Rattle rattle rattle.
Thud.
Whew... gathering food and medicine for thirty people was beyond my physical capabilities. I barely made it here pulling a cart and carrying pole.
"...Ah, everyone's awake? How are you all feeling?"
"..."
"..."
What's this?
Why is there no response from anyone?
Is it because I'm too unfamiliar?
Or are they discriminating against me because I'm not white?
No wonder these people's descendants did Brexit.
Evil English bastards, is this how you treat someone who saved your lives? I guess you shouldn't take in dark-haired beasts after all.
As my expression slightly hardened... this time the atmosphere suddenly becomes uncomfortably tense.
"..."
"..."
"..."
What's really going on?
The racists exchanged glances among themselves, and after sharing some hand signals and eye contact, one person stepped forward.
Probably their leader... huh?
A young woman around my age. How strange. There seem to be many people older than her? Why? Is she noble?
While I was looking at her in bewilderment, she suddenly bowed deeply and greeted me...
"Th-th-thank..."
"..."
...Was that supposed to be a greeting?
"Th-th-th-thank you..."
"Please, calm down."
"...Yes."
"Take deep breaths too."
"Huup. Haah. Huup. Haah."
"..."
"..."
"..."
"...Do you have any other words to bestow upon us?"
"..."
Is she nervous?
Well, it's understandable to be nervous meeting an armed adult male in a strange land. Especially with two children and an injured person among their group. Plus I'm wearing clothes that look like they're from another planet.
I waved my hand to reassure the woman before me.
"Please relax. I have no intention of harming any of you. I merely brought some food because you looked starving."
"..."
"Since it wouldn't be good to suddenly eat your usual food when you're starving, I brought 'these' for now."
I handed over a bundle of ready-to-eat meals and patient food in cans to the woman before me.
"...Huh? Ah. Yes."
I thought she might relax now, but no. People's eyes just lost focus.
"Like this, pull the ring on top to open it and you can drink the contents. Understand?"
"...Ah, y-yes, I understand."
"For now, use that as a meal substitute... here, I brought some light fabric that you can use to make tents."
"F-fabric?"
"Yes. And here are bandages and splints for the person with the injured leg..."
"..."
"...Well, that's everything. Do you have any questions?"
"Ah, um, that... thank..."
"Then I'll be going."
"Yes..."
"Ah, let me say this just in case."
Shing.
I drew my machete.
Though I helped them out of pity, there are still thirty of them.
Thirty starving, unfamiliar outsiders.
Better to prepare in case they become raiders.
"...'We' would prefer if you didn't follow 'us.' 'We' have our own circumstances."
"..."
"..."
"Farewell."
...Did it work?
Seeing how they all basically froze, it seems to have worked.
Good. I've hidden that I'm alone, and shown the message that 'I also have force,' so immediate safety is secured.
Just need to help them for about three more days...
"I-I am Eleanor! Eleanor Dare!"
"..."
Hm? A sudden self-introduction?
Should I reveal my name too?
"...Nice to meet you, Eleanor."
No. That probably won't be necessary.
I casually acknowledged her greeting while turning around.
Then I deliberately took a roundabout path home to avoid revealing the route.
==
Thump.
'...W-what was that conversation just now?'
It was hard to even breathe.
If God were to ask about the most frightening and tense moment in my life after death, I would point to that moment just now.
"He said plague will strike London! That's just a few years from now!"
"H-has there ever been a time when London didn't have plague? He might have just guessed..."
"Then what about saying the French Queen Mother will die next year?"
We heard a 'prophecy.'
"Is that the issue? He said Governor White might not return until '90!"
"The angel... what exactly was he foretelling?"
Instantly the surroundings become chaotic with people kneeling, making the sign of the cross, and praying.
Though the area became noisy, honestly Eleanor wasn't concerned at all about things like plague coming to London or when France's war would end.
There was only one piece of news that concerned Eleanor.
Now is 1588.
"In 1588, after the Spanish Armada is defeated by England, John White, who couldn't sail during the war, finally returns to Roanoke in 1590..."
Father, who was expected to return around now... won't return for two more years?
Because of war with Spain?
Eleanor wanted to just cry... but...
Looking back, thirty people were staring at her.
She couldn't show fear or mental collapse in this state. If she collapsed, everyone would collapse.
She forced her trembling lips to rise.
