The Magic in this Other World is Too Far Behind! Volume 2

by Gamei Hitsuji

  It’s still the middle of the day and they’re all getting drunk. It’s not even like there’s some sort of event going on.

  Suimei stared on in either shock or admiration, or perhaps a mix of both. He then took a more detailed survey of the place as he walked around the room. When he arrived at the long bench before the reception desk, he spotted instructions along with writing materials on a table. Suimei had a quick read, then followed the instructions and headed towards the end of the queue. That was where he met the crimson-haired girl, Lefille Grakis.

  ★

  When Suimei gave his name at her request, she quickly bowed her head in response.

  “I see. Suimei-kun, right? Sorry for imposing and getting you mixed up in my incomprehensible revelation.”

  “No, I don’t really mind. Are such revelations something people often get from the Church of Salvation?”

  “They are. I go to church quite a lot, and I receive one from time to time. I’m usually left to interpret how to act on them myself, so it’s rare for the oracle to be this definitive and concrete about something. I wonder what the deal is with that...”

  “Hmm...”

  As Lefille sighed about her ordeal, Suimei mumbled a bit in what was neither admiration nor indifference. He recalled that the church’s oracle had been the one to implore the country to take action against the Demon Lord. But apparently individual people received such revelations as well. Suimei couldn’t tell whether such scattered guidance was simply the whims of a god or the hobby of this so-called oracle. When he thought about it, as long as the oracle wasn’t an outright scam set up by the clergy, it was entirely possible that they were receiving some sort of insight from a paranormal existence using spiritualism as a foundation, or perhaps it was closer to divination or fortune telling.

  “But there’s no way to tell what will come of such a revelation, right?”

  “That’s quite true. It bothers me that I honestly have no idea what the Goddess is thinking.”

  “Isn’t that a little risky to say?”

  “That thickheaded bishop isn’t here. Also, the Goddess would surely forgive such a small―”

  “Next in line, please!”

  In the middle of Suimei and Lefille’s conversation, someone called out from the reception desk. When they both glanced around, the person who had been on the other side of Lefille was now gone. It was rather obvious who the next person in line was.

  “It seems it’s my turn.”

  “Looks like it. Take care.”

  “Same to you. I hope that your commission gets resolved quickly.”

  When Suimei bid her farewell, she returned his kindness as she walked towards the reception desk.

  “...?”

  Suimei wondered exactly why she would say such a thing. After a small conversation with the receptionist, Lefille began filling out some paperwork and then was led through a door further into the building. He could imagine she was going for an interview of some kind. The receptionist then called out for the next person in line again, which was Suimei, so he stood up and approached the counter.

  “Welcome to the Adventurer’s Guild Metel branch, the Twilight Pavilion... Um, is this your first time here?”

  “You can tell?”

  “I saw you walking around earlier and getting a good look at everything. Everyone acts like that their first time here. So, what is the nature of your request today?”

  “No, I would like to register please.”

  When Suimei said that, the receptionist looked like she’d misheard him.

  “...What?”

  “Sorry. I would like to register as a guild member, please.”

  “U-Um, could you please repeat that one more time?”

  “Like I have been saying, I would like to register as a guild member, please.”

  Was she really that hard of hearing? Even after Suimei repeated the same phrase three times, the receptionist looked confounded. She began to rub her brow, and after a short while, let out a grand sigh as she began speaking in a polite yet irritated tone.

  “Listen... I’m sorry, but are you aware of where you are? This is the Twilight Pavilion of the Adventurer’s Guild.”

  “I’m aware. Is there something strange?”

  “Um, everything is strange, isn’t it?”

  “...?”

  Suimei could feel a cold breeze blow as a frosty change came over the previously approachable and polite receptionist. He had no idea what was going on. As if to shut Suimei down completely, she even threw in a warning.

  “If you’re screwing around, I would like to ask you that you put a swift end to it. I don’t have so much free time that I can afford to stand here bantering and listening to your jokes.”

  She had suddenly gotten angry. Why? It was strange. According to what Suimei knew from the novels he borrowed from Mizuki, registering at a guild was supposed to be a quick and easy affair, and he should be able to go about his business immediately afterward. Certainly things never went as smoothly as they did in fiction, but he’d just seen Lefille go through the registration process without any issue. What was so different in his case? While Suimei was trying to figure out what he must have done wrong to irritate the receptionist like this, he noticed the presence of someone approaching him from behind.

  “Hey, kid.”

  “...?”

  Whoever it was addressed him in a bold, angry voice. When Suimei turned around, he was met with the sight of a large man, easily ten to twenty centimeters taller than he was. He distinctly looked like a warrior, and wasted no time laying into Suimei.

  “Yeah, you. You just said you wanted to register, right?”

  “Y-Yeah. I did...”

  “Thought so. If you admit it was a joke and knock it off right now, I’ll let you off. So get out of my sight and go home.”

