ch1-ch20 · 017-ch16

Chapter 16

Sai, Hiyori, and Mio's discussion continued.

The unexpected revelation of different "other worlds" had come to light.

"Oh no. She's not connected to the exorcist world... This isn't some manga."

Hiyori slumped her shoulders.

"More importantly, what even is this Kakuriyo thing?"

"Whatever... Old man. You're going to share too, okay? We'll keep your other world story a secret, so you keep what I'm about to say between us too."

"I feel like I'm getting dragged into this, but fine. I'll talk."

Let's compare notes on the different worlds they knew. That was the plan.

"Kakuriyo is, well, the hidden world that exists within this Earth. It's where our souls return, and at the same time, where the gods and spirits reside."

"Ah, right. I feel like I read about that in the Kojiki or something."

"You're thinking of Yomi, the land of the dead. Yomotsu Hirasaka. That's one part of Kakuriyo. Kakuriyo has several — what should I call them — zones. There are places like heaven and hell, and places where gods and hermits live. Honestly, I thought you must have gone to one of those places, old man."

"Unfortunately, that's not where I was. The other world I know."

"Yeah. There's a certain... Kakuriyo scent, I guess. The things there have a unique feel. If you're used to it, you can tell."

"Hoh. So what do you mean by your connection to it, Hiyori-san?"

"...I don't really want to talk about it much, but have you heard of exorcists?"

"Ah, honestly, I don't know much about it. I feel like I saw something about it in a movie or manga when I was a kid..."

"It's probably what my dad had. I read a bit of it, but basically, exorcists secretly do work like exterminating evil spirits and demons."

"So that stuff was real... And what are evil spirits and demons exactly?"

"In our exorcist classification, evil spirits are beings that spontaneously generate in the present world — where we are now — and spread malice. Demons are like monsters that come from Kakuriyo into the present world."

"I see. Like ghosts or liches. Well, with this much mana in the atmosphere, it makes sense that evil spirits would appear too."

Hiyori was a little surprised by Sai's matter-of-fact expression.

It was the first time she'd heard that evil spirits appeared because of mana.

"Is that so? To me, who was born after Shinjuku Tower appeared, I don't really understand that part, but apparently way back, there were hardly any evil spirits at all. Even if they did appear, they'd disappear if you exorcised them. But after Shinjuku Tower appeared, evil spirits and demons got stronger. All the exorcist clans are fighting to maintain public order."

"Yeah, when I was a kid, ghosts and stuff were just stories for testing your courage — nobody thought they actually existed."

"That's what I hear. My grandpa and dad said that since it was so peaceful, they barely remembered any exorcist techniques. They said that because Shinjuku Tower made evil spirits and demons stronger, they had to frantically relearn exorcism arts."

It was said that the level of exorcists had been declining for the last few hundred years.

Apparently, up until the Sengoku period and the early Edo period, they were still developing techniques and honing their skills. But through the waves of modernization in Meiji, Taisho, and Showa, demons disappeared, evil spirits weakened, and a simple prayer exorcism was enough to handle them.

Still, historical yokai and oni had been sealed away. The situation seemed to be that they only studied sealing techniques to maintain those seals.

However, after Shinjuku Tower appeared, evil spirits grew stronger year by year, and eventually demons started showing their faces from Kakuriyo into the present world. With monsters and spirits beginning to run rampant, the exorcist industry was being called upon to strengthen rapidly. Shinjuku Tower served as a training ground, with exorcists coming from all over the country.

"So you two exterminate those evil spirits and demons too?"

"Yeah. I was born into the Ichijō exorcist family. Mio's my classmate — she Awakened and became able to use magic, so she helps me out."

Mio nodded quietly.

"So that's why you two can reach floor eight despite being high schoolers — you've got combat experience from fighting demons."

"Heheh. That's right."

Hiyori looked proud.

"Now it's your turn, old man. Tell us about the other world you were in."

"Let's see. I'm not sure how to explain it, but the other world I went to was like a medieval European setting you'd see in video games. Magic was highly developed — they had science and technology too, but it was a world where research and development centered on magic, and technology advanced with that as its foundation."

"I don't play video games, but I do see those kinds of stories sometimes."

"I thought the same thing at first. But I learned the hard way what happens when magic technology develops in a world where monsters are real."

In the other world, monster extermination was an absolutely essential job.

Monsters like the ones seen in Shinjuku Tower appeared on the surface too.

Small monsters could be dealt with, but large monsters sometimes attacked. If they came near inhabited areas, it caused a huge commotion, so they needed to be dealt with before they reached populated zones.

That said, large monsters were a treasure trove of valuable materials.

If you took one down, those materials could build considerable wealth.

"Somehow, it really does sound game-like."

"But there's no save or load. If you die, you're out, just like that."

"When you think about it that way, it's harsh..."

The world might look like a game, but the other world was also reality.

Sai continued to describe the other world's features.

