Chapter 526: Chapter 521: 「I’m Still a Pretty Normal Existence, Aren’t I?」

Those of us who weren’t particularly interested in the relics or Spiritual technology—what the natives of the Grakkan Empire call psionic technology—were led away from the hastily constructed hangar and guided to that peculiar facility, where traditional Japanese architecture and concrete structures seemed to merge strangely.

It appeared that this building was some kind of research facility. Many people inside were wearing what looked like lab coats, but in the form of pale kimonos or work clothes reminiscent of samue.1 All of them, without exception, had various animal features such as ears, horns, tails, or wings sprouting from their bodies, which was quite fascinating. It seemed like the feeling was mutual, as they were all observing us with considerable interest.

「I apologize for the rude stares. You see, we have very few opportunities to interact with people from other nations.」

Buubo remained back at the makeshift hangar to continue his research on Krishna, so we were being escorted to this building by a different researcher.

「Ah, it seems I haven’t introduced myself yet. My name is Fuguruma. I conduct research on the ‘visitors’ at the Grand Shrine’s affiliated research institute. Inaba is one of my students.」

She said this with a smile as she walked alongside me. If Inaba is her student, that would likely mean Fuguruma is older than her, but… she doesn’t look it. Not at all. In fact, she looks about the same age as Mimi or Kugi. Judging by her appearance, I suspect she’s of the same tanuki-like species as Konoha, but her animal ears, hair, and tail are all completely white.

「Hiro-dono, don’t be fooled by her appearance. This foxy old hag is always openly talking about wanting to fall head over heels in love with a ‘visitor’. She’s read every single historical record about them and has written countless self-insert romantic fantasies where she has a torrid romance with one.」

「Aren’t you saying a little too much?」

Inaba’s merciless revelation made me involuntarily respond with a deadpan retort. I’m scared to look in Fuguruma’s direction, the pressure she is exuding is intense. It feels like the sheer force of her negative psionic power might cause the building to shake. Terrifying.

「If I don’t say at least this much, who knows what that old hag might try to pull… Wouldn’t it be terrifying to wake up one morning to the chirping of the birds, only to find that old hag’s face on the pillow next to you?」

「So you know the term ‘waking up to the chirping of the birds,’ huh? Or rather, it exists here too… Anyway, adding a new lover during my last little trip before marriage or coming back with a local mistress would look pretty bad, so I’d appreciate it if you didn’t try to seduce me.」

「Ugh… Fine, I’ll let it go for now.」

Everyone present, including myself, probably thought, ‘Just for now, huh?’ But no one dared to stir up trouble, so we wisely decided to let it slide.

☆★☆

We were led to a spacious room that resembled a reception hall, where we split into smaller groups to engage in what seemed like interviews or information-gathering sessions with the researchers. In my case, they asked in great detail about the world I came from—Earth—as well as the events that led up to my current situation in this world. Of course, it wasn’t a one-sided interrogation; I also asked a few questions of my own, keeping them within reasonable bounds to avoid straying too far off-topic.

For instance, I inquired about the purpose behind collecting information about Earth. From what I gathered, it seems that the homeland of the ‘visitors’ varies widely for each individual. In my case, it’s the outer edge of the Milky Way galaxy, the third planet from the Sun, known as Earth—or in this universe terminology, Sol III in the Sol Star System. But it turns out that the other two people currently living in the Holy Vuelzarus Empire are from entirely different galaxies and star systems altogether. However, the level of civilization in these various home worlds appears to be quite similar. Moreover, I found something even more intriguing.

「Every visitor has some prior knowledge about this universe gained through some kind of game, huh?」

「Yes, just like you, Hiro-dono. In your case, it was ‘Stella Online,’ wasn’t it? Though the scale and form vary, the two other ‘visitors’ currently staying in our nation also seemed to have known some information about this world through genres of games they referred to as FPS and RTS.」

「FPS and RTS, huh… yeah, that makes sense.」

Considering everything that’s happened since I arrived in this universe, it really does make sense. It’s not far-fetched to imagine getting caught up in some interstellar empire war, an invasion by an unknown force, or even being stranded on a primitive planet. Those kinds of scenarios align perfectly with the settings found in FPS (First-Person Shooter) or RTS (Real-Time Strategy) games. It wouldn’t be surprising at all if some ‘visitors’ ended up here after playing those kinds of games.

This world can easily serve as the basis for any game imaginable. From high-tech elements like starships and laser weaponry to the bizarre technology of psionic powers and psionic technology, and races like elves, dwarves, beastfolk, and other alien species with all sorts of appearances. Not to mention the cosmic monsters and other cosmic horrors that could serve as final bosses. There are also plenty of unexplored planets to boot. This place has no shortage of material for any game.

「There’s no terrifying system in place where ‘visitors’ automatically end up killing each other when they meet, right?」

If some kind of fateful or predestined setup like that exists, I’d like to head back to the Grakkan Empire immediately.

