Arc I – Beautiful World
Chapter 4 – Are There Mountains in Your World?
Day 4 Since the Summoning
Kamelia froze, simply looking at Alan without blinking.
“Have you…
gone completely mad?
Do you even realize what you just said?”
He slowly nodded.
“Yeah.
I perfectly understand what I just said.
And I’m not taking my words back.”
Kamelia raised her hands in front of her.
“Do you even understand that such words are not thrown to the wind?!
I do not know how it is in your world, but here, one does not go back on their word!” She took a step back, spreading her arms.
“Do you think I will not be able to do it?!
I will!
So take back your words before I change my mind!” She rested her hands on her hips and simply drilled him with her gaze.
A drop of sweat rolled down Alan’s forehead.
‘Maybe…
it really is better to back out?
This is…
fuck…
well, this is too risky.’
“No.
I’m not backing out.”
‘AAAAH!
Mein Gott, you are such an indescribable idiot!’
Kamelia narrowed her eyes, then her shoulders dropped.
“Why are you so confident?
Or do you simply wish to die?
Or are you just a fool?”
Alan closed his eyes, and then let out a long breath, leaning against the wall.
“I just know the real cause of diseases.
And I’m not going to explain it to you.
I’ll show you firsthand how to defeat the sickness.
This disease is called ‘dysentery’, and in my world, they know how to fight it.”
Kamelia froze, looked at Alan for a long time, then slowly nodded.
She said nothing to this.
“What is the plan?”
He exhaled, not even realizing he had held his breath, and then headed toward the map.
“So it all started here a week ago…
good…” he shook his head.
“I mean, bad, but good.”
The countess walked over and leaned over the map.
“What is good about this?”
“The fact that the outbreak just started, and it’s small.
That means it’ll be easier to crush.
And what’s more…” he looked more closely at the site of the dysentery outbreak.
“There’s a river here, which means it’s definitely the source of the infection.” He looked at Kamelia.
“Do you guys even know that water can be dangerous?”
She nodded.
“Of course.
In some rivers, the water is bad and causes sickness.
But for these villages, the water in the river has always been good; what is wrong?”
Alan sighed.
“That’s exactly the point, it’s not good anymore…
alright.” He looked out the window; outside, the sun was slowly beginning to rise.
“I hope you don’t have any important business?
It’d be great to head to those villages as soon as possible.”
Kamelia stood up straighter.
“Go there in person?
…
Very well.
Yes.
We can go right now; I will leave matters to the advisors.”
Alan nodded.
“How many miles…
how long to the village in general?”
The countess let another incomprehensible word pass her ears.
“Approximately one day on horseback, or three days in a wagon.”
He blinked.
“Why so long?
It took us three days from the capital.”
Kamelia shrugged.
“From the capital, we traveled on a good road and without stops, but we will not have such a luxury on the way to the villages.”
Alan nodded.
“Alright…
on horseback then.”
‘Alright, a day of horseback riding is about 25 miles, not far by our standards, you could drive it in half an hour in a car.
But here we have to gallop all day…
fuck, I don’t even know how to ride a horse!’
“Are you coming?” Kamelia asked at the exit of the small throne room.
“Coming, coming!”
Ten minutes later, they were already in the courtyard.
The sky was reddish from the rising sun, the air was incredibly fresh, and somewhere far from the city, the first peasants were heading out into the fields.
Alan inhaled deeply through his nose, and then his eyes shot wide open and he plugged his nose.
‘I was a bit too hasty sniffing the fresh morning air; the stables are right here.’
Meanwhile, the stable boys brought out two fine horses, a black and a brown one.
Kamelia hopped onto the horse with a practiced movement.
“Climb up, what are you waiting for?”
Alan scratched the back of his head.
“Um…
there’s…
a bit of a problem…”
The countess looked at him for a second, then closed her eyes.
“Let me guess.
You do not know how to ride.”
Alan shrugged.
“Spot on.”
Kamelia shook her head, sighing.
“Very well…
there is no time to teach you, climb up with me, there is enough room.”
Alan nodded and walked over to the horse, grabbed onto it, and hopped up, reflexively grabbing Kamelia’s shoulders and nearly falling.
“Whoa, fuck…
alright, I’m ready.”
She frowned.
“Hold onto my waist, or do you wish to fall off at the first lurch?”
Alan froze for a second, then slowly, reluctantly lowered his hands to her waist.
‘Yeah.
This is your life now.
Although…
she doesn’t seem to think much of it.
Thank God for that.’
Kamelia looked around, her face absolutely as usual.
Then five more horses with guards came out of the stables.
She nodded.
“Excellent.
We may depart.”
She tugged the reins, and the horse instantly bolted forward.
Alan gritted his teeth, barely holding on.
After half an hour of galloping, they had ridden far beyond the city limits; he occasionally winced from the shaking, and Alan’s gaze fell to the east.
Mountains.
Massive ones.
A long chain of high mountains that were visible even through the fog.
Alan’s mouth opened.
‘So beautiful…
are those the very same mountains where the dwarves live?
