Kays Translations

Chapter 1: Another World with a Cat

"So-so," "Not bad," "Okay," "Just fine"...

If I were to describe Matsumoto Isamu's life so far in a few words, would it be something like that?

After graduating from a decent private university in a rural area, I started working for a major system integrator as a new graduate, working as a System engineer for over ten years. I’m now 34 years old.

As a mid-level employee, I am considered to be somewhat well-paid.

I married a fairly cute girlfriend I met during university at the age of 28, but both of us were busy with work, and after two years, our conversations at home had significantly decreased. Two years ago, we got divorced.

On that day, as usual, I went to work, did my job, worked overtime, and returned home, just like always.

When I returned to my 1DK apartment, my cat, Orihime, which I had been raising since before I got divorced, greeted me with a soft "nyaa," just like always.

Maybe she's hungry, I thought, seeing Orihime rubbing her body against my legs. My expression softened.

"Orihime, wait for a bit. I'll prepare your food right away."

With a slightly higher-pitched voice, I said this while hurriedly preparing the cat food.

Orihime is a British Shorthair with a somewhat rare Lilac and White calico color pattern.

About six months had passed since we encountered each other in a pet shop, and she had grown considerably. I fell in love with her at first sight and bought her right then and there.

Ever since, I have been madly in love with Orihime, convinced that she's the cutest cat in the world, just as most pet owners tend to feel.

I offered the slightly expensive cat food to Orihime, then heated up a bento I bought at the convenience store. While Orihime was enjoying her meal at my feet, I opened a 500ml canned beer from the refrigerator.

I took a gulp, and as I swallowed about a third of it, a satisfied "puhaa" escaped his lips.

I thought, perhaps people work for moments like these? It was an idle thought, but as I watched TV and started eating my bento, I couldn't help but ponder it.

When I had eaten about half of my meal, I heard a "myaa" from Orihime at my feet once again. Having finished her food, she approached me.

I picked her up onto my lap and petted her behind the ears with my left hand while skillfully continuing to eat with my right hand.

The British Shorthair breed is generally known to be calm and intelligent but dislikes being touched. However, Orihime loved sitting on my lap and would jump onto it every chance she got. That was what made her irresistibly cute.

After finishing my meal and considering whether to have another beer, I picked up Orihime and stood up. That's when my "so-so" life suddenly came to an end.

The ground trembled beneath my feet.

An earthquake? I wondered, but it wasn't the world that was shaking; it was my field of vision.

Struggling to protect Orihime without causing her any harm, I fell to the floor.

As I fell to the floor and my consciousness rapidly receded, I saw Orihime, cradled in my arms, inexplicably glowing and translucent.

Just as I thought Orihime licked my cheek and gave a soft "nyaa," and I lost consciousness.

---

When I woke up, I was lying on a hard, cold floor.

With a groggy head, I thought, "When did I go to sleep?" But the memory quickly came flooding back.

I didn't fall asleep; I fell down.

So, this is my own floor. That explained why it was hard and cold.

Yes, Orihime. I wondered if she was okay; I might have involved her in the fall.

Thinking of my beloved cat, I suddenly realized something warm and fluffy was moving in my arms, despite the coldness of the floor.

Panicking, I remembered Orihime and the fluffy thing.

Hastily turning my gaze toward the warmth in my arms, I saw the same cute face as before.

She looked at my with a worried expression, let out a "nyaa," and licked my nose.

Hey, Orihime, that's ticklish. I was about to say that when I heard a cough from a little way off.

"Ahem. How are you feeling? And do you understand my words?"

It was an unfamiliar voice, and it wasn't that I didn’t understood the words, the language was fluent Japanese. I could understand it.

As I considered this, I suddenly became calm.

Who is this? Why is there a stranger in my house? My core rapidly chilled.

Clinging tightly to Orihime to ensure she was unharmed, I looked in the direction of the voice, and...

"Who are you!?"

When I let out these three words, I was at a loss for words.

Standing there was a middle-aged man with a splendidly grown beard.

He had bright red hair and beard, was dressed in extravagant clothing that seemed out of place and had an air of sophistication.

Everyone around me was dressed similarly, with the men looking like European nobles from a picture book.

When I looked around in a panic, I realized that I was in a room in the middle of a wide area, surrounded by these people.

Stunned, I listened as the red-haired man spoke again.

"By asking 'who,' you've reassured me that you can hear my voice. You must be confused by the sudden situation, but rest assured that we have no intention of causing you any harm. So please, relax for now."

