This is the second part celebrating 20,000 bookmarks.
This part is an extra work completely unrelated to the main story, rewritten from the initial early plot.
While it uses the existing setting, the way people meet and other aspects are different.
I hope you enjoy it.
I’ve been thinking a lot lately about how harsh reality is, far beyond what imagination can grasp.
Work rarely goes as planned, and personal life is seldom as fulfilling as I’d like it to be.
Even with all the effort, the question remains: when will that accumulated effort finally pay off?
For me, who had been experiencing such harsh realities in Japan,
“Even in a fantasy world, reality doesn’t change that much, does it?”
My wishes for how things should be, for what I’d like to achieve, well up like an unending spring. But the reality is that the fulfillment of those desires might be less than the water I can cup in my hands, a fact I readily accepted.
“Even if it’s another world, without this much freedom, it’s hard to truly enjoy it.”
After talking with Archbishop Grotta, it seems he has become wary of me.
The frustration of not being able to smoke has become something I’m getting used to, thanks to the training that has forcibly put me in a state of abstinence.
Ironically, I’m getting more sleep than when I worked at a company, I’m eating nutritionally balanced meals, I can take breaks, and I engage in moderate exercise.
I’m aware I’ve become quite healthy.
The dark circles under my eyes, which I could never get rid of, have improved, which should tell you something.
If this weren’t a life-threatening job of Demon Lord subjugation, I’d call this workplace a “white company.”
Thinking about such things.
For me, who has come to the reality of an otherworldly place without night, and who is still not allowed to go outside, spending my days within the grounds of the Cathedral has become a routine.
Separated from the boys who were summoned with me, I spend my days training with the knights, washing my body with hot water, and longing for the small bath in my own home.
“Day after day, the same thing over and over, it’s truly tiresome.”
However, while I initially tolerated this near-confinement, it’s understandable that I’m starting to get fed up with it.
The training itself was novel at first.
I was moved when I first held a real double-edged sword.
I’m even enjoying studying magic now.
When I was summoned, I was genuinely surprised when they said I’d be able to use magic, and it turned out to be true.
But.
“It’s impossible to relax with so many watchful eyes.”
Since coming to this world, my physical senses feel strangely heightened.
I’ve become much more aware of others’ gazes, especially those filled with emotion.
Having previously worked at a Black company where it was impossible to get anything done without being sensitive to others’ emotions, I had already developed a knack for inferring such things. But it seems this has only been further honed since arriving here.
“Three people outside the window, two on the roof, one by the door, and a few whose presence I can’t quite read.”
Thanks to this sensitivity, I can’t relax even in the room assigned to me.
The teaching methods are thorough, and they train me strictly without coddling me during training, but they don’t scold me unnecessarily.
There’s no unreasonable attitude on the surface.
However, I still can’t get used to this feeling of being watched.
“…Does this mean I’m not trusted?”
It’s only natural to think so. After all, I’m an unusual human who came from another world, so they’re probably being cautious.
As a Hero, they likely feel obligated to entertain me, but that doesn’t equate to complete trust.
And this is the result of that situation.
To prevent me from doing anything strange, they keep me away from the public as much as possible.
Instead, they ensure my personal life is convenient, providing me with three meals a day and having others do my cleaning and laundry.
It’s a guarantee of food, shelter, and clothing, a level of luxury that might make one feel ungrateful. However, in this environment with little entertainment, returning to my room only leaves me with excess time.
“More than anything, I still can’t get used to the perpetual daylight.”
Today again, I trained hard from early morning, and in the afternoon, I had magic training and lectures. I’ve worked up a sweat and am now waiting for dinner.
Apparently, there’s a dining hall, but in accordance with the directive that I should minimize contact with people until my training is complete, very few individuals interact with me.
Looking up at the overcast sky of this world, which is only ever dim, I feel like sighing at how lonely my current otherworldy life is.
“Lord Jirou, I’ve brought your meal.”
“Ah, thank you.”
The only, or perhaps the primary, enjoyment in this lonely otherworldly life is the food of this different world.
While it’s not as refined as the meals in Japan, there’s a lot of ingredients here that can be enjoyed in their own way.
I hear Eshlee’s voice from beyond the door, and when I open it, Eshlee is standing there with a meal sending warm steam from the tray. I invite her into the room.
Following behind her is a colleague of Eshlee’s, it seems.
