Chapter 4

Arclea.

Shiro said it was the equivalent of "Earth," but it seems to be slightly different.

Arclea is the proper term for the vast continent as a whole.

The Arclean continent has eleven countries.

Shiro said, "It's a fantasy world, so just go with it," but from the information I gathered through a few questions, it seems that the civilization is fairly advanced.

Or rather, this is a fundamental difference from the world Kousuke lived in: science has not progressed in this world.

This is because magic exists.

In short, science is a process of trial and error to solve questions and problems and obtain methods, but in this world, humans solve everything with magic, leaving no room for scientific development.

Therefore, while some aspects are more advanced than the original world, there are peculiarly medieval elements that remain, which would seem distorted to Kousuke, who knows the original world.

For example, language.

Kousuke naturally speaks Japanese.

It's not surprising that Shiro can speak it, given that she's a guide, but surprisingly, everyone else, all the people walking through the streets, also speak Japanese.

This is Kousuke's subjective impression, but the correct explanation is that a translation spell emitted from magical devices deployed around the city converts any spoken language into one the listener can understand.

So, for example, if Kousuke speaks in Japanese, what reaches the other person's eardrums is the language they are familiar with.

This is something that doesn't exist in the original world.

The cost of operating the magical devices is covered by taxes.

It's more satisfying to pay for the benefit of being able to communicate with anyone rather than to pay for something whose purpose is unclear.

Of course, it's not used for that alone.

On the other hand, there are aspects that seem underdeveloped.

The temple is in the forest, and Kousuke came to the city with Shiro's guidance.

By the way, it was morning.

Passing through the large city gate, what spread before his eyes was a stone-built city.

The capital of the kingdom of Daltara, Giltias, was a major city with five layers of walls and nearly 600,000 subjects.

The streets were paved with cobblestones, and nearby, a merchant or a coachman was slowly driving a carriage, a woman who looked like a housewife was drawing water from a well, children were playing by a nearby fountain, a man was tending to the flower beds in front of a house, and a group of heavily armed men who looked like mercenaries were around.

"Indeed, the word 'fantasy' fits well."

But it's real.

"Hehe, we're just at the entrance, you know~"

Shiro spread her arms and started to skip.

As Kousuke walks normally, the distance between them keeps increasing, but he doesn't mind.

Since she's a guide, she won't abandon him.

What bothers him is the gazes from the surroundings.

Apparently, modern fashion stands out here.

Just as a guy wearing sweatpants in a work set in the Stone Age would be incredibly out of place, jeans and a hoodie are considered strange attire in this world.

Still, the fact that people quickly look away suggests they are used to it.

Since Shiro could become a barmaid, this world might not be too strict with unknown visitors.

Shiro stopped a few times to wait for Kousuke, but eventually, she seemed to get tired of it and grabbed his hand.

"You're too laid-back, aren't you?"

"Not as much as you."

No one who thinks about others would shake their large breasts so boldly in the middle of the street.

Given Kousuke's current mental state, her cheerfulness is a bit annoying.

"Normally, you shouldn't upset the only person you can rely on in a situation like this."

She puffed her cheeks slightly, looking a bit displeased.

It's a childish gesture, but strangely, it doesn't feel flirtatious.

It's just natural.

"If someone got upset over something like that, they wouldn't take on the troublesome job of guiding visitors."

"…I see, you're right."

Shiro laughed, "Hehe."

For some reason, she looked delighted.

Kousuke thought, "What a strange person."

He has been unable to grasp her personality from the beginning.

Since he can't determine the best way to respond, it's a bit troublesome.

After walking for about three minutes, she stopped in front of what looked like a bar.

There's a picture of a barrel on the sign, so it's probably a bar.

"This is my workplace and lodging!"

"Is it also an inn?"

"The second floor is."

Kousuke thought it might be reasonable.

Drinking makes you sleepy.

If there's a bed, a drunk person would be willing to pay to stay, right?

Or perhaps for a more vulgar reason, it's perfect for immediately "doing it" with someone you've hooked up with.

Shiro easily opened the door, which seemed to be made of oak—though the exact type of wood in this world is unknown—and went inside.

Since Kousuke's hand was still held, he followed immediately.

It was a rather awkward and silly way to enter.