The red-haired man, opened his arms, showing there was no hostile intent in his gesture.

Upon hearing this, a man with long, blue hair by his side spoke to him.

"Felker-sama, based on the stories of the previous wanderers, it seems that most of them were in a state where they suddenly lost consciousness in their original world and woke up here. This wanderer might be in a similar condition. Therefore, explaining the situation would be a good idea."

"Hmm, you're right, Kalenberg-sama," 

Lord Felker responded with a nod.

(Wanderers? And what does ‘Original world' mean? And where am I? How did I end up in a place like this? When did I get brought here!?)

"I believe you are currently in a state where you lost consciousness and found yourself in an unfamiliar place when you woke up. We will explain to the best of our knowledge what happened to you, so please listen calmly. You are currently inside a room known as the 'Wanderer's Gate' in the royal capital of the Staleen Kingdom, Steinbern."

"Huh, a different world...?"

I can understand what the red-haired man is saying. No, I grasp the meaning, but I can't keep up with the comprehension.

"That's right. In the Staleen Kingdom, there have been legends for many years of beings who arrived 'from another world.' These beings seemed to appear suddenly as though they wandered in, just like you, and that's why we call them 'wanderers.'"

According to Lord Felker, it had been about 800 years since they discovered that wanderers appeared regularly.

After conducting further investigations, it was discovered that wanderers always ended up in the same place. Additionally, wanderers always possessed some kind of special ability, and some of them had extremely valuable skills.

- Therefore, they built a structure on top of this location to isolate it from the outside and established a constant surveillance system so that even if wanderers arrived, they wouldn't go somewhere else.

Wanderers who arrived here received explanations similar to what I had just heard, and noble families who wished would adopt them and provide them with strong protection.

At that time, only the king and a few nobles correctly understood the nature of wanderers. Also the number of nobles who protected wanderers were limited to a small number. 

This led to some nobles monopolizing wanderers and creating an immense power imbalance between those who held wanderers and those who did not.

As a result, a portion of nobles who had ambitions to become the king rose in rebellion. Fortunately or unfortunately, not all the nobles surrounding the wanderers supported the rebellion, and this escalated into a major internal conflict that divided the country into two factions: the new king's faction and the existing king's faction, dragging the neighboring countries into a large-scale war.

The war lasted for about ten years but ended in victory for the existing king's faction. However, it came at a great cost as the kingdom lost territory to neighboring countries and had to cede land as compensation for allied support, shrinking its territory to about two-thirds of what it was before the war.

To ensure that such events would not recur, a new system was established. When wanderers arrived in the future, they would be adopted in order by the nobles. To ensure fairness regardless of their noble titles, lots were drawn to determine the order.

"Currently, about 500 years have passed since then. Further research revealed that there is a premonition about ten days before a wanderer arrives, marked by a faintly glowing magic circle. From then on, when such a premonition occurs, all the nobles are quickly summoned, and protection is ensured for the wanderer in front of everyone to maintain fairness. By the way, you are the 28th wanderer to arrive under this system. And it is Marquis Felker family's turn to provide protection this time."

"Thank you for the explanation. I have one question. Did the wanderers who came here not want to return to their original world? I think there were quite a few people who wanted to return..."

It was probably a question that was expected. Everyone also understood that the answer wouldn't be favorable for wanderers.

Seeing this, I understood the answer before hearing it.

"Unfortunately, we don't know how to send them back. There have been a few wanderers who have spent their entire lives searching for a way to return, but we still haven't figured it out. In fact, we don't even understand why and how wanderers come to this world."

The red-haired man stated these facts in a calm manner.

"I see..."

I didn't say anything more. I simply hugged my beloved cat tightly and heard her give a soft "nyaa," as if she was comforting me, saying, "You're not alone."

---

After conveying the near-impossibility of returning and with the heavy atmosphere, Felker spoke again.

"I'm afraid we have had to share some rather grim information with you. But rest assured, we didn't intentionally summon you. Can we count on your understanding regarding this matter?"

Felker's words made sense.

It's not a pleasant experience to have someone show up on their own and create the potential for war. If a leader made a rash decision, it wouldn't be unreasonable to take decisive action, even if it meant disposal. Compared to that, this country was moderate.

Nevertheless, there was a high likelihood that the country valued useful special abilities...

"Yes, it's true. Given the circumstances, you could easily have disposed of me upon arrival, pretending it never happened. Your approach is gentlemanly and reasonable. Honestly, I'm not entirely satisfied with the situation yet, but I understand it now. I can communicate with you, so we can understand each other... What should I do from here?"

