Let's imagine you were summoned to another world.
The king kneels before you, calling you the hero to defeat the Demon Lord, and with the usual party entwined with various stories, you manage to behead the Demon Lord. What happens next?
Where I come from, countless narratives were born every day from the hands of those typing away at their keyboards, depicting what happens before and after such events. Anyway, my future was one of those narratives. The resurrection of the Demon Lord didn't happen, the king didn't stab the hero in the back, and the hero didn't marry the princess, but in the end, he achieved his dream. And what was that dream?
You might think it was to return to Earth, but regardless of the location, my dream was always the same: to become a god.
"Please, save me! It's my fault!!"
Of course, I don't mean becoming an absolute being that feels superiority by making little girls kneel, but rather, I'm talking about becoming a landlord.
"I won't do it again. Please, don't cut my wrist!"
"Who's cutting?"
"The mana, it's disappearing. Ah, is that it?"
I released Adela's hand, who was crying.
Dispelling is quite a headache, so it seems the immovable curse I engraved on my body has taken effect.
"Is it over now?"
"Yes? Ah..."
Anyway, back to the story, I hung the Demon Lord's corpse at the top of the castle and took its head as a souvenir before retiring. After dealing with the aftermath and receiving accolades, I bought a small piece of land in a quiet countryside, 'Parenchia', far from the capital, which was as busy as a tiger's den. Thus, my life as an absolute being was supposed to be filled with peaceful days tending to my farm, watching the rising sun like an alien with a purple chin who erased half of the universe's life. But that expectation was shattered not long after.
That crazy King Baor built an academy all around my land.
Moreover, he arbitrarily amended the kingdom's law, not even expressing an intent to buy my land, and purchased all the surrounding land, leaving me with no means to make a living. Eventually, I couldn't take it anymore and went to the royal family, the cause of this mess, to complain. Fortunately, they were reasonable. After a long and heated debate, and after I twisted three of the seven great towers of the Penheim Kingdom like a straw, we reached a dramatic agreement. In exchange for working related to the academy, they would offer me the utmost convenience. It's been 15 years since I was suddenly summoned from Earth, and that's the backstory of how I ended up running a store at a college institution in another world.
'And with that said...?'
I looked at the freshman cadet bowing to me in gratitude. The first thing that caught my eye was her hair, blue-green as if cut straight from a wave. The green cape lightly resting on her shoulders signified a new student just admitted to the academy, and the brooch on her chest indicated her family.
Of course, I'm not versed in all noble family crests, but in these times of war, the prestige of a family is determined not by title but by merit. A four-leaf medal with a geometric pattern like three triangles overlapped, and four laurel leaves sprouting behind. It was the second-highest rank, Grand Officier, in the kingdom. Whether she earned her merit in a minor war with the Monarch Kingdom or fought against demons for humanity like me, engraving laurel leaves on a crest isn't an honor given to just anyone.
Meaning, considering she's only pierced one ear, this young lady, who hasn't even debuted in society yet, would normally be a high noble beyond my gaze. Would such a noble steal bread from a store? Was there a famine or something? I couldn't understand it with my common sense.
"This time, I'll let it slide, so just go."
"Huh?"
But I didn't bother to ask why. It was probably just a prank among friends. If she wasn't a freshman, there would be no forgiveness, but since the opening ceremony hadn't even started yet, I was inclined to give a warning with generous leniency at the start of the semester.
Don't try to understand the eccentricities of nobles, and don't interfere. That's what Terra, a former colleague, used to say. My colleagues often gave me various pieces of advice when I was struggling to adapt to this other world. Their words still live and breathe in my heart.
"Go on."
"Thank you, thank you!!!"
It's been a long time since I've heard from her, and somehow, only my deed of defeating the Demon Lord isn't properly recognized, so now I'm just bickering over a piece of bread at the store, but surely I'll welcome her warmly if we meet again. I started my day by putting the bread back on the shelf.
* * * * *
It's said that there's a small cafe selling hot dogs and drinks right in the center of the Pentagon-shaped building of the U.S. Pentagon. Similarly, Parenchia Academy had a similar structure, not as tightly closed as the Pentagon. The site, divided into five sections, consists of classrooms and dormitories for all grades, administrative facilities, and restricted areas. Of course, it also includes large halls used for banquets or events, state parks for relaxation, and libraries that are difficult to enter. So, twenty minutes by carriage from the main gate, you see my small and precious store located right in the middle of the academy. A stone building with a basement and three floors above ground. Only the ground floor is actually used for business. On the outside stall, you can find everything from daily necessities and teaching materials for experiments to simple snacks needed at the academy. Inside, the first floor seems unbelievably high, displaying a bit more expensive artifacts imbued with magic, perfumes brought from the capital, and a few treasures I collected when I was young. Surely, as the main customers aren't local kids, at a glance, it looked more like a museum or a botanical garden than a corner store. The second floor is my personal living space. Missing Korea, I decorated it to give off the vibe of a studio room I never lived in.
Truly, my sweet home.
But to lead such a life, the effort that comes with it is necessary. Especially like the bread Adela tried to steal yesterday, I had to procure most things from outside, not make them by myself. So, in the evening, I locked the door and went out onto the streets of Parenchia. Like the supermarket in front of the school in my childhood, the new semester was a busy time. In the case of teaching materials for magic research or experiments, if there are too many lectures, even professors who didn't graduate their dedicated slaves just announced to get them from the store. Students, though grumbling, visited the store to buy the items for their respective classes. A large building used as a socializing place for nobles, a salon, and at the entrance to the commercial district in the west, a small alley appeared. I walked with familiar steps and knocked on a shabby house. The chime bell hung at the height of my forehead rang noisily, and with a click! The lock spell was undone.
