In the high, remote mountains where no human dared to tread, a single Dragon was lost deep in thought.
That human—the mere thought of him was loathsome, and yet, by good fortune, the Dragon had felt fear and, surprisingly, even gratitude toward a human. It had been a strange day.
It was a day when the clear, cheerful weather had lured the Dragon out with its offspring, carried safely in its embrace. Along the way, they were ambushed by Wyverns. Normally, these were no match for the Dragon. However, the Wyverns' smaller bodies allowed them to easily surpass the Dragon's speed.
Just as the Dragon prepared to slaughter them all, it noticed its offspring—feeble, barely breathing—in its arms. Perhaps sensing this weakness, the number of Wyverns began to increase until the Dragon was entirely surrounded.
Those creatures possessed no such luxury as intellect, yet they were driven by pure instinct. If given a choice between a group and an individual, they chose the individual. Between a male and a female, they chose the female. Between an adult and a young one, they chose the young one.
It was clear the Wyverns' target was the Dragon's child.
For the first time, the Dragon understood the difficulty of fighting while protecting its offspring. Steadily, it was driven into a corner, and then, the Dragon lost consciousness.
* * *
Am I alive?
A cold sensation pressed against the Dragon's back. Did I fall to the ground? It confirmed the presence of its offspring in its arms. Was I saved? What became of those Wyverns?
...!
Footsteps sounded. Multiple presences.
"Sh-Shin-san...!"
"How did you get the Wyverns to—"
Humans, thought the Dragon. Did they come to slay me after seeing me fall? Fortunately, the presence of the Wyverns was gone. Though its wounds and fatigue were far from light, if the opponent was merely human—
Holding its offspring, the Dragon rose and directed a mighty roar of threat toward the nearest human.
"I suffered an oversight at the hands of the Wyverns... but I will not be defeated by mere humans!" the Dragon bellowed.
Yet, the human male, who appeared somewhat weary—no longer young for a man—did not flinch at the Dragon's sight or voice. He spoke instead.
"Calm down. The Wyverns are gone. We have no intention of harming you. We harbor no hostility toward you.
However, if you choose to attack us, you will die. Since you have a child, I must ask you to proceed with extreme caution."
The Dragon felt true fear.
It was not afraid of the seemingly tired male—a human who was, by human standards, no longer young. There were rare humans who possessed a magical power rivaling that of a Dragon, but this man did not give off a single trace of it. He lacked decent equipment and did not seem to possess high physical ability.
Yet, that man was completely serious when he said it.
If I attack him, I will die.
How? By what method? All the Dragon knew was that this male was certain that would be the outcome.
That certainty, that promise, filled the Dragon's heart with genuine terror.
"More importantly, your child seems to be suffering. Is there an injury?" the man asked.
His next words, however, were an expression of concern for the Dragon's child. After that, the Dragon simply let itself be handled by him. As a result, its child was saved, and the cause of the illness was explained. The Dragon had no choice but to be profoundly grateful.
"I wish to offer you thanks. Ask for anything that is within my power."
Would he ask for a secret treasure passed down through the Dragon clan, or perhaps a hoard of collected wealth? Or would he ask me to destroy some nation? But his wish was none of those.
At first, the request for the Wyverns—which the Dragon thought it had defeated—made no sense, but in the end, the only thing he wished for was that the Dragon would not attack the humans in this area.
Right up until the very end, he worried about the Dragon's child and even provided a souvenir gift. The child must have found the meal delicious, as the Dragon watched it devour it instantly. Now, some of the other Dragons, intrigued, were apparently studying a portion of the dish.
It seemed the seasoning used was unknown, even in the Dragons' ancient records. Truly, the man was a strange human.
The Dragon knew it would have to visit him someday to offer its sincere, proper thanks.
"...Pewee¹? Pi?"
The young Dragon stirred and rose in its parent's arms. Seeing this, the parent Dragon spoke to its child.
"...Mm? My apologies, did you wake up? You seem to be feeling much better now."
The parent Dragon held the child close, as if nesting it in its bosom, and then slowly closed its eyes.
