Kays Translations

Chapter 5

I received a simple map to the inn.

The efficiency suggested that this kind of guidance was probably common...

"...Is this it? 'Inn of the White Dove.'"

I opened the door, and a bell chimed as a woman, who seemed to be a staff member of the inn, came out.

"Welcome. Are you here to stay?"

"Yes. I was referred by Taran from the Adventurer's Guild."

"Oh, yes, yes."

The stout and dignified woman, likely the landlady, seemed to have a gentle demeanor upon hearing about the guild referral.

"One night is one small silver coin, and meals are two small copper coins each."

"Eh?"

I panicked completely.

I had completely forgotten about money.

The currency I took from the bags of the deceased adventurers—appropriated, if you will—didn't include any silver coins.

I hastily spread the small bag of coins on the table and looked at the woman.

She deftly set aside four large copper coins with her fingers.

"What about meals?"

I replied, "Yes, please," and she set aside an additional two small copper coins.

"You can have your meals at the adjacent dining hall."

She handed me meal tickets and the key to the room.

"Um, well... I wanted to wash up. Is there a bath?"

The woman looked puzzled.

"Bath? What's that... If you want to wipe yourself, use the water source over there."

"Water!? ...Seriously!"

With a dejected stride, I entered the room, sat on the bed, and screamed in my mind:

No bathhhh!

Shocked by being transported to a country without baths, I closed my eyes involuntarily.

I went to the dining hall, sat at a table, and handed the meal ticket to the serving woman.

After a while, a meal on a tray arrived.

The contents were 'salad,' 'probably tomato-based pot-au-feu,' and 'dark round bread.'

I was impressed by the first proper meal since convenience store bento, and a smile formed on my face.

First, I took a bite of the pot-au-feu.

"............Mild!"

The broth was light, with just a hint of salt. Also, it lacked the kick of pepper.

For someone coming from the era of abundance in Japan, it felt a bit unsatisfying. However, my body was genuinely happy with the rare experience of having soup after a long time.

Next, I took a bite of the salad.

"............Sour!"

It had vinegar on it. Maybe I felt it more intensely since I hadn't tasted acidity for a few days.

Then I picked up the bread.

"............Hard!"

Indeed, it was ridiculously tough.

With quite a bit of force, I managed to split it in half, and there was a crunchy sound.

Looking around, I saw people biting into the bread as it is.

Everyone must have strong teeth, I thought in surprise. Concerned about potentially hurting my jaw, I dipped the bread into the pot-au-feu before eating it.

Finally settling down after getting a decent meal, I returned to my room and was delighted by the long-missed bed.

However, realizing that my current state of finding joy in such things indicated a considerably difficult situation, I felt a pang of hardship.

Though my hunger was satisfied, exhaustion hit me all at once, and I felt sleepy.

Having walked all day and ending it with a mental breakdown due to my blunder, I couldn't find the energy to think about anything anymore.

I drifted into sleep without pondering further.

　◆ ◆ ◆

In the guild leader's office in Tiara, Taran came to report the details of the recent disturbance.

"What about him?"

"He asked for a recommendation for an inn, so I suggested the 'Inn of the White Dove.'"

The guild leader let out a deep sigh.

"Taran... What was that all about?"

"I don't know either. I've never seen anything like it."

He shook his head.

The guild leader reflected on the recent events.

"He mentioned a smartphone... a tool for capturing landscapes and turning them into photographs."

"It felt as if I had seen a real corpse... Honestly, I still can't believe it."

Both of them struggled to fully comprehend the traveler's explanation.

"What country did he say he was from?"

"Um... Nihon, I think."

"I've never heard of that country. What about you?"

"No, I haven't either."

The guild leader crossed his arms and sighed deeply again.

He had been concerned that the traveler might cause some trouble.

"What is he going to do from now on?"

"Nothing, in particular. He only said he came to report..."

While I thought he was on a journey, I regretted not asking where he was headed.

But I know where he's staying—I'll visit early tomorrow morning.

It's not his fault; it's my misunderstanding.

That mysterious device is eerie, but I'm curious about the person who brought it—

His clothing, way of speaking, and behavior... Is he really just a commoner?

