“My first ceiling...”
Ryo’s first words were similar to what people usually said in this kind of isekai situation. Sort of. A luxurious canopied bed—not. He wouldn’t even have been able to see the ceiling with a canopy in the first place...
Compared to Japanese standards back in his old life, this bed was definitely on the shabby side. It was just fabric placed over straw strewn across a wooden floor. If he thought of it at the cultural level of pre-Renaissance Europe, however, then it would be considered high quality. At least for his house, which wasn’t an aristocrat’s mansion by any means.
He wore the same clothes he had on when he died on Earth. Shoes too. He wasn’t carrying anything.
Ryo rolled out of bed and the first thing he did was wander around inside the house. Bedroom, living room, kitchen, and bathroom.
“A bathtub?!”
He’d never heard of pre-Renaissance Europeans having bathrooms in their homes.
“But ancient Romans had huge public bathhouses, so I guess it’s possible. I, for one, am grateful as a Japanese person... Ohhh, I wonder if Fake Michael made it specifically for me because I’m Japanese. Many thanks, Fake Michael! I bow to your talents!”
He still wasn’t sure if Fake Michael was a man or not.
However, Ryo’s knowledge was greatly lacking since public bathhouses did in fact exist in medieval Europe. Except people back then didn’t really understand the concept of hygiene, so ironically enough, those public bathhouses were breeding grounds for infectious diseases.
Satisfied by what he found in the bathroom, Ryo moved to the living room. Two books and a knife rested on top of the table. Next to them lay a single piece of paper.
Your food supply is in the silo outside. It also doubles as a freezer, so you can preserve food as well. - Fake Michael
“I knew he was reading my mind...”
He sure didn’t want to make an enemy of a talented man like Fake Michael.
Unlike the thick, heavy books stored in the rare books section of his university’s library, these books looked...pretty normal actually... Yup, just like books made after the development of the printing press.
“Whoa. Are these made of paper? Actual paper and not parchment? This world has paper?”
He silently read the title on each book’s cover. The Monster Compendium, Beginner Edition. The Flora Compendium, Beginner Edition.
“This means...”
He didn’t have something like an appraisal skill, which was a staple of reincarnation stories.
“I know he said this world wasn’t based on levels or skills, but come on...”
Both books contained plenty of easy-to-understand illustrations, which he was incredibly thankful for.
As for the knife on the table, its blade was roughly twenty centimeters long and, overall, looked quite well-made. If you were stranded on a desert island, what’s the one thing you would take with you? The go-to answer for that question was a knife. So Ryo picked it up and put it in his waistband for the time being.
He surveyed the area around the table as well as the rest of the room but found nothing else. Then he finally opened the door leading outside, only to be blinded by the sun’s brilliant rays. When he adapted to the light, he saw a carpet of grass stretching around the house. Beyond that, a dense forest obstructed his view.
Woods surrounded the house on the other side too. Except beyond it...he could see mountains so tall they pierced the sky. He realized they must be pretty far away from here. He’d initially thought the climate in this world was mild, but changed his mind when he saw the snow covering the mountain peaks.
“I bet dragons and whatnot live there. Which means...I better not get anywhere close.”
Ryo said the words out loud on purpose, swearing an oath to himself.
He wasn’t hungry yet, which meant there was time to do it. He absolutely had to know that he was in this world of sword and magic. Yes, it was time to actually use his magic.
“I can’t use anything except water magic. And the image is the most important thing with magic.”
He thrust his right hand out and raised it, which felt like the right move for some reason. While he imagined water spouting from his palm, Ryo chanted.
“Water, spill forth!”
Splash. A trickle of water enough to fill a cup flowed out of his hand and landed on the ground. His first magical experience! Objectively speaking, it had been an extremely lackluster display, but it was still something. Ryo couldn’t stop shaking from the elation of succeeding at his very first magical attempt.