In response to my answer, several nobles uttered small sounds of approval. Felker was one of them, but perhaps he had a more relieved expression as he was also serving as the facilitator for the discussion.

"It's a relief that the discussion proceeded quickly. Some people panic or cry and make a fuss, you see..."

He said this with a wry smile. It seemed that the tension that had been constantly present in the room was finally dissipating.

"Well then, before we proceed further, may I ask for your name?"

"I'm Isamu Matsumoto. My last name is Matsumoto, and my first name is Isamu."

"Isamu Matsumoto... Very well. I shall address you as Matsumoto-dono from now on."

"Okay. How should I address you?"

"Using my last name is appropriate. Wanderers are treated as semi-nobility, so there's no need for excessive formalities."

"Understood. Thank you for your consideration, Felker-san."

"Of course, that's acceptable."

Felker nodded.

"Well then, there are only two significant things to do from here. However, both are of great importance. The first is to assess Matsumoto-dono's abilities. As I mentioned earlier, wanderers always possess special skill abilities, so we would like to understand what yours are."

"Excuse, but the term ‘ability’ has been coming up frequently. Can you please explain what ability refer to in this context? For example, is it something like being able to speak foreign languages or being skilled at cooking?"

"Hmm, it appears that Matsumoto-dono's world didn't have anything quite like our abilities. The things you mentioned, like speaking foreign languages or cooking, are generally considered skills by us. These are special skills that can be acquired through training and effort in one's lifetime. In contrast, ability refer to powers that one is born with."

Questions like this seemed to be anticipated. According to Felker, abilities were akin to special powers granted from the heavens.

For a straightforward example, they included night vision or blessings of fire. The former granted the ability to see in the dark, and the latter significantly enhanced compatibility with fire magic. These abilities could manifest suddenly but could never be acquired through effort or training. Some individuals had multiple abilities, but most only possessed one, and it was said that every wanderer possessed at least one ability, and that skill was unique to them.

"Only wanderers have them?"

"Yes, that's right. Abilities like night vision and fire blessings I mentioned earlier fall into the category of common abilities, and many individuals may possess the same ability. However, one of the abilities a wanderer possesses is always a unique ability that no one else has. To date, no one with the same ability as one of the recorded 27 abilities has been confirmed."

"I see. So, you can easily examine these abilities here?"

"Exactly. With the aid of the Divine Eye magic artifact or special magic tools, we can examine them. The Divine Eye can only show what it sees, and we have no way to verify its accuracy, so we would need to use a magic tool to examine it. This is the magic tool."

A man who looked like a priest appeared next to Felker, and there was something that could only be described as a crystal ball on a pedestal in his hands.

"This is a magic tool known as the ‘Divine Eye Gem.' By placing your hand on this, we can not only measure your abilities but also obtain a rough estimate of your physical abilities. It provides not only your name but also a general description of your abilities."

"Physical abilities, you say?"

"Yes, that's right. Regular assessments of one's physical abilities are commonplace in our world. By doing so, we can determine your current condition and what you’re suited for. However, wanderers are a bit different..."

He paused briefly and then continued with his explanation.

"Matsumoto-dono, your appearance is fortunate; you aren't too different from us. But there have been wanderers with completely different appearances. In the past, there were individuals who were over 5 meters tall or had four legs, for instance. In such cases, they may have had extraordinary strength or speed and other physical characteristics. Knowing these traits beforehand can serve as a reference for what they should do in the future, including their abilities."

"I see. So that's what it's about. Thank you."

"I'm glad you understand. Now, may we proceed with measuring your abilities?"

"Yes, please go ahead."

Upon hearing my response, Felker signaled to the man holding the crystal ball. Seeing this, the man nodded once and extended the crystal ball toward me.

"Now, Matsumoto-dono, would you mind placing your hand on top of this magic crystal ball?"

"Understood."

I gently transferred Orihime to my other arm, then followed the instructions and placed my left hand on top of the crystal ball.

As soon as my hand made contact with the crystal ball, it began to emit a faint light, which gradually grew stronger. Light started to emanate from my body, and it was drawn into the crystal ball. After about ten seconds of shining, the light abruptly disappeared, and instead, characters were projected into the air from the pedestal. They read as follows:

Isamu Matsumoto

Strength: 157

Endurance: 130

Agility: 139

Dexterity: 178

Spirit: 231

Intelligence: 256

Life: 112

Mana: 105

Ability: Magic Inspection Magi Debugger / Able to see the flow of magic but cannot manipulate it.

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