One week has passed since the incident involving Kobayashi Hachiman and Alexander Webb. Despite this much time passing, there haven't been many major advances in knowledge or understanding of this kind world. However, there are a few notable things that have happened in the past week.
Kobayashi Hachiman quickly picked up on the writing system and its basic principles. The language resembles if Japanese kana were to be merged with Arabic writing. Due to some of the similarities and listening in on other people reading books, Kobayashi quickly picked up on it. Even if Johan erased Japanese from his memory, it still felt similar to him. Alexander, however, stays stubborn by refusing to let Kobayashi attempt to explain the writing to him.
The two have also grown to know each other much better since meeting. Kobayashi has begun to understand basic things of this world as well, like religion, some history, etc.
The majority of their schedule consists of the two eating breakfast, Kobayashi departing from the hotel to go to the library for the entirety of the day, Alexander going to the local tavern to gamble and drink, and the schedule concludes with the two meeting back up after sundown.
As of now, the duo are eating their breakfast in Rafaeru no hoteru. It is a few minutes after sunrise.
"To think this place is so busy despite being a complete dump..." Alexander mumbled as he ate his food.
The inn, despite being a health hazard, surprisingly had a large crowd of people eating in the dining area on the first floor.
"It's because this is the only inn around. And this is also the capital of the country, Alexander."
Kobayashi looked up from a book he was reading to share his opinion with Alexander.
"Would you like to hear the information I have gathered on this world since I learned to read?" Kobayashi asked Alexander, wanting to fill him in on the details of this new world.
"Fine. Tell me."
Despite Alexander's careless and uninterested demeanor, Kobayashi quickly began talking about the information he had gathered in the past week.
"Well, to begin with, this world has 9 countries, 4 continents, 8 religions, and 9 races. Each country is divided based on the race of its citizens. Humanity is currently the third highest ranking race in general, and a few countries have apparently fallen victim to random invasions."
Kobayashi paused and pointed out something in his book.
"It says here that there were originally 15 races, most of which fell after the disappearance of the one true god, who kept peace and tranquility during the majority of his reign. There were five rules known as the divine line: no murder or bodily harm, all conflicts are required to be resolved through peaceful matters such as games or debates, no stealing or thievery, no direct discrimination against other races, and all bets or promises must be upheld. These rules were upheld by the one true god. Apparently there was once a time when all races lived together and settled conflicts through peaceful discussions or games, but certain races' protection by the rules wore off over time after the one true god's disappearance. It seems nearly any type of knowledge that outdated the disappearance by 10 years mysteriously vanished and nobody had recollection of major events from that period. There were only certain events that were recorded."
After Kobayashi's long explanation, Alexander had already finished his breakfast and sighed. He hadn't taken too much interest, only until Kobayashi mentioned 'certain races'.
"What do you mean by 'certain races'?"
Kobayashi flipped a page in his book and continued on.
"There isn't much here about the different races, but it looks like the biggest race affected was the kemono races 12 years ago during humanity's invasion, dubbed 'the Enocharius purge". The race nearly suffered extinction but ultimately pulled through after the rise of a new leader. It seems humanity and other races still possess the protection of the divine law, however."
Kobayashi set down his book on the table and looked up at Alexander.
"I wonder if the one true god of this world and the one Johan mentioned have any correlation between each other?"
Alexander began to get up as he stretched.
"Interesting theory, Kobayashi. All I care about is that, number one, you can't hurt me if I irritate you!"
Alexander got a bit excited at the fact he could complain openly and Kobayashi wouldn't have any way to shut him up.
"Oh, great..."
Alexander's excitement diminished as the former innkeeper and current cook, Rafaeru, approached the table. She was a plump, old woman who had a sweet personality, but Alexander wasn't fond of her whatsoever. She reminded him of an old housekeeper and nanny his father hired, an old woman who always made Alexander do things he didn't want to participate in. She would mostly make him interact and play with other children, and served as a mother to him for many years. But deep down, Alexander did care for his nanny as a child, he only had his strange ways of expressing it.
"Can I get you two boys anything else to eat?" asked the old woman with a bright smile.
"No, that will be all. But thank you very much for your food and time, ma'am. We both greatly appreciate your hospitality."
Kobayashi returned the smile and answered her with a kind and thankful tone before he stood up alongside Alexander. The plump old woman left back towards the kitchen area as the two made their way outside the inn, into the busy streets of the capital.
"I've recently been analyzing the maps of this country and its cities and have a decent understanding of the area now, Alexander."
Kobayashi spoke to Alexander who began walking towards the northern part of the city.