"I-it's good that father is alive...! Isn't it? He will definitely return! Plus we have this friendly person who gives us food and fabric for tents!"
Those two things at least could be viewed positively.
As Eleanor lifted the mood, the atmosphere of the group that was falling into panic gradually calmed, and everyone's reason returned as they started murmuring conversations.
"No matter how you look at it, he didn't seem like an angel, did he?"
"But he didn't seem like a native from around here either..."
"He spoke English better than the other natives we've lived with, didn't he? Isn't that right?"
Yes.
That unidentified man's actions were too 'human-like' to be an angel.
Worrying about Eleanor's companions, measuring his attitude, carrying and moving each piece of luggage – none of it seemed like a transcendent angel. However...
"Did you hear just now?"
People's voices naturally quieted.
Since many in this group were poor, their attention automatically focused when they heard the voice of a 'high person.'
The lawyer 'sir' Thomas Hewett with the twisted ankle spoke to Eleanor Dare.
"He referred to himself as 'We.' Like some king."
He did.
At that time, Eleanor was afraid to even speak to the being before her.
"His build was different from the natives around here. He seemed about 6 feet tall but his face was pale, as if unaccustomed to hard labor."
"Ah, that's right, Mr. Hewett! I heard Mongolians and Chinese people look like that..."
"Perhaps he's some very, very noble person from the East, Mrs. Dare. Why such a person would be here alone..."
"Could he be an explorer? Or maybe exiled..."
"Just a moment."
Someone interrupts. When Eleanor turned her head, it was the goldsmith William Brown.
Having just received the drink from that maybe-eastern-prince being, his eyes were wide and his hands were trembling.
"Why, what is it, Mr. Brown?"
Eleanor asked Brown with an inexplicable anxiety, and he answered.
"Th-this drink container. Don't throw it away, any of them. No, gather them all in one place!"
"Why so suddenly? It's just an iron can..."
"This isn't iron? Why doesn't iron rust even after holding liquid?"
"...?"
Lighter than iron.
As strong as iron.
Doesn't rust.
"Then what on earth is this?"
"...!"
Friendly native (X).
Maybe eastern prince being (O).
Angel (...???)
Eleanor didn't sleep at all that night.
==
The next day, I prepared to visit the English people again. Just need to gather weapons, medicine, bandages, and ready-to-eat meals.
I put 30 cans of ready-to-eat meals from the drawer into a box, and opened the cabinet to take out painkillers and bandages for the injured...
"Painkillers, painkillers... huh?"
Why are the painkillers all full? I definitely gave them to the English people yesterday?
...Did I count wrong? I stuffed what I needed into my backpack anyway.
Anyway, when I returned to the English people, for some reason they all had dark circles under their eyes.
These people, after I went to the trouble of bringing them food and everything, what did they do all night without sleeping?
When I held out a box of ready-to-eat meals, Eleanor stepped forward like yesterday, bowing her head as she received it.
"Th-thank you..."
"You all should stay here for now. There are some injured people, and it could be dangerous if you try to move recklessly right now."
"Um... here..."
"What is it, Mrs. Dare?"
Eleanor held out a pouch to me with trembling hands.
"...We thought about it all night, and it doesn't seem right for us to keep these..."
"..."
Empty cans.
"W-we can't dispose of them anywhere, so we thought we should return them to you first..."
I was surprised.
Surprised at their character.
"Thank you... for saving us..."
'Thanks for saving us but you clean up the trash.'
As expected of citizens of a pirate country, they must have completely worn away even a shred of conscience.
"...I understand for now."
I sighed while accepting the cloth-wrapped empty cans. Right. These might be useful for recycling someday.
Like yesterday, I returned home taking a roundabout path while giving appropriate threats and warnings. Since I erased my footprints and cleaned up other traces properly while coming back, they shouldn't be able to find this place.
...Is this right?
"Hah, this isn't something I should be doing."
Working hard and sweating for two days to feed racist English bastards. It's pathetic.
Still, unlike them, I'm a 'civilized person' so I can't just let people die. Bear the yellow man's burden, Kin Issei...!
Let's stop the nonsense.
Walking toward the house entrance while looking at the farm, the grape harvest season is already approaching. I'm worried about how I'll handle all those grapes alone, and what I'll do with them after harvesting.
...Just full of worries.
As soon as I got home, I collapsed on the bed and studied the 'Immortal Order: Origin' catalog intently. Here's the name Eleanor Dare... found it.
