CH 2

December 15, 2022

A meadow stretched out in front of me. The grass was up to my waist. 

A breeze, which could be described as light, was somewhat stronger than the wind in my face. It rippled the grass of the meadow that stretched across the field of vision. it reflected the sunlight and the shadows moved as the wind rippled the meadow. The scene is like a sea of green.

Human conversation, murmurs and moans are nowhere to be heard. All that can be heard is the sound of the wind and the grass playing in the wind.

The people who shared the strange experience a few minutes ago are gone. Of course, Hiiragi-chan is also gone.

I was thrown into a grassy field wearing a suit.

The suit is tight. making it hard to move.

Looking down at my feet, my shin is bare.

Has the suit shrunk? No, it looks different. Have I grown? It seems reasonable to think so.

Do I grow taller? I also feel tighter around the chest and shoulders. Are the shoulders and chest muscles wider, but also the musculature in general?

Look at my hands. They are clearly different from my own hands, which I had before. They are large and powerful-looking hands.

My appearance has changed!

I hastily reach into the breast pocket of my suit. There it is. It's a smartphone. The phone I had just bought last month was still there.

The goddess is probably right that it is a different world. The phone is out of coverage, so communication and calls are not possible, but other functions can be used.

I take pictures of myself from various angles: face and full body.

The man in the photo is a stranger.

No, ...... is a lie. He was exactly as I had imagined him during the process of creating the character.

Dark brown hair and brown eyes, his appearance is based on that of a westerner, with a slight oriental mix.

Oh, I'm a beauty, aren't I?

There is not a trace of a smile. there is a reflective air.

They're pretty spread out - are we going to have to use this?

The keeper bag is small compared to the number of equipment and tools that are in there.

As soon as we're here, are we forced to choose?

Save another world.

Conquer the dungeon.

That's what you said. By asking people to do things for you, you're forcing them to go into hard mode.

Are the others around?

If possible, I'd like to meet with the earthlings - the ones I mentioned earlier - as soon as possible to discuss and cooperate.

My mind wanders back to the girls in men's underwear and T-shirts who were being watched by a group of girls.

Did they bring them in those outfits? If they were in a meadow or in the woods, maybe it's okay, but if they were in the city. if they were in the city. I'm a little, no, I'm terribly curious.

No, this is not the time to worry about others. Now it's about me.

Is it this other world?

The goddess from before, ......, right?　According to the "goddess" explanation, we have been moved to another world.

I think VRMMO was a way to get the candidates.

We fell for it and were brought in without understanding why. ...... Also, we were scattered.

The sun is high, maybe around noon. 　

To the east, the meadows stretch endlessly and the mountain range is visible in the distance. The west side is the same.

To the north there is also an expanse of meadows, but is there a road a few miles ahead? You can see what looks like a road stretching from east to west.

If you say it's a different world, it doesn't feel that way. It is a landscape that would be believable if it were said to be from a foreign country. At least in the Japan I know, there is no such place.

I have no choice. I guess I'll have to hit the road and look for someone.

Another option, is to stay here and spend a few months in the forest and strengthen myself with thieving skills.----

◇

◆

◇

---- With all the preparations done and my gear ready, I decided to head north.

Yes, it's a light load, but wearing leather armor and a sword and carrying a saddlebag on your head really makes you feel like you're in a different world. ( for those who do not know what saddlebag is, here is a picture of it )

The first thing that surprised me was this bag on my head.

It is what is known as a magic bag and its storage capacity is not what it seems. I stored about five times as much as it looked, but there was still room left over.

Next, the equipment.

The gray base color with borders and patterns? The black leather light armor, gauntlets, gaiters and boots.

I found no helmets of any kind. 

Armament includes a long sword and half a dozen-about five-of throwing knives. The rest of the spare long swords, daggers and throwing knives were stuffed into the head pouch, along with a leather shield, a buckler.

I also tossed my clothes and belongings when I was thrown in here - my phone, watch and birettas - into the magica bag.

Now it's ready. When I'm ready to move on, I look again at the letter in the bag.

This letter - why didn't I notice this letter before? I am overcome with a feeling of intense regret.

Ooooh, I want to die. My face burns when I remember what I just did.

Luckily there were no witnesses.

I can't stop thinking about my appearance and the lines from before. 

I didn't have a choice. I didn't know how to value, hide or use my skills.

Let's forget the dark past and look to a brighter future.

The assessment confirmed the skills I possessed and their effects, or at least an overview of them.

