I’m at the doorstep of the universe Marhlick-san has taken for himself.

I’m obviously prim and proper.

Now, time to ask for permission to enter.

Not that I can’t just go in.

It’s a universe inside my own multiverses, after all.

But I’m not so foolish as to do it.

Marhlick-san is my superior after all.

And he’s also someone who managed to climb to two ranks above my own after giving up on being a King of Evil to become human.

I seriously don’t understand how he did it.

Well, let’s ask permission to enter.

[Notice]: You have sent a requirement of permission for telepathic message to Writer Marhlick.

[Notice]: Writer Marhlick has allowed for the telepathic communication. Please send your message.

“Marhlick-San, welcome to my multiverse. Can I enter your universe to talk for a bit?”

[Marlick] - Oh, Takahara-kun. Come in. I’m just finishing the last touch on some of my stars.

Stars?

Damn, this guy surely has lots of energy.

I wonder where he gets so much from.

[Answer]: Interference. Impossible to answer.

Of course.

I didn’t expect an answer from omniscience. Not about that.

Well, let’s enter.

I’m on an open veranda on top of a cliff, facing the sea.

Marhlick-san is seated on a white chair.

He still has an ugly-motherfucker’s head.

[Marlick] - Come on, sit down boy. I see you have done quite well. I was expecting for you to give up and come back home crying.

“Excuse me.”

I seated on the chair.

“Say, Marhlick-san, what would you have done if I did it? If I gave up and demanded our contract to be fulfilled?”

Marlick-san is slurping on a colorful drink.

Are we on the greek coast or something?

It surely looks like the pictures I saw.

And the huge, modern, glass-full house behind us is quite like it as well.

[Marlick] - There were quite the number of things I could have done if you did it. The secret of the business is in knowing what to do, no matter what they throw at you.

“I’m amazed you got to such a high position in such a short time. From Human to Writer. Just impressive.”

[Marlick] - He. Hahahahahahahaahahahahahahaha!

Marlick-san is laughing at my side.

This is a bit annoying.

[Marlick] - Ahahaha… I’m… ahhahahahaahahah… sorry…. Haha. Aaah…

“What’s so funny, Marlick-san?”

[Marlick] - You see boy, I’m still far, far from my goal. There are much higher things than being a lowly creativity-maker in a second-rate pantheon. Oh, there are much, much higher ones.

“I see.”

Yeah.

I kind of forgot about it, but…

The fantasy pantheon… it isn’t exactly the most powerful of pantheons.

If Marlick-san is thinking ahead and has plans to grow even more, then he will probably do something I don’t even know what is, and keep growing.

[Marlick] - But what about you? Enjoying being a God for the first time? I still remember mine. It’s amazing, isn’t it?

“Yeah. It’s so amazing I sincerely don’t know what else to do anymore.”

Marlick-san is staring at the sea.

[Marlick] - I get you. I used to be like this as well.

“Like how?”

[Marlick] - Undecided. Full of a fire and a will to do things I knew needed to be done, but then… just empty I did them.

“Yeah..”

[Marlick] - But you know, those things are just temporary, you know? Today you’re here, seeing yourself at the top of the world and thinking “damn, I don’t like this job at all”. And then, someone crunches your head from above… and then… then you do your best to overcome them.

Yeah, I guess that’s pretty much how my story went back on earth.

I was constantly bothered with how the gods did things, and why they acted so selfishly and stupid.

…not that I’m faring any better, am I?

[Marlick] - But, hey, that’s not the only way, you know?

How come?

I’m a bit surprised.

[Marlick] - See, why not getting yourself some time to think on those guys under your control? You surely have stuff you want to try, and you don’t have to keep following on this multiverse’s past shoes you know? Before someone stomps on your head, or you just start to grow enough to feel the restrain of the pantheon’s rules, why not take some time off and do it easy?

“He. Marlick-san, are you making me do what you want? To get some profit?”

What a fucking creepy smile.

[Marlick] - What I want is what you want buddy. I grow by making gods more creative, gods grow by using creativity to make the multiverse more diverse, and souls grow by experiencing diversity and going beyond what they are and that illusion everyone come into being having - that they know the limits of the world.

…

[Marlick] - Besides. You’re just bored, are you not? I’m not telling you to do anything you don’t want to. Make a computer. Put the universes inside of it and play like a MMO. You were pretty happy at the court’s jail, weren’t you? Just do whatever the fuck you want, like you did there. It works for you. And if you think you don’t have anything you want to do, then just give a big “FUCK YOU” and stop telling yourself that. You’re just hiding what you want to do from yourself, so get wild, get bizarre, get irresponsible and just do what you want.

Yeah.

“Maybe what I want is just to stay by for a while.”

[Marlick] - Suit yourself. I will be looking at the beach for a while as well.

“Weird. I didn’t figure you would like looking at beaches at all.”

[Marlick] - Even I like pauses once in a while.”

“I can relate to that.”

[Marlick] - A toast them.

“Of course.”