Chapter 1 – Where am I? (part3)
The face of people gathered slowly became clear as the carriage getting closer to the huge gate.
“Yeah, I can’t deny it anymore….” (Yashiro)
I mean, the face of a soldier with spear is that of a lizard. There are also those with the appearance of cats but wore clothes and walking on two legs. He’s talking with someone with face similar to that of a sheep.
I’ve never heard about animal people lived in medieval Europe. There’s no doubt that I’m in another world right now.
“○ ▲ ☆ ◆ × @ &% $ #”
When my attention was drawn to the impossible scene before me, the cosplay guy hit my back with a smug expression.
“○ ▲ ☆ ◆ × @ &% $ #”
He seems to say: 'How’s that? Isn’t it a great city?'.
'It’s not like you made it!' or that’s what I wanted to say, but it’s just a waste of energy because he won’t understand it.
The horse-drawn carriage slowed down and eventually stopped. The coachman came down from his seat and approached me who was leaning out my body from the carriage platform to look outside. His face was that of a bird.
“Oh, it’s a bird…. Java Sparrow?” (Yashiro)
“I’m not Java Sparrow, Sir. I’m a parrot folk.”
“Oh, please excuse me.” (Yashiro)
“No, don’t mind it.”
The parrot folk answered me politely.
Hmm, wait, what the heck!?
“I can understand his words!? How can it be!? I can talk with a bird but not with the armor guy!?” (Yashiro)
“I’m not a bird, Sir. I’m a parrot folk.”
“I heard you!” (Yashiro)
“Hahaha~ You look surprised!”
I heard a different voice from behind when I was talking to the parrot folk. Turned around, I found the armor guy (formerly cosplay guy) was watching me with an amusing expression.
“This is your first time coming to Olbrum, after all. Or rather, it seems you've never even been on a journey before. I’m amazed you've survived this long with that kind of gear.”
The armor man who had suddenly started speaking in Japanese, looked at my outfit and nodded his head in admiration.
“Wait, why did you suddenly can speak in Japanese?” (Yashiro)
“Well, it’s because this place is under the influence of the Spirit Church.”
When I turned my eyes to the parrot folk, he cleared his throat and began to explain.
"This city, Olbrum, is the largest city in Galeabrum, which has developed remarkably under the protection of the Spirit Church. This city is home to many different races and ethnicities, making it very difficult for people to communicate with each other. Therefore, our venerable Spirit God, Alvie-sama, used his miraculous power to bestow Forced Translation Magic upon the entire city."
"Forced Translation Magic...?" (Yashiro)
From that name, I kind of understand what magic it is.
"Under the influence of this magic, no matter who you are speaking to, or what language you are speaking, it will be converted into the words that you are most familiar with. This magic converted words and letters, but if you ask, you can also find out the value and market price of currency."
"Ask who?" (Yashiro)
"The Spirit God Alvie-sama, of course!"
The parrot-folk skillfully bends his wings in front of his chest and made a pose as if offering prayer.
Ask the Spirit God, huh....
Imitating the parrot folk, I folded my hands in front of my chest, and prayed in my heart.
Let's see, I'd like to know how the currency here compares to the Japanese yen, please....
Then suddenly, a translucent board appeared in front of me. The image appeared in the middle of empty air as if a TV set was turned on. I also could touch it by bringing my finger close to it.
Look like a screen panel. Oh, I can scroll it, too. I don't know how this translucent board appeared, but it's floating still in front of my eyes. Is this the power of Spirit God?
I read the letters projected on the panel.
• Olbrum’s currency is Rb (Reuben).
• 100 yen = 10 Rb.
• The average price of a loaf of wheat bread that ordinary citizens eat is 20 Rb.
It's a very easy-to-understand system.
“What do you think? It’s convenient, isn’t it?”
The armor man spoke with a smug look on his face, again.
Like I said, it's not your achievement, is it? Oh well, even if we could communicate now, I wouldn't say it out of loud.
