「 To begin with, Physical Ability, Magic, Fascination, Money – you can wish for anything, but the manifested results would depend on the strength and character of the one who would give them to you. If I give you powerful Strength, the effect will be instantaneous, but even if I provide you with Magic, it will not amount to anything. 」
「 Yup, even though it’s the same Fascination, when I bestow it, it would turn into Love. Pal would give it as Familiarity, while Haralfa would turn affection into Obsession, I think? 」
Van and Mischt tried to explain it in a way I could understand, but I couldn’t keep up with this situation. I tried my best to understand, but my thoughts were already slipping.
「 Let’s try first by bestowing you strength or conditions that you want. 」
「 Something I want… 」
Even if I was suddenly asked what I wanted, nothing came to mind, so I asked them about this world, instead.
Just like what I expected, this was indeed a world of sword and magic, filled with mystery and where spirits and monsters exist.
It seemed that generally, Physical Ability was automatically strengthened once a guardian was determined.
It would be a separate matter if I wanted to choose a prominent ability, but if I was already stronger than normal, wouldn’t it be better to choose another ability, instead?
My requirements were not getting involved with my older sister, and being able to live comfortably.
「 You don’t want to be involved with the hero? 」
The one who spoke was Khadar; he did say he governed Order, so he must be a mediator.
「 I want to avoid her with all I have. She’s bright and sociable, but she’s the type of person who will make you feel guilty so that you will comply with her demands.」
She had double standards – great in pushing the blame onto others while doing the exact thing she’s accusing them of. You’d understand if you’ve been with her long enough, but the thought about her reaching 「 the position where she didn’t need to do things herself 」 was terrifying.
I first noticed that trait when Grandma gave us some snacks that were not that tasty. Her line had been,「Grandma prepared these especially for us, yet you’re not eating it, that’s so mean. 」 with those snacks in front of her.
Naturally, I became the bad guy for not eating them and was blamed for making Grandma sad. But in reality, I wasn’t the only person Grandma gave snacks to. Sis didn’t want to eat, so she tried to make me eat them, instead.
At that time, I succeeded in making her shut up by saying 「 In that case then why don’t you eat it yourself? 」.
ー However, as the years passed by, Sis’s incitement became more subtle.
「 Ehh, Haruka’s doing her best! Her sense of justice is strong, too! I’m the one who chose her, too! 」
「 Whichever human it is, their lifespan is at most a hundred years, so it doesn’t really matter to us. 」
The ball of light was talking nonsense, and the other people also ignored it.
Like I told you, she’s the type to use that so-called justice to censure others. Lightball needed Sis to be active or else it wouldn’t receive power, but for the others, she wasn’t a big deal, just someone 「 brought along 」 from the other world to accomplish a job.
The country that protected Sis received favor from the hero’s power and fame, so I think it would be fine to just let her be and see what would be the result. Even if those surrounding Sis became exhausted unexpectedly, the citizens who did not meet her directly would probably still be satisfied with the peaceful reign under the name of righteousness.
Afterward, I asked them for recommendations and they bestowed them on me, touted as ‘power I desired’. I got a lot of stuff as a result.
【Magical Talent】【Martial Arts Ability】【Manufacturing Ability】
【Heal】【Complete Cookery】【Storage】【Teleport】
The last three were related to my Sis. When I said I didn’t want to be involved with my elder sister, I got the 【Hero Killing】as an extreme response. Well, Sis got the 【Complete Magic】and【Domination】. I ABSOLUTELY, TOTALLY never wanted to have anything to do with her.
【Languages】and 【Mental Resistance】were apparently already given to transferees right from the get-go almost all of the time.
It’d be inconvenient if I didn’t know the language, while the other one was bestowed as a preventive measure against depression while living all alone. I wished they automatically gave stuff that were supposed to be affixed at all times, just like how they did with Physical Ability.
Well, I’ll be killing my own food, and it was a world where people killed each other, so there are plenty of opportunities to test out that【Mental Resistance】.
They helped me recover, then I asked them to explain a bit more about this world. I asked Van to affix Sword Training, and Khadar and Ludere to oversee my magic practice. I requested Ish for Healing Power ー and I also requested that I’d be able to use all the abilities I have so I could live.
Having them and using them were different. I didn’t think I would suddenly be good at doing something I never even thought I would do.
I also got plenty of Items, such as 『Zanzenken』, a sword that could cut almost anything, 『 Growth Powder』 that could grow plants,『Safe and Cozy House』, and various ingredients that would not expire. Almost all ingredients were raw, so I requested 【 Complete Cookery】which gave me the skills to cook any dish as long as I’d seen it before, and could make it even more delicious.
The house was located in a country far from Sis, in a province of a peaceful country with four seasons and stable weather conditions.The higher-ups of the country pulled some strings, so it became an untouchable, unaffiliated land belonging only to me. As long as I did not permit it, nobody would be aware that it existedー no one would notice, and they could not enter.
