4 First encounter - 3

"N, nngh…"

Uttering a small groan, Michihiro opened his eyes.

In contrast to the concrete ceiling he's used to see, an old wooden ceiling was overhead.

Staring at it with a blank face, he lifted his hand and touched the wall directly beside the bed.

-This is… real wood, right? Even the walls are made from wood. Who would be rich enough to use wood… Hm. So that wasn't just a simple dream. This really is a different world.

It was a very bland room, without much furniture.

It looked nearly identical to the inns portrayed in old English literature.

As Michihiro thought that, he finally noticed the presence of someone beside him.

A blonde beauty, clad in full silvery plate armour with a sceptre hanging on her waist, was gazing intently at Michihiro with her azure eyes.

Together with her mature atmosphere, her eyes were filled with the contradicting elements of wariness and anticipation.

And for no apparent reason, her posture was the very image of a knight kneeling to his lord.

-Eh…? Real medieval armour? So that's how breastplate armour really looks like… I've always thought they had the two extra cavities to accommodate for female's breasts… Or is she just flat?

Realizing that he had shameless thoughts, he clapped his face with his hands.

"...!!"

The sound from the clap startled the girl. Causing her to jump a little.

-Ugh…

Feeling awkward, Michihiro decided to strike up a conversation, starting with an apology.

"Umm… Sorry about that."

-Wait. She's a foreigner right? But this is a different world, so I should be the foreigner here. What language should I use?

10 seconds passed and the girl continued to stare at him, as if urging him to continue.

Feeling the pressure behind her gaze, Michihiro quickly made up his mind and picked the most international language he could think of.

"Umm… EXCUSE ME?"

-Damn—! Why did I use English??

Mentally cowering in embarrassment, Michihiro wanted to crawl into a hole. He can't speak English fluently, yet he chose to talk to her in English.

A very bad choice indeed.

However, the girl kept kneeling in front of his bed without showing any significant movement.

She simply wore a curious expression and started to mutter something softly.

Michihiro did not quite catch what she is saying. Perhaps it was not meant for him to hear, but then who could she be talking to?

Immediately after her lips stopped moving, a strange phenomenon occurred.

"Whoa!"

Michihiro was taken aback by the small semi-transparent magic formation that slowly appeared before him.

But he quickly calmed down after recalling the events he had seen in the dream.

"Magic huh… This one is purple in colour and has a pentagonal shape… They come in such variety."

He lightly chuckled as he recalled the magic he saw in the dream and tried to touch it.

To his surprise, his finger phased through it without feeling any resistance.

"Oooh?"

Michihiro was completely immersed with the magic formation. Like a child with a new toy, he was now waving his hand through it.

He had completely neglected the girl right before him.

"Umm, excuse me?"

Unable to stay silent anymore, the girl gathered her courage and decided to speak.

Michihiro instantly stopped what he was doing and returned his attention to the girl, completely shocked.

"D-did you just speak Japanese—??"

The girl slightly frowned at his question and replied in a polite tone.

"Japanese? I am sorry, the magic I used earlier was a translation magic. I am simply speaking my native language and that will convert it to your native language. Likewise, your reply will be corresponded back to me in my native language."

"Wow, magic is such a convenient thing. Where can I learn this?"

With a slight grin, Michihiro cracked a rather lame joke.

"I'm sorry to ask this but… Why is a person near the pinnacle of arcane power asking me such basic questions? You are a light magic user, a person with a direct connection to the God of Light! Rather, please enlighten me! I-I wish to learn stronger magic from someone as great as you!"

Halfway through voicing her doubts, the girl accidentally let some of her excitement leak out.

"Huh?"

However, that only made Michihiro even more confused.

He was an otherworldly existence. So it was normal to be confused after listening to this world's common sense.

But something wasn't quite right.

What did she mean by a "direct connection to the God of Light"? The God of Light wants Michihiro to get out of this world.

It would definitely not want to have any relationship with someone it wants to get rid of.

"What do you mean I'm a light magic user? I did meet the God of Light but… It wants me dead."

"Huh!? That can't be possible!"

The girl suddenly raised her voice in shock.

Noticing that she had done something incredibly rude, she quickly lowered her head. Her long blond hair nearly slid onto her spotless face.

"Please forgive my impudence and late introductions. I am Leticia Arystal, a dragon knight from the Arystal Dukedom. If you would kindly address me as Leticia."

Leticia said all of this while kneeling down in a very polite manner.

"Umm… First of all. Could you please… at least sit properly? You don't have to kneel before someone like me. I don't really deserve such formality."

"B-but how would I dare—!"

She raised her voice again in a fluster but as Michihiro was, from her point of view, a superior being. His commands should not be opposed.

"...Understood."

She sat down elegantly on a chair beside the table.

Once Leticia has properly settled herself down, Michihiro begun.

"Okay. It's a pleasure to meet you, Arystal-san. My name is Ikeda Michihiro. I'm a..."

-How should I put this?

Michihiro hesitated.

Should he call himself a citizen of Japan? Or a citizen of the Greater Atlantic Alliance <GAA>? And could he even be considered a student here?

Unofficially, he also held the rank of a general in the <GAA> army.

-Ah whatever, I shouldn't worry over something so minor. All of that doesn't really matter in a different world.

"...A student from the Greater Atlantic Alliance <GAA>. Likewise, you may call me by my first name."

"An alliance? How about your country of origin?"

"It's Japan."

"Japan…? I have never heard of it. Could you tell me which region is it located in?"

Leticia asked with a questioning look.

"Well… It's located in the far East of Asia… I forgot to mention this but I'm not from this world, so there's probably no way you will know where or what Asia is, right?"

Michihiro laughed while wondering if it really was a good idea to reveal that much.

If his childhood friend was here, she would have punished him by sexually harassing him.

"As... I had feared… You don't know anything about magic."

"Huh?"

Michihiro didn't quite catch what she had just said.

"So you are not a person from Adol. But, even if you are from Roides, I'm sure you would have known something about magic."

Suddenly standing up, she grasped her sceptre and pointed it at Michihiro who had a confused expression.

"Then what are you? You are neither from Adol nor Roides, yet you possess arcane powers rivalling the sage class. You also possess light arcane power, something that normal humans can't hope to achieve!"

With clear hostility, she spouted a bunch of words Michihiro had no hope of understanding.

Inevitably, Michihiro was dumbfounded at her sudden change in attitude.

He could only silently stare at the shimmering transparent gem attached at the tip of her weapon.

All of a sudden—

"Hm?"

A person's silhouette outside the window caught Michihiro's eye.

"What is it? Answer me!"

However, Leticia failed to see what was happening outside as it was in her blind spot.