Chapter 12

After successfully transferring to the other world, several dozen minutes later.

Zenjiro, still in his suit, was led to the same guest room as a month ago.

The set of luggage he brought was said to be "responsibly transported to the harem" by the castle soldiers.

Of course, not only the items he placed on the magic circle carpet, but also the entire backpack he carried on his back.

Although the response was too transparent in its intent, Zenjiro understood that from their perspective, it was a completely reasonable request, so he did not particularly resist and entrusted all his luggage to the soldiers.

Of course, he did not forget to point at each of the electrical appliances, such as the water-powered generator on the cart, the refrigerator, the air conditioner, and the floor-standing light, and repeatedly emphasize, "These are fragile items, so please handle them with great care."

"Of course, if you suddenly bring in so many suspicious objects to the palace, it's only natural that they would check for dangerous items first."

At worst, there was a possibility that the electrical appliances he brought could be treated as dangerous items, but Zenjiro was somewhat optimistic about this. After all, those items were brought in with the permission of Aura, the queen.

If, by some mistake, any of the tools he brought were deemed dangerous, Zenjiro believed he would at least be given a chance to explain himself.

"I've been consciously avoiding anything that might be mistaken for dangerous or suspicious items, but still, it's a different world..."

Despite his efforts, some anxiety remained. Sighing, Zenjiro took off his suit jacket and hung it on the back of a chair. He then hooked his index finger into the knot of his tie and pulled it to loosen it around his neck, unbuttoning the top button of his shirt as well.

"..."

This made him feel a bit more comfortable. Zenjiro, who had been sending fresh air to his throat with his right hand, fell backward onto the large bed, as if he had nothing to do during the wait.

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While Zenjiro was idly passing the time in the spacious guest room, Queen Aura I of the Carpa Kingdom was having her subordinates check each of the numerous "bridegroom items" Zenjiro had brought.

"Open everything and examine it carefully. However, if you can't figure out how to open something, don't force it; just mark it. Later, I will ask Zenjiro directly. If you find anything dangerous or suspicious, bring it all to me without making any decisions on your own."

"Hai, understood!"

"Yes, understood."

The royal guards in white leather armor and the maids in tropical-style short-sleeved apron dresses followed the queen's orders and carefully opened Zenjiro's luggage.

One of them opened the three-door refrigerator from top to bottom, sticking their head inside to check. Another tilted their head to examine the inside of the air conditioner. One opened a semi-transparent garment case and carefully unfolded and refolded each of the T-shirts and boxer shorts Zenjiro had bought in bulk.

These were a large number of "suspicious items" suddenly brought into the palace. They couldn't afford to skip the checks, but the person who brought them was a distinguished individual who was to become the queen's husband.

They couldn't afford to damage or dirty any of the items.

Therefore, despite the efforts of over a dozen people, the inspection process was slow.

However, as they continued, someone who found something of interest reported to Aura.

"Your Majesty, the contents of this transparent container appear to be alcohol. It seems to be sealed in a special way, and I couldn't figure out how to open it, but the smell of alcohol is coming from the broken container."

The alcohol Zenjiro brought as a gift for Aura. It seems the shock of the transfer caused it to fall. A bottle of sake and a bottle of wine, which were in relatively thin bottles, had broken and soaked into the carpet.

Without being told, Aura knew from the smell that Zenjiro's luggage contained alcohol. She nodded slightly and said,

"Collect the remaining alcohol and store it in the wine cellar. Bring the broken alcohol containers here. Ah, be very careful when transporting them. It seems these containers are much more fragile than wooden barrels."

She commanded the soldiers and maids.

"Hai, understood."

"Yes, here they are."

As the soldier carefully carried the remaining bottles in both hands and left the room, the maid picked up the broken sake and wine bottles and handed them to Aura.

The sake bottle, intentionally made of frosted glass, and the deep purple, transparent wine bottle. Holding these two fragments, Aura held them up to the sunlight streaming in from the window and exclaimed in surprise.

"Amazing. It's as if they were crafted from crystal. In the world of the bridegroom, are such containers common?"

While it's unclear if this is true for the entire world, at least in the Carpa Kingdom, the technology to manufacture glass does not exist.

Alcohol bottles made in modern Earth are more like works of art to the people of this world, especially the intricately designed brandy and whiskey bottles.

"Your Majesty, these appear to be tableware. Both the glasses and plates are made of a transparent material similar to the alcohol bottles or a glossy stone-like substance, not wood or silver. Some of them were damaged by the shock of the transfer."