Instantly, a wave of something hit him.

It was the smell of alcohol, the rough voices, and the laughter.

The smell of alcohol and the voices of men and women.

The interior was fairly spacious, with a long counter and many tables.

It wasn't full, but more than forty percent of the seats were occupied.

"Maybe the people in this world have a lot of free time?"

"Ahaha! I'll explain that later!"

People who saw Kousuke and Shiro started to call out.

"Shiro touching a guy, that's rare! If he's a catch, what about me?"

"Hey! A visitor! It's been about two months! Dude! Where are you from?"

"Wait a minute... isn't that guy's status a bit scary?"

"Huh? Let me see... Haaaaa!? Is this even possible!?"

It was noisy, and he couldn't hear everything clearly, but a lot of people were looking at them.

Maybe they don't have any snacks to go with their drinks.

Shiro led him to a counter seat.

The seats on either side were empty, which was a relief.

"Are you the visitor this time?"

The one who spoke was a woman in her mid-twenties, dressed the same as Shiro.

She was very curvaceous, especially with alluring eyes and lips.

If he had to mention another noticeable physical feature, it was her large breasts.

They were even bigger than Shiro's.

She was relatively tall for a woman.

Her red hair was tied back in a single ponytail.

You can guess what kind of person someone is and what they're thinking from their appearance.

Kousuke had a habit of immediately looking for prominent features in people.

To quickly determine if they were a friend or an enemy, useful or not, and whether he should interact with them or not.

"Sure. By the way, are visitors always this noisy?"

"Well, yeah. I'm a visitor too, and most of the people in this bar are visitors. Well, they're from different worlds, so I guess we can't really say we're the same."

"If you're not from this country, everyone is equally a foreigner. I think it's fine to treat visitors the same."

The woman nodded in satisfaction at Kousuke's words.

"That's good, boy. Most of the men here can't accept a woman's opinion, so it's nice when they don't."

"I'll keep that in mind. I don't know if it will benefit me, but I'll try to keep you in a good mood."

She placed her slender finger on her luscious lips and tilted her head in a very alluring manner.

"Hmm, what's a good thing to do for you?"

Kousuke smiled slightly and decided to respond to her joke.

"Thank you. Making a sex promise before even knowing your name is quite an honor."

The woman giggled, looking like a young girl for a moment, and he was momentarily captivated by the contrast.

"Right, let's introduce ourselves. I'm Vynelne. You can call me Vynne."

"I'm... Kuro. You can call me Kuro, but I won't be happy about it."

He just followed what Shiro told him to say, as there was no reason to resist.

"Interesting kid."

"Perverted woman."

She lowered her eyebrows sadly in response to his immediate retort.

"That's harsh. I was trying to compliment you."

Whether her gestures are intentionally designed to provoke men's emotions or not, the customers here must have a tough time.

Many of them must get worked up.

For Kousuke, she's just a beautiful woman.

"You're also complimenting me. It's the highest praise from a man."

"Let's leave it at that."

"Sounds good to me."

Vynne laughed again and went to take orders from the customers.

She waved, and for a moment, a beautiful smile was directed at him.

"Are you being nicer to her than to me?"

Kousuke realized Shiro was on the other side of the counter, poking his cheek with her delicate fingers.

"Most men become a bit nicer when they're with a beautiful woman."

"Hmm? That's odd~? There's a super beautiful woman right here, you know?"

"Hmm."

"Cold... I'm a bit hurt, you know."

"Rather, the explanation."

"By the way, what will you drink?"

He decided to answer since he learned from experience that ignoring her wouldn't move things forward.

"Orange juice."

"Cute. Well, we don't have it. This is a bar, after all."

"Milk."

Shiro looked surprised.

"You can't drink alcohol?"

"It dulls my thinking."

She nodded in understanding, as if it made sense.

"Oh, you're going to listen to the explanation now, huh? You're a serious guy, aren't you?"

"More than you."

"Cold... You're like ice."

She narrowed her eyes and looked at him accusingly, but Kousuke's attitude didn't change.

"Are you going to complain to the customers?"

"No, it's amazing~. You're acting like a customer even though you don't have a penny~. I'm impressed~."

Despite her words, her tone was somewhat playful.

