Chapter 1:
Off to Another World
THE SUN WAS STILL SHINING AS I WALKED THROUGH the city, but dusk was fast approaching. I could almost smell the cracked asphalt beneath my feet. My gaze was fixed firmly ahead.
I was born and raised in a remote seaside region with ample mountains and rivers. It wasn’t until college that I moved to a city with a population of over 500,000. I got a license to drive a midsize motorbike and enjoyed my romps through the concrete jungle. The college recruiter had jobs back in my hometown, but for whatever reason, I chose to stick with city living.
After a few years, I found myself homesick beyond endurance. At work, I was praised for my diligence and given more responsibilities, but that meant I spent extra hours slogging in the office. I woke up, went to work, came home at night, and went to bed. That was my everyday life. I lost a ton of weight, wasting away. The best part of living in the city was riding my bike around at night, but I was too tired to even do that.
The long days continued until one night, at around ten o’clock, I came home and dropped my stuff off. I decided to go for a ride. It had been a while, but I’d kept up with maintenance, so it was no big deal.
A little ways into my ride, I hopped onto the highway, picking a route that’d let me savor the nighttime vista. I stopped at a restaurant facing the ocean, enjoying the view with a cup of coffee. The location was a fairly famous tourist spot, so the buildings and ships nearby were lit up and the atmosphere was buzzing. Most places were closed, but the restaurants with terrace seating were largely open. Not too long after that, I realized it was already closing time.
I don’t particularly recall what happened on the way home. All I remember is riding across a long bridge over the sea, the distinct final snapshot in my memory.
When I came to, I was lying in bed. Even though I’d been on a bike moments before, I found myself at home. The ceiling seemed oddly high, and the bed was soft—and so large that it couldn’t possibly have been for a child.
There was no mistaking it: I was in the corner room on the second floor of Lord Fertio’s small castle. My room. The stone walls were familiar, as were the evenly spaced wood beams. A glowing magic crystal provided the room with light. Outside it was still dark, a beautiful starry curtain pulled over the sky. Its beauty struck me as profound, as though this was my first time seeing it. I sat up, drawn to the view outside the three-meter window.
What is this strange sensation?
I could make out the lush, green garden and stone walls. Beyond that was the southern part of the city. The main street sliced through its center, and a tall city wall and gate loomed beyond. Right when I stood up on the bed and reached out to the window to get a better look, I heard a voice from behind me.
“Ack, Lord Van! That’s dangerous!”
Whoever it was, they sounded a bit scatterbrained. When I turned around, I found a girl with long, brown hair and droopy eyes. She wore a black maid uniform with a frilly white apron. It was my personal maid, Till. Despite her apparent ditziness, she was in a panic. She was probably trying to stop me as best she could.
“Right, sorry. Uh, good morning, Till.” With that, I sat back down on my bed.
Till, however, froze up. “Huh?! Er, n-no, it’s fine! Thank you for listening to me! B-by the way, Lord Van—just what were you trying to do?” she asked nervously.
I tilted my head and pointed at the window. “I was merely admiring the quaint landscape.”
Her eyes went wide, and her lashes fluttered in bewilderment. “Lord Van, um…where did you learn such difficult words? You’ve only just turned two…”
Two? I’m nearly thirty years old. What is Till talking abou—wait, thirty years old? And how did I get here? I went to college, started working, then got busy… Did I quit my job? No, that can’t be right. Is this even Japan?
I had yet to leave the castle, but I was fairly certain I hadn’t met anyone who looked Japanese. The people here weren’t particularly tall, but there were many flashy types around. Everyone had distinctive facial features.
Are they all half Japanese, then? No, that’s not it either. Besides, does Japan even have any castles made completely of stone? This isn’t a church or a cathedral, and the soldiers walking the halls are wearing armor and wielding swords. They’re clearly breaking the law when it comes to firearms and blade possession.
“Erm, Lord Van?”
I’d fallen silent to mull things over, so Till had called out to me with concern.
Hrm? Right, my name’s another problem.
“My name is Van Nei Fertio, right?”
