CH 1

“Uu……” 

Feeling a throbbing pain in my head, I groggily opened my eyes.

What appeared in my field of vision was a lot of junk.

I don’t know what’s going on, but I’m lying in a room full of junk.

……wait, huh Wha, what the heck is this 

If I recall… at night, when I was crossing the street at a crosswalk on a corner with poor visibility when I was suddenly hit from the side with a tremendous impact, and I must have hit the guardrail with a hard bang. In my fading consciousness, I could faintly see a panicked-looking young man getting off his motorbike.

“But, but still, why would I be in a place like this ……?”

I sat up and looked around. There was very little light, and the area was dimly lit. The room had only a single round window for light, and no other lights.

Could this be a props room for a play?　There were armors, swords, shields, hatchets, wooden barrels, and a real treasure chest-like looking thing attached with a lock, lying messily all over the place.

In my memory, I thought I was hit by a motorcycle. ……Was that a dream?

Even so, why am I at a place like this?

“……Nn?”

By chance, I caught sight of something shining in the corner of my eye, and picked it up very cautiously. 

“Oh…… wow, is this real? Meh, highly unlikely.”

The source of the shining was a Japanese sword.

Well, it’s probably an imitation sword, but even so, it has a high degree of perfection. It had a navy blue scabbard with a gold string wrapped around it so that it could be worn around the waist. It’s an item that really tickles my chuunibyou spirit.

This is so cool. I wonder where I can buy it. I want one too. 

For now, I’ll try going outside and asking someone. Rather, I need to ask someone where I am anyways. I really don’t know why I’m in this storage room.

With the fake sword in one hand, I open the door of the storeroom. Fortunately, the door was not locked.

But, at that moment. I gasped at the unbelievable sight that came into my eyes.

“The sea ……?” 

–An endless horizon. The deep blue expanse of the ocean glistened like a piece of glass in the sunlight.

As I gazed at the scenery in front of me in astonishment, I suddenly heard an angry voice.

“Aarrgh! Die!”

“!” 

A man lunged at me from my right side as I unconsciously backed away from the angry voice. The man couldn’t stop his momentum and tumbled straight into the storage room.

Immediately after, I heard a metal clanging sound.

I turned to look at the man and saw that he had his head carelessly buried in a random pile of junk and had his eyes rolling.

Sh, should I help him? But didn’t he just tell me to “die” earlier? 

After thinking about it for a while, I gently closed the door of the storage room. I’m afraid he’ll try to attack me again……

“Still, what was that……?”

Once again, I shifted my gaze and looked around me.  To my surprise, I seemed to be on a ship.

And it wasn’t a cruise ship or a cargo ship, but a sailing ship with masts and yards. The floor I was standing on was swaying, and there were no buildings or trees around me. Rather, there was an ocean view as far as the eye could see, with no land in sight. It seemed that we were on a ship traveling in the middle of the ocean. 

But there was something even more surprising.

For some reason, there were battles going on all over the ship. Here and there, men were shouting, brandishing swords and clubs, and splashing blood.

Looking down, I saw that the wooden floor I was standing on was also soaked with dried and blackened blood. I wanted to believe with all my might that it was tomato juice, but the smell of rusty iron in my nose denied it.

“……uh, for now, let’s get out of here.” 

I squeezed the imitation sword in my hand. Even though it was a replica, it was better than nothing to protect myself. I’m glad I brought it.

I put all my strength into the palm that grasped the sword and tried to run away in the direction of fewer people–but.

In my haste to run, I seemed to have stepped in a puddle of blood that was spreading around my feet, and slipped. With that momentum, I slammed into the people ahead of me.

At the same time, I heard the sound of wind cutting above my head. 

I hurriedly looked up to see the man I had crashed into staring at me with a surprised expression.

Forgetting to apologize for bumping into him, I was transfixed by the man in front of me.

He was a handsome man with short red hair and sparkling gold eyes.

He looked to be in his late twenties or early thirties.　His face is well chiseled, and his body is sturdy and masculine.  His height is also at least 30 centimeters (11.81 in) taller than me. 

