Deadline Is Raining in the Status Window - Chapter 303

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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No, it’s friendship. I turned toward Eugene, who seemed to have the most friends among us, seeking acknowledgment that Kanna and I shared genuine friendship. Eugene pondered for a long time, then met my gaze directly before smoothly deflecting.
“No comment!”
Eugene declared his refusal to comment. Let’s see—Seian probably had no friends. Gerth had plenty of animal companions, though.
“Hey, why are you leaving me out?”
“Gerth. Is this friendship genuine?”
“Hey! Why are you excluding me?!”
Seian lunged to scratch me, so I simply embraced him instead. Being hugged by the Crown Prince in front of his friends left Seian no choice but to voice his indignation through screams.
“I do not fully understand human nature.”
“Think back. When we first met, we began as friends.”
“From the moment I developed affection for Evan Laef, I wanted to be with her with mating as the premise.”
So Gerth had never truly considered me a friend. Somehow that felt a bit disappointing. Sunbird probably had no friends either, but when I asked out of courtesy, he only answered “no comment.” That left only Sera among those present.
“Why is everyone like this? Isn’t our friendship magnificent?”
Yes, Sera was surprisingly sensible. Thank you for acknowledging our friendship. With her agreement secured, I boldly denounced Reina as the strange one. Sunbird suddenly claimed to have other business and dragged Sera into the Cafe.
“Ugh!”
Eugene approached the groaning Reina. The male whispered something to her, and Reina’s expression became identical to the one I’d worn during my moment of enlightenment.
“Just… live that way. As long as you two stick together, you won’t cause harm to others.”
“Thank you for understanding.”
“Th-this time only, I’m grateful, gorilla.”
“She’s calling me a gorilla all the way through!”
As Reina charged forward, declaring she’d tear that bastard to shreds, Kanna laughed melodiously while dodging her attacks. Those two never change. Reina really needs to realize that disdain isn’t the opposite of friendship.
“This is the cycle of rebirth that Mother spoke of!”
The Roller Coaster—has it now become a metaphor for the cycle of rebirth? Curious how Obero would describe the ride, I lifted the child up to watch, and she poured forth words like a flowing stream.
“Ahhhhh! The masses shriek like demons and malevolent spirits! The form of those trapped in that endless loop, unable to escape, suffering eternally—it is the very embodiment of the cycle of rebirth itself!”
The interpretation surpasses the dream itself. Let me make one promise with Mother. You absolutely cannot start a religion later, Obero.
“In a world where gods truly exist and priests are no different from civil servants, would there not be room for a new religion to take root, Mother?”
“You can’t predict what people will do. Religions are invented out of necessity.”
It’ll be fine as long as I’m alive and watching, but what if another Cecilia emerges after I’m gone? They’ll use Obero to establish a religion and exploit it.
“Promise not to start a religion. With Mother.”
“I cannot make promises about things I cannot guarantee.”
Obero won’t commit either. I understand her caution—back when I was spearing tuna with a harpoon, I never imagined becoming the Ten Thousand Demon King.
“Then remember that Mother clearly warned you against it before you start any religion.”
“Such a promise I can gladly make, Mother.”
Right. Things that are meant to happen will happen regardless, and things that aren’t meant to happen won’t. At least remembering that I applied the brakes once might ease my conscience.
We completed about half the stamp rally before rushing to the gorilla concert. Sunbird had prepared the entire stage, and since the audience consisted only of those who’d received my invitation to enter Bunny Land, the event proceeded with perfect order.
After an exhilarating concert, exhausted, I sprawled on the Bunny Land Plaza floor with the members, when Serpent King’s Tower Officials stepped forward to distribute cold wet towels and sports drinks. After wiping away sweat and feeling refreshed, watching the sunset paint the sky in beautiful hues, a melodic chime sounded and an announcement broadcast began.
– Bunny Land announces that starting at approximately 7 PM, you will be able to observe a meteor shower for about ten minutes.
Huh, that’s Machina the Mechanical King’s voice, isn’t it? On the day we all gathered to play together, we can watch a meteor shower? It’s nice, but isn’t this an excessive coincidence?
“Mother, can we really see shooting stars?”
“A meteor shower is when shooting stars fall in droves. It’s not something you see every day.”
“So on the very day Mother hosts this banquet, at precisely the right evening hour, a meteor shower happens to pass through this exact longitude and latitude?”
“I’ve been thinking the same thing, so don’t say it out loud, Obero.”
When you start thinking something is strange, reality has a way of becoming strange. It’s like inviting misfortune. I tried my best to empty my mind and gazed up at the sky. This place was wide open and far from the city, so we’d easily be able to see it with the naked eye.
“Wow! Mother, Father! Stars are pouring down like rain!”
“I’ve never seen anything like this before.”
“Can this really be coincidence?”
“Obero, don’t invite misfortune.”
“Even if we knew what was happening, powerless people like us can’t do anything about it anyway. Let’s just enjoy the view, Obero.”
Seian Crowell’s self-awareness and pessimism had reached their absolute peak. But that was precisely what made him charming. I found myself surrounded by family and friends, exclaiming how beautiful it all was. Fireworks made for a fine finale to events like this, but the mystery the universe offered was incomparable.
「Ahem ahem!」
They’d said we could observe for ten minutes, so the meteor shower viewing party was probably winding down. As I lowered my gaze with that thought, I spotted Machina the Mechanical King in the distance, standing with an absurdly haughty expression. She wasn’t in her main body—instead, she’d taken the form of a portable tin robot, and had equipped something like a Pinocchio nose on her face to heighten her arrogant bearing.
「Hey! You rude brat, I actually put in some effort because you said you were throwing a party today! I’m grateful you returned my power and all!」
She’d come to show off. Machina had boasted extensively about how, thanks to recovering her power, she’d been able to construct the Observatory and carry out various calculations to accomplish her schemes. Now she was making numerous demands—do this for me, do that for me—claiming I’d created unforgettable memories for her.
That’s when it happened. Everyone in the amusement park simultaneously looked up at the empty space at a 45-degree angle above them. It felt like a ghost story. Why did strange things only happen whenever I came to Bunny Land?