I don’t know her name.
Her mouth is covered with a cloth up to her corner of the mouth, and only her eyes are visible. I have a vague sense that it’s the same person who came before, but the other party doesn’t seem to engage in conversation, and even if I try to speak to her, I’m lucky to get a word or two in response.
I find it hard to talk when it’s obvious they’re refusing to converse.
They then prepare a meal for us, and a dinner for two is laid out on the table.
This is for me and Eshlee, not for me to eat double portions.
At first, only my meal was brought out, and Eshlee served me, but eating alone is quite lonely.
I wished she would at least eat dinner with me, but she initially refused, giving various reasons such as it being presumptuous due to my status as the Hero.
When I let slip, with a wry smile, that I wondered if they disliked me that much, seeing how stubbornly they refused, she frantically shook her head and denied it.
That became the trigger, and somehow we were able to eat together…
“Is this… fish?”
“Yes, it seems they caught fresh fish from the river. The chef prepared it with all their skill.”
“Fish in this world have legs…”
“Even though it’s fish, it’s a Magic Beast. It’s rich in magic power and very delicious.”
“Well, even if the appearance is unfamiliar, the food here has been delicious since I arrived.”
The ingredients laid out on the dining table have quite an impactful appearance, so I’m surprised every time at dinner.
Eshlee watches my reaction with amusement, cutting off a leg with her knife and bringing it to her mouth, which is rather surreal.
Hesitantly wondering if I should eat that part first, I smoothly insert my knife and try it.
“…I can’t agree with the appearance, but it’s delicious. It looks amazing.”
“To us, it is a delicacy.”
“So, I am special then?”
“Yes, we want the Hero to gain proper nutrition and train his body. Even citizens of a certain wealth can only eat this fish during the harvest festival or the New Year’s festival.”
“So I’m eating luxury goods every day?”
Even with their strange appearance, these ingredients are apparently on par with A5-ranked Wagyu beef from my original world, making them difficult for commoners to afford.
It has a unique texture, but a delicious taste.
I shudder, thinking this is the taste of ingredients refined by magic.
“I feel it is presumptuous to be eating the same thing as you.”
“I have no regrets about that. Being forced to stare at my own meal alone is torture.”
“People from other worlds are strange.”
“Unfortunately, I was a commoner originally. If the world were different, I would be considered ordinary.”
Eshlee also gives a wry smile at the life of having a high-class dinner every day.
In reality, she would rarely be able to eat such food, but by eating it with me, it has become possible.
I feel happy, yet also somewhat apprehensive.
As someone with a commoner’s mindset, I feel a sense of kinship with Eshlee, who seems to share a similar feeling, yet I also feel a disconnect, as she views my refusal to be served as strange.
“…It’s next week, isn’t it?”
“Ah, you heard?”
“Yes, but-”
“It’s too soon?”
As we were making small talk like this, Eshlee gently stopped her knife, her expression becoming serious and earnest as she met my gaze and brought up the topic.
She’s talking about my practical combat experience.
Several weeks have passed since I arrived. After less than a month of training, I will apparently be deployed for actual combat.
However, the other summoned individuals will take much longer, and I alone will participate in actual combat with a few escorts.
“Well, it can’t be helped. I’m older than them. My prime physical condition has passed, and I’m only aging from now on, so I need to experience actual combat sooner than anyone else.”
The age difference between my mid-twenties and their mid-teens is significant.
Compared to them, who have plenty of room for growth, I wonder if I have any room for improvement.
Since coming here, I’ve awakened special powers, and I now feel confident enough to win a medal at the Olympics.
But even that is not enough. Knights can do that much as a matter of course.
My growth is fast, but I must become stronger to defeat the Demon Lord.
And they told me in unison that the Demon Lord won’t wait, which is why my deployment for actual combat was decided.
I don’t know how capable the other Hero is, but it’s better to gain combat experience sooner rather than later.
It seems these people see me as an afterthought, and they want to experiment with me for their main plan.
They provide support, not wholeheartedly, and claim to be raising me properly while accumulating achievements, but it seems the other party is being treated better.
There’s no evidence of differentiation, but judging from Eshlee’s expressions, attitude, and the allocation of personnel, my training is progressing at a breakneck pace.
“Don’t worry too much, you’ll be coming along too, won’t you, Eshlee? And you’ll have experienced knights as escorts, right?”
