Chapter 5

Thank you for reading.

Regarding the parts that have been published, I have intentionally left the typos, omissions, and additions as they are, hoping that they might serve as reference material later on.

Please understand.

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Please bear with me.

That afternoon, after finishing my snack, I continued my studies with Mr. Romanov as usual.

After finishing the embroidery of the tenth condor on Mr. Romanov's cloak, I put away the needle case.

"Today, what did you do for your self-study?"

"Today, I took care of horses, cows, and chickens as Josef, and in the afternoon, I developed new dishes with the head chef."

"New dishes, huh?"

"Yes, um, a soufflé omelet..."

A soufflé omelet is an omelet made by whipping the egg whites and roughly mixing them with the yolks before cooking, resulting in a very fluffy omelet.

In this world, meringue is also made, so I thought of applying that idea, but the head chef laughed and said, "What's going on in your head, young master?" I don't understand.

However, this dish has a weakness in that it loses its fluffiness quickly if not eaten immediately after cooking.

"I see, then it will be a treat for dinner."

"Yes. Today, we will have dinner with you and Mr. Rottenmayer, which also includes a table manners lesson... I'm looking forward to it."

Since I became like this, I have been having dinner with Mr. Rottenmayer twice a week under the pretext of a table manners lesson.

Sitting at that long dining table with just the two of us is lonely, but it's much better than being alone, and since a month ago, Mr. Romanov has joined us, making it a bit more lively.

At that time, I decided to have the head chef prepare dishes from the world I knew before, because the image of eating with someone always leaned towards that world, and I ended up wanting to try the dishes from there.

Of course, some seasonings are not available, so it's difficult to recreate them, but since the head chef puts in a lot of effort, I usually enjoy the meals.

"As they say, hunger is the best spice. Let's focus on our studies until dinner."

"Yes."

So, as usual, I said "Open" out loud to display my status.

Name: Kikunoi Houcho

Race: Human

Age: Five years

Level: 1

Class: Noble

Skills: Cooking A, Sewing A, Cultivation A, Craft A, Swordsmanship E, Archery E, Horsemanship D, Magic E

Special Skills: Green Hand, Blue Hand

Notes: Favorite of Princess Hyakka

Then, I noticed skills and notes that weren't there yesterday.

I blinked three times, looked at the status three times, and met Mr. Romanov's eyes, who was also dumbfounded.

"... Magic has grown, hasn't it?"

"... Yes, it has grown."

"...... 'Favorite of Princess Hyakka'?"

"...... What does that mean?"

I averted my eyes as he stared at me intently. Then, his large hands squished both of my cheeks.

"Hey!? Don't squish them!?"

"Ah, it's the same squishy texture! It wasn't a dream!"

While letting out a big sigh, Mr. Romanov continued to squish my cheeks with a very happy smile. After dozens of squishes, I felt my cheeks were slightly squeezed when I was finally released.

"Sorry... I lost my composure seeing something unexpected. I apologize."

"No, no, it's fine. Thanks to you losing your composure first, my shock was gone."

"You're quite the talker."

The mischievous elf teacher smiled slyly. However, he quickly composed himself and became very serious.

"To be honest, I expected your magic to sprout in about a year. You have a high concentration for your age. Even when I teased or joked with you, you could quickly regain your focus after a brief disruption."

"Ah, is that so?"

"Yes, that's right. So, it's just a year earlier than planned... But 'Favorite of Princess Hyakka'..."

He fell silent, deep in thought.

When the silence became uncomfortable, he spoke again.

"Houcho, have you heard of Princess Hyakka?"

It seems that the name of that princess is general knowledge in this world.

I averted my eyes, and Mr. Romanov lowered his head in disappointment.

"Houcho, the difference between what you know and what you don't is quite extreme. I heard from Mr. Rottenmayer that you were a hopeless noble boy, wandering between life and death due to illness, but I can't imagine that from the current you. To see a remnant of that here..."

"Ah... Um... I deeply regret my past actions and have thoroughly reflected on them."

"That's a very formal way of speaking. You can use such complex phrases, yet you don't know the name of a god closely related to your life, which is very unbalanced."

Indeed, when I think about it.

The complex phrases are all from my previous self, while the knowledge here is all mine.

In other words, I was such a fool that I didn't even know the name of a god related to my life. It's a shocking fact.

Feeling shocked by my own foolishness, I was pointed to a notebook by Mr. Romanov.

"If you don't know, you can learn. From now until dinner, I will give a lecture on the gods of this world. Take notes on important points and ask questions actively."

"Yes...!"

Being a fool isn't a sin... but continuing to be a fool is a greater sin.

In the previous world, the belief that gods dwell in everything was called animism. It seems that the religious view of the world where I, Kikunoi Houcho, live is based on animism, and it is a polytheistic religion with many gods.

Among them, the six main gods are: Princess Yanshou, the sun god who governs morning, noon, life, and birth; Princess Binglun, the moon god who governs night, sleep, death, and rebirth; Isto, the mountain god who governs war, victory, fire, and martial arts; Rosmarius, the sea god who governs magic, learning, water, and wisdom; Igor, the sky god who governs technology, medicine, wind, and commerce; and Princess Hyakka, the earth god who governs flowers, greenery, healing, and abundance. There are also other gods who govern justice and harmony, love and beauty, and so on.

"As I mentioned before, there are four continents in the world. They range from large countries like the Qifeng Empire to the countries of elves and dwarves, and small countries ruled by minor beast tribes. Each has different political systems and cultures, but their religions are similar, differing only in the gods they worship."

"Then, there are no religious wars?"

"They do exist, but they are more like factional disputes. Even among those who believe in the same god, there are disputes over the superiority of their scriptures and temples. I think this is something that happens in any world when power is involved."

"Ah... If everyone got along, it would be better."

"Every religion teaches to get along, but..."

Mr. Romanov's tone was a bit sarcastic.

Of course, people who preach "Everyone should get along and peace is the best!" but step on each other's feet on the podium have no credibility.

I smiled wryly, and Mr. Romanov cleared his throat.

"Ah... I digressed. Anyway, in the Qifeng Empire, most people worship these six gods, especially those involved in agriculture and greenery, for whom Princess Hyakka is the main deity. And you are her 'favorite'..."

"Ah... Um... Ah..."

My eyes darted around.

Even if I talk about the morning walk, how should I handle the story of the previous 'me'?

I don't want to lie. I don't want to, but I'm afraid to talk about the previous 'me'.

What if I'm called disgusting or strange? What should I do?

After much hesitation, I looked at Mr. Romanov, who had a startled expression.

"... You were told not to talk about it, weren't you? To gain the favor of the gods, there must be a reason. You must have been sworn to secrecy to protect a secret."

I don't know what he means, but I'm relieved that it went in a strange direction.

Feeling relieved, but also worried that it might go even stranger if I stay silent, I carefully told him about what happened this morning. Of course, I prefaced it with "There are things I can't talk about" and only mentioned the previous life briefly.

"... So, I have to go sing again tomorrow."

"Singing, huh. According to legend, Princess Hyakka enjoys human songs and dances..."

Is it a speculative purchase?

Mr. Romanov's emerald eyes looked stern, but it must be my imagination, right?

Thank you for reading.