"A lot of people gather here, so naturally, merchants gather here, too. If you can't communicate in a place like this, all sorts of problems will arise, right?"
I understand what he is trying to say. If you can't speak the language, you can't conduct business negotiations, and you don't know what kind of disadvantages you will suffer if you have to use an interpreter.
There is the possibility that the interpreter may be dishonest, or the other party may blatantly say ‘I didn't hear that.’, or there may be a simple miscommunication, or the message may be conveyed in an unintended way and so on. The list is endless.
However, if all the letters and words are converted into a language that is familiar to you, that problem would be eliminated. But, well, this would make it harder to commit fraud because of this. The ‘It's your fault for misunderstanding.’ tactic would be harder to use.
"Oh, that's right. I haven't said my gratitude yet. My name is.... I guess it's better if I use my real name in this world.... Oba Yashiro. Thank you for saving my life." (Yashiro)
"I'm Norbert. I'm a merchant affiliated with the Wishart Family which govern the 30th Ward." (Norbert)
To mention something like ‘The Wishart Family which govern the 30th Ward.’ in his introduction, they must be a fairly influential noble around here. He couldn't help but boasting about it.
"You mean that Wishart Family!? It seems I was saved by someone amazing." (Yashiro)
"No, no, no, and helping someone in trouble is just a normal! Hahaha...." (Norbert)
He is just a bundle of vanity as I thought. I can tell from his face.
In any case, being nobles means they are rich, and being a merchant affiliated with them means he received preferential treatments. Well, I guess a little bit would be fine. Hehehe....
Okay, let's talk in formal language from here on.
"I'd like to give you something as a token of my gratitude, but unfortunately, I don't have anything with me right now. If I could return home, I might be able to give you something, even if it's not much...." (Yashiro)
"No, no, no, please don't worry about it! I simply did what I had to do!" (Norbert)
Norbert's nostrils were flaring as he said this. He has the face of a hyena that had just found a big prey.
He seems to be convinced that I have a lot of money. But why? I didn’t bring anything with me, and my appearance is just like that of an ordinary high school student, so where does the scent of money come from...?
I reached into my pocket.
Oh, I see....
It's my outfit. This is what gives Norbert confidence.
Norbert's armor is very carefully made. If he is a merchant in the service of the nobles, his armor must be in the high-end category. The same goes for the parrot folk's clothes, which seems to be Norbert's subordinate.
But if you ask me, they're poorly made. To put it bluntly, they look cheap. The technique is immature. If these were high-end goods, ordinary people would surely be dressed in much shabbier clothes.
On the other hand, this high school uniform, the stitching is solid, and most importantly, the color is vibrant. The jacket is a light navy blue and the tie is maroon. The trousers are light grey and the shirt is a stunning pure white. It's unlikely that anyone, even among nobles, would wear clothes like this.
In other words, Norbert saw what I was wearing and assumed that I was a noble or related to one.
He kindly took care of me, a complete stranger who had collapsed on the road, shared his food with me without hesitation, and even gave me a ride.
In Norbert's mind, he must have done me a huge favor. Converted into money, it would be worth no less than 100,000 Rb. In Japanese yen, that's one million. Still, it would have been a small price to pay compared to my life.
I guess it was a good thing that I was lightly dressed. If a young man like me was lying unconscious in the middle of the plain with no proper equipment, it would be normal to think that I had met with an accident. The rescuers would be more than willing to help. Of course, with the expectation of a large reward.
Hmm, I see, I see....
This other world isn't that different from my original world.
There are no real good people.
Everyone loves money.
What the hell!? This world looks like a lot of fun.
I might be able to make a living in this world, too.... as a con artist, of course.
"Norbert-sama, I will pay the entrance tax."
"Yeah, go ahead.... Oh, pay for him, too." (Norbert)
Having said that, Norbert winked at me.
"You don't have any money, do you?" (Norbert)
He is doing me more favor, so I will ‘gratefully’ accept it.