“Yes, but…”
Or should I consider this normal?
No, isn’t it normal? She, who was enjoying her meal cheerfully until just a moment ago, is now looking worried about the future with a somber expression.
I’m probably being used as a decoy for the other heroes. Something like, “If I can do it, you can too.” Or perhaps I’m being used as a stepping stone for hero training.
“Well, goblin hunting is the benchmark for beginner battles in our world. If I’m surrounded by veterans, I’ll be expected to handle it with ease, or they’ll be disappointed.”
Thanks to that, their expectations of me are quite low. They probably think it’s a bonus if I become a strong hero, and if not, a little bit of use will suffice.
If I had acted more naively at the start, they probably would have responded more favorably, but that would have also led to me being exploited in various ways, so it’s a wash.
Honestly, I don’t know how much talent I actually have. I don’t know how useful my Kendo experience will be.
In that case, the current situation, where I’m merely being monitored, might be preferable. Considering the possibility of assassination if things go south, I think it’s best to stay quiet until I gain just enough combat power to escape and live on my own, if necessary.
I should avoid quitting the company before finding a new job.
Well, it’s going to be a difficult path ahead.
Initially, I’ve never killed any living creature, so all I can do is act optimistically like this and try to ease her worries.
First, I need to deal with the problem right in front of me. It all depends on whether I can kill these creatures called monsters.
“Yes, that’s right. Jirou-sama works so hard that even the knights praise him.”
“Is that praise?”
“Yes, they said he has a good aptitude.”
“Then could you please tell them to praise me more honestly? The knights who are training me all smile and say, ‘You can do more! You can do more! Is your body only capable of this much?!’ and try to drag me down the path of becoming a muscular hunk.”
Is it that he’s boastful because he’s older, or does he not want to show a pathetic side as a man in front of a woman he met in this world?
For now, he’s putting on a brave face, and Eshlee praises my daily efforts with a smile. However, I don’t have any memory of being praised.
With a wry smile, I bring up the topic of the knights who seem to love tormenting our muscles during daily training, and finally, a smile returns to Eshlee’s face.
The content of their training is like that of a bodybuilder. What’s with the talk of abs groaning and biceps rejoicing… I’m learning swordsmanship, aren’t I? The training shouts were so strange that I couldn’t help but question it.
“I don’t think it will change even if I say so.”
“Right. If it would change, they wouldn’t have said that in the first place.”
The knights, who seem to have staked their lives on bodybuilding, end up shedding their armor and trying to show off their physique.
Being a good-natured, sporty person, they’re the type I can get along with, but in between their attempts to make me respect them and instill faith in God, I wish they would stop talking about the benefits of muscles.
Their attitude changes so often that I sometimes don’t know how to deal with them.
“For now, I need to eat well and prepare for tomorrow.”
“Yes, that’s right.”
Tomorrow, I have training with that muscle group again. Since I said I had some room to spare, I have to prepare myself properly too. To do that, I need to build my body. To build my body, I need to replenish my nutrition, so I eat.
And then.
“Haa.”
I was able to see Eshlee and the others leave the room without incident, or rather, by acting in a way that prevented anything from happening.
“Seriously, a honey trap is more intense than I thought.”
And now that I’ve figured out Eshlee’s position, I’m replaying that dinner moment with a rather complicated feeling.
I had noticed from the start that her sense of distance was uncharacteristically close. Not to brag, but I’m not that much of a ladies’ man. I have experience with relationships between men and women, but I’m not popular with women like an idol or an actor. Despite that, I’m not so blindly optimistic as to get carried away by being assigned a woman who is friendly and close from the beginning. It was right to be cautious, suspecting something was up.
The organizational move to make women other than Eshlee hide their faces, limit who I can be friendly with, and elevate Eshlee as a special woman. Whether she herself has such intentions is unknown, but at least it’s clear that those around her do. By making Eshlee a special being, they intend to use her as a shackle to bind me.
It’s truly disheartening when the convenient tropes of otherworld summoning stories are manipulated like this. But it’s also frustrating that it’s not entirely ineffective.
If, hypothetically, I were to reject Eshlee here, my attendant would surely change immediately. If that happened, I would have to build new relationships from scratch. Before I even feel bothered by that, I’ve already developed enough affection for her that I pity Eshlee being reassigned.
If only I were the kind of scumbag who could lay hands on anyone without discrimination, I probably wouldn’t be agonizing over this.
