Volume 1, Chapter 4: I learned about culture in another world.
One week after I came to the Claude family.
Tasia taught me common knowledge and the manners of this world in the morning, then the head maid Mary or the butler Reid taught me in the afternoon while Tasia went out to work. In the evening, Gil would come home from work and teach me about magic. This was how I spent my days.
So far, I learned that I am in the capital of the Feliformia Kingdom. There are ten countries in this world, with Feliformia being the most affluent country.
The kingdom sits facing the sea with a mountain range within its borders. It is blessed with resources and a bustling trading hub due to its geographic location.
When comparing it to my original world, Feliformia’s weather is very similar to Japan. It’s a relief that the winters are not as cold as, say, those in Russia.
According to Gil, this world is not spherical like Earth. Perhaps that is why despite a small difference in time and seasons across regions, they are not as extreme as the opposite seasons of the northern and southern hemisphere. There is no extreme time lag like Japan’s day would be Brazil’s night, either.
The biggest difference, however, is the existence of magic.
Magic is generally split into two categories, spirit magic and book magic.
Spirit magic, true to its name, is magic by borrowing the spirits’ powers. To that end, spirit magicians must not only be able to see spirits but also communicate with them.
Surprisingly, not everyone can see spirits. Because Gil spoke of spirits so nonchalantly, I thought everyone could see them. Apparently only one in every ten people can even see spirits, so Gil was very passionate about recruiting me to become a royal magician. It might be good to have work in the future, so I told him I would think about it.
As Gil is a royal magician, he can use spirit magic.
Spirit magic users who graduate from the National Magic Academy are apparently all called magicians.
On the other hand, book magic is activated with magic tools as an intermediary, so anyone can use it as long as they have the tool for it. Magic tools are usually items that you would use in daily life, such as a refrigerator. Most of the things that existed in the original world generally fall into this category, so I probably want for nothing in that area.
In terms of language, Japanese works for verbal communication, but the writing system is completely different. Similar to the English alphabet, words are formed by combining vowels and consonants. It might take a while before I can read and write, so I’ll have to bring around a handmade chart of the Japanese syllabary table.
The culture seems close to early modern Europe. Ladies wear gowns, and the interior design and architecture seem to fit the period. Personally, I really liked the old European style, so it is very interesting to me. I’m okay with the clothes as long as they’re not too over the top. I’ve been thinking of them as slightly extravagant dresses.
I’m going on a tangent, but all of the clothes I have is prepared by Tasia. Tasia was raised in one of the most prominent merchant families, and Tasia herself owns a clothing brand named Sheryl Merry. Although she humbly claims that she’s just doing what she likes, how she likes it, Sheryl Merry is the forefront of fashion.
In general, my life in another world is quite comfortable except for one unhappy area.
Food.
A few days after I was picked up by the Claudes, I found out that the bland milk porridge-like stuff I thought was the diet for the sick, was actually high class food. When I asked for bread, they gave me a brown, charred lump that was harder than rock.
Not only that, but the food here only comes in three varieties—salt, pepper, and sugar flavor. Saying that they’re simply emphasizing the flavor of the ingredients is putting it nicely. For the refined palate of a modern Japanese person like me, a week of bland food was my limit.
Without thinking about my position as a freeloader, I yelled furiously.
“Why? Doesn’t culture development usually start with the food? Why is the food here so bad!”