"Kano, I'm coming in."
"Welcome, Louis. What brings you here?"
The alchemist, who had been busy heating a flask, was a friend I've known since settling in Parenchia. A messy laboratory with things like frogs in bottles or dream catchers woven from the feathers of magical beasts scattered around. The stench was so strong it made me frown.
"I came to pick up the things I asked for before. The scroll with shock magic recorded, a celestial model snowball, and what else was it..."
"Ritbais test paper? Inside the drawer. I prepared it in advance."
"Ah, right. That and cigarettes."
Let's see. As Kano said, I opened the drawer, and a box filled with white papers the size of my fingers appeared. Using the tongs nearby, I carefully put it in my bag and approached her.
"What are you doing?"
"Don't bother me. I'm purifying mana crystals."
"Mana crystals? From a magical beast?"
"Yeah. This experiment seems to be quite successful. I might be able to create the Philosopher's Stone soon."
Is that so. It seemed like a task close to the destiny of an alchemist, so Kano's face looked infinitely serious. Trying not to disturb her, I sat next to her and asked about something that suddenly came to mind.
"Ah, right. Do you know how to look at family crests?"
"Didn't I tell you not to bother me? In my whole life in Parenchia, I've never seen someone like you who's not interested in noble lords. How exactly do you run the store?"
"You know it? Then, do you know about a family with three overlapping triangles?"
"Don't bother me- That's just the most important Tri-Element in magic. There are over ten such families across Penheim."
"It looked like a Benz mark. And there were also four laurel leaves."
"Do you really want to die!? I don't know what Benz is, but a four-leaf medal with Tri-Element is only one, you dummy! Roschier! The Ice Duke of the North Sea!"
What's that? As I silently demanded an explanation, Kano clicked her tongue slightly and put down the bottle.
"Ah, another failure. The military families in the demon realm that have been quelling the remnants of the demon race lately. A real distinguished family with its own unique magic."
"I see."
"Even if you're not interested, you're really a citizen of the kingdom? Not knowing the family name is a definite rudeness to the nobles. You'll get stabbed for that."
I couldn't answer that question. Truth be told, even after 15 years in this other world, as Kano said, I was very ignorant. There's a reason that might sound like an excuse. During my unwittingly summoned hero days, my main area of activity was not the kingdom or the holy kingdom but the demon land, Hellzeb. Living and eating everything in the demon world, I didn't have many opportunities to experience the various cultures of this other world. And even when I settled in Parenchia after retiring, this place was literally a complete backwater.
A rural village where cows are raised, and grains are milled in a mill. Even when the royal family started a major urban planning project, it was the same. After defeating the Demon Lord at the cost of countless sacrifices and being mentally devastated, I holed up on the 3rd floor of the store for several years. Even during the occasional outing, seeing the overturned land, I thought,
'Ah, they're probably going to another field or something.'
Then one day, some guy, the Minister of Land or something with a mustache, knocked on the door and asked me to come out, and there it was, an academy built right there. Hearing that they were planning to demolish my house and I should come out, I exploded on the spot. At least after the situation settled down a bit, I sighed and watched the building being constructed and decided to open the store because I had to live.
The city, which was a complete backwater with no connection to the nobility, completely changed in just a few years, such was the power of magic engineering. If it was a little more great, it could have made a bomber that would send Parenchia back to the Stone Age. I miss you, General Richard Armitage. In the middle of the parallel world's Pentagon, the store owner needs you.
"It was all circumstances."
"It's not too late to start learning now. Anyway, are you done with your business? Leave now. I'm busy."
So prickly. I was half-kicked out of Kano's workshop. Learn one by one, huh. When I was with my colleagues, they took care of me, lacking as I was, but now it was time for me to stand on my own. With a deep sigh, I headed home.
* * * * *
"So, you didn't manage to get the bread?"
"Ju, just caught in the middle... I'm sorry!"
Ansen chuckled at Adela, who was begging in front of him.
"If you want bread, I'll go out and buy it with my own money!"
"Wow, this is not working? Hey. Do you take my words lightly?"
Bam!
He kicked the empty cart in the warehouse, making a loud noise, and a small scream pierced my ears.
"F*ck, do you think I'm asking you because I don't have money? I'm just checking if a friend can listen to a request well."
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry!"
"Enough, go steal it again tomorrow. If you can't do it before the last lecture ends, then you'd better be prepared."
"Yes, yes..."
Adela was sent off with a threat close to coercion.
It was meaningless bullying, but Ansen was nonchalant. Rather, the gang around him seemed a bit subdued and asked,
"Hey, Ansen. Is this really okay?"
"What is?"
"That kid. She's a Roschier."
"Ha, so what?"
"So what? The Roschier Earldom is..."
"So what. What is it."
The warehouse fell into silence with his cold voice. These guys' fears are not unfounded. The Countess who received the Grand Officier medal, and a magic noble house equipped with its own magic, it was too much even for a welcoming ceremony.
"Hey, don't worry about it. If she wanted to join the salon, it was her wish."
"But..."
"Don't worry. No one will care about Adela anyway. You saw it too, right? Pretending to be a mage and can't even sneak a piece of bread from the store."
"Well... that's true."
"But hey, Ansen. What if Adela gets caught again and a disciplinary committee opens?"
This time, is that the problem? Certainly, among this year's freshmen, there are many descendants of prominent families, so even a small action makes them overly timid. If they thought about who was behind them even once, they would realize there's no need to be cautious.
"You guys really worry about everything. Do you think the student council will believe that the Lady of Roschier was caught stealing bread?"
"..."
"If they really try to report, just give them a few punches."
Ansen tapped the scabbard and smirked.
"Neither a member of the guard nor a professor, merely the owner of the convenience store, after all, it's nothing significant, right?"