Chapter 6

I am now riding on an item called a "flying carpet," which sounds familiar, and searching for a town while moving through the air.

Such a Japanese-sounding name is probably translated into something more familiar for me, who came from another world. There might be some differences in interpretation from the original meaning of this world, but that can't be helped.

"Once we reach the town, I want to fill my stomach, sightsee, have a meal, take a bath, and go to sleep right after eating."

I haven't tasted the food of this world yet. It's a mysterious world where ingredients can be obtained even from monsters. I'm looking forward to the delicious food.

Then I suddenly realize.

I had learned basic combat knowledge from the thieves, but I forgot to ask about the knowledge necessary for ordinary life.

I think I won't have any financial problems because I have some money from them and items obtained from monsters, but...

I'd like to know general common sense and the value of items before entering the town.

"What should I do..."

I cross my arms and ponder for a while.

"―――――"

A scream is heard from ahead.

It's a young woman's voice, so I increase my flying speed while searching the ground.

"Is that it?"

I spot a local being chased by a monster. It looks like one adult and two children. The monster's movement isn't fast, but they seem to be struggling because of the children, and the distance is gradually closing.

"There's no time to observe the situation."

I'll repel the monster first and then think about it. I don't want to use magic from a distance because it might endanger the people, so I take out an item with a tracking function and shoot an arrow.

――――Thud!

The arrow pierces the monster's head, and it lets out a final scream before disappearing. It seems to be a low-rank goblin type.

"Are you okay?"

I don't want to startle them by suddenly appearing from the sky, so I call out first.

"......Huh, ...ah, yes?"

The stunned adult woman finally responds after spotting me. I confirm this and land on the ground.

"Uh, that... ..."

She seems to be struggling to understand the situation with the suddenly disappeared monster and my sudden appearance. I force a smile and check on her. She doesn't seem to be injured.

The adult woman is around 20 years old with a gentle face but a tired expression. Behind her, a middle school-aged girl and a primary school-aged boy peek out. They all look similar, so they must be siblings.

The eldest has long straight hair. The second has short hair to her shoulders. The youngest... well, I don't really care about the boy's hairstyle. They must have been very scared by the monster, as they are all teary-eyed. I think crying girls are cute, but I try to talk to them.

"I saw you were in trouble, so I took down the monster without asking. Is that okay?"

I confirm this just in case, as it might be an unnecessary intervention.

"...Yes, thank you. I was about to be killed."

It seems I did the right thing. It would be too sad to make a grand entrance and then realize it was a misunderstanding.

"Thank you so much. I was careless because there are fewer monsters on this road. Thank you very much."

I respond, and she finally seems to relax.

"I'm Hannah. This is my sister Mina and my brother Kyle."

Sister! I have a real sister in my original world, but I also love 2D sister characters. Well, even in this different world, it's still reality. Ah, my real sister is quite cute too.

"Thank you. I'm a merchant named Usuzumi."

I use a fake name just in case. It would be scary if there were any curses or magic that could be cast using real names. 'Usuzumi' is a cunning merchant with gray hair wearing gray clothes, so I named him after the color gray.

--- I decided to use different names, personalities, appearances, and hair colors for different roles when interacting with locals. This way, if one identity fails, I can easily discard it and escape. I plan to categorize the roles as 'Traveler,' 'Merchant,' and 'Fighter.'

The 'Merchant' role is mainly for helping people. Of course, I will charge a proper fee. My fake name is 'Usuzumi.' I use a polite but slightly rude tone, wear a gray robe, and use an item to change my hair and eye color to gray and wear glasses.

The robe is a rare item called 'Versatile Clothing,' which can change in size, shape, and color. It has high defense and automatic cleaning and repair functions. When I disguise myself as a 'Traveler,' I plan to change it to a green work outfit to alter my appearance. It's similar to how Cindy from the Lowry family changes her hair color based on her mood.

"Eh, you're a merchant? I thought you were an adventurer..."

It's understandable that Hannah is surprised. Even a low-rank monster would require a mid-level adventurer to take down with one hit.

"I used a high-grade magic item to defeat the monster."

She seems to understand, nodding in agreement. It's not a lie since I did use an item, but I need to be careful not to reveal my unnecessarily high level.

From what I heard, the siblings, who lost their parents, are traveling to a village where their relatives live because they have no fighting skills and can't afford a guard. The safest places in this world are cities with strong defensive walls, but there are no regions without monsters, just varying frequencies. They are aware of the danger but are moving anyway.

I decide not to ask for deeper details. It's not something to share with a first meeting, and I have no intention of doing anything about it. I contacted them for my own convenience. Now, let's start gathering information.

"That was a close call. Do you need anything? I can offer a service now."

I start with a merchant-like conversation to create a connection.

"N-no, I can't impose any further. Instead, let me thank you for your help."

Oh, this is convenient. I planned to ask for a fee in my 'Merchant' role, but I didn't have a specific idea in mind. What should I do?

"However, I don't have any money or items..."

Seeing Hannah's apologetic look, a sadistic urge arises, but I suppress it. I'm not that heartless to ask for physical favors in front of children.

"How long will it take to reach your destination village?"

"It's about 8 days from the city, so we have about 6 days left."

That's quite far. It would be easy to gather information and leave, but it would be bad if they were attacked again. How about this proposal?

"Then, I'll guard you until you reach the village. In return, can you help me with some experiments?"

"Experiments?"

"Yes. I want to test the usability of magic items. Of course, I'll ensure your safety."

It will be a lot of work, I add silently. Hannah, unaware of my intentions, nods after a moment of thought.

"In that case... I don't know if we can be of much help, but we'll do our best."

Got it, I have their word.

"Thank you. We have a deal."

I welcome them with the most suspicious smile.

When I tell the younger brother he can do whatever he wants with the items dropped by the monster, he happily goes to pick them up. The crisis is over, and the siblings seem to have calmed down. I first check the map they have to confirm our current location and the destination village.

"This forest has many monsters, so we plan to detour this way."

Hannah points to the map and explains.

"How long will it take if we go through the forest?"

"If nothing happens, about half the time, 3 days."

The forest is a direct route, so it's much faster.

"In that case, let's fly over the forest using the item I came on. It will be more convenient for the experiments."

"Arriving sooner is appreciated, but is it safe? There are flying monsters too."

"It's fine."

The siblings sigh in relief upon hearing my words.

"I'll take care of any monsters while we're flying."

But they widen their eyes at my next words.

"Wh-what?"

"It's a weapon item experiment."

"Eh, eh?"

I reassure the shocked siblings, "It's okay, it's only the tip, and it's only at the beginning," and push them onto the 'Magic Carpet.'

"Let's go!"

"Eeeeh!?"

And so, the human experiment journey began.