* * *
"Erm, so, what you're saying is... you've been racking your brain about gifts for those who proposed to your children, is that about right?" Raid, who had come to the capital from the town to report the Wyvern incident, organized the flow of the conversation in his own mind.
"Precisely. Fam received a proposal from one of the present King's sons—and Clot was earnestly sought after by the daughter of a Marquis² family, which is connected to the Royal Family.
"However, to offer a gift to royalty, it cannot be anything mediocre. And so, I've been wrestling with this problem..." Count Doorn sighed heavily.
"It's also a problem when things go too well, my dear," his wife remarked. "But with this—it's been resolved, hasn't it?"
His wife confirmed the outcome with a gentle voice, clearly attempting to reassure her husband. She then turned to her children.
"Fam, Clot... that is wonderful news. Your futures are now secure.
"The official marriage will be a long way off, but—work hard so that you do not shame the name of Count Doorn."
"Okay!!"
"Y-Yes," the siblings replied, their tones opposite—one fully grasping the meaning, the other perhaps not.
With the tension broken, Fam let out a massive yawn.
"Fuwah~..." Fam stretched widely.
"Fa-Fam-nee-sama³! We have a guest!" her brother Clot gasped.
Raid offered a way out of the awkwardness, "The complicated talk must have worn them out, y'know? Maybe they should rest..."
"Perhaps so. Philesia, please take the two of them and step out," the Count instructed his wife.
She rose, took her son and daughter by both hands, bowed politely, and exited the room. After seeing them off, Raid also let his guard down and casually brought up a question to the Count out of curiosity.
"But your gifts will be two Wyverns now, right? Even if it's one each, is it okay if they're the same? Wouldn't the Royal Family and the Marquis Family require different standards?" Raid inquired.
The Count nodded thoughtfully in agreement.
"Raid-kun's question is a fair one. But the difference is due to gender, you see.
"There is a subtle difference between a woman marrying into a family and a man being adopted into one. Because of this, I was forced into a situation where I had to prepare nearly equivalent items for both."
Jandou, who had been silent until then, interjected.
"Due to the difference in Fam-sama marrying into the Royal Family versus Clot-sama being welcomed into the Marquis Family—the item prepared for Fam-sama could be neither superior nor inferior to Clot-sama's gift.
"However, if the Count family can provide Wyverns, that instantly becomes a gift of the highest class, and any debate over which is higher or lower vanishes. Since they're gifts for a joyous occasion, I doubt anyone will fuss about it further," Jandou declared. He then put his arm around the Count's shoulder.
"You got lucky, Count-sama! Good thing you've maintained a friendly relationship with Shin, huh?" Jandou winked.
"Ha, haha... Please, give me a break, Jandou-dono," the Count muttered.
Between the mischievous smile of Guild Master Jandou and the strained laugh of the Count, Raid stood watching, unsure of how to react.
* * *
—The Next Morning—
"Hey, Raid-oniichan⁴... are you leaving already?"
"Why don't you just come back with us, Big Bro?"
Nico and Gil called out regretfully to Raid as he prepared to depart. The rest of the orphanage children also looked sad.
Jandou, the eldest among those who had traveled with Raid, stepped forward to admonish them.
"Don't be so selfish. Right now, our town is without me or Acting Guild Master Raid."
Ribera, the orphanage director, approached Jandou like an old married couple and spoke to Raid.
"Raid, be careful on your way back.
"And—don't cause trouble for Milia," she added with a gentle warning.
At the words of the woman who had been his surrogate mother since childhood, Raid scratched his head awkwardly.
"Oh? Raid-san, are you already heading back?" Carman, the merchant who had accompanied them, appeared.
"Yeah, I'm the Acting Guild Master now, y'know? I can't leave the town empty for too long," Raid explained.
Carman understood the situation with a 'Hmm.'
"In that case, why don't you ride with me in my cart? I have a special, fast cart ready to transport the Wyverns delivered to the Count's estate to the capital quickly. It won't be as fast as your speed boost, but the time difference shouldn't be too great..."
"Seriously!?" Raid cheered, pumping his fist.
Just then, a figure came running up, breathless. Everyone turned to look. It was a man, seemingly in his mid-twenties, not of high social standing but neatly dressed. He held his hand to his chest to steady his breathing.
