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How many people, I wonder, know about the concept of being transported to another world? Some have read about it in stories, some probably hate those kinds of stories, and maybe, just maybe, a few have actually experienced it themselves. As for me, Fumitsuki Yume, I’ve visited countless worlds in my line of work, so I’ve had that kind of protagonist experience more times than I can count. All of it, of course, thanks to Fini. Fini was the person I loved, and now, she’s a god. I’m one of her familiars. Unlike Fini, who reached godhood through her own destiny, I became her familiar for a simpler reason. I wanted to stay by her side.

Uninvited? I don’t know what you’re talking about.

Anyway, I started thinking about all this because right now, before my eyes, the most cliché reincarnation scene was playing out. There was a goddess of this world, and in front of her stood a boy, probably a high schooler, who had clearly just been summoned. I figured she was about to say something along the lines of, “Welcome, hero from another world,” or maybe, “I accidentally killed you, so I’ll send you to a new world as compensation.”

But then, the goddess noticed me. Her eyes went wide, and she started panicking like crazy. I gestured to her, suggesting she should probably deal with the confused boy first, and she reluctantly began speaking to him, though she kept sneaking nervous glances at me.

To summarize her explanation. She’d intercepted a human summoning spell and personally brought this boy over to save her world. The boy looked annoyed at first, but when the goddess added more context, he began to listen seriously.

Apparently, her world was on the brink of collapse because humans had overexploited it. The only way to prevent its destruction was to reclaim the dungeons that had been repurposed as sources of energy for human civilization. In other words, she wanted him to take them back. To fight against humanity for the world’s sake. Quite the unfair role, but when the boy heard it, his eyes suddenly lit up.

No wonder he’d been chosen.

Once he seemed ready, the goddess gave him a more detailed briefing. The dungeons, she said, were originally the world’s defense system, essentially its Demon Lord. But humans had seized control of them. And when her divine decrees also failed, the goddess could only modify existing dungeons slightly and send someone in her stead. So her request was for the boy to descend into the world as a Dungeon Master and reclaim the dungeons under human control.

The boy ultimately agreed. And that’s when the goddesses’ gaze finally turned to me.

“First, I must apologize. Your presence here was entirely unintentional.”

I figured she was apologizing not just to me, but out of fear of offending Fini. No one wants to pick a fight with the God of Endings. And to be fair, her claim wasn’t a lie. For someone like me, a familiar of the god of endings, to be summoned into a functioning world, even one on the brink of crisis, was practically impossible under normal circumstances.

“I understand. Master Finis will, too. She knows this was an accident.”

The goddess closed her eyes briefly, probably in relief. Fini is respected, even loved, by many gods. Making an enemy of her wouldn’t do anyone any good.

“So, could you send me back now?”
“I’m afraid… not immediately.”
“I see.”

I’d already expected that much. So I decided to check in with Fini first.

“Fini. Fini. Are you awake?”
“I’m sleeping.”
“What should I do?”
“Try to make my workload lighter.”
“Got it. Thanks. Good night.”
“You have my condolences for getting dragged into something troublesome…”

I felt bad for waking her up, but even half-asleep, Fini was adorable. At least I got her guidance, and she didn’t sound angry.

“Goddess of this world, I’ll accompany this boy and descend to the surface. I’ll act in service of your world, if that’s acceptable?”
“That would be… more than I could ask for, but—”
“Don’t worry. It’s by Master Finis’ will.”
“In that case, I’m deeply grateful.”
“Then let’s discuss the details before I go.”

We went over the plan together, the terms of my descent, the goddess’s limits, and the nature of the world’s crisis, and when everything was settled, I descended.

◇◇◇

“So in the end, we managed to save that world somehow, but the boy, who fully intended to die, survived. I think he’s still watching over the world as the Demon Lord, from his dungeon.”
“I see… So that’s how it turned out,” Fini murmured.

When I finally returned safely, Fini had just woken up, and I told her everything that had happened. She looked sleepy, but she seemed genuinely interested, maybe even amused.

“So, we still don’t know why you were caught up in all that?” she asked.
“The goddess said her world suddenly reached a dangerous threshold, somehow.”
“That must mean it wasn’t caused by the people living there.”
“Seems that way.”

Fini thought for a moment, then gave a small shrug. “Well, in that case… shall we head to the next world?” she said while stifling a yawn.