1 - Before I Knew It, I Was in Another World
That person was mysterious, beautiful, noble, and so very kind. Before I knew it, I had fallen in love.
A love that could never be fulfilled. Even knowing that, I wanted to spend more time with her.
I will never forgive those who destroyed it. I will never accept this world, which seeks to strip away everything precious to me.
◇◇◇
When I came to, I was in an unfamiliar forest. No matter how much I thought about it, I didn't know why I was here. Furthermore, he had even forgotten who he was.
The only thing he managed to remember was the name "Ray." He didn't know if it was actually his, but since he couldn't remember anything else that could be called a name, he decided to believe that it was.
The sky visible between the towering trees was covered in pitch-black darkness. In the deep forest without a single light, even the ground beneath his feet was too dark to see clearly.
Left with no choice, he gave up on moving and decided to stay there until it grew light. He sat down at the base of a tree and leaned his back against it.
As he gazed blankly at the sky, he realized the night sky wasn't as pitch-black as he had first thought.
Stars twinkling in silver. How long had it been since he had gazed upon such a starry sky?
Despite his situation, he found himself thinking such things blankly.
Perhaps it couldn't be helped. After all, the night sky he saw was a beauty that could never be seen in the city.
Suddenly remembering, he tried to take out the smartphone he had kept in his pocket, only to realize it was gone. It wasn't just the phone. His wristwatch was gone too.
Wondering about his wallet, he searched his pockets, and found it was still there. Opening it, he saw that several bills were neatly inside.
His mind became a bit confused. Since his money had been left, it didn't seem to be a robbery. Then who on earth had done this? For a mere prank, it was far too malicious. No means of communication. No idea of the time. Naturally, he had no food.
He didn't know how large this forest was, but it didn't seem like the kind of place where he could reach a road just by walking a little.
If he was unlucky, he might get lost and die just like this. Such anxiety crossed his mind.
Did the person who did this not consider such dangers? He tried complaining in his head, but he felt empty, realizing that doing so wouldn't solve anything.
Just as he decided to be resigned to it and sleep until it grew light, he felt he heard something from ahead.
He stopped moving and listened intently.
He could definitely hear it. The sound of something approaching, crushing branches or leaves fallen on the ground.
He tried to call out, but for some reason, he held back. He didn't know if the other party was a friend or a foe.
While slightly surprised at his own caution, he followed that feeling honestly and quietly moved behind a tree to hide from the direction of the sound.
Holding his breath, he waited for the other party to appear, but they arrived before his eyes in an unexpected way.
"I wonder what you're doing here?"
A woman's voice suddenly sounded from behind him. He couldn't turn around immediately at that voice.
A cold sensation and pain against the nape of his neck. Shifting his gaze slightly toward his shoulder, he saw a sword blade shining silver even in the darkness.
"Uwah!?"
"Don't move!"
As he hurriedly tried to avoid the sword, the voice called out from behind him again.
"W-Who are you?"
"I'm the one asking that. Your name?"
"...Ray,"
"You hesitated just now, didn't you? Tell me the truth."
"It's the truth! Ah, no, I'm not confident if it's the truth."
He didn't want to lie and make the other person angry. The result of that thought was this answer. It was an answer that likely wouldn't be seen as honest.
"What are you talking about?"
"I have no memories. Ray is the name that popped into my head. Since nothing else came to mind, I thought it might be my name."
"No memories? How suspicious."
"A-I'm not suspicious! I don't know why I'm here either! It's the truth! Please believe me!"
He knew that saying such things would make him seem suspicious. Still, he pleaded desperately. He wanted to avoid a situation where he was simply sliced through with the sword.
"Hmm. It doesn't feel like a lie."
"Will you believe me?"
"For now, slowly, turn toward me. If you make any strange movements, I'll kill you without mercy."
What he had thought was a sword against his neck was actually a sharply pointed claw. Could a human's claw become like that?
While harboring such a question, he looked up at the face of the opponent, who was clad in black clothing.
Silver hair, a white face that seemed to glow even in the darkness. And long, red eyes that likely were actually glowing.
It was a face too perfectly formed, almost like a doll, but the strong light in her eyes and the slight curl of her lips let him know that this person was certainly a living woman.
Captivated by the mysterious and beautiful figure of the woman, he forgot the fear from a moment ago and was mesmerized.
"...Being stared at with such a passionate gaze makes me blush."
