I Somehow Got Tasked With Managing A Realm

I Somehow Got Tasked With Managing A Realm – Chapter 38

"I guess it's time for us to get to class," I said disappointedly while watching the other creatures begin to exit the bathhouse.

"Yeah, it went by so fast," Julia sighed, "We really spent the whole time in here, huh?"

It was as she said. We spent the entire 12-hour 'development period' between when the battle phase ended and class began talking to each other in the bathhouse.

Although 12 hours seems like a lot of time, it was practically nothing compared to the two-ish years that we were separated from my perspective. Based on what Julia said, she spent a similar amount of time in her domain, too. Having to scout for her Oracle's guerrilla warfare strategy meant that she needed to constantly slow down the time to relay orders.

I got to hear a ton about what Julia and her Oracle had to endure, which was as interesting as it was brutal.

Seriously, I have no idea how she was able to keep a clear head through that.

There was so much bloodshed, especially at the start, and I was sure that most people in her position would've given up and watched as their realm was overrun by the ant-man army.

But Julia and her Oracle stood strong and managed to spare the lives of hundreds of thousands of elves who certainly would've faced certain destruction. I was honestly extremely proud of her.

Just as I heard about her story, I told her all about the journey of Uunga. Even after everything that she went through, Julia still shed a tear when I recounted his final words.

Do I really need to go another two years before I can see her again?

I couldn't help but dread the ending of the upcoming class.

Our current schedule was as follows:

Class from 7am-10am
Battle Preparation from 10am-1pm (Oracle selection begins at 12pm)
Battle Phase from 1pm-7pm
Development Period from 7pm-7am

I'll have a few more hours with her in class, but it's not like we'll really be able to talk or anything.

"So then I mentioned how it sounded like Alghelme- are you okay Jacob?"

"Huh? Oh, I'm alright, Julia."

"You weren't even listening, were you!?" the elf accused with a pout.

"I was! I just zoned out for a second there..."

"Squawk~"

"Since when did your sense of time get so good, Mister Flippers?" I muttered, "Anyway, I'm listening, so please continue!"

"... Maybe I won't since you'll just zone out again," Julia continued to pout exaggeratedly.

"I'm listening, I swear!"

"Fine~ but if you stop listening, I'll give you a super serious punch. So anyway-"

As the elf girl continued her story, and despite the risk of her fist, I couldn't help but sink back into thought.

What am I doing? I'm wasting the time I have with Julia because I'm so worried about the next time I'll get to see her

I couldn't help but sigh at my own stupidity.

Screw it. No more thinking of tomorrow- I'm just gonna focus on the time I have with her now.

"Of course, Orisa hadn't been up north- huh?"

Julia paused for a second once she felt my hand lightly hold onto hers.

"W-why'd you do that all of a sudden?"

"Just felt like it," I smiled at the adorable elf, "Your ears are red again~"

Julia looked away embarrassedly, yet I felt her grip on my hand tighten slightly.

"... Squawk."

"Hush. Let me enjoy my time without your sass."

The tiny penguin that I was holding in my other arm didn't seem to care for the romantic atmosphere.

Luckily for him, it was only a few more moments until we reached the entrance to the lecture hall. Most of the other creatures were already seated given how we waited until nearly the last possible minute to arrive.

It almost feels weird to be back here.

Roughly two years had passed from my perspective. I imagined it would feel similar to going back to your freshman class after starting your junior year.

Despite that, there was no feeling of nostalgia. It just felt as though I had come back from a long break.

Aside from chilling with Julia, I can't say I have many pleasant memories of this place.

I took a chance to glance around the room after taking my seat between Julia and the purple blob creature that had been my seat neighbor since I first came to the academy.

There's that fish-head dude and the toad thing... hey, is that the ant guy that Julia was fighting? I might need to greet him once my humans get a bit stronger.

Oh look- there's the lizard! Sitting on the side with Ferguson and Alishia, are you? Ferguson might be huge, but not even he can shield you from the embarrassment you must be feeling right now~

Before I had the chance to openly call out and gloat to Levon, the sheep instructor entered the lecture hall and began to speak to the class.

"Good morning, Seedlings! I am happy to welcome you all back from your first round of the competition and proud to announce that we have found no instances of any prohibited actions during it. I know emotions tend to run high during battle, so thank you all for prioritizing your adherence to the policies set by the Founder himself. With that out of the way, it should be about time to give you all your reward for participating-"

As she finished her introduction, a familiar power rushed through my body.

"Huh?"

"Whoa!"

"Wow!"

This is... divinity?

It was a sensation not felt since my introduction to the academy, but there was no mistaking what I felt.

The amount is pretty small... but it feels different somehow? It's more comfortable in a way.

"It seems that you all have figured out the reward," the sheep instructor began after giving us a moment to react, "Now that the competition is in full swing, I can finally reveal a bit more details to you all. So, I will use today to discuss divinity. Divinity, in essence, is the power of will. Though some have greater than others, every creature has a small amount of influence on the world. Their hopes, beliefs, and desires tend to be manifested and become a reality. Now, it's not as though one lifeform could, for example, just desire rain and instantly have a storm appear- the power of their will is hardly even a fraction of what is required to manifest such an event. But when all of those fractions add up, you might see a few drops start to fall.

Now, as rulers, you are the ones who gather up those fractions of will. As their creator, their hopes and desires will be entrusted to you in the form of divinity. The more divinity one has, the greater one's influence and the stronger one will become. 