“Wow, you can already say your house’s name? How wonderful! You sure are wise beyond your years.” Till overflowed with praise, but I could barely focus on that.
“My father is the marquis, Jalpa Fertio… My brothers are Murcia, Jard, and Sesto… Am I right?” I asked, cocking my head to one side.
My maid’s eyes nearly popped out of her skull. “C-correct. The current head of the family is the marquis, Lord Jalpa Bul Ati Fertio. Your brothers are Lord Murcia Elago Fertio, Lord Jard Gai Fertio, and Lord Sesto Ele Fertio. I’m shocked you know Lord Jard and Sesto’s names… You don’t see them very often.”
I folded my arms with a grunt. “Where exactly am I?”
Till blinked at me, too stunned to respond.
It was time to eat, so I was escorted to the dining room. The room was stupidly huge, the table so long it would be hard to converse without shouting. Jard, Sesto, and my father were already seated. Beside each of them, a maid helped with the meal. Other servants set the table, and our butler, Esparda, stood in silence next to Father.
I, however, had three maids at my side. I was only two, after all. Jard was ten and Sesto was eight, so they didn’t need much assistance. They seemed uneasy in Father’s strong presence, eating without a word.
The maids kindly cut the meat and root vegetables in my soup into smaller pieces. They also blew on it to make sure it wasn’t too hot for me.
Mm-mmm. Well done, ladies.
Jests aside, I had apparently been reborn in this world with my memories of life in Japan. I couldn’t understand what had happened, nor did any of it feel real—but the carrot-like vegetables here sure were delicious!
“Wow, my lord. I see you ate your vegetables.”
“Amazing. He eats with such composure! He’s not spilling any either.”
Till and another young maid rattled off compliments as they fed me.
Is this some kind of hostess club? Am I some high roller? I’m willing to go as high as 30,000 yen!
Jard and Sesto side-eyed me with envy.
“What will you be learning today, Jard?” Father asked abruptly.
I didn’t know if this was a nobility thing or what, but children generally did nothing in the morning. In the afternoon, they took lessons suitable for their age and trained in swordplay. My oldest brother, Murcia, was already fourteen years old and basically treated like an adult. He was busy with on-site training.
In any case, everyone under ten years old had roughly the same schedule. Father used mealtimes—once in the morning, once at night—to ask after our routines and our studies. This was just part of everyday life for us.
Regardless, Jard was flustered by the question as he faced Father. “I-I’ll be studying flame magic and military formations.”
Father nodded. “I see. And you, Sesto?”
Just the other day, Sesto had been appraised and his flame magic revealed. For whatever reason, he responded happily that he would be studying magic.
Then our father turned to me. “Van, what will you be doing today?”
He normally never asked, so I spoke without thinking. “There’s so much I don’t know. For starters, I’d like to study up on this peculiar country.”
Father, my three brothers, the maids, and Esparda all froze in shock. Then Till’s whisper tore through the tense silence of the dining room.
“I-I knew it… Lord Van is a genius!”
The world I’d found myself in had three continents—one to the west, one to the east, and one in the middle—and a seemingly endless number of islands. A port with a narrow channel connected the three main lands, with another island between the central and eastern continents. This particular country was part of the western continent.
As far as I’d heard, culture here had developed to about the same level as the Middle Ages or early modern period on Earth. One major difference: this world had beasts called monsters. Fearsome giant creatures lurked in the sea, attacking any ships that dared set out, so the Age of Discovery would never happen here.
When I asked about what races inhabited this world, I was told there were all sorts. Elves, dwarves, and even demihumans existed here, much to my surprise. Most formed insular communities, rarely interacting with other races.
The existence of offensive magic also meant gunpowder hadn’t really taken off. Some people were developing rudimentary guns, but the lack of research funds kept progress at a standstill. When it came to regular weapons, people fought with swords, spears, and bows. Crossbows did exist, but they paled in comparison to the potency of offensive spellcasting.
In terms of travel, it was either on foot or by horse—though there were also bipedal mounts that resembled Komodo dragons. Needless to say, the steam engine did not exist. Supposedly, other countries had transportation methods that used magic tools.