He was wearing jet-black armor and a purple-lined black cloak over his shoulders.

” You…… Did you help me?”

No, I didn’t mean to do that at all.

And I’m not sure what you mean by “helped”. With what? 

I was puzzled by the situation, when I heard a loud voice behind me.

“Who the fuck are you! You’ve got guts showing up in front of the Great Badrud, the pirate known as “Combo”, don’t you, eeh?!”

“……who am I, you ask?”

P ibbxfv yjmx lc atf vlgfmalbc bo atf jcugs nblmf. 

Ktfgf kjr j kfii-yelia, rabea wjc lc tlr qglwf uijglcu ja wf klat j rmjatlcu fzqgfrrlbc. Pc tlr tjcv, tf kjr mjggslcu j miey atja tjv jc lgbc yjii klat wjcs rqlxfr jaajmtfv ab atf fcv bo atf rtjoa, ktja atfs mjii j wbgclcu rajg (wfvlfnji miey-ilxf kfjqbc).

Wha, what now Just what the hell is happening

“Tsk, what an uppity way to talk to me…… You don’t seem to be a member of the Blackwing Knights judgin’ from your strange appearance. But, now that you have appeared in front of the great me, I ain’t lettin’ you off the hook!”

“The Blackwing Knights?” 

The Blackwing Knights. I’ve heard of that phrase somewhere before, haven’t I?

Rather, it really tickles my chuunibyou spirit! But with a name as cool as that, it’s obviously not a public organization in modern Japanese society, is it ……?　And didn’t this middle-aged man just call himself a “pirate”? Pirates, and a knight order. It’s as if……

When I thought of it, everything about my situation made sense to me.

“Hmm, I see……” 

–In other words, this was a movie shoot.

It seems I’ve accidentally wandered into a movie set.

I don’t know why I’m on a movie set right after being hit by a motorcycle, but …… the only good place to lay an injured person down to sleep nearby might have been in the storage room of this movie set. But the injuries were not as serious as they seemed, and I, who had woken up from my accident, wandered out of the storage room. The tools, weapons, and treasure chests I had just found in the storeroom were all props for a movie.

And now they are probably filming a battle scene. The person who just tried to attack me must have mistaken me for an extra. 

The man wielding the Morning Star in front of me now must have mistaken me for an actor or an extra. I’m sure that the handsome man in the jet-black armor who asked me if I had helped him also misunderstood.

…… No. Maybe they weren’t misunderstanding.

It’s such a well-designed stage set and an uncanny battle scene.

I’m sure that the actors are aware that an outsider was mixed in, but they don’t want to ruin the heated mood of the scene, so they are trying their best to improvise. 

“I see…… I understand the situation. Leave the rest to me.”

I nodded to the handsome man behind me as I finally realized what was going on.

“Hey, didn’t ya hear that, that’s the pirate Badrud!! I don’t know who you are, but don’t do anything reckless……”

Ignoring the nervous voice of the handsome man, I faced the man who had been glaring at me with his morning star in hand. 

“Heh, despite having a cute face, you intend to oppose the great me, boy. You’ve got balls, don’t ya?”

The man smiled wickedly and waved the morning star in his hand. Okay, judging by their reactions, it looks like I’ve made the right move!

Here’s my plan.

(1) I’m going to say a cannon fodder line and stand up to them. 

(2) Get beaten to a pulp.

(3) Leave the scene naturally.

–It’s perfect, no matter how you look at it.

I’m sure that after I’m beaten, the knight behind me will say something like, “Damn, how dare you do that to my friend!”, and deal the finishing blow in a cool way. 

Having decided my course of action, I took the imitation sword I was holding and positioned it with both hands.

“A man with black hair and black eyes, ain’t that a rare sight? Could it be one of the slaves that Zedda guy’s kidnapped?　Fuhehe, if there were such fine specimens, I should’ve had a little taste first.”

But seriously these guys are really good actors, aren’t they? They’re killing it with the adlib. These actors are truly exemplary.

