Vol 1 Chapter 29 – Interlude: Utaki’s Guide to “This World,” for Utaki and the Reader

So then.

That “so then” is the signature opener of a certain famous detective—apparently every deduction has to begin with those exact words. What I’m about to do isn’t deduction. But it felt right.

Anyway. I got sidetracked.

So then. The reason Elena’s “Guide to This World” lecture gave me a fever that had nothing to do with illness—beyond the fact that I’m simply not very bright—is that there’s a genuinely meta reason for it too. Apparently, the author is a compulsive worldbuilder who can’t fit everything into a single chapter if she tries to write it all out. Unbelievable.

So with that in mind, I figured I’d go through the terms that have come up so far, one by one. You don’t have to read this—it won’t affect your understanding of the main story at all. Think of it as a bonus page on the back of the dust jacket.

◆ The Kingdom of Claremore

Where I got sent, Isekai reincarnation is apparently a routine occurrence here. On the map, it’s a large nation to the north, with rich soil, abundant resources, and stable governance. The king, as you know, is King Odile. The vast majority of residents are human, with the ratio of ordinary people to those with magical aptitude running roughly 9 to 1.

◆ The Lupril Empire

A nation built on both physical military might and magical military power—about half the size of Claremore. The ratio of humans to non-humans—and of ordinary people to those with magical aptitude—is roughly 5 to 5 across the board—apparently a heavily patriotic population. The main industry is fishing, and they’re said to have a genuinely impressive port.

◆ The Principality of Eibel

A nation where almost all residents are non-human or magically gifted. They’ve turned magic itself into an industry and export. Lots of mysteries surrounding it. According to Elena, a device that can “bring the dead back to life” exists there—something called an Angel’s Egg. Personally, I have a feeling it’s the kind of thing where your favorite girl turns into a monster. I’m calling it now.

◆ Attributes

There are five: Fire, Water, Earth, Light, and Dark. Each comes with its own set of abilities—but apparently those aren’t classified as “magic” so much as “physical enhancements.” You can tell someone’s attribute at a glance because it changes their hair color. Elena’s hair is a watery blue, Maronie-san’s is a blazing red, and so on. Doesn’t seem to apply to non-humans, though.

◆ Special Techniques

These are the finer, more individual abilities a person can use—separate from their attribute. Elena says she’s best at using water as a base and layering wind on top. Apparently, someone like Titania-san, who has no particular specialty but no real weaknesses either, is actually the unusual type.

◆ Routes

Basically, a rough forecast for how your life is going to go. People like me—”Heroes,” “Kings,” “Demon Kings,” roles that only one person can hold at a time—fall under something called “fixed-position holders.” From birth to death, the broad outline of what they have to accomplish is more or less set. Sounds exhausting.

◆ Roles

Administrators of seasons, times of day, and natural phenomena. I don’t fully understand the details, but for example—Aria-san holds the Role of “Night,” which apparently means that during nighttime hours, she can do essentially anything and defeat essentially anyone—an outright cheat ability.

◆ The Demon King, the Demon King’s Kin, the Demon King’s Army

The antagonists of the human races. They show up everywhere and generally make things difficult—but apparently that’s just their job, so there’s not much to be done about it. Appearance-wise, a lot of them seem to go for the I’m evil, fear me, behold! look. Funny thing is, most of them turn out to be kind of endearing once you actually talk to them.

◆ Magic and Magical Aptitude

Whether someone can use magic depends on their aptitude. Like allergies—not everyone has it, and only those who do can use magic. For the record, “mages” and “sorcerers” are apparently different things. Also, some magic users in this world fall under the “fixed-position” category I mentioned earlier.

That about covers things for now. I’ll probably add more entries as they come up, so check back occasionally—the contents might have changed.

“My, Utaki. What’s that notebook?”

“My way of staying connected to the reader, I suppose.”

Vol 1 Chapter 30 – The One Thing Humans Can Never Beat

The one thing humans can never beat. The obvious answer would be the march of time.

That was a joke. The real answer is the unknowable and the inexplicable—and even setting that aside, being told don’t get swallowed up by your mana doesn’t help much when neither of us has the faintest idea how to resist it.

Pakira was laughing. Aria-san had said nothing.

Which means it’ll probably work out somehow, right? I wanted to believe that. I had to believe that, or I’d never get through this.

“We’ll be landing shortly—there may be some turbulence.”

“Ah, yes, thank you.”

“Not at all. It’s an honor to serve as the Hero’s pilot.”

The smiling young man flying us, apparently, worked in the royal palace under normal circumstances, handling the full range of miscellaneous tasks that came up day to day. “Attendant” was a convenient catch-all term for everyone stationed at the palace—but much like a hotel, everyone’s actual job was completely different, so telling people apart on an individual level was a whole other matter.

Then again, with so many of them around, the number I could actually recognize was vanishingly small.

“Pakira—if magical aptitude was forcibly supplemented, doesn’t that mean the mana suppression mechanism isn’t in place yet?”

“Nay, the crystal water handles that side of things too—it’s a full-package magical aptitude grant, that. Knowing Aria, she’d have thought of it.”

“Never mind him—I’m worried about Elena. She seems to be absorbing a lot. Is there a way to let some of it out?”

“Oh, I can handle that, actually. I don’t have a mage’s license or anything, but I’ve got magical aptitude, so minor adjustments are within my range.”

“Ritros—why exactly are you working at the bureau?”

“Combat scared me.”

“Okay, I need everyone to stop leaving me behind. Rito, I need you to explain things properly, and Titania-san—if you could keep your voice down just a little? That commentary is genuinely wearing me down.”

Rito had casually dropped that he had magical aptitude—and on top of that, what even was a suppression mechanism? That was a thing? I understood that this world had layers of intricate mechanics, but could people stop cramming all of it into a single moment? I had less to memorize before my final exams.

“So—magical aptitude sounds simple, but there are actually two types: emission and absorption, and they work like breathing—in and out. The suppression mechanism is the system that keeps them balanced. You know how hyperventilation is a thing? Mana can cause something similar. The mechanism is basically what stops that from happening.”

“Explain it so a kid could understand.”

“It’s like when you eat too much and start feeling sick—your mom stops you before you go overboard.”

“Okay, that actually makes sense.”

Three seconds, and it clicked.

So the worry was: without a mom around, what stops us from overeating?

“And for when you do overeat anyway—a third party, like a dad, comes and pats you on the back. That’s the role I can play.”

“You’d make a great teacher, you know that?”

The moment Rito finished his explanation, the aircraft shuddered. Apparently, we were ready to disembark.