chapter 26

After getting familiar with the place yesterday, I walked around the low-cla.s.s district for around ten minutes as I casually looked for a place to stay . I tried asking if there were rooms available and right now, I’m currently being given a tour of the place by the landlady .

「For the time being, I’ll try checking out other places」

After I said that, I went out to check other places .

You can find buildings with signs that say 『Rooms Available』 written in cheap looking wooden planks all around . So there are things like these in this world too . In my previous life, you could often find places with signboards that say 『Currently accepting tenants』 placed on gates and fences .

After looking around for a bit, I went back to the place that I liked the most .

「What is it? You’re here again?」

This young1 cat-eared woman who speaks indifferently left quite an impression . Although I say that, I’m not aiming for the landlady okay?

「Yep . After checking out other places, I think this place is good」

「……Is that so?」

Her ears started pressing against her head . I wonder if that means she glad . I can’t really tell with her tail since it’s under her skirt so I can’t see it .

The monthly cost for this place is 3 silver and 6 large copper . It’s a bit expensive compared to the average market price but I guess it’s reasonable since the rooms are quite clean, for an establishment at the low-cla.s.s district that is . The main reason why I picked this place though is the fact that their common garbage disposal area was pretty clean . They have shared cleaning tools as well .

「Want to move in immediately?」

「Yes . Please treat me well」

「Then, the next payment would be thirty days from now . Here’s the key」

I paid the rent and received the key so I immediately went inside .

It is as what you would expect of medieval Europe styled buildings, even the insides look authentic . The room had a small fireplace . A wooden frame bed was right next to the wall and a small round table and a chair was placed at the center . It also had a tiny closet, a simple shelf and a single lamp hanging from the ceiling . Only the looks are the same though since there was almost nothing inside……

By the way, the whole building was made out of bricks . It had two floors and a total of eight rooms . My room was the third one on the first floor and the landlady occupied the first room . As she left, she told me,

「Call me if anything comes up」

Incidentally, my current room was bigger than the one I had in my previous life .

There are common toilets and a kitchen but the building doesn’t have its own baths . There’s a bathhouse nearby though . That should have been quite obvious that it wouldn’t have its own baths since this world lacks technological advancement but, oh well, I guess I’ll just have to get used to it .

When I traced my finger across the table, the amount of dust started changing its color . I guess I should do some cleaning first . Hey landlady, you should at least ventilate the room and do a bit of cleaning whenever there’s no one occupying it you know?

Here are the things that I’ll need to buy later .

・A futon set

・Lamp oil

・daily essentials

・gifts to give to my neighbors when I do my greetings

That’s all I guess . To be honest, I don’t know if there’s a custom in this world where they give gifts when doing greetings after moving in but there’s no harm in doing it . It’s important to have a harmonious relationship with the neighbors after all . I wonder if these are just my feelings as a former j.a.panese person .

Aaー that just reminded me of how much I want to eat soba . Buckwheat actually exists in this world but the problem is that I don’t have the noodle soup base so I won’t be able to eat it even if I make the noodles . I don’t even know how to make the soup base in the first place . How do you make it?

A cheap towel and soap would probably be good enough as a gift to my neighbors . I can only think of those things when it comes to commodities that are frequently used in this world .

When I returned to the inn, I said .

「Ahー I’ve already found one」

Then I gave payment for two days worth of stay .

「You’ve only stayed for one day, right? I wouldn’t have said anything even if you left your luggage in your room until close to noon you know . You’re going to have a lot of expenses so even though it’s just a bit, you should save it」

I was told that so I just did what she said and paid for only one day’s stay then gathered my luggage and went back to the apartment . It’s just dust but I should still get rid of it before going out to do my shopping . To do that, I used wind magic to blow it off all off . I was actually raising both my hands forward while laughing loudly as I used my magic but I wasn’t sure whether or not my neighbors were around so I just finished my task quietly .

This guy who’s an old man close to a forty inside is acting like a kid, you say? That’s right . No matter what age, men would always be a child at heart! Wahahahahahaha!