These words, whispered so softly that no one would hear them, were my true feelings.
When you can’t entirely shed your common sense, you struggle in places like this.
Even if delicious-looking meat is placed before me, if I can see a fishing hook protruding from it, I hesitate to eat it, no matter how appetizing it may seem.
However, I have to pretend to eat it desperately so that it won’t be taken away.
It’s quite troublesome.
“Summoning to another world is either hard mode or easy mode. I wonder which one this is.”
It feels like hard mode, yet also like easy mode.
I’m bothered by this ambiguous Otherworld summoning.
“…I’ll study, stretch, and then sleep.”
Thinking that endlessly pondering such worries is a waste of time, I decided to use the magic tool lamp and open a grimoire to learn even a little bit of magic, studying after my meal.
In preparation for next week’s practical combat.
I thought the practical combat for that day had come sooner than expected.
“You look good together.”
“Do I?”
“Yes!”
I’ve heard people say that time passes quickly when you get used to a certain job, but as I started getting used to holding a real sword, time truly felt like it was flying by.
Before I knew it, today was the day of my first practical combat.
“Hero-sama. The destination is a mountainous region about three days by carriage from the capital. It’s been reported that there’s a Goblin nest there, so the objective of this mission is to subjugate them.”
As I was clad in the light armor the Knights’ Order uses, which I had started wearing even for training, and adjusting my helmet’s position, Eshlee complimented me. I didn’t feel bad about it and was a little embarrassed when the unit captain, who wore full plate armor unlike me and had been training me, spoke to me while holding his helmet.
“Yes.”
“You may be nervous for your first practical combat, but we are here with you, and, more importantly, the muscles you’ve built through training up to this point will not betray you. If you face this subjugation with confidence, you’ll be alright!”
“H-haa.”
The close-cropped captain, showing off his tanned dark skin, gave me a big smile and a thumbs-up.
I still didn’t know how to respond to this level of enthusiasm.
I wondered if I should also give a thumbs-up.
For now, I just nodded in a safe manner and looked around.
The unit was of a reasonably large number.
Including the logistics personnel, it was a unit of about a hundred people in total.
Only about eighty would actually be fighting.
There were also a considerable number of carriages.
“Monsters may appear along the way. If that happens, please be proactive in fighting alongside the Hero-sama. However, we will give the instructions, so please avoid charging in recklessly.”
“Understood.”
They’re deploying such military strength.
I decided to take comfort in that fact.
“That being said, when moving with such a large group, even bandits won’t dare to attack!!”
Apparently, it’s rare to go on a subjugation mission with such a large group.
This country is also taking considerable care of me then.
Hearing the words “practical combat,” I must have been tense, as my shoulders were stiff. Sensing this, the captain lightly but firmly patted my shoulder.
My back jolted, and the captain’s smile grew even wider.
His white teeth gleamed.
“Hahaha! Even a hero is human! It’s good to be nervous!!”
Perhaps he liked my human-like attitude, he patted my back with a smile, the metal of his gauntlet and armor clanking loudly.
“Well, I’ve never killed a living creature before.”
An experience I would rather not have, yet one I must undertake.
My world has changed, and there’s no discernible means of returning, or rather, I’m being managed.
Considering the possibility of becoming useless through hesitation, I can’t take a gamble by delaying and waiting for rescue.
It’s better to prioritize survival by changing my mental values, I’ve resigned myself to that.
With a half-acceptance and half-resignation, I smiled and revealed my inexperience.
“Even the newcomers in the Knights’ Order are like that. We train our muscles to give courage to those newcomers! Hero-sama, you too will surely be grateful for your trained muscles and for God!”
I wondered why his faith in God and his faith in muscles were almost equivalent.
“I hope so.”
Since there was no room for negation, I just nodded.
“Then, I will go and confirm the unit’s formation. Please wait a little longer.”
With those words, the captain left.
Watching his retreating back, I felt at a loss for what to do and decided to speak to Eshlee, who was subtly waiting by my side.
“Should I help with something too?”
Honestly, I feel like it’s a terminal condition to feel restless if I’m not working, but I hate being restless and waiting even more.
“No, we cannot trouble Hero-sama Jirou, so please wait in the carriage.”
However, thanks to Eshlee’s smile that completely disregarded such feelings, I couldn’t do anything, and it ended with me merely moving closer to the carriage I was supposed to board.
