In Another World With My Smartphone: Volume 2

by Patora Fuyuhara

  Lyon was also the only one aware of my tentative status as Yumina’s fiance. I wasn’t informed of anything of the sort, but I wouldn’t be surprised if he was tasked with protecting her.

  “Sir Lyon, I apologize for causing trouble.” Olga came to him and expressed her gratitude with a bright smile on her face. The young knight entered a flustered state in response.

  “Ah, n-no need for that. Th-This is merely part of my job! Don’t mention it, really!” His cool attitude completely gone, the golden-haired youth’s face turned red as he spoke to Olga. Looking at him, the foxy beauty giggled in a bemused manner.

  Ohoho... So that’s how it is. I slowly backed away, making sure they didn’t notice me. Standing behind one of the carriages, I silently observed as the two made some gleeful small talk.

  “Ah, young love.”

  “Yes, it is indeed beautiful...”

  “Yep, sure is.”

  “Such a wonderful thing...”

  When did you guys get here...? The twins, the samurai girl, and the princess, with Kohaku in her hands, were all right next to me, watching the two as I did.

  “Does Olga-dono know how Lyon-dono feels about her, I wonder...?”

  “I’m sure she does. Unlike a certain someone, she doesn’t seem very dense,” Yumina said. Huh? What’re you guys looking at me for?

  “...Density is one thing, but I also think that Touya is far too kind to everyone he meets,” Linze muttered.

  “Oh, I totally agree,” Elze proclaimed as she nodded her head.

  “I’m not sure what to make of that attitude of his, I am not.” Yae chimed in, uncertain.

  “Do you even know what we’re talking about?! Sit down!” Elze suddenly yelled at me, clearly angry for some odd reason.

  “Wh-What?!” I don’t understand. What’s this all about? Unable to resist them, I was forced to sit down and be exposed to a ridiculous amount of unreasonable scolding. Why, though? With most of their words just flying over my head, the strange event continued into the dead of night.

  ◇　◇　◇

  “You’re kidding me, right? This isn’t a river; it’s a whole ocean...” Water. Marine blue as far as the eye could see... Though, I could make out the outline of the opposite shore if I squinted hard enough. It reminded me of when I went to Aomori as a kid and could see Hokkaido from Cape Omazaki. So, this river was about as wide as the Tsugaru Strait...

  After six days of journeying, we finally arrived at Canaan — the southernmost town in the Kingdom of Belfast. The plan was to take a ship and cross over to the Mismedian town of Langley.

  Naturally, being a town that connected the two kingdoms, Canaan had a significant number of demi-humans. With dog and cat beastmen being a given, there were also some who had wings sprouting from their backs or horns adorning their heads. Not to mention the dragonfolk with scales covering certain parts of their bodies and thick tails trailing behind them. From what I could tell, the humans and demi-humans around those parts coexisted just fine.

  Once we reached the riverbank, which looked more like a harbor, by the way, we saw a great number of boats. However, all of them were quite small. I could see some medium-sized barges, but none that really stood out in terms of size.

  They were all sailing boats, but none had many sails on them, making them all look extremely plain. I was told that the passengers were always joined by users of wind magic who could get the boat to the other side in about two hours, so such simple designs were actually optimal. Considering how gentle the river’s current was, I could fully understand the reasoning.

  Okay, so we’ll leave the carriages here and cross over to Mismede by boat. Apparently, there was another carriage waiting for us on the other side.

  We left the actual boat-hiring to Olga, Garm, and the other Mismedians. On the side of the road, not too far away from the boat, there was an open-air market.

  “Oh, that’s a handicraft stall.”

  “And this one here sells silks... Wow, you can find lots of things here.” Arma and Yumina looked at the wares being sold. Well, this is the last Belfastian town before Mismede, after all... Guess it makes sense that there’s a bunch of merchants hawking souvenirs.

  “Oho? Touya, look at that...”

  “Hm?” I followed Yumina’s gaze and saw Lyon standing before a jewelry stall. It sold various accessories such as brooches, rings, and necklaces. He had a strained, pensive expression on his face as he stared at their wares. Huh, I thought he was off sending a letter to the royal palace.