"Ah, sorry. You were just so beautiful."
To his own surprise, a compliment to the woman came out of his mouth naturally.
Hearing that, the woman's face changed into a smile that looked like a flower blooming. Seeing that, his heart raced once more.
"Are you planning to woo me? You're quite cheeky for a child."
"Child? I'm a high school student, you know."
Feeling a bit frustrated at being treated as a child, he voiced a complaint to the other party, forgetting that he was being threatened.
"What is a 'high school student'?"
"You don't know what a high school student is?"
He was slightly surprised by the woman's unexpected response.
"I've never heard of it."
"What about middle school?"
"I don't know that either."
"High school."
Thinking that she might actually not understand Japanese based on her features, he tried switching to English. It would be more accurate to say katakana.
"What is that? What are you talking about? You're using nothing but words I don't know."
At this point, he finally realized the situation was strange. A woman who didn't know about school. And above all, the woman before him didn't seem like a very ordinary person.
"Where is this?"
"You really don't know?"
"No. Please tell me. No, not just this place, but the name of this country as well."
"...Fine. This is the 'Forest of Bewilderment.' As for the country, it's technically within the territory of the 'Laurel Kingdom.'"
"Laurel Kingdom..."
A country name he had never heard of. He considered the possibility that it was a small country somewhere in the world, but he immediately dismissed it. Why would he be in a small country he didn't even know? Could such a coincidence happen, meeting someone who speaks fluent Japanese in that small country?
Then, he reached a conclusion. The thought that where he was now was different from the world where he was born and raised.
"Oh, what's wrong?"
"No, I was just a bit surprised."
"Is the Laurel Kingdom that surprising? If you're of the Human Race, it's only natural to know about Laurel, as it's a great power."
"Human Race?"
A meaning he would have understood immediately if it were in writing, but he didn't understand it from words alone.
"...You don't even know the Human Race?"
"Um... what does that mean?"
"I'm talking about species. Not even knowing this, what kind of place did you grow up in?"
Not human or humanity, but the Human Race. With the woman's explanation, he became certain that this was another world. In reality, it was a situation where there was no longer room for doubt, and this was merely one more piece of supporting evidence, but his feelings, rather than his head, hadn't fully processed it.
"Probably, a different world from here. Another world."
"...Another world!?"
This time, it was the woman's turn to be surprised. She opened her eyes wide and stared at him intently.
"Probably..."
"And you want me to believe that?"
"Even if you tell me to believe it, it's not something that can be believed easily, is it?"
"I see... then, I'll check. Stand up for a moment."
"A-Ah, yes."
Standing up as told, he felt a bit disappointed.
His height didn't even reach the woman's chest. He felt depressed, thinking that people in this world seemed to be considerably taller than in his original world. With this height difference, it was only natural for the woman to think of him as a child.
"Open your mind honestly."
"Open it?"
"Ah, just be normal without being conscious of it. Now, here I go."
While wondering, he honestly followed the woman's words, and was immediately struck by astonishment.
The woman's lips slowly overlapped with his. It was his first kiss in his life.
His face dyed bright red. He was aware of it and became even more dyed in shame, but the indescribable sweet scent emanating from the woman made his head go numb enough to forget his embarrassment.
"Ah."
How long had they been like that? Suddenly, the woman's lips left his. Immediately, a sense of emptiness spread through his chest.
"Hmm. It certainly is strange. The scenery I saw is different from any world I know."
"Eh? Can you read minds?"
"Yes. It's my special skill. By joining lips, I can learn a certain amount of information about the other person."
"Meaning, you've done this with other men too?"
His mouth naturally pouted.
"What? Are you perhaps angry?"
"A-Ah, no, it's nothing."
His face turned red again. He was unbearably ashamed of himself for showing possessiveness after just one kiss. Moreover, for the other party, it was merely a means to read information.
"But, I couldn't read much. No, I saw it, but I don't know what it was."
"Ah, that's probably because the world I was in is advanced in various ways. Or perhaps it's of a completely different system."
"I see. So you have that advanced knowledge?"
"No, the knowledge I have is of no use. I haven't learned any knowledge that would be useful."
"I see. That's a shame."
In reality, she didn't think it was that much of a shame. She knew that knowledge from another world didn't necessarily bring happiness to them, if anything, it was the opposite.
"If I were a bit more of an adult and had studied some specialized field, it might be different."