Now that I think about it, I’ve found simple cuisines from Earth but I haven’t seen any mattresses in this word . With their current technology here, it would just be something like a spring mattress though . That doesn’t mean that I’m looking to buy a mattress . I won’t feel uncomfortable sleeping in a wooden frame bed since I had a tatami style bed in my previous life .

After eating the daily special at the restaurant I visited yesterday, I finally started doing my shopping .

While in the middle of shopping, I thought . 『Futons sure are expensive』

The shop wasn’t that expensive, it was just how it was normally priced . It’s probably because there are no synthetic fibers in this world so they have to use cotton and wool which doesn’t have a stable supply . Well, there’s no use complaining about it so I just bought it and went home .

When I arrived, I got a worn out cloth, grasped it firmly in my hand and used water magic in order to make it wet . Then, I started wiping the bed so that I could put the futon and other things I bought on it . The filthy water would go into the gutter near the well . I wonder if they have sewers here as well .

Since I’ve already finished cleaning, I started laying out the futon and put my crowbar, machete, and tableware on the shelf . After placing my clothes inside the closet and leaning the shovel against the wall, everything was more or less in place . I was able to move in this quickly since I only had a few things . I don’t have a TV or a PC and I didn’t need to transport my own bed and tableware from the village . Well, I had to spend a lot though but those were necessary expenses so it’s all good .

The only issue now is my neighbors . I don’t hear any sounds from their rooms and I can’t feel their presence either . From what the landlady said, all of the rooms have been filled after I moved in so I’m sure that there are people living there . I’ll just have to wait until evening I guess .

Since I finished moving in early, I’ve started talking to myself again . I guess I should go register at the guild and buy ingredients for dinner .

When I entered the guild, I went to the same rabbit-eared receptionist onee-san from two years ago .

「h.e.l.loー . I want to register to the guild so please guide me through the process」

「Yes, understood . Would a full explanation be necessary?」

「No need . I already heard it two years ago but please inform me if there were any changes to it」

Her eyes looked at the upper right like she’s trying to remember something .

「No . there were no particular changes to it . Well then, these are the doc.u.ments that need to be filled up」

Full Name: Caam

Special skill: Able to use convenient magic

○Vanguard ○Rear Guard2 Useable magic attributes:

Fire・Water・Earth・Wind・Light・Dark・etc .

Remarks:

Craftsmanship: somewhat capable of making handicrafts

Good at throwing . Is pretty accurate if the target is around thirty paces away .

That’s all I guess . Regarding my full name…… I only have a first name so it really can’t be helped . Do I need to have a surname? If it’s n.o.bles then they probably have those . Actually, it seems like Mir has a really long last name . I don’t know what it is though . Well, whatever . As for the throwing part in the remarks area, I settled for the number of steps since I didn’t know if they have something like the metric system in this world .

「Would this be alright?」

After briefly checking on it, she said .

「Yes, it’s alright . Could you tell me the reason why you checked both vanguard and rear guard? It’s also amazing how you are able to use all of the attributes, but what does your special skill and this “etc . ” in your magic attributes mean?」

「I was a.s.signed as a vanguard during subjugations back in my village but since I can use magic, I checked rear guard as well . You could say that I’m a jack of all trades . With regards to “etc . ”, I just put that there since I don’t know how to cla.s.sify creating hot water or a warm breeze by combining several of the attributes together . I can do it right now to show you」

I actually did it in front of her to show her . I created a water ball with warm water and let out warm air from my hands . When she touched the water ball, I heard her say in a small voice,

「Ah, it’s just right」

Then, she dried her hands using the warm air .

「…you’re really skillful, aren’t you? I certainly haven’t seen something like that anywhere」

「Is that so? Well, I was just able to do it . 」

She started writing something on the doc.u.ments . At the remarks area, she wrote, “Able to use compound magic” with a pretty handwriting .

「About this craftsmanship, what is this you call ‘handicrafts’?」

「I had no work to do during one of our winter breaks so I started making these in order to pa.s.s the time and maybe make some money in the process as well」

As I said that, I showed her the gla.s.s bead attached to my leather pouch with a string .

