kscans

Chapter 265 - Side Story 4: The Otherworld City

About a thirty-minute drive from the port. After passing through what looked like several castle walls, a large building came into view.

"Whoa..."

It was a Western-style castle, just like you'd see on TV. Several spires reached for the sky, and it was surrounded by high walls.

There was only one wall between us and the castle, and the horse-drawn carriages traveling around us were now more elaborate, with roofs and painted designs. This must be the center of the city.

Looking at the people on the streets, I noticed a change. Near the port, there were men walking around shirtless, but here, everyone was properly dressed. The tailoring was good, too. There was probably an economic disparity.

The car moved slowly forward and stopped in front of a three-story mansion. The guard standing by the gate was likely a soldier of this country. He wore a blue surcoat and held a spear about two meters long. He had sharp features, with blond hair and blue eyes.

After he and Marui-san exchanged a few words, the wooden gate, reinforced with iron, was opened manually.

As the car entered the grounds, a relatively young Japanese man in a suit came out.

He opened the door for us, so I gave a small nod as I got out of the car. Since I was on guard duty, I scanned my surroundings.

The mansion seemed to be made mostly of wood. What you'd call a porch, I guess? The entrance was covered by a roof that looked like a small hut. A canopy, I think it's called.

The garden had only a few trees, and the ground was mostly exposed dirt. I couldn't see any places for someone to hide, nor was anyone looking down at us from the windows.

"Thank you for waiting. Please, come inside."

Marui-san, having handed the car over to the young man from before, turned to us with a gentle smile.

He led us inside the building.

"Oh, you can leave your shoes on. This country is similar to Western culture, so it's common to keep your shoes on inside."

"Oh, right. Thanks..."

I had instinctively started to take off my shoes, but I quickly put them back on.

The interior was well-maintained, but overall, it had an old-fashioned feel. I'm not talking about the design; the building itself was probably quite old.

We walked across the wooden floor and were led into what appeared to be a reception room. In the center was a large square table, surrounded by white chairs.

At Marui-san's prompting, we sat down. As the guests, the professor was seated at the head of the table, and Marui-san took a seat at the foot.

"Once again, welcome, Professor Arisugawa and Yagawa Kyouta-san."

"Yes. I am truly delighted to be able to set foot on the soil of another world. As a researcher, my curiosity is greatly stimulated."

"Haha. To hear you say that makes me happy as well. Well then, first..."

"First, we'll investigate the market."

"Huh?"

My voice overlapped with Marui-san's at the professor's words.

"The market is where the life of a city is concentrated. What kind of things do they normally eat, what kind of transactions do they conduct? From there, we can analyze their culture—"

"Um, Professor."

"What is it, son-in-law? Oh, I see. I understand. You're worried about security, aren't you? As long as you're here as my guard, there won't be a problem unless a dragon appears. However, there could be trouble due to differences in language or laws—"

"Professor. You're making Marui-san uncomfortable..."

"...Oh."

The professor, who had been speaking almost without taking a breath, finally stopped.

She looked around at everyone present, and her cheeks flushed bright red.

"Ahem! ...My apologies. It seems I got carried away with excitement, despite my age."

"Not at all. I was surprised, I admit, but it's only natural for a scholar to lose themselves. This is another world, after all. A world that has followed a different history from our own. I'm sure your intellectual curiosity is greatly stimulated."

"Yes. I feel as if I were a little girl visiting an amusement park for the first time."

'So this is another world~. It's like being in a theme park. I'm getting pumped~.'

I knew she'd say that.

This disappointing college student should learn from the professor, who's blushing like a maiden.

"To be honest, I'm relieved to know that even someone of your stature feels that way. In that case, let's skip the formalities and get straight to the point."

A smile curved across his square face, and Marui-san continued.

"First, Professor, I'd like you to place a marker in one of the rooms in this embassy. After that, you're welcome to come directly here after passing through the gate on the ocean. Air showers and the like will be unnecessary."

"What?"

The unexpected words made me voice my confusion.

Marui-san turned his gaze to me and nodded with a wry smile.

"I understand your surprise. When coming to an unknown land, one must be careful not to become a carrier. However, you've already passed through the dungeon's gate."

"...It's true that organisms on the surface of our bodies are repelled, aside from Awakened Persons, but isn't it different for what's inside our bodies?"

