Chapter 5

It has been three days since I decided to live as Mika.

I walked around inside the fence that surrounds the village, observing the village and the outside world.

The fence is over two meters high, made by driving wooden stakes into the ground and attaching horizontal boards to them.

If the entire wide village of Rish was surrounded in the same way, it would have required a considerable amount of manpower.

It probably couldn't have been done by the villagers alone.

A significant number of people must have been involved in the early stages of Rish's construction.

Is there something valuable enough in this Rish to warrant such effort?

Or is there something that is expected to be valuable?

Mika doesn't know what it is, but perhaps it will become clear by observing the village.

(I don't have the knowledge to make historical comparisons... but it feels like a remote village in medieval Europe? Except there are windowpanes.)

I try to understand what kind of world this is, but I don't have much knowledge to begin with.

I know that windowpanes existed even in ancient times, but they weren't transparent.

I think transparent glass windows became widespread around the 17th century, but I'm not sure.

Initially, there was no technology to make large transparent glass, so small pieces were used in windows.

The windows in this village are also lattice-like, made of several transparent glass pieces, each about 10 centimeters on a side.

I tried to subtly ask Amalia and Loreta about this world, but I didn't get much information.

They have hardly ever left the village.

Amalia, who has lived for 30 years, has never even been to the neighboring village of Cotontesse.

There are probably elderly people in the village who have lived for 60 years without ever leaving.

Thanks to Mika Noisheim's memories, there isn't much I don't understand in daily life.

I haven't encountered many situations where I'm immediately at a loss.

However, even with knowledge, actually performing tasks is different.

It's a cultural shock.

(... I have to get used to it, but it's really inconvenient.)

First, there's no running water, so I have to fetch water from the well every morning.

Used dishes also have to be washed at the well, so I use as few as possible.

Still, there are wooden bowls and spoons, and the custom of using pointed wooden sticks as forks makes things a bit easier.

Considering the lack of hygiene in this world, the existence of cutlery is deeply appreciated.

However, I don't want to think about the hygiene of the person preparing the food.

Fortunately, most of the food in this world is either baked or boiled, so I have to believe it's disinfected.

By the way, the pointed wooden sticks used as forks are like using only one chopstick.

They are used to spear food or to transfer food that is hard to scoop with a spoon.

Perhaps these will evolve into forks in the future?

I'm looking forward to it.

There is a toilet in the house, and there is a habit of wiping the body with hot water.

However, without running water, the environment is as you can imagine.

The toilet is a pit-style, with a pot placed under the floorboard.

The pot is regularly collected and replaced to be used as fertilizer for the cotton fields.

Thanks to this, a minimum level of hygiene is maintained.

If it were just thrown away, I don't even want to think about it.

Moreover, religion is so deeply ingrained in daily life that it's a bit frightening.

Praying before meals is fine, but the concept of God is at the center of "thought."

This is very troublesome, as everything from objects falling, fire being hot, the existence of the sun and moon, their rising in the east and setting in the west, flowers blooming, and fruits bearing are all attributed to God.

As a Japanese person, and someone from a scientifically advanced world, I find it hard to adapt to a life and way of thinking centered around religion.

I go to a shrine for New Year's, a church for a wedding, and a temple for a memorial service, but I don't see any value beyond the formality.

I think many Japanese people feel the same way.

However, if I were to argue that "there is no God" to the people of this world, the end result would be crucifixion or burning.

It's best to basically agree with everything and follow the Japanese spirit of "go with the flow" and "when in Rome, do as the Romans do."

Religion preaches tolerance and generosity, but the fear of its exclusivity running rampant is well-documented in history.

(Everyone is friendly and nice, though.)

Perhaps it's a sense of community or village consciousness, but the villagers are really kind to Mika.

The story of his injury and collapse has already spread throughout the village, and every adult who sees Mika says, "I'm glad you're feeling better."

This morning, several people gave him fruits from the fields, saying, "Eat a lot and get better."

