Chapter Text
What will be the meaning behind his new life?
Out of all of Ryo’s unimportant and fantastical questions about the world of Phi, perhaps this was the most normal and thoughtful one.
And although he’s sure many years have passed by now, Ryo still doesn’t know quite yet, but he’s having fun. Perhaps a life doesn’t need to be purposeful.
However, if there is a god up there somewhere who picks and chooses who lives, who dies, who stays, and who reincarnates, Ryo would like to shake their hand and thank them for tossing him into this strange exciting new world.
There has been no shortage of both danger and exhilaration ever since he woke up, and he has almost died at least a few times, but it beats the dryness of his old constrained life built from familial responsibility. Pain. Hard labor. Huge boars and poisonous snakes. As long as he never has to taste the boredom and soul-crushing frustration of old corporate living again, Ryo can put up with it. And oftentimes, it doesn’t feel like he’s putting up with anything. How joyful is this primitive world without capitalism.
But, in between his magic practice, home upkeep, bestiary studying, and sparring with his master, Ryo does feel like there’s something missing.
“Hm. I can’t quite put my finger on it, but it sure has been a while since I had someone to talk to. I know I asked for a peaceful place well away from humans, but this might be too peaceful!”
Another icicle lance to the floor. It forms almost instantly, but Ryo has yet to derive the secret behind increasing its force beyond gravitational influence. A ring of such fallen lances surround him, but he’s not all that motivated to keep training today.
He flops down in the grass, looking to the wide expanse of sky.
“Master doesn’t talk. And Lewin won’t be visiting again for at least a few years. Dragon lords must have it rough.”
He hums to himself.
“But a few years isn’t that long. Hm.”
“Ah! Maybe I’ll pick a direction and walk straight until I find some signs of civilization. It could be a fun survival exercise!”
“Hm. Hm. Hm. Hm~”
Despite his musings, Ryo yet remains in the Rondo Forest.
“Oh wow. A shipwreck!”
It’s the first sign of human activity Ryo’s seen, but did it really have to wash up in the pristine waters of his shore? He fishes there, y’know?
Only about half the ship has made it to the sand, but a lot of people have also washed up. They’re dressed in muted browns and rough-spun cloth. Is that what sailors wear in Phi? Well, hopefully, for their sake, they survived the trip.
Ryo dutifully drops his nets to check their pulses one by one. Dead. This one’s also dead. This one’s definitely a goner.
Eight bodies so far. All drowned and pulseless.
“Man, the ocean sure is harsh.”
Ryo scans the coast again and a flash of red catches his eye, tucked away between some of the rubble. Ryo approaches curiously.
Oh? This one’s breathing.
Ryo picks the debris away carefully, checking the man for injuries. He looks water-logged like the others, but he should survive with some care. The weak yet steady rise and fall of his chest cements this.
But he does look a little different from the rest. Ryo tilts his head. A youthful face framed by reddish hair and a complementing red cape. A pauldron on one shoulder and a couter on the opposite arm—elbow guard, something he learned about in his western history studies. A sword is strapped tightly to his back.
“How interesting. He sure is lucky to be washed up with all that extra weight on his body. Are the laws of buoyancy the same here on Phi?”
Ryo muses, dragging the newly exposed man from the rubble.
“Wow he really is soaked. Well, don’t worry, valiant swordsman! I’ll make sure to get you back on your feet!”
And so he puts the unconscious man in an ice-made wagon and drags him back to his humble little abode.
Ryo pulls the moisture from his clothes easily, effectively un-water-logging him. It’s a trick he’s learned by exciting the water molecules in the cloth to evaporate. It’d be bad if his mysterious guest got sick right after surviving a shipwreck.
“If I’m gonna put him in my bed to rest, I should make sure he’s comfortable. Oh! But it does seem a bit creepy to fuss around with him while he’s unconscious. Can’t be helped.”
He drags the surprisingly heavy man into his bedroom, and sets to work. He removes his tightly laced boots and strips him of his cape, armor, gloves, belt, leather breastplate, and sword, leaving the man in only his white tunic, pants and necklace. Earlier, when he was removing the dirt and water from the man’s outfit, Ryo had noticed that nothing on the man’s outfit had been damaged or torn despite the force of the shipwreck. Everything looks well-worn, but also well-made. Ryo can’t be completely certain though, since he hasn’t been exposed to Phi’s craftsmanship otherwise. He tucks the man into his lush but simple blankets, staring at him keenly with a small smile on his face.
“Well, you should be fine now as long as I keep you warm and dry. I don’t think you’ll get sick, but I do have fever-reducing herbs somewhere. Now are you a backwater noble, a knight, or an adventurer?”
The unconscious man doesn’t respond.
Ryo tilts his head, eying the scars on the man’s sword-calloused hands. Ryo’s own hands are slimmer, but their callouses are similar, built by Ryo’s consistent training with his master. Scars peek through as well from the loose openings of the man’s sleeves. From when he was removing the man’s armor, Ryo had also noticed his sturdy and toned physique. Nice.
“By light novel standards, I’m guessing on adventurer! You probably took a quest or something escorting that ship. Ah, but you don’t have the face of a rough-and-tumbler! Aren’t adventurers supposed to be more rugged? So maybe you’re a knight of a small kingdom or something.”
Ryo was judgemental like that.
“But you better wake up soon. Despite everything, I’m curious about the people of this world. And I think you’ll have some interesting stories I haven’t heard yet!”