“Fuhehe……so you intend to face the great me with just this one sword. Looks like you really, really wanna die, hmm?” 

“…… Pft.”

“Wha! What’s so funny!”

Ugh, not good. When I was starting to relax, I couldn’t help but laugh. No, rather I felt so impressed with their acting that I couldn’t help but smile.

I messed up. To top it off, I carelessly let out a snort. 

Let’s see here, for now……

“Well? Being able to say such strong words in this situation where you are surrounded by the Blackwing Knights elites…… I thought you had a rather cute side to you, surprisingly.”

“……! Tsk, you’ve got a glib tongue. I’ll cut you into tiny pieces!”

I couldn’t think of anything to say, so I just tried to say something that sounded like a cannon fodder line. However, I was impressed by the actors who could effortlessly respond to my lines. 

I’m really sorry that I, an outsider, got mixed up in this……. When the movie is completed, I will definitely go see it on the first day!

As I made up my mind to do so, a hulking body rushed towards me at breakneck speed. Okay, okay. All I had to do was pretend to be hit by the morning star just before the collision and roll to the ground.

Then, at last, Mr. Badrud was right in front of me. Just as I was about to roll on the ground and act like I’d been beaten up. To my dismay, I accidentally stepped on the hem of my pants.

–By the time I realized what had happened, it was too late. 

My body leaned in a strange way, and the hilt of the imitation sword I was holding went ‘clank!’, sending an uppercut into Mr. Badrud’s jaw.

Then, Mr. Badrud collapsed directly onto the deck.

“…………”

Wha, wha, wha, what am I going to do about this? …… 

My face must be the palest it’s ever been in my life. If you look closely, you can see that Mr. Badrud is foaming at the mouth. Wha, what number was the ambulance again?!

“Wow, you’re amazing.”

A cheerful voice called out to me in a way that seemed out of place behind my panicked back.

I turned around fearfully to see the red-haired handsome man from earlier standing there. 

I was expecting him to angrily scold me, ‘What are you doing to my actor?!’, but he just lightly smiled at me with admiration.

“Thanks to you, the hunt for the bounty head went without a hitch. Thanks a lot.

I’m Gazelle Listini, Commander of the Blackwing Knights.”

The masculine-looking man introduced himself while smiling and flashing his white teeth. 

…I don’t know, but I’ve definitely heard that name somewhere. Where was it from again? I feel like I heard it somewhere from a game I recently played……or something like that.

Anyways, did he just say he was the commander of the Blackwing Knights?

“I’m …… Takumi. So you were the commander of the Blackwing Knights? Then I’ve done something unnecessary. Sorry about that.”

If I mention my Japanese surname, it might ruin the atmosphere of the movie, so I’ll just introduce myself with my first name. 

Anyway, the Commander of the Blackwing Knights is obviously a major character in the movie, judging from his name!

The glorious battle scene of such an actor was ruined by my careless intrusion. Oh man, I want to die. I should have just stayed quiet and not intervened!

“No, thanks to you, the battle didn’t drag on too long. To be honest, due to Badrud’s schemes, I was getting singled out alone, the situation was disadvantageous.

Just as Gazelle finished, a yell that sounded like a cheer could be heard from a short distance away. 

“That’s a cry of triumph. The other end seems to have also settled the score. Well, the only real trouble was Badrud.”

Gazelle grinned and nudged me lightly on the shoulder.

“Let’s talk it out slowly over there, shall we? From what it looks like, you seem to have a few things going on, yeah?”

……cry of triumph? Things going on? 

Somehow, I feel like me and Mr. Gazelle are not on the same page…… Huh?

◆

The first floor of the inn, lined with wooden desks and round chairs. In the daytime, it was a dining room, but now the tables were crammed with drinks and food. Perhaps it was because it was an inn in a port town, but even though it was some distance from the sea, the building was filled with the faint scent of sea salt. There were a number of lamps lit inside the store, and although it was dimly lit, the other person’s face and figure could be seen clearly.