The tableware Zenjiro brought was ordinary ceramic in Japan, and the wine glasses and whiskey glasses he brought were all made of glass.

Zenjiro had brought these fragile items because he noticed that all the tableware in this world was made of wood or metal when he had a meal last time.

While it wasn't something he felt the need to point out, Zenjiro found it slightly off-putting to use ceramic or glass tableware. He didn't realize it himself, but what particularly bothered him were the glasses for alcohol and water.

Silver, compared to other metals, is less likely to transfer flavors, but it's not completely flavorless.

While Zenjiro didn't feel out of place with the stainless steel forks and spoons, which are common in Japan, the glasses were different.

It's similar to how the same brand of tea can taste different when drunk from a plastic bottle, a can, or a glass cup.

Holding the clear wine glass, Aura tapped it with her finger.

"This is also remarkable. If a noble with a collection of art objects saw this, they might make significant concessions just to get it."

Of course, this was Zenjiro's property, and even as his wife, Aura had no right to do as she pleased with it. However, given the understanding and kind nature of the bridegroom, if she asked, he might be willing to lend one.

Aura, who had already started thinking about which noble to win over, shook her head and refocused on the present.

"Is there anything else?"

"Hai, Your Majesty. Please look at this. Could this be some kind of weapon?"

The soldier brought a blue rectangular box containing a metal rod, a small bag filled with twisted nails, and a strange knife with two small blades facing each other.

"Show it to me. Hmm... No, it's not a weapon. It's probably some kind of tool. It would be far too inefficient to use as a weapon."

Aura, who had been handed the 'screwdriver set,' 'nails and screws,' and 'pipe cutter,' replied.

These were all tools for installing the air conditioner. There were also other tools like a 'hammer drill,' 'vacuum pump,' and 'vacuum gauge,' which were meaningless to people from another world, but with this set, it was possible to install the air conditioner.

However, this was only possible with experience.

After researching online, Zenjiro learned that the chances of a layperson successfully installing an air conditioner with only paper knowledge were quite low, but by the time he realized this, he had already purchased the air conditioner.

He had printed out pages from websites explaining how to install air conditioners, indicating that he was not ready to give up on a life with an air conditioner in another world. However, the fact that he had also quickly bought a fan and a large metal basin that could fit in a freezer suggested that he was not completely oblivious to reality.

Another soldier then brought a device whose purpose was unclear to Aura.

"Your Majesty, could this be a weapon? It looks like a simple box, but it has multiple blades inside, and when you turn this rod on the side, the blades rotate at high speed."

"Hmm, this is interesting. It's a clever mechanism. However, it's not a weapon. How would you attack someone with this?"

"By grabbing the enemy's hand and shoving it into the box and turning the rod...?"

The soldier's voice trailed off as he realized how unconvincing his explanation was. Aura, with a wry smile, pointed out the flaw.

"That would make it a torture device, not a weapon. Well, it could be dangerous depending on how it's used, but it's probably not intended for aggressive purposes. Put it back where it was."

"Hai."

The 'shaved ice machine,' which had been on the verge of being labeled as a weapon or torture device, was safely returned to its original place.

After that, a large number of items that were completely incomprehensible to people from another world, such as soap, toothbrushes, and mosquito coils, were discovered.

The LED floor-standing lights, which Zenjiro had bought in bulk, looked similar to the large candlesticks in this world, so their purpose could be vaguely imagined, but since they lacked a place to stand candles or a dish for oil, they remained mysterious objects.

Meanwhile, a maid who was checking the contents of the backpack Zenjiro had carried directly on his back approached Aura with the open backpack in hand.

"Your Majesty, the contents were mostly water, food, blankets, and changes of clothes."

After thinking for a moment, Aura nodded in understanding.

"Ah, I see. He must have been preparing for some kind of emergency. Yes, I didn't explain to the bridegroom what would happen if my summoning magic failed."

If the summoning magic failed, it wouldn't activate at all. Therefore, Zenjiro's precautions were completely unnecessary, but in this case, the one who had made a mistake was Aura.

"I should have explained better. I made the bridegroom worry unnecessarily. I'll have to apologize later. ...Hmm? What's wrong? Is there something else?"

Noticing the maid's pale face, Aura asked her.

"Yes, Your Majesty."

The maid, with a pale face, answered in a thin voice and said,

"Please look at this."

She then took out two small pouches from the side pocket of the backpack and handed them to Aura.

"Mu, what is this!?"

Casually opening the pouches, Aura's reddish-brown eyes widened in shock.

The two pouches contained colorful, transparent gems about the size of a pinky finger in one, and countless small, colorful, bead-like objects with holes in the middle in the other.