"R-Raid... san. Are you here?"
"I'm Raid, yeah... Wait? Aren't you the receptionist from the Guild Headquarters?" Raid asked, recognizing the man.
Jandou also approached the man with a puzzled look.
"Nn? What business does the Royal Capital's Guild HQ have here?"
"W-Well, actually... The higher-ups urgently requested that Raid-san come to the Headquarters—"
Upon hearing the man's purpose, Raid found himself stuck in the capital for a while longer.
* * *
—One Week Later—
It had been about two weeks since the Royal Capital expedition group left the town, and neither they nor Raid-kun had returned yet. However, a message had arrived. Apparently, Jandou-san, having recognized Raid's skill, had requested he demonstrate his abilities at the Guild Headquarters, which had turned into a kind of test. He was expected to return with the foot-massage group.
As for Shin, he was busy working with the artisans to construct facilities in the southern agricultural area. One was a breeding room for the egg-laying birds. To avoid disrupting the crop rotation, this would be built in a corner. It was planned to be twice the size of the one near the Guild Branch.
And the second facility—
"Shin-san! We're about to start the water flow!"
"Ah, yes. Please go ahead."
A trench was dug around the breeding room under construction, and preparations were underway to fill it with Water Magic. It was built in a squarish, loop-like shape, about thirty meters long.
The trench was about seventy to eighty centimeters wide but only thirty centimeters deep. This shallow depth was deliberately chosen to prevent small children from drowning. Once filled with water, fish would be introduced. Yes, this was a fish-farming water channel, designed to imitate a river.
Although referred to as fish farming, it might be more accurate to call it a temporary live well⁵, as Shin didn't know the proper methods for mass breeding. The loop shape was intended to allow the fish to swim in a circuit and to create a slight current. Making it a completely stagnant pond risked the water spoiling or becoming cloudy. It also had a slight slope for drainage.
Shin had created an overflow section within the square loop, making it the lowest point. This section was isolated by a mesh wall made of stone materials. The design ensured that even if heavy rain raised the water level, it wouldn't overflow the banks but drain safely into the sewer system.
The creation of the trench was, of course, assisted by Locke-san, and the surface was solidified using Fire Magic. Additionally, stones for the fish to hide behind and trees to provide shade were planted along the water channel. Today, with the help of Water Magic users, including Dunder-san and Mel-san, the water was finally added.
"Ooh, that's beautiful water."
"An artificial river, eh? You certainly think of all sorts of things, young man."
The trench filled with water, forming a long, slender pool-like surface that shimmered. All that remained was to introduce the fish. The plan was to add not just fish, but also any catfish and crustaceans they could find.
Shin should have prepared the fish in advance, but he didn't because he needed to confirm the channel was functioning properly first. If the experiment failed and the fish had nowhere to go, they would probably just end up in the townspeople's stomachs anyway...
However, there was another reason why Shin couldn't gather a large quantity of fish. Due to the aftermath of the Wyvern incident and the current absence of both the Guild Master and Acting Guild Master Raid, Milia-san had requested that Shin refrain from leaving the town as much as possible.
It was a 'request' because it couldn't be forced, but Shin felt resistant to causing Milia-san more stress. Besides, I've only been fishing close to town about once every two weeks recently, so the catch amount should be recovering... probably.
This was only the preparation of the 'container,' after all. It was meant to be experimental. Shin decided to introduce about thirty fish to observe the situation.
"Alright, Locke-san, Dunder-san. Let's go catch the fish to put in here."
"Oh yeah, let's do it!" Locke exclaimed.
"Indeed, let's go," Dunder-san agreed.
* * *
Leaving through the west gate, Shin set up traps in the nearby river for the first time in a while. The two men set the traps, and Shin decided to take separate action in the meantime. He was going to catch shrimp, crabs, and shellfish. He also collected some aquatic plants.
His goal was to make the channel as close to a natural environment as possible and to check if non-fish creatures could also survive in the live well. He used the stone-striking fishing⁶ method he had used initially, along with driving creatures into a net cage with his hands. He gathered about twenty shrimp of various sizes, ten crabs, and twenty edible-sized bivalve shells.
