Volume 1 Chapter 20 Before the Banquet
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
”Wake up, sir. We’ve reached the end of the line.”
It was freezing. I forced my eyes open to find all the doors on one side of the train car standing wide open. (What the hell… hurry up and close them so we can get moving.)
”Customer, it’s the final stop.”
A young man in a railway uniform was calling out to me.
”The end…?”
I looked out. Was this Himeji or Aboshi? Either way, it was pitch black outside.
”That’s right. You’re in Yasu.”
Crap. I was supposed to be on the Kobe Line heading downstream from Sannomiya. I must have looped back at Himeji or Aboshi, left Hyogo Prefecture, blown past Osaka and Kyoto, and ended up all the way in Shiga Prefecture. It was the classic Special Rapid¹ nightmare. I’d really screwed the pooch.
I woke up in a cold sweat.
The train was gone. I was in my bed, in the room I shared with my brother, under the dim, flickering glow of magic lamps.
I’d been reincarnated into this world without even realizing it. I wasn’t sure if I was possessing this boy or if I was some kind of parasite subletting his personality. The how was still a mystery. It wasn’t like I was conscious all the time, either.
At first, I only surfaced when the kid went through a major mental shock. Even then, I was just a passenger, sharing his sight, hearing, and touch. I couldn’t control his movements back then. But once he hit ten and started learning magic, I began to wake up whenever he tapped into his power.
I can’t say exactly when our memories started merging. Now, when I see a villager, their name and our history together flow into my mind as if they were my own. It seems my knowledge from the old world leaks into his memories, too. We don’t share everything, though. Sometimes I have to consciously open a drawer in his head to find something specific. But as our synchronization deepens, I’ve started receiving information almost subconsciously.
For a while, I worried my personality would be swallowed by his, but looking at how things have gone, that seems like a groundless fear. One day, the boy just gave up. He turned his back on reality-I call it Autism mode² after an anime quote, though it’s nothing like actual psychiatry-and when he checked out, he handed me the keys to his body.
Since then, I’ve taken control occasionally. Usually, it didn’t last long-sometimes just a fleeting moment.
And then there was this time. Larry Fee had entered Autism mode at the Bours’ house, and I’d been in control ever since. Even after sleeping and waking, I was still here. He’s supposed to be able to toggle this state on and off at will, but he hasn’t come back yet.
”Young master, are you awake?”
Head Maid Herta was sitting on the edge of Hans-niisan’s bed. She asked if I was alright, but my head was so foggy I couldn’t even manage a reply.
”Ah, forgive me. Since you’ve already had your coming-of-age ceremony, I should say Larry-sama.”
Right, the ceremony. (Don’t tell me I actually went through the Rite of Passage with Herta.)
I sat up and threw off the blankets, but I was still fully dressed. There were no traces of… anything.
”Oh, honestly! It wasn’t that kind of coming-of-age ceremony,” Herta said. She let out a peal of laughter, her large chest swaying. She told me to wait a moment and hurried out. Immediately after, Sister-in-law walked in.
”Are you okay?” Sister-in-law said.
”Yes. Now that I think about it, I was talking to you and then I just got sleepy…” I replied, trying to shake the cobwebs loose.
”That’s a relief,” said Sister-in-law.
”Wait… how much time has passed?”
”About an hour, I think. How do you feel?”
An hour? I couldn’t have made it to Yasu in an hour, but it felt like I’d been dead to the world. Still, what was that dream? I tested my limbs. I wasn’t dizzy, and my hands and feet seemed fine. I balled my fists and released them; no issues.
”I seem to be fine,” I said.
”Good,” replied Sister-in-law.
”What were we talking about again?”
”I wonder what it was?” she said with a smile. I got the feeling she was intentionally avoiding my gaze.
”Right, I heard Nico’s voice. Something about necessity…”
”Was that it?” Sister-in-law said, her smile never wavering. “Oh, I know. I was talking about how I used to admire the girls at the magic school.”
It felt like she was trying to avoid the topic of my collapse.
