Book 1: Chapter 2 (3)

It seems that after I moved and made my shelves, I fell asleep arranging my figures, thin books and manga.

But did I always have this amazing pillow?

It was soft and warm. It felt really comfortable.

It smelled kind of bad, kind of like pee, but it was still really, really comfortable……

「Eek! It’s not a pillow! It’s the female knight’s lap!」

I jumped up and looked down. The female knight had woken up.

It wasn’t a dream or anything. I really did carry a female knight from a dungeon. And after relaxing I just fell asleep like that.

What’s more I did it on the female knight’s lap.

It’s probably for her to move around more easily but they really shouldn’t discriminate against thighs and cover it up more!

「S-s-s-s-sorry. I just accidentally fell asleep.」

「I-it’s alright. I get it. I apologise as well, for waking you up even though you were sleeping so comfortably.」

It seemed that she wasn’t angry. And she didn’t have any weird misunderstandings……

「You were lying on me so I called out to you even though I thought it would be slightly rude. But I can understand how Mr. Wise Sage would be sleepy in such a comfortable place to sleep in. 」

She’s having some weird misunderstanding.

What did she mean by wise sage?

And was she referring to the tatami or her lap when she was talking about the comfortable place to sleep in?

「N-no I’m not a wise sage or anything. Although it’s much better than being mistaken for a goblin.」

「Aaah, I’m so sorry. I was unable to see your face, wise sage. Moreover, you were speaking in monster language, so as rude as this is, I thought that you were a goblin」

「Hm? Monster language?」

「Yes. You are speaking it right now, am I wrong?」

Ok. I immediately understood what was happening. In other words, based on the female knight’s understanding……. or rather, the dungeon world’s understanding, Japanese was the same as Monster language.

No wonder she mistook me for a goblin.

And now she was mistaking me for a wise sage.

「But I’m also not a wise sage」

「A-am I mistaken? But you were able to create such a mysterious place to live in, so deep in the dungeon. I was sure you were a retired wise sage.」

I see. So that’s her explanation.

Judging from her protective equipment, like her shield and armor, the world on the dungeon side probably had technology equivalent to what we had in the Medieval Ages.

Protective equipment in the modern world would probably be something like bullet proof vests made of Kevlar fibre.

I probably isn’t that strange for her to think that this room was made by a great sage, seeing as this room in Japan was filled with modern conveniences.

「The floor is of perfect hardness. I could probably sleep anywhere on this. It really is amazing. Not only that…….it gives off a nice smell. Ah…….I want to sleep on it forever」

…….The female knight caressed the tatami in fascination. It seemed that out of the modern conveniences in the room, she had taken a liking to the tatami. Rather than a modern convenience, it was more of a traditional Japanese handicraft.

Don’t get me wrong. I loved the smell of new tatami too.

「And there are so many of those elaborately made dolls. There are some who are holding swords as well. They come across as more magical ones to me but……are you really not a wise sage?」

「Noーwise sage! I am a wise sage! Of course the dolls are magical. They’re not anything suspicious at all! Ahahahaha!」

「Y-you’re right. Actually, I was slightly worried that you were, as the humans nicknamed, the wizard of darkness. Your dolls seemed kind of…….um…….half naked and all…….」

「Not at all, not at all. After all, I’m a wise sage who fights for justice!」

As I tried to play it off, the female knight gave me a beaming smile.

「You’re right. You carried me all the way here and saved my life. Thank you so much.」

O-oh no. That smile……

Ever since I quit university, I had not properly talked to a woman, other than the short interaction I had with them during my part-time job.

The female knight’s smile shone brightly, like she was an angel who had descended from heaven.

…….Although, she was still lying on the tatami and she still wasn’t moving. After I jumped up, I was still looking down at her.

「By the way, why are you still lying down?」

「It seems that I was struck with some strong paralysing poison in the dungeon just now……but I think I should be able to move in a while. 」

I see. I had thought it was something like that, but I guess I was right.

「If you had not helped me just now, I would have probably been dead by now. Wise sage, I owe you my life. I’ll do anything to pay you back!」

「What!? You’ll do anything!?」

Does that mean she’ll do something like what g-goblins do? No! What are you thinking about Tooru?!

Your grandmother’s going to be disappointed in you!

「Yes! Although I might not look like it, I am still a knight!」

I mean, I can tell just by looking. Of course knights possess a strong sense of duty and have great market value. It probably was the same in the other world.

「Although I’m an ex-knight……」

Ah, she’s an ex-knight. I see. So does that mean her sense of duty wasn’t as strong?

「I appreciate the thought, but you can just forget about it」

Although I did risk my life to save her in a dungeon where monsters may or may not have appeared, in the end, nothing happened and I was completely unscathed.

Still lying down, she puffed up her chest.

「No, as an ex-knight, I will not forget your kindness for as long as I live!」

Did she just say that she wouldn’t forget, as long as she lived?

Kindness she won’t forget as long as she lived……she’ll do anything…….

I was happy that such a beautiful person said those things to me. I felt like I really lucked out but…….. Was it really alright for this female knight to promise these things to a person whose name she didn’t even know?

She gave me a smile, as if she didn’t have a single worry or doubt in her mind. Maybe she just had a personality where she didn’t doubt other’s goodwill.

「We still don’t know each other’s names」

I unconsciously let those words out.

「I-I-I apologise. That was rude of me. My name is Aria Eldlux.」

「Miss Aria, Eldlux? That’s quite a tough name, isn’t it?」

「You can just casually call my Ria」

Even if you tell me to call you casually…….

It was pretty hard to call such a beautiful person by their given name. I barely had any memory of that, other than Sacchan. Thinking about it, that was also a nickname. There was no way I called her Sachiko.

Ria looked like she was trying to move her upper body. It seemed that she was able to sit up now.

「Haa…….it seems that most of the paralysis poison has disappeared.」

「Is that so? That’s good.」

「By the way, would you like to tell me your respected name, wise sage?」

「Respected name? Oh you mean my name? It’s Suzu」

It’s Suzuki Tooru. Is what I was about to say, but I stopped halfway.

Her name was Aria Eldlux. In comparison, a name like Suzuki just seemed so incompatible.

I apologise to all the Suzuki’s in Japan.

「My name is Tooru, I mean, Thor」

「Sir Thor. What a nice name」

I definitely didn’t want a female calling me by my given name.

No, that’s a lie. I wanted her to call my name.

I apologise again to all the Suzuki’s in Japan.

「But at any rate, Sir Thor, you appear rather young for a wise sage who has developed so many artifacts, are you not?」

「What? Arti-?」

Ah. I didn’t really understand what she was suddenly saying, since we were in the real world, but that’s the thing that often comes up in the games and light novels I often dabble in.

In other words, she was talking about the magic items created by magicians.

If someone from the Medieval Ages saw this room, they would probably also think that it was filled with artifacts too.

However, the topic wasn’t about the artifacts.

We were talking about how young I was, despite being a wise sage living in secret in the depths of a dungeon.

I had to cook up a story for her, before her angelic, blank expression turned into one of suspicious fear.