The people renting out the inn tonight are the elite members of the Blackwing Knights, who have taken off their armor and changed into rough shirts and pants. 

These strong and robust men held golden ale in their hands and raised their cups to me in the center of the room.

“–Takumi! Welcome to the brotherhood of the Blackwing Knight Order!”

Following the voice of Gazelle, the leader of the order, the members of the order cheered loudly.

And then, everyone, along with their friends around them, clinked their glasses together and started drinking ale as if they were slurping it up. 

The members of the group smiled at me and toasted me one after the other, which I had to rush to respond to and greet them.

……Yeah. This is not a movie shoot, no matter how you look at it.

“Thanks, Mr. Gazelle.”

“Of course. Come on, drink up. You’re the star of the show today.” 

With a wry smile, I accepted the glass from Mr. Gazelle.

I knew there was something strange about it……!

I mean, Gazelle just ignored the fallen Mr. Badrud and declared, “We’re having a feast tonight. There is a rare guest here as well, it looks like it’s going to be a fun night. When I was swept along by the ambiance and followed behind the group of strong men in jet-black armor, a group of pirate-like men tied up and bleeding were on the deck!

And while I was still feeling startled, the ship I was on and the ship that was docked nearby both started moving together, and the destination was a port that was clearly not a movie set! 

In the meantime, Gazelle said to me, “Takumi, come to our lodging, we have some things we wanna ask,” and took me to a place that looked like an inn…… Just when I thought the day had ended, a feast started!

I mean, if I remember correctly, I didn’t see any video camera or filming crew anywhere in the first place!

I should have realized it earlier! No matter how you think of it, this isn’t Japan, or even a foreign country, for that matter! The sea and the ships are too real for a movie set! I mean, it’s real!

And above all! 

“The Order of the Blackwing” and “Gazelle Listini, Commander of the Order of the Blackwing.”

–I should have realized it sooner with those two phrases.

I’m in the world of the RPG fantasy game that was released last year, which I completed my fifth playthrough last month, “Change the World”.

No, no, no. Calm down, myself…… 

We can’t be certain that this is actually the game world!

That’s right. There’s also the possibility that we’re indeed in a foreign country and it just so happens that a person has the same first and last name as a character in the game, right? Yeah, let’s bet on that possibility.

“Hey, Mr. Gazelle.”

“What? I mean, you don’t have to call me “Mr”. I get ticklish when people call me by that sort of honorific. 

“But……”

“It’s alright, Takumi. Commander Gazelle just doesn’t like it when you address him as a stranger. Oh, and if you don’t mind, please feel free to call me Felix if you like.

The one who said that to me was Felix, who was sitting to my right. His full name is Felix Vonz Alpharetta.

His hair is as smooth as gold thread, and his eyes are a deep purple reminiscent of amethyst. And with his white skin, straight nose, and thin, well-shaped lips, he looks like a prince from a fairy tale. 

A light-hearted laugh sounded to my left as I admired Felix’s good looks.

“Yeah, Takumi! You don’t need to bother calling this huge, uncouth man by an honorific title! You can call him Pochi or Colo.

“Iris, you’re getting a pay cut this month.

“Oh my, abuse of authority? That’s so scary. Hey Takumi, Commander Gazelle is bullying me~.” 

“Iris. Come on, don’t embarrass Takumi too much.”

The source of the sound of laughter, Iris, is a man with reddish-purple hair that reaches almost to his shoulders and with eyes red like garnets.

Despite his flamboyant tone and coquettish leaning posture while joking around with me, I could tell that he was well trained even with his clothes on.

Rather, everyone in this order is rather tall and strong. I really don’t want to line up next to them…… 

“So, Takumi? I’m sure you had some questions you wanted to ask me.”

Oh, right.

The conversation got sidetracked a bit, but I need to ask Gazelle something important!

“Gazelle. I know this is a strange thing to ask, but…… what is this country called?” 

In a bustling tavern. I’m sitting at a table in the middle, with the Commander of the Blackwing Knights, Mr. Gazelle, ……or rather Gazelle, sitting in front of me. To my right is Felix, the Vice Commander, and to my left is Iris, the Knight Order’s strategist.