I can't help but wonder how a stranger like Kuhashi Ritsu would be treated, but that's a bit of a mean assumption.

It's impossible to treat a village child and a stranger the same.

"Well, we're here."

Mika arrived at the south gate of the village.

Over the past three days, he has been helping his neighbors with chores in the morning and walking around the village in the afternoon.

He knows the general layout of the village from Mika Noisheim's memories, but there are many things he can only notice with his own eyes.

The points of interest for children and adults are different.

Especially when the cultural level is vastly different, the impressions of someone who takes it for granted and someone who sees it for the first time are completely different.

Therefore, he decided to make it a daily routine to walk around and see things for himself.

On the first day, he went to the north gate, the main entrance to the village.

He had passed through it in the morning to help in the fields, but this time he observed the area around the north gate.

The gate was made of stone and wood, looking quite sturdy.

The gate itself was a metal grille that opened inward.

The road to Cotontesse extended straight north from the north gate.

On both sides of the road were fields, mostly cotton fields.

Just outside the gate was a river, and the bridge over it looked to be over 30 meters long.

It was a vital bridge for the village, made of wood but solidly constructed.

Just inside the north gate was a watchtower, and a wide road called the "main street" ran straight through the village to the south.

When Mika saw it, no one was in the watchtower.

He wondered if it was okay, but if no one was there, it was probably due to a lack of manpower.

At the end of the main street was a large open area called the "central square," which was quite far north.

In front of the square was a church, and around the square were the mayor's house, the meeting hall, and the village's only store.

In front of the mayor's house was a large box-like clock visible from the square, with a bell tower next to it.

The clock looked mechanical, but unfortunately, he couldn't check the inside.

It had only one hand, probably just a short hand.

It was easy to imagine a relaxed life where minutes and seconds were not necessary.

The clock was a 24-hour clock, with 6:00 AM and 6:00 PM set at the horizontal positions.

The next day, he went to the west side of the village.

There wasn't much to see, just houses scattered over a wide area.

He looked at them from a distance, identifying them as "This is Mr. So-and-So's house" and "This is Mr. Such-and-Such's house."

He also observed the sheds built near the fence, noting that the space between the fence and the sheds would be good for hiding.

In short, he was wandering around, but if he did that in his previous world, it would probably be reported.

(... Well, if it's a familiar child, it probably wouldn't be reported in either world.)

I can't help but see things from Kuhashi Ritsu's perspective, but that's understandable.

If a 47-year-old man could become a 7-year-old child in three days, that would be scary.

It's best to try to act as Mika Noisheim as much as possible.

He walked around the entire west side of the village but didn't see anything worth noting.

If anything, there was a forest beyond the fence.

Mika approached the fence and looked through the gaps in the boards at the forest beyond.

This forest surrounds the village from the south, east, and west.

Or rather, the village was built intruding into the forest from the north.

Perhaps the village has gradually expanded into the forest over time.

"Why was the village built on this side?"

Mika wondered as he looked at the forest.

He was thinking about the river to the north.

The forest is home to beasts, and people are warned not to go there because it's dangerous.

In fact, packs of wild dogs and wolves have attacked the village, and boars have broken through the fence and invaded.

There are always injuries from beasts every year.

However, if there is a forest, such damage is predictable.

Since there is a river to the north, building the village on the other side of the river would have significantly reduced such damage.

The river is a natural barrier, and it would have been foolish not to use it.

If there were a river between the forest and the village, the damage from beasts would be much less.

He crossed his arms and put his hand on his chin, thinking, "Hmm..."

(Maybe the enemies they are expecting are not the beasts in the forest...)

To reduce damage from the beasts in the forest, the village should have been built north of the river.

However, if they are expecting enemies from the north, the current location makes sense.

"...Am I overthinking it?"

Seeing the western sky turn red, Mika turned around.

And today, it's the south gate.

It's a large, sturdy gate, similar to the north gate, with a watchtower.