He regretted that from the bottom of his heart. He had read a few isekai reincarnation stories and had half-jokingly thought that useful knowledge was necessary, but he never imagined it would actually happen to him.
"A bit more... that's a story for later, isn't it?"
"Just because I'm short, please don't look at me as a child."
"You are a child, aren't you?"
"I'm not a child. In my original world, I'd be an adult in about three more years."
In other words, he was a child. Furthermore, the reason the woman treated him as a child wasn't for the reason he thought, but he didn't know that at this point.
"Well, you certainly are mature for a child. So, what will you do now?"
"What should I do?"
"...Then, do you want to live at my house for a while?"
"I do!"
An immediate answer. He had no reason to refuse the woman's invitation.
"Ha, that was fast. Don't you want to think about it a bit more?"
"I know nothing about this world. Besides, I have to think about a means of making a living."
"True. I understand. I'll teach you various things."
"Various things..."
"Hmm. It's true you're not a child. Right now, you have lewd eyes."
"...Sorry."
◇◇◇
The place the woman took him to was a place where calling it a house was a bit misleading. A small hole open on the slope of a mountain was the entrance. In short, it was a cave.
However, once inside, a space suitable to be called a house spread out. Most of the floor remained soil, but there were rooms partitioned by lumber. It seemed that furniture was properly placed in each room.
Furthermore, he was strongly interested in why the surface of the walls seemed to be glowing faintly. Thanks to that, it didn't seem dark even inside the cave, but he had no idea what the mechanism was. Since it was another world, he felt a bit excited, thinking it might be magic.
"How is it? Not so bad, right?"
"Yes. It seems very comfortable."
"Comfortable is an exaggeration. But I think it's not a bad place to live."
"Yes."
"Then, I'll introduce you to my family right away."
"Family?"
"Oh, did I make you expect it to be just me?"
"...No, I didn't intend that."
His feelings were the exact opposite of his words. He was quite disappointed. As if seeing through his feelings, the woman wore a smile and uttered an even more shocking fact.
"I might betray your expectations even further, but I have a husband and children."
"No way!?"
"See. You really were having strange expectations."
"...No."
It hit the mark, but he couldn't admit it. However, setting the husband aside, it was surprising that she had children. Did she marry quite young? Or was the marriage age in this world considerably early?
While he was thinking about such things, the woman returned with her family.
Three people, a girl who looked to be in the upper grades of elementary school or perhaps a middle schooler, and a boy and a girl who looked to have just entered kindergarten or elementary school.
Considering the age of the eldest girl, he was quite surprised internally, wondering at what age she had the children.
"Geh!? A Human Race!"
The one who raised her voice upon seeing him was the eldest girl. A face that could be called a beautiful girl if she were composed was completely distorted.
"...What do you mean by being surprised that I'm of the Human Race?"
"You really didn't know, did you. Actually, we aren't of the Human Race."
"Then what are you?"
"The Vampio race. Would it be easier to understand if I said the Demon Race?"
"As I thought..."
An answer within his expectations. There were members of the Demon Race in this world.
"Oh, you're not surprisingly surprised, are you?"
"I am surprised. But I thought that much would be the case if I came to another world. Now that I've come to another world, this level of thing is trivial, isn't it?"
"I wonder. But it's good. For now, the first hurdle is cleared. If you were terrified upon learning we were the Demon Race, we couldn't live together."
"Live together!? Mother, what does that mean!?"
The eldest girl complained. It wasn't about him specifically, but the idea of living with the Human Race was unthinkable.
"I've decided to let him live here for a while."
"Why with a Human Race!? The Human Race is our enemy!"
He found himself agreeing with the girl's words. He understood that in this world, as is customary, the relationship between the Human Race and the Demon Race was bad. Since the girl explicitly called them the enemy, it wasn't just at the level of a bad relationship.
"He is not of the Human Race. I've properly confirmed that."
"...Then what is he?"
"It seems he came from a different world."
"A-A Hero?"
This time, the girl was slightly frightened. Listening to the conversation, he understood that there were also Heroes in this world. Moreover, Heroes who were summoned from another world or reincarnated.
The fact that she was frightened meant that Heroes were enemies of the Demon Race.
It was a common setting, but now that he was on the side of the Demon Race, he couldn't help but feel anxious.
"That seems to be different too. He has no memory of being summoned. Besides, it seems he hasn't received any blessings."