「No, there’s nothing like that. By the way, if you’re interested in meeting the other two, we could arrange that for you.」

「I’m not that interested in meeting them… I won’t turn them down if they want to meet me, though.」

For reference, the ‘visitor’ who came here after playing an FPS was named Sergei. From what I’ve heard, he could jump three meters straight up without any enhancements, run at full speed indefinitely, masterfully handle any weapon he laid his hands on as if it were second nature, withstand fatal attacks without taking damage at least once in the most absurd manner, and, if he happens to die, he just respawns a short distance away. Respawning? What is this, a game or something?

The other ‘visitor’ who came here after playing an RTS  was named Meyer. Unlike Sergei, Meyer didn’t have any particularly outstanding physical abilities, but supposedly he couldn’t be harmed by any kind of attack. What is that? How does that even work? Not only could he withstand direct attacks, but he also didn’t die from environmental factors like poison or pressure changes. He didn’t even suffer. Even when thrown into the vacuum of space from a spaceship, he remained completely unbothered. However, his physical capabilities were still just like any regular person’s.

His unique abilities included being able to observe a vast area from a bird’s-eye view, almost like seeing it through the eyes of a god, and he could construct or destroy buildings depending on the resources available to him. He also had the ability to deploy allied units—wait, what do you mean, allied units?—wherever he wanted, within certain limitations.

「Compared to those two, I’m still a pretty normal existence, aren’t I?」

「Hard to say. Those two are basically indestructible, so we aren’t in danger of them dying and taking their surroundings with them, but we don’t know if you are indestructible or not, Hiro-dono, you might be killable. And if you end up killed, you could potentially trigger an explosion that could destroy several star systems. Not to mention, your potential, the scale of your Spiritual power, is on a completely different level from theirs.」

「I might be killable…Could you not talk about me like I’m some kind of undead monster?」

「Well, how was it in ‘Stella Online?’ In that game, if you got shot down, did you die permanently? Was all your data wiped, forcing you to start over from scratch? Or did you respawn somewhere?」

When Fuguruma said that, I couldn’t help but fall silent. In ‘Stella Online,’ if your ship got destroyed, you’d respawn at the last space station you docked at, along with your ship that had been completely wrecked. Even in close-quarters combat, if you were defeated, you’d just lose the equipment you brought with you and respawn in the same manner. There’s a chance that if I die in this world, something similar might happen.

「You’re not seriously suggesting I try dying to test it, are you?」

「Of course not! Even if I were absolutely sure that you’d be fine, I’d never suggest something like that.」

Really? I’m going to trust you on this, okay? Trusting you here!

☆★☆

After about an hour and a half of interviews, we decided to take a break, and I reunited with my crew for some tea. Tina, Wiska, and Dr. Shouko were still at the hangar, tinkering away with something or other, so they weren’t with us.

「I was asked quite a bit about the Grakkan Empire.」

「I got questions about elven magic and culture.」

「They asked me about my life outside and the things I’ve seen and heard.」

「I was asked about the Fucking Vereverem Federation.」

The hostility Neve holds toward her homeland is intense. I can’t help but wonder what kind of conversation they had.

「They asked me similar stuff, mainly about my home before coming here and what happened since I arrived.」

By the way, Mei, who was standing quietly by, hadn’t been questioned at all. It seems that for the citizens of the Holy Vuelzarus Empire, Mei’s complete lack of detectable psionic energy makes her a rather unsettling presence. Poor thing.

「Oh, by the way, they seemed pretty interested in the documentary about you, Hiro-sama, and the Tetsujin V.」

「They definitely seem starved for any kind of information or entertainment from outside the Holy Empire.」

「Yes, information from outside our nation is hard to obtain…」

Kugi said with a wry smile, having overheard our conversation. It’s not that they lack entertainment entirely, but the people of the Holy Vuelzarus Empire don’t seem inclined to create their own content. Their mindset, or perhaps their culture, leads them to think they don’t have the luxury to engage in such things. Still, that doesn’t mean they don’t crave entertainment. They are a pain in the ass, aren’t they?

「I can’t tell if they’re being stoic or just plain stubborn… Should I share some of the holo-movie data I’ve got?」

「Yes, my Lord. I’m sure they’d appreciate it.」

For the record, it seems that if I sell the holo-movie data I have, I only get a 1% cut of the base price. The remaining amount goes straight to the copyright holders. I don’t know all the details, but it seems there’s a well-organized system for protecting intellectual property even across star systems.

「Speaking of which, you mentioned they were interested in the Tetsujin too. Mei, do we have enough food cartridges in stock?」

「Yes, Master. We have plenty to spare for a small distribution. We also have reserves on the Black Lotus.」

「In that case, let’s go ahead and offer them to anyone who’s interested.」n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

There’s no particular reason behind it, but since they’ve gone to a lot of trouble to accommodate us, it feels like a small gesture of goodwill wouldn’t hurt.

TN: A samue is a type of traditional Japanese work clothing, typically worn by Buddhist monks when doing manual labor or chores. It consists of a top and pants made from durable cotton or hemp fabric, often in colors like indigo, brown, or black. They’re sometimes used as uniforms in traditional Japanese inns or by artisans.