Chapter 8: First Battle in Another World

Chapter 8:
First Battle in Another World

“L-LOOK… Do you think it’s a map…?!” Inside the study, I was staring at a piece of paper as I unintentionally raised my voice. “Hey, Gol! Goltarou, look at this! It’s a map!”

I turned to Goltarou, who was standing behind me—

Whoa, your face is close!

For some reason, it felt like he had been getting closer to me ever since that incident in the hole.

***

The day after our spelunking adventure, I reinvestigated the house. I felt it was warranted, as Goltarou’s detection ability was amazing. He had a far better sense of the interior structure of Zairein’s hideout.

I first realized the profundity of his investigative instinct when I was eating. At that time, I carelessly muttered, “Oof. Fruit’s fine, but I miss meat.”

All of a sudden, Goltarou began ripping up the room’s floorboards. As he peeled the floor away with one hand, the creaks and cracks were deafening. Even though I was right there watching it unfold, I couldn’t believe his strength.

But incredibly, underneath the floor was a fine cellar filled with food.

Should I be more shocked by the treasure hidden beneath the floorboards or the strength Goltarou used to expose it…?

As I stared in a stupor at the gaping hole in the floor, various comebacks swirled around my mind, such as “There had to be a more discreet way of discovering this bounty.” I decided to set them all aside. I mean, my adorable Goltarou had gone out of his way to find some meat to fill my hungry stomach.

The cellar was substantial and had a ton of preserved foods, such as dried meat, a type of cheese and bread, and some kind of fermented dairy product. I didn’t recognize everything in there, though. For example, there was a completely unidentifiable fermented pickled item and some unripe beans that resembled adzuki. There was also a section of foods that I had no idea how to cook. Once again, I’d run into something that shouted “you’re in another world, dingus.” Clearly, the food culture was different here.

Importantly, all the ingredients seemed to still be edible. More than that, what was really astonishing was the rye bread (I called it rye since it looked dark and the taste was familiar, but I wasn’t positive) wasn’t the least bit stale—and neither was any of the other food. I didn’t even need to soak the bread in a soup to eat it.

The quality of preservation confirmed my suspicions. This house, or at least the cellar and study, were under some kind of spell. The difference between the pristine condition of these two areas and the rest of the aged interior of the basin was significant, to say the least.

I wasn’t sure if a time lag was an inevitable part of the summoning ritual, but it was clear there had been one between Zairein’s death and my summoning. I mean, his corpse had turned into a skeleton, the home and furniture had deteriorated, and wild greenery grew rampant everywhere in sight, but the bread remained fresh and soft. That wasn’t happenstance. That was intent.

“If I recall correctly, Introduction to Spellcrafting mentioned a Time attribute… Could that be it?”

The last volume of the introductory series, Introduction to Spellcrafting XII, focused on Time, describing it as an “attribute that manipulates time and space.” Now, having seen its effect with my own eyes, I was convinced of its potency.

Since I only had an aptitude for the useless Earth attribute, my attribute-envy was pretty much through the roof.

Following the discovery of the cellar, Goltarou and I began our investigation of the entire house together. Although there were new little discoveries, such as the attic with a sunroof, none were as important as the map.

We uncovered this from inside a locked drawer of the desk in the study. I hadn’t been able to get this drawer open for the longest time.

Hm? So how exactly did I manage to get it open then, you ask? That was, of course, you know…Goltarou forced his way through. He seized and crushed the heavy metal lock as if he were squishing a block of soft tofu.

***

I sat on the veranda, bathed in warm sunlight, and read over the map while eating some cheese. Goltarou sat down close enough to snuggle me.

“Hey, Goltarou, this world’s cheese is hilarious. Look at how super stretchy it is. Hngh.” The cheese we found in the cellar melted and got gooey when warmed up. I wanted to show Goltarou how incredibly elastic it was, but the string snapped and the cheese stuck to my face. “Eww…”

I frowned at the tragedy on my face. Goltarou kindly wiped it off. The movement of his fingers as he touched me felt extremely timid and gentle in contrast to his rough exterior.

