Volume 5 Chapter 10 Professor Burnstein
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
According to Mr. Raoh, the summoned Hero known as the Professor is unusually not Japanese. He seems to have little interest in combat and mostly stays in the royal capital, conducting various researches.
”Is he the type of person with internal affairs cheat abilities?”
”Well, yes, but it’s better not to call it a cheat when talking to foreigners.”
Well, cheat means foul play, after all. I wouldn’t feel good if someone said I was cheating, so I should be careful.
”The Professor once succeeded in salmon farming. Two years ago, this shop even held a grand salted salmon festival.”
Just hearing the word salted salmon made my mouth water. I really want to eat a salty salmon rice ball.
”Can’t we eat salmon now?”
”I don’t know the details, but it seems something went wrong. I haven’t seen salted salmon recently.”
It’s a shame we can’t eat salmon, but… as long as I can get chicken eggs, it’s fine. If Ms. Nina recovers safely, it would be nice to go on a journey to find salmon together.
* * *
I was given detailed instructions on the Professor’s residence and even a simple map, but in the end, Mr. Raoh offered to guide me.
He must be a kind person. There’s also a high chance he’s just bored, but it’s not good to think that way after receiving his help.
Even after we went out into the street, Mr. Raoh would immediately go into thug mode and try to pick fights with new Heroes, which was troublesome. Maybe this person really is just bored.
Then again, suddenly, he would start watching a puppet show that had drawn a crowd. The puppet troupe’s leader had a long beard and looked quite professor-like, but the location I heard about should still be a bit further ahead.
”Is that person the Professor?”
”What are you talking about? That man is the greatest puppeteer in the royal capital. The new Hero story he’s performing now is incredibly interesting. It’s about a Hero who risked his life to deliver medicine to a village head’s daughter, only to be treated horribly by the ungrateful village head. Want to watch for a bit?”
This sounds like a story I’ve heard somewhere. Well, in this world’s story, a rich village head is always in the villain position. In the end, Seigi will win, and it will be a happy ending, but it’s a bit of a plain story for the final boss to be the village head.
More importantly, we need to hurry, the day is already starting to set. I tear the whining Mr. Raoh away from his puppet show and hurry on.
Mr. Raoh, despite being an adult, acts childish. Could it be that he’s actually trying to make me anxious and enjoying my reaction?
* * *
As we enter the back alley, the atmosphere of the town/street changes. The smell is because the sewage system isn’t working, but what’s more concerning is the hostile air surrounding us. Sharp eyes are watching us from the shadows.
”There’s nothing to be scared of. Even if a hundred of those guys come at us together, I’ll just roll them up and toss them aside. The truth is, I’m ridiculously strong.”
You can tell Mr. Raoh is strong just by watching how he walks, but I wish he wouldn’t provoke the surroundings unnecessarily. It’s not good to make enemies with anyone, no matter how weak they are. If you become arrogant, you’ll get your feet swept out from under you when you least expect it.
”I can see it, that’s it.”
I thought so. The building in front of us stands out like a sore thumb in the slums. It looks like something that could be in the middle of Tokyo, a concrete building. There’s a pretty strong barrier around it, so sneaking in will probably be difficult.
”Land here is cheap. If you tear down the surroundings, you can expand as much as you like.”
Even if it’s a Hero doing a malicious land grab. Even if the land was bought legally from the landlord, paying money for it, if you do something like that, it’s inevitable that the residents who were there before will resent you.
”I don’t care, they’re just drifters who moved in on their own. I’ll use justice’s strength to kick out those who are illegally occupying with violence.”
What a suspicious justice.
Since he lives in such a grand building, the person called ‘Professor’ must be doing quite well financially.
In this world, single-story houses are the norm, and it costs quite a bit in taxes to build 2 stories. Even so, the houses that are built with 2 stories are thought to be showing off wealth. Three stories or more are limited to nobles and the very rich. The tower of the palace that can be seen from here is probably 5 stories? Including the small watchtower on top, maybe 6 stories. Well, the king is on the side that receives taxes, so it’s not a problem for him.
Mr. Zenom’s attic room counts as 3 stories, but since he’s a dwarf, he probably doesn’t pay taxes. I don’t know the details of the law, but dwarves are a favored race in this world. There are no tax collectors who would try to collect taxes from dwarves.
