CH 1

Chapter 1

“……Somehow, it feels like I spoke to some arrogant guy half a lifetime ago.”

I opened my eyes from a strange dream.

And yet even with my eyes opened, I still felt hazy and my conciousness can’t focus no matter what I did.

First of all, I don’t recognize this place.

On the right, on the left; what could be seen, what could be heard; and while we’re at it, even below – there’s a rainbow of colors? Anyway its perfect to be called a strange place.

It feels fluffy and I’m floating this this mysterious space.

What this is, I don’t know at the moment.

“……”

“……”

And another thing that’s strange is the weird guy in front of me.

He’s a translucent old man floating around with me.

Additionally, he’s a little too close, his nose might stick to my face.

“What is this situation….”

Honestly, it could be a nightmare.

The situation won’t let me move even a finger, so I only let out a sigh.

“…..it’s a dream. This is within your dreams.”

“I see…… well, bad dreams happen afterall…”

Apparently, only my mouth listens to my commands.

Then again, even if I open my mouth, it seems useless to the other person.

Even then, I tried my best to understand the old man in front of me.

It was the only thing I could do.

He has a long beard and wears a robe, designed like it was meant for magicians.

But wherever I look, he still appears transparent.

Translucent.

I call it downright baffling.

Why is he transparent? Even our neighborhood cats have more presence.

I immediately hastily threw a spoon in that direction.

There’s no way to know~

I, Kouno Tarou, am an average college student.

To begin with, I was supposed to be attending a lecture just a moment ago.

Well, I’m not sure about travelling a bit to the dream world…. but I was definitely attending my class.

Even so, I’m now floating in this multi-colored space with a geezer.

Light bulb!

Could this possibly be that?

Could this guy be my guardian spirit or something?

To my dazed self, an ancestor visited my dreams, and now plans to give me a lecture?

If that’s the case then there’s only one thing, it probably won’t hurt to apologize preemptively.

“Well if it isn’t Ancestor-sama. I’m very sorry. I accidentally slept in class. This, I sincerely confess and I shall reflect on it. Please, could you possibly pardon my sins?”

“…..I’m not really your ancestor or anything, am I?”

The old man bowed, and what he said lowered the awkwardness somewhat.

Must’ve misread the situation.

“Ahh, that must be so. My… I thought it was weird. I’ve never seen your face before”

“…..it’s normal.”

The old man murmured in exhasperation, so I answered confidently.

“It is often said but, I think this is an opportunity.”

“Wait, what?”

The old man tilted his head in confusion, but such a thing doesn’t matter right now.

My priority should be to know more about this strange place.

So he wouldn’t suspect a thing, I lightly inquired.

“Well~ that’s fine and all. Anyway, since this is a dream, it’ll be alright when I open my eyes right?”

To me, my words and attitude are similarly casual.

I’ll wake up if it’s a dream, but I won’t be easily mislead with the geezer’s answers.

“…..eh, it’s unfortunate but you probably won’t wake up from this dream.”

“A-,…. why?”

“Well, you’re probably confused but this is a very lucky thing.”

“Now, you’re just messing with me.”

I involuntarily blurted that point.

Realizing that this isn’t your ordanary dream, I think being dead is another possibility.

Additionally, instead of a sexy woman, I’m sadly stuck forever with this old ghost inside my dream.

This joke is done in bad taste, but to strange old men, I just don’t swing that way.

“To say it more accurately, this was done with the help of my magic.”

“You should’ve said that earlier.”

“….Impatient guy, aren’t you?”

The old man said something disturbing but for some reason, those lines are sounding so fantasy-ish that it’s boring me.

Did he say magic?

I feel like he takes me for a fool.

Just because he looks like a magician, I can really live without such a setting.

It’s just that the real headache comes from the fact that I know this is indeed a strange situation.

“Magic… aside from that, what’s your goal to have done such a thing?”

In this situation, the old man in front of me holds the only way I can escape. I held on to that hope, but he suddenly declared something in a serious countenance.

“I’ll put it bluntly, come to my world!”

