Chapter 3: 3

Magic Doesn’t Exist in This World

The table was adorned with dishes of food, but the meals in this world were simple and lacked variety. Typically, one could expect hard bread and soup, often with meat or fish, occasionally spiced with herbs, salt, and pepper during cooking. While this was normal in this world, it’s getting tiresome. I longed to eat rice.

Marie, who’s understandably bored with the monotonous meals, complained, “Muu! Same food again! I’m so tired of it.”

As a child, it’s easy for her to become bored, especially when she had to eat the same tasteless meals three times a day. Mother admonished her, “Oh dear, don’t be selfish like that. The people here lead a frugal life. We shouldn’t be so indulgent.”

Marie pouted, “But I’m bored!”

I too was growing tired of the same food. Ah, I wanted to eat curry.

Father, who’s been silently watching, was shaking his head. After a while, he spoke up, “Marie, don’t be greedy.”

“But…” Marie replied,

“I’ll buy you some sweets next time,” he promised. “Be a good girl, okay?”

Marie’s face lit up at the mention of sweets. “Sweets?! Okay, I will!” she exclaimed.

Sweets were a luxury item in this world. They’re expensive, and we didn’t have them very often. I’ve only had them a few times. Compared to Japanese sweets, they’re much sweeter, almost like eating sugar. However, I could understand why people like them.

There wasn’t much entertainment in this world. I’ve only been outside to the courtyard, so I didn’t know much about the outside world.

Anyway, Marie was quiet. We’ve finished our meal, so maybe it’s time to listen to what Father had to say.

“Father,” I said, looking up at him with curiosity.

He gave me a gentle smile, as he always did. My parents were always calm and rarely got angry.

“I’m curious about what Mom meant when she said ‘lord’,” I asked, tilting my head to the side.

My father hesitated for a moment, knowing that the concept might be too complex for my three-year-old mind. “It’s a bit difficult to explain,” he finally replied.

But I was still eager to know. Although I wasn’t sure if my older sister already knew what it meant. She appeared disinterested and unfocused. Nevertheless, I pressed on, even if I couldn’t fully grasp the explanation. “Please tell me, even if I don’t quite comprehend it!” I exclaimed.

“That’s a good idea. But I should explain it to Marie as well,” my father said, contemplating aloud.

“But what about me?” I felt left out.

Suddenly intrigued, Marie chimed in, “I’ll listen too.”

My father took a deep breath before commencing the explanation. “Marie, Theon,” he began. “We are lower nobles, lords who govern this area.”

However, his explanation faltered at the outset, and I could sense that my older sister struggled to grasp the concept too.

“I don’t get it.” Marie said.

“Oh… In other words… How should I put it…” Father muttered.

“Is it like a job where we take care of the people who live nearby?” I interjected. When I said that, both my father and mother opened their eyes in surprise.

“Yes, that’s right. You’re smart, Theon,” praised my father.

“Hehe, your future is promising,” added my mother.

“Oh, I understand it too!” said Marie, trying to join in the conversation.

I didn’t say it to be praised, though.

“Ha ha, yes. Marie’s also smart. But for now, let’s hear Father’s story,” Theon said.

Marie appeared displeased but remained quiet. As the head of the household, a father’s authority was absolute. Disrespecting or belittling him was not tolerated, and it’s likely the case in this world too.

Modern fathers had to work hard.

“Like Theon said, my job is to care for the people living nearby, whom we refer to as our subjects, with myself as their lord. Specifically, I assist them when they’re in trouble, collect taxes, and send the money to the country. As nobles, we are somewhat more important than others, but we’re only lower-ranking nobles.”

“So, is Dad important?” Marie inquired.

“It’s a little complex, but I’m not that important. However, to have a job where you’re responsible for someone, you must be important. If I were a child, both Marie and Theon would be in trouble, right? I need to have the ability to provide support to everyone.”

Marie nodded, trying to comprehend. However, it’s clear that she didn’t fully grasp everything. She prioritized her emotions, so it would take her some time to understand this kind of conversation.

“Dad is a lord, and always riding in a carriage. Where do you go?” Marie questioned.

“Hmm? Oh, that’s to check on our people, transport crops, help them move around, and sometimes shop. There aren’t many carriage owners, and you won’t know everything unless you see the village for yourself. Furthermore, since I’ve no soldiers nor subordinates, I must inspect everything myself. I’m also working to abolish corvée labor, so there will be no farmers who must work without pay in this area. But as a result, there’s a shortage of labor, and I, who can move relatively freely, am…”

Father abruptly paused mid-sentence, realizing Marie’s open-mouthed shock. She appeared dumbfounded, unable to comprehend what he was saying. Mom glared at him.

He cleared his throat and sat up straight. “I work hard in many ways!” he exclaimed.

“That’s right! Dad is amazing!”

“Oh, haha, maybe I am!’

We laughed and joked together, but I laughed as if I had given up. The conversation wasn’t going anywhere. I had learned that our family was a lower noble, a landowner, and relatively wealthy. “Corvée labor” is forcing peasants and other lower classes to work for free, isn’t it? Of course, they had regular jobs too. It’s a regulation to make them work for free in addition to their regular jobs. It’s the same like black companies in Japan, right? It’s fundamentally the same thing.

Anyway, my father is trying to correct that system. He’s a good person. He seems to be competent as well. Even though he’s giving up the opportunity to obtain free labor, our lives are still rich. I wonder if the serfs are living a decent life too. Gradually, I began to understand my situation. Well, I’ve got a starting point for a conversation at least.

That’s enough. It’s okay, right? I can’t take it anymore. I can’t bear it. Suppressing my excitement, I opened my mouth. “Uh, Father, I have some more questions.”