”When I was a child, they told me I had a bit of magical talent. I begged my father until he hired Henrietta-san, a research student from the academy, to be my tutor,” she continued.
She kept talking, even though I hadn’t pushed. It was clear that her life back at her family home, where she was still the pampered daughter, was a precious memory. She narrowed her eyes happily as she spoke.
”She was slender, but she had a chest as big as Herta’s. And she loved that Gothic Lolita style that was popular back then. Even in the height of summer, she’d wear those long sleeves with the high black collars. When I asked if she wasn’t hot, she’d just say, ‘Fashion is about endurance.’ Isn’t that ridiculous?”
Sister-in-law clearly adored that tutor. Since the tutor researched simple-type magic and small Golems, she was a great match for Sister-in-law, who couldn’t handle complex mana structures. She even learned Dwarf-style Kumite-a sort of mana-circulating warm-up-from her. But eventually, her mother ordered her to prioritize literacy, math, and etiquette over magic, and her progress stalled.
”Then the plague hit, and Teacher Henrietta couldn’t come anymore. I never reached Level 2, which was the admission standard for the academy. But thanks to that, I was blessed with Lyrica and Maria, and I got to meet you, Larry. It wasn’t all bad,” Sister-in-law said.
She was trying to be positive, but I bet she still dreams about it deep down.
”Wait,” I interrupted. “What do you mean by Level?”
”The mage rankings. They go from Level 0 to Level 5,” she explained.
(Level 5? As in, there are only seven of them? Railguns and Mental Outs?) Come to think of it, magic in this world didn’t use incantations or circles. No gods or Buddha involved. In a light novel world, this would be called esper powers, not magic.
”Is Level 5 like… a psychic who can take on an entire army alone?” I blurted out, fueled by my weird knowledge.
”What in the world are you talking about? Level 5 is more like a title given for achievements rather than raw power. There’s actually only one right now: the adventurer and agronomist, Sage Marquis Sabaski,” she said.
”An… ad-adventurer?! You have Guilds here?!”
The ultimate isekai staple! My heart was racing.
”Larry, are you okay? You’re acting very strange,” Sister-in-law said.
I managed to suppress my excitement with sheer willpower. “Sorry. I got a little carried away.”
She explained that adventurers in this world were just explorers. Marquis Sabaski had explored an unknown continent to the west and brought back a ton of new crops.
So that’s why the Master is selling potato seeds, I realized. If that Level 5 guy is a fellow reincarnator, he’s probably trying to kickstart an agricultural revolution.
”What’s wrong?” she asked.
”Nothing. So, is there an Adventurer’s Guild?” I asked, more calmly this time.
She told me that while guilds existed-for blacksmiths, apothecaries, and librarians-they were just professional unions meant to protect trade secrets. There was no such thing as a guild for explorers.
For the record, Level 1 was enough to help with daily life-lighting a candle, charging a mana-battery, or treating a stiff shoulder. Level 2 was strictly defined by ability, like being able to melt iron with a fireball. Level 0 was just like the stories; they were called the Powerless.
”Sister-in-law… you still really want to go to that school, don’t you?”
”I wouldn’t say that… well, I’d like to say that, but if it were permitted, I would have loved to go,” she admitted.
She knew so much about magic, and her expression was like a young girl’s. Even with the plague, what must it have been like to give up on her dreams and move away for an arranged marriage at fifteen?
”Don’t get the wrong idea. Iffens’ death was a tragedy, but I don’t regret marrying into this house. I love my children. Even if this place is a bit too much of a ‘country bumpkin’ town for my tastes,” she added with a smirk.
That last part was the real truth slipping out. She was a strong woman. Even if her lack of regret was a lie, the fact that she could say it so firmly meant she was a powerhouse.
”So,” Sister-in-law said, suddenly straightening her posture. “Do you have the intention to succeed as the Village Head?”
(That’s something you should ask the ‘real’ Larry,) I thought. (I’m the kind of guy who shouldn’t be responsible for someone else’s life.)
”Do I… have to answer that right now?” I asked, trying to dodge.
