On and on I walked towards the city. Unlike in my original world, the weather here was warm and springlike.
“It’s a good thing it’s not sweltering or freezing,” I muttered on the way. “Now as long as the salt and water don’t make me sick, I think I should be a little safer.”
All the walking from my job had conditioned me pretty well, so I wasn’t worried about tiring myself out so much as getting a blister from these unfamiliar boots, but everything seemed okay. After several minutes, my initial tension died down and I began repeating my new name under my breath with each step. That way, when the time came for me to introduce myself, I’d manage without stuttering. It was actually surprisingly important to practice. New employees would often do the same for their company name, position, and phone number.
“I am Luciel. Luciel. Luciel...” I decided to recite it until the word no longer made sense to my ears.
“I figured it was a good distance to town, but wow is it far away... I’ve been walking for over thirty minutes!”
I’d been through my name and dozens of introductions more times than I could count, but the city barely looked any closer, despite my previous judgment that it’d be about a half-hour walk. As if I could do anything about it but complain. With no source of water to quench my dry throat and a curse at my own carelessness for good measure, I single-mindedly continued treading along.
But this world was not so kind. Some beast-like creature in the sky, which had been far in the distance for some time now, flew into my vision. Imagining myself going toe-to-toe with such a thing conjured images of my life instantly ending inside its belly.
The urge to grumble about the absurdity of being sent to another world without a sword grew stronger. They didn’t even have the decency to leave anything lying around, either. “In Another World Without a Weapon” was not a story I was interested in.
My current defenses? Oh, they were nothing much. Just two rocks I had picked up earlier that looked like they’d be easy to throw.
“How am I going to survive in this place?!” I groaned. Then, “Whoa!”
Right as my little monologue ended, I encountered my first monster—or rather, its corpse. A kind of canine creature that you’d see in just about any fantasy story. It didn’t look like magic had done it in or that it had been cut down, either. It was simply beaten to a pulp. The merciless sight made me profoundly aware of just how peaceful a country like Japan was. Before my spirit could falter, I resumed my trek.
No cheats, no courage. I was no protagonist. I would lose to an ordinary goblin, and a loss in this world meant death, putting my second shot at life to waste. So, my primary objective was decided: die of old age, no matter what. Survive. In this, I was determined.
After another long hour of exhausting walking, the city walls became distinctly visible, as well as a number of people standing around the gates. Relieved to finally make human contact, I picked up my pace. As I approached, the beautiful craftsmanship of the stonework caught my eye.
“Those are some impressive walls,” I commented. “If the outside’s this fancy, that gives me some hope for the inside. Almost makes me excited to see streets that aren’t filled with urine and feces.”
When I finally arrived, I caught glimpses of other folks, although only a few, entering and leaving after presenting something to the guards. Presumably, some form of identification was needed for entry, but I just prayed to God that things would work out and waited for my turn.
“Present identification,” ordered the spear-wielding sentry.
Relief that I was actually able to understand him washed over me as I sized him up. He was a bit shorter than me, but his arms were the size of my own three times over. Those suckers would knock someone out in one hit flat. The spear, too, seemed a tad lethal. Freshly aware of the dangers of this world, I chose my next words carefully so as not to come under suspicion.
“I’m very sorry, but I have nothing to identify myself with.”
“What?” His spear hand clenched, or so I sensed.
I hurried to provide an explanation. “I grew up in a small village, you see. I became a healer at my coming-of-age ceremony, but they drove me out because I wouldn’t be of any use... I was hoping I might be able to find work at a clinic, if possible.”
“You’re a healer, you say? Wait there a moment.” The sentry not only loosened his grip on the spear but actually entertained my story and disappeared into the city.
I hoped I hadn’t said something wrong. Though I had used my new knowledge to the best of my ability, I might very well have dug my own grave just then. What if this country didn’t welcome healers?
As anxiety began to grip me and thoughts of running away entered my head, the guard returned with a girl cloaked in white. Almost translucently golden hair fell to her shoulders and her eyes, azure as the ocean, seemed to engulf all she laid them on.