This was the result of about an hour's work. Seeing the haul, the two men were surprised.
"Huh? We can eat these?" Locke asked.
"Such hard-shelled things... Is there yet another new cooking method, young man?" Dunder-san wondered.
Shin knew they likely didn't have a culture of eating these, as they were never served at the inn.
It's true that on Earth, there are many ingredients you wonder, 'How did anyone ever decide to eat that?'
But in a world where mages don't need to eat often thanks to Magic Control, which means there's no necessity for food variety, there was no reason to go out of their way to expand their ingredients. Most innovations are done to increase the probability of survival. Conversely, things without necessity have no room for development.
However, that's also why I can do business in this world, I suppose.
In any case, with the day's yield, they decided to return to the town.
"Okay, let's put them in, Shin-san."
"Please do."
Fish and other organisms caught were introduced into various points of the channel. The children had gathered without anyone noticing and were peering into the water with great curiosity.
"Ah! Fish!"
"There are weird things, too!"
The boys cheered, chasing the underwater creatures along the land or poking the surface with sticks. The girls, showing less interest, mostly stood back from the water's edge. This gender difference seemed universal, Shin observed.
Locke-san and Dunder-san, having finished the introduction, spoke to Shin.
"Is this alright, Shin-san?"
"Should we put up a ban on entry so they don't disturb the fish?" Dunder-san proposed.
Their concern was valid, but Shin had never seen the children outside the town during fishing or hunting trips. The town was their entire world. Now that he had brought a piece of the outside world to them, their curiosity exploding was inevitable.
"They probably can't catch the creatures anyway. For now, let's just wait and see," Shin decided. If a problem arose, he would deal with it then. He was experimenting, after all. I also need to transfer the wild birds from the facility near the Guild Branch...
Thus, Shin chose to take no immediate measures. The problem, however, arose instantly the very next day.
* * *
"Fuwaaah..."
Shin had fallen asleep while contemplating the logistics of moving the egg-laying birds and the purpose of the now-empty facility. He finally woke up close to noon. It wasn't his scheduled day off, but recently, he had been so busy that his schedule had fallen apart, forcing him to take spontaneous days off when he felt he hit his limit.
I feel bad for the people who help me work, but since they're paid daily, I have a certain amount of flexibility. The fact that the pay is exceptionally good compared to other jobs means no one complains during these times, which is a great relief to my mind.
He was enjoying a mid-day bath instead of an morning one, and eating his breakfast/lunch combo, when a familiar voice called from the door.
"Shin-san, are you there?"
"Pack-san?" Shin braced himself for a moment, thinking there might be an emergency patient, but seeing his calm demeanor, Shin also responded calmly.
"What is it?"
"Oh, it's about the Wyverns you gave us. I went through every single book I had and tried every single medicine I could make... and I've successfully created quite a number of effective antidotes! This is all thanks to you, Shin-san!" Pack-san proclaimed with satisfaction.
Oh, that was useful. I'm glad to hear it.
"Did you come to report that to me today?" Shin asked.
"Yes, I wanted you to be the first to know. Also, I heard you constructed another fascinating facility... my apologies, an interesting facility."
It could only be the water channel. It was a small town of only five hundred people, so rumors were bound to spread.
"That's a facility to keep fish alive, you see. Ideally, I'd like the fish to breed there, but for now, it's just an experiment to see if they can live in an artificial river."
"Is that so? I honestly thought you had created a playground for the children."
Ah, are the children back there again? Since the water was shallow enough to prevent drowning, Shin wasn't worried about accidents.
"It is unusual, so I suppose it's a novelty for them. Plus, it's hot right now, so I can understand the desire to be near water..." Shin mused.
"Indeed. I even saw some children in the trench, chasing the fish or splashing water with their hands at the other children who wouldn't get in."
Wait a minute, what did he just say?
"Excuse me? In the trench...? What?" Shin stammered.
"Yes. They were running around, splashing water at the other children who stayed out."
Shin stood up with a loud clatter, startling Pack-san.
"Wh-What is it, Shin-san?" Pack-san worriedly asked.