  Instead, he seemed to be seriously considering which accessory to purchase. But those trinkets were meant for girls, so... Ohhh, I get it. So that’s how it is...

  “Hey, Lyon. Getting something for your family?”

  “Eh? S-Sir Touya?! W-Well, I was just, uh, m-my mother, she’s... Yes! I was thinking of getting something for my mother...”

  “Heh...” His oh-so-splendid complexion made it very clear that it wasn’t for a member of his family. Also, there was something really off about buying souvenirs for a Belfastian in Belfast, rather than waiting until we got to Mismede. But, at least for the moment, I decided to spare him the embarrassment and keep any such comments to myself.

  “Boy, sure is a good assortment here. Oh, actually... Arma, how about you pick something? I’ll buy it for you. It’ll be a little present to remind you of Belfast.”

  “Really?! Wow!” Arma quickly and joyfully chose one of the brooches. It had the shape of a bunch of grapes, but the “grapes” themselves were replaced by neatly-placed purple crystals. The fox and the grapes... Man, this reminds me of that old fable.

  “It really suits you, Arma.”

  “Ehehe... thank you so much!” Arma smiled broadly as I paid for the item. Alright, here’s my chance to help Lyon out.

  “Does Olga like brooches like this, too?”

  “Hmm... Sis prefers flowery designs. Like, uh, she really loves elius flowers. I’ve seen her buy a bunch of them.” As she spoke, Arma pointed toward one of the accessories on display. It was decorated by cherry blossom-like flowers. A little plain, but still quite pretty.

  Lyon, eavesdropping on us, smiled a little. Bingo.

  “Right then, I’ll be off. Don’t take too long to get back to the boat, Lyon. We’re setting off soon.”

  “Ah, of course. I’ll be there in a moment.” A few moments after we left the scene, we turned around to see Lyon buying the elius hair ornament and getting it gift-wrapped.

  “Excellent work, Touya.” Yumina praised me. Guess she noticed my handiwork. The sister of the young knight’s beloved, however, seemed quite clueless.

  “Although, I would have liked it if you also bought me a present, Touya.”

  “...Sorry.”

  “Well, I’ll be satisfied so long as I get a ring on my left ring finger eventually.” With a bright smile on her face, Yumina wrapped her hands around mine. Darn it, Touya. You should’ve bought her something! That alternative’s too scary...

  As such thoughts spun through my head, we returned to the boat.

  “That was fast.”

  “It was only two hours, after all, it was.” Elze and Yae left the boat while carrying the box containing the large mirror meant for the Kingdom of Mismede. They were followed by Arma and Yumina, who carried our baggage. Then came Kohaku and finally there was me, carrying Linze.

  “...I’m so sorry, Touya.”

  “It’s fine, no worries. I don’t mind at all.” She got seasick about an hour into the journey. It was clearly because she was reading. The boat itself was pretty steady, after all. I tried using [Recovery] on her, but it didn’t seem to have much effect. Strange, since it was clearly a negative status ailment.

  Wonder why it didn’t work... That aside, how come she’s fine with carriage shaking, but not boat swaying?! Then again, I knew people who could handle cars, but still got seasick, so this is probably similar.

  Once off the boat, I took a good look around Langley. We were now in the c
ountry of demi-humans — the Kingdom of Mismede. Not like the mere two hour journey resulted in some massive change, but compared to Canaan, the town in Belfast, this one had significantly more demi-humans than humans.

  There were stalls, just like on the other side, but just about every merchant was a demi-human. And they were so varied, too. It was quite a sight.

  “The town’s bigger than I expected.”

  “...That’s probably because it’s heavily influenced by Belfast.” Still on my back, Linze replied to my mumbling. As we eyed the town, Olga led us to three carriages, which looked about the same as the ones we left in Canaan.

  “What do we do now, Touya? If Linze isn’t well, we can always stay here for the night and move out tomorrow.” I could make out some concern in Olga’s voice.

