Ronin From Another World

I felt my hand starting to recover.

I ate the porridge, which had almost cooled down. It turned out to be quite tasty. The broth was savory and had soaked into the chicken pieces nicely.

After all the terrifying events I had just experienced, I could finally breathe a little here. I was still curious about Mr. Roger, whom Flora had mentioned earlier. Who was he, daring to drive away the guard of Alphenia?

I began to feel my body returning to normal. My legs could move again, and the wounds I had received were no longer as painful.

Slowly, I walked toward the door and opened it.

I was utterly amazed by the breathtaking view before me. A vast expanse of green grass stretched out into the distance. Old-style houses, resembling huts but slightly larger and more aesthetically pleasing, were spaced fairly far apart from one another. I could see Flora talking to an older woman, likely her mother.

I could see Flora waving her hand as if calling me over. I descended the small stairs and walked slowly toward her.

“Mother, the hero from another world we’ve been caring for is named Rei.”

I can’t believe you actually said that to your mother. I bowed slightly to show respect and gratitude.

“Thank you for taking care of me while I was unconscious. I truly owe you all.”

I could see Flora’s mother smiling kindly. She gently patted my shoulder.

“I’m glad you’re healthy again.”

He is truly a kind person. He reminds me of Nariyama-san. He is very different from his daughter. I don't know if Flora is too sensitive or what, but she seems to have noticed my gaze.

“Your gaze is still annoying. Mom, this man called me a dog earlier...”

My hand reflexively covered her mouth, which was about to blurt something out.

“Hahaha, it turns out you two are already close.”

“Not at all.”

We both answered at the same time.

“Yes, yes. Rei, welcome to Green Valley Village. Flora, I want you to show Rei around the village, okay?”

“Huh? Why me, Mom?”

Flora didn't seem happy with the task. Yes, I'd rather go around by myself if I could. Flora’s mother went back inside the house.

Reluctantly, Flora walked ahead and warned me to stay close.

“Stay by my side. Don’t get lost here and cause me more trouble.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll follow you closely.”

Along the way, we met many villagers who greeted us with smiles. I thought the villagers were very friendly. We walked to the market, to the fields, until Flora led me to a place that was very familiar to me. A fairly large place with a red gate in front of it. This was clearly a temple.

“Flora, is this place a temple?”

“Oh, how did you know that? I was planning to boast about explaining it to you.”

It was surprising for me to see a Japanese shrine in this world.

“Did this place also exist in your previous world?”

“Yes...”

“Don't just stand there, let's go up.”

I followed Flora up the stairs. It wasn't very high, but it wasn't low either.

When we reached the top, I saw an old Japanese-style building.

"This place has been here for hundreds of years. I don’t know who built it. Sometimes the villagers also pray here.”

“Can we go inside?”

“Of course, this place is open to the public, but don’t touch the objects inside. They say that if you touch something inside, you’ll have bad luck.”

“Alright, I won’t touch anything.”

We both entered the old building, and sure enough, I saw many Japanese-style objects that I recognized, and the most intriguing one was at the far end of where I was standing. It was a katana.

I had seen a katana belonging to a samurai from the past in a history book I studied at the library, and I was certain that the katana in front of me was one of them.

“Flora, do you know any stories about this place?”

“Hmm… let me think for a moment.”

She thought deeply—did she know nothing about this place at all? After a long silence, Flora snapped her fingers.

“Oh, I remember! This is a story my grandfather used to tell me before bed when I was a child.”

Flora began to recount what she remembered, and this is roughly what she said: Hundreds of years ago, uncontrollable monsters began attacking humans, destroying many villages and causing widespread casualties. In those difficult times, crime rates also skyrocketed. People began to lose hope, until one day a mysterious man appeared. He wore strange clothing, and when he arrived in a village, many monsters and criminals were killed by his hands. Though he seemed ruthless, he never harmed the weak and never demanded money or any reward for killing monsters and criminals. At that time, a young child desperately wanted to thank him and mustered the courage to ask the mysterious man’s name. He smiled and replied, calling himself a ronin.

“Miyamoto Musashi.”

Flora was startled when I said that name.

“How did you know?”

“I told you, I’m not from this world. Miyamoto Musashi was a great swordsman in the world I came from.”

I pointed to the katana.

“That’s a Kaneshige Koshirae. One of the weapons used by Miyamoto Musashi.”

“Wait a minute, how is it possible for someone from another world to be here? I really don’t understand.”

Flora looked confused now. Well... I was confused too, actually.

“As I said before, I was summoned to this world by the kingdom of Alphenia, because when I realized I was in their place, but I didn't know how they brought me to this world.”

“Huh... really. What exactly is that rotten kingdom planning?”

Flora sighed deeply.

I felt there was a clue here, so I walked toward the katana. As I tried to touch it, Flora pulled me back. She looked angry.

“I told you not to touch anything!”

“But I’ve already explained everything to you.”

“If it’s not allowed, it’s not allowed! Don’t make me have to slap your forehead again.”

For some reason, Flora seemed genuinely angry at that moment. Well, at least I found a little clue.

“Alright, I won’t touch it.”

“There you go. For now, let’s meet Mr. Roger first and ask him. He’s one of the longest-living people in this village. Maybe you’ll find more clues. Wait, why are you smiling?”

Without realizing it, I was smiling. Maybe because Flora was worried and wanted to help me with the matter related to my arrival in this world. I hope I’ll continue to meet kind people like Flora and the villagers here from now on.

“Let’s go meet Mr. Roger right away.”