"We thought so as well, but it seems that gate imposes even stricter entry restrictions on pathogens. At the very least, you can rest assured that there is no risk of spreading disease in this world."

"Is that so... that's amazing."

"Indeed. The technology of the Atlantis Empire is beyond imagination. It's said that sufficiently advanced science is indistinguishable from magic, but their magical technology far surpasses our science."

I silently agreed with Marui-san's heartfelt words.

A gate that connects to another world is already beyond common sense, but this is an incredible formula. Perhaps Atlantis was on the verge of world conquest, and this kind of technology was essential for traveling to various lands.

"Then, that air shower was..."

"A pretense."

He said it firmly, and Marui-san's gaze flickered for a moment toward my earring.

...The world of adults.

"However, when traveling back and forth using the Kongō, there are still many unknowns, so in that case, they take meticulous precautions that go far beyond a simple air shower."

"I-I see."

"It's a good thing we don't have to worry about spreading infectious diseases. We can conduct our fieldwork without any reservations."

Next to the professor, whose eyes were sparkling, it crossed my mind that the forced air showers and changing of clothes might also serve as a security check.

Of course, due to her unique skill, it would be meaningless for the professor. Perhaps that was why they were being so open with us now.

"Once that's done, I'll show you around the city. We'll look around the market, and then I'll introduce you to the various facilities."

"Please do."

Everyone in the room chuckled at the professor's eager reply. Her usual calm demeanor was nowhere to be found. As she herself had said, she was like a child at an amusement park.

And the fact that it came across as charming rather than unseemly is just one of the perks of being beautiful.

"Well then, let's go set the marker right away."

"Yes!"

The professor's cheerful reply, her eyes sparkling, echoed through the embassy.

...Maybe being this person's bodyguard is going to be more大変 than I thought.

It seems I'll need to not only be wary of my surroundings, but also make sure she doesn't run off somewhere.

*

After setting a teleportation marker in one of the embassy rooms, we headed to the market.

This time, however, we weren't in a car, but a horse-drawn carriage. Apparently, it was more convenient for getting around the city.

Stalls made of wood and cloth lined both sides of the road, and people were busy shopping.

At a glance, many of the vegetables and fruits being sold were similar to those on Earth. But I was surprised to see things like brightly colored apple-like fruits and fish with three heads for sale.

I was also surprised to see chickens and rabbits being sold in burlap sacks, but according to the professor, similar markets exist in modern Europe, so it's not that strange. Seriously...?

What particularly interested the professor was the money being used for transactions.

Apparently, nine types of coins are used in this country. There are three basic types: 'Belka Gold Coins,' 'Belka Silver Coins,' and 'Belka Copper Coins.' And then they are further divided into '10,000,' '5,000,' and '1,000' gold coins; '500,' '100,' and '50' silver coins; and '10,' '5,' and '1' copper coins.

"This is incredible, son-in-law. Not only does this world use a decimal system, but it also has many similarities with modern Japan. Is this, like the fact that monsters have similar appearances and abilities to those in our myths and legends, a result of the collective unconscious in analytical psychology? Or is there another reason? No, the matter of the monsters has not yet been definitively proven, it's just a high probability, so..."

She was saying something with incredible speed, but halfway through, it was all Greek to me.

And on top of that...

'Personally, I'm interested in the coins, but the clothing is also fascinating. It's all just like what you'd see in a fictional work depicting medieval Europe. Linen clothes, cloth or leather shoes. And a wide variety of colors. In the actual Middle Ages, dyes were...'

Aira-san seemed to be spouting some rapid-fire analysis of her own, and the strain on my brain was intense.

For the time being, I kept an eye on our surroundings with Kageyama-san, occasionally nodding in agreement, and grabbing the professor by the scruff of her neck whenever she tried to head down an alleyway saying, 'Let's go check that out too.'

After the market, we went to a church.

Its exterior was, once again, strikingly similar to a European church on Earth. White-painted stone walls, a pointed roof, and a belfry jutting upwards.

The only difference was that instead of a cross, the symbol was a 'staff with a sun and moon decoration on its tip.'

Marui-san told us that it was modeled after the staff of a figure known as the Great Sage, who traveled the world sealing dungeons.

The existing religions were destroyed during the invasion of the Atlantis Empire, and the faith in the gods worshipped by the Atlantis Empire had also faded.

The most worshipped being in this world is the one true Creator God, and the Great Sage is considered to be his messenger.