“Thanks, Goltarou. Sorry for causing you trouble…”

I’ve said this many times already, but my partner was a super nice guy. He was actually the one who warmed the cheese, and likewise, he handled almost all our simple chores. There did appear to be an upper limit to the precision of his fingers, but to tell you the truth, there wasn’t a need for much of that given my current food situation. All he needed to do was cut the ingredients, boil some water, and start a small fire.

Speaking of which, Goltarou, you’re so perfect that it’s scary.

He was really good at figuring stuff out. There were even times when he knew things I was unaware of. For example, when he washed my clothes in a bucket, he used soap. The soap had looked to me like a light-brown brick, and it had such a unique scent that I didn’t recognize it as such. I hadn’t used it at all when I did laundry. However, Goltarou used the brick right from the start.

I was at a complete loss as to how he’d known of the soap’s existence. Golems really are phenomenal, aren’t they…?

Furthermore, he cared for me with such self-sacrificing grace that I actually felt sorry for him.

Goltarou, are you my butler…?!

I finished the cup of boiled water prepared by my talented butler, Goltarou, and we looked over the map we found together.

It was rather simple; even I could understand most of it. At a glance, I couldn’t make sense of some of the unique topographical notations and marks, but I didn’t think they would be a problem as long as I could navigate to and see them for myself. Also, the arrangement of geographical features suggested that this wasn’t a world map but a large-scale section of a region. The rivers and so forth were drawn rather wide.

“It’s a bit inconvenient not knowing the actual distance, but…I think we should head to the closest settlement, Samari.” I faced Goltarou and pointed to a spot on the map.

The area labeled “Samari” appeared to be a settlement. Of all the human settlements we could feasibly reach from our current location, it was the closest. Goltarou enthusiastically peered at the letters by my finger.

“Ah, by the way, I think the basin we’re in right now is probably here.” I had immediately guessed that the red mark on the map was, functionally, our “You Are Here.” The handwritten characters beside it read: “3-24: Shell Basin—Final Candidate Site.” Mountains and flatlands littered the area around the basin, but there was no indication of any kind of ocean.

“Hm…? Wait. Does this mean we’re super inland? There wasn’t much of a temperature change from day to night, so I just assumed we were near the coast.” I crossed my arms and tilted my head.

Goltarou suddenly presented me with something.

“Ah, a glorious cranberry-apple,” I said. “Thanks.”

Vibrant pieces of the elegantly cut red-violet fruit were lined up on a wooden plate. I had noticed him doing something with his hands, but to think he was cutting dessert for me! What a truly kind and caring fellow he was.

The knife in Goltarou’s hand looked so small in his great fingers. This green knife was made from a strange metal and was the only blade in the house that hadn’t rusted. I suspected it was this world’s version of a ceramic kitchen knife.

“Speaking of which, you’re really handy with that knife, huh.”

As I praised Goltarou, he very faintly shook his shoulders in delight. I imagined it to be like how a dog wagged its tail.

I gingerly stroked Goltarou’s head. When I did, Goltarou seemed surprised and hesitantly drew closer, as though wondering if it was okay to be so near. He almost seemed about to cuddle, but right before our bodies made contact, he paused and drew back. He repeated this process over and over again. He looked just like a stray dog who hadn’t yet learned to trust humans.

Hey, hey. Stop that, I thought. If you act like that, there’s no way I can leave you alone.

“I’m not scary. Come here, Goltarou.” I opened my arms to hug Goltarou with a warm smile, drawing him close. His hard stone body felt slightly chilly. I laughed. “You’re cool. It’ll be nice to hug a golem in the summer.”

I looked up to find Goltarou’s face right up next to mine.

“Whoa!” I exclaimed. “Isn’t your face too close now?”

This guy’s understanding of personal space was just abysmal. He really did seem like a stray dog who had been left alone for too long. Well, that was also kind of cute. Still, the way he looked like he would lick my face the second I took him into my arms just confirmed to me that golems were definitely dogs.

Back on track. There would be more playtime with my beloved pet. More importantly, the discovery of the map meant I could finally plan my escape from the basin. After all, we still couldn’t stay here. Once we ran out of food, that was checkmate.