”I want you to take the position, Larry,” she said. Her voice was sharp. My heart rate spiked. (Larry, it’s your turn! Wake up!) I screamed in my head, but his spirit didn’t move an inch.
(Is it really okay for me to decide his life?)
”Do you understand why I put out a gold coin at the Bours’ house?” she asked.
Ah!
Sister-in-law had bet a gold coin on herself in the wager over who would be Larry’s partner for the Rite of Passage. It was a bluff, and she took it back later, but it was equivalent to her saying she would be the one to do it. For the widow of the former Village Head to share a bed with the younger brother was a statement. It was a declaration of protection. And she wasn’t the kind of person you could just use and toss away.
When I said “It’s obviously going to be Sister-in-law” back there, it was the same as saying I would become the Village Head.
I’d really messed up. I hadn’t been thinking things through. But there was no use regretting it now. Sister-in-law was looking at me with a kind gaze.
”Sister-in-law… did Granny Ferris tell you something about…?”
I was ready to tell her. I was going to tell her I was a parasite in her brother-in-law’s head. But before I could get to the main point-
”Did you know about the medicine?” she asked.
”Medicine?”
”I’m sorry. I’m a woman too, Larry… and I just really wanted to hear your true feelings,” she said.
(Wait. I didn’t collapse because I was tired? I was drugged?) I was just about to have a deep, honest moment, and she drops this? But when she said “I’m a woman too,” my heart gave a very inconvenient thud.
”Give it to them bit by bit. Once they start yawning, they’re as good as under. The medicine suppresses their reason, so you can drag their true feelings right out of them.”
What a terrifying woman. Was she really trying to turn a sedative into a truth serum? I told her she couldn’t do that; you don’t just go spiking someone’s ale with that kind of junk.
My sister-in-law offered a playful apology, looking for all the world like she’d just pulled a harmless prank. I wondered if this was just the way of this other world, or if it was just her. Well, I suppose I’ll let it slide on the “I’m a woman too” plea. I’m just an old man at heart, after all. Still, I made sure to press the point: she was never to do it again.
”Um, do you really think I can handle being the Village Head?”
(Larry, listen to me. We’re moving forward on the assumption that you’re taking the job-which means the Rite of Passage with your sister-in-law is a done deal.)
”That’s the problem, isn’t it? You and I… we’re both still teenagers.”
I keep forgetting. Even though she’s already birthed two children, the woman is only nineteen. With how bold her actions are, she doesn’t look-or act-anywhere near that young.
”Grete-san³ is coming, too,” she said. “It’ll work out, I’m sure of it. Actually, we can just have her shoulder all the actual Village Head duties for you.”
I couldn’t help but feel she was being way too optimistic. Grete Briesemeister-san was Uncle Klaus’s mistress and a specialist in tax accounting. Sure, she’d be a help in that area, but a Village Head’s job also involves keeping the peace. Sometimes you have to crack heads to keep people in line. I looked at the woman beside me and wondered if relying on her-verbally, not physically-was really going to cut it.
We talked for a while longer until Nico came to fetch her. I couldn’t hear the specifics, but it sounded like the youngest was having a crying fit. She bid me goodnight and slipped out. I killed the magic lamps and lay there in the dark. Tomorrow night, the right move is definitely heading to Granny’s place. And I’d better bring plenty of coin. If it weren’t for Larry’s borderline-obsessive pining for his sister-in-law, I’d much rather just hold Emma-chan and kick this Village Head problem down the road.
As I closed my eyes, exhaustion finally hit me like a physical weight. The inheritance is Larry’s problem, I thought. I’m checking out. You handle it from here. I said it out loud: “I leave it to you.”
And yet, when I woke the next morning, I still had full control. The hand-off hadn’t happened. I sat up to the sound of a rooster’s crow. Time to take a dump, wash my face, and haul water. Larry’s memories surged up, providing the blueprints for my morning routine.
