"I'm curious to see what's going on inside the house; why don't we go in?"
We stopped in front of the house.
The roof and walls were shiny, giving the house the air of a new building.
The Slime, still held by Iris, said a little proudly.
"While Master-san was away, I fixed up the inside of the house! It's all furnished, so you can relax!"
I wondered if the furniture were magic tools from an ancient civilization too.
"Slime-san, can you tell me something?"
Relic opened his mouth.
"The people of the ancient civilization lived in similar houses like this one, didn't they?"
"Yes! That's right!"
The Slime replied in a cheerful, clear voice.
"The furniture is from the time we were born!"
"This means that this entire house is a legacy of an ancient civilization… Whoaaa, amazing, amazing!"
Relic's eyes color changed, and he started to make noise.
He's so excited right now that he's probably going to have a nosebleed when he enters the house. If that happens… well, I'll let the Slimes take care of him.
I opened the door.
There was a straight corridor leading from the front door, with a staircase on the right leading to the second floor and several doors on the left.
"Master-san, Onii-san, Onee-san, in this house, you have to take off your shoes at the entrance!"
Apparently, just like in Japan, ancient civilizations had a culture that prohibited the use of shoes on the floor.
It didn't seem strange to me, but it was the first time for Iris and Relic, and they seemed somewhat uncomfortable.
"It's kind of strange to go barefoot around the house, isn't it?"
"But it's reasonable because it keeps the inside of the house clean."
Iris placed the Slime on the entrance floor, took off her boots, and then picked up the Slime again. She looked like a little girl who couldn't let go of her favorite stuffed animal.
"The living room is just to the left! There's a sofa in there, so it's perfect if you want to talk!"
As Slime had told me, I opened the door on the front left and found a glass table in the center of the room, flanked by a red sofa. The right side of the room, from my perspective, was connected to the dining room, and behind that was the kitchen. On the left side was a large glass window with a view of the surrounding grassland. …It's a structure somewhat like a Japanese house.
The hypothesis that maybe this world is not another world, but of the Earth in a distant future … crossed my mind, but it is unlikely. The description of the [Transmigrator] clearly states that it is a "special skill possessed by those who have transferred from another world." This is definitely a different world.
However, the culture of taking off one's shoes is similar to that of modern Japan, and I feel a little nostalgic.
We sat down on the sofa.
Iris and I sat next to each other, and Relic sat across from us.
The Slime jumped out of Iris's arms and went to the kitchen.
"I'll go make some tea! And I will also prepare some snacks!"
As expected of a hospitality-loving Slime, he is very thoughtful.
Relic looked around the room curiously, but eventually, he turned to us and started to explain about ancient civilizations.
"The so-called ancient civilization is a civilization that flourished on this land about 4,000 to 5,000 years ago. It seems that they had advanced magic technology and explored the farthest reaches of the sky… and the starry worlds."
In other words, they had the technological power to expand into space.
It's the world of science fiction.
"Currently, most of our lives are supported by the legacy of ancient civilizations. The magic lamp, the shower in the bathroom, the stove in the kitchen, and the reading device for the adventurer's guild card and record of defeats… are all made from items excavated from ancient ruins. But this is only one part of their ancient technology. According to the latest research, people at that time used 'flying mechanical birds' to travel between continents and 'palm-sized square boards' to talk with people at a distance."
A flying mechanical bird would probably be something like an airplane. A square board as big as the palm of your hand is probably a smartphone?
The ancient civilization seems to be quite similar to my former world, after all.
It's probably best to think of it as a civilization that developed magic technology instead of science.
"However, one day, the ancient civilization suddenly perished. All the advanced magic technology was lost, and our ancestors went back to living in caves."
"How did this ancient civilization fall into ruin? Did a global war break out?"
I asked, but Relic shook his head.
"Although the details are unknown, according to the latest research, it is highly likely that the ancient civilization collapsed due to a monster called 'The Calamity'…"
"The cause is an unidentified monster, huh?"
In the case of a fantasy game or anime, the calamity would have resurfaced by now, and the world would be in danger of destruction once again. I just hope it doesn't become a reality, but to be honest, I have a bad feeling about this. Isn't it possible that the reason I was sent to this world was to fight it? I want to refuse with all my might, but in this world, the more you don't want trouble to happen, the more it happens. I should at least gather information in preparation for such an eventuality.
"…The calamity is also mentioned in the lore of the dragon-folk."
Iris muttered.
"Our ancestors joined forces with the human race to fight the calamity."
"How did it turn out?"
"Of course, they were defeated. It seems that the dragon-folk were driven to the brink of extinction and went back to living in caves."
In other words, they lost everything and had to start all over again from the primitive age of hunting and gathering.
It must have taken a lot of hard work to rebuild civilization from there.