「It’s quite pretty isn’t it . Could I buy some after you finish your registration?」

It’s surprising that there’s a high demand for gla.s.s beads over here as well .

「It’s okay since I have some prepared in advance . Should I go get them?」

「Please . By the way, how much is it?」

「If I remember correctly, I think I got 3 silver when I sold all that I made at that time to our village’s trinket shop . I thought that it would only go for around 5 to 8 coppers but it was sold around the village for 2 large copper a piece . Because of that, how about 1 large copper?」

「Is it alright if it’s that cheap?」

「Yes, since this is just made up of broken gla.s.s」

「Hee…… So this is…」

It seems like she really wants it since she couldn’t take her eyes off it . I wonder if it’s that rare .

「Aside from handicrafts, I could also build things around the level of a chicken coop . I was only treated to dinner for that so please don’t think that I won’t accept jobs that don’t have a monetary reward」

「I understand」

She started writing something again .

I was asked other things too like in a job interview so I just answered honestly . Every time I did that, she started writing something on the doc.u.ments .

「Okay . That would be all . I’ll be preparing your guild card right now so please wait for a bit . 」

「Here you go . Then, I’ll just go and get the gla.s.s beads that you paid for earlier okay?」

「Ahー yes . I have certainly received 5 silver . Processing this would probably take just as long as if you go out to buy bread at the bakery around this area so you don’t need to be in a hurry」

Would take just as long as if I go out to buy bread, you say? Well then, I’m off to the nearest bakeshop then…tte, does she mean around five minutes? Still, that was quite an amazing way to put it . Is this what happens when a world has no concept of time?

I picked up the gla.s.s bead, placed it inside my pouch and returned to the guild . When I arrived, the guild card was already finished .

「This will be your guild card . Reissuing the card will cost 1 silver so please try not to lose it as much as possible . 」

The card that I received was made from iron plate .

Caam: Rank 1

Vanguard/Rear Guard

Fire/Water/Wind/Earth/Light/Fire

My physical characteristics are written on the other side . Is this what counts as some sort of identification?

「Written on it is your name, rank, whether your vanguard or rear guard and what magic attributes you can use . Since Caam-sama can cover both positions, both of them is written there . If you ever feel like one suits you more than the other, please inform us so that we can correct it . On the other side is the number of times the card has been reissued and it would also serve as verification of your social status to some extent . Then, the last thing would be the issuing staff’s impression of the owner3」

Ahー, so they just describe my general characteristics since photos don’t exist in this world . It’s written in a way that it can’t be erased so that the card can’t be misused .

Well, I’ll only be using it for day labor jobs though .

「I have a few questions, would that be alright?」

「Yes . I’ll try answering them if I can」

「I came here from the village to do Rank 1 day labor jobs . Since I can only receive quests 1 rank higher and lower than my current rank . If I make it to rank 3, could I still take on rank 1 day laborer request ?」

「Those kinds of requests are under rank 1 but they fall under a different regulation so even the highest rank would be able to take them . It’s still possible for a rank 10 adventurer to take town clean up request so you don’t need to worry about it」

「Thank you very much . Whewー, I was worried about what I would do if my rank goes up to 3」Hahaha, I laughed as I said that .

Next, I placed the pouch containing the gla.s.s beads on the receptionist desk .

「Please choose whatever you like since I’m selling all of them」

「Well then…」

After saying that, she opened the bag and eagerly started choosing .

Even though I wasn’t the only guest and they were still in the middle of work, the other receptionist came to see the gla.s.s beads . I wonder if that won’t cause any problems .

They bought ten pieces all in all so I ended up getting 1 silver . Alright, with this, I’ll just have to buy stuff for dinner then go home .

On my way home from the guild, I pa.s.sed by a stall that I’ve had my eye on for a while now in order to buy ingredients . They had pasta which was useful for someone living alone . I also get stuff for my breakfast and lunch tomorrow while I’m at it .

From the large mountain of fresh pasta, the oba-chan grabbed it with her large hands and put in inside a paper bag .