Even in “Autism mode,” the kid’s habits are hard-coded. I threw on my work clothes and made a break for the latrine. Racing down the stairs, I caught a glimpse of my sister-in-law breastfeeding Maria, just like any other morning. I offered a quick greeting and tried to vanish past her.
I reached for the knob of the first door, then recoiled. I knocked instead.
”Occupied!”
Nico’s voice. Close call. I pivoted and yanked open the door next to it, only to be met with a sharp squeal. Herta, the head maid, was mid-sit.
”My bad! My bad!” I slammed the door shut.
It’s not like seeing Herta’s lower half was new to me-I’d already seen the full monty under the moonlight. That’s the kind of intel Larry and I share quite well.
”Sorry, I’m just a little constipated today!” she shouted through the door. I did my best to ignore the TMI. While I was standing there debating my next move, I heard the rustle of fabric from Nico’s side. The door opened, and for a second, I expected a lecture.
”Good morning,” she said simply, walking past me as if I didn’t exist. I had a very bad feeling about that.
”Good morning, Young Master.”
When I got to the well, Egil, the head manservant, gave me a stiff, formal bow. The other men followed suit.
”What’s with the sudden change of heart?” I asked.
”Well, you’ve completed your coming-of-age ceremony,” Egil replied. “It’s only right that we treat you with proper respect.”
He had a point. And if I was going into management, I had to be firm. I flashed back to some bullshit corporate seminar from my previous life-don’t fraternize with the subordinates. Right. I’ll just channel my inner middle-manager. I was one once. Sort of.
”Young Master,” Niko, the former slave head, said as he approached. “For today’s celebration, we’ll need you to slaughter one pig and one sheep.”
I swallowed hard.
”The meat for the feast is the Young Master’s responsibility. It’s part of the ceremony,” said Niko.
So, the Rite of Passage included playing the butcher. I’d killed my share of mice, rats, and rabbits back in the lab during my student days, so I knew I could compartmentalize the gore.
But a pig? A sheep? That was a different league. Even after being promoted to Young Master, the water didn’t haul itself. Once my morning chores were done, I sat down to the usual rye bread and soup. Sister-in-law was her typical self, but Nico was strangely quiet. Meanwhile, that little devil Lyrica was bouncing off the walls, ecstatic that there’d be fresh meat for dinner.
With most of the men out in the mountains cutting wood for winter, the butchery fell to Niko and the maids. Since the women were still tied up with their morning rounds, I had a bit of downtime, so I went to check on Yutia.
”G-good… morning… Young… Master…”
”Morning, Yutia. So you’re calling me that now, too?”
Honestly, it stung a little. Since most people can’t understand her anyway, I’d hoped she’d stick to “Master” or “Larry-sama.” In the stables, a single ram sat in isolation. I recognized him-he’d come from another farm about a year after Yutia arrived to keep the bloodline from inbreeding. He was a small thing then, a weak eater. Yutia and I had spent weeks nursing him on goat’s milk. He was a veteran of the flock now.
I felt like garbage, but the decision was made. He’d been fasted since last night. As I got close, he started bleating, banging his head against the slats to beg for food. I noticed they’d already shorn the wool from his neck. I drove the rest of the flock to the fallow fields. By the time I got back, the maids were out in the yard with buckets and sharpened steel. Like Lyrica, they were all smiles, laughing about the feast to come.
The slaughter began in the corner of the yard. Niko led out a massive pig with a hood over its eyes. He was an uncastrated elder, the biggest of the lot. His time was up.
”Young Master, you know the drill,” Niko said, handing me a heavy iron bar. “Crack him right at the base of the skull. Kill him clean or knock him out cold. Once he’s down, we’ll hoist him up the scaffold and you can open his throat.”
I remembered Larry’s blurry memories of the Obernbach slaughterhouses. In his head, it was a factory line-hit them with a heavy lead pipe, string them up, and bleed them out. A fluid transformation from living animal to consumer product. It wasn’t much different back in my world. The pig couldn’t see, but he knew. He let out a low, mournful squeal, sounding more like a piglet crying for its mother than a full-grown hog. He tried to back out of the noose. I didn’t give him the chance. I swung the bar with everything I had.
