Germania (7)
Germania (7)
The road to Germania was peaceful. Not a single noteworthy incident occurred during the few days it took to reach the port, board a ship, and arrive at the trading city of Kudoses. I had half-expected pirates or something similar to appear, following the usual fantasy tropes, especially since Germania was supposedly crawling with them.
“Especially since there are so many pirates in Germania.”
This country had state-sanctioned vikings, much like the Seven Warlords of the Sea. They were closer to privateers—temporary naval forces that raided enemy ships and rival pirate vessels—but the fact that the nation itself raised pirates had been enough to shock me, a mere one-year veteran of this other world. Given how memorable the country had been, I had assumed some incident involving rogue criminal pirates attempting to plunder us would occur. Reality, however, delivered nothing but a tranquil sea voyage.
Still, it felt strangely moving to be visiting the very nation that had once given me an isekai reality shock. Was this what people meant by “overwhelmed with emotion”? I chuckled dryly into the sea breeze as I unloaded luggage with my party members.
“Rodbrick University, where we’ll be stopping, is in this city,” Dana explained, the doctorate badge of the archaeology department pinned to her chest. Her voice was deliberately low, as if making sure no one else could overhear despite the noisy harbor. “We’ll go there under the pretext of researching materials on rune stones.”
“It’s not just a pretext. It really is thesis material,” I added, slipping the rune stone into my pocket. Dana, director of the Sargadis Archaeological Research Institute, had used this as her excuse for the business trip to Germania.
—Handover’s done. They didn’t seem too unhappy about it, probably because they’re all salaried workers.
Ten days ago, after finishing preparations for the trip in just four days, Dana had told us exactly that. Even in a rural research institute, the researchers all held at least a master’s degree. Yet not everyone who graduated university and entered academia was ambitious. Their positions were more like corporate researchers with master’s degrees or civil servants in quiet countryside towns—people who preferred a steady monthly paycheck over climbing the ladder. That was why Dana had been able to leave so easily. Research trips were at the researcher’s discretion, so she simply informed the institute staff and headed to Germania without even filing a report with the academic society.
—Nod. Dana tilted her head and continued.
“Let’s drop our things at the lodging we booked in advance. We’ll just check into the inn and head straight to the university, so you guys should move around in pairs at minimum. Trading cities tend to attract quite a few unsavory types.”
The party accepted without complaint. Having all wandered the world before, everyone understood the dangers of cities with high floating populations. I, who had lived in twenty-first-century South Korea where public safety was relatively good, found it harder to grasp, but apparently pickpocketing and street robberies were extremely common in countries with poor security back on Earth. There was no point complaining about an isekai that grew endlessly savage the more uncivilized it became. We headed to the inn, keeping an extremely wary eye on our luggage to avoid theft.
As we walked, I asked Veronica (in cat mode), whom I was carrying in one arm.
【Veronica. Can you hold out?】
【It is somewhat difficult to say, but being in the arms of one who is not pure makes it somewhat more bearable.】
【That’s really hard to respond to.】
I couldn’t tell if it was praise or an insult. It didn’t feel bad, but it was an awkward thing to reply to. Just as unicorns felt refreshed when embraced by the pure, perhaps bicorns like her felt relief near men and women who had lost their virginity? When put into words, it sounded incredibly lewd.
【However, my lord, you have been suffering daily because of my curse.】
【That’s not wrong.】
【……Huuu.】
When I agreed without hesitation, Veronica let out a groan as if she had nothing left to say. The reason she had transformed into a cat and clung to me was because Kudoses was an extremely crowded city. Think about it—Veronica in bicorn mode walking around a place this packed with people? It would be fortunate if it ended with just drawing attention. Bicorns weren’t that rare a race, and I had just mentioned that one had to be careful abroad. Poachers lurked in the back alleys of such cities, eyes gleaming as they searched for animals to sell and buyers.
‘If she walked around in divine beast mode and bumped into a virgin, it would be disastrous.’
That was why Veronica had to abandon her divine beast form even while traveling. Her transformation forms varied by situation, but all were registered as “livestock” so they could board carriages and ships, allowing us to reach this point. Naturally, Veronica seemed extremely dissatisfied with this arrangement.
【……I must break this curse as soon as possible.】
Veronica the cat lamented through rune magic telepathy that only I could hear.