「I haven’t seen you before, are you working away from home?」

「Yes, I just moved into my apartment a while ago」

「I see . It’s great that you can make it by yourself even though you’re a man . Because of that, I’ll give you a little extra」

After saying that, she used three of her fingers to pick up the noodles and add them to the paper bag .

「Thanks」

「Work hard now, okayー」

I wasn’t expecting that kind of encounter . Next would be to the butcher’s where I’ll buy bacon, eggs, and milk . The butcher’s shop wasn’t a street stall but an actual building .

The butcher had a wide face and a deep voice

「Ou, I haven’t seen you before」

The uncle’s face was really scary .

I repeated the same conversation I had with the oba-chan that I bought pasta from . I bought a bunch of bacon, 4 eggs and two bottles of milk . As you would expect, he still placed the bacon on a weighing scale-like object in order to measure it . Why does he still have to weigh it when they all look the same? Aren’t these a bit too big? Don’t you have some that’s just around a kilogram each? You should just sell these by the kilogram, you know?

「Come again」「Thanks」

That’s what he said but this is the only meat shop in this area so I don’t really have any other choice .

I went to the vegetable stalls next to check what products they had .

「Ara, I haven’t seen your face before」

It seems like this kind of conversation will continue so I’ll use this opportunity to introduce myself . Smooth relations with other demonkin is important .

Returning to my room, I first placed all the ingredients I bought on the shelf . It’s still a bit early for dinner so I’ll do a bit of self-training for now .

While I was in the middle of refining the image of my magic, I heard rustling sounds coming from the room next door . I wonder if they already came back . I guess it should be 6 pm right now . I should go and introduce myself immediately .

I knocked at the door and said,

「I just moved in next door so I came to do my greetings」

「Coming」

Once the door opened, I said,

「h.e.l.lo, my name is Caam . I don’t know how long I’ll be staying here but please treat me well . It’s not much but I bought a gift」

「Yaa, thanks for going through all the trouble of being courteous . I’m Hengst . For you to even give me something like this, I’m sure that you’re a good person」

My first impression of him was, “Big” . He’s like a centaur but he has a horn on his forehead and the hair on his lower half is white . With the upper body of a human and the lower body of a horse, he definitely is big .

「You see, my father is a unicorn . I was born while he was staying with a human」

He’s quite haughty, isn’t he? I was able to see a lyre when I looked at the inside of his room .

「Is that so? No wonder you have a beautiful face and muscles……」

I’ll just praise him for now .

「There are a few who’d use the word ‘beautiful’ on a man but, it would definitely be better to use it when talking about women, right? You don’t like men, do you? If so then I’ll have to change the way I a.s.sociate with you」

「Nonono, I’m sure that I like women . I even have a girlfriend」

「Hou, in that case then it’s all good . You’re not aiming for the manager-san, are you? You can’t since I’m aiming for her, okay?」

You mean the landlady who lives next door? You said that in a loud voice you know? She’ll hear you, you know?

「Besides her, I’m also aiming for the girl living in the room above yours」

「I don’t know the people upstairs but I have a girlfriend . I don’t have any plans to cheat you know?」

「Hmm, it doesn’t really matter how many women you have, does it? If a girl has no particular experience then you would want to call out to her more, right?」

Ahー, I haven’t met any female unicorns but it seems like the rumors were true . It’s amazing how those games were able to tell . They got it right . 4

「Since it’ll be rude for me to keep you any longer, I’ll be excusing myself」

「That’s right . Instead of men, I’d rather have a long conversation with women」

It’s quite refreshing how straightforward this guy is . I mean that in a good way . If I need someone to hang out with, I guess I’ll go with him .

If this guy plans on making a harem, he’s going to end up being stabbed by a woman someday . Still, I’m surprised that he was aiming for landlady-san, in a fairly broad sense . 5

I felt hungry after all of that so I decided to start making dinner . It seems like firewood was included in the rent that’s why in the corner of the kitchen where it was stacked, there was a large sign that said 『Don’t use too much』 .

Well then, let’s start immediately . Just like how I did it when I helped out at home, I just used magic since it would be a pain to use the embers from a thin stick to light it .