Plus, if we went to a settlement with people, I could gather more info. Depending on the situation, I might even be able to replenish our supplies. You see, I had money. A wad of bills and several coins had come out of that drawer Goltarou busted open, together with the map. However, I didn’t know their value. Given Luvel Zairein’s high social status, they were likely worth a good amount. I wanted to believe that, anyway.

I beg of you. Please let it be the case.

There was something a little off about them, you see. The words “Selvei Scrip” were printed on the bills in flashy letters. I still fostered some doubts about the accuracy of my translation, but it seemed likely this was not an official currency.

The scrips I knew of were notes distributed only within local feudal domains back in the Edo period. Due to their nature as a one-step-removed form of monetary compensation, their value was highly volatile. Even in the best-case scenario—one where they would be accepted at all—they had a wide range of value. Depending on how much time had passed between Zairein’s death and my summoning, they could very well just be scraps of paper.

“Well, I’ll worry about money when we actually reach a human settlement,” I said as I turned my gaze from the money bag back to the map.

If I left the basin and headed south, I would be able to hit the road running east to west. From the looks of it, it would be big and hard to miss. Once I got on that road and turned west, I would be headed toward my destination, the village of Samari.

The way to Samari wasn’t without landmarks. Along the way, there appeared to be a place labeled “shrine.” Given the name, it would be some kind of religious facility, right? I wanted to stop there, though it wouldn’t be our final destination. After all, I didn’t know the details of what “shrine” entailed in this world. Frankly, it might not even be populated, unlike an actual settlement. But if this shrine was like a temple or church, then I hoped they would accept and house us as refugees of sorts.

In any case, with this map, I could do it. Up to this moment I had been in the dark, but this map was the light I needed to follow to leave the basin.

Let’s hurry and prepare for our journey!

Even though there was still a good amount of food, my supplies weren’t infinite. It was unclear how long it would take to reach the settlement, so I wanted to leave while I had an ample supply to get me there.

I had a more certain plan for clearing the cliff and getting out of the basin. I would cast Create Pebble—the forbidden, destructive, wide area-of-effect beginner spell that pulverized its surroundings with a ten-meter-tall “pebble”—against the cliff.

At least I could rely on this spell not to shoot debris in every direction like the Mentos Geyser fiasco resulting from my every use of Open Sesame. Create Pebble would only condense grains of dirt into a “pebble,” just as the name implied. Therefore, if I were to use the cliff as my pebble-creating material, then, as the spellcaster, I could avoid catching the brunt of its destruction.

What’s more, the height of the cliff surrounding the basin was roughly ten meters. On the other hand, I was certain that the size of the stone “pebble” I’d created was several tens of meters tall. In other words, my mere “pebble” was larger than the cliff.

While the cliff’s thickness was yet to be determined, in theory, as long as I could carve successive pebbles from it, I would eventually shave my way to freedom.

However, even with all that said and done, I didn’t know the spell’s range. In other words, I didn’t know how far away I could stand from my target. I definitely wanted to start testing this whole plan from a safe distance.

***

I spent several days preparing for our departure. First came packing. I carefully selected ingredients that I believed to be nonperishable from the underground cellar, as well as a blanket and some changes of clothing. I also thought about bringing something to exchange for money, but this house didn’t really seem to have anything of value. The only things I found of possible worth were some unnecessary books and a few articles of clothing.

Ah, and I would need something to hold our drinking water. Given the local climate, there were probably locations along the way where I could replenish it…

Ah, right, and I couldn’t forget to bring Introduction to Spellcasting. I was a studious man, after all.

I stuffed our luggage into a basket composed of wood and some rope. The basket had straps so it could be carried on someone’s back. Goltarou and I had made it together.

The construction was quite difficult. Including gathering the parts, the whole ordeal took us two days. After all, I had no experience as a do-it-yourselfer. And, as surprising as this sounds, Goltarou had no idea how to make a basket, despite having mastered all those chores without ever being taught. In the end, the two of us faced struggle upon struggle before we finally completed our rudimentary basket.

Thanks to these labors, the bond between Goltarou and I leveled up. As you know, working together to build something is how the passionate friendship between men deepens.

