--Sworn ......?　What ......?



　Slowly open your eyes and pick yourself up.
　I move my heavy head and check my surroundings.

'Is this ......?'　

　It was a place I didn't remember. It was a small wooden private room with only the minimum amount of furniture.
　There was only one open window, through which a cool breeze came in. It was a simple but relaxing room - or so I thought.

　And in the chair included in that minimal furniture, a man sat alone.

　A man with a fearless face, I believe his name was - Palinclone.
　It's Palinclone Legacy, the man who saved my life (・・・・・・).

''--Oh. You're awake, Kanami. Just as well, your sister (・・・・・) just woke up. Let me show you around.

　Seeing me awake, Palinkron closes the book in his hand.
　He then tapped me on the shoulder in a friendly manner and then walked out of the room.

　He said he was going to show me around, and I was trying to follow him - my body went rigid.
　I felt like something important was being misplaced and my body wasn't moving well.

　It was as if I had wired it wrong.
　It was as if the doll's limbs had been reversed.
　It's uncomfortable, strange, a discrepancy.

　-- something is wrong.

　But as much as that clinging discomfort, there was also a refreshing sense of freedom for me.
　It's as if there was a hole in my heart.
　Thanks to this, I feel as if my body has become lighter.

Kanami, come on!
'Eh ....... Oh, oh!　Okay, Palinclone!

　All those doubts were erased by Palinclone's rushing voice.

　First, I feel a sense of duty that I should follow Palinclone, the man who saved my life, and I leave the room without thinking too much about it.

　I look at the corridor and realize where I am.
　This is the headquarters of the guild 'Epic Seeker'.
　The room I saw earlier is the guild's medical office.

　When I woke up, I couldn't help but wonder why I hadn't noticed it.
　But I can't just wonder.
　I walk down the corridor that should be familiar but feels new to me.
　As I walk, I make sure I'm not in the right shape. It's dull and dreamy, as if I've been asleep for days.

　Shaking my head repeatedly, I follow Palinclone as he walks ahead.
　Then I continue down the corridor and up the stairs to a certain room.

　In front of the door of the room, Palinclone stops and urges me to go inside.
　I open the door as he prompts me.

　The room was larger than the infirmary, and a fresh breeze was blowing through it.
　At a cursory glance, it was about five times larger than the doctor's office. A large number of bookshelves lined the room, giving it an intelligent look. And there was one large bed at the far end. A girl was sitting on that bed, looking out the window, feeling the breeze swaying the curtains.

　A dark-haired girl with bandages on her eyes.
　Ah, yes.
　This girl -- that girl -- that vow --

My sister, Maria, is safe. That's great, Kanami.

　From behind me, I heard Palinkron's voice.

　'Sister' --?

　...... That's right.
　She's my sister.
　She is the most important and must be protected with her life.
　The sister my dead mother asked me to protect, her name was ...... Maria.

　My head hurts.

'Oh, oh ....... That's good. I'm glad to see that Maria is okay.
"It was a big fire, but everybody survived. Not a single casualty.

　My staggered consciousness gradually awakens.
　At the same time, I start to remember what happened in this other world one after another.

　Maria and I had experienced a huge fire and were rescued by Palinkron.
　This is the second time that Palinkron has saved us. The first time my brother and sister and I wandered into this world and were rescued in the labyrinth was the first time. And this was the second time when we were rescued from a huge fire in the city.

　Surely I can remember the sight of the house burning to the ground. I can remember.
　But I'm surprised there were no casualties.
　I think there were one or two dead .......

"--brother (...)?　You came?

　Maria noticed our arrival and turned her head towards us.

'Yeah, it's me. You look fine, Maria.
No, I can't say I'm okay with it. ......

　Me and Maria exchange words.
　Then I was filled with a sense of relief.
　It was an unusually deep sense of relief.　

'Are you hurt anywhere?'
'No, I'm not injured, but ....... For some reason, my head hurts .......

　Then Maria put a hand to her head.

　But it was a common occurrence.
　Her sister had been physically weak since she was a child and had spent a lot of time in the hospital. That didn't seem to change even if she came to another world. No, it might have gotten worse due to the sudden change in environment.

