The Ability to Shift Anything is Convenient, Even in Another World!

On the other side of the village, Reika helped the villagers search for any belongings that might have survived the recent disaster. Along with Soru, she shoveled through the debris, hoping to find something valuable.

As Soru carried a box full of clothes, Reika noticed groups of villagers walking together. When she turned to follow their path, she saw them heading toward Silas' house.

Curious, she approached one of the villagers and asked, "Where are you going?"

The woman glanced around, her eyes widening when she realized who had spoken.

"Ah... erm, the village elder sent some men to bury those who perished in the dragon's attack yesterday afternoon."

"I see..."

"Now, if you'll excuse me, young m-miss..." the woman said before hurrying away.

Reika watched the villagers as they moved toward their destination.

Should I go and witness the burial rites...?

"I never thought you could speak our dialect!"

A voice spoke behind her, and when Reika turned, she saw Sylva standing there, carrying a bundle of clothes.

"Uh... well, it's thanks to my ability, Translator," Reika admitted. "It lets me understand and speak any language, translating every word and vice versa."

Sylva pouted and gave her a light punch on the arm.

"Geez! And here I was, trying so hard not to mess up while speaking Japanese! Now you're telling me you could understand and respond in my dialect all along? That means all my effort was wasted!"

Reika took a step back, raising her hands in an attempt to calm her down.

"I-I'm sorry! I really was going to tell you I could use Translator, but seeing you try so hard to speak Japanese was nice too!"

She added quickly, "And don’t worry! Your Japanese is understandable! Sure, there were a few mistakes with consonants and vowels, but nothing too bad!"

Sylva sighed. "Alright, alright. I’ll let it slide this time."

Reika grinned awkwardly, relieved that she had managed to talk her way out of trouble.

"By the way, Reika," Sylva said, her tone shifting. "Do you want to come with me and see the burial?"

Curious about their burial customs, Reika nodded and followed Sylva toward the site.

When they arrived, several men were already digging pits in the ground.

"Lift the bodies carefully and place them in the graves," Silas instructed, his voice heavy with authority.

One by one, the men lifted the corpses, laying them in the spots chosen by the deceased’s families.

Gravestones were placed atop some graves, while others were marked with simple wooden planks engraved with the names of the deceased.

The ceremony began with a prayer, asking for the safe passage of their loved ones’ souls and a peaceful journey to the afterlife. As the prayer echoed through the burial site, Reika observed the grieving families—some wept openly, while others offered bitter smiles as they watched dirt and gravel slowly cover the graves.

When the prayer ended, the remaining open pits were filled completely. Families stood in silence, taking one last look before their loved ones were gone forever.

Reika quietly stepped away, giving them space to mourn. As she walked, she activated her ability.

Her purple eyes glowed faintly, and soon, she saw them—ethereal figures rising from their lifeless bodies. Some souls lingered, reaching out to embrace their families despite the invisible barrier between them. Others drifted upward, dissolving into the sky like fading embers.

"Ah... I wish I could absorb those souls to nourish my own..."

Reika recognized the familiar voice and turned her head. Veylir was hovering beside her.

"What the hell are you talking about? Those souls have families and their own consciousness, you know?" Reika snapped.

"Who cares? They're dead anyway. Besides, human souls are great for repleni—ACK!"

Before Veylir could finish, the collar around her neck materialized and tightened.

"Say one more word about using souls, and I'll make it even tighter," Reika warned.

"Okay! I'm sorry! P-Please… Ow! Ow! Ow!"

With a sigh, Reika released her hold, and the collar vanished seconds later.

"Gah! I thought my head was going to split in half! My whole body was trembling every time it tightened!" Veylir groaned.

"Don't spout such nonsense again. Stealing souls is the most disgraceful thing you can do."

"Fine, fine! I won’t. Not that I even have the ability to steal souls. I was just thinking out loud..."

Reika sighed again, exasperated.

"By the way, isn’t that your companion over there?" Veylir asked.

"Where?"

Reika followed Veylir’s gaze and spotted Soru sitting beneath a tree, watching the burial site.

What is he doing over there?

She and Veylir approached him. As they got closer, she noticed the strange expression on his face.

"Eh?"