"Then who is he?"
"Who knows? The most likely thing is that he's a lost child?"
"A-A lost child? Pfft, how pathetic."
This time, she was grinning at him. She was a girl whose mood and expression changed rapidly. She was a beauty like her mother, but for now, it would be more accurate to say she was cute. However, he felt that once she became an adult, she would undoubtedly become a stunning beauty just like her mother.
"...Just because your ages are close, don't lay a hand on my daughter, okay?"
As if reading his feelings, the woman warned him. For some reason, the smiling face was intensely scary to him.
"I won't. Children are outside my romantic interest."
"What did you say? You're a child too, aren't you?"
"I'm an adult. At a glance, I'm six or seven years older."
"At a glance, your ages aren't that different, are they?"
"Where?"
"No matter how you look at it. Right?"
The eldest daughter sought agreement from the younger siblings, who were peeking at him from behind her back.
He wondered what she was talking about, but the two children nodded vigorously in agreement.
"Eh? Why?"
"Why? Your height is the same, or maybe I'm even taller."
"That's because people in this world are big, right?"
"You're wearing baggy clothes, you look like a baby."
"That's... huh?"
Only after being told did he notice. He should have been wearing half-pants, but now he seemed to be wearing cropped pants. The neckline of his T-shirt was baggy. His sandals didn't fit the size of his feet at all.
He was appalled at himself for not noticing until now, as the size of the things he was wearing did not fit his body. In other words, this meant...
"I've become smaller!?"
"Oh my, is that it? No wonder our conversation wasn't clicking."
"...It seems so."
He finally understood the real reason he was being treated as a child. Since there was no mirror, he didn't know how much smaller he had become, but it was certain that he was smaller than the eldest daughter.
"You grew younger when you came to this world... I wonder if you're not just a lost child?"
"Why do you think that?"
"Because growing younger is proof that there was some kind of interference, right?"
If he had simply wandered into another world by chance, his physical build shouldn't have changed. It could be considered that he was sent to this world by some kind of power.
"But I have no memory of meeting a god."
"Can you normally meet gods in your world?"
"No, I just thought that's how reincarnation or summoning worked."
"...I see. Well, that's not something that can be understood just by thinking about it."
What he was talking about was knowledge from other-world novels or manga. Naturally, the people of this world did not have that knowledge. No one even understood the theory of the reincarnation that was actually happening.
"It might be something that happened in the memories you've forgotten. No, it probably is."
"It's normal to think that. If your memories return, you might understand something, but as for when that will be, that's truly known only to God."
"I'll think about it when the time comes. For now, adapting to this world is the priority."
"True. Come to think of it, we haven't had introductions yet. I'm Kamiira. Now, greet him."
"I'm Rui."
While looking away, the eldest girl gave her name. She had a bit of a tsundere atmosphere. In that case, he definitely wanted to see her 'dere' side, but he felt that if he sought that, he might be killed by Kamiira, so he hurriedly stopped thinking about it.
"...Kai."
"I'm Kara."
Then the younger two peeked out from either side of Rui and bowed their heads.
"S-So cute."
"Don't lay a hand on them, okay?"
"I won't!"
He felt that his trust within Kamiira was quite low.
"Now, Ray-kun, your greeting."
"A-Ah, yes. I'm Ray. I'll be in your care for a while."
"Ray... somehow, I hate it."
Rui grimaced upon hearing the name Ray.
"Why?"
"The names are similar."
"Ray and Rui. Oh, you're right."
"You, change your name."
"Why should I!?"
"Alright, from today you're Pochi. Pochi."
"Am I a dog?"
"You don't like it? Then let's go with Tama. Tama."
"I'm not a cat!"
While complaining, Ray was slightly surprised that names like Pochi and Tama existed in this world too.
"What's the matter. You're going to be taken care of by us in this house, right? That means you're the same as livestock."
"Livestock? What kind of education are you receiving? You can't just call a person you've met for the first time livestock!?"
"Then, what can you do? If you can help us, I'll stop calling you livestock."
"That's... let's discuss that later."
Even if he was told to help, he didn't know what to do. Lacking confidence in his own abilities, Ray couldn't say he could.
"See. As I thought, you intend to eat for free."
"I have no such intention! I can do things like cleaning right away."
"Really?"
Ray intended to choose simple housework, but Rui's reaction was different from what he expected.