“…Understood.”
While everyone else was working, I was just waiting. It created an indescribable sense of restlessness.
“Yes, please leave the preparations to us.”
I spent thirty minutes thinking that I had to calm down, seeing as Eshlee was more composed than me.
“Then, let’s depart!!”
After what felt like a very long thirty minutes, the carriage finally departed at the captain’s command.
“…Carriages really do shake this much, huh?”
“This is considered quite a comfortable type, you know.”
“Seriously?”
However, the shaking was bearable while we were on cobblestone roads, but the moment we hit unpaved paths, the shaking intensified. The carriage, moving at a speed not quite a trot, only slightly faster than a person walking, rattled violently.
The carriage the country provided was box-shaped, with attention paid to the interior, and the seats had decent cushioning. However, the suspension and road conditions were vastly different from those in Japan.
The unfamiliar shaking was enough to make me worry about getting motion sickness. Furthermore, to avoid being recognized as I was not yet publicly known, the curtains were drawn, preventing me from even seeing outside. I was on the verge of despair, despite having just departed, thanks to the situation that was a surefire recipe for carriage sickness.
“Eshlee, you seem fine.”
“Yes, I go on various expeditions for training, so I have had opportunities to ride in carriages…”
Perhaps due to experience, Eshlee sat facing away from the direction of travel, looking relaxed and unfazed. I wondered what the intention was for it to be just the two of us in such a spacious area.
There were mounted knights deployed around us, but they surely couldn’t hear what was happening inside. A journey in a confined space with Eshlee, who was somewhere between a beautiful woman and a beautiful girl in age. I almost chuckled, thinking this situation might be more nerve-wracking. “Endure, my reason,” I felt like muttering.
“In that case, you must feel quite a difference in carriage comfort, don’t you?”
“Yes. Indeed, there’s a significant difference between carriages for nobles and those for people of our status.”
“Safe topics. Yes, let’s get through this with safe topics.” If I made a move here, I would definitely be done for. I reminded myself that getting involved romantically in front of someone in power could mean having my life controlled, as I continued on my path to actual combat.
And so, after spending the journey with safe topics, we reached the night of the second day of our travels without incident. In a world where the sky, covered by overcast clouds and with a dim, daytime-like appearance, was called “night” by me.
“Jirou-sama, you’ve gotten used to traveling by carriage, haven’t you?”
“I suppose so. I’m impressed by humans’ adaptability.”
“What do you mean by that?”
I managed a wry smile at my body’s adaptation to the constant jolting and shaking, and then it was time for our campsite, the only opportunity to get out of the carriage. It was only inside the prepared tent that I could finally stretch my back.
“But, my joints still ache.”
This journey, or rather, the road to subjugation, was entirely peaceful. After all, traveling with a large group meant that bandits, let alone monsters, would face considerable risk if they attacked. Yet, there was little in return. Because of this, monsters and bandits alike remained silent, waiting for us to pass, which naturally made our journey peaceful.
“That’s true. Sitting for too long makes your body stiff.”
“I should do some stretching before bed, shouldn’t I?”
Perhaps that was why I felt no tension now, unlike when we departed from the Cathedral. In retrospect, that could be considered complacency. Surrounded by sturdy knights, cooking began. Enjoying a meal that, while inferior to what we ate at the Cathedral, was full of an outdoor feel and felt like a bit of a camp, I was excited. In fact, the dinner I had while talking with Eshlee felt that way, and coupled with the fatigue of the journey, I felt a sense of security until we reached our destination. This was a stark reminder of the difference between me, a Japanese person who had become complacent, and this Otherworld where the common sense was that the outside of cities was always dangerous.
I moved the carriage seat to make a makeshift bed and drifted off to sleep in preparation for the next day. It was a little past midnight when, for a moment, the tension of the escorting knights loosened, and it happened. Suddenly, multiple fireballs tore through the sky and rained down upon the campsite, causing explosions.
Today’s word: Don’t be bound by common sense.
Thank you always for your comments and for pointing out typos. If you find it interesting, please leave comments, ratings, and bookmarks. This week marks the commemoration of 20,000 bookmarks, so the next main update will be on Sunday.
I am currently serializing another work: Pandora Pandemic Panic. The box of Pandora has been opened again, but we’re fighting back with various things in our secret base!! Please check that out as well!!
