Chapter 21

The Kingdom of Generate -- the country that summoned me. The "Lunette Empire" and the "Shifanxi Imperial Kingdom," which were explained to me when I was summoned, are also marked on the map.

"Could it be... that the return magic is just... a transfer magic...? Before that, the layout of this country is... the same as in the game..."

The town of Fendy, where I live in the Kingdom of Sarandiel, borders the Lunette Empire. On the opposite side, the Kingdom of Generate is depicted.

I opened one map after another, confirming the locations within the country.

"If I return to the Kingdom of Generate... could I possibly return to my original country...? No, but wait. There's no guarantee I can return. If I return to Japan, I would have been missing for so long that I would have lost my job. In that case... I might as well make this my home..."

I put away the maps and made up my mind. I have a large mansion, and the house spirits keep it clean. Moreover, I have reverted to 16 years old, and while I don't have a lot of money, I have enough. Furthermore, I have many cheat items.

I can't think of a more blessed environment. I put away the items on the table and left the room. I greeted Miria and returned to the mansion. When I opened the door, Felis immediately welcomed me. It seemed she was smiling because I returned early.

"Welcome back, Felis."

"...W...elcome... T...ouya..."

Felis, who could only speak a few words, had become a bit more fluent. I wondered if my living here had something to do with it. I changed clothes in my room and headed to the kitchen. I took out ingredients from the dimensional storage and started thinking about what to cook.

"Living alone in this mansion... it's a bit lonely... I might hire someone after I settle in a bit more..."

I started cutting the vegetables and threw them into a pot filled with water, one after another. I also fried the meat in another pot and then added the seared meat to the pot. I added the seasonings I bought from the market, tasting as I cooked.

"Is this good enough...?"

I poured the soup into a bowl and ate it with the bread I bought from the market.

"Still, the food from the items is better... but I need to get used to it."

After the meal, I moved to the study and placed the magic books given to me by Natalie on the desk. I lined up the four magic books and started reading from the beginner level. Just by flipping through them, the content naturally burned into my mind. I read through the intermediate and advanced levels one after another. Finally, I opened the book that was said to be even higher.

"This is..."

What was written there was not about elemental magic, but about non-elemental and space-time magic. Unlike the previous magic books, it was more like research material. My cheeks naturally relaxed.

"This is interesting... Let's see..."

It wasn't about existing magic, but rather theoretical writings on what kind of magic would be nice to have. I was particularly interested in the part about space-time magic and transfer. I had been transferred to this country by a magic circle and a gemstone in the Kingdom of Generate. Reading about how to reproduce this with personal magic was fascinating. On the last page, there was the author's signature.

The name written there was -- the wise author, Natalie.

"An elementary school girl!!"

I gently closed the book.

◇◇◇

From the next day, I started visiting the Adventurer's Guild and spending time in the reference room. Miria gave me a card and said, "With this, you can enter the reference room as much as you want!" but the entry fee of one copper coin (100 yen) was trivial for me, and I smiled wryly.

The reference room had various materials related to adventurers. I read through the necessary conditions for escort missions and other tasks I might take on in the future. I also researched the relationships between countries and their history. I learned for the first time that while this country does not have a slave system, some other countries do. The Kingdom of Generate, which summoned me, has a slave system.

The Kingdom of Generate regularly initiates wars with the Lunette Empire, only to be repelled at the last moment, over and over again.

"The Kingdom of Generate was my country in the game... but the more I read the materials, the worse the country seems."

That was my impression.

As I continued to research, a week passed. In this world, a week consists of six days, and five weeks make a month. Twelve months make a year, which is 360 days. A day off once a week is the norm, but this does not apply to adventurers. They choose their own quests and decide their own breaks. That's what being an adventurer is about.

Those with the ability can earn a lot, while those without have to work tirelessly or even lose their lives. C-rank adventurers are treated as seasoned veterans, and A-rank adventurers are highly valued as experts. A-rank adventurers get discounts at guild-affiliated inns, but since I already have a mansion in this town, it doesn't matter to me. B-rank adventurers can receive special requests and may be forced to take on quests by the guild.

"Well, I'm still C-rank, so it doesn't concern me yet..."

When the deadline arrived, I was sitting across from Evrante in the reception room. Miria was sitting next to Evrante, holding some documents.

"Let's start with the explanation of the escort mission."

Evrante began explaining my first escort mission.

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I apologize for the delay. I've been busy with various year-end events.