Chapter 1.1: The Usual Everyday Life

The summer forest is noisy.

The rustling of trees, the cries of insects.
In the distance, the howls of beasts, and the sound of something large knocking down trees.
For an ordinary person, after just three steps, they would want to cry “I want to go home,” such was the unpleasant and dangerous atmosphere filling the place.

—And yet.

“Hurry! We’ll be late!”
“H-hii…! Y-Your Highness… p-please, a short break…!”

Through that hellish forest, a single white cloak cut through.

At the front ran a woman with golden hair tied high in a ponytail, shimmering as it reflected the sunlight.
At her waist was a slender longsword, and on her shoulders, light plate armor.
Each movement produced dull sounds of metal and leather.

Aurora Will Mira Australis.

The second princess of the great southern nation of Australis, a young swordswoman, and one of the continent’s finest magic users.

Behind her, the escort knights ran, drenched in sweat, practically being dragged along.
They were all elite warriors with notable achievements, but in this forest, they were nothing more than “humans who were still alive.”

“Your Highness, something’s coming from the right!”
“I know!”

A black wolf burst through the underbrush.
Its eyes glowed red, its fangs bared.
Its gaze was fixed not on the guards, but directly on the princess.

In that instant.

Aurora’s cloak fluttered.
Before the sound of her sword being drawn could even be heard, she had already stepped forward.
The silver arc of her swing traced across the wolf’s neck.

Blood sprayed.
A groan.
A shadow collapsed onto the ground.

“…Phew. At this point, even monsters feel routine.”
“This is not routine, Your Highness… haah… haah…”

One of the guards protested tearfully while catching his breath.

But Aurora paid no mind, glancing around before letting a small smile form.

“I can see it now. Look—”

Beyond the trees, there was an open “gap.”

The towering trees stopped, and sunlight poured freely onto the ground.
Only there did the oppressive presence of the forest thin out, revealing well-tilled fields and a log-built house standing quietly.

A log house.
Beside it, a small field.
Rows of neatly arranged vegetables.
Behind the field, a stone well.
At a glance, it looked like a small countryside home found anywhere.

—If not for the fact that it stood in the very center of an unexplored demonic forest.

“Haah… we made it…”
“We… we survived and got here…”
“Every time I think this, but aren’t we basically heroes for making it here?”
“I don’t need the honor of being a hero. I want a cool room and a cold drink.”

As the guards muttered freely, Aurora inhaled deeply, filling her lungs with air different from the forest.

The scent of dry wood.
The smell of wheat, soil, and water.
A faintly roasted, nostalgic aroma.

With a bright smile, she ran toward the house and banged loudly on the door.

“Hey! Yu! It’s me! The princess is here! Open up!”

Her voice echoed through the forest.

The guards simply watched as if to say “Here we go again,” making no attempt to stop her.
They knew that even if they tried, she wouldn’t stop.

After a while, the door creaked open.

A black-haired young man appeared.

Around twenty-two years old.
His appearance was oddly refined, unlike the locals or the nobles of the capital.
His black hair, grown lazily to his shoulders, was tied back.
He wore a short-sleeved shirt and easy-to-move-in pants.

Only his eyes looked extremely sleepy—and slightly irritated.

“What… you came again? It hasn’t even been a month.”

Yowatari Yu.

An extraordinary magician living alone in this great forest.

A recluse in this monster-infested sea of trees.

Aurora puffed her cheeks in annoyance.

“It’s been almost a month! What kind of attitude is that toward a guest!?”
“I didn’t ask you to come… seriously, you never get tired of this.”
“Heh. Of course I don’t! You know my purpose, don’t you?”

Ignoring the puffed-up princess, Yu let out a sigh.

“Well, it can’t be helped… Ah, guards. You can leave your things in the usual place. I’ll bring some barley tea.”

The guards’ faces lit up all at once.

“Understood, the usual place!”
“Oh, gods, Lord Yu…”
“I wonder what flavor the barley tea is today…”
“It’s barley flavor. It’s barley tea.”

Muttering a quiet retort, Yu disappeared inside.

The guards, already familiar with the routine, carried their belongings to the shed beside the house.
Though simple, it had a roof and floor, shielding them from wind and rain.
It was known as a guest hut more comfortable than inns in the capital.

After placing their luggage, they naturally sat under the eaves.

There were chairs and tables set up there—furniture they were used to.

“Ahh… I feel alive again…”
“This place really feels like another world…”
“The difficulty of this forest is clearly a balance mistake…”

Voices of exhaustion rose here and there, but Yu and Aurora were too used to it to pay attention.

“Excuse me!”

Aurora entered the house boldly with her maids.

The moment she stepped inside, her expression softened.

“Mmm, the air conditioner feels so cool after so long!”

Inside, a steady stream of cool air flowed.

Though the windows were closed, the air remained fresh and smooth.
A box-like magical device near the ceiling emitted cool air.