"That's great and all, Kobayashi, but I think I'll be taking my time to explore the city today. I don't want to waste my time staring at a map for hours when I can walk around and see everything in person," said Alexander.
Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.
"Well, I suppose we'll meet again after sundown."
Kobayashi and Alexander parted their ways for the day, Kobayashi walking towards the library and Alexander walking away to explore the northern part of the city.
————————————————————————
Two hours later-the library. The library was a beautiful building in the center of the city with an uncountable amount of books, containing knowledge of nearly every detail of this world—plants, races, wildlife, agriculture, architecture, religion, etc.
This was a place Kobayashi found peace and comfort. In his old world, he loved to read but oftentimes found himself resolving conflicts within his clan.
As of the current moment, Kobayashi is reading a book about the world's religions and beliefs.
"Only 8 religions exist in this world. It seems every single one of them are centered around a being known as the one true god and his creations. When I was reading about 8 separate religions yesterday, I thought they at least contained separate gods of worship."
Kobayashi flipped through the thick book. He's been reading this book the entire time he's been here and hopes to find something that would signal towards the reason he and Alexander were sent here.
"Nothing..."
Kobayashi sighed softly in disappointment after reading 500 pages, only for the rest of the book to be blank, void of any useful information.
"This world's knowledge about the disappearance of its god really is nonexistent. I guess it wasn't a lie that all knowledge about it was erased. They honestly should've just burned this book or got rid of it in some way."
Kobayashi slumped forward in defeat.
"It's pointless to look for the knowledge of this god's disappearance..."
Kobayashi had given up any previous hope of finding anything related to the disappearance of the one true god. The only hope he had now was to ask a being with extraordinary experience, who would've lived through this timeframe of no recorded history.
"I don't know how calling out to you for help works, but I think I need some help, Johan."
Kobayashi attempted to call out to Johan, but received no answer.
"Johan must be busy like he said he was. I'm sure he might give me some help when he's free..."
Kobayashi sat back in his chair before standing up and walking between aisles of thousands of books.
"I might not be able to find information about this god's disappearance, but I can find out more about this world's political system."
Kobayashi pulled out a large book about how the country's political system and social system typically operates.
Taking the book back to his table, Kobayashi sat back down in his chair and began reading once more.
"This is just like how Alexander explained his country to me. There's not even the slightest difference here."
Kobayashi read through the book. It was your typical medieval political system—king, queen, prince, princess, noble, etc.
"However, this country is the only country that uses this system...strange."
Kobayashi noticed how this book included different political structures of different countries. For example, one country might have an emperor or a dictator or a president, etc. ruling over the entirety of the country.
"It also says something here about magical ability being linked to social status, great.
He sighed and continued reading through the book silently.
"Basic level: the person with magic ability is typically viewed as the lowest class in society and can only perform minor acts. Elementary level: slightly above basic, can only perform slightly higher acts, summoning fire or water, lighting a room with energy. Over 60 percent of the popular fall into this class. Intermediate: typically someone viewed higher in society. They can typically part large bodies of water or can construct and summon buildings or objects. Complete proficiency: can easily destroy entire countries with the flick of a wrist. Only the royal bloodline possesses such power."
Kobayashi seemed a bit bored of reading until the last part. It shocked him that someone could possess such insane amounts of power by just being born into the royal bloodline.
"Astral Vitality?"
Kobayashi turned the last page: Astral Vitality rank.
"Prophesied by the ancient king who held a deep relationship with the one true god, the Astral Vitality rank is a level of magic that grants the user the ability to destroy or create anything possible or impossible. Only one person will possess this level of power, and will be sent by the highest authority on a day of restoration to the divine law."
Kobayashi set the book down and aligned the book's contents with the past week.
"Sounds just like what Johan sent us here to do. But I'm confused about who possesses such power among the two of us... Alexander certainly doesn't have such power, and I know I don't have the capacity to even imagine that amount of power correctly, much less use that absurd amount of power."
"My royal lady, please take my seat!"
Kobayashi heard a small commotion occurring in the distance of the library and looked over.
There he saw a beautiful girl, roughly a few years younger than him. She had bobbed hair and emerald eyes along with a small smile on her face. She wore typical clothes with nothing too exotic other than a golden ring on her right pointer finger. In front of her was a man who begged her to take his seat, which made everyone else stare at him and take their eyes off of the royal girl.
"Royalty?"
Kobayashi seemed confused. He knew royalty meant someone who was part of the royal family and most likely ruled over the country. But seeing someone of that status in a library? The idea hardly seemed plausible to him.