One morning, we finally left the house. I picked out my clothes and shoes from the undamaged pile. I couldn’t do anything about the slight mismatch in size, but they didn’t feel exceptionally uncomfortable. There was still that excess in the hem, but I thought I might be able to get it tailored when I reached Samari.

Overall, the comfort level of the clothing and underwear was pretty nice.

To tell you the truth, I was initially quite resistant to wearing Zairein’s old underwear. However, as if sensing my anguish, the kindhearted Goltarou repeatedly washed them ever so diligently. His sincerity alone gave me courage.

Thank you, Goltarou. I’m fine now. There’s no problem. After all, these are no longer Zairein’s underwear. They’re brand-new underwear handwashed by you.

Under the refreshing morning sun that blessed our journey, I put on a new robe. It was the kind of robe that oozed needlessly expensive taste. I associated the one I was wearing before too much with the burial of that poor sacrifice, so this was a new one I’d chosen from the study.

Design-wise, though, it was practically the same as the old one—the unique Inverness style. This one was a deep olive-brown with beautiful golden embroidery. The olive-brown was the sort of shade you would pick if you desperately wanted to appear chic, though you could say it was actually a perfect fit for me as someone who could only use Earth spe—er, I mean, as a bona fide expert in Earth spells.

However, I didn’t choose it for that association. It was just that the others were all red or white—colors that stood out too much. Since I was unsure how I would be viewed by society once I reached a human settlement, I wanted to avoid anything too flashy.

Well, in any case, this would be my outfit for my journey from now on. Let’s get along well, Olive-Brown Robe-kun.

At my side, Goltarou wore the handmade basket on his back. All our preparations were complete. Now if my golem held a book in one of his hands, he could cosplay as a statue of Ninomiya Gol-toku.

Because Goltarou was carrying the important luggage on his back, I didn’t have much to tote. I had grabbed a small kit bag from the closet and stuffed it with our valuables: money, the map, and that green metal knife—this last in case we needed it for crafting or self-defense.

Of course, I also stuffed in a ton of the glorious cranberry-apples as well. Why, you ask? That should be obvious. Cranberry-apples weren’t a luxury; they were a necessity.

The last item I crammed into the kit bag were those lame pajamas from my world. They were…well, you know, something I just couldn’t get rid of…

“Well, now then…”

I stood a slight distance from the cliff face. Preparations: done. Escape plan: devised. Partner: by my side. We could make it. I was certain.

Now I just needed to carve into that auburn cliff with Create Pebble.

“All right, Goltarou. We’re going to leave here,” I said as I looked up at him.

It felt like he said, “Yes, sir!” with a reliable expression.

Okay, let’s go! I thought. Then Goltarou tenderly lifted me in his arms in the so-called “bridal carry.” Eh? Hmm?! Huhhh?

Goltarou’s hands were exceedingly gentle, his fingers so delicate, like he was holding unimaginably fragile, precious glasswork—as if he was afraid that even the slightest waver would damage me.

Goltarou, are you my shining knight?!

For a second, I could feel Goltarou tensing his lower half. In the next moment, Goltarou jumped ten meters in the air over the cliff as he cradled me like a princess.

“W-w-wait… G-Gollllllll!!!”

The white golem landed softly and soundlessly. His feet touched down at the top of the cliff with ease.

……

What exactly had become of my carefully designed plan?

I feel like I should note, by the latter half of my scream (the “ollllllll” part), Goltarou had already landed. My eyes were shut tight at the time, so I hadn’t noticed.

You couldn’t help it, I told myself. It was scary and all. It was so sudden… I’m not pathetic or anything… I mean, you know, Goltarou suddenly…!

Goltarou carefully let me down. I was being treated completely and utterly like a maiden. Or should I say, Goltarou really was a gentleman. If I were a young girl, this was definitely the moment I would have fallen in love with him.

I pulled myself together and stood straight. I couldn’t remain the damsel clinging to his knight.

From the look of things, the top of the cliff was flat and continued for over fifty meters. There was nothing to see but auburn topsoil. In short, I was currently standing atop the auburn donut surrounding the basin. I wondered how such strange topography had formed.

The two of us crossed the red soil and soon reached the edge of the cliff.