"I'm sorry! Pack-san, could you please call the people who can use Water Magic?! I'm heading to the water channel facility right now!" Shin urged, frantic.
And so, Shin rushed to the southern agricultural district, leaving his meal half-eaten.
* * *
By the time he arrived, the boys, including familiar faces from the orphanage, were all playing in the water channel.
"Get out of there!!" Shin shouted loudly. The boys all turned to face him at once.
"Ah, Shin-san!"
"See, I told you we should stop!"
They offered excuses and half-hearted apologies, but Shin paid them no mind.
"Just get out! And gather over here!"
The children assembled, looking timid, clearly wondering if they had done something wrong. Shin asked them gently.
"Are you hurt? Did anyone have any cuts or scrapes before getting into the trench?"
Realizing that Shin had rushed over out of concern for them, they relaxed, shaking their heads from side to side to deny any injuries. Pack-san arrived with Mel-san, Dunder-san, and other Water Magic users.
"I apologize! Please, just blast these children with water from head to toe, clothes and all!" Shin commanded.
"Is it heatstroke!?" Pack-san, sensing a medical crisis in his field, demanded to know.
"No, I'll explain later. Just think of it as a deep cleansing..." Shin insisted.
The children were thoroughly rinsed, soaked with a generous amount of water from head to toe. Their clothes quickly dried in the hot sun, and only then did Shin's own calm return. He let out a long breath.
—This was entirely my failure.
Rivers that house fish are often imagined to be clean, but in the natural world, rivers constantly carry the risk of infectious diseases. Also, endemic diseases—unique to a specific region—are often spread through rivers. There was also the possibility of animal urine and feces contaminating the water, and human waste is a known breeding ground for sickness.
Since the channel water was provided by Water Magic, that risk should be extremely low, but the creatures they caught were not. Shin knew about this danger and would never enter a river with an open wound. Even when contact was unavoidable, he didn't drink the water and took appropriate precautions.
Could he expect these children to have that knowledge or common sense? Absolutely not. He had once considered having the children help with fishing and hunting, but only for carrying luggage. He never planned for them to enter the water directly. Furthermore, after hearing that children in this world have a lower survival rate due to their immature Magic Control, that option was completely removed.
"What in the world is going on, Shin-san?"
"Those children don't look unwell, though," Mel-san and Dunder-san said, finishing their task and asking for an explanation.
But how should I explain it? Shin decided to invent—or rather, create—a village custom and legend for this occasion.
"Ah, I think they'll be fine, but—in my village, there's a saying that river water carries both good magic and bad magic. People with weak magical power, or children whose control is still immature, were forbidden from entering rivers. Since this water was created with Water Magic, I don't think that danger exists, but I got overly nervous."
The people around him looked half-convinced and half-confused by Shin's story. But Pack-san spoke up.
"That's an interesting legend, but—it's true that these children have no experience entering a river. The same goes for water that contains fish. For adults, it's usually fine, but we cannot predict what effect it might have on children. So, I agree that we should follow Shin-san's judgment here."
Satisfied by the pharmacist's reasoning, the adults conceded, but the children made no effort to hide their expressions of complaint. It couldn't be helped. They had just discovered the pure joy and comfort of playing in cold water on a hot day.
A half-hearted solution would not suffice. In that case, I should just build 'that'. The orphanage grounds still had plenty of empty land, Shin recalled. He finalized his idea, then began considering the budget and finding the right people for the job.
* * *
—The Next Morning—
Shin arrived at the orphanage with a team of people who could use Earth Magic, Fire Magic, and Water Magic. They were the same artisans who had worked on the sewer system, so their skill and reliability were guaranteed. What was Shin planning to do, bringing these people here?
"An artificial pond... is that right?" Milia-san, who was now acting with almost all the Guild Master's authority, asked.
"Yes. The river near my old village was quite deep, so we trained to move in the water in case of an accidental fall. It also doubles as a heatstroke and cooling measure," Shin explained, requesting permission for the installation.
"It certainly is hot, and a water feature sounds like a good thing... but you plan to dig it quite deep, correct?" she asked, implicitly raising a safety concern.
