssen, Bavaria.

I know there's a famous castle here because it was in a tourist pamphlet. But I can't remember the name.

"The castle you're thinking of is probably right near here, Hayate."

"Um, what was the name again?"

"Neuschwanstein Castle. It's the castle that's said to be the model for Cinderella's Castle."

"That's the one! By the way, if it's close, maybe we could go take a look..."

Part of me wants to be alone with Rena as soon as possible, but since we've come all this way, I'd like to see the famous castle too.

"I don't mind. I've been there a few times, so I can show you around."

"Awesome!"

"Ah, but. You might be disappointed."

"Huh, why?"

Rena looks back.

There, the Yellow Dungeon we had just cleared stood tall, soaring into the sky.

"Hayate, look at this."

Rena shows me her smartphone.

On the screen was Neusch... Neuschwa? That famous castle.

"Yeah, I want to go here. I'd love to see it from this angle if possible!"

It was the perfect angle, the very picture of a castle. I think it's the most beautiful view.

I want to see it with my own eyes, not just in photos or videos.

But for some reason, Rena's expression is dark.

"Don't you notice? The surrounding scenery and stuff. Look closely."

Huh? What does she mean?

As I was wondering, Rena moved the smartphone a little away from me.

The mountain line in the background and the image on the smartphone matched up perfectly.

Huh. N, no way...

"This photo was taken... could it be from right here!?"

"That's right. The Goddess made that dungeon appear between the famous spot where you can take the most beautiful pictures of Neuschwanstein Castle and the castle itself."

"What? Seriously?"

"And it's not just here. Dungeons have also appeared next to world-famous structures and World Heritage sites."

I had just learned a shocking fact.

"Don't people from all over the world complain about that?"

"There are voices of dissatisfaction. It's still okay here in Germany, but countries that rely on income from tourists who come to see World Heritage sites as a means of acquiring foreign currency are in a lot of trouble."

Apparently, there have been numerous special reports on the news.

Lately, I've been so busy clearing dungeons that I haven't been keeping up with that kind of thing at all.

"I was kind of looking forward to it since we were coming to Germany..."

It's not that I'm a huge fan of castles.

But since we came all this way, I wanted to see a world-famous place.

"I wanted to go sightseeing with you to various places too, Hayate. But in most countries, dungeons are destroying the tourist attractions. By the way, this place is one of the better ones. In the worst places, dungeons are actually cutting into World Heritage sites. There are places like that in Japan too."

"Seriously?"

I couldn't forgive the Goddess for abducting Rena and turning her into a trophy.

But it was also the Goddess who made it possible for me to use the four-sword style in this real world. In that respect, I was also grateful. Since Rena and all the other people who had become trophies were rescued safely, my anger towards the Goddess had faded.

And yet...

My hatred for the Goddess has built up again.

I like to travel. When I go to various places and experience the rich culture and nature of the land, I feel like my own world expands.

I prefer domestic travel to overseas, though. The language barrier is still scary. But traveling abroad with Rena is fun.

I wanted to go to various places with her when things calmed down.

The Goddess has crushed my date plans with Rena.

Apparently, the World Heritage sites haven't been completely destroyed, so you can still go up close and inside in many places, but...

When it comes to a famous place, you want to see it from the spot where it looks the best, right?

And it's not just that the tourist attractions have been destroyed.

I don't want to entrust the world to a god who abducts people on a whim and turns them into trophies for clearing dungeons.

I should defeat the Goddess.

I vaguely thought about it. I have no plan or anything.

"The final goal might be to defeat the Goddess."

The words slipped out of my mouth naturally. Hearing them, Rena looked surprised.

"That's unexpected. I thought you were on friendly terms with the Goddess, Hayate."

"I was angry from the moment she turned you into a trophy, Rena."

"That's been resolved now, and if we defeat the Goddess, you might not be able to use the four-sword style anymore. So I thought you wouldn't be interested in that."

"I don't know if we can actually defeat her, but the situation where the Goddess can freely change this world is not good. Because depending on the Goddess's mood, the world could be destroyed tomorrow."

I don't want to lose the ability to use the four-sword style.

But more than that, I want a future where I can be with Rena!

On that day, when I realized that the Goddess was messing up the world more than I had thought, I embraced the goal of one day defeating her.