Incidentally, through the earring, Aira-san began to say, 'Hmm. This looks like a classic case of politics being involved. In response to the Great Sage's actions, the most powerful country or organization at the time probably spun things to their own advantage,' which made my blood run a little cold.

There were people who looked like priests and nuns in the church. People from the town were also coming and going, and I worried about what would happen if they tried to talk to us, knowing we couldn't understand them.

As it was, the priest acted as if we weren't even there, and the nuns occasionally glared at us. We were not welcome, to put it mildly.

"...In this world, entering and exiting dungeons is strictly forbidden. Since we from Japan inevitably come to this side via a dungeon, we are not well-regarded by religious officials..."

Seeing their reactions, Marui-san explained with a wry smile.

I had heard a rough overview of what happened after the collapse of the empire from him in the car on the way here. Considering that, it makes perfect sense to completely seal off the dungeons. In fact, Japan is also looking into whether that's possible.

Still, it's not pleasant to be treated like monsters ourselves.

"We are currently unable to tour the inside of the church, so let's move on to the next facility."

With that, Marui-san led us to our next destination.

The building was located quite a distance from the city center.

In terms of appearance, a saloon from a Western movie would be the closest comparison. It was a two-story wooden building, wide and low. A short flight of stairs led up to a set of saloon doors... the kind that swing both ways.

I could hear the hearty laughter of men from outside the shop. If Marui-san hadn't been guiding us, I would never have approached it.

But in a way, it was a building with which I had a connection.

"Professor Arisugawa, and Yagawa-san. This is the place where the 'adventurers' of this world gather."

As we entered the shop, the smell of oil and alcohol wafted over us.

The floor was made of wooden planks, and there were several round tables lined up. There were no chairs; it seemed people ate and drank standing up.

There were a few men drinking in the middle of the day, and they too turned their gazes towards us. A good number of them were looking at the professor with interest, or with eyes clouded by lust.

From the counter at the back, an old man dressed as a bartender was giving us a sharp look. He was no ordinary old man. I could feel a faint trace of mana from him.

"This is a shop called the 'Adventurer's Tavern.' As the name suggests, it is a tavern where adventurers gather, and also a brokerage that mediates the various requests that come in."

As Marui-san introduced the place with a grand sweep of his arms, I couldn't help but feel my own heart race.

There was no way I wouldn't be excited by a shop that seemed to have come straight out of a fantasy story. It was a familiar sight in games and manga, but seeing it in person was awe-inspiring.

"I have already spoken with the master. So, from him—"

Just as Marui-san said that, I felt a surge of mana from behind me and turned around.

A single woman had pushed open the saloon doors and entered. She had an eye-catching appearance, with light blue hair that reached her waist and red eyes. Her features were also well-proportioned, which made her stand out even more.

She wore a brown leather armor over her torso, but it couldn't hide her good figure. Where a normal person would have ears, her head was covered in light blue fur, and instead, she had dog ears sprouting from the top of her head.

I could also see a tail of the same color behind her waist, so she was probably a beastman.

She had a sword hanging from her waist, so she was likely an adventurer. I don't know if that's equivalent to an Awakened Person in this world, but I could feel more mana from her than from the master.

I stepped aside to avoid getting in her way, but the woman... no, it might be more accurate to call her a girl. She stopped in her tracks, still looking at us.

Her gaze darted back and forth between me and the professor. Sweat began to bead on her white skin, and her eyes were wide open.

The dog ears on top of her head, which had been standing up straight at first, were now flattened against the back of her head.

"Um...?"

Wondering what was wrong with her, I turned to Marui-san for help.

The next moment.

—THUMP!

The dog-eared girl suddenly threw herself onto the floor. Her long hair spread out, and her arms and legs were folded in tightly.

And yet, she was on her back, her stomach exposed to us. It was just like a dog showing its submission.

A silence fell over the tavern, and everyone except the girl froze with their mouths agape.

Uh, what's going on?

'I see.'

In the midst of this situation, a voice that sounded like it understood something came from my earring.

Aira-san must have figured something out. I waited for her next words, clinging to a sliver of hope.

'So, you're cheating on us. You traitor, Kyouta-kun!'

"You're wrong! This is a misunderstanding!"

...Wait, is this disappointing college student doing this on purpose?

I swore to myself that I would make this idiot, who was treating this as someone else's problem and cracking jokes, cry later.