  It was another warning, or rather, a final warning. The veins on the man’s forehead were protruding visibly as he vented his anger at Suimei. Poor Suimei, however, still didn’t understand what the problem was, and there was no way he could leave like this. Registering at the guild was his first real step into this world. It was something he had to do no matter what. And to that end, Suimei took an amicable attitude with the man before him rather than doing anything to further stoke his ire.

  “No, I really do want to register, just like the girl who was in line before me did.”

  “Are you seriously saying that, you little punk? You think you and that spindly little body can do the same work we do, huh?”

  “Yes.”

  He thought that much was clear. If Suimei did not have at least that much confidence in himself, he wouldn’t have come here in the first place. This would be an entirely different matter if he were joking around like these people were suggesting, but that wasn’t the case. It had to be said that Suimei appeared to be slight even compared to the other mages present, but it shouldn’t matter that he was thin. What this man was saying still didn’t add up to him. But it seemed he’d chosen the wrong answer in responding to this man. He only irritated him further, and his anger poured out of his mouth even more forcefully than before.

  “Hmph, don’t screw around and bark out such stupid shit, you brat! This is a place where warriors and mages gather! It ain’t a daycare for punks and brats like you who know nothing of fighting!”

  “Hmm? Even I have experience fighting...”

  Suimei was deep in thought. As he tried to defend himself, he finally realized what was wrong. He honed in on what the man had said about warriors and mages. It was certainly true this was the kind of place where such people gathered. That’s exactly why Suimei had come. The problem lay in just how these people judged those who fit into those two categories. That was the important point that he had overlooked.

  “Warrior and mages, you said? I’m also... Aha!”

  As he repeated the words that came out from the man’s mouth, Suimei finally stumbled upon the heart of the matter. Just earlier that day,
he had bought brand new clothes to blend in as a perfectly normal citizen. He was dressed like an average person who enjoyed their peaceful life within the city walls. In other words, he certainly didn’t look like a warrior or mage.

  Imagining what he would think if he saw someone dressed like this waltz into the guild and ask to register, these people’s reaction to him was quite reasonable. This was another world. Unlike where Suimei was from, the people here could only judge others by their external appearance. He’d completely forgotten that, and come here dressed inappropriately because of it.

  “Damn it, it’s the clothes... I completely got carried away with the clothes I bought...”

  It was far too late for Suimei to backtrack now. Thanks to his oversight, he was faced with the hostile gaze of the man in front of him, and the relentless, pitiless eyes of the surrounding crowd.

  ★

  Currently, Yakagi Suimei’s situation could be explained in a single phrase: “not very good.” The previously cheerful receptionist was now scowling at him in annoyance. The man before him was practically shaking he was so angry. And even the surrounding crowd—guild members, by the looks of it—were slowly gathering as they bantered back and forth with one another and made fun of him.

  Ugh, I managed to screw this up magnificently...

  Suimei let out a groan when he realized the grand extent to which he’d messed things up. He’d completely and utterly overlooked his appearance. Certainly, once it was pointed it out to him, it seemed only obvious. He had chosen to look as ordinary as possible, and he’d inadvertently taken on the image of someone who truly did know nothing of fighting or violence. On top of that, he also had the typically slender figure of a Japanese man. He couldn’t blame any of them for thinking he was kidding about joining.

  Suimei’s lack of understanding with regard to this world’s standards had completely backfired in his face. In his own world, fighting techniques and tools were a dime a dozen. Being bigger and having a good build were only slight advantages. And being used to that mindset, he’d unwittingly walked right into a trap of his own design. This was, without any doubt, a blunder on his part.

  But nevertheless, he still couldn’t just give up on registering and back off like they were asking him to. He had to obtain identification papers, and he was also hoping to find some proper lodgings as well. But after this, going out and buying a weapon and a new change of clothes likely wouldn’t do him any good. Everyone would remember his face after this incident, and they’d likely refuse him all the same. Suimei was trying to concoct a plan for how to break out of this deadlock as the angered men encircled him.

  “Hey, punk, you have confidence in your skills, right?”

  “I believe I said so earlier, but I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t.”

  “I see. In that case, I’ll put your skills to the test.”

  The man’s anger seemed to have reached its peak as he said those words and reached for the large sword on his back. Seeing this, the receptionist suddenly started to panic and tried to stop him.

  “P-Please wait just a moment! No matter how far he...”

  “It doesn’t matter. This guy said he came here to seriously register, right?”

  “I-It is strictly prohibited by the guild for a member to carelessly resort to violence against a citizen!”

  “Don’t worry. This ain’t just careless violence. Besides, the guild only prohibits violence against regular citizens. But this guy’s a registration candidate, remember? There shouldn’t be any problems if we have a little test right here and now.”

  “That... might be true, but...”

  “You’re serious, right, punk? You’re okay with this, right?”

  “Well, yeah...”

  Suimei did in fact agree with what the man was saying, but he was still unable to stop himself from sighing. This had panned out exactly as he expected. It had escalated to the point that force was going to be his only option to get out of a situation like this. Now it was only a matter of how exactly he should deal with this man...