　It was then that I suddenly noticed an ornament on Maria's arm.
　It's the 'bracelet'.

　This is what Palinclone has prepared for us as a solution to our inconvenience as 'gentiles'. As long as you wear it, Maria and I will be able to adapt to the environment of this other world, and we will have no trouble speaking the language. It is said to have the effect of stabilizing our magical power, which tends to run amok.

　It's two halves for me and Maria.
　I'm sure it's not inexpensive, even if I asked Palinkron about the price, but it's definitely not cheap.

　When I saw the bracelet, I had to work harder for Maria and to repay Palinkron for his kindness. I have made up my mind.

Maria," I said, "if your head hurts, you should take it a little slower. If your head hurts, you can take it a little slower.

　I walked up to Maria, stroked her head and laid her body down on the bed.

'Yes ....... Thank you, brother .......

　Maria's cheeks were red and she lay down as she was done.
　I'm still not feeling well.
　You look like you have a fever. It seems that she has always had a chronic fever.

　Holding Maria's hand, I worry about her body.
　As I was doing so, Palinclone's voice interrupted me from behind.

'Is that enough of the smiling sibling love?　I've got a lot of work to do today.
To do?
'Yeah, today was the day you were supposed to join Kanami's guild, Epic Seeker, right?　I almost forgot about it because of the fire, but Kanami looks like he's got five bodies, so we'll do it with no problem. I've got the guild members waiting, so no carryover.
'Oh, oh ....... It was.

　It reminds me again.
　I had to earn money to pay for Maria's medical bills in front of me. So Palinclone introduced one job for me.

　That was the guild "Epic Seeker".
　It's a job in one of the Confederated States, the Lauravian State, a legitimate guild of its lineage.
　It seems that if it's my strength, I can become a member of that guild.

''That's right. Brother, you were going to join the guild, weren't you?

　Maria, as if she just remembered, also goes on to confirm it.
　Palinclone replies to that with enthusiasm.

'Yeah. You guys need to earn a good amount of money in this world. So you thought it would be best to join my guild. It's a great income and networking opportunity. Most importantly, it's a good deal for both of us to be under the protection of Lauravia. It's ideal for the slow healing of Maria, right?

　That's right.
　When I said I wanted to pay my debt, Palinkron, after some hesitation, introduced me to the guild. At first I refused, saying that this wouldn't pay my debt, but Palinkron kept pushing me to join the guild, and I finally accepted it. Apparently, he wanted me to pay him back through the work of the guild.

　That's how I remember it.

''Thank you, Palinkron. Now I can live in this world.
It's a little early to say thank you, isn't it?　You will be tested to join the guild. I won't let you in without anything just because you're a Kanami. If you don't take the test, then the story never happened.
Of course. You can judge me harshly.

　Palinclone returned the threat, but for me it was all I wanted.

　My whole body is filled with strength and determination.
　Seeing this, Palinclone chuckles and says, "This way," and goes to lead me away. After saying goodbye to Maria, I headed off to take my "Epic Seeker" exam.


◆◆◆◆◆ ...


　The space is cut into a circular shape and is covered with soft sand.
　The walls are made of stone and the ceiling is vaulted - this is the training ground of the "Epic Seeker".

　This is the training ground of the Epic Seeker, which is about the size of a school ground. There were about thirty guild members of mixed ages and genders. Some carried huge swords that were taller than their stature, while others wore only thin staffs and old-fashioned robes that looked like they could break at any moment.

　With all thirty eyes on me, I continue to break out in a cold sweat next to Palinclone.
　Palinclone confirmed that everyone had gathered, and after an appropriate greeting, he put me in front of everyone.

'Now, introduce yourself. Kanami.
'Well, let's see, ....... My name is Aikawa Kanami. I'm a level 14 wizard with the ice-cold attribute. I also use a sword. I'm looking forward to working with you.

　As I was told, I introduced myself so that everyone could hear me.

　In contrast, the reactions of the guild members were varied.
　Some listened intently, while others just let it slide.
　However, there were many people whose faces lit up when they heard my level.