She was stunning. Her appearance was beautiful, of course, but her dignified bearing, too, utterly struck me.
“You’re the one seeking a healing clinic, are you?” she inquired with a smile.
“Yes,” I answered, my words flowing smoothly despite my dry throat. The fruits of all that practice, I suppose. “At my coming-of-age ceremony, I found an affinity for Holy Magic and became a healer. I came here from my village looking for a job.”
None of this was a lie, other than the ceremony part, so I told myself there should be no problem.
“Very well. The Healer’s Guild can issue your identification. Follow me.” She promptly turned on her heel and set off.
“Um, what about the toll?” I asked, perplexed by the girl’s complete lack of explanation.
“Hey, you better get on after her, kid,” urged the guard. “We take no tolls from healers, so don’t sweat it.”
“Oh, really? Uh, thank you, then.”
“Work hard and be a good healer, son.”
I bowed to the guard and looked up to see that the girl was over ten meters ahead already.
“Is she doing that on purpose or did she just not notice? Maybe that’s just how people are in this world? Could be she’s an airhead, too, though.”
Running after her to catch up turned out to be a bad idea. I crashed into something hard and flew backwards. When I got a look at who I’d bumped into, I noticed that they appeared to be adventurers, and strong ones, too. Much stronger than the sentries at the gate.
“Ay, watch where you’re going, will ya?!” His deep voice pierced me like a dagger and turned my blood to ice with that single warning alone.
“Y-Yessir!”
“Where’re you rushin’ off to like that?”
“Um, the Healer’s Guild. I’m fresh out of my home village, so I was going to go get my identification made.”
The man clicked his tongue in annoyance. “You a healer, huh?”
“I’m sorry.”
“The hell’re you apologizin’ for?” he snapped.
Please just let me pass. I really don’t want to get mixed up with this group.
The idea of calling the girl for help crossed my mind, but I scrapped it. My male pride aside, I felt like I’d be putting something else on the line. Something...important.
“I can’t use magic yet, so maybe ‘healer’ is a little misleading,” I faltered.
“You better not end up a money-grubber, got it?”
“Money-grubber?” Did he mean, like, a dishonest healer? If so, I wanted to clarify that there was nothing to worry about in that regard. As it happened, I very much lacked the guts for such a thing. “O-Of course. Kindness is my motto. I aim to become a good-hearted healer, trusted by all,” I assured him.
“Good. Come on, we’re going.” The adventurers shot a glance at me, then made for the gate.
“Oof. I thought I was done for...”
“A little quarrel never killed anyone.”
I turned towards the voice and came face to face with the girl who had seemed leagues ahead of me just a moment before.
“Uh... Weren’t you way over there?”
“I was. But I saw you were in a bit of a bind, so I came back. Naturally, if they had laid a hand on you, I was fully prepared to engage them.”
Her extraordinarily casual demeanor spoke to just how strong she must be. I clasped her offered hand, pulled myself up, and we set off again, this time at a gentler pace. Complete silence would have driven me mad, though, so I fired off some simple questions.
“When I entered the city, they didn’t take a toll. Is that true for all healers?”
“Only the Empire requires tolls of its healers. It is a vital job that deals in and manipulates life and death, so its practitioners are treated with care here,” she explained with a smile.
“It seems being a healer has its perks, then.”
“Indeed it does. Although part of that favorable treatment is because this country, the Republic of Saint Shurule, operates and runs the Healer’s Guild.”
I must have won the lottery. That alone made taking the Monster Luck skill well worth it. With gratitude to both God and my past self burning in my heart, we continued towards the guild office. My sudden encounter with adventurers had made me tense to the point where I couldn’t quite take in my surroundings, but my chat with her certainly helped to loosen me up.
Beautiful stone roads stretched throughout the city, with no bodily fluids in sight. The buildings reminded me of medieval Europe. I would have liked to take my time and observe everything more closely, but that would’ve been rude to my guide.
Eventually, she stopped us in front of a large building.
“This is the Church of Saint Shurule’s Merratoni branch of the Healer’s Guild.” She stepped inside, then turned back to me.