Soru understood how painful it was to lose someone you love, especially those closest to you. He had seen that kind of grief unfold countless times in manga and anime. But to him, death was just a natural part of life—a fundamental law of nature, unchangeable and inevitable.

He tried to imitate the feeling within him—the act of sadness and sorrow. He attempted to recreate the pain of loss, searching for a way to understand emotions properly. Losing an object, the death of a pet—he considered various forms of loss. But no matter how many times he had tried in the past, he could never truly grasp it.

Suddenly, a light tap landed on his shoulder.

"What’s with that face? You looked like a total idiot just now."

Soru turned his head to see Reika, who promptly knocked her fist against his head. With a sigh, she sat beside him, looking dissatisfied.

"Are you trying to awaken your emotions or something?"

A gentle breeze passed through as the sky inched toward dawn, the darkness gradually fading with the approaching sunrise.

"Look," Reika continued, "I get that you want to understand what they’re feeling, but just mimicking it won’t do anything."

She glanced at him before speaking again. "You have to feel it deep in your heart—that pain of losing someone you cherished."

Soru remained silent for a moment before replying, "But isn’t death a natural occurrence? It doesn't make any sense that the idea of someone dying would have such an impact on a person..."

Reika suddenly pinched Soru’s cheek. A faint tingling sensation ran across her own, but she ignored it, knowing it was just Soru using his power in response.

"OF COURSE IT IS, IDIOT!"

Soru’s cheek stretched, yet he showed no sign of discomfort. After a moment, Reika sighed and let go, turning her gaze back toward the burial site.

"You have parents, right?"

"Yes, I do."

"Good. Now, imagine if one day that person died. What would you feel then?"

"Why would she even die in the first place?"

Reika paused.

She? So it’s his mother...

"I don’t know," she said, shrugging. "Maybe old age or something?"

Soru fell silent. The question lingered in the air, and for a long moment, he didn’t respond. Then, at last, he spoke.

"Nothing. I'll just let things be as they are."

Reika twitched at Soru’s outrageous answer.

"Are you serious?!"

But when he didn’t even flinch, she realized he meant it.

How clueless can this idiot be?

She sighed, feeling a sense of helplessness.

His 'emotionless' illness is worse than I thought…

The night sky gradually brightened, signaling the arrival of dawn, though neither of them had noticed.

"What if I die instead?"

Soru remained still, silent for a long time.

"Well, considering your twisted perception, your answer would probably be the same—"

"I won’t let it happen."

Reika blinked, caught off guard.

"Eh?"

"You promised to help me with my problem. What’s the point if you die before you can even fix it?"

Reika quickly regained her composure and cleared her throat.

"Ahem! O-Oh... Yeah, you're right…"

A brief silence settled between them. Then, unexpectedly, Reika giggled, breaking the quiet moment.

"Well... I guess I'll be in your care, then."

Soru turned his head and saw Reika smiling at him. He paused, not saying a word. As he stared at her, a warm streak of light pressed against his cheek.

Reika noticed the warmth too and looked toward the east. The sun was beginning to rise over the horizon. She closed her eyes for a moment, letting the gentle breeze pass through her.

"You sure both make a great couple."

Reika turned around and saw Veylir floating beside her.

Why does this dragon keep popping up out of nowhere and disappearing without a trace?

Veylir flew closer to Soru.

"Although he's eccentric, I'm sure he's a great guy!"

Reika’s expression turned smug.

"Haaah? We barely even talk, and now you're shipping us?"

Soru poked Veylir’s cheek, but his finger passed right through.

"I'm sure if you spend more time with him, you'll get to know each other in no time," Veylir said.

"Who is this creature?" Soru abruptly said while glancing at Veylir.

"Oh... that's Veylir, the dragon you killed yesterday."

Soru and Veylir locked eyes. Suddenly, Veylir jolted and flew back frantically.

"T-T-This is the one who killed m-me...!?"

She turned to Reika, seeking confirmation. Reika simply nodded in silence.

"No way... B-But...?!"

Veylir hesitated, then looked back at Soru. The intensity of his gaze sent shivers down her spine. In that moment, she fully grasped the truth—the man standing before her was indeed the one who had ended her physical existence.

"To think a human could kill a dragon like me... I can hardly believe it."

She cautiously floated beside Reika.

"I-If that’s the case, I shan’t anger that man in the future. He possesses the power to harm and slay a dragon!"