She then made her way over to Kobayashi, who was surprised by the sudden action. He wanted to ask for her name and status in the royal family, but he also didn't want to look like a complete idiot for asking something everyone in the country probably knew. So, he got up and retrieved another book, this time on the past politics of the country.
He returned to his seat, and the girl seemed to be reading a book she had picked up since Kobayashi got up. It was a book about the agricultural practices of different countries.
Kobayashi began to read his book on the history of the country's politics.
"Starting off with an unnamed king who was claimed to be the greatest ruler over humanity..."
Kobayashi read out loud, which caught the attention of the girl beside him. He didn't notice it, but she seemed slightly annoyed by the fact he read out the 'best ruler of humanity'.
"There are many other great rulers from my bloodline as well that exclude that degenerate."
Kobayashi looked over to the girl who spoke with mild annoyance. He struck a sensitive spot without even trying. He didn't want to anger her after reading about the power her bloodline carried, and decided to only nod his head in agreement.
"I'm sure there are many great rulers from your bloodline, ma'am. This country has truly flourished and prospered under your family's rule over the years."
He spoke with a smile and looked up at her, still trying to avoid angering her.
"I knew something like that was going to come from someone like you," she scoffed at Kobayashi.
"What do you mean by that?"
"That sword you're carrying around with you is issued from the Enocharius purge. You people who served my grandfather always seem to praise his ruling for more than it was worth."
Kobayashi was slightly confused by the matter. He had been gathering information on the Enocharius purge, but he didn't have precise information on certain subjects of it, like on issued weapons to the soldiers.
He realized that his katana was why people were giving him strange looks everyday he came here. The only reason he carried it is because it reminds him of his home. Of course, carrying around a sword isn't exactly what everyone else would do on a daily basis...
"I'm sorry about the confusion, ma'am, but I didn't serve in the Enocharius purge or this country's conflict."
She sighed and her hostility slowly faded away. Kobayashi was relieved that the chances of her smiting him had diminished.
"I suppose I'll take your word. But I don't appreciate being called 'ma'am'. That's what you call an old lady who works on the street side market selling filthy rugs. I'd prefer if you referred to me by my name, Aisha Königin. I find it rude to call the Queen of this country by such a degrading title."
"I assure you that I meant no such disrespect by referring to you as that title, Aisha Königin. My sincere apologies. And your description sounds a bit specific..."
Aisha accepted the apology from Kobayashi. Really, Kobayashi wasn't giving her a genuine apology; he only apologized because he didn't want to be on her bad side. However, Kobayashi has now gathered the information of the current ruler of the country and their name, which he found to be beneficial in its own way.
"Why are you reading a book about the political system's history? And why do you have a book about ancient religion?" Aisha asked Kobayashi after a few moments of silence between the two.
He was left silent, thinking of how to answer. He could tell her the story of the last week's events, but he knew that most likely wouldn't have a pleasant turnout. However, he was left speechless on what else he could say to Aisha—that was until an idea came into mind.
"I'm studying this material from front to back so that I can convey the information to a friend of mine who couldn't afford any type of education."
It wasn't a good excuse, but it was still something. Kobayashi knew that if he told her the full truth he would either be looked at as a lunatic or be dragged into religious propaganda if she thought he was being truthful. Telling a royal about being dragged into a new world by a random servant of The One True God? That's just asking to be thrown into a religious group's propaganda. At least he was being somewhat honest by telling her he wanted to convey the information to Alexander.
"Oh, is that so?"
Aisha's expression made it clear she didn't believe a word that came out of Kobayashi's mouth. His words sounded genuine and sincere, but she managed to see through his cover up.
Kobayashi still believed the best strategy was to continue denying everything related to this last week's chaos.
"Yes, that is so, Aisha Königin."
She looked him in the eyes. His expression didn't falter, but she still continued to question him.
"You look a lot like the prophesied one who will come to restore the divine law. Actually, you look exactly like the illustration handed down by the kings over the generations."
He knows he's probably been caught, but he still continues to persist. He doesn't want to be dragged into religious propaganda, and would rather be known as a liar than be confirmed to be some kind of religious figure.
"Well, I assure you that I am not linked to any sort of religious group."
"Lying to royalty's quite the offense, you know?"
There's no point in continuing to deny her. Kobayashi has been caught in a lie, and he knows it as well.
"How about you tell me a bit about this prophesied man? I'd be interested in hearing more."
If he can't deny it anymore, it's best to at least find out more about this 'prophecy'. At least he can gather more information on this world and possibly what he and Alexander need to do.
Kobayashi has basic information on the religions of this world and their shared prophecy, but it's just now that he's connected the dots to find out about how he is possibly the one who was foretold to come in restoring the 'divine law'.