「Thanks」
How wondrous my house was!
「We would like to thank you also.」
Khadar, who was in charge of Order, had a relieved expression on his face. Some abilities might offset each other, but I was right in choosing all of them.
Even if the lifespan was on the verge of being exhausted, the deities still acquired great power from it when I divided it among them. Obviously, there would be a difference between dividing it versus giving all of my remaining lifespan to a single deity. That kind of world was a bit scary.
「 Even so, not a single word of complaint despite being brought here… 」
Somebody mumbled.
Well, that’s because I already planned to run away in the first place. I felt more liberated after I got my driver’s license, which doubled as my ID, when I turned eighteen. My sis would definitely stop me if I were to say I wanted a car and a driver’s license so instead of butting heads with her, I tricked her into getting them for me by making her focus on the pros, like how great it’d be if I were to drive for her, etc. I gave her an extra nudge by leaving travel magazines lying around with their spread out pages showing tourists spots conveniently accessible by car.
I was accepted at a university outside our prefecture; it was a tourist attraction that Sis would like, and its ranking was below hers. Actually, I was also accepted to a university in a different prefecture, so that was an option, too. My parents decided the pros and cons of giving me money according to Sis’s moods, but they would leave ALL the troublesome procedures to me. That made me want to hide away and cut all ties with them after I received my matriculation fees.
「 The abilities affixed to the house are secured, but the ones you acquired on your being are dependent on your compatibility, and are also tied to our affinity at the same time. You have to be very careful. 」
Lastly, Van handed me a key.
I would be teleported to 『 Safe and Cozy House 』 from here on.
I also requested that my appearance be changed into something more suitable to this world.
I want peace! And live! Comfortably!
Khadar did something, and a white light filled my vision. It was so dazzling that I blinked ーmy vision cleared, and a stone house stood over there. I turned around, staring everywhere. There was a gentle-sloping hill below, stretching on to a beautiful grassland, with gradient colors changing from yellow-green to yellow and little forests scattered about.
ー I was sent safely into my 『 House 』, it seemed .
Few houses were scattered around, and beyond that, there was a cluster of county buildings that seemed to be a village or a small town. My neighbor was also far away, probably near the edge of the site.
The house was built on a small mountain overlooking the hill country. The faraway landscape view was magnificent. The mountain had abundant, broad-leaved forests, and a stream flowed, separating into multiple sections around the buildings in all directions, moving the water wheel.
Well, rather than a house, it was a residence that was more like a small mansion, though more than half was an outbuilding. My status here was a free knight without a master nor attendants. Moreover, I had my own territory, though of course there were no residents in this fief.
The second floor of the outbuilding was made so that servants could live there for the time being, but I didn’t have any plans of hiring one. The first floor was divided into rooms, and there was an oil presser on the other side. A huge jug was buried halfway in the ground inside the basement, but it was just storage for olive oil. There was a place for making cheese on the other side, and another storage jug in the cellar. Maybe it was thanks to the stream flowing around, but the temperature was lower here compared to the outside. Even so, 【 Appraisal】 was convenient.
There was also a pen attached to the outbuilding for livestock, but it was empty.
The house had a furnace for smithing, too. Maybe I could create a village if I gathered enough people? Not in the mood for that, though.
Weren’t water wheels used to grind wheat and stuff? I never considered a house with a waterwheel shed, but sourcing out ingredients for the food warehouse was too conspicuous, so I was grateful. Besides, even if they were the same wheat, the variety and quality would differ. I felt refreshed just by looking at the flowing stream’s splashes.
It was hotter here more than it was warm, and a bit arid, too. Must be summer here ー the seasons must have restarted, unlike in the island. Was it hotter down there? No rain during summertime, but it’s sporadic from winter to spring. Technically, that amount of rainfall was far from being enough for trees to thrive, so grassland had spread. Thanks to the river flowing nearby, there were forests, albeit small, and barley also grew well, though.
I’m pretty sure that my appearance and clothing had already been changed to follow this world’s norm. I stared at my hands – they were fair, although darkened by dirt. I felt so liberated from those clothes that I’d been wearing all the time.
I almost didn’t want to part with the nokogiri that had been so useful during that whole time, but bringing stuff from the other world wasn’t appropriate, so I just left its disposal to those guys. It seemed like it would also add to their power.
「 Alright, shall we go? 」
I called out to Riche who was in my arms, and together, we entered the house.
I told them I wanted to keep a dog. This puppy might be an exhausted, weak and blind one; nevertheless, he told the others that there was something wrong with that ball of light, that’s enough for me.
Riche bestowed himself to me.
Bestowing means guarding ー maybe he could recover from the power flowing from me?