【I did not realize it when traveling alone. I never imagined human society had developed so complexly and diversely. Not only am I causing trouble for all of you because of the curse, but I myself feel deeply frustrated.】
【Frustrated? About what?】
【Look. This city is clearly overflowing with vitality. There is nothing like our clan’s sacred land, which is stifling and remains unchanged even after hundreds of years. Originally, our clan should have been free to frolic in places like this.】
Veronica pointed with a cat’s paw at elves and dwarves shopping along the roadside. True to her role as the one who had taken the initiative to break her clan’s curse, she seemed deeply resentful that her people had been cast out of the flow of history. If not for the curse, there might have been horned men and women somewhere in this city living their own lives. I patted Veronica’s head.
【Cheer up. That’s why we came all the way here. Let’s finish this quickly and go back.】
【Mm. It would be a shame to leave Teresa alone at home for too long.】
【Leave her be. She was originally a stray anyway.】
Teresa, whom Veronica had brought, had already secured employment as a house cat, receiving affection from the wives. Thanks to her perceptiveness—and the fact that I could understand her speech—she didn’t view the wives as mere can openers. That was a very good thing in my eyes. Since she was smart enough to eat the food we had stockpiled on her own, she wouldn’t starve to death even if we were away for months. We had also informed the hired housekeeper.
“By the way, Senior? Why are universities only in places like this port city?”
It was Larilura’s question as she controlled Ring Ring 3.5. Since Ring Ring was wearing a robe, she looked roughly like a slightly larger member of our group at a glance. Thanks to the bestowal magic, the threads of Puppetry weren’t visible either.
“Because the infrastructure is good. Trading cities make it convenient for artifacts and research equipment to come and go.”
“Aah—so that’s why! I just vaguely thought that big ports had a lot of smart-looking people coming to watch performances~ and moved on, but there was a reason for it♡!”
Larilura counted on her fingers, as if listing the cities she had visited.
“Ah, here it is!”
Franc, who had been comparing the map and the road at the front, came to a stop. It was the inn our senior had found in advance, and since it was connected through archaeology department contacts, we could use it at a discount.
【Welcome! Is a party of four with one pet alright?】
【Yes. Here are our identification documents.】
When we approached the reception desk, a Germania girl greeted us with a business smile and helped with check-in. Our identities had already been verified during immigration—except for Veronica the cat—so Dana, the archaeology doctor, signed as the representative.
【Pet…… domestic animal……】
Veronica, who wasn’t even counted in the headcount, was deeply wounded by the word “pet” following “livestock” and grew gloomy. I comforted her by rubbing behind her ears. Live strong even as an animal.
“Senior~? I mentioned this before we came, but I can’t speak Germania either~.”
Larilura had put Ring Ring 3.5 into storage and was glancing at me.
“I couldn’t understand what you said when booking the room~. Am I still going to be the pitiful one eavesdropping on everyone’s laughter from the next room by pressing my ear to the wall tonight too~?”
“I booked a four-person room. There are two bunk beds.”
“Yahoo! As expected of our Senior♡! You’re the best!!”
Larilura raised both arms in joy. Dana frowned as if she found it absurd.
“What the hell? I’m the one who booked the room, so why is that husband bastard getting the praise?”
“Talent is performed by the bear, but the money goes to the foreigner.”
“Am I the bear? You crazy bear bastard.”
“Nord. At this rate you’re going to be a complete freeloader.”
Anyway, Larilura, who had avoided being the outcast, energetically helped unpack, making the process easier. Since it was an inn that allowed long-term stays, we had brought quite a lot of luggage.
“Alright, unpacking’s done! I’m taking my husband and going to work.”
“Already? Why not rest a bit first.”
When Dana picked up her business trip documents, Franc pointed to the seat beside her. But I waved my hand in Dana’s place. It was true that the sea voyage had been tiring, but both Dana and I had grown sick of being cooped up in a room after six days at sea.
“We’ll get some fresh air to shake off the stuffiness and come back late. Even if it’s late, I plan to return with books before nightfall, so don’t wait for dinner. If you’re going out for snacks, be careful and go together.”
I repeated that buddy pairs were essential abroad. Dana and I became the investigation team, while Franc, Larilura, and Veronica became the house-sitting team. Larilura raised her tension and mimicked the salute she had learned from sailors.
“Ahat♡! Understood! I’ll go downstairs with the sisters and eavesdrop on some information! I’ll come up to the room at night and play with Veronica unni, so don’t worry☆!”