Calm down. It’ll be alright. After all, everything has been arranged for me up to this point.

“Um, what about monsters? Do they exist?” I asked.

“They do. That’s why you’re still not allowed to go outside. Your mother probably told you not to go outside, right?”

They exist! There are monsters! So that’s why we can’t go outside! I had never heard of that before! “What kind of monsters?”

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“They’re scary creatures that attack and hurt people. Don’t go near them. They’re dangerous. If you see one, run away and ask an adult for help right away.”

Fantasy is awesome! As expected of a different world. If there are monsters, there must be other things too. I realized that my excitement was causing me to tremble. I was starting to feel nervous. Is this the trembling of a warrior? Sweat began to seep out, and my heart was beating loudly. But now that I had taken the first step, there was no turning back. Or rather, I wanted to move forward. Let’s move on to the next topic.

“Do fairies or spirits exist or something like that?”

“Yes. I’ve never heard of spirits, but fairies do exist. They’re rare and hard to come across, but there are specialized procurers who can find them.”

If they exist, then it must be confirmed. I just heard something unsettling, but all that was on my mind was magic.

“Um, what are they like?”

“Well, fairies are small humanoid creatures – or at least, we’re not sure if they’re creatures. They appear and disappear suddenly and have strange powers.”

“I-I see…”

My parents seemed confused, and Marie next to me looked back and forth between me and my parents, not fully understanding the situation. I was equally lost in the moment, but I needed to ask the real question.

“Then, um, ma-ma-ma… Is there magic?! Is there magic?!”

Without thinking, I stood up from my chair, leaned forward with my hands on the table, and stared at my father’s face. He was taken aback by my sudden outburst.

“Ma–gic?”

“Yes! Magic! Like fire, water, wind, light, all sorts of magic that you can use!”

My parents exchanged glances, clearly puzzled. They were also worried that I might have done something wrong. But I couldn’t hold back anymore. I had been holding it in for three years. No, over thirty years. But still…

“No, there’s no such thing.”

“No…?”

Reality was merciless. My father shook his head, looking troubled. His words and expression seemed to slow down.

Huh? There’s no magic?

“I’ve never heard the word ‘magic’ before.”

“Um, are you saying that you haven’t heard of it personally, or that it’s not something that people in general know about?”

“I don’t know everything. But I have a decent education, and as far as I know, things like magic aren’t common knowledge, and I’ve never heard anyone talk about it.”

My father is a noble. Nobles should have received some education. While commoners can’t study, nobles can. This means that nobles are quite knowledgeable in this world. Of course, they may not know about specialized fields, but they should know to some extent that such fields exist. However, my father doesn’t know.

Does that mean that magic really doesn’t exist? That can’t be true. It must be a lie. Then why am I here? Did I just happen to be reincarnated into a world without magic? I thought my continuous desire to use magic was rewarded. But that was a misunderstanding. I was reincarnated into a world without any meaning, a world without magic. I felt disappointed and sat in my chair.

“Theon, where did you learn about monsters, fairies, and magic?”

A three-year-old child who has hardly ever been outside couldn’t possibly know. There are no books in this house, and I don’t even know if there are many books in this world. Therefore, the only way to obtain information from the outside world is through my mother or father. But I know words that they don’t know. I know things they haven’t told me. I should have had some questions about that.

“Where did you hear it from? Tell me.”

For the first time, my Father spoke in a harsh tone. I was so disappointed that I couldn’t think straight.

“Did you talk to an adult? Did someone come when your mother wasn’t here? What kind of person was it? A man or a woman?”

I didn’t know what he’s talking about. I listened to his words absent-mindedly and gradually understood.

Oh, I see. Neither Mom nor my Father told me. Maybe my knowledge of the outside world came from someone else. It’s not unreasonable to think that. I realized that it’s a bad situation. But I couldn’t muster up any energy. I thought I could use magic in this world. It was my only hope when I came to this world. But that single glimmer of hope had been cut off. My father began to panic as he watched me stare blankly.

He must have thought it was something I couldn’t talk about. Although I felt sorry, my heart remained droopy. As he tried to interrogate me, there was a dry sound. Mom suddenly clapped her hands.

“That’s right! I remember now! I was the one who told him!”

“You did?” My father looked at Mom suspiciously. She was showing her usual smile.

“Ah, I remember telling Theon that it’s dangerous to go outside. And I must have mentioned fairies too.”

“What about magic?”

“I don’t know. Children say strange things. Maybe it’s from a dream? Theon was always with me. He never talked to anyone else.”

Half of it was true, half of it was a lie. It seemed like Mom was trying to protect me. But in reality, I never even had the opportunity to talk to anyone else, and it might not have been a problem for my mother even if I did. Even so, I was grateful.

“I see. That’s good then.”

My father looked at me with a worried expression. He had been worried about me. It’s intimidating, but he just concerned about me. And even though it pained my heart, I couldn’t put it into words.

“Now then, let’s clean up!” Mom began to tidy up the dishes. I lowered my head and left the table. Marie, who’s sitting next to me, followed me anxiously. As we left the living room and headed towards the bedroom, Marie spoke timidly.

“Theon, are you okay…?”

“Hmm?”

“Your face looks pale… Are you feeling sick?”

Her words brought me back to my senses for a moment. I couldn’t see my face since there’s no mirror, but apparently, I looked pale.

I was shocked.

There’s no magic. Using magic was the only thing I was looking forward to.

“No… I’m okay.” I replied.

“I-I see.” Her concern was evident.

“I really am,”

“O-Okay…” Marie didn’t say anything more and walked beside me. A five-year-old girl was worried about me. I couldn’t show her my usual energetic self. After all, there’s no magic in this world.

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