"It's cleaning, right? I think I can do at least that."
"Alright, then it's settled. From tomorrow, you're on cleaning duty."
"Ray-kun, are you really okay with that?"
"Eh, huh, is there some problem?"
Ray asked, becoming quite anxious because Kamiira went out of her way to double-check. But Rui immediately cut in.
"What, are you already going back on your word?"
"Who is!? Ah, fine. I'll do cleaning duty or whatever."
"Yes, decided. You're a man, so keep your word."
"Yeah."
"Oh my, I wonder if he'll be alright?"
"...Do your best." "Do your best!"
Even Kai and Kara sent meaningful cheers.
Ray felt that he had clearly made some mistake, but because it concerned his dignity as a man, he found himself unable to back down.
"By the way, where is your husband?"
"My husband has been out for a long time. He won't be returning here for the time being."
"Is it something like working away from home?"
"It's war."
"...Sorry. I was insensitive."
War was being waged in this world. Ray learned that it was not a peaceful world.
"You know about war?"
"As knowledge. The country I was born and raised in lost a war long before I was born, and since then, I haven't experienced something like war."
In reality, war was always being waged somewhere in his original world. He just hadn't felt it close to him.
"They lost? Then, your country..."
"As I said before, the loss was a story from long ago. After that, it developed economically and became one of the wealthy countries in the whole world. I don't know much about other countries, but I think it's a country that's easy to live in."
"I see, that's good. It really is a different world."
"Is the war in this world different?"
"The countries that lose suffer terribly. Especially for us of the Demon Race..."
It's the same in any world that the defeated countries suffer miserably. However, in this world, the victors were more tyrannical, and mercy toward the defeated was thin. Even if there were inhumane acts, there were no countries or organizations to reprimand them. Especially when done to the Demon Race.
"I see. I hope the war ends soon. But that alone isn't enough, is it?"
"If we don't win, there will be no place for the Demon Race in this world."
The battle between the Human Race and the Demon Race was not one of fighting over territory or interests. It was a battle to erase the other's existence. It was different from the war Ray thought he understood.
"As I thought, it's a harsh world."
"...This became a dark conversation. Let's stop now. Besides, it's already late today. Let's talk in detail tomorrow."
"Yes."
"Now, Rui. Guide him to his room."
"Which room?"
"Let's see, what should we do? The same room is no good. As for a single room, there's only one, but that place is..."
"Isn't it fine? Anywhere as long as he can sleep. Right?"
"Yeah, just being given a place to sleep is enough."
Ray felt anxious at Rui's insistence, but no matter what it was, in his position as someone being taken care of, he couldn't afford to be picky.
"He says so. Then it's settled. Come on, this way."
"A-Ah."
And the room he was led to by Rui was—.
"That's the bed. You can use the toilet, but make sure to clean it yourself. Also..."
"Hey."
"What?"
"What are those chains on the wall?"
Chains extending from the hard rock wall. Two near the ground. Two from a height higher than Ray's head. Ray somehow felt he had seen this sight before.
"...Don't worry about it. The futon is a bit dirty. But endure it for today. Wash it yourself tomorrow."
"Hey."
"What!?"
"Why is the door an iron grate?"
The only strange thing about this room wasn't just the chains extending from the wall. The entrance door was an iron grate.
"Don't worry about it."
"I am worrying about it!?"
"You're quite particular for a man."
Rui replied to Ray's complaint as if it were a bother.
"No, no. That's not it, is it? This looks like nothing but a jail cell."
"Jail cell? No. This is a slave room."
"That's even worse! Why is there a slave room in a house... were there slaves?"
He didn't know if he could say they lived here just because there was a room, but there had been slaves. That was surprising to Ray. Not the existence of slaves, but that Kamiira had owned slaves.
"Seems so."
"You're talking about this like it's someone else's business, aren't you?"
"I mean the person who lived here before owned them. We couldn't stay in the place we were originally, so we moved here."
"I see... and that former person?"
It wasn't that Kamiira had owned slaves. Knowing that, Ray felt a bit relieved.
"Who knows? I think they're either fighting or dead."
"Did they go to war?"
"That's what I've heard."
"Are they winning? The war."
"I don't know. Mother doesn't tell us the details."
"I see."
He hoped it wasn't a situation where she couldn't tell them. He thought this, but nothing would change just because Ray thought so.
The first day in another world. It ended with a somewhat dark feeling.