“Hm? Larilura. Do you like cats too?”
Veronica in cat mode asked while lying on the bed. Larilura blinked.
“No, not that much? If anything, I prefer baby elephants!”
“……Elephants. Quite the unusual preference.”
“I miss the baby elephant I used to work with♡!”
“……Well, fine. This is to build curse resistance. Training…… this is all training……. Uuugh……”
I closed the door while listening to Veronica’s groan, sandwiched between a virgin and a married woman. Dana took a deep breath as if nervous. I thought it was because she now had to visit someone else’s university as a research institute director, but Dana steadied herself with isekai Lamaze breathing and linked arms with me.
“……Senior, what are you doing?”
“A date.”
Dana smiled awkwardly with the corners of her mouth twitching from embarrassment, making no effort to hide her joy.
“I can monopolize you once in a while, can’t I?”
There was absolutely no reason why not.
***
The fashion sense of this isekai sometimes rivaled the modern era. The reason I established this hypothesis today was because Dana’s autumn outfit would have worked even in twenty-first-century South Korea. Skinny jeans, a black turtleneck sweater, and finally a coat! The clothes suited Dana, who was tall and slender, perfectly, as if they had been custom-made. Damn, she looked hot.
“Heh, heheh. Heheh.”
But would that cool city-girl vibe mean anything when her limbs were moving stiffly like a broken nutcracker? Dana, linked arm-in-arm with me, began walking while the gazes of passersby made her look like a malfunctioning doll. Well, it wasn’t like our three-person married couple had ever had a proper date before. I interlaced my fingers with Dana’s and slipped our joined hands into my coat pocket.
“What do you want to do? Want to look around a bit before stopping by the university?”
I asked because I had something in mind regarding the word “date” that Dana had mentioned, but she just chuckled as if it had been a joke.
“You take a few months off and suddenly you’re all over the place. Slacking off from the first day?”
“It’s not slacking off, it’s fulfilling my duties as a husband. We’ve known each other for four years, but today’s the first time we’ve walked around arm-in-arm.”
“Give it a rest. We’ll be here for a few weeks anyway, so let’s take it slow.”
“True. If it were summer, we could have gone swimming at least.”
Even though it was a port city, there was a beach. The problem was that we had arrived at the end of autumn. Going into the sea in this weather would instantly turn you into a human popsicle with a cold and everything else.
“We splash around in the bathtub together every single day anyway.”
“It doesn’t feel the same without swimsuits.”
“You’re one hell of a thorough pervert from one to ten.”
“There’s aesthetics even in being turned on, and even macho guys have pure hearts.”
Instead of ocean waves, we cut through the crowd and headed to the university. Following the same process as anywhere else, we verified our identities and were guided to the library. Although Britannia was a smaller nation than Germania, Carmine University’s reputation was not inferior to even Germania’s top universities.
【Thank you for the guidance. You’ve worked hard.】
Dana sent the guide away with slightly awkward Germania speech. I stood at the library entrance and whistled at its sheer size.
‘The collection is on par with Carmine University.’
The library even had shoe lockers with locks. A large notice was visible from the entrance.
【Please change into indoor shoes to avoid dirtying the hallways. From the library staff.】
Was it because cleaning was a hassle? Archaeologists’ shoes did tend to get dirty with soil. Dana must have noticed it too, as she picked up slippers from the shoe locker and handed them to me.
“Hey, they have your size here.”
“Huh? Oh, yeah. Here’s yours, Senior.”
I also handed Dana the slippers I had picked up. We both realized we had been looking for the other person’s slippers first rather than our own.
“No, why didn’t you look for your own first……”
I accepted the slippers with a dumbfounded feeling and tried them on. They fit my feet perfectly, as if by magic. The slippers I had given Dana also fit her feet like they were made for her.
“………………”
“………………”
We exchanged glances as if staring at a lunatic.
“Crazy bastard. How do you know my shoe size?”
“What about you, Senior? I remember from when I was a slave and managed supplies, but I don’t recall ever telling anyone my shoe size.”
“……I don’t know, you bastard. Just go inside.”
Dana covered her face with her forearm and fled. Her coat fluttered, revealing her slender hips. Feeling my wife’s boundless love, I chased after Dana’s tempting rear. Skinny jeans really were the truth. Dana, pants suited you better than skirts……