Warning. Prepare for asteroid collision. D-3.

What are you talking about? How am I supposed to prepare for an asteroid collision? Hide in a tunnel? No, you need to tell us where it’s going to hit so we can evacuate people.
I was grumbling about Mother Goddess’s poor crisis management when someone who’d opened their status window let out a scream.
“Aaaah! My lifespan is only three days!”
“Mine too!”
“Is it related to the asteroid collision?!”
Don’t tell me the asteroid is going to hit right here?!
“The meteor shower!”
The moment I shouted that the meteor shower and this asteroid crisis were connected, the Ten Thousand Demon King’s subordinates and my friends all turned their gaze on the Machine King. She detached her tall Pinocchio nose and played innocent, insisting we shouldn’t blame a mechanical being.
「N-no no no! Not me! How would I even summon an asteroid!」
“Speak plainly. The meteor shower appearing here right now was no coincidence.”
「W-well, I did use Ilyong!」
“If you make wordplay jokes right now, I’ll kill you.”
「It’s not wordplay!」
As we bickered and searched for Ilyong, the Department Head Professor had quietly vanished. Just as my suspicion that something was off grew stronger, another notification arrived from Mother Goddess.

Asteroid Amucis X Makina (named by: Ursu, diameter approximately 100km) approaching Earth. If collision cannot be prevented, human extinction probability 99.951%. D-3.

This is ridiculous. The message wasn’t broadcast to everyone—only those nearby, including myself, looked up toward the sky.
“Wasn’t the Machine King’s name Amusis X Makina?”
“The name. Mother Goddess gave it to him, didn’t she?”
“Yes, indeed, the culprit.”
I caught the tin robot attempting to sneak away. Then, standing before my family and friends, I declared boldly.
“In the name of the Ten Thousand Demon King, I hereby establish the Asteroid Collision Countermeasures Committee!”
We would have to face the catastrophe the Machine King had brought upon us.

◇ ◆ ◇

I had no idea how things were unfolding in the Capital as the end approached, but at least Ilam had descended into chaos. Some trembled in fear, others carried on as usual, and the majority sought refuge in the Second Coming Faith Church, searching for peace of mind.
Since everyone was exhausted from the festivities and concerts, we decided to rest thoroughly and reconvene the following day at the Bunny Land Hotel Dining Hall to discuss countermeasures. The first thing we did upon gathering was to identify the culprit and assign blame.
「This is too much! I did it with good intentions!」
“Student Evan, I was merely being manipulated.”
We needed someone to blame immediately, so Machina the Mechanical King and Dragon King Ilyong knelt with their hands raised. I understood both of their grievances well enough. Who could have imagined such a catastrophe would unfold?
“For peace and unity, we need a demon king to take the fall.”
「That’s why you guys are always portrayed as villains in old stories!」
“You’re actively threatening the world right now, aren’t you?”
「But I didn’t intend for this!」
The cause of the asteroid collision was revealed. According to Ursu, Mother Goddess, the Machine King had deliberately drawn in a comet swarm that was supposed to pass far away for yesterday’s observatory show. This required an enormous amount of mana, and it also required the power of Ilyong, who uses gravity magic.
Ursu’s permission was necessary for the concentrated use of mana, and Ilyong’s consent was also obtained. The comet’s orbit was altered by gravity magic, bringing it closer to Earth, and apparently a tsunami occurred somewhere.
A small mercy was that the tsunami didn’t occur in populated areas, so there were no casualties.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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