Trading City Oyaimo

After the battle, everyone in the caravan was processing the monster.

They extracted the magic stones protruding from the monster and modified it to make it easier to carry.

"NOEL, you were amazing! That was incredible!"

"Hmph! What do you think? Were you scared? Trembling in fear?"

"Yeah, I was truly moved. I never knew humans could move like that. I couldn't possibly do something like that myself."

Noel, genuinely praised, blushed slightly.

I had somehow forgotten my fear of monsters, lost in admiration for the guards' strength.

At the same time, I felt a faint sense of helplessness. My fists clenched tightly.

No, someone like me, who’d lived in peace all my life, couldn’t possibly fight.

Though we’d encountered trouble from monster attacks, we arrived at the trading city of Oyaimo by midday.

What a strange city name...

This town was built at a crossroads used by various merchant groups and apparently developed through active trade.

After moving through a long line, we finally managed to enter the city.

Though I've visited small villages before coming here, this is the first time I've entered a town of this size. As soon as we passed through the gate, I looked around.

The city is made of brick, with shops set up everywhere.

The trading group decided on a location for their shop and immediately began preparations.

They’re apparently opening the shop tomorrow.

It seems they’re allowed to set up shops freely.

The city is offering generous services to trading groups like this, aiming to attract more groups to come. They’ve really thought this through...

One of the services is lodging. A proper bed again—finally!

Thinking back, the sleeping surface was rough and uneven, and ever since I was flung into this world, it’s been a tough struggle to get a decent night’s rest.

Next up, only hot pots are served for meals. Who’s the one who thought of making the menu only hot pots?

While I’m marveling at the service,

"Welcome! Oh, it’s been a while! How have you been?"

A cheerful girl with light brown short hair greets the leader.

"Hey, it’s been a while. Marin, I’m counting on you again this time."

She seems to be the poster girl of this accommodation facility.

"Oh! You must be a first-time visitor."

"Hello, nice to meet you. I'm Sato Taro...."

After a brief introduction, I was shown around the facility and we parted ways for the day.

Now, in front of me, there's a bed. Without thinking, I jumped onto it.

Let's just say I had a very comfortable morning the next day.

A few days after entering the city, the trading group had earned a decent amount.

There had apparently been a war nearby. Mercenaries, adventurers, and refugees were all present in large numbers. That must be why weapons and consumables were selling so well.

Adventurers were conquering dungeons.

In this world, there are places known as dungeons—nesting grounds of magical beasts. It's said that high-purity magic stones are generated deep within these dens.

It seems the dungeons are being cleared and neutralized, then turned into mining sites.

However, not everyone can conquer a dungeon. Some adventurers who can't earn much through sales also contribute to warfare using the combat strength and knowledge they gained from dungeon clearing.

Though busy with sales, today I was given a day off.

Rather, it's to protect the children. Today, a magician is visiting the town.

We're taking the guild's children to watch this person's performance.

Incidentally, a magician is one of the professions related to magic stones.

Magical tool user → Magician → Mage, with the profession level increasing.

As one advances, the number of practitioners decreases, and they gain greater ability to manipulate physical phenomena.

Mages are said to number only one or two in the world—so powerful that one can sway the outcome of wars or match the strength of an entire nation's army.

Their current whereabouts are unknown. Whether they are even still alive remains uncertain.

Conversely, magic item users can gather high-purity magical stones if they have sufficient funds, so there are actually quite a few of them.

The mid-level magician requires neither many magic stones nor high-purity ones.

It seems that using characters and patterns called magic can trigger powerful physical phenomena.

It's all down to luck—apparently, there are only a few such people in the entire country.

There are many professions related to magical stones—making magical tools, participating in battles, performing in theater, and more...

When the children arrived at the square, they saw a man wearing a large beret and a flashy, ornate outfit.

"Good people, today the fire magician Crona will show you wonders and stir your emotions."

The performance began. At first glance, he seemed like a suspicious character, but his fire magic was truly impressive.

The children were mesmerized by the beautiful, dynamic flames, clearly having an amazing time.

As Crona gripped the magic stone, mysterious patterns appeared on its surface, wrapping around the arm holding it.

With his free hand, he scattered black powder into the air, causing flames to erupt. Could it be gunpowder? It seemed he was using that as the source of the fire.

A magician who uses patterns called "arts" not reliant on the power of a magic stone. After roughly ten minutes of performance, Crona raised both hands above his head, beads of sweat glistening on his forehead.

A wave of applause erupted from the square.

While walking home, I happened to notice a book displayed outside a shop selling magic stones.

It was a book titled "Records of Magical Research." Nearby was another book called "Collection of Magic Stones." I grabbed the children's hands and rushed toward the stall.

"Uncle, how much for both of these books together?"

"Hmm, that would be about the same as a few high-purity magic stones."

"These books are extremely valuable. After all, they were published by the Royal Magic Research Institute."

"Royal Magic Research Institute? Is there really something like that?"

"What? You don't know? To the east from here lies the Empire, and beyond the mountains to the north is the Kingdom. The Kingdom and the Empire are constantly competing in research on magic stones and magic, so they frequently release the latest information. Everyone wants that, which is why these books are so valuable."

I hesitated for a while, but ultimately ended up buying it. I had been saving up to buy a new, high-purity magic stone, but I messed up. Now I won't be able to buy anything for a while...

N-no regrets. There's surely some incredibly valuable, unknown information in this book.

After returning home, I began reading the book I bought today in a room at the lodging facility.

The first thing that caught my eye in the book was the section about magic stones.

Various things are described, such as metallic properties and high compatibility with living organisms.

What stood out the most was an experiment involving striking a magic stone with lightning.

Apparently, nothing happened at all.

It's unclear what the purpose of this experiment was, but it seems that simply supplying energy doesn't produce any results.

The measurement wasn't accurate, but apparently the crystal hit by lightning turned out to be a light crystal—when tested, it glowed brighter than usual...

I can't verify that myself right now. Another wave of helplessness washed over me.

Closing the book and collapsing onto the bed, memories of the past few days since being transported to this world surfaced naturally.

My life has become quite stable since then.

I finally feel like I have some room to breathe.

I'm gradually searching for a way back to my original world, but there's absolutely no clue. There are magic stones, apparently, but no demon king seems to be around.

Apparently, no hero either.

What am I supposed to do to survive in this world?

Lost in thought, I must have fallen asleep without noticing.

I woke up to someone knocking on the door.

"Mr. Sato! Dinner time's almost over! I'm gonna take the dishes away!"

I shot up and quickly finished eating dinner.

Starting the next day, I continued reading the book I had bought during my work breaks.