Soon, the milk arrived.

It was served in a wooden mug, which was a bit awkward.

Looking at the shelf with the alcohol, there were also glasses and other items.

"Here, this too."

She placed something on the counter.

It was two circles connected by a line, resembling a contact lens case.

"Is this a contact lens case?"

Kousuke asked, puzzled by the modern-looking item.

"Well, it is. But not the kind you know."

She didn't show it to him for no reason.

"Put it on?"

"You'll see if you do."

"See what?"

"Why I like you, for example."

"Do you like me?"

Kousuke chuckled, "I didn't notice."

"I don't touch people I'm not interested in."

She smiled openly and looked at him directly.

"Indeed, the customers said something like that. By the way, what do you like about me?"

"There are two things. One is that you're calm. Most people panic or get scared. They yell at the guide or cling to them excessively. That's normal, and guides are there for such people, but you're different. I think you could adapt to this world even without me. It's the first time I've met someone like that, so I find it interesting and like you."

"What's the other one?"

Kousuke, who didn't show much of a reaction, prompted her to continue, and Shiro answered with a wry smile.

"Did you hear the customers talking about 'status' earlier?"

"Yeah, it felt really out of place to hear game terms in real life."

"It's not game terms... It's just that, based on your knowledge from your original world, it's translated into game terms for you. It's your problem, not the world's."

"You're being annoying. Just put it on, right? Will you ask for something later?"

She put on a mischievous smile and puckered her lips.

"A kiss?"

Kousuke snorted.

He knew it was a joke, but it wasn't very funny.

"Let me say this first."

"Cold..."

The material of the case was similar to plastic.

That means they have the technology to make it.

Opening it, he found a transparent liquid and a contact lens inside.

At least, it didn't look strange.

He placed it on his fingertip and put it in.

The moment he put in the second one, text appeared in his vision.

Although he didn't recognize the characters, he could read them.

It seems the translation magic affects literacy as well.

It started with "Registering new user" and a series of text flowed.

Feeling it was too troublesome, he willed it to proceed, and it did.

Kousuke felt a complex mix of emotions, thinking that magic was too convenient.

While the developers might have struggled, the convenience was too high for the users.

After a while, the text "Registration complete" appeared, followed by "Confirming user information," and then:

【Name】Kuro 【Level】1 【Class】■■■

【Status】

Health 258 (158) Magic 876 (850)

Strength 299 (285) Stamina 300 (285) Endurance 98 (50)

Skill 400 (395) Speed 267 (250) Intelligence 289 (200)

Fate Unknown Destiny Unknown

【Condition】Normal 【Experience】0

【Skills】

◆Innate Skills

'Semi-Psychopath' Unknown / 'Auto-Reflection' SS+ / 'Reserve Charm' S+ / 'Hero Syndrome' Unknown / 'Historical Singularity' SSS / 'Luck Ruler' SSS / 'Knight of Knights' AA / 'Full Strength' AAA+ / 'Rare Lateral Thinking' SS / 'Black [???]' Unknown

◆Acquired Skills I

'Spatial Awareness' SS / 'Situation Judgment' SSS / 'Adaptability' SSS / 'Knowledge' A / 'Speed Reading' B+ / 'Mental Pain Resistance' S / 'Physical Pain Resistance' SSS / 'Sociability' A+ / 'Mind Reading' SS+ / 'Strength Correction' SS / 'Stamina Correction' SS / 'Endurance Correction' SS / 'Skill Correction' SS / 'Speed Correction' S / 'Intelligence Correction' A+ / 'Crisis Awareness' SSS / 'Selection' -SS / 'Sense of Justice' S / 'Cruelty' S / 'Deep Thought and Swift Decision' SSS

◆Acquired Skills II

◆Acquired Skills III

【Magic】

◆Suitable Magic Attribute 'Black'

【Blessings】

'Prayer of Towa' — Extreme Survival Rate Increase

【Curses】

'Sin and Guilt' — Extreme Mental Pollution Rate Increase

【Rewards】

'Karma and Retribution' — Executor Correction (Slight increase in all stats)

【Equipment】

'Set of Otherworldly Decorations' — No correction

After reading it,

Kousuke muttered,

"Unnecessarily long."