Losing a skilled dwarf craftsman would be a significant loss in itself. Lords and royalty are desperate to please dwarves, so if a tax collector were to anger a dwarf, their head might literally fly off.
The palace of the dwarf king, said to be far to the north, is rumored to be a supermassive building. Someday I want to see it with my own eyes.
* * *
”Can you read this?”
The sign that Mr. Raoh pointed to is written in kanji as “Daisenso (Great Mountain Villa).” Maybe it’s a large mansion?
”Well, everyone calls it Professor’s place, so it’s fine.”
This house is too big to live in alone, could “Daishanzō” mean apartment complex?
Mr. Raoh casually walks deeper into the house as if it were someone else’s. The long corridor is lined with several entrances, it really does seem like an apartment complex.
”Professor, is it here──”
Mr. Raoh bangs on the door at the end of the corridor.
”I thought it was you, please be quiet”
The person who appeared was a small, elderly man with white hair. His large round face, covered with fine wrinkles, is impressive.
”Oh, this guy isn’t the professor. It’s the local butler, Sebastian.”
”Please do not give me a nickname. I am called Dogor.”
”Don’t worry about the details. It’s been decided since long ago that the butler’s name is Sebastian.”
Don’t say nonsense and let me meet the professor quickly.
”Was the noise Mr. Raoh? It’s been a while.”
This time it is likely the professor, a middle-aged man wearing a white coat. He is quite tall. With salt-and-pepper hair and aquiline nose. The small eyes peering from deep eye sockets are like clear amber, sparkling like small children.
”My name is King Pakkyamara, you know. And this one is the legendary chef, Delicious Ito.”
”No, it is not. Nice to meet you, I am Amada Saburou.”
”Nice to meet you too, I am glad to meet you. I am Kurt Bernstein. I came from Prague.”
I wonder where Prague is? I have heard of it, probably somewhere in Europe.
”When I was summoned, I happened to be in Tokyo for work. It seems that the summoning has some geographic conditions.”
The professor pointed to a panel leaning in the corner of the room. Many pins are stuck in the Japanese map, apparently the place where the summoned person was originally from. It is roughly circled around the Kanto region, with pins in Nagano and Tochigi areas, so it is quite wide. The center of the pin distribution seems to be around Mount Fuji, but upon closer look, it appears a bit further north.
”I thought there were many Japanese summoned heroes, but I did not expect it was simply due to geographic conditions.”
The professor handed me the panel, and I also pinned a spot around my house.He is quite a creative person, it seems he also has strength to act on his ideas.
”It seems that the summons from Japan have been happening for about ten years. Before that, most cases involved abductions from around New Mexico.”
Abduction. Yes, exactly, summoning is like abduction. Is New Mexico somewhere in South America? Honestly, I am not good at geography.
”Your gender… it doesn’t need to be checked, of course you are male.”
The professor is writing something about me in a notebook. It seems he is collecting statistics about summoned heroes.
”By the way, I haven’t seen female heroes, have I?”
”I think it is filtered on the mental side. If you consider heroes as fighting tools, then the aggressive (powerful) combat impulse that males have is essential, wouldn’t you say? By the way, what is your religion?”
By the way, what religion does our family have? I remember being taken to my mother’s grandfather’s Buddhist funeral several times, so it must be Buddhism, but there’s also a kamidana on the slant above my family’s Buddhist altar.
”I think it’s Buddhism, but is that important?”
”I’m a bit curious. Every person who has been summoned, without exception, believes in polytheism, including me.”
Probably because there are many gods in this world. I never really cared about such things before, but for a devout monotheist, this world must be quite harsh, right? Even the people at the Hero Management Bureau wouldn’t want to have a religious war with the summoned Hero.
In that sense, summoning Japanese people makes sense. I may not be very religious, but I respect any god.
”Next, did you wish to be summoned to another world on a daily basis?”
Well, I don’t think I ever really thought about it. Reading fantasy novels with such content is fun, but normally, no one would actually want to go to another world.
”The mental filtering is an important point. It seems that people who really didn’t want to come to this world haven’t been summoned.”
Well, I wonder about that? I didn’t think it was better to die than to be summoned, but…
”The people who got caught by that filtering, did they end up not being summoned?”