Unsurprising.
It’s a freaking fortress, and there’s no end in sight to these mountains.
The distance…
I have no idea how far away those mountains are.’
He looked around.
Large plains, occasionally small hills.
‘Fucking unbelievable…
the last time I was out in nature like this was when I was 15, back when I still lived in Austria and went to the Alps with our group from the orphanage…
it’s so beautiful…’
He took a breath of air.
“Listen, Kamelia, are those the dwarven mountains over there?”
The girl shook her head.
“No, those are the Southern Mountains.
The dwarven mountains are much further, all the way by the eastern border of the kingdom.”
Alan blinked.
“Wow…
if these are this huge, it’s hard to imagine how massive the dwarven ones are.”
Kamelia chuckled slightly.
“That is an understatement.
I once…
went there with my father when I was ten, to a reception hosted by Duke Renabo; his domain is right by the mountains.
I did not even sit at the table; I spent the entire evening looking at the mountains.”
“If you were that amazed, I can only imagine what’s there.
Roughly how tall are they?” asked Alan.
Kamelia thought for a moment.
“Hmm…
well, from the ground you have to crane your neck all the way up, maybe as tall as…
hundreds of defensive towers.” She glanced over her shoulder at him.
“And did your world have mountains?”
Alan nodded as they dashed past a small thicket.
“Of course there were.
The biggest ones were called the Himalayas.”
Kamelia froze.
“Himalayas…
a beautiful name.
And how tall were they?”
Alan opened his mouth, then closed it.
‘And how the heck am I supposed to explain the height of the Himalayas to her?
Not in meters, obviously.
Alright, improvise…
defensive towers…
I think the average height was up to about 15 meters…
the average height of the Himalayas…
around five kilometers, I think.
So if we use towers…
that’s about three hundred towers…
and she said hundreds…
who the hell knows, I’ll see for myself if I get the chance.’
“About three hundred defensive towers,” he finally said.
Kamelia slightly opened her mouth.
“Wow…
that high?”
Alan snorted.
“Do you know how many towers the tallest mountain was?”
Kamelia nodded, a bit too sharply.
“Yes.
How many?”
Alan paused for about forty seconds.
“…roughly five hundred.”
Kamelia’s eyes opened wide.
“My goodness…
your world is so incredibly vast…”
He nodded.
“Yeah, it’s just huge.
By the way…
since we have time…”
‘Stupid question, but ask it anyway.’
“How long has your world existed?
And what year is it here, anyway?”
The sun,meanwhile, had already begun to rise, scattering the fog with bright light.
Kamelia tugged the reins to turn slightly to the side.
“It is currently the year 1764 since the creation of the Eight Great Prohibitions of Svyatol.
As for the creation of the world itself…
no one knows, only Svyatol himself does.”
Alan wanted to scratch his chin, but didn’t risk taking his hand off Kamelia’s waist.
‘Hmm…
the Eight Great Prohibitions of Svyatol…
something like our Seven Deadly Sins?
And it’s the year 1764 here!
Hell knows what’s going on with their calendar.
But…
I’m more interested in what these prohibitions are.’
“And what are these prohibitions?” he asked.
“I will list them in the canonical order,” she began.
“Lying Tongue, Wandering Gaze, Promiscuous Flesh, Long Hands, Bestial Hunger, Straying Feet, Filthy Thoughts, Disloyal Minds.”
Alan blinked.
“Alright, now explain each one.”
Kamelia nodded.
“Then in order once again.
The first is obvious – lying is bad.
One must not look upon another’s belongings.
One must not do…
filthy deeds before marriage, or with anyone other than one’s own man or woman.
One must not take what belongs to another.
One must not eat when full.
One must not betray those to whom a promise was made.
One must not think of committing evil.
One must not doubt the will of Svyatol and his faithful priests.”
Alan blinked.
‘Hmm…
I expected something a bit more unique.
This is a typical classic, just like Christianity in medieval Europe.
Although here…
they even try to control thoughts.
Reminds me of Orwell’s 1984 with their Thought Police; the people here have gone much further than our religion.
But essentially…
it makes sense, right?
If doubting is forbidden, no one will ask questions.
Perfect population control.
I should ask…
no, that’s enough, excessive interest will definitely put her on edge, and I’m already trying to prove that I’m not some random asshole.’
He coughed.
“So…
I take it that I went to the dungeon for violating the last prohibition?”
“Exactly,” Kamelia said immediately.
“But.
For the first time, you are forgiven, as you are an otherworlder and do not understand our rules.
However, you must soon embrace Svyatolism.”
Alan froze.
‘Well, of course…
couldn’t go without that.
Embrace the religion on which, judging by everything, everything here is built.
Alright…
I’ll play by your rules.’
He nodded.
“Alright.”
Kamelia narrowed her eyes.
“Too fast.
Do you not even wish to study what this faith is?
What scriptures there are?
What commandments, laws, history?”
Alan closed his eyes.
‘Moron.
Now talk your way out of it.
Don’t stay silent.
Say something already!’
He sighed.
“Alright.
I’m not gonna BS you.