There was a lookout on duty, showing that they were vigilant about the forest.

However, the south gate was closed, with a large bolt.

He wondered why the south gate, which sees little traffic, was so large.

Perhaps it was for transporting wood.

It wouldn't need to be so large just for fetching firewood and food.

They probably bring in wood in bulk using carts and wagons.

"Hello, Mika."

While observing the area around the south gate, he was called from behind.

Turning around, he saw a small woman in a nun's habit walking towards him.

She smiled gently, and her beautiful golden hair, shining in the sunlight, made her look like the Virgin Mary.

However, Mika knew that when this beautiful Mary smiled, she said things that were not so ladylike.

He hadn't forgotten how she burst into laughter when Mika panicked after being suddenly hugged by Loreta.

"Hello, Sister Rade."

He replied with a bright voice, showing no hint of his thoughts.

Rade visits the village's elderly, injured, and sick people daily, giving them healing and various advice.

She was probably returning from or heading to someone's house.

"You seem to be feeling much better. I'm glad."

"Yes. I heard you helped me. Thank you."

Mika bowed politely.

He almost said, "Thanks to you," or "I'm sorry for the late thanks," but considering his age, that would be strange.

Even if he used slightly rough language, it would be excused as "he's just a child," but he found that more difficult.

It was easier for him, as a former adult, to be a bit more polite, like a child.

Even in his apology, Mika was careful to say "I'm sorry."

As an adult, one would say "I'm sorry" or "Excuse me," and especially "I'm sorry" is a versatile word used in many situations.

He often used it to express gratitude or to make a request.

Without this versatile word, he often had to choose his words carefully even in casual conversations.

"Hehe... Mika, you're a good boy for saying thank you. It's okay, don't worry. But don't do dangerous things anymore, okay? Everyone will worry."

"I'm sorry."

Rade squatted down to Mika's eye level and gently patted his head.

Looking directly into Rade's eyes, he saw his own reflection in her blue eyes.

There was something that Mika couldn't help but wonder about Rade.

It was the "miracle of God."

When Mika was lying on the road, he was saved by the "healing," a "miracle of God."

It was a mysterious phenomenon that Mika Noisheim's memories and Loreta's explanation mentioned.

He had seen it a few times before the swap.

It was a "miracle of God" that instantly healed people injured in farm work or attacked by beasts.

It was mysterious and even a bit eerie, but Mika couldn't deny its existence.

He himself had suffered from abrasions all over his body, which had healed overnight.

However, he couldn't help but wonder what it was.

It was the biggest evidence that this world was completely different from his previous one.

And because of this power, God was at the center of people's thoughts, and their thinking stopped there.

Everything from gravity, combustion, heat conduction, weather, the movement of celestial bodies, human illness, and even life and death were attributed to God.

Because this "incredible" phenomenon actually existed, people didn't try to delve deeper.

Even physical phenomena without the intervention of the "miracle of God" were attributed to "God's will."

"Sister Rade, what is the 'miracle of God'?"

Mika decided to ask Rade directly.

Being a child is convenient in such situations. You can't be blamed for not knowing.

Things that would be unacceptable for adults are often forgiven for children.

If something happens, he could say "I'm sorry" and be forgiven.

"The 'miracle of God' is... the love of the gods."

Rade, who looked momentarily confused, then said with a very bright expression.

Seeing this, Mika was taken aback.

"When the gods created the world, they also created people. The gods entrusted the management of the world to people, but people could not stand up to the great power of nature. This was natural. People were created by the gods, but the world was also created by the gods. The gods lent a part of their great power to people so that they could shape the world correctly—"

It kept coming.

It was a parade of praise and adoration for the gods.

How wonderful and merciful the gods are.

How they envelop and watch over people with their overflowing love.

(Ah, this is bad...)

Rade's reverence and love for the gods flowed endlessly, and her expression gradually changed from ecstasy to rapture.

(This is a landmine... Someone, please stop her.)

He tried to find a good moment to inter