At the beginning of every class, every Seedling present will be given the divinity received from their lifeforms from the previous day. Now-"

I quickly raised my hand before the sheep instructor could switch topics.

"... Yes, Jacob?" Sky called out to me with a sigh.

"What exactly is the point of divinity? It sounds like it makes us stronger, but how would we use it in the competition?"

The whole influence thing makes it sound like it could be used to substitute resource points, but if that were the case, she would've just said it outright. 

"For the purposes of the competition, you're right in your thinking that you can not use it directly. That being said, it is not meaningless by any stretch of the imagination," the sheep instructor looked toward the rest of the class while she continued, "Remember, your Oracles will receive a small percentage of your divinity. The more divinity you have, the more powerful they will become in turn. Of course, to keep the competition fair while also ensuring that your efforts are rewarded, there has been a limit placed on the amount of divinity that can be given to an Oracle. This limit will gradually increase as the competition goes forward.

Now, keep in mind, while you will still naturally get some divinity due to your lifeforms subconsciously worshiping their creator, the amount you receive will vary depending on how much they entrust you with-"

I slipped into thought as the sheep instructor continued her lecture.

She did mention it before, but it really seems that I need to get my lifeforms to know I exist.

I already had Uunga try to introduce my presence during his travels around my realm, but it was really a second priority when matched against improving the realm's technology.

Being worshipped though... I can't say that I'm too keen on it.

These humans were like my children; worshipping was not really the dynamic that I wanted.

Sigh

A small sigh slipped out as I leaned back on the chair.

Even a small difference in strength could be what determines the fate of my realm. If acting like a god is what it takes to get there, I guess I have no choice but to play that role.

The rest of the class passed fairly quickly and I soon found myself standing in the hallway with Julia.

"I guess it's time to say goodbye," I muttered with a soft smile.

"Yeah..."

The elf girl stepped toward me and I gently wrapped my arms around her.

"Good luck, Julia. I know you'll do amazing."

"Thank you... you too, Jacob," she said softly, "... Do we really need to go already?"

"I really don't want to, but you know we have to. We'll see each other tomorrow, though!"

"... You know tomorrow could be years from now," Julia pouted and hugged me slightly tighter.

"Only if we let it," I couldn't help but mutter.

There's no way I'm going to stay in mortal time for that long again.

Despite thinking that, deep down I knew that I needed to prioritize managing my realm. If things called for me to slow down, I couldn't let disaster unfold in my rush to see Julia again.

After a few more minutes of hugging, our bodies eventually separated and I picked up Mr. Flippers.

"Goodbye and good luck, Julia. You better destroy whoever comes for your realm!"

"I'll see you soon, okay? I know you'll win again!"

"Squawk~"

"Goodbye, too, little one. Behave yourself," Julia rubbed the penguin's head before taking one last look at us with her fist clenched, "I'm going to win this time! [Return to domain]!"

I couldn't help but sigh as I watched the elf girl vanish from where she stood.

"...I already miss her," I couldn't help but moan.

"Squawk..."

A few moments passed while I composed my thoughts.

It's so hard to say goodbye when I don't know when I can see her again.

Sigh

With one last sigh, I glanced down at the penguin in my arms.

"Well, I guess we should probably head back now. We have that prize to check out, too,"

"Squawk!" The penguin seemed to regain his energy a bit once he remembered the Tier III prize we received.

"Alright, [Return to-]"

"Wait."

"Huh?"

I immediately canceled the chant upon hearing a deep voice from the doorway of the lecture hall.

"... Ferguson?"

"Squawk?"

The light brown ogre emerged from the lecture hall and stared at me.

He's still here? I thought he would've gone back to his realm by now... but why is he calling out to me? Does he need something?

"... What's up? It's been a while since we last talked."

I greeted the creature casually, but I was only met by his silent stare.

"..."

Oh please slow down, Ferguson! I can't keep up with your soliloquy!

A few more moments passed with the two of us locked in an uncomfortable stare-down.

"Uhhh... how'd your battle go?" I tried again to break the awkward silence.

"I won."

Success! The meatball has spoken!

I couldn't help but let go of a breath of relief at the silence's conclusion.

"Cool! I did too!"

"I know."

"..."

"..."

And it's back.

"... So, why did you stop me from going back to my domain?"

"I will invade your realm."

"Ah-"

"Squawk!?"

Despite the sudden declaration of war, I wasn't too surprised at the revelation. Behind Levon, he was the creature I had provoked the most over the past year. We even had a spar a few months ago which I somehow ended up winning.

"Okay... but why are you telling me this? I mean, I would've found out the second I went back to my domain."

"Do not rely on tricks," he spoke.

"Huh?"

"My people have fire."

"... So you spoke with Levon?"

The ogre nodded in response.

It was something I figured would happen. The trio of Levon, Ferguson, and Alishia had not grown distant over the year leading up to the competition. Them exchanging information was a guarantee. 

"Fight with all of your strength. [Return to domain]."

The ogre disappeared following his warning, leaving Mr. Flippers and me standing in the empty hallway.

"... This is going to be tough, won't it?"

"Squawk..."

There's no room for gambling against him. I'm going to need a proper army this time around.

"Screw it, we're losing time standing here. Let's deal with all of this once we're back- [return to domain]!"

The view of the hallway was replaced by darkness.