I produced hot water using magic and placed it inside the pot to save time . The water was already boiling so I just threw in the pasta . Making another fire would have been a waste so while waiting for the noodles to cook, I started preparing the other ingredients .

I sliced the bacon and an onion into pieces . I then took a frying pan and olive oil and just placed them on standby . I don’t really have any experience cooking fresh pasta so after a sufficient amount of time had pa.s.sed, I took a strand and tasted it .

「Un, that should be enough I guess」

Since it was done, I removed the pot and replaced it with the frying pan . I sautéed the bacon and onion and added milk before seasoning it with salt and pepper . I opened the pot with the pasta, drained it for a bit and mixed it into the sauce . Once on the plate, I added an egg yolk and lightly mixed it and it was ready to eat . It’s just a makeshift carbonara but it doesn’t have to be perfect since I’m the only one who’s eating it .

Well then, I’ll just place the frying pan in the wash bucket for now and have my meal . It’s fine to leave the clean up for later you know?

Un . It’s good enough for me since I lived alone for a long time in my previous life . Well then . I still have some egg white left over so I guess I should make meringue cookies .

I made the meringue by mixing the egg white with sugar until it formed stiff peaks . After forming them into the shape of a cookie, I’ll cook them on low heat for around thirty minutes . While waiting for that, I’ll wash the dishes . I didn’t have baking paper though so I wonder how it would turn out .

After I finished cleaning up, I went back to the kitchen to check on the cookies . The scent of burned sugar that filled the room stimulated my appet.i.te . Then, a person who I’ve never seen before entered the kitchen .

「Ara . I came because I wanted to see what smelled good but I haven’t seen your face here before . Are you a newcomer?」

「Nice to meet you . I’m Caam from room number 2」

「Ara, we’re neighbors? My name’s Celesso(セレッソ), nice to meet you」

My first thought when I saw this person is, “big” . She’s even bigger than Kuchinashi and with her slender figure, the size gets emphasized even more . Her smooth, waist-long red violet hair that’s close to pink also suits her .

「I’d like to do a proper greeting next time so could you tell me when it would be convenient for you?」

「I won’t mind if you do it right now」

「Ahー, I also have a small gift so…」

「Ara, you have such a thing for me? How thoughtful . I’d like to see what you’re going to give me so you can go and get it」

Hmー, she’s quite bold, or should I say unreserved, I’m not really sure . This might be just how I feel as a j.a.panese person though .

「Okay, I understand」

*

「Well then, once again, I’m Caam who just moved in next door . This might not be that much but I hope to get along with you from now on」

「’Kay! Is it okay for me to open it?」

「Y-yeah」

「A soap and towel is itー I always use this so I have a lot of it but I’m glad . Thanks」

「It’s nothing」

「You probably can tell just from looking but I work at the red-light district so I’ll give you a discount if you happen to come by . I could also accompany you if you come to my room during my days off」

「Ah, thanks but no thanks since I have a girlfriend waiting for me back home . She has a really good intuition so I would literally be killed if she finds out . I would rather use all of my power to protect myself against that kind of danger」

「Oh, what a shame . If you change your mind, come and see me at Sweet Memory, okay? You should be careful though since I’m a pure-blooded succubus . I might just suck you dry, you know~」

「Suck what dry?」was not what I asked .

Sweet memory, was it? I can now understand why Hengst didn’t say anything about Celesso-san~ Are there no virgin succubi, I wonder?

Ah, the meringue cookies got burned .

More than half was still alright so Celesso-san tasted one and said,

「This is delicious」

She then proceeded to take half of what was left of it . I also tried it and it didn’t taste bad so I left them together with a letter in the kitchen that said .

『I’m Caam who moved into room number 2 . I hope to get along with you』

So far, I’ve only met the slightly odd residents of this apartment .

Footnotes:

As in marriageable The circles here are equivalent to check/tick mark aka . characteristics According to movies/wikipedia, unicorns like virgin women If you’re a bit slow on the uptake like me, Hengst liking the landlady probably means that she’s a virgin