"Body Strengthening will be a prerequisite, of course, but one of the goals is also to teach the children who can't yet use magic about it. No one will be allowed in without a guardian, and we will drain the water after training. Once summer is over, we'll fill it back in," Shin reassured her.
Milia-san pondered for a moment, her arms crossed.
"Cart-kun and the others are here, so we could have them monitor it... and everything you've done so far has been without incident—
"Very well. But please, be extremely careful, will you?" she concluded. She bowed and quickly rushed back to the Guild Branch. She's probably swamped with work. Shin made a mental note to bring her a snack later.
"—Well then! Since we have permission, let's get started!" Shin announced, clapping his hands.
And so, the construction of the 'pool' began.
The orphanage grounds were quite large. While this indicated the land was cheap and in a less convenient location, Shin was grateful for it now. The construction was basically the same as the bathhouse: use Earth Magic to dig a hole, then use Fire Magic to coat and solidify the surface.
Fortunately, Cart-kun, Van-kun, and Lilie-san could all use both Fire Magic and Earth Magic, so they were included in the team. Since the orphanage already had a connection to the sewer system, drainage was easy, but Shin was meticulous about the design of the drain.
In his old world, there were cases of people drowning after getting stuck against the drain's suction. Therefore, instead of a simple mesh grille, they built a cubic structure around the drain opening. This would prevent a child from sticking directly to the drain, even if they happened to be in the pool while it was draining.
One of the mesh openings was wide enough for an adult's hand to reach through, and the lid would be manually removed for draining. While this would normally be dangerous, it was not an issue with adults who could use Body Strengthening.
The depth was set to about eighty centimeters at the shallow end and one hundred twenty centimeters at the deep end. Shin felt it was a little too shallow, but it was for children, so he decided it was appropriate.
After only two hours, a splendid pool, about five meters wide and fifteen meters long, was finished and filled with water.
It was complete, but... the children who had been so eager to play in the water channel yesterday were now keeping their distance. Not just the children, but Cart-kun and the others were also hesitant. The depth of the water must trigger a primal fear in land-dwelling creatures.
"Alright, I'll go first then," Shin offered.
Since swimwear didn't exist, he stripped off his shirt, rolled his trousers up above his knees like shorts, and slowly entered, starting with his feet. He then swam the length of the pool using the crawl stroke.
When was the last time I swam on Earth? Shin thought, relieved that he was still able to do it. "Like this, see?... Huh?"
Looking up from the water, he saw everyone on the land staring at him with wide, rounded eyes. What is it?
"That speed in the water...!?" Cart-kun exclaimed in astonishment.
"What kind of Magic is that, Shin-san!"
"P-Please do it again!"
Cart-kun and the three others clamored with questions. Crap. The very concept of 'swimming' doesn't exist, does it?
Come to think of it, they didn't fish, and there were no deep rivers nearby. Of course, they would be shocked to see an unenhanced human moving so quickly underwater for the first time.
"Well, er, that... this is also a type of magic you can do if you can use Body Strengthening..."
And so, Shin struggled to come up with an excuse to insist that this, too, was magic.
Summary:
The Dragon's terrifying encounter with Shin shifts to gratitude, setting up a future meeting. Meanwhile, the Count is hilariously stressed over finding appropriate, equivalent high-value gifts (two Wyverns!) for his children's high-status engagements. Raid's new role as Acting Guild Master gets him summoned to the Capital for a mysterious 'test.'
Shin, left in town, designs and builds an artificial river for fish farming, only to discover the children are getting in and risking infection. To solve the problem, he receives permission to build a deep 'pool' at the orphanage with complex, Earth-style safety features, only to have the kids mistake his simple swimming for a powerful, new form of water magic, forcing Shin to lie to cover his knowledge.
Character Insight:
Shin is fundamentally unable to separate his modern-world common sense from the magic world's lack thereof, leading to constant invention and, ironically, accidental safety hazards (the river) and cultural misunderstandings (swimming=magic). The Dragon's fear is the deepest form of respect for Shin's unknown power. The Count's aristocratic anxiety highlights how Shin's 'garbage' (Wyverns) is a world-shaking commodity.