The maids had once been hesitant, but after visiting a few times, they had grown accustomed, quietly pulling their chairs into the cool airflow.

“Your Highness, if you sit too close, the others—”
“It’s fine, I arrived first. First come, first served.”
“…Sometimes Your Highness sounds like a commoner.”

As the maids whispered, Yu stood at what could only be described as a kitchen counter, fiddling with tools.

After a while, he placed a tray on the table with a pitcher of iced barley tea, several cups, and baked sweets.

“Sorry to keep you waiting. Today it’s barley tea and something like cookies.”
“Something like?”
“I don’t have baking powder, so I made do with substitutes. Don’t complain.”

As he spoke, Yu poured the barley tea.

Ice clinked, and the amber liquid rippled.
Condensation formed on the surface of the cups.

Aurora’s eyes sparkled just from that.

“I’ll have some!”

Gulp, gulp.

She drank half in one go and let out a breath.

“…This really brings you back to life.”
“The guards said the same thing earlier.”
“In front of a cold drink, nobles and commoners are equal.”
“Was that quote in some history textbook?”

While giving casual replies, Yu arranged the sweets on plates.

The maids also took cups, their expressions relaxing as they drank.

Then Yu glanced at the princess.

“So? What’s the reason today? Coming all the way here in this heat means something’s up, right?”

Aurora set down her cup and straightened her posture.

Only then did she look like a proper princess.

“Yes, listen! A ship from a foreign land has arrived at our port, and the country is in an uproar—”
“…Huh?”

Yu blinked, still holding a plate.

“A foreign ship? From the southern seas? Not a trading nation?”
“It bears a sail crest never seen before and a strange ship design. The hull is painted black, and the prow has a bizarre beast statue. Their language is different as well. The interpreters are struggling.”

Aurora’s eyes grew slightly serious.

Yu finally realized, ‘Ah, this is actually important.’

“Heh… in games, that kind of event usually means a national crisis flag.”
“Flag?”
“Never mind.”

He set the plate down and took a sip of barley tea while organizing thoughts in his head.

“So, did those foreigners cause trouble?”
“Apparently not yet. However…”

Aurora clasped her hands on the table.

“Their sea charts and routes are completely different from ours. Scholars who examined them all agree—”

A pause.

“There is a high possibility that beyond this continent lies a much larger world.”

The air in the room grew slightly heavier.

The ice in the tea clinked.

“Well, if the planet’s round, there’d be continents across the sea…”

Yu shrugged.

It had been eight years since he was transported to this world.
The stars were similar yet different, and maps simply marked beyond the continent as “unrecorded.”

Still, hearing Aurora’s words stirred something faint in his chest.

“So?”

“The king is observing cautiously. But the nobles are in an uproar. ‘A new trade partner,’ ‘We should establish relations,’ ‘No, they might invade us’—the meetings are in chaos every day.”
“Yeah… that sounds like humans.”

Yu smiled faintly.

Then Aurora leaned forward and looked straight at him.

“So I thought—”

“In times like this, rather than court magicians or scholars—”
“No, you should rely on them first. Isn’t that the proper order?”

“—we should rely on the greatest magician in the world, who quietly trains deep in this forest!”
“That’s definitely wrong.”

Yu immediately retorted.

But Aurora proudly puffed her chest.

“With your magic and knowledge, you can surely see through what those foreigners are thinking. Perhaps even what lies beyond the sea.”
“Don’t treat me like some all-purpose analyzer…”

Still, he understood her point.

In the past eight years, Yu had analyzed everything with magic and organized the laws of this world in his own way.
Each time he created devices unimaginable to royal researchers, Aurora had begun calling him “the greatest.”

Though all he wanted was a quiet life.

“So, you came to scout me again?”
“Of course!”

Aurora leaned forward eagerly.

“Now is the time to come to the capital. Yu, your power should be used for the country—”
“Nope.”

“Don’t reject me instantly!”

An immediate answer.

Without a hint of hesitation.

“The capital is hot, crowded, and full of trouble.”
“The capital is going to cry hearing that…”
“It’s cool and quiet here, and I can research magic all I want.”

Yu rested his cheek on his hand.

“I don’t really care how big the world is. As long as I stay in the forest, it doesn’t matter.”

“…Even so.”

Aurora’s voice softened slightly.

“This forest will reach its limits someday. Monsters may grow stronger, miasma may thicken, or something from across the sea may shake the continent itself.”
“You’re exaggerating.”
“Perhaps. But I am a princess. I must act with the worst-case scenario in mind.”

Yu felt slightly uncomfortable at her royal demeanor.

“…So?”
“So at least, I want you to hear me out.”

Aurora bowed her head slightly.

Yu stared at his tea.

The ice clinked.

The world beyond the forest.

The unknown beyond the continent.

“…Well, just listening is fine.”

“Alright, it’s decided!”

Aurora clapped her hands.

The discussion began.