Knock, knock.

Suddenly, there was a knocking sound on the door.

"Come in."

"Excuse me."

A woman entered the guild leader's office.

Without paying much attention to Taran, she handed some documents to the guild leader.

"Loki, documents from the Merchant Guild and last month's financial report."

"Thank you for your hard work"

She glanced at the two of them alternately, sensing a different atmosphere.

"Is something the matter?"

With her transparent golden hair, fair and beautiful appearance, and distinctively leaf-like ears—

She was an elf.

The woman's name was Tinameril—she was the deputy guild leader here.

"We received a report that a rookie adventurer who took one of our delivery requests died in the forest... And then, the traveler came in response to that report, and he showed us a tool we've never seen before... So, I was just—"

Uncertain of how to explain the smartphone, he hesitated and stumbled over his words.

"Don't know? Something like a 'magical tool to capture and bring back landscapes'... Tinameril."

After glancing at Loki, she lowered her gaze to the desk.

"I don't understand what you're saying."

"I guess not. I don't really understand it myself."

Taran proceeded to explain the situation to the deputy guild leader.

"...So, in short, there was a misunderstanding that there might be a corpse inside?"

"Yes, but that tool—it's a magical tool, I believe—was unfamiliar, so it sparked curiosity or rather concern—"

She hadn't seen a photograph before, so the notion of misunderstanding it as a corpse didn't quite click with her.

"If it was just a misunderstanding in the end, then that's fine."

With this rather cold response, they decided to conclude the discussion.

　◆ ◆ ◆

Bang, bang, bang.

The sound of someone knocking on the door woke me up. I realized that the alarm on my smartphone was ringing.

The time was already past 8 o'clock. It seemed like I had overslept in the unfamiliar bed.

"Ye... yes!"

I replied and stopped the alarm.

When I opened the door, yesterday's landlady was standing there, looking at me with a suspicious expression.

"There was a strange sound coming from this room. What was it?"

"Ah..."

It was the alarm.

"I set an alarm to wake up, but I overslept without realizing it."

I quickly realized that my explanation wasn't getting through.

"I have a tool that makes a sound to wake me up on time... It was just that. The bed here is so comfortable that I overslept without noticing."

Apologizing with a face that showed no ill intent, she accepted and went back.

I had managed to mess up even in the early morning.

There was something I hadn't noticed until this morning because it seemed too obvious.

Despite coming to a different world, the time on my smartphone's clock was almost the same.

This meant that I was in the same longitude.

And the climate here was as warm as it was on Earth in July.

So, it's likely that the latitude is also the same.

So, this place... could it be Japan in terms of location? It seems like the coordinates sent me here are the same.

However, the people here are of European or Caucasian descent—definitely not Japanese.

So, I can't be sure if it's the Japanese archipelago.

I would like to see a world map if there is one. Well, I don't really expect there to be one.

When I arrived at the washing area, there were two people ahead of me.

One was showering naked, water cascading over their body. The other had a towel wrapped around their waist and was shaving their beard with a knife.

A world where people wash naked by the well... The survival situation is truly challenging.

But, not having brushed my teeth or shaved for five days made me feel compelled to clean up a bit.

I quickly undressed and used a towel to dry myself, paying extra attention to my lower body.

Having lived almost exclusively indoors, my skin was quite pale, as I hadn't been exposed to the sun at all. 

In contrast, they had a healthy tan. There was no need to feel ashamed in comparison, but it was still embarrassing.

When I mentioned to the landlady that I wanted to go shopping for daily necessities since I had none, she directed me to the shopping district.

Asked about breakfast plans, I said I would eat outside and left the inn.

On the way to the shopping district, there were several food stalls, and one of them had skewers of grilled meat on iron skewers that looked delicious. I decided to buy one.

It cost two large iron coins for one skewer. After a brief consideration, I handed over a small copper coin, and I received two large iron coins in return.

"Four large iron coins for one small copper coin, and the inn is four large bronze coins for one small silver coin. Probably, it's four small copper coins for one large bronze coin. It seems to be a quaternary system."

While pondering such things, I enjoyed my meal.

The smell of spices was strong, but the juicy meat after such a long time was delightful.