In plain terms, they were 'marbles' and 'beads.'

These were part of Zenjiro's 'contingency plan.' Considering the possibility of drifting to a different part of the other world, Zenjiro chose marbles and beads as items that could be easily exchanged for money in a foreign market without taking up much space.

He chose them because he remembered that there was no glass in the windows or tableware in the palace, but he felt uncomfortable treating the people of the other world as 'primitive natives.'

However, he had no choice. If a single marble could secure a night's lodging or a few beads could pay for a meal, it would be worth it. However, his value judgment was significantly off.

In this world, the value of perfectly spherical glass beads with almost no visible bubbles was not that of a 'toy' or a 'substitute for currency' as Zenjiro imagined, but rather that of 'gems.'

In fact, in Earth, glass beads known as 'dragonfly eyes' can be traded for prices exceeding one million yen, although this is due to their historical value.

While the marbles and beads Zenjiro brought were not of such high quality, in a world where the method of making glass was unknown, their value far exceeded Zenjiro's expectations.

"Store them securely and return them to their original place."

"Hai, hai..."

The maid, who received the order, took the two pouches from the queen and carefully returned them to the backpack's pocket as if handling explosives.

As the inspection of Zenjiro's luggage neared its end, and the soldiers and maids who had finished their tasks were standing against the wall to avoid getting in the way, Aura addressed everyone.

"Is there anything else to report?"

She had already received reports on most of the items.

Although she half-expected no further reports, her gaze suddenly fell on a soldier who was opening a garment case. The man visibly flinched and quickly tried to put something back into the case.

"Stop! What are you hiding! Don't move, slowly take your right hand out of the case!"

Caught in the act, Aura shouted sharply.

(What was that movement? Did the bridegroom hide poison or something in his luggage!?)

Was there a traitor among the carefully selected royal guards?

Aura shot the suspicious soldier a stern, intense gaze.

"Your Majesty! I have nothing to hide...!"

"No excuses! I told you to take your right hand out slowly."

Startled, the soldier began to defend himself, but Aura sharply rebuked him.

"Hai."

Seeing the situation, the soldier must have realized that resistance was futile. He slowly pulled his right hand out of the garment case, holding something brightly red.

"What is that? Turn it around and show it to me with both hands."

"Your Majesty."

"Show it."

Despite the soldier's resistance, Aura commanded him with a powerful voice.

The other soldiers, ready for any eventuality, had taken out axes and swords from the wall and were surrounding the questioned soldier.

The maids had stopped their work and retreated to the wall, hiding behind the soldiers.

"..."

The tense atmosphere. The painful silence. The sound of someone swallowing nervously could be heard.

In the midst of this, the soldier, as if giving up on something important, sighed deeply and then unfolded the red fabric in front of the queen.

It was a thin, red "negligee." Clearly, it was a woman's garment.

"..."

Aura stared at the red fabric, then at the soldier's face through the fabric. The fabric was so sheer that the soldier's expression was visible through it.

It was a garment that offered no protection from the gaze of others.

Aura continued to stare at the sheer, red negligee in silence, then asked the soldier.

"Was this in the bridegroom's garment case?"

The loyal royal guard, who could not lie to the queen, answered honestly and briefly.

"...Yes."

"..."

The tension eased. The painful silence. The sound of someone swallowing, this time from sexual excitement, could be heard.

In the midst of this, Aura, who had been looking down and holding back, finally burst out laughing, breaking the silence.

"Kukuku... I see, I see. No, I'm sorry. This was my mistake."

The queen, who had suspected the soldier, admitted her error and apologized to him.

"No, it's part of my duty."

The soldier could only respond this way. Thinking about it calmly, he had tried to hide something from the queen's view. It was understandable that he was suspected.

What a disaster.

He had found a clearly feminine and extremely erotic piece of clothing in the luggage of the queen's companion.

The owner of the garment and the intended recipient were obvious without even thinking.

"I acted rashly by trying to hide something. I am truly sorry."

Holding the erotic negligee in his right hand, the soldier bowed solemnly, which only made Aura's laughter harder to control.

"It's fine, don't worry. As I said, this was my mistake. Forget it. However, still, I see. The bridegroom brought such an item... Kukuku..."

Shaking with laughter, Aura wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes and muttered.

"Still, the bridegroom is a 'man,' isn't he?"

The 'sheer negligee.' It was a fearsome and wonderful gift that even overshadowed the 'wedding ring' Zenjiro had sent with the intention of making a once-in-a-lifetime bet.