"John White's daughter, gave birth to Virginia Dare, the first English person born in the New World... Ah, so that baby she was holding was her daughter? She looks so young but already has a child?"
Well, it's the 16th century. Not strange at all.
While resting my tired body like that, I glared at the promotional text on the back of the catalog that now looked suspicious.
'Series' first full Japanese localization!'
...Right, so that's why I could communicate perfectly with 16th century English people.
You transport someone with their whole farm and don't give them a translation cheat? I would have changed history to prevent Fansuku Software from ever being established.
'Immortal one, will you become a pioneer of the new world within infinite blessings? Or will you become a slave to fate?'
Even completely ordinary words like 'localization' had chilling meanings hidden in them. Could there be some profound meaning in phrases like this too?
Why do they keep calling me immortal one?
What are these infinite blessings?
...Ah whatever, these bastards who suddenly transported someone right before Imjin War aren't going to kindly explain everything.
After struggling to examine the catalog like that, it was already past 12 and the date had changed.
My morning person lifestyle pattern was ruined from carrying luggage and working hard today. Since I couldn't sleep anyway, I sighed and got up to wash my face first.
"...Right. Let's prepare what to distribute tomorrow."
I immediately took out 30 cans of ready-to-eat meals from the drawer and put them in a bag, then opened the cabinet to take out new bandages and medicine. Since I usually keep and check emergency supplies, the amount should be sufficient...
...Huh?
"What... hey, why is it full today too?"
The bandages are full. The medicine bottle with painkillers is the same.
It should definitely be empty from yesterday and today's portions.
Shaaaaa.
Oops, I went crazy and didn't turn off the water after washing my face...
...Huh?
I've been transported to 16th century North America full of wilderness, but clean water keeps coming from the faucet?
The bandages and medicine I definitely took out and distributed earlier have been refilled?
"..."
'Infinite blessings.'
I checked the drawer again. The ready-to-eat meals hadn't been refilled.
Come to think of it, I cooked rice and side dishes yesterday too, but the rice, vegetables, and meat weren't refilled either.
'Food doesn't get refilled?'
It was just a rough guess, but it was probably certain.
The ready-to-eat meals I distributed to people then weren't refilled.
Ah, speaking of yesterday.
Yesterday the batteries died so I couldn't bring the flashlight today.
My fingertips started trembling slightly.
No way. Nah, no way.
I opened the drawer near the shoe rack where I usually keep batteries.
'EnerXizer – Strong and Long-lasting!'
Full.
"..."
The next day I tried using up all the batteries.
I also used up the gasoline from the warehouse by pouring it out and burning it.
Besides that, I used, threw away, and wasted all kinds of resources in the house except food. I deliberately threw and broke the robot vacuum cleaner I rarely used.
When midnight passed, everything was restored.
"..."
Universal language cheat.
And probably a resource cheat too.
Now I stood in front of the bathroom mirror with uncontrollable emotions. Since I was in the middle of shaving, my chin was covered in shaving cream (infinite replication).
After taking a few deep breaths... I try shouting.
"Status window!"
...
"System! Status!"
...
Silence. Would have been embarrassing if someone was nearby.
Ah, why give everything but the most important thing?
I sighed and picked up the razor again. After shaving off the dark stubble and checking my philtrum, I saw a small cut.
"Aish, why do I always make mistakes at annoying times like this?"
I quickly wiped the blood and put a band-aid on the small cut. The band-aid will be replicated again after midnight anyway.
And then I went straight to sleep.
...Right. It's funny but now I feel somewhat relieved.
At least I can maintain a modern lifestyle except for internet.
At least I won't ruin the grape farming from lack of agricultural water.
...
...
...Still, they could give at least one more cheat. Even if not a status window, couldn't they give something like mind reading or SSS-rank swordsmanship?
Hmm... ah, whatever.
I should be grateful for even this much.
==
And so Kin Issei put a band-aid on the small cut on his philtrum and fell asleep.
And beneath the band-aid, quietly, so quickly that the sleeping Kin Issei wouldn't notice the anomaly.
The wound healed.
It took less than a few seconds for the wound to disappear without leaving a scar.
From the computer Kin Issei left on before falling asleep, a small voice could be heard.
'Immortal one, will you become a pioneer of the new world? Or will you become a slave to fate?'
'Immortal one.'
'...Immortal one.'