“Eh? Even if I don’t want to?”

After my immediate answer, the old man looked like he was about to cry.

“….you didn’t have to say it so decisively”

“No well, I have to refuse. Right now, I’m in the midst of my blooming campus life.”

I was unceremoniously dumped into this situation.

Like that, I just entered freshman year in spring.

My hard, painful revisions are over; finally, I was freed from those chains, why then, must I encounter this strange old man and his nonsense?

Listen, I don’t see a reason why I should go along with this.

That’s why I flatly refused and I wish he would give up.

Would the old man only give up and say “That’s too bad” but he’s stroking his beard, and a grin suddenly appeared on his face.

“Fumu…. the truth is, I have prepared tremendous benefits for you, don’t you know?”

“….I’ll only listen this time. What is it?”

“Yes, I will grant you with my magic!”

“What’s that, I don’t want it.”

With another immediate answer, the old man’s face fell.

“That’s ridiculous….. me, I used to be the most famous Mage in the world, you know? Are you saying you don’t want my magic?”

I can’t see him eye to eye on that point and it disturbs me.

But I have to tell him what I really think.

“No, in the first place I don’t know if magic is real, right? How can you give me something that doesn’t exist?

Frankly, such a thing, stinks of a scam.

While I promptly refused, I also thoroughly explained to the elderly what I meant, for some reason the old man looked surprised – his eyes bulged.

“What! Your world doesn’t have magic?! Such an unfortunate world!”

“Oh my, so you were surprised by that part? It’s not unfortunate at all. Don’t you think having magic is absurd? Think scientifically.”

At the end of the day, I think it’s fine not to ruin the the illusion of magic to a grandpa.

Moreover, gramps seems to be contemplating something in his head, murmuring and all.

“Fumu… I don’t know this science thing you speak of but it something that prevents you from casting magic? But it’s strange… I feel a tremendous amount of power from you….”

“Is that so?”

We were in the middle of a decent conversation but, a disturbing flag was raised.

The old man latched to my words more than necessary and strongly affirmed.

“That’s right! Otherwise, I wouldn’t have purposely met up with you.”

“No… in the first place I’m here because of you, aren’t I?”

I can say for sure that I haven’t established a connection with the old man.

But the old man blatantly dropped his shoulders and sighed, and he begins to say something again.

I’m convinced that this will take some time.

“…. that’s it, yes. This is just me being selfish, yes.”

“Hou”

“For me? I was a magician in a certain world.”

“Hmm”

“And with my extraordinary magic, as well as the result of my long years of training, I was revered as a powerful Mage, unprecedented in the world.”

“He~e”

“I don’t mean to brag but I think I have substantially contributed to my kingdom. Even then, death still came knocking at my door.”

“…..that’s too bad, anyway, how old were you?”

“Around five hundred years old.”

“…. that’s way more than enough. You should have a natural death.”

“Goodness! Your such a terrible child, aren’t you. We~ll, since that’s the case, I’ve now died.”

“I give you my condolences”

“…..somehow, I feel like your response is appropriate but suspicious?”

“Must be the air’s fault. You’re just paranoid.”

“Is that so…..? Then let’s continue:

But then! Before the moment of my death, I used a type of magic to take my soul to this place!”

It’s probably better if I didn’t ask.

Though I think that, I’m accidentally going along along his flow.

“…. Again, why?”

Oh help yourself on the conversation, gramps.

“Because….. don’t you think it’s a waste after coming this far? I remember doing a lot of amazing things with magic.”

“Oh no no no! That’s not something I would know…..”

I wouldn’t say I’d be amazed by such things.

Such a thing, take it somewhere else.

Primarily, I don’t want to go to a troublesome place.

Gramps held all those qualifications, I looked away for only an instant, in the end it still decided.

“We~ll, don’t say that. It’s too bad but I didn’t even have any disciples. I only had my last magic, that’s why before I died I used it all up. My Magic and my arts, I wished to find someone who can inherit them all!”

Eh it’s weird but, when we arrived at this point, even his dentures look exited.