”A little higher,” Niko coached.
I’d missed the sweet spot. The bar was heavier than it looked, and Larry’s teenage arms didn’t have the stability I wanted. The pig shrieked in agony, thrashing wildly. On the second swing, I found the mark.
The pig’s legs stiffened, and he went into a violent convulsion. We moved fast, binding his hind legs and winching him up the pulley. Following Niko’s lead, I stepped in close, almost hugging the beast as I drove a heavy machete into its neck. It was already brain-dead, but it shuddered one last time in my arms before the light went out.
The maids swarmed in. Once the blood was drained, they set to work with terrifying efficiency-beheading, gutting, and hauling the offal to the well. It wasn’t some solemn ritual about “taking a life.” It was just a job. They were gossiping and giggling as they worked. Finally, Niko hacked the carcass into manageable quarters, and the women carried the haul inside, grins plastered on their faces.
”Good job, Master,” said Yutia.
I blinked. She’d slipped back into calling me “Master.” I washed the blood from my hands at the well and stepped into the house.
”What are these?”
Two lumps of meat sat in a bowl on the big table, shaped like pods and covered in a thick white membrane. They were set apart from the rest of the organs.
”Pig balls,” Niko said with a lecherous grin. “One for Alberto-san, one for the Young Master. You’re gonna need the extra energy for tonight.”
Tonight? Was the Rite of Passage happening tonight? I thought Uncle said we were waiting until after the war. (Larry, you’d better wake the hell up. Because I’m about to jump your sister-in-law.) At the time, the thought didn’t even scare me.
Once the women finished the pork, we went back out for the sheep. Yutia led the ram to the blood-stained scaffold. He made a pathetic, sorrowful sound as I brought the bar down. I opened his shorn throat, and just like that, the animal I’d bottle-fed became mutton. He was smaller than the pig, and the work went quickly. Yutia watched the whole thing from a distance, her eyes unreadable.
After finishing the work, I was forced into another bath. This time, Yutia did the scrubbing instead of Nico. A wall had sprung up between us; the easy conversation we used to have was dead and buried.
Once I was dry, I changed into my brother’s old formal wear-the same outfit I’d worn to the Elders’ Council. I hitched Carpaccio to the carriage and drove my sister-in-law and the village elders to Alberto’s place. Even though I was just the driver, I somehow got pulled into the ceremony as an attendee.
To my surprise, Edmond-the bride’s brother-was running the show. The usually silent Al gave a speech in a halting, nervous voice. Granny Ferris performed a dance for the spirits, and we all took turns placing branches on the altar. Then came the bread. Al and his bride, Mary, each took a bite from the same loaf. The crowd erupted in applause.
Apparently, that made them man and wife. Granny said one last prayer, and the bride’s father gave the closing remarks. Al’s father sat in a reclined chair, beaming ear to ear as he watched his son finally make something of himself.
After the ceremony, we held a small dinner party. Granny Ferris, the village’s resident bookie for the “Who’s the next man to tie the knot” pool, handed Al his winnings. Across the room, the blacksmith Daniel-san—who managed the stakes for the women’s side—presented the “celebratory gift” to the bride, Mary.
The winners who had backed Al were Hans-niisan and Sheeta-san, Bours-san’s wife. Since Hans-niisan wasn’t around, I stepped in to collect his two gold coins and three silver coins. Surprisingly, the only person to correctly pick Mary-san was her own father, Jason-san. It was a classic father’s intuition, though the rest of the guys were hooting and hollering, half-joking that the whole thing was a fix.
The next round of betting kicked off almost before the first one ended. Al became the bookie for the men’s pool, while Sheeta-san handled the women’s stakes. From the local chatter, Larry was the heavy favorite for the bachelors, and Nico was the top pick for the ladies.
”Honestly, I’ve got a bad feeling this pool is going to go belly-up,” Sheeta-san muttered, her face twisting into a grimace.
