It was probably a little past 3 PM.
I was walking down the main street of the royal capital, heading toward 『Suzuya』.
The townscape reminded me of medieval Europe. When I played the game, I hadn't noticed, but this world was actually quite mismatched in many ways.
A day consisted of 24 hours, and clocks existed. However, because magic was usable, science hadn't developed much.
You might think that magic tools would be highly advanced instead, but there were no telephones or similar devices. The only large-scale magic tools were things like teleportation devices found in major cities or the capital.
For commoners, the widespread magic tools were simple ones — producing fire or water, things necessary for daily life. Most were basic and practical.
(That's exactly why my own trump cards will be so valuable.)
Yes. On the flip side, if I created something new, it could become powerful negotiation material.
I had to change my Japanese way of thinking, but Japanese technology could become my greatest weapon.
If I had any "cheats" in this world, they would be my game knowledge and the technical knowledge from my previous life.
That was precisely why I needed Erika's power.
Creating something required money, and I had no intention of being controlled or tamed.
Still, from the way she spoke earlier, I didn't think Erika was the type to do that anyway.
Even if I ended up being deceived, I wouldn't hold a grudge.
I'd probably even praise her for it.
Lost in thought, I soon saw 『Suzuya』 come into view.
The first thing that stood out about this place was how spacious the land was.
Entering the grounds, there was a two-story tavern on the left and an inn on the right.
To give you an idea — imagine two wooden two-story apartment buildings, each with eight rooms per floor. The middle area was an open plaza wide enough for two lanes of traffic.
My father had done well to secure this property.
When I entered the tavern, there weren't many customers drinking heavily since it wasn't evening yet, and no one was being rowdy.
I greeted the regular customers and headed into the kitchen.
There I saw a woman with beautiful chestnut-brown hair tied in a neat triple braid that reached down to her waist. She was stirring a large pot.
It was my stepmother, Nimi.
"I'm home, Nimi-san."
"Oh, Raide-san, welcome back."
She turned around and gave me a gentle, motherly smile.
She was about 165 cm tall with a well-balanced adult figure — not too thin, not too plump. Her chest was so large it looked like it could hold dodgeballs, yet they were incredibly soft, like marshmallows.
She was 37 years old, but looked like she was in her late twenties.
A calm, gentle older-sister type with strong maternal instincts… I still wondered why a character like her wasn't one of the main heroines.
"Need any help?"
"No, no. It's calm right now, so please rest. You'll be busy again in the evening."
"Then I'll take you up on that. Oh, and some students will be coming later, so I probably won't be able to help much in the shop."
"Oh my, that's perfectly fine. The helper girls will be here too."
"Good, but don't push yourself, okay?"
"Raide-san never lets me push myself, so I'll be alright."
Nimi placed a hand on her cheek and smiled with a slightly troubled expression before turning her attention back to the pot.
Well, if she ever tried to push herself too hard, I'd just have to use some "tough love" again.
After watching her for a moment, I left the tavern and crossed over to the inn.
The entire first floor of the inn served as our living space, while the seven rooms on the second floor were for guests.
I opened the door behind the counter and stepped into our private area.
It was far too spacious for just the two of us, but I suppose this much privilege was acceptable.
"Instructor!! Raide-sensei~!"
While I was taking a short nap on the bed, I heard a man's voice calling from the counter. I checked the clock.
It was 5 PM already… I hoped Erika hadn't arrived yet.
I quickly straightened my appearance, opened the door leading to the counter, and found three adventurers waiting for me.
"Sorry, I was sleeping. Welcome back, you three."
"Thanks! So, you'll spar with us today, right?"
"Yeah, sure. Let's head outside first."
We went out front, and the three of them readied their weapons.
This was a mock battle. I would dodge their attacks and give them advice along the way.
Fifteen minutes was the usual limit. Any longer and these adventurers would keep attacking until they couldn't move anymore.
Since I also had to help out at the shop, I couldn't let them exhaust themselves completely.
After the session ended, one of the adventurers spoke while breathing heavily, shoulders heaving:
"You're fighting bare-handed, yet we're the ones who end up exhausted…"
"And you keep giving advice in between attacks…"
"…I feel like crying."
Once one started complaining, the other two joined in.
This mock battle had originally started as a way to calm down the rowdy adventurers, but my instructor instincts kicked in and before I knew it, I was properly teaching them.
Originally, 『Suzuya』 had been a place where rough types would cause trouble.
But after I started training them, they gradually began calling me "Instructor" with respect.
It was pretty amusing to see these tough-looking guys approaching me so eagerly.
"Is this the real reason it's been 'noisy'?"
I turned toward the voice and saw Erika standing there in her academy uniform, arms crossed, wearing a somewhat exasperated expression.
Slightly behind her stood a butler waiting respectfully.
Even in a light gray blazer, her figure stood out beautifully.
Though at this point, the way even normal movements emphasized her chest was simply a feature of this world.
I smiled wryly and nodded, glancing at the three adventurers heading back into the tavern as I replied:
"With this, you can see I don't really need help with the 'noise,' right?"
"…It appears so."
"Well, it does stand out here. Shall we go inside the tavern? …Sorry if the noise bothers you."
"Listening to cheerful voices is much better than hearing people gossip behind my back."
"Can't argue with that. Welcome to 『Suzuya』."
I opened the door to the tavern. When I said that, Erika's lips curved into a small, genuinely pleased smile.