I inquired Gazelle who was sitting in front of me, and he opened his mouth with a mysterious expression on his face.

“……it’s a strange question for sure, yeah. This is the Litzheim Magic Kingdom.”

–Yeah. My life is over. 

Oh my god……

Litzheim Magic Kingdom, plus the Blackwing Knight Order. It’s basically confirmed now.

“Change the World” is the name of a famous RPG game released by a certain game company.

The story is based in an orthodox fantasy RPG, and the protagonist’s gender can be selected as either male or female. I played as the male character aiming for an ending with a female character. 

The story begins about 300 years ago, when the Litzheim Magic Kingdom had not even been born.

At that time, this continent was ruled by a powerful king of the demon race. He was called the Demon King, but he was overconfident in his power and oppressed his people. In order to rebel against his rule, humans, elves, dwarves, and beastmen united to form a coalition army. The Demon King’s army was defeated by the allied forces, and the Demon King himself was defeated by the leader of the allied forces, the hero.

However, the hero could not completely destroy the Demon King, and only placed a seal on him for three hundred years.

The year in which the game begins is the 300th year of that seal…… The number of monsters in various places increases and they start to run rampant. 

The royal family of the Litzheim Magic Kingdom, fearing that this might be a sign of the demon king’s resurrection, perform a ritual of summoning a hero using secret ancient arts, and call upon a hero from modern Japan who is an ordinary student……

Seriously? It’s one thing to travel to a game world, but why “Change the World”? Why this unstable game full of death flags? Aren’t there more normal school life games, creativity games, games with a calmer environment?

“……Takumi. You don’t even know the name of this country? Rather, why were you aboard Badrud’s ship in the first place? Though I’ve been told by the Commander that you were asked to join the fight.”

Iris stared at me with a questioning look on his face. 

Oh shoot, of course. I’d also be surprised if someone suddenly asked me, “Um, what country am I in now?”

I had asked without thinking, now what should I do?

Gazelle, who was sitting in front of me, peered into my face as I struggled to think of an excuse.

“Right, why were you on that ship?” 

“The Commander didn’t know either?!”

Gazelle’s remark elicited a collective grunt from the group members around him, but he didn’t seem to mind.

“Hey, Takumi. What’s wrong?”

Oops, my bad. I was distracted by the slightly amusing simultaneous ridicule directed at Gazelle. 

“Well…… I don’t know why I was on that ship either. When I woke up, I just found myself in that storage room.”

Hmmm… I guess that doesn’t really answer anything!

Maybe I should add something? But I don’t know why I came to the world of “Change the World” myself, so I can’t really explain it……

In response to my explanation, the knights around me began to whisper in unison. 

Gazelle was staring at me with a grim look on his face.

What? Huh? Was my story that difficult to understand?

Ah. Maybe he thinks I’m a suspicious person

I mean, it’s true that if you just somehow found yourself in a ship’s warehouse when you came to, you must be quite a questionable person. 

Rather, that makes me an illegal immigrant, doesn’t it?!

“……I see. Well, that must have been terrible.”

Gazelle said in a sincere manner as I was in a panic over what to do. After hearing that, the surrounding people also came to a realization and fell silent.

Oh……Wow. This is what they call charisma. 

While I was feeling moved by myself, Gazelle continued the conversation.

“Alright. I’ll take you to the royal capital while I’m on my way back, since you seem to be in trouble. You might be able to find out something once you get to the royal capital, and even if you don’t, you can at least find a job.”

“……is that okay?”

“It’s not that big of a deal. A knight exists to serve his people, so they say.” 

Saying that, Gazelle revealed a toothy grin and ruffled my head.

Oh, oh

Hash: Was tempted to translate 蓮撃 as “Flying Fists” to give off the imagery as intended, but Combo was more accurate and seemed to work. 

The names in the illustration are, from right to left: Felix, Gazelle, Takumi, Orthoran, and Iris