I browsed through the shopping district and purchased one shirt and pants, along with two sets of underwear. Feeling reassured in my pants-style attire.

I spotted what seemed like a knife for shaving, but it had something written about large silver coins, so it was out of my budget. However, there was a person at a street stall providing shaving services.

On a tattered and dirty wooden board, it was written in faint letters, 'One small copper coin.'

"Hmm..."

I hesitated for a moment.

A thin, bearded middle-aged man in a tank top and shorts—trusting him required courage.

But the beard was getting on my nerves. Honestly, I was scared, but I gathered my courage and let him shave me.

Throughout the process, I kept my eyes wide open due to anxiety. To my surprise, he finished shaving in just a few minutes with remarkable skill... I couldn't help but crack a smile and give a thumbs up.

The barber grinned and gave a thumbs up too.

This guy is really into it.

After a short walk, I reached a river and took a break on a bridge, looking at the water below.

A little further from the bridge seemed to be an adventurer's square. 

I could see several tents, and the unmistakable atmosphere made me realize that this was indeed a different world.

I still had enough money to stay at an inn, but I needed to figure out a way to earn more.

As I pondered these thoughts, I heard a voice calling my name with a slightly different intonation from a bit farther away.

"...Zuki-san! Mit-ta-ra-i Mizuki-san!"

I turned around, and it was the man from the guild last night.

His name was, uh...

"...Taran-san!"

He waved and ran towards me.

He stopped his hand, which was holding a cigarette, and silently nodded.

"I heard from the innkeeper that you went to the shopping district, so I was looking for you."

He put out the cigarette in a portable ashtray.

Although I was no longer in Japan, and it probably wouldn't be a big deal to litter, the habit of discreetly smoking died hard. Even in this different world, I conscientiously smoked, considering the environment.

"What's wrong?"

"I would like you to come to the guild again."

"Why?"

"The reward for the medicinal herbs you received has been finalized, so I'd like to make the payment..."

Due to the events of yesterday, I honestly didn't want to get involved further.

"I did say it's fine as it is..."

Certainly, initially, I intended to receive the reward.

However, due to the events of last night, I lost the intention to offer the herbs for sale and left them as compensation for my apology. 

I didn't know what might happen dealing with a suspicious character like me... I just wanted to get away quickly.

However, he insisted on paying, even going so far as to chase after me.

I don't have a particularly strong ability to read people, but even I sense that there's something else going on.

It's probably related to the smartphone incident.

"It might contribute a bit, so..."

When he said that, my heart was naturally drawn in.

The fact is, I don't have much money on hand, and I couldn't even afford to buy a knife.

I also mentioned getting lost in the forest and ending up here, so perhaps he figured I didn't have much on me...

"...Alright."

And so, I found myself heading back to the guild.

On the way to the guild, as expected, he asked various questions about my background and smartphone.

There was no need to hide anything, so I answered honestly—well, relatively.

"What were you studying in Japan?"

"I studied information engineering."

"What's that?"

"It's a field that educates professionals to create things like smartphones and develop applications to make them work."

"Can you make smartphones, Mizuki-san?"

"Oh no, I'm just a student, so I still have a long way to go."

"Will you be able to make them eventually?"

"No, my research is different, so it's impossible for me."

"Then what will you make?"

After a brief pause, still facing forward, I began talking about the content of my graduation thesis— 

"I wrote my graduation thesis on the development of a new programming language for operating AI and the construction of an automated stock trading system using that language. But I've been playing mahjong and online games nonstop, so it hasn't progressed at all, and my professor was really mad."

After saying that and laughing, I glanced at him with a slightly mischievous expression—

"You have no idea what I'm talking about, right?"

"...No, not at all."

Perhaps he resigned himself to it, and from then on, we headed to the guild while chatting about trivial matters.

From what I've gathered so far, my words are being translated into the Marl language for the current conversation.

However, not everything is translated; words that don't exist in this country, like the word for "photo," seem to be conveyed in their Japanese pronunciation.

Therefore, in the future, I need to make an effort to use simple words as much as possible to convey the content to the other person.

I must never say things like "I took a photo of a corpse" or "It's faster to see the real thing," and so on.

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