Chapter 3

If you live an ordinary life in Japan, you hardly ever encounter situations where you have to exchange your life for someone else’s. Naturally, you also don’t get the chance to see people wielding knives longer than a kitchen knife.

No one ever taught us in school how to deal with such situations correctly.

But probably, showing a strong stance with a weapon in hand is dangerous. A person who points a weapon at someone is likely in a very desperate state.

Stay calm and composed; don’t show any signs of panic.

Of course, running away and showing your back is also not a good idea. No, that was probably the advice for when you encounter a bear.

I’m pretending to be calm, but I’m incredibly scared.

I want to be praised for not letting my legs tremble. Swords are so long. If I get stabbed, I’ll definitely die.

What’s scary is that this good-looking man in his twenties, who looks a bit flushed. It’s obvious he’s excited. Once someone gets to this point, they become irrational.

This person is probably the caretaker of this lake, and he’s snapped at me for ruining the scenery, and now he’s trying to kill me out of anger. If that’s the case, I don’t think there’s any way I can survive.

But that’s not right. We are not animals; first, we should try to communicate, negotiate, and oppose violence.

By the way, I suddenly wondered if we can even understand each other.

...I don’t want to be killed, so I’m preparing to cast a spell just in case. If I can ignite the flames from earlier, I should be able to buy enough time to escape.

I spread my hands and thrust them forward in front of the man.

This is meant to show that I don’t want to fight. I don’t want to harm anyone, but I can’t let myself die. This is a preparation for a spell to ensure a peaceful resolution.

If I follow the same procedure as before, I need to focus on the place where I want to cast the spell and imagine its form. Then, by saying "burn" out loud, the spell should be activated.

I keep my eyes on the young man while performing these tasks. Suddenly, his body trembled slightly. I wondered what he was going to do and observed him closely, only to realize that a puddle of water was spreading at his feet.

I averted my eyes from his mishap. It took courage to look away from a person with a weapon, but it took even more courage to look at an adult man blushing and trembling while wetting himself. I felt sorry for him and couldn’t bear to look.

If a person like this appeared in the middle of a Japanese city, it would be a big news story every day. Something like "The Dark Side of a Handsome Man."

If this is how people greet each other in this world, I’m willing to become a hermit and live in the mountains.

"…I’m not going anywhere, so why don’t you change your clothes?"

I’ve given up on being scolded. If I show sincerity, he shouldn’t take my life. If I work hard to restore the lake for a few years, maybe he’ll forgive me.

I put my hand on my forehead and looked away, waiting. I could hear footsteps, and I knew he was slowly moving. If this is a strategy to catch me off guard, it’s a brilliant idea.

I would have fallen for it.

But even without resorting to such a pride-losing strategy, he should be able to easily kill a single man. I wanted to tell him that it’s not such a big deal.

I’m not worth the effort to make me let my guard down.

I waited for a few minutes after hearing the water. The hot water from the lake that I boiled might have been helpful. It’s a case of "a blessing in disguise."

He called out to me with a refreshing voice, "I kept you waiting." This time, he had put away his sword, was dressed neatly, and was maintaining an appropriate distance.

Most importantly, I was relieved to understand his language.

"Excuse me, beautiful magic user. My name is Ralph Voghan. I’m a second-class adventurer based in the city of Oranz."

An adventurer, a world where such a profession exists.

Despite my age, I got excited by the sound of it. This is a fantasy world with elves and magic. Of course, there are adventurers.

He even told me his rank, but I don’t know what a second-class adventurer means.

It would be easier to understand if he said something like "I’m the manager" or "I’m the CEO." Since he introduced himself with his rank, it must be a good one.

The young man standing in front of me, despite his mishap, is the person I’ve been waiting for. We should put aside the incident with the sword and try to have good communication to get him to guide me to civilization.

Since he introduced himself, I need to respond. I thought for a moment.

Who am I?

Consciousness-wise, I’m definitely Yamaishi Haruka. A 43-year-old unmarried salaryman.

Gender: male, born in a rural area of Kanto, studied at a university in Tokyo, and got a job there.

Until yesterday, I was working hard day and night at the office.

What’s happening to me for not showing up at work today? If I continue to be absent without permission, I’ll naturally be fired. More importantly, have I become a missing person and a case? If I suddenly return to my original world, that would be a problem.

Or maybe I died in my sleep, my heart stopping.

Thinking about it makes me feel quite sad.

I can only hope that someone notices my death soon and comes looking for me. I feel bad about dirtying the apartment I’ve been renting for years.

My thoughts wandered.

In any case, who is this body? It’s possible that my soul has transferred, but that’s unlikely. My clothes are the same as the ones I wear when I rest at home, which are very casual.

So, am I definitely Yamaishi Haruka? While hesitating, the young man, Ralph, offered a follow-up.

"…I’ve heard that dark elves are rare, so if there’s a reason you can’t give your name, I won’t ask."

What a considerate young man.

Why didn’t he show this kindness when we first met? If he had approached me like this, I would have trusted him easily, and we wouldn’t have had such a bad start.

But, I also have to take responsibility for casting a spell on the lake. Let’s just leave it at that.

However, I can’t go through life as an anonymous person. Assuming this body is mine, I’ll introduce myself for now.

"My name is Yamaishi. I was testing a spell. I apologize for disrupting the scenery. Is this your land? If needed, I can help restore it."

When the young man, Ralph, heard my name, his eyebrows twitched, but that was all. He might have had some thoughts about the name, or perhaps he was just unfamiliar with Japanese names.

"No, this isn’t anyone’s land. If I must say, it’s part of the territory of the [Independent Commercial City-State of Plain]."

An unfamiliar name came up. His polite response increased my good impression of him. I wish we had met without him wetting himself. Unfortunately, the first impression sticks in my head no matter how well he responds.

I have no information about this world. Given my appearance, it’s unnatural to be so ignorant. I’m already quite suspicious, but I need a reason for them to tolerate me.

Maybe I should claim to have amnesia.

Thinking about it, that seems to be the only option.

"…I seem to have lost my memory. I don’t remember where I am or what I was doing. I’m very sorry for the trouble, but could you please take me to the city?"

"Memory loss? Are you injured? I’ve heard of such things, but I didn’t think they actually happened. It’s fine, I’ll guide you. If you have any questions, feel free to ask, and I’ll answer them."

"Thank you. I’m very grateful."

What a wonderful young man.

It was my fault for doing something that made him wary when we first met. If I approach him sincerely, he responds in kind.

I sighed in relief as the situation started to calm down.