“What…?” I could clearly see the world below, but I couldn’t help questioning the sight.

An expanse of auburn earth extended to the horizon. It wasn’t totally flat—there was plenty of variation in elevation—but there was no hint of green, and practically no sign of vegetation whatsoever.

Wh-what is this? How is it so stark out here and so lush in there?

Even if the basin was separated from the rest of the nearby area, it was just a small piece of land surrounded by a ten-meter cliff. Was the soil outside that different from that inside? Or…maybe it was something about the climate?

“Seriously…it doesn’t make any sense…” I muttered.

Knowledge from my world didn’t offer any explanation. This was hurting my brain.

“Ugh, okay, I guess first we need to find some kind of slope we can use to descend…”

I began my search for such a place when Goltarou once more lifted me up. I sighed internally. Well, of course it would come down to this… Sure, this is probably faster.

But how would you describe this situation? Goltarou pressed his face to mine as he held me in his arms, most likely to prevent me from falling when he moved. But at the same time, it felt like he was rubbing his cheek against mine. That cheek was smooth and felt almost soft.

Hm? Wait a sec. Soft…?

Goltarou jumped off the cliff.

“Auuuuuggghhhh!!!”

I couldn’t help but scream as I was pulled straight down to the ground.

***

“Listen, Gol…Goltarou. The next time we’re in such a situation, please wait until I give the signal before you jump. Until then, be a good boy and wait.”

As the two of us ambled down an auburn hill heading south, I instructed Goltarou on what to do in future. Goltarou looked like he was obediently listening. But did he really understand?

Although I was still slightly worried about Goltarou’s attitude, I couldn’t get hung up on it. We were close to the location of the road as indicated by the map. My eyes scanned back and forth, searching for it. Truthfully, the exploring was getting me a little excited.

At several points, Introduction to Spellcrafting I mentioned living creatures known as “mana beasts.” They weren’t frequently seen, but this area was so remote that I thought it had to be possible for us to have a chance encounter with one on our way to Samari.

I had a sense that these mana beasts were close to what I thought of as monsters. At least, that was my assumption from the descriptions I skimmed through when reading. They were naturally endowed with mana and able to use various spells befitting inhuman creatures, thus the name “mana beasts.”

Well, the humans of this world could use spells, so I suppose it couldn’t be considered strange for other living creatures to be able to use a similar power.

Just a little…really only just a little, I want to punish an evil monster terrorizing poor innocent people.

And hey, I was the “Sorcerer King.” If the Demon Lord was the boss of monsters, wouldn’t that make the Sorcerer King the boss of mana beasts? And if that was the case, I wouldn’t lose if we fought, right?

Also, I want to say, I was fundamentally a cultured man and thus not the type to swing my fists around like a savage. But there was a reason I was entertaining such thoughts. In the introductory book, I had read: “Generally, a golem’s fighting capability exceeds that of the average mana beast.”

Well, that was to be expected. If it looked like I was in danger of getting hurt, I was sure Goltarou would save me.

Besides, the book said that beginner spells would suffice for dealing with the type of mana beasts that usually appeared near human settlements.

I was envisioning a squishy, blue, jelly-type monster, or one that looked like a rabbit with a horn. Or maybe a cute pigeon, or a green caterpillar, or even a yellow electric mouse that would jump out from tall grass.

Well, if I thought about it more seriously, I had to assume the weaker species would inevitably get driven out of their habitat. I was sure there were additional inferences to make, but I had to stop or I would lose all confidence in my knowledge from my world…

In the end, the first mana beast—though I’m not sure if I could call it a “mana beast”—I encountered in this world wasn’t a squishy blue monster or a slightly larger than average wild animal. And even though I had realized I was in a tough spot in this world, I wasn’t prepared for the ultimate gravity of this encounter.

Suddenly, Goltarou stopped in place and dropped the basket on the ground. Then he moved in front of me. His movements were so natural and smooth that they gave me some real bad vibes.

Goltarou usually followed at an angle behind me, and sometimes he would come up beside me. His favorite spot was a half-step behind. Depending on the situation, his position might change, but he never walked in front of me.

So why now…?