"Hey, he's not the only one who defeated a dragon. I beat you too!" Reika shot back.

"That’s only because I was weakened! I had, let’s say... 10% of my strength left when you fought me. Now, I barely have 7%! If I had been at my peak, you wouldn’t have stood a chance!"

Reika fell silent, lowering her head.

"Though... I don’t understand why my soul is weaker than before..."

Veylir paused when she noticed Reika sulking.

"Are you okay?" she asked.

Reika took a deep breath and exhaled.

"Pshh... So you’re saying you weren’t at your best when we fought, huh?"

She clenched her fist.

"If that's the case, then let's have a rematch once you regain your full strength!"

Veylir flapped her wings, eyes gleaming with excitement.

"Hah! Bring it on, then!"

As the two hyped themselves up for their inevitable rematch, Soru remained silent, watching them without a word.

Reika suddenly paused, her gaze shifting to the distance. A group of villagers had gathered around the ruined well at the village center.

"They seem to be having a serious discussion over there..." she murmured.

Curious, she decided to check it out. Without another word, she walked toward the crowd, leaving Soru sitting beneath the tree.

Even from a distance, Reika could hear the villagers voicing their concerns to Silas.

"Chief, what should we do? We don’t have enough food or clothes, and all our houses were destroyed. It's already daybreak..."

"That’s right! Without shelter, we’ll freeze at night or get drenched when it rains. Sleeping will be impossible!"

"What’s going to happen to us now?"

Silas faced the worried crowd, his expression troubled.

"I don’t know... It’s been hours since the burial ceremony. We can temporarily solve the food shortage by hunting in the forest, but rebuilding homes will take time..."

A collective sigh spread among the villagers. The series of disasters had left them overwhelmed.

After a moment, Silas stepped away and pointed toward the wheat fields. The villagers followed his gaze, waiting for his next words.

"For now, gather all the remaining wheat crops. We’ll use its stalks to make temporary pillows for the children. As for the wheat seeds, collect them for consumption."

The villagers exchanged murmurs at his instructions.

"But what about our houses?" one of them asked.

"I’ll find a way to solve that problem..." Silas replied.

The villagers glanced at each other before nodding. Without further hesitation, they scattered across the fields and began gathering the remaining wheat.

An hour passed, and the sun now hung high in the sky. The men had finished harvesting the fields, separating the wheat seeds from their stalks. However, some stalks were still damp, making them unsuitable for bedding. To solve this, they divided the dry stalks from the wet ones. The damp stalks were carefully dried over campfires, ensuring they didn’t burn in the process.

Meanwhile, the women took the dried stalks and wrapped them in salvaged fabric to create makeshift pillows. The remaining stalks were woven into simple baskets to store the wheat seeds.

Silas watched as the villagers busied themselves. Some children, now awake, eagerly helped their parents with small tasks, while others simply observed.

Meanwhile, Reika was finishing up a makeshift pillow, smoothing out the fabric before handing it to a woman. As she worked, she noticed Silas sitting off to the side, deep in thought, his expression troubled.

She approached him and overheard his quiet muttering.

"I need to figure out a way to solve the housing problem... but how?"

Reika crossed her arms. "Instead of trying to handle everything alone, don't you think you should rely on others, Mister Silas?"

Silas turned, startled by the familiar voice. "Miss Reika? And... your language?"

She smiled. "I had a little encounter in the forest that allowed me to understand the dialect of this continent. As for the details, I’d rather keep them a secret."

Silas studied her for a moment before nodding. "I see..."

"About that problem of yours—" Reika started but stopped when she saw Aeden approaching. The woman looked irritated, grumbling to herself.

"That lazy bastard...!"

Reika raised an eyebrow. "Do you need something from us?"

Aeden flinched, as if she hadn’t realized she was so close. "Ah! Er... I need to discuss something with Mister Silas."

Silas stood up. "I apologize, Miss Aeden, but we’re in the middle of dealing with a major issue—"

"You mean the housing problem?" Aeden interrupted.

Silas hesitated. "How do you know about that?"

Aeden glanced around. The remnants of the destroyed houses were everywhere, making it obvious. "It’s not hard to figure out."

Silas sighed as Aeden hit the heart of the issue.

"But don’t worry," she added with a confident smirk. "That’s exactly why I’m here."