I see. Since the sister-in-law had already given birth, her social standing was that of a concubine⁴. Nico, meanwhile, had been brought into the Fee family with the explicit duty of becoming Iffens-niisan’s legal wife. That explained why she’d been so subdued this morning. Larry really has his work cut out for him.
By the time I got back from Al’s wedding, exhaustion was weighing heavy on my bones. I made a beeline for my bed and found that the sheets had been laundered and the straw underneath replaced with a fresh, thick layer.
”Whoa, this actually feels like a bed.”
I wouldn’t go as far as to compare it to the comforts of my previous life, but there’s a certain simple joy in the smell of new straw and clean linens. I flopped down, ready to sink into a deep sleep until evening. Larry would probably be waking up right about now, too.
Just as I was drifting off, a sharp knock echoed against the door of our shared room, which had been left standing open. I propped myself up, rubbing the sleep from my eyes, and saw Nico standing there.
”Nico? Did you do the bed for me?”
”I did,” Nico replied.
The reserved girl from this morning was gone. She marched into the room with a focused intensity that set me on edge.
”What is this?” she asked, pinching a small object between her fingers.
It was a small loop of woven thread, about the size of a charm bracelet. To be precise, it was a ring Larry had fashioned out of the sister-in-law’s hair. He’s a dependable kid for the most part, but this particular fetish of his is something I’ll never understand. Nico’s gaze was ice-cold.
(Yeah, I can’t exactly blame her for the look…)
”I was, uh… thinking of using it as a good luck charm,” I lied, cooking up the first excuse that came to mind.
The ring actually contained strands from back when the sister-in-law wore her hair long—well before the baby was born—so there was zero chance Nico hadn’t seen right through my nonsense.
”In that case, take mine too,” she said.
Without waiting for a response, Nico reached back and untied her hair. She ran her fingers through it a few times, gathered several strands, and tied them firmly around the existing ring with her own hair.
”Thanks,” I muttered.
I took the ring from her, now a braided mix of the sister-in-law’s and Nico’s hair. As I looked up, I saw tears pooling in Nico’s eyes. Before I could even register my surprise, she turned and bolted from the room.
I’ll never understand the female heart. Still, Larry, you’re taking this with you when we head out tomorrow. I have no way to tell him directly, but I tucked the ring into the gap between the wooden frame and the straw, hoping he’ll catch the memory later.
Between that unsettling encounter and the heat of the afternoon, sleep never came. Evening arrived before I knew it.
I waited in the long shadow of the Village Head Tower alongside the guests of honor—Bours-san, Ed, and Celt. Out in the square, several bonfires had been lit. They’d even hauled out some iron lattice gates from the Tower’s dungeon to use as makeshift grill grates for a massive barbecue. As the crowd gathered and the center of the village began to buzz with life, an unexpected man stepped up to act as the master of ceremonies.
It was that eccentric Pastor, Dominique Dietrich.
—
Summary:
The narrator wakes up from a dream of his previous life’s commute to find he is still in full control of Larry’s body. His Sister-in-law presses him on whether he will succeed as the Village Head, revealing she bet on herself to be his ‘partner’. The chapter ends with the shocking revelation that she drugged him to hear his true feelings.
Larry navigates his first full day as the acknowledged ‘Young Master’ after his coming-of-age. The day is dominated by the visceral, blood-soaked task of slaughtering livestock for a wedding feast, serving as a grim metaphor for his own ‘Rite of Passage.’ The chapter culminates in a village wedding, setting the stage for Larry’s own imminent ritual tonight.
Following Al’s wedding, the village engages in communal betting over the next marriage. The narrator returns to their room to find a fresh bed made by Nico, leading to a strange and emotional exchange involving a hair ring. The evening concludes with a village-wide barbecue overseen by the eccentric Pastor Dominique.
—
Trivia:
- The protagonist’s past life involved commuting via the JR Special Rapid service in Kansai.
- The ‘Autism mode’ term is an otaku-slang reference, not a medical diagnosis.
- Sage Marquis Sabaski is the only Level 5 mage and appears to be a fellow reincarnator focusing on agriculture.
