Chapter 3 - I Summoned the Camper Van
Here's one more for you all 😺
After leaving the castle, one of the knights who saw me off handed me a leather pouch, which seemed to be packed with coins.
I hesitated to check it right there, so I waited until I was a little farther from the castle before taking a look.
Inside the leather pouch were about thirty silver coins.
However, I had no idea how much these were worth, since I didn’t know anything about the currency in this world.
To figure out the value of the coins, I’d probably have to head to a nearby village.
Outside the royal castle, there was a town, so I decided to head there for now.
The ground was paved with cobblestones, and neat wooden and brick buildings neatly lined the streets.
The streets were bustling with humans.
The Kingdom of Othelonia seemed to be a country largely inhabited by humans, so most of the citizens were of the same human race as me. However, I did notice a small number of beastmen with animal ears on their heads and what appeared to be elves with pointed ears among them.
Seeing the medieval European-style buildings and unfamiliar races really made me realize that I had been summoned to a world completely different from Japan.
"Alright, first things first, I need to check the value of these coins."
I figured that suddenly approaching a stranger and asking them about the value of the currency would probably make me look suspicious. It would be better to go into a shop, eat or drink something, and chat with a friendly employee or some cheerful customers to get some information.
Right in front of me was a tavern with a large sign hanging down.
There were some squiggly hieroglyph-like characters on it, but thanks to my [Otherworld Language] skill, I could easily read the letters and realized it was a tavern.
I pushed through a swinging door, reminiscent of a Western saloon, and entered. Inside was a spacious dining area with several tables and chairs, and there was an L-shaped counter in the back.
Since it was still daytime, the place wasn’t too busy, and a few employees were standing around looking rather idle.
It seemed like this would be a good opportunity to ask about the value of the currency casually while making small talk.
"Can I take your order?"
As soon as I sat at a table, a young female employee bluntly asked me.
"Beer...no, I'll have fruit water, please."
I almost slipped into the habit of ordering beer, just like when I went to an izakaya (*Japanese bar), but it didn’t seem right to be drinking beer in broad daylight.
"Three copper coins. The payment is upfront."
"Alright, here you go."
I handed her a silver coin from the pouch.
The employee frowned a little, almost as if she didn’t want to deal with it.
"Don’t you have any copper coins? Silver coins are a hassle to exchange..."
It seemed that the silver coin I had was too much for a simple fruit water order.
"Sorry about that. As you can probably tell, I just arrived here recently. If it’s alright, you can keep the change, but could you tell me more about this country?"
"Huh? Really? Alright! I’ll tell you anything!"
The employee quickly brought the fruit water over, and then, in a much cheerier mood, sat down beside me.
Her earlier lack of enthusiasm had completely changed, and now she was so cute.
I couldn’t help but think that money truly has great power, but I decided to ask her about the currency system.
The silver coin I had received from the king turned out to be a silver coin, worth about 1,000 Mani.
There were other coins in circulation in the country, too. The value of the coins was as follows: a bronze coin was worth 10 yen, a copper coin was 100 yen, a silver coin was 1,000 yen, a gold coin was 10,000 yen, a big gold coin was 100,000 yen, and a black gold coin was worth 1 million yen. It seemed that a decimal system was used.
By the way, an average commoner needed about three gold coins to live for a month.
Despite that, I had been given thirty silver coins, which was equivalent to three gold coins.
Not much! If I don’t do anything, I’ll only be able to live for a month!
Though one might think a month’s worth of living expenses is enough time to get on my feet, I didn’t have a home to return to. I’d be starting from scratch, so I would need a lot of things. They could have given me about twenty gold coins, right?
I wanted to complain, but now that I had already left the castle, there was no point. Even if I had wanted to voice my frustration right after leaving, the knight who saw me off had a spear.
It was me who decided to leave, but still, they summoned me and treated me this way.
That king really isn’t a decent person.
"I heard the Kingdom of Othelonia is at war with the neighboring Demon Kingdom. Is that true?"
Since I was reminded of the king, I decided to casually ask about the state of the country as well.
Indeed, while it’s true that the demon race had declared war on them, it seemed that the conflicts were nothing more than small skirmishes happening several times a year. There hadn’t been any large-scale wars. Apparently, the new Demon Lord was quite reluctant about war and had no intention of engaging in any major battles, according to the citizens.
At present, it seemed that the relationship with the beastmen’s country, Beastus, was far worse, and tensions were high. There were even rumors that a war might break out there first.
...The king was lying through his teeth.
The Demon Kingdom hadn’t attacked them at all, and the only conflicts they had were the small skirmishes initiated by the kingdom. No wonder the king and his family had no sense of urgency.
As for the deterioration of relations with Beastus, it seemed the nobles of the Kingdom of Osthenia had enslaved beastmen for the purpose of keeping them as pets, which had escalated into an international issue. They were reaping what they had sown. It was no surprise that the beastmen of Beastus were furious.
The royalty, as well as the nobles, were utterly unreliable.
Living in this country, you would never know what kind of excuses they would come up with to get involved with you.
It was becoming clear that leaving this country as soon as possible would be the best option.
Having gathered some information from the female employee, I had already decided to leave this country.
As I continued to gather more information, I suddenly realized the sky had turned a deep crimson.
Even though I had been served additional drinks and food, I felt bad about staying any longer. Plus, I had to find a place to stay for the night.
"Excuse me, could you recommend a good inn? Preferably one with enough space for a carriage or something like that?"
"Well, if you go straight down this street, there’s an inn just up ahead. They should have enough space to park a carriage."
"Thank you, I really appreciate it."