'At that age, you're at level 14? That guy from Palinkulon has kidnapped a strangely talented kid again.
He's very polite. You're very polite and your face is beautiful. But I'm a little disappointed in the burn marks on your neck?
You're a wizard and you use a sword. Hmmm, we don't want you to be halfway there.

　Each of them will say what they want to say about me.
　Then they start discussing all sorts of things about me with people nearby.

　It doesn't feel very good.
　I feel like it's a spectacle and I hope it's over soon.

　As I look around for the reactions of the people around me, there is one person who has a most bizarre reaction.

　The girl had long hair that dominated like a ripple in the ocean. The small horns peeking out of her beautiful hair proved that she was a beastman. There's no doubt about it, as a reptilian tail also sprouted from underneath the thick clothing that looked like a folk costume.

'What ......?　Mr. Christ?

　The beast girl stared at us dumbly, her mouth hanging open.
　Then she muttered, 'Christ.

　I'm surprised.
　Because I didn't think it was a word I would hear in this other world.
　I expect it to be a little compatriot. But the horns growing on its head quickly disproved that. Is it a word that is often used as a name in this world? And maybe the person with that name and I were similar.

'Oh, Snow. You come here.

　Palinclone called the beastman girl as Snow and invited her over.
　He then said briefly to me, "Say hello to the guild members," and then moved farther away with the beastman girl called Snow and began to talk.

　Palinkron is one of the heads of this guild.
　Maybe they have something to communicate.

''--Well, Kanami. Nice to meet you from now on.

　As I was looking off their backs, one of the members greeted me.

'Yes. Nice to meet you.

　I try to be as friendly as possible and return the words to them.
　That's when the guild members start approaching me one by one.

"Nice to meet you, Kanami. I'm Teri, and I'm also the party leader.
Oh, don't run off. I'll teach you the sword later. You're going to have to stop using magic. Then you can join my party.
''C'mon. Don't bother trying to turn a magician into a brainiac: ......
Kanami, it's a pleasure to meet you.

　A wizard with a hard look on his face, a giant swordsman, and a group of people dressed like a joke surround me.
　Even though I knew it was another world, there was something a little scary about being this close to them.

Haha. Nice to meet you. ......

　I answer with an affectionate smile.
　I'm a little worried that my face isn't twitching.

"Okay, okay, okay. You guys, that's enough!

　As I was interacting with the members of the group, Palinkron clapped his hands to get their attention.
　It looks like I'm done talking to the girl called Snow. The girl is sitting alone in the shade in the distance, resting in the shade.

　If possible, I wanted to say hello to her as well.
　It was a sight to behold, but ...... somehow, I felt it was important to talk to that girl.

''Kanami's entrance exam isn't over yet, right?　They're all very quick.

　Palinkron started talking about the exam.

　I pushed the girl out of my thoughts and regained my composure. For Maria's sake, I can't afford to fail this exam.

"Hey, Palinkulon. No one you brought in has ever failed. I want you to skip the test and bring him to my party.

　The giant swordsman flies into the field.
　From his position and the content of his remarks, he looks like a man who holds an appropriate position.
　Most importantly, you can see from his scarred body that he's not just any guy.

''No, no, we don't know that yet, do we?　Anyway, I've got a big announcement to make, so let's keep it quiet.

　Palinclone doesn't let himself get distracted.
　However, the fielding doesn't stop.
　When I heard of a state-operated organization (guild), I had an image of a more solid organization, but that's not the case. It's quite an at-home atmosphere.

It's a good idea to hurry up. ...... Well, I'll get that girl for our party, though...

　A woman with a cane looks at me and smiles at me.
　Apparently, they're torn between which group I belong to.

　However, Palinkron ignores all of that flow and declares.

''--I'm sorry, but Kanami won't be in anyone's party, okay?

　That's what I said.
　When the guild members heard that, they began to buzz.

　Everyone turned to look at Palinkron for an explanation. Even so, Palinclone doesn't break his pace. He seems to enjoy himself and answers why.

'Because Kanami will be the Guildmaster of the 'Epic Seeker'.

　A brief but overly arrogant reason was spat out.
　It took me a few beats to understand the meaning of those words. The guild members were equally unable to swallow the meaning of what Palinkron was saying right away.

　After a few seconds of silence, the training grounds were filled with surprise.