Behind the Scene:
This chapter focuses heavily on world-building through invention (the pool, the safety drainage system) and the comedic consequences of a cultural/knowledge gap between Shin and the local populace.
T/L:
¹ Pewee/Pi: Simple, adorable onomatopoeia for a baby animal's noise, like 'chirp' or 'squeak.'↩
² Marquis: A noble rank, typically just below a Duke.↩
³ Fam-nee-sama: 'Nee-sama' is a respectful term for an older sister. Clot is addressing his sister Fam with high respect.↩
⁴ Raid-oniichan: 'Oniichan' is a familiar, affectionate term for an older brother. The children use it here to show their close bond with Raid.↩
⁵ Live Well (生け簀): A tank or pen used to keep fish or other seafood alive until they are ready to be used or sold.↩
⁶ Stone-Striking Fishing (石打漁): A method of fishing where stones are struck together or hit against the water/riverbed to drive fish towards a net or trap. It is a very primitive technique.↩
Notes:
• Shin - An average, middle-aged Japanese salaryman who prides himself on his common sense and average abilities. He was forcibly sent to a fantasy world by a God and granted the 'ability' to prevent anything 'outside his common sense' from occurring in his presence.
• Raid - A young, 'normie' adventurer who gets saddled with the job of escorting Shin. He is carefree and friendly but is instantly put on edge by Jandou's ominous warning. He has short black hair, sun-tanned skin, and wears casual adventure gear.
• Clot - Short, golden-blonde hair, with a more reserved demeanor, initially in fine clothing, later wearing a 'priest' costume. The young son of the Count, he is Fam’s foil—polite, proper, and sensibly excited about the new things, contrasting his sister’s spoilage.
• Fam - Short, golden-blonde hair, energetic and bright-eyed, initially in fine clothing, later wearing a 'maiden' costume. The young, spoiled daughter of the Count, she immediately demands Shin’s presented clothes and food, her reaction central to Shin’s plan.
• Jan - The sturdy branch manager of the local Adventurer's Guild. He is short, has muscular build, and gray hair.
• Nico - Young, small orphan girl, initially tear-stained, wearing simple clothes, later a Shinto-style priest outfit. Abducted with Pop, her fear manifests as exhaustion and silence, eventually clinging to her caretaker.
• Gil - A Bronze-class adventurer and recent graduate of the local orphanage. He specializes in Earth Magic (Stone Bullet), but its initial power is weak. He and Luce are close, almost like siblings. He has short hair, slender build, and looks unhealthy.
• Ribera - The director of the local orphanage, deeply invested in the children's well-being. She is a middle aged woman.
• Milia - The young receptionist at the Adventurer's Guild. She has short hair, tanuki-face like (cute), wears round glasses, and business attire.
• Carman - The Count's official merchant in the town. A professional, elderly man who quickly recognized the unexpected value of Shin's processed fish.
• Dunder - An elderly yet spry man, recently hired, with a weathered appearance and seasoned, reflective approach to work. He’s pleasantly surprised by his second wind in life, especially after eating wyvern meat.
• Locke - A minor noble (Baron) arrived in town to illegally procure children, viewing them as profitable commodities due to rumors of their healing magic. He sports slicked-back, shaved hair, wears overly expensive gold-trimmed clothing, and carries an entitled, arrogant expression.
• Mel - A young girl Shin hires for her Water Magic to clean his catch. She has semi-long hair, and slightly foxy, sharp eyes.
• Pack - The town's sole medical practitioner, he possesses extensive knowledge of traditional remedies and immediately recognized the superior nutritional value of Shin's egg-based 'patient food.' With long hair often mistaken for a woman from a distance, he has a slender build and favors practical, no-nonsense clothing suited for foraging and medicine preparation.
• Cart - One of the three new adventurers housed by Shin, he’s a gang leader type with a grateful demeanor for Shin’s kindness. Short-haired and sporting a typical delinquent/leader look.
• Lilie - One of the three new adventurers housed by Shin, she is a striking beauty with waist-length silver-white hair, deeply moved by the simple kindness and good food at the orphanage. Her appearance resembles that of a young noblewoman.