- The ‘Rite of Passage’ in this world’s culture has sexual connotations for succession.
- The Sister-in-law was only fifteen when she married into the family.
- Larry’s ‘old man’ soul is failing to hand back control to the original Larry soul.
- The ‘Rite of Passage’ with the Sister-in-law is culturally expected now that he is the Young Master.
- Yutia nursed the ram as a lamb, making its slaughter particularly heartbreaking for her.
- Pig testicles are considered a performance-enhancing food in this culture.
- The wedding ritual involves biting a shared loaf of bread, similar to San-san-kudo.
- The betting pool manages actual gold and silver currency, indicating significant village wealth or stakes.
- The ‘Village Head Tower’ has a dungeon, suggesting it was historically a defensive structure.
- The distinction between a concubine and a legal wife is based on childbirth status and family duty.
- The narrator possesses memories of a ‘previous life’, influencing their perception of comfort
—
Character Insight:
Sister-in-law reveals a more calculated and desperate side by using a drug to force a confession from Larry. She is mourning her lost dreams of magic while fighting to secure her family’s future through Larry.
Larry is forced to harden his heart, moving from a modern man’s revulsion at animal slaughter to a pragmatic village leader. His relationship with Yutia is chilling, reflecting his rising social status at the cost of personal intimacy.
Nico shows a shift from passive observation to aggressive emotional vulnerability, likely triggered by the pressure of her upcoming role as a legal wife.
—
Lore And Worldbuilding Context:
The author uses ‘Level 5’ as a meta-joke referring to the ‘A Certain Scientific Railgun’ series, where Level 5 espers are the peak of power.
The author uses the slaughterhouse imagery to juxtapose the ‘sanitized’ modern world with the raw necessity of a feudal agrarian society.
The author noted that the ‘Feast’ chapter was split because the plot required a slower build-up to the actual celebration.
—
Glossary:
Notes:
• Bours – Tall, scarred, in a faded Royal Army uniform, he is a former captain turned militia instructor, stern and short‑tempered, training village youth with archer precision, tactical Heal magic, orc‑hunting skill and wilderness survival. Married to Sheeta‑san, father of a son in the Imperial border division, heading for conscription.
• Larry – Fourteen‑year‑old third son of the Strock headman, with reddish‑white skin, bronze eyes and curly bronze hair, now hosts a 40‑year‑old former middle manager’s consciousness. He carries faint Showa memories, minor fire magic, medical/scientific know‑how, and a backup‑heir mindset. He hides his talent, does chores, feels dread, silently admires his sister‑in‑law, and faces conscription, militia training, and a path to magic school as he trains to become Village Head.
• Herta – Head maid of the Village Head’s household, a slightly plump, voluptuous woman with a large chest, respected by staff and close to the family. She shares a secret affair with Egil and cares for Larry as a family member.
• Hans – Rugged, wild‑eyed delinquent dubbed the ‘Mad Dog’ of Strock Village, Larry is the second son of the Fee family, a chronic alcoholic with assault and extortion convictions. As the older brother and heir to the Kessler estate, he abandons his duties, and his sudden return crashes the ceremony.
• Nico – A silver-haired young woman, once head servant and now Teressa’s stern yet protective lady’s maid, lives with Larry’s family as a sister-in-law figure—bluntly scolding Larry while quietly supporting neighbors. A childhood acquaintance with high social grace, she avoids chores by cleaning gear, once met Camilla, and is deeply affected by being called “the hole” in gambling contexts. Once a diligent rule-bound servant under her elderly manservant mentor in faded livery, she now carries a subdued air after recent events, yet still plays violin gallantly on stage, blending quiet duty with hidden artistry.
• Lyrica – Larry’s niece, a toddler under three, appears innocent but harbors a demonic edge; she bluntly repeats scandalous gossip she overhears, exposing adult secrets with childlike honesty.
• Maria – The three-month-old second daughter of Ifens and Therese.