  “Ah, I-I’m fine now. I got better once we left the ship.” Linze slipped off my back. Suddenly, Elze came up to her and whispered into her ear.

  “You could always ask him to carry you a little more, Linze.”

  “Wh-What are you s-saying, Sis?!” She suddenly grew flustered, yelling at a volume she likely didn’t intend. She was looking away from me, so I couldn’t see them so well, but I could tell her ears were red. Getting carried must be embarrassing or something, I guess.

  “Then, let us leave in an hour. I’ll send a letter to His Majesty the Beastking.”

  “Ah, th-then I shall accompany you. There’s no telling what could happen, ma’am!”

  “You are right indeed. Do join me, Sir Lyon.” She smiled at him and the two walked away. Well, that’s enough to make anyone feel all warm and fuzzy. It felt like I could finally understand those obliging people who found their vocation in arranging formal marriage interviews.

  “Mister Touya, once we leave, we won’t come across any large towns for a long while. You should buy everything you need here.” Garm, the Mismedian captain, explained the situation to me. We decided to spend an hour stocking up for the trip.

  Kohaku, Yumina, and I went to buy an assortment of things, such as emergency rations and tea leaves. What was that...? I looked around and sharpened my senses. Did I just imagine that...?

  “What’s wrong?” My strange behavior got Yumina’s attention.

  “Nothing... kinda. Felt like someone was watching us. Probably just imagined it, though.”

  “Sure it isn’t just someone curious about Kohaku?” In Mismede, white tigers were considered sacred. Even capturing them was a serious offense, let alone hunting them. If I put a collar on Kohaku and dragged the little furball with a chain, I’d be sent to the gallows without a trial. We had to make it obvious that he was following us of his own free will. Though, that was a bit troublesome as well.

  «No, my lord... You’re right. There is someone observing us. Specifically, the two of you, not me. They’ve completely concealed their presence now, however.»

  Kohaku’s words made me look around again. Who could it be, then...? I should be on my guard, just in case.

  We went on to buy ten or so fruits I had never seen before. They looked like pears, but were orange in color and had the smell of apples. After that, we returned to the group. Everyone else had already met up at the carriages, so we were the last to arrive.

  “That’s everyone, then. Let’s head off.” At Olga’s words, the knights and soldiers entered the carriages at the front and back. The rest of us filed into the one in the middle. Elze and Yae sat up front, and when the rest of us were about to step into the carriage, I noticed the cherry blossom-like hair ornament glimmering in Olga’s hair.

  “Oh, that’s a fine piece of jewelry. It really suits you, Olga.”

  “Eh? R-Really? Thank you very much.” Yumina noticed it as well, and when she praised it, Olga gave a bashful smile. I guess Lyon gave it to her when they went out together. Good for him.

  “I’d love to receive something like that from my beloved. I believe that expressing feelings through such trinkets is part of being a true gentleman. Of course, I have nothing against those who prefer to show it in their behavior, like through an embrace, or...”

  “Well alright, let’s get going!” The conversation was heading down a dangerous path, so I rushed into the carriage.

  Yumina might actually be the type to hold grudges, I didn’t expect that... Damn, I really messed up by buying something for Arma, but not for her. Still, I can’t bring myself to embrace her instead... I’ve gotta think of an alternative. Wait, no... if I get her something, then the other girls will notice too. Won’t be good if they take it to be proof of my love or something. Maybe it’d work if I give them all gifts and present it as thanks for everything until now?

  When I got inside the carriage, I took out my smartphone and began an image search for the latest accessories back home in my original world. Figured I’d get some inspiration for something to make with [Modeling].

  ◇　◇　◇

  Once we left Langley, the surroundings grew shockingly different. Unlike Belfast, there were a lot of overgrown plants all over the place, and the road was rough. Our carriages were slowly making their way through a place that was less of a forest and more of a jungle.

  I could totally see why people said that Mismede had far more monsters than Belfast. Woodlands like this were the perfect habitat for them. Every now and then, I could hear the howls of creatures I couldn’t hope to identify, but it seemed like they were just part of everyday life in this country.