At the same time, our temperaments had a great difference, but it really doesn’t matter.

“So you’ve come to where I am…. all the way from another world.”

“That’s right! I struggled greatly just to find you, you know?”

I wonder if I’m the only one that thinks this is an absurd story?

On the part of the old man, he seems to be incredibly proud of what he has done, only I get the worse end of the deal.

Then again, the contents of this situation is a little surprising.

Apparently, there’s a reason why this old man and myself have arrived in this place.

When it comes to the looks, I was told I look a little half-foreign, but with black hair and eyes, I still look like your typical Japanese person….I think.

Even the stature is normal, there’s nothing strange about me.

To me, having an interesting skill like magic would be news.

“…. I’m magic huh.”

Maybe I’m a reincarnation of a legendary hero?

….what an interesting delusion to consider.

Yup. It’s probably not it.

Cause if that’s the case, it seems too troublesome.

“Umu! So I was saying, your intrinsic magic and mine combined would literally produce the best Mage in existence! This is my dream! Don’t hold back and reach the heights that even I could not achieve!”

The old man arrogantly concludes his story.

I remain silent for a while but his eyes sparkle, filled with expectations, staring at me.

“……”

I finally learnt the whole story.

If you think about it, you’ll naturally find the answer.

I’ve reached a conclusion, and I’ll lay it out flat.

“Go back”

“Why so!”

The old man came at me with watery eyes.

Even if you spend all day yapping about, my answer won’t change.

“Well, it’s because magic or whatever you say, is kinda absurd.”

“Why you-! This old man came all the way from another world and you spurn him! Get real!”

“Well, like I said, I have nothing to do with it, right? It seems terribly troublesome too.”

“You, you, you, you say that but you know…. it’s already too late. I told you, didn’t I? This is me being selfish”

He was suddenly upside-down, he sported an evil smile and I had a bad feeling about what’s going to happen.

Gramps, what did you say at first again?

Was this how it went? That I can’t wake up from this dream….

“…..you, can’t possible be”

“Just what you suspect! I’ll take you along by force! There’s no turning back now! When you wake up! You will be forced to live in my world!”

The old man said that in full seriousness while staring at me in the eye.

It seems like the earlier explanation was but a farce, anyway I’ll be abducted to another world regardless.

“….so you’re a kidnapper.”

I protested but, the old man is being himself and he didn’t listen at all.

“I don’t care! I’m about to die here! I don’t care about that! I thought that I’ll go peacefully, but I don’t care anymore!”

“This old man… has a ‘so what’ attitude.”

That’s also amazing, having the attitude of a spoilt child.

I reached my hand out to do something to stop this, but the old man escaped with such an amazing speed.

And from somewhere unknown, divine light slowly engulfed everything.

He bothered to flash me a refreshing smile and shook my hands.

“Well! Your life in a different world awaits you! Ain’t that great! From now on, this is the start of a the world’s best Mage! It’s too bad that I won’t be able to see your complete form!”

“Not listening!”

“By the way, I’ve left you with helpful magic so don’t worry! Make good use of it!… If you survive, that is?”

“That’s why you’re not listening…. and what’s with that condition! I’m scared!”

“Then I’ll pray for your good luck! Try not to die!”

“Don’t pray! And will I die or won’t I!? At least make that part clear!”

My crying and screaming were in vain.

It was a great but losing battle, gramps will rest in peace with his brilliant smile.

“What was that all about…..”

In the end, I was left alone in the colorful space.

I can do nothing but stay there, stunned.

“…..that old man, really only does what he wants.”

If i believe what the old man said, I’ll be going to another world from here on out.

“……haaaa, I don’t even know the way out, I can’t even escape by force”

Stumped, I could only mutter to myself.

It’s unfortunate but just like what the old man said, a new world soon appears.

I was introduced to the strange feeling of my consciousness drifting to someplace.

Let this all be a dream…..

While praying ——- Kouno Tarou was unwillingly taken to travel a different world.

Truly a disappointment.

It’s important so he said it twice.