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The Kingdom of Largovere.

It is one of the great nations located at the northernmost tip of the Zoisalicht Continent.

Within its borders lies the Great Icy Range, where many ice spirits gather; particularly during the Season of Evening Moon, the season when ice spirits congregate—which is to say, a frigid winter.

The seasons in this world change under the influence of the spirits’ power. When the power of the fire spirits grows strong, it becomes the Season of Sun—summer; when the power of the earth spirits grows strong, it becomes the Season of Harvest—autumn; and when the power of the wind spirits grows strong, it becomes the Season of Sea—spring.

In the Great Nation of Largovere, due to the influence of the ice spirits gathered in the Great Icy Range, the Season of Evening Moon is long and the Season of Sun is short.

Furthermore, the Season of Sea exists between the Season of Evening Moon and the Season of Sun, and the Season of Harvest exists between the Season of Sun and the Season of Evening Moon, though it is shorter than the Season of Sun.

The Season of Evening Moon—that is, winter—accounts for half the year. However, the nation boasts a vast territory, and since it is possible to grow large quantities of crops during the remaining seasons, starvation during winter is rare, except in remote, cold villages.

Furthermore, because heavy snowfall in winter provides an abundant supply of water, sake brewing using this water is thriving, and the various types of sake produced in Largovere are renowned as fine wines across the Zoisalicht Continent.

The country is also known for its formidable knights and army, with knights and soldiers undergoing rigorous training every day.

.

—And so on. Tatsumi received explanations from Giuseppe and Calcedonia about the country they were currently in and the way of life of the common people who lived there. However, what piqued Tatsumi’s interest the most was, as expected, the subject of magic.

He had suspected as much the moment he was summoned, but it seems magic does indeed exist in this world, and those capable of using it are generally referred to as “mage.”

It seems that not only Calcedonia, but Giuseppe as well, is a mage.

“The number of mages is by no means large. It is said that only about one or two out of every hundred people possess the aptitude to become a mage.”

Furthermore, each mage has a specific school of magic in which they excel. These schools—sometimes referred to as “elements”—are divided into six basic types.

These are , , , , , and . From these, there are higher-level branches and derivative branches, and it was even said that the actual number of branches was unknown.

“I possess aptitudes in five branches: , , , , and , while my grandfather possesses aptitudes in the and branches.”
“Huh? Five? …Is that really that impressive?”
“Aye. Being her grandfather, this may sound like an old man boasting, but Calcie is what you’d call a genius. An ordinary mage possesses one affinity; at most, two like me is the limit. But Calcie possesses as many as five. There have only been one or two mages in history who possessed this many affinity systems.”

Incidentally, is a higher-order system of , and is a higher-order system of . , , and are higher-order derived attributes of , , and , respectively.

“To cast a spell, one must always recite an incantation. Therefore, even the most skilled mage cannot use magic if they are unable to speak.”

When a mage commits a crime, for example, they are always gagged when restrained. That way, there is no risk of them using magic.

When using magic, one consumes the mana stored within their body. Consequently, the type and number of affinity systems, as well as the amount of internal mana, are crucial factors for a mage.

While it is possible to cast spells from systems other than one’s affinity systems, if a mage lacks an affinity system for a particular spell, its effectiveness and range are significantly reduced.

Correct spell incantation and mana. Only when these two elements are present can magic be cast.

S-so? Maybe… maybe I have one of those ‘affinity types’ too?”

Without hiding his excitement, Tatsumi asked Calcedonia and Giuseppe.

Perhaps, just like in novels, Tatsumi—having come from another world—had the latent talent of a powerful mage. Or maybe some kind of powerful “otherworldly bonus” was at work.

And above all, if magic—that supernatural ability—existed, he naturally wanted to try using it himself.

Tatsumi asked with those hopes in mind, but Giuseppe and Calcedonia didn’t look very pleased.

“U-um… this is very difficult for us to say, but Master, you… you…”
“Since we’re on the subject, let me be blunt… You, my son, cannot use magic. From you… from your body, I can’t sense any mana at all, let alone any aptitude for it.”

Creatures in this world, with the exception of some insects, possess a small amount of mana. However, only a select few can become mages. This is because one cannot cast magic without a certain minimum amount of mana.

But Tatsumi, a visitor from another world, possesses absolutely no mana whatsoever.

Upon a second thought, it shouldn’t be surprising, considering that mana—generally speaking—doesn’t exist in Tatsumi’s world.

