Chapter 3

After stating my age, I slowly lost consciousness. And when I next opened my eyes, I found myself in this forest.

I slowly stood up. There was no dizziness, as I had worried there might be. I couldn’t tell if it was because I had become younger. I looked at my hands, but I couldn’t tell if they matched the age I had stated.

After all, once you reach a certain age, things don’t change so drastically overnight. I took a deep breath, and my head throbbed.

"Is this it..."

Right before I lost consciousness, the woman (or at least, the presence that felt like a woman) had continued explaining things to me. One of those things was this headache.

"You might get a headache when your existence adjusts to this world. It’s proof that the skills, knowledge, and experiences I’ve given you are being integrated into your brain and body, so please rest assured."

That’s what she had said.

"It’s not like it’s some amazing ability, so couldn’t you have been a bit more gentle?"

I muttered to myself as I looked around. There was nothing particularly notable.

"She also said, 'I’ll prepare a place where you can live and forge, along with some food and materials.'"

I wondered if that place was here. It didn’t seem necessary to prepare it far from the transfer point, but if it was far away, it would be troublesome. In the worst case, I might not be able to find it.

Just as I thought that, my vision caught something at the edge. It was definitely not there when I had looked around just a moment ago. I turned to it in surprise. There, to my astonishment, was a building that was a bit too large to be called a hut.

"What the hell is this..."

According to the woman’s explanation, this was probably where I was supposed to live. I wasn’t sure if it had truly not been there before or if it had been made invisible. Considering the situation, it seemed safe either way.

However, I cautiously approached the building. I couldn’t tell if it was due to the abilities I had received, but I could sense that there was no one inside. I also didn’t feel any hostility or suspicion directed at me from the surroundings. I peered inside through a lattice window. It was empty.

Just to be safe, I crouched down and approached the door without exposing myself. The door had a simple handle and a lock, but no knob to turn. I gently pulled the handle, and the door moved without resistance. The lock wasn’t engaged. I peered inside the gap. There was no presence or smell. It seemed safe for now.

I stood up and opened the door wide. Suddenly, a muffled "clank" sound was heard, and I flinched and crouched down, but there was no particular reaction.

I sighed in relief and looked around. Inside, it resembled a cottage I had stayed in during a ski trip in the old world. The differences were that there was no second floor, and instead of a counter kitchen, there was a hearth and a shelf for storing dishes, similar to a Japanese entryway, where the kitchen was located.

Further back, there was a door. I noticed a string extending from it. It seemed the "clank" sound had come from beyond that door.

When I closed the door (it made the "clank" sound again), I noticed a latch. I locked it and entered. In the large room, there was a fairly large table and several chairs.

Looking up, I saw that the ceiling was quite high. I could see something like a bell, but the muffled sound suggested it wasn’t that. So, there must be something else that made the sound.

I noticed three doors in the corner of the room. Opening one, I found it was a toilet.

Since I hadn’t seen any bedding when I first looked around, one of the remaining two doors must lead to a bedroom. I opened one of them. There was a fairly large desk and a bookshelf, so it seemed to be a study.

Opening the last door, I found, as expected, a bedroom. It had a fairly large bed, a side table, and a small round chair, much like a business hotel. Now, it was time for the main attraction.

"She said she would prepare a place where I can forge."

I hoped there would be appropriate equipment. Even though I would likely be working alone for a long time (I had no intention of taking on apprentices for now), I didn’t want something like a charcoal furnace for raw material production, which would be difficult to handle. I wanted something practical.

With a mix of anticipation and anxiety, I opened the door at the back of the entryway. Sure enough, there were an anvil, hammers, a furnace for heating crucibles, and even a bloomery and a blast furnace. It seemed I could make all sorts of iron (or steel) weapons, from Western swords to Japanese swords, and even arrowheads.

I had a vague understanding of how to use these tools and equipment, which had been "installed" when I came to this world.

Indeed, this headache was worth it. There was a small counter in the forge, with a bit of space behind it, and another door leading outside, which was locked.

"I see, this is where I’ll do business."

In other words, the other side was the living space, and this side was the workshop and sales area. While I was in the workshop, if I forgot to lock the door to the living space and a customer came, the bell would ring, alerting me.

I could see a string connected to the living space on this side of the door. When I came in, it rang on the other side, which was a useful feature.

After checking the entire interior, I returned to the living room. I still didn’t fully feel like I was going to live here.

Still, there was no way to return to the "other side," so I needed to resolve myself. In the other world, I was alone and presumed dead, so the only one who might be troubled would be my boss at work.

Well, if they practiced "there are plenty of replacements," they might not be troubled at all.

I shook my head to clear my thoughts and focused on the future.

Suddenly, my stomach growled, demanding food. My body doesn’t lie, I sighed, slightly exasperated by my own body.

There should be some food in the kitchen. I headed to the kitchen beyond the door.