The next morning, we got up early, had breakfast, and got ready. "Yamada, you're going dressed like that?" When I finished changing and returned to the living room, Miriam looked at me funny. I was wearing my business suit. "It's only proper to wear formal attire when making introductions, right?" "It's not that big of a deal; it's just a small rural village, meow..." Well you say that, but I still believe it's all about the sentiment. Wearing a suit somehow always makes me feel more focused. "I think it fits you very well." Ruri, who was complimenting me with her hands clasped together, was dressed in a white robe with a hood. It was clearly styled after a white mage. I found it cute. "Whatever, let's get going, meow." As Miriam spoke, Ruri scooped her up. Exiting the living room, we walked down the hallway, opened the special door, and stepped into the house in another world. "Man, this room is as enigmatic as ever... Full of books and so much equipment I've never seen before." Being the heir, do I need to read every book here? Maybe I should start reading them bit by bit before bed. "Well, let's try out some of these tools." This was Ruri's suggestion. "Shouldn't we greet them first and give them the medicine?" "You need to prepare that medicine first." Oh yeah, now that you say it... "But making medicine sounds like a tall order." "It's not a complicated medicine. It's just for lower back pain, and we have all the ingredients here." Already prepared? "Since when..." "I gathered them last night. They grow nearby." I thought about warning her that it's dangerous at night, but she's probably stronger than me. "Well, alright. What do we need to do next?" "It's easy. You see that rice cooker over there?" Indeed, there's a rice cooker on the workbench. It looks incredibly out of place. "Yeah, I see it." "Put these in it, please." Ruri hands me some jagged leaves as she says that. I'm not quite sure, but I follow her instructions, placing the leaves into the rice cooker and shutting the lid.

"Are we really going to press the cook button?" "Yes. But remember to channel some magical power into your fingertips." Grandpa must've made this, but it seems a bit half-baked... I channeled magical power into my index finger and hit the rice cooker button. Then, familiar music started playing, and the lid popped open. Looking inside, there were about five pills. "It's quite simple after all." "Well, because it is a rice cooker." A magic rice cooker, perhaps? "Still, couldn't you make various kinds of medicine with it? It looks incredibly handy." "Using your own healing magic would be quicker and more effective." Healing magic... Another amazing thing comes up. Could it possibly heal wounds, I wonder? "Can I learn to do that too?" "Absolutely. I'll teach you later. For now, we should head over to the village chief's place." That makes sense. After storing the pills with spatial magic, I stepped out of the house. As I'd been told, there was a straight road flanked by the forest, leading to a visible house at the end. It must be about 100 meters away. "Over there?" "Yes. It's a colonist village with about 30 residents." Not many... But then again, it's a colonist village, so perhaps that's to be expected. "I'll give you a heads-up, meow. In this world, there are dangerous creatures called monsters that you wouldn't find in your world, so be cautious, meow." Monsters... This is another world, so of course they exist. "I should have brought a weapon..." Though all I have is a kitchen knife or an umbrella. "Don't worry. You can deal with them using your fire magic, plus Ruri and I are here." "You can leave those to us." A reliable cat and girl, indeed. "I'm counting on you... By the way, will i be able to communicate with them?" "There will be no issues. Concentrate your magic power in your ears and give it a try." Following Ruri's advice, I focused my magic power in my ears as I had done before. "Is it working?" "Right now, I'm speaking the language of this world. It sounds normal to you, doesn't it?"

Huh? Is that true? "It sounds clear to me." "When you want to speak, channel magical power into your throat, into your hand when writing, and into your eyes when reading text. That will do the trick." "Magic is really incredible..." It can do all that...? "Actually, being a wizard is pretty special, meow. If you go to the city, you could make it big, meow." "You want me to work more? No way." I'll just get sick. "Yeah, that's true... Well, you can also just take it slow here, meow." We start walking towards the village. Upon arriving, we see villagers tending to farms and chopping wood. All of them are skinny and don't exactly look the picture of health. The houses are sparse and made of wood, and to be honest, they're pretty shabby. "It's quite something..." I try to find the right words, but nothing comes to mind. "That's life in a trailblazing village for you, meow." A slow life seems impossible here... "Yeah. The village chief's house is that one over there." Ruri points to a house in the distance. But even the village chief's house doesn't stand out much from the others. "That's the one... Well, let's go take a look." As we reach the village chief's house, Ruri opens the door without knocking. "Village chief!" Ruri enters, and I follow suit. Inside, an old man with white hair and a young blonde woman in a black robe are sitting at a table, enjoying some tea. "Oh, if it isn't Ruri." The elder's face lights up with a smile. "It's been a long time." "Indeed, it has, meow." "I haven't seen Miriam in ages either... And who might this be?" The elder's gaze shifted to me. "Yes, that is Tadashi's grandchild. Village chief, there's something I need to talk about..." Ruri glanced at the blonde woman. "Ah, please don't mind me. After you, please...." The blonde woman demurred, giving Ruri the floor. "Alright... I'm sorry to say this, but I have to report that Tadashi-sama has recently passed away." "What?!" "Tadashi-sama has...!" Both the village chief and the blonde woman were taken aback, their expressions frozen in shock.