Furthermore, mages like Calcedonia and Giuseppe, who possess a certain level of skill, can sense the mana of others with remarkable accuracy. From their first meeting until now, they have detected absolutely no mana emanating from Tatsumi.

Being told that he had no mana at all—and that he was completely incapable of using magic—Tatsumi visibly slumped in disappointment.

“Don’t be so downhearted, my son. It’s true that everyone in this world possesses mana. That said, it’s a mere trace. It’s so minimal that you couldn’t even cast the simplest of spells—the very basics.”
“Y-Yes, that’s right, Master! If there’s ever a time when you need magic, I’ll cast it for you!”

The two comforted Tatsumi with their words. Still, precisely because his hopes of perhaps being able to use magic had been so high, the shock he felt was all the greater.

“…As I mentioned earlier, chanting spells is essential for using magic. That is why the magic we use is also called ‘incantation magic.’”

Perhaps to distract Tatsumi from his gloomy mood, Calcedonia shifted the direction of her explanation about magic slightly.

“Originally, the term ‘magic’ simply referred to incantation magic, but recently… Starting about ten years ago, people who use a new kind of magic have appeared. Because of that, it came to be called ‘incantation magic’ to distinguish it from the magic they use.”
“New magic…?”
“Aye. It’s magic that borrows the power of sentient magical energy—that is, spirits—which exist all over this world. As opposed to incantation magic, it’s called spirit magic. Apparently, it was spread by a woman who came from a distant foreign land.”
“Huh? Could it be that this woman also came from another world—a different one than mine—just like me…? Is that possible?”
“Well now, I don’t know about that. I’ve never even met her myself. But rumor has it she’s a stunning beauty. If possible, I’d love to meet her at least once before I go to be with the gods.”

With that, Giuseppe laughed his usual “ho ho ho.”

.

“Well, well, we’ve been chatting for quite a while now, haven’t we?”

Having brought the conversation to a close, Giuseppe looked out the window and saw the sky tinged with crimson.

“Come to think of it, you mentioned you had a few ideas for a house where you and sonny could live together. Have you already decided on one?”
“No, I’ve had an agent look for a few vacant houses that might work, so I plan to decide after viewing them with my Master.”
“I see. In that case, it would be best for sonny to stay at this temple tonight. Since this temple is the headquarters of the Savaiv Church on the Zoisalicht Continent, pilgrims and traveling priests come here from all over. We have several guest rooms for such visitors. Or perhaps—”

Giuseppe raised one eyebrow playfully.

“—would you like to stay in Calcie’s room, instead? If you prefer that, I have no objection.”
“W-w-w-wait a minute!? No, no, no, no!! A guest room is fine!! Please, a guest room!!”

Tatsumi’s face turned bright red as he desperately pleaded to stay in a guest room. Meanwhile, Calcedonia stared intently at him with a look of slight disappointment.

“Ho ho ho, I’m just joking. Calcie’s room is in the dormitory where the unmarried female priests live. Even I couldn’t possibly throw a man like you in there.”

Regardless of gender, everyone who lives in the priests’ dormitory is unmarried.

Savaiv, who is also the patron of marriage, encourages even clergy to marry.

While there are certainly some who dedicate their chastity to the gods, the majority of priests eventually start families. And once a priest has a family, he or she leaves the temple to set up a home in the town. Conversely, when a priest leaves the temple to live in town, it is a silent indication that they will be marrying soon.

After all, continuing to live in the temple after marriage presents numerous inconveniences. Especially when it comes to having children. Savaiv is also the god of fertility and encourages procreation.

Therefore, it is not at all unusual for Calcedonia to set up a home to live with Tatsumi. The real issue lay in the fact that “the ‘Holy Maiden’ was setting up a home,” but Tatsumi had no way of knowing that at the moment.

.

And the next day. According to Tatsumi’s sense of time, it was a little past noon.

Having finished all her duties as a priestess for the day, Calcedonia was walking through the streets of Levantis with Tatsumi.

They were headed to the person who handled the sale of the house and estate they had discussed the day before. Tatsumi assumed this person was the equivalent of a real estate agent in this world.

The two walked through the city, looking very close and walking side by side.

Caledonia wore a beaming, utterly blissful expression. From time to time, she would point here and there and explain the city to Tatsumi.

Tatsumi, on the other hand, was completely distracted. His face flushed, his gaze wandered here and there. If he didn’t do that, he simply couldn’t help but notice.

