44. Apostle

"I came from a world different from this one."

Shiro said, cutting straight to it.

"Different world? You mean a different country?"

Aria asked.

"No, countries are different too, but it's not just that—the planet I'm from, no, the world I'm from…"

He started to explain, then realized how difficult it was to describe the very concept of another world.

"Ah, well, just think of it as a faraway place that's not like normal worlds. A place you can't reach without the aid of the goddess Firumia."

Shiro explained.

"I see. I don't know exactly, but I think I get the idea."

Aria said. The other two nodded.

"And the reason I came here? It's an order from the goddess Firumia. She wants me to investigate the abnormal events happening in this world—and, if possible, resolve them."

Shiro summarized simply.

"Abnormal events… like the strange surge in monster activity? The goddess is watching over us after all…"

Aria murmured, sounding pleased. Albert looked serious. Shestia smiled faintly.

"Well, I transferred here about a month ago. Since then, I've been testing and training in magic and martial arts. I was just thinking it was time to head into town when I met you all."

Shiro said.

"So, can we stay here a few days, check everyone's combat abilities, and then head into town?"

Shiro asked.

"Yes, that’s fine. You two don’t mind, do you?"

Aria replied.

Shestia and Albert both nodded.

"Yeah, and about your tone—no need to be so polite, you know... Adventurers here don’t talk like that. It just sounds a bit feminine," Aria pointed out.

"Uh… really? I mean, yeah, I guess. Right, that’s probably better," Shiro replied.

Incidentally, the language module automatically converts thoughts into the appropriate speech pattern based on the speaker’s intent and cultural context—no translation or interpretation involved. It’s a direct brain-to-language conversion. So, your mind perceives it as speaking natively, regardless of reading or writing.

In Shiro’s case, his internal monologue was still influenced by Japanese, which translated into overly polite phrasing. But that’s not how adult men speak here—hence the unnatural tone.

"Since we’re staying a while, we’ll need more rooms. Let’s expand a bit."

Shiro changed the subject, speaking up.

"Expand?"

The three looked puzzled.

First, they all stepped outside. Shiro walked around to the wall opposite the entrance.

"Hmm… let’s group all the rooms together, and put the bath on the outermost side," he murmured, pulling the room and bath modules back into inventory.

"“““What?!”””"

The three stared in shock at the vanished rooms.

Then, Shiro pulled three modules from the library: “Room Expansion: Corridor” and “Expanded Room: Bedroom,” connecting them. Finally, he reconnected the bath and toilet modules.

The Saintess’s room was modular—expandable like train cars. You added a corridor first, then linked rooms to it.

Shiro initially thought, watching the mechanism, that even the goddess had a pretty practical mindset.

Since the original bath had been connected to everything else, Shiro first disconnected the links and reconnected the spaces in a new sequence: living room, room, room, bath, toilet.

The three watching Shiro’s work remained expressionless, silent, and simply stared.

Good—finished. Let's go inside.

And Shiro called out. The three of them snapped to attention, regaining their composure, and hurried inside the house.

"Um, the room to the right just inside the door is mine, so you can just split the rest however you like. The farthest left at the back is the bathhouse, and the right is the toilet."

And Shiro explained.

"Wait, there's a bath?""I'm going in."

and Aria shouted. Shestia immediately flashed a smile, asserting her claim.

Ah, uh, you can use it freely.

Shiro, startled by the momentum, says—

I'll be in right away!

Aria and Shestia went to check the bathhouse, then came back right away, asking, “How do you even heat the water?”

Ah, sorry. I’ll let you in now.

Shiro replies, then heads to the bathhouse and creates hot water with magic.

"Wait! That much water? And hot?!"

The three of them were surprised.

Incidentally, when I explained the good-quality soap and shampoo, she lit up with a broad smile.

Also, in this world, baths and soap are commonplace.

While the two women were in the bath, Shiro, Mitoka, and Albert sat at the living room table. The two men fell into silence.

Albert shows no sign of speaking, so Shiro considers whether there’s anything else.

"Anyway, all three of you have light loads—definitely not using some magic satchel, right?"

I asked aloud the thought that had just occurred to me.

"Yeah, we’ve got a magic bag," Albert said.

"Magic bag?" Shiro asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah, this one."

Albert patted the pouch-like satchel at his waist with a light thump.

"A magic bag’s an artifact that occasionally drops from treasure chests in dungeons. Has a decent capacity—could fit a basic tent, maybe. That kind of storage space."

Albert spoke casually, as if explaining something mundane.

"Though, obviously, you can’t pull out an entire room like you do," he added with a wry smile.

Then Mitoka chimed in.

"It’s a magic pouch made in dungeons—spatial magic has been applied. The interior’s expanded, so it holds more than it looks. Interface is simple: just grab things in and out with your hands. It’s well-known, but actual examples are rare. Expensive, too."

"Wow, Mitoka, you know a lot about this," Shiro couldn’t help but remark, impressed.

"Of course," Mitoka replied with a small smile.

That evening, everyone ate the dinner Mitoka had prepared and turned in early.

"By the way," Shestia suddenly asked, "where are you sleeping, Mitoka?"

"Of course, Shiro’s room," Mitoka answered. Her smile was unnervingly triumphant.

At that moment, a cold wave radiated from Shestia. Shiro felt the temperature in the house drop. Shestia was smiling—but her eyes weren’t.

"Hey, wait a second, Mitoka. You’re not gonna vanish or something—Shiro!" Shiro stammered, trying to explain, but Mitoka cut in.

"Hmm, Shiro... Shestia-chan, from today, let’s sleep in the same room," Mitoka announced suddenly. Shiro felt a chill. That smile—something was off. He stayed silent.

"Okay. Good," Shestia said, gathering her chill and answering with a smile.

『Shiro, for now, just treat me like an ordinary human, alright? The whole manifestation thing’s getting complicated—I think it’d be better to wait until we have a proper chance later.』 Mitoka.

(Alright. I’ll leave this to Mitoka.) Shiro decided to let Mitoka handle it.

Besides, since Mitoka had asked, he’d set up an extra bed in Shestia’s room. It wasn’t just a single bed—it was room-sized. Shiro silently thanked the library for providing even a bed, no less.

Later, Aria, Shestia, and Albert, exhausted from their journey through the Great Tree Sea, either collapsed into the bath or devoured a proper dinner—either way, once they reached their rooms, they fell asleep instantly.

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