”Maybe, or perhaps the excluded people disappear in the gap between worlds. We have no way of knowing that.”
The professor sighs and closes his notebook. Talking about disappearing due to summoning failure, that’s a scary thing to say now.
I was about to ask the professor a question, but Mr. Raoh, who seemed bored, couldn’t hold back and butted in.
”Hey professor, isn’t that enough for greetings when we first meet? Isn’t it nice to see me again? It’s been a while since the salted salmon party, hasn’t it?”
”Ah, that can be considered a close relative of Atlantic salmon. After spawning, it returns to the sea without dying, so it grows larger than Earth’s, but in terms of the ecology of salmonidae fish…”
”Anyway, details don’t matter. That fish does taste like salmon properly, that’s the important part I think. It’s unfortunate that the farming seems to have failed.”
”I have not failed anything. It is the downstream country that overharvests adult fish returning to spawn. Thoroughly, leaving not a single one. This is completely beyond my control.”
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📝 Chapter Review
* What happens? (Summary)
The chapter follows the protagonist and Mr. Raoh as they navigate the royal capital in search of the Professor, a non-combatant Hero known for his research. They discuss the Professor’s past achievements, including a successful salmon farming venture that eventually failed. Mr. Raoh guides the protagonist through the city, where they encounter a puppet show and navigate a rough part of town. They finally reach the Professor’s residence, a modern concrete building in the slums, protected by a strong barrier. Inside, they meet the Professor, who is conducting research on summoned Heroes, and they have a conversation about summoning, geography, and the mental filtering process.
* Did it feel too slow, too fast, or just right?
The pacing felt just right. The chapter provided enough detail to set the scene and introduced the characters and their backgrounds without dragging.
* Were the characters interesting and easy to tell apart?
The characters were interesting, but their personalities and roles could be more distinct. The Professor’s character stood out the most due to his unique position and research.
* Did the world feel real and understandable in one chapter, assuming it has much more?
The world was somewhat understandable, but more context would be needed to fully grasp the fantasy elements and the societal structure.
* Was any part confusing or hard to follow?
The transition from the puppet show to the Professor’s residence was a bit abrupt. Also, the mix of Japanese and English in the text could be confusing for some readers.
* Conflict & Stakes: Identify the main conflict(s) in the chapter. Are the stakes high and clearly established? Does tension rise naturally?
The main conflict seems to be the protagonist’s quest to meet the Professor and understand the summoning process. The stakes are not immediately high but are more intellectual and curiosity-driven. The tension rises naturally as they navigate through the city.
* What was good? (Pick 2–3 things)
1. The detailed description of the city and the Professor’s residence.
2. The conversation about summoning and the mental filtering process.
3. The Professor’s research and his insights into the Heroes’ backgrounds.
* What could be better? (Pick 1–2 things)
1. More distinct character development to make them easier to differentiate.
2. A clearer explanation of the world’s fantasy elements and societal rules.
* Line Notes: Flag specific sentences or passages for clarity, grammar, or standout moments.
- “This sounds like a story I’ve heard somewhere. Well, in this world’s story, a rich village head is always in the villain position.” (Standout moment highlighting the protagonist’s awareness of story tropes.)
- “I wonder where Prague is? I have heard of it, probably somewhere in Europe.” (Could be confusing for readers, as the protagonist should know where Prague is if they are from our world.)
* Is there a mix of alphabet and Japanese or Chinese?
Yes, there is a mix of English and Japanese text throughout the chapter.
📎 Character Notes (Footnotes)
- Mr. Raoh — A character who guides the protagonist through the royal capital; seems to be well-connected and knowledgeable about the city and its inhabitants.
- Professor Bernstein (Kurt Bernstein) — A non-combatant Hero from Prague, known for his research and intellectual pursuits; has a background in salmon farming and is currently studying the summoning process.
- Sebastian (Dogor) — The butler at the Professor’s residence, though he prefers his actual name, Dogor.
- Mr. Raoh (King Pakkyamara) — A character who accompanies the protagonist and Mr. Raoh; seems to have a casual relationship with the Professor and is interested in the Professor’s past ventures, such as the salmon farming.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
Thanks for reading.
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