Episode 9: Summer Heatstroke is Scary

Raphael’s summons.

Hearing this, I went straight to Raphael’s office.

How could I be lazy when my teacher-nim calls her lovely student?

It was only right to go see her quickly.

And so, the moment I entered Raphael’s office.

,Who are you? Bring our teacher-nim here.

“Seeing that you have the mind to talk nonsense, you must be doing alright.”

Raphael, who could easily pull all-nighters for a day or two, was there.

She was leaning back in her chair, looking extremely haggard.

I went inside and opened the curtains and windows, partly to ventilate the room.

Raphael’s face seemed to improve as a result.

I brewed a cup of coffee, far superior to anything those uncivilized people of this other world could make, and placed it in front of Raphael.

“Are you that busy with work?”

Raphael had been so busy that she hadn’t been able to see Shishiroka’s last moments.

Even in that situation, I remembered that we had seen each other every day, but in the end, she had come late and swallowed her tears.

“The Magic Tower has been in chaos lately. Things are piling up on my end too. Believe it or not, I’m the Vice Master of the Magic Tower, you know.”

I knew she was from the lineage of Eunhye, the Magic Tower Master, but I didn’t know she was also the Vice Master.

“Anyway, thanks to this job, I’ve been having a hell of a time lately.”

“So, are you telling me you summoned me to kick out this unfilial student because you can’t stand to see me?”

“Wanna leave?”

“I’ve already buried my bones here.”

Would I miss out on a comfortable bed without cockroach friends?

Thanks to my joke, Raphael seemed to have cleared her head, and she showed a slightly relaxed expression.

I quickly went behind her and gave her a massage, and her face relaxed even more.

“I sure raised a good student.”

“A useful student, I am.”

“Yeah, so I want to ask that useful student for a favor.”

“I think I should help you with a bath first, though.”

“D-Do I, by any chance, smell?”

I didn’t answer.

Raphael examined her collar, and the tips of her wing-ears turned bright red.

So, the angel race’s wing-ears turn red when they’re embarrassed.

I learned that for the first time.

“Ahem, well, the request itself isn’t difficult. It’s just going somewhere, saying my name, and bringing someone back.”

“Why are you asking me of all people?”

“Right now, there’s no one else free who can use my name.”

I see.

Well, I am Raphael’s student, after all.

I guess it’s a situation where at least her student status is needed to save face.

“Well, alright. It’s not like going somewhere is difficult. I’ll get some fresh air for the first time in a while.”

Now that I say it, I understand Raphael’s intention a little.

I’ve been cooped up in the mansion lately, so she’s telling me to get some fresh air.

Anyway, Raphael is the best when it comes to loving her students.

“Well, Soun said his student would go with you, so there shouldn’t be any big problems. She’s also an acquaintance of Soun.”

“If it’s a student, do you mean Sohan-gun?”

“Huh? No.”

I have a bad feeling.

A very bad feeling, at that.

“It’s Aransol.”

Damn it, that fucking racist fox.

* * *

I roughly understood the situation.

Aransol must have been deceiving Soun and Raphael about her character, pretending to be nice.

So, she couldn’t refuse Soun’s suggestion.

In the end, I ended up going on a trip alone with Aransol.

In my hand, I held a letter that Raphael had given me.

It was already approaching summer.

We were standing in the blazing sun, silently waiting for the regular carriage.

Public transportation in this other world is by carriage.

It’s not a typical carriage, but a very large one that can easily carry thirty people.

What pulls it is not a horse, but some kind of large rhinoceros-like animal.

We take this regular carriage to the airfield.

From there, we have to take an airship to finally reach our destination.

Since it’s such a long distance, that’s probably why Raphael asked me to go.

My eyes glanced at Aransol.

I heard that the country of the Outer Clan is relatively cold.

The capital of the Human Race has four distinct seasons, so the summer is also hot.

Perhaps because of that, she, who is weak against the heat, had beads of sweat on her face.

The sweat trickled down her cheeks, past her white neck, and into her chest.

I didn’t want to get caught staring, so I looked away.

Aransol and I hadn’t exchanged a single word since leaving the mansion.

I don’t compromise with racists.

More than that, I shouldn’t have pretended to be friendly from the start.

I was worried about Raphael, so I paid attention to her, but it only made the situation more complicated.

If only Sohan was here, I could have at least had a conversation, but Soun took Sohan away for work.

He’s never helpful when it matters.

Maem maem-

There are cicadas in this world too.

They’re chirping annoyingly, as if they want to mate.

But thanks to that, the awkward silence was filled with cicadas, making it bearable.

Chwarak-

I unfolded the map to avoid the silence.

This time, at Raphael’s request, I’m going to the forest where the fairies live.

The leader of this fairy race is said to be an acquaintance that Raphael wants to ask for help.

Since it’s quite a distance, it’ll take quite a bit of time to get there.

At that moment, I felt a gaze and looked to the side, and Aransol was also glancing at the map.

It seems she’s also curious about how far we have to go.

I don’t like that she’s a racist, but she’s still my companion.

When I handed her the map, Aransol silently received it.

This isn’t some kind of game to see who speaks first.

I don’t know what we’re doing.

I absolutely can’t lose.

I won’t even move my lips.

Aransol must be thinking the same thing, as she silently returned the map.

A little later, the regular carriage arrived.

We each paid the fare and boarded the carriage.

The carriage was crowded, so there was only one empty seat.

So, I quickly sat down in the empty seat.

Aransol glared at me for a moment.

I naturally ignored that look.