At roughly the same moment that question entered my mind, something emerged from the shadows of the cliff as if oozing out of the darkness: an unknowably black entity, standing on two legs.

<Heh, you noticed? Surface Detection…no, Constitutional Detection? Your golem’s quite high-level, even though it looks like it could only be used for farm work.>

What was this strange sound? Was I hearing that black thing’s voice? More importantly, it was huge. Its height easily exceeded two-and-a-half meters. Compared to it, the less than two-meter-tall Goltarou looked small.

<I suppose it’s to be expected. Even though it’s the weakest I’ve ever seen, that golem is still a retainer of the Sorcerer King.> The entity’s odd voice echoed and gave off the impression of an actual demon.

Its muscles bulged abnormally and its enormous size made it look like a protrusion from the ground. While its silhouette reminded me of a great warrior, its bone structure didn’t seem human. That jet-black body stood in stark contrast to Goltarou’s snow-white form, but unlike Goltarou, this mysterious black demon felt alive. Its bloodshot red eyes darted back and forth, and bestial breathing emitted from the crimson gash of its mouth. A powerful heartbeat pulsated underneath its skin.

Its presence overwhelmed me in a way I couldn’t grasp.

However, the voice coming out of this monster was unexpectedly youthful and left me with a weird feeling. At that moment I became convinced of a single fact: This creature wasn’t the Level 1 monster a person reincarnated into another world is supposed to fight first.

No. This was a boss. Or at least a mid-boss, like the ones used in games to amp up the tension.

His mocking laughter rang in my ears. It was like…like a young boy waiting on puberty. <You made me wait a long time. So you better at least let me enjoy myself.>

The second he finished speaking, my brain was slammed with a violent bloodlust.

Thinking back on that moment, maybe that guy didn’t want to actually kill me. Really, it was like when a satiated cat plays with a weakened mouse before finally putting it out of its misery.

But, being a modern Japanese citizen on top of a cultured gentleman who loved peace, I had never known the taste of battle, and the violent impulse that washed through me was overwhelming.

First time for everything.

“Ugh…!” My entire body stiffened, and I unconsciously groaned.

I think this was the trigger. Goltarou swooped in front of me. He was furious. He looked like a mama bear who had woken up from hibernation, burning with rage and ready to obliterate a mountain climber to protect her cub.

Goltarou, are you my mother…?!

<Hmph. Let me explain this, as you are newborn and clueless. The Shadow Demon standing before you is a life-form I created with sorcery, specially designed for close-quarters combat. Meanwhile, your golem’s form is already fixed. Such a pathetic light-class golem won’t even last ten se—>

Before our opponent could finish his scornful words, Goltarou lunged like a fired bullet.

Because I was completely overwhelmed, it felt like the black demon was looming right next to me. In actuality, the distance between Goltarou and the demon at the start of the fight was roughly ten meters. My pure-white golem catapulted forward and closed that distance in a single breath. It looked like he only took one—no, half a step. He was that fast.

The wide-eyed black demon was about to open its mouth, but in the end, nothing ever came out of it—nor ever would again.

Goltarou brandished his right arm, back muscles, and entire body like a whip. These weren’t movements something made of stone should be able to make. Following a pure line of motion, his white stone fist unleashed its attack and smashed into the black monster’s face.

The wretched demon’s head was decimated by a force like that of a direct impact from a cannonball. Blood and flesh sprayed through the air. The headless lump of flesh flew backward like a thrown rubber ball. It crashed into the cliff with a terrible wet smack before crumpling miserably to the ground.

Stillness ruled.

Drenched in the blood of his victim, Goltarou turned to me. For some reason, I hallucinated him as a laughing, long-haired witch, intoxicated by the blood and slaughter.

“U-um…” I swallowed. What should a referee do in this kind of situation…? Ah, right, confirm the death.

I meekly approached the black mass on the ground. The bloodstained Goltarou followed behind me like a duckling.

I inspected the headless black corpse by picking up a branch and poking it. No movement. I couldn’t detect a single sign of life.

“I-It’s dead…”

And just like that, my first battle in another world lasted a whole 0.8 seconds without me lifting a single finger.