I just said that to get you off my back.”
Kamelia pressed her lips together, shaking her head.
“You are an immoral person.
Do you truly have nothing sacred?”
“Haven’t for about ten years now,” he said, his voice becoming too quiet.
Kamelia did not notice, glancing over her shoulder.
“Take Svyatolism more seriously, I implore you.
I do not know how it is in your world, but here you will have to accept the local rules, be steadfast in the Eight Prohibitions, and repent for the sins you may have committed in your past life.
Svyatol forgives the ignorant.
Do not doom yourself to eternal torment through your pride.”
Alan’s eyes emptied.
‘Hmm…
so this is what you’re like.
I understood that religion was important to you, but to this extent?
Got it.
Though I don’t blame you.
But I guess I finally understand who I’m working with now.’
“Do not remain silent,” Kamelia said.
“Alright, I’ll think about it,” he said evenly.
She nodded and turned back to the road, clutching the reins in her hands tighter than necessary.
She remained silent for a long time, looking at the road while simultaneously not looking at it.
After about four hours of travel, the sun was already high in the sky and beating down mercilessly.
Kamelia looked at the river nearby and then raised her hand.
“Halt!”
The guards began to stop; one of them turned to the countess.
“My lady, shall we water the horses?”
Kamelia nodded, Alan took his hands off her waist, and she gracefully hopped off the horse, landing with slightly bent knees.
“About damn time,” Alan muttered.
“My legs feel like stone already.” He nimbly swung his right leg over to the other side.
‘Uh-oh…’
His numb legs refused to obey, and Alan immediately face-planted into the grass, barely managing to put his hands out in time.
Kamelia jerked toward him.
“Alan!
…” she cut herself off, and walked over.
“Alive?”
Alan lifted his face from the ground; a thin stream of blood ran from his nose, and he winced.
“Fuck…
I think I busted my nose…”
Kamelia sighed.
“It is nothing, you will survive.
Tilt your head back so the blood returns.”
Alan stood up; the stream ran down his lips and chin.
“Come again?”
“Tilt your head back, I said, so the blood returns.”
Alan raised an eyebrow; the blood continued to flow and drip onto the grass.
“That’s not how it works,” he said evenly.
Kamelia frowned.
“What?
Are you simply snapping at me again or what?”
Alan raised his sleeve to wipe his nose.
‘Hold on.
I sat in a filthy medieval dungeon in this suit jacket.
It’s probably full of bacteria.’
He opened his jacket and wiped his face with his clean white shirt.
Her eyes widened.
“Have you lost your mind?!
A white shirt!
Tip your head back to the sky and that is it!
What is so difficult?!”
Alan finished wiping his face.
“It’s a lie!
A myth!
A complete fabrication!
If I tilt my head back, then sure, the blood will go back.
Straight into my throat and maybe even my stomach, and that’s incredibly unhealthy.”
Kamelia froze; even the guards stopped pretending to clean their swords.
“And how do you know this?”
He stood up straighter.
“I told you my world is more developed.
That’s where they figured out that you need to let the blood flow out so the injury can heal.” A new stream of blood ran from his nose, slightly weaker this time.
The countess shook her head.
“You have a strange world, have I mentioned that already?”
“You did.” He sat on the grass and immediately jumped back up.
“Ouch, fuck!”
‘Fuck, fuck, FUCK!
That hurts so much!
I think I chafed my balls off on that saddle!
God, that hurts!’
Kamelia crossed her arms over her chest.
“Yes, that happened to me as well during my first few times.”
“You chafed your balls too?” Alan muttered.
Several guards down by the river snorted, and immediately shut up.
Kamelia simply shook her head and went to water her horse.
Alan began massaging his inner thighs.
‘My second fucking amazing experience after the dungeon.
I’m just opening new horizons right and left here.
First I set up a gym, now I’m chafing my balls; just an absolutely amazing summoned hero!
Why is everything so difficult here?
If you’re going to dump me in another world, at least give me…
I don’t know…
powerful magic to wipe out continents, or a lamp with a genie and three wishes…’
He looked at the calmly flowing river; beyond it, green plains were visible, along with occasional thickets and hills, and the sky was blue.
‘It’s probably summer here, it’s gotten hot.
And damn it, how do I actually save these villages from dysentery?
Gave my word, what a stud, not gonna lie.
If even one peasant shits outside the pit and it accidentally gets in the river—my head is going to roll.
I need to think about what to do first…
actually, what’s there to think about?
I don’t know a damn thing about the situation over there!
But I can come up with the general details.
So, dysentery is the result of completely disregarding hygiene, which means the first thing is washing hands and boiling water.
Do they even know that water needs to be boiled?
Well…
we’ll see.
Then again, water, water, and water again.
All the problems come from dirty water.’
He scratched his chin, looking up.
‘Hmm…
I feel just like John Snow.
Alright, think.
Boiling water is good, but I need some more guarantees…
how to make the water even cleaner…’
He froze for a few seconds, and then smiled imperceptibly.
‘That’s it…
I think I’ve got an idea.’