His right arm—right where Calcedonia was currently clinging to him—he could feel two incredibly soft things there.

Women’s undergarments do exist in this world as well, but unlike the bras in Tatsumi’s world, they are simple garments made of soft fabric wrapped around the body. Consequently, lacking the support of a bra, these undergarments convey every bit of the softness of the twin mounds they enclose directly to Tatsumi’s arm. It’s impossible not to feel it.

Consequently, Tatsumi was desperately trying to ignore that sensation.

“Is something wrong, Master?”

Calcedonia looked puzzled at Tatsumi’s awkward demeanor.

“N-no, it’s just… I’ve never walked this close to a woman before… I-it’s just a little hard to walk, I guess…”

Walking arm-in-arm with a woman his own age was indeed a first for Tatsumi, but that wasn’t the only reason for his awkwardness. Still, it was impossible for him to look Calcedonia in the face and say, “It’s because your breasts are pressing against my arm.” After all, it certainly felt better this way.

Meanwhile, unaware of Tatsumi’s inner conflict, Calcedonia smiled, her beautiful face glowing even brighter.

“Oh, what are you saying? Aren’t we used to going out together all the time, Master?”
“N-no, but you were small back then, Chiiko!! Besides, we weren’t walking arm in arm—your were just sitting on my shoulder or on my head!!”

As they bantered like this, the two walked along happily—or so it appeared to onlookers.

At that moment, Tatsumi, distracted by his conversation with Calcedonia and the soft sensation against his arm, failed to notice the stares from the townspeople directed at the two of them walking side by side.

Caledonia, known by the epithet “The Holy Maiden,” was so famous that it was said there wasn’t a single resident of Levantis who hadn’t heard her name.

The sight of her walking arm-in-arm with a man her own age, looking so utterly happy, was bound to catch the attention of the townspeople.

The townspeople stared in surprise at Caledonia, whose face radiated pure happiness, and then looked at the man walking beside her, only to be surprised all over again.

He was a man with unusual black hair and black eyes, pale amber skin, and clothes unlike anything they had ever seen.

The hair colors of the people living in this country ranged mostly from light brown to reddish tones, so platinum blonde hair like Calcedonia’s was, if anything, rare. And their skin tones were almost exclusively fair.

Against that backdrop, Tatsumi would have stood out even if he were walking alone.

And yet, there was Tatsumi, walking arm-in-arm with the renowned “Holy Maiden.” Everyone in the town watched the two walk by, surprised by this unusual pairing yet clearly intrigued.

Before long, they seemed to have arrived at their destination—a real estate agency in this world—and Calcedonia stopped in front of a certain building.

“Is this the place?”
“Yes, this is the residence of the person who handles the properties.”

Before Tatsumi stood a large stone mansion.

On the way here, he had noticed that most of the buildings in the town were made of stone, many of them constructed from what appeared to be reddish-brown bricks. As a result, the town was filled with shades of red everywhere.

However, the mansion before him was not made of reddish-brown brick, but of white stone that appeared to have been quarried. He didn’t know what kind of stone it was, but he suspected that only the wealthy could afford to live in a mansion like this.

As he thought this and looked around, he noticed that many of the surrounding mansions were similar white structures. Given that, Tatsumi surmised to himself that they were likely in what would be considered an upscale residential neighborhood.

“But it’s just an ordinary mansion, isn’t it…”

Looking up at the mansion before him once more, Tatsumi muttered to himself.

But when he thought about it, houses and mansions aren’t like other goods that you can just line up in a storefront. That’s probably why there’s no need to set up a shop or anything like that.

While Tatsumi was pondering this, Calcedonia had advanced to the front door of the mansion and was calling out her clear, bell-like voice into the house.

“Excuse me. I’m Calcedonia Chrysoprase of the Savaiv Temple. Is the owner at home?”

After waiting a moment, the front door swung open with a bang, and a middle-aged man burst out.

He had a perfectly bald spot right in the middle of his head and a well-developed, protruding belly. Yet, he was shorter than not only Tatsumi but even Calcedonia.

The clothes he wore looked several grades finer than those of the townspeople he’d casually observed on his way here. Just as she had imagined from the mansion, he must be a rather wealthy man.

“Oh, I’ve been waiting for you, Your Esteemed Holy Maiden! I am truly delighted that you have entrusted this task to me!”

The man, who appeared to be the master of the house, greeted Calcedonia with a beaming smile on his greasy face, rubbing his palms together.