  From what I’d heard, the high amount of monsters didn’t really have much of an impact on life in the settlements, though. That was because the forests were already full of creatures fit to be prey for the bigger ones. The monsters didn’t need to dig up people’s fields to find something to eat.

  However, every now and then, villagers who went out hunting ended up having an unfortunate encounter with a monster or two. In those cases, the people were the intruders, so they had to be prepared to be attacked. Wonder if there’s some bear-warding bell that could keep them away or something...

  “Doesn’t seem like we’ll make it to Eld village before dusk.” I checked my map app and saw Eld on the road from Langley to the capital, right beyond this forest. Just as Olga said, at the speed we were traveling, it was too far away to reach before sunset. Plus, I didn’t like the idea of heading there in the dead of night, either.

  “Mismede is like a colony composed of several individual clans. Towns and villages here are still made by separate clans just doing what they do. And, just as there are clans that have friendly relations with each other, there are also those that can’t stand one another. His Beastliness included, there are seven Clan Patriarchs responsible for gathering the distant races.”

  According to Olga, the seven Patriarchs each represented a type of demi-human: there were the beastmen, the winged races, the horned races, the dragonfolk, the dryadic people, the aquatic races, and the fairies, too. And, as things were, the Patriarch of the beastmen — the beastking — was the current ruler of this country. That might’ve been because beastmen were the majority race, so it was easier for the country to function.

  Also, even though the king’s seat was hereditary, the other patriarchs held a great amount of power. Guess they were comparable to influential nobles. In any case, Mismede, being an emerging nation, seemed like it had a number of problems going on.

  The sun was slowly hiding behind the horizon. I realized it was a good idea to start making camp while it was still light out. We would not go any further without resting first.

  We stopped our carriages at a wider part of the road and began setting up our camp. Once the firewood was gathered and a bunch of well-placed rocks turned our campfire into a little stove, we began making food. I contributed by cooking up a large pot of vegetable soup. Minestrone, to be precise.

  When the sun completely set and night truly blanketed us, we could hear lots of noises from the forest. There were probably lots of nocturnal animals.

  “I’m a bit scared...” Yumina inched herself cl
oser to me as she nervously ate my soup.

  “Basic beasts won’t come close as long as Kohaku’s around. Hell, even monsters should notice, so there’s no need to worry. Giant insects and slimes are another story, though.” Kohaku transmitted those words into my head, so I was just quoting what he said to me. In response, Yumina pull the little tiger into a tight embrace.

  “Thank you, Kohaku.”

  “Worry not, Mistress. It will be fine as long as I’m here.” Kohaku whispered in such a way that no one but Yumina could hear. In response, Yumina smiled widely and patted the tiger’s head.

  Some people were taking turns keeping watch while we ate, and due to how unfamiliar the lands were, the Belfastian knights seemed really tense.

  “I’ll go pick up Yae and Elze. Kohaku, look after Yumina and Linze.”

  «Understood.» I walked away from everyone near the campfire, entered the large carriage, and used a [Gate] to return to my home back in Alephis, the Royal Capital of Belfast.

  I appeared in the living room to find Elze and Yae enjoying some chill-out time. Standing not too far from them was our super-butler, Laim.

  “Oh, is it time already?”

  “Why the rush, Touya-dono...? My hair still needs to dry, it does.” Yep... They went home just to take a bath. We gave them thirty minutes, so that people wouldn’t get suspicious and grow aware of the fact that I could teleport.

  We were able to magically create water, so we just told the others that we’d fill a tub and heat it up with hot rocks, but in reality, they were taking a normal bath back at home. They decided to go together so that one could keep a lookout while the other bathed, or so the story went.

  “Come on, let’s head back before someone notices that something is off. Did anything happen today, Laim?”

  “Nothing worth mentioning, sir. Ah, yes, I almost forgot. Julio was thinking of making a vegetable garden. What do you say about that?” A vegetable garden, huh... Dedicating land to growing fresh veggies sounds good to me...