I was unable to confirm the kind of parameters usually referred to. In the first place, there may be no such thing.

I kept walking on the plains I was sent to this world 24 hours ago, right?　Maybe it's because I'm nervous, but I'm not sleepy at all.

Although I'm wearing light clothes, the gear and bag are quite heavy. This doesn't feel like a burden either and I don't feel tired.

Hmm?

Did I see something move out of the corner of my eye?

When we were about a kilometer down the road, I saw a carriage going along the west side of the road.  Okay, at this distance, if I hurry a little, I can make it in time.

at that time.

What the heck!

Just as I was about to pick up speed, I felt something move behind me.

I hurriedly turn around and unsheathe my sword. It wasn't written in the letter that this place was safe. If the world is like in the game, there could be demons.

A cold sweat breaks out.

Fear and tension try to take over my thoughts and my whole body. I force myself to bend my fear by putting strength into the hand that holds the sword.

With the sword in my right hand and my bag in my left hand as a shield, I look around me.

But nothing seems to have changed. Is it my imagination?　I slowly walk away from the place without being alert.

Kuku Kuku.

--?

Just as I was about to run into the street, I heard a young girl's laughter.

A girl's voice? And you say it's laughter? Is it an auditory hallucination?

Ha.

Again. It's a young or childish voice. It's not a hallucination. I've definitely heard it.

There are demons that sound like a baby's cry. Not surprisingly, there are demons that laugh in a child's voice.

I'm a kilometer away from the road. Without losing sight of my surroundings, I measure the distance to the road.

The next moment, I was running towards the road.

◇ ◇

I don't remember exactly what happened along the way.

I must have fallen and spun around, by the time I reached the carriage I had scrapes and bruises all over my body.

"Please help me."

Half teary-eyed, he asked for help from the people riding in the carriage, and was greeted with swords and spears.

◇ ◇

"Sorry, bro."

Gahahahahaha," he says laughing loudly and slapping me on the back. I cough with all the strength I have.

No, I was surprised. I thought a young madman with a drawn sword had attacked this merchant.'

The guards didn't seem to take offense and were mocking the people.

It was lunchtime and they invited me to lunch after capturing me.

"But I can't believe you mistook fairies for demons and came running here in a hurry!"

Laughter echoed around us.

"But it's not every day you're lucky enough to be favored by a wild fairy."

"Yes, you have the blessing of the fairies. I envy you."

Apparently, like the protagonist of a novel, I've been lucky from the start.

They say it's great luck that a wild fairy likes you and wins you over on your first meeting.

And a fairy blessing? What is it? It sounds very nice. I'll check it out later with an appraiser.

But the luckiest thing of all is that the people I asked for help without thinking about it were good people.

"I'm Marielle, nice to meet you ."

As I endure being laughed at, grateful for my good fortune, the fairy who had followed me whispers in my ear.

"Huh? Nice to meet you. "

I turn around in response to the soft voice and see a fairy floating in the air, smiling innocently.

'I like you, so I followed you . I'll give you a proper greeting too, ehehehehe' .

She came close to my face and looked at me as if spying me with her eyes upwards.

'What do you mean you're following me, what are you talking about, this beautiful girl?

Yes, she's a beautiful girl.  She's got shoulder-length blonde hair cut short. She may be small, but she's a beautiful girl. And she's got wings like a bee.

She's a beautiful girl, but this size is impossible.

Thirty centimeters. Well, maybe that's a normal size for a fairy.

"No, that's not right. I told you, I just came in from the country and I don't know anything. Following a man like that will only make you unhappy'.

Address the fairies with your whole body, not just your neck. I tried to convey my message in a slow and soft tone, as if talking to a small child.

The fairy smiles at my words.

"Status, open."

She's screaming in the air, posing as a kind of squadron. That's it. ......

"On my command, fire on the enemy!"

He extends a hand forward and says something at an angle. I remember it, I remember it, I remember it. ......

"Away with the darkness."

"Okay, I'll take you. I'll come with you. No, come with me."

I gently covered Marielle's mouth by wrapping my hands around it as she posed and delivered her lines as if she were acting.

I didn't want to keep being reminded of my previous image so I decided to fulfill Marielle's wish.

"Well, , she's a beautiful girl."

"But you must be very rural to have never seen a fairy before."

"The first time you see a fairy, you must be very rural," said a stern looking guard in his forties with a large hatchet resting on his leg.