She stands every day during training, so it’s good for her to stand again.

Aransol eventually decided to stand, holding onto the handle of the seat.

“Regular carriage number 103, departing.”

With the conductor’s voice, the carriage started moving, kicking up dust.

The regular carriage had cooling magic, but it wasn’t as cool as an air conditioner.

So, it was quite hot with the heat of the people and the summer.

Shouldn’t they develop air conditioners for these uncivilized people of this other world?

There are a lot of transmigrators, so I wish someone would develop it.

As I wished so earnestly, the regular carriage sped along.

People got on and off in the middle, but the number of people didn’t decrease easily.

I’m reminded again that Koreans have very little body odor.

And these damn people of this other world have lower hygiene standards compared to modern society, so it was even more extreme.

I wish I could just get rhinitis and not smell anything.

As I was thinking that, something dripped on my head.

When I tilted my head slightly, there was Aransol, her face covered in sweat.

Her collar was so wet that I could see a glimpse of her skin inside.

But more than that, her face was a sight to behold.

It was a face that looked like it was about to melt.

Her face was bright red, and her breathing was rapid.

I could tell right away.

“Ah, shit, stop here! Stop!”

It’s heatstroke.

Before anything worse could happen, I shouted and quickly took Aransol out of the regular carriage.

Then, I took her to a nearby teahouse and sat her down in a cool place.

Aransol was still dazed, so she just followed me along.

Raphael had given me plenty of money to buy food on the way.

I ordered any cold drink and cast holy magic on Aransol.

I never thought the first person I’d be healing would be Aransol.

Her face seemed to improve as the holy magic entered her.

The heat on her face subsided, and her red skin faded a lot.

“Would you like a fan?”

Then, the clerk noticed Aransol’s condition and brought a fan.

“At this time of year, people from the Outer Clan or the Beast Race often get heatstroke.”

So, that’s why they have it.

“Thank you. I’ll use it well.”

As I fanned Aransol, her eyes slowly regained focus.

Then, she made eye contact with me, who was fanning her, and asked blankly.

“…What are you doing?”

“Saving someone’s life.”

Aransol slowly looked around.

Then, she realized it was a teahouse and got up.

“I’m sure I was on the regular carriage…”

“It’s heatstroke. Don’t move unnecessarily and sit down. Resting is the answer.”

As I fanned her more, a question filled Aransol’s eyes.

She’s wondering why I’m taking care of her.

Well, Aransol and I weren’t on good terms.

To be exact, Aransol drew a line between us.

“It doesn’t matter when someone’s dying.”

But I have no intention of being prideful when someone’s dying.

This is what I learned after coming to this other world.

An other world where I was dropped off with nothing in my hands.

After being killed and having my pockets emptied, I realized something while living.

In the end, people can’t live alone without the goodwill of others.

The reason I can eat and sleep comfortably today is thanks to Bulldog Ajussi’s goodwill and Raphael’s goodwill.

If you survive with goodwill, the answer is to return it with goodwill.

Of course, I’ll stab back anyone who stabs me.

But at least I have no intention of ignoring someone who’s dying just because we’re on bad terms.

Because just as I don’t want to die, others don’t want to die either.

Aransol stared blankly at me.

Then, she slowly opened her lips.

“…Thank you.”

Well, at least she knows how to say thank you.

I’m glad she’s not completely shameless.

“If you’re weak against the heat, tell me in advance. Heatstroke is scarier than you think.”

It’s not for nothing that people die of heatstroke on summer days.

“…”

Aransol didn’t say anything, as if she knew she was in the wrong.

After that, my conversations with Aransol increased a little.

It was just to the extent of saying what we needed, but it was a huge improvement.

Before long, we finally arrived at the airfield.

“This is the airfield. The exit door is on the right, so please check when you get off.”

People poured out of the airfield.

Aransol had a cooling patch from this other world on her forehead.

It was a little funny to see her pretty, expressionless face with that on.

“…Don’t laugh.”

She’s quick to notice.

The airship was even more massive than I thought when I saw it in person.

After paying the fare and boarding, it quickly rose into the sky.

The driving force behind the airship was magic.

How far does magic apply in this other world?

Highly developed science is indistinguishable from magic.

Conversely, highly developed magic was also indistinguishable from science.

Of course, even if magic is developed, the citizens’ awareness is still far from modern times.

The uncivilized medieval people of this other world are still the same.

There are still many people glancing at Aransol.

It’s because Aransol’s appearance is so eye-catching.

If they knew what was inside this woman, they wouldn’t be able to look at her like that.

I glanced at Aransol, and she made eye contact with me.

She had a brief staring contest, then shrugged and looked away.

For some reason, she seems to be gloating, which is a little annoying.

Well, she probably knows best that she’s pretty.

But since I’m annoyed, I shouldn’t tell her that she hasn’t taken the cooling patch off her forehead yet.

I should finish this job quickly and go back.

The airship continued to move forward.

“Ah.”

Following Aransol’s voice, I looked up and finally saw a lush forest and an unusually large tree.

It was so huge that it was about to reach the clouds in the sky.

The symbol of the fairy race’s forest and the home where the fairies live.

Breathwood.

It’s a tree said to contain the breath of the world.

The airship was said to pass over the fairy race’s forest and land in a nearby village.

We’ll be able to get off soon.

That’s what I thought.

“Hey, isn’t something flying over there?”

Until a child who was stuck to the airship window looking around said something.

Kwaaaaaaang!

And something that flew in shattered the airship’s power source.