I thanked the female employee and left the tavern.
Following her directions, I walked straight down the street for a while and came across a two-story building.
Behind the inn, there was space for parking carriages and a stable for horses, offering more than enough land.
It seemed like the perfect place to check my unique skill.
"Welcome. We offer a simple stay for eight copper coins per night."
“Then I’ll take a room for the night.”
I entered the inn and paid the owner at the counter in copper coins.
"Please write your name in the guestbook."
He handed me a piece of paper and a pen, and I froze for a moment.
"Would you like me to write it for you?"
"No, I can write it myself."
I picked up the pen and smoothly wrote my name in the language of this world.
It seemed that the [Otherworld Language] skill also applied to writing.
It was strange that I could write fluently in a language I hadn’t learned, as if I had been using it for years.
Once I wrote my name in the guestbook, the owner handed me a key with a room number.
I went upstairs and unlocked the door to my assigned room.
Inside, there was a single bed, a table, and a chair—basic but adequate furniture.
Though the room was simple, it was clean, and the bed was spotless.
I was grateful to the female employee for recommending this place.
“Alright, let’s check my unique skill.”
After lying down on the bed to rest and gather my energy, I left the room.
I went around to the back of the inn and made sure there was no one around.
I had a rough idea of how to use my unique skill.
All I had to do was think about the vehicle I wanted to summon and speak the words.
Naturally, I was thinking of the white camper van based on a Hiace Wagon GL model. My beloved vehicle, which I had been separated from when I was summoned to this world, was the one I wanted to bring back.
"Vehicle Summon!"
I activated my unique skill while vividly picturing my beloved camper van.
The moment I did, a massive impact like something heavy falling struck the ground, and the force of the wind was so strong that I instinctively raised my arms to shield my face. When the gusts subsided, I slowly lowered my arms and opened my eyes. There it was—the camper van I had longed for!
"Wooooooh! Yes! It’s my camper van!"
I was so overjoyed at being able to summon my camper van that I couldn’t help but shout in excitement.
Having been torn away from it so cruelly, the joy of reuniting was beyond words.
I instinctively pressed myself against the vehicle, hugging it tightly.
I pressed my cheek against the vehicle and took deep breaths, inhaling deeply, one after another.
"The cool, smooth surface of the vehicle and its distinct scent—there’s no doubt about it, this is my 'TR550L Bolero V-max' camper van that I bought in Japan!"
Ever since I first saw my unique skill, I had a feeling this might happen, but I never actually expected to be able to summon my camper van.
I couldn’t help but savor the joy, and I took another look at the camper van.
When I opened the door, the luxurious interior, reminiscent of a hotel room, immediately came into view.
The furniture was predominantly off-white, and the interior of the vehicle had a very bright, welcoming feel.
In the center, an L-shaped lounge sofa was set up, allowing me to relax like I would in a living room. The table was large enough to comfortably set dishes for two, with plenty of space.
On the right side, there was a built-in two-burner stove in the kitchen.
The countertop was made of heat-resistant glass, which could double as counter space when the stove wasn’t in use.
Underneath the sink, there was a large refrigerator, and above the kitchen, there was a microwave oven.
At the rear was a permanent bed with a vertical layout, which was quite rare in a camper van.
The bed was spacious enough for two adults to sleep comfortably—measuring 1850mm long by 1200mm wide.
Additionally, in the center between the rear side and the bed space, there was a fully equipped toilet and shower room.
"The layout is exactly the same as the one I used!"
After thoroughly inspecting the interior, I confirmed that it was identical to the one I had in Japan.
The clothes in the closet, the spices and instant foods stored in the racks, everything was exactly as I left it.
When I turned on the faucet, water flowed, and when I pressed the power button, the lights came on.
Incredible. Vehicle Summon.
"...Now, I just need to make sure I can actually drive this thing."
I climbed into the driver’s seat, inserted the key, and the engine started up without any trouble.
I gently pressed the pedal, and the camper van moved forward slowly.
Satisfied with the test, I immediately pressed the brake and turned off the engine.
"It really works!"
When I got out of the driver's seat, I couldn't help but shout out in joy.
"So, that means I can drive my camper van in this world too, huh?"
I had been summoned to this confusing, unknown world as part of some hero summoning, and had been at a loss. But if I could freely use my camper van, then there was no problem.
It didn’t matter whether I was in Japan or in another world—I was going to do the same thing.
I’d be traveling around, carefree, in my camper van.
"As much as I’d love to just leave the country in my camper van right now, I’ve already booked a room, and I had a beer earlier today..."
I wasn’t so weak that I’d get drunk off one beer, of course.
This wasn’t the strict legal environment of Japan; it was an alternate world. No one would care if I drove under the influence here, and there was no one to enforce the law.
But my sense of ethics from Japan was still getting in the way.
I didn’t want to take my first step into this world while feeling guilty.
"I’ll leave the country first thing in the morning."
If I stayed in the town too long, there was a chance the king’s mood could change, and I could get dragged into something troublesome.
"Now, what should I do with the camper van?"
Walking around the town, I realized there were no cars in this medieval European-like world.
Even though it was behind the inn, if I left it out for too long, it would surely stand out too much.
As I thought about where I could store it, I instinctively understood that it was possible.
"Vehicle Storage."
I spoke the words, and a black vortex appeared in the empty space, swallowing the camper van into it.
It seemed that my unique skill allowed me to summon and return the vehicle at will.
This was incredibly convenient.
"Alright, time to head to bed."
With the camper van storage issue solved, I returned to the inn, ready to get some sleep and prepare for tomorrow.
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