"Yes, it's a place called Earth, do you know it?"

I smile warmly and tell the truth. The idea was that, instead of making up strange stories, it was better to blur the facts so that later there would be no misunderstandings.

Now that you mention it, fairies are quite common. At least in the cities, they seem to live normally.

"Chikyu? You don't know, do you? "

He ponders a bit, with a look that seems to pull up memories.

"Well, that's good, where are you headed brother?"

Another escort asks from the side with a friendly expression and tone.

He was young. Still in your twenties , aren't you? He doesn't seem to be that different from me.

"I don't have a specific job in mind, but I'm looking for work'."

"The most important thing to remember is that you're not a child."

"What are you good at, Mr. Michinaga?"

The one who asked me in a polite and mercantile tone, just like his suave appearance, was Dawn-san, the leader of this merchant troop.

What can you do?　I feel nervous or not human when I'm not asked, "What are you good at?"

"What am I good at?"

I reply as I heal the abrasions and bruises on my body with light magic.

"I can use a little magic."

People around me shouted exclaiming, 'Oh!' People around me shouted, 'Oh!

Huh?　There are fewer voices of surprise than expected. Light magic is no big deal? Wasn't it supposed to be a pretty rare magic in the game?

"Bro, it's awesome. If you can use light magic, you can eat with it. "

"Well, if you can use that much light magic, I guess you can manage to be a healer in the city or near the dungeon'."

One of the guards and Dawn-san alluded to the great demand for healers.

"Is that so?　Thank you for all the information you have provided. And ...... well, I'm sorry, but may I accompany you into town?".

I thought it was a bit cheeky, but I jumped in and said.

" Yes, that's fine. In return, I'd like to say this, but please help me with some chores for the next two days on the way to Thor's city."

He nodded broadly with a good-natured smile and held up the two fingers of his right hand - the index and middle fingers - so I could see them.

"First time I get , a new job. I'm looking forward to working with you."

I stood up and bowed involuntarily to Mr. Dawn, who accepted me good-naturedly.

◇ ◇

On the way to Thor's city, I would engage in small talk and acquire knowledge without any unusual surprises.

He is a charming man and talks a lot to acquire knowledge. Perhaps that is why he is considered a "kind and polite brother" by those around him.

The city of Thor is quite large in this area, with just under 40,000 inhabitants. About 10,000 of them are said to be scouts.

The guards here are also scouts and are registered as such in the neighboring city of Garon.

I knew they were there, scouts. It's just like in the game.

Huh? Has the carriage slowed down?　No, it seems to stop. I didn't hear it rest here. What's the matter?

"The carriage has stopped, hasn't it?"

Yes, I'll ask around.

I pull Marielle, who was playing with my hair, and move her around the back of the carriage toward the governor's seat.

"What is it, sir, is something wrong?"

I check the two carriages in front of me in the Guru's field of vision as I ask him.

Doesn't there seem to be any trouble?　No, a tree has fallen in front of the chariot. is that why? 

"Be careful, and keep your sword with you. They could be bandits or intelligent demons. "

As soon as I got off the carriage to help him move the fallen tree away, the guard at the end of the line warned me.

"I understand. Thank you very much. Marielle, stay in the carriage.'

I stopped Marielle, who was about to follow me, and equipped with a sword and shield, I headed for the head carriage.

The escort from before asks me to be careful with the bow and arrow.

I immediately expressed my understanding.

But how can I be careful with the archers?

As I approach, I clearly see the nervous faces of the guards.

The escorts seem to give priority to guarding the surroundings, leaving the fallen tree untouched.

I will help you clean up the fallen trees.

I offer my help to the guards near the lead wagon.

Sorry. and Thank you, sir. Ivan, Helmut and Milan. and my brother with light magic, you and the others will help clean up the fallen trees. The rest of you keep guarding the perimeter."

Enos, the convoy leader, gives the order.

Is he a bandit or an intelligent demon? Goblins or orcs?　That's the rule, isn't it?

Can this team win?　Both merchants and guards are nervous but somewhat calm. I think we can win. At least the odds are much better than if I were to face them alone.

I wonder if you'll come out, demon. [Skill Robbery Type A] From what I've assessed, I've found it the most useful. I want to use this one.

I'm not sure if it's a good idea to use it, but it's a good idea if you can get a little stronger before you get to the city.

"Here they come! Goblins. There's an archer. look out! Leave the fallen trees where they are for the moment, and take up interception positions!"

Enos-san gave the order again.