• Iffens – Eldest son of the Fee family, village head of Strock Village and older brother to Larry, he fell in battle. Remembered as a solemn, battle‑scarred figure, his death casts a heavy emotional shadow over the household and fuels Yutia’s fear.
• Ferris – Granny, an ageless elf who looks like a 30‑year‑old but is over 200 years old, runs a village pharmacy with deep magic and elf‑style healing. She claims to have known Larry’s grandfather, is blunt and unfiltered, and is the elderly woman Martin hopes to marry.
• Grete – Uncle Klaus’s mistress. She is a small woman with high administrative abilities.
• Klaus – Larry’s maternal uncle, head of the Thalbach family and a vassal to Viscount Bizan. He dislikes Larry and Hans. He is described as a thin, grumpy-looking man, wears a light grey cloak and a black hat with gold ornaments signifying his rank in a Viscount’s house.
• Emma – A village girl with large black eyes, a cold, sorrowful expression, black hair in a bun, and a three‑colored crest on her forehead; she works at the inn serving Ferris‑san, stays with her, witnessed a healing session and is a candidate for Larry’s rite, while also noted for a legendary side‑boob presence and suspected of drugging Edmond.
• Tim – A 14‑year‑old village youth, the eldest son of the Dvorak family, has just ‘graduated’ into adulthood. With short dark hair, a lean build and thoughtful eyes, he recently traveled to the riverside town of Obernbach accompanied by his father.
• Egil – Tall, dark‑skinned head manservant with a shaved head, the household’s chief attendant. He commands respect, maintains close ties with the family and staff, and acknowledges Larry’s transition to Young Master.
• Niko – Former slave head and expert in butchery. Encourages Larry’s masculine ‘Rite of Passage’.
• Yutia – A hunched, muscularly abnormal servant girl with a severe speech impediment and lingering effects from a near-fatal fever, once lady’s maid to Teressa, now feels emotional distance growing as Larry’s status rises—yet remains exceptionally dexterous, quietly serving Larry’s household with unwavering loyalty despite her isolation.
• Alberto – Eldest Kessler son, over 210 cm tall, massive red‑haired former delinquent now elder on the temporary Elders’ Council. He questions Larry’s future as Village Head and is engaged to Mary.
• Al – Full name Alberto. A massive, red-haired man recently married to Mary. A young man who has just completed his wedding ceremony in the village.
• Edmond – Second son of a farm, tall and lanky, wiry and restless, he arrives late to the academy, lacking discipline until Bours‑san’s harsh lesson on punctuality. Militiaman from Mauer Village, Mary’s brother, teases Martin and Larry, and mocks manual labor while plotting the village celebrations.
• Mary – Edmond’s younger sister, now radiant and confident in her transformed look, serves as Albert’s fiancée and Al’s bride, daughter of Jason.
• Ed – A lanky village youth in simple farmer’s garb, Larry’s close friend, soon to be conscripted, fiercely protective of Larry’s interests.
• Daniel – White‑haired dwarf blacksmith with a thick mane, living opposite Granny Ferris; serves as the village blacksmith, council member, and promotes physical grip in mana flow.
• Sheeta – A petite, dark‑haired village woman, ten years older than Monica, is Bours‑san’s young wife. She teases playfully, serves as the pragmatic bookie for Larry’s Rite of Passage betting pool, and secretly involves her husband in the wagers.
• Celt – Modestly dressed tenant farmer in simple work clothes, level‑headed and cautious, militia member who questions war’s civilian toll, seeks tax relief to buy land; skilled sandal‑maker, observant, translates Bours’s jargon, and as banquet observer admires Teressa‑san’s competence.
• Dominique – Pastor Dominique Dietrich, tall and flamboyant in bright robes, shouts loudly and runs the church like a master of ceremonies. Young and lazy, he tries to backdate tax forms, yet his eccentric charm keeps the congregation oddly devoted.
• Pastor – An exiled clergyman from Besanburg assigned to the frontier.
Please bookmark this series and rate ☆☆☆☆☆ on here!
Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
Thanks for reading.
Leave a Reply