"And then there are dungeons. The other world has more ruins and dungeons than Earth does. Depending on the type of dungeon, you needed to collect materials essential for daily life, so I went into them pretty often."

The center of energy in the other world was magical energy extracted from magic stones, instead of gas or electricity. This energy was used in daily appliances like stoves and lighting.

Especially in the other world's modern era. Thanks to an energy device called a Mana Battery, daily life had become much easier. It was the other world's equivalent of the Industrial Revolution.

But most of these ores could only be mined in mines that had become dungeons. Many of the adventurers in those areas worked mining ore.

"...It really is totally 'the other world,' isn't it."

"A Mana Battery Industrial Revolution... The methods are different, but it has similarities to Earth, doesn't it."

"Well, anyway. Magic — or maybe I should call it magical science — that's what's developed over there."

"Now, this next part might be different from what you'd imagine, so let me explain..."

Sai held up the necklace he'd taken out earlier in front of the two girls.

"The arrow-deflecting necklace."

"It looks like something out of a game..."

"Here's the thing. This necklace has an arrow-deflecting enchantment formula on it. The arrow-deflecting formula itself has existed since ancient times, but eventually, a formula to break that arrow-deflecting formula was created.

Then an arrow-deflecting formula that couldn't be nullified even by the arrow-deflecting nullification formula was created... After that, it was just an arms race. Barriers to protect the formula itself, formulas to break through those barriers — all sorts of things were created."

"So there's a formula, and a formula to break that formula, and then a formula that can't be broken even by that one..."

Hiyori was getting confused by Sai's explanation.

"Think of it like computer viruses and security concepts. That's probably close."

It was a half-baked knowledge, but as an analogy, it shouldn't be far off.

"Ah, I think I kind of get it now."

With that, Sai held up the necklace he was currently wearing and the one he'd taken out from his Item Box, comparing them as he spoke.

"So yeah. The necklace I'm wearing now has the latest model barriers from the other world. Meanwhile, the one I took out of the Item Box has an older version of the barriers. The effect is the same, but the barriers have been updated to the latest version."

"That's not very 'the other world'..."

"The other world has history too. And history means technology progresses."

People always advanced. That was the same on Earth as in the other world.

Even if the people or races were different, their principles of action were the same.

A better life. A more stable existence.

People pursued these things, honed themselves, and pushed forward.

"To get back on track — does that mean Yamana-san's magic is a magical technique that advanced in the other world?"

"Yeah. The magic I use is the crystallization of technology researched and developed over thousands of years in the other world."

Preparing a magic bullet in advance and firing it at a chosen timing.

Mio had pointed it out — he'd never imagined he couldn't even do something like this here.

But after she pointed it out, he realized that Earth and the other world were as different as heaven and earth, especially in the field of magic.

"...Yamana-san. Would you teach me magic?"

"Ah, me too! I want to learn too!"

Mio asked earnestly, and Hiyori chimed in, echoing her.

"Let me think..."

Sai considered.

He had experience as an adventurer instructor in the other world, and he wasn't opposed to teaching them magic. It would probably be good for them if he also taught them how to fight as adventurers in Shinjuku Tower — in a dungeon.

What about the risks? The biggest risk was that Sai was a returnee from the other world. If it got out, his parents would worry. There was also magic that would be problematic to teach. But the fundamentals of magic should be fine to teach. How to train magical power and how to use it. As far as he'd checked, those kinds of training methods didn't exist on Earth right now.

If they learned now, it would surely become an asset for them.

Also, he was currently doing advice streams for newcomers.

By teaching Hiyori and Mio, he might notice "techniques that carry the risk of exposing the other world that he couldn't spot on his own." That would help him too.

Sai's answer was decided.

"Sure."

"Yes!"

"Thank you very much!"

Hiyori and Mio smiled happily.

"But I'll only teach the basics. I won't teach magic that would cause problems if taught. Like Item Box magic."

"Just to confirm — why not?"

If magic like Item Box became usable, it would cause a revolution in logistics.

Even on a personal level, it was extremely useful magic.

"If it got out, I'd be bombarded with questions about how I learned to use it. I can't say how I found it either. Also, specifically for Item Box, I simply don't have the materials needed to make it usable."

When he said that much, Mio looked at him with serious eyes.

"Let me confirm something. With those basics, can we become stronger?"

"That depends on you. But in the other world, I was an instructor at the Adventurer's Guild. Turning rookies into eagles was part of my job."

Among Sai's students were several who'd become even stronger than him and reached top-rank adventurer. Even now, they still respected him as their mentor.

Having them say that was embarrassing, but it was also a source of Sai's confidence.

"Thank you. I'm looking forward to working with you, Yamana-san... no, Sensei."

"I'm looking forward to it too, Sensei~♪"

And so, Sai gained two cute disciples.

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Thank you for reading.

Today also marks a two-chapter update.

Another update is planned for 8 PM.

Thank you very much.