"The calamity went on a rampage around the world and then went to sleep somewhere in the ground. …But there are rumors that it will wake up in the near future."
"…The same thing is often said among the nobility."
Relic muttered with a serious expression.
"Since about half a year ago, there has been an increase in the abnormal behavior of monsters all over the continent, and this may be a harbinger of the revival of the calamity. A lot of things are happening around Aunen, too."
"Abnormal behavior of monsters? What exactly does that mean?"
"If I were to put it very simply, I would say that it would suffice by looking back at Kou-san's activities…"
My activities? It doesn't sound right to me.
Iris quickly adds to this when she thinks about it.
"There are encounters with Armored Bear and Black Spider that are supposed to be deep in the mountains, and with Lonely Wolves in packs of a thousand… All of these are things that don't normally happen. Maybe something will happen on Aunen in the near future."
"…This is not a situation I want to think about too much."
The ancient civilization was defeated despite its advanced magic technology. If it were to come back in this day and age, it would be far more disastrous than it was then.
All of us may have reached the same conclusion, and I, Iris, and Relic all looked down with gloomy expressions.
──It was the Helper Slime that blew away such a heavy atmosphere.
"Here's your tea, everyone! I'll bring you some snacks later!"
The Helper Slime slowly walked over to us with a large tray on its head. On the tray was a teapot and three teacups for three people.
The Helper Slime had tentacles (?) coming out from both sides of its body. After placing the teacups in front of us, it poured the tea with the graceful hands of an experienced butler.
White steam rose from the teacup, and a slightly refreshing aroma drifted in the air.
After pouring tea for everyone, the Helper Slime returned to the kitchen and brought out pancakes for three, this time filled with fruit. The pancakes were freshly baked, and the sweet smell of them whetted my appetite.
"Here you go, eat up!"
The Helper Slime said to us as it laid out a plate of pancakes, a knife, and a fork for each of us.
I quickly cut the pancake with my knife, skewered the strawberries with my fork, and brought it to my mouth.
The sweetness of the pancake and the sourness of the strawberries matched each other perfectly, and the taste was unquestionably delicious.
The three of us continued to eat the pancakes in silence as if we had forgotten the conversation we had had up until then.
Before we knew it, our plates were empty.
"Oh, it was so good, so delicious!"
Relic had a big smile on his face.
"It's just exquisite! Oh, I envy the ancient people who ate this stuff every day."
"Thank you for the food. If I lived here, I'd get fat in a heartbeat."
Iris wiped her mouth and muttered.
I agree with her on that.
If I could ask for another serving, I would have eaten two or three.
"Speaking of which…"
Relic raised his voice as if he had thought of something.
"Slime-san, where did you get all the ingredients and dishes for cooking?"
"The body of the Helper Slime is connected to the [Item Box]. There are all kinds of things in the [Item Box]!"
The body is connected to the [Item Box]…?
As I was wondering what that meant, the Helper Slime opened its mouth wide open.
A large comfortable chair comes out of it.
It was more than twice the size of the Helper Slime itself, a sight that completely defied the laws of physics.
"Fufufu, you must be surprised!"
The Helper Slime made a proud expression.
I was too amazed to say anything, and Iris and Relic were repeatedly blinking as if they were taken aback. In the midst of all this, the Helper Slime opened its mouth wide again and swallowed the comfortable chair once more.
I wonder if that means it was stored in the [Item Box].
It's a surreal scene.
"I'll clean up the dishes then! Thank you for eating it all!"
The Helper Slime extended its tentacles to collect the plates, knives, and forks, put them on a tray, and returned to the kitchen.
"…What were we talking about again?"
Relic muttered.
I felt the same way. The shocking sight had completely blown my memory up to this point.
I remembered. I remember that we were talking about 'the calamity.'
"──Kou-san, why don't you build some more buildings?"
Suddenly, Relic suggested such a thing.
"What's the matter, all of a sudden?"
"Well, there are two reasons; one is for archaeological research. It is a dream for researchers to be able to see buildings from that time in a like-new condition. I would be happy to pay a reward for each house."
Reward aside, Relic's story made a lot of sense to me.
It was only natural to be curious about ancient buildings being brought back to life in the modern world.
"The second reason is to prepare for the future. I myself believe that there is a high possibility that something will happen in Aunen. If that were to happen, I wondered if this place would be useful as a shelter."
"That's true."
The people of Aunen have been good to me in many ways, and it would be bad to abandon them.
It would be a sound idea to stay here and wait for the situation to end… this can be an option.
"However, rather than rushing to use [Creation] for housing and other things when the time comes, it would be better to prepare for it while there is still time. Even if nothing happens, it will be useful for archaeological research. That's good, isn't it?"
Well, besides…
It's fascinating to be able to play something like a city-building game in the real world. It may have been inappropriate, but I was more than a little excited.