  Well, it’s not like those fanatics from the Holy Inquisition are around here. This is a world where magic is used in the open, after all. There’s no reason to completely conceal it...

  Over the past few days, Suimei had had a change of heart concerning how exactly he should carry himself while in this world. At first he’d assumed that he would need to conceal his magicka just as he had done in his own world. The people of this world, however, saw magicka on a regular basis and weren’t startled by its mere existence. That meant he could use it freely to a certain extent. If he was faced with magicka, he could defend and counteract with magicka of his own.

  While he was here, there was no need for him to deny his identity as a magician. Moreover, this world didn’t have the Holy Inquisition—an organization of zealots who believed only the miracles brought by their splendid god could be allowed, making them natural enemies of those who called themselves magicians. So the more Suimei thought about it, the less he felt the need to hide who he really was.

  It seemed the only thing he really had to worry about was having his techniques stolen by mind-reading spells and the like. However, considering how far behind the development of magicka was in this world, he had no reason to think that would be an issue. Thus, Suimei came to the conclusion that using his magicka cautiously wouldn’t pose any problems.

  Naturally, he would feel better if he could resolve the current situation peacefully. However, when he thought about it, facing off against a guild member was the perfect chance to clear up all the misunderstandings and break through the deadlock he found himself in. As Suimei resolved himself, the man lowered his gaze at Suimei like he could scarcely believe what he was dealing with.

  “Punk, what are you just standing there stupefied for? Do you have no sense of danger?”

  “It’s simply because I’m not in a dangerous situation.”

  “Do you not see me, punk?”

  “I do.”

  Suimei responded in a cool manner. To him, this kind of threat was absolutely nothing compared to what he’d been through. He’d witnessed true scenes of carnage and felt overpowering pressure and oppression at their sight. The man standing before him hardly compared to master swordsmen from Suimei’s world in terms of ability. Also, compared to the fanatical hatred from the magician hunters who held blind, terrifying faith in their gods, the hostility he felt from this man might as well have been a pleasant breeze.

  When he thought back to being surrounded by large groups armed to the teeth with firearms or facing off against the grotesque beings known as apparitions, it was true that he felt comparatively no danger now.

  The man standing before him just didn’t stack up against those experiences. Suimei would freely admit that wasn’t exactly a fair comparison considering the extreme and ridiculous things he’d been through, yet nonetheless, he still wasn’t intimidated by this man.

  But just how did this man feel after seeing Suimei’s calm composure? Did he think he was just staring down an insolent brat who knew nothing of the world? Or perhaps some punk who thought that he could win through sheer bravado? As Suimei was used to concealing his identity, he was always completely suppressing the mana leaking out of his body, meaning he gave off no sign of his powers. That surely wasn’t helping now.

  “Hmph... I’m starting. Show me you can stop or dodge this―”

  The man spoke like a teacher announcing the beginning of the test. It seemed that, despite his unmistakable rage, he truly did intend this as a test of sorts. Contrary to Suimei’s expectations, this man hadn’t completely lost his cool. While briefly entertaining such frivolous thoughts, Suimei began focusing on the matter before him.

  The man grabbed the sword on his back and intended to swing it down as he drew it. That would make the timing and trajectory simple to predict. Suimei focused on the hilt of the man’s sword and began optimizing his mana with the intent of deducing everything in an instant. The
n, as though simply brushing aside an insect in the air, Suimei snapped his fingers.

  “Buugwhaaa?!”

  A surprised shout filled the room as the air exploded lightly. It was a scream that was in every way unflattering. After the small air explosion, the man flew backwards onto the floor as if his body weighed next to nothing. The sword, which had been the focal point of the explosion, had slipped out of his hands and flew even farther than he did. A moment later, the sound of the sword hitting the ground rang out over the man groaning.

  “Ugah! Wh-When... F-Fuck! Wh-What just...?”

  He seemed to have lost track of what had happened after the abrupt impact. He looked around and slowly got his bearings.

  “Wuh...?”

  Suimei could also hear a stupefied gasp from the receptionist behind him. She hardly seemed the same irate woman that had scolded him earlier. Regardless, it was surely because she had no idea what had just happened. There was no way she could. It seemed the crowd shared her surprise. Everyone in the room was staring at him with wide eyes. After a short while, the receptionist finally spoke.

  “Um, just what was that?”

  “Magicka.”

  Suimei answered without a hint of arrogance in his voice. After collecting himself, the man held his head in pain and looked up at Suimei.

  “Magic...? Without chanting or a keyword...?”

  “Yeah.”

  “R-Really...?”

  “Well, yeah. You saw it for yourself.”

  Suimei gave a frank reply as the man looked at him for confirmation once again. Seeing him like that, Suimei came to the realization that Felmenia’s reaction would be standard here in this world. It seemed that the ability to not only invoke magicka without a chant, but also to omit the keyword used as the activation sequence for magicka itself was truly something shocking to these people.