The Next Generation, Along with Smartphone

The character name is not finalized. The character name will be fix once the official light novel is release.

Morning.

I woke up to the vibration of my smartphone on my pillow. Looks like I slept pretty soundly. Yawning, I went to jump out of bed, then suddenly realized—Gasp! This isn’t my bed at home. It’s a dorm bed. That was close, I almost jumped off the top bunk! Fully awake now, I climbed down the ladder carefully. I stretched my body and started my usual morning exercise. It’s been my daily routine since I started training with my master. First, reach up and stretch nicely~. One two, three four, two two, three four. Just as I finished going through the ‘Ra-di-o Ex-er-ci-ses,’ I noticed a gaze fixed on me. I turned around to find the blond elf sitting in front of the vanity near the entrance, combing her hair while looking at me like I was some kind of strange creature.

“…G-Good morning.”

“…Good morning. You do a rather peculiar dance in the morning, don’t you? …You said your name was Nero, right? Where in the boonies are you from?” “Eh? A town called Alente…”

“Alente… Ah, that small country town east of Elfrau. I suppose strange customs really do persist in the countryside. That’s the first time I’ve seen such a thing.”

Wrong! Alente might be in the country, sure, but I’m just copying what my master did! It’s not an Alente custom! And stop calling it the boonies!

“Well, as long as you’re not noisy, I don’t care. I won’t tell you to stop, so do as you please.”

“Thanks A LOT.”

Giving a prickly reply, I took my plain clothes out of the closet and changed. I have to wear a uniform starting tomorrow, but my own clothes should still be fine for today. While I was changing, the blond elf left the room. I lightly combed my hair at the other vanity across the room, then headed to the cafeteria for breakfast. The cafeteria was bustling with about as many people as yesterday. What should I eat today…? I want to eat something delicious in town, so I’ll keep it light. I bought a toast set from the vending machine and was about to sit in an empty seat when I saw Carrol waving at me from another table.

“Good morning, Nero. Want to eat together?”

“Um, is it okay?”

I hesitated because there was another student sitting across from Carrol who seemed to be an acquaintance.

“Yeah, it’s fine. This is Sheryl Gaspar, from my hometown.”

“I’m Sheryl. Everyone calls me Sherry. You’re Nero? You’re just like Carrol described… so cute!”

The girl who introduced herself as Sherry extended a hand. There was a slightly concerning remark in there, but I shook it honestly. I’d like to question Carrol a bit later on exactly how she described me. Sherry was a girl with shoulder-length chestnut hair and hazel eyes who looked a bit… flippant. Maybe she cares about fashion, because she was wearing cute accessories like hair clips and bracelets. She looked shorter than Carrol, but she seemed mature for a first-year. Carrol and Sherry’s numbers were called, so they went to get their breakfast, and my number was called right after, so I picked up my toast set. Carrol had a hamburger steak set, and Sherry had a pancake set. Those pancakes looked delicious, too.

“Nero, can you last on just that? You won’t grow big if you don’t eat a proper breakfast, you know?”

Sherry threw that advice at me while looking at my light toast set.

“This is fine. I’m planning to go into town to shop and eat something delicious while I’m at it.”

“Ah, right, you need daily necessities and miscellaneous goods. You can buy them at the school store, but it’s not open yet.”

“If you want goods, the ‘Strand Trading Company’ on Main Street is good. They have everything there. If it’s food, then Cafe ‘Parent’ on the same street. Both are long-established shops that have been around since the founding of the country, so you can’t go wrong.”

Hoh-hoh. ‘Strand Trading Company’ and Cafe ‘Parent,’ huh? Thanks for the good info. Actually, Sherry, you sure know a lot, don’t you?

“Heh-heh. I’ve been to Brunhild several times since I was little, and I’ve read the guidebook from cover to cover.” “I see.”

Regulus is Brunhild’s neighbor. Even from the Imperial Capital of Regulus, it takes less than four hours by magic train. I’m a little jealous. It takes a day and a half by magic train from my hometown in Elfrau to Brunhild. Well, that’s still better than some places. It takes even longer to get here from the island nation of Eashen in the far east of the same continent, or from other continents. Apparently, if you use the ‘Gate’ left by the first Sovereign Duke, you can go from country to country in an instant, but those are completely managed by the state and can only be used by royalty and high-ranking officials… I hear they’re only really used for the World Conference Summit or the ‘Mecha Great War: Ragnarok.’

“Are there any other recommended places?”

“Let’s see… there’s a baseball stadium and an amusement park… But I’d say the Clock Tower. I think you should climb it at least once.”

The Clock Tower, huh. That was built when the country was founded, right? Apparently, most of the buildings in Brunhild have preservation magic cast on them by the first Sovereign Duke, so they almost never deteriorate. That’s why even after three hundred years, they look brand new. Seriously, just who was the first Duke…?

“Let’s see… magic kettle, clock, mug, shampoo & conditioner, tissues, thermometer, trash can, umbrella…”

I tossed everything I thought I’d need for dorm life into my basket, one after another. The ‘Strand Trading Company’ Sherry recommended is the biggest store I’ve ever seen—it has five whole floors! The wide floors were packed with truly all kinds of things; it felt like you could find anything here. Is this what city people call a ‘Department Store’? Amazing. There were various other things I wanted, but my wallet is a little tight. My basic food, clothing, and shelter at the ‘Girls’ Academy’ are covered by the state, so I can live a minimum lifestyle. Well, that just means I can live in the dorm, get a uniform, and eat in the cafeteria. So if I want to go out and play somewhere or buy something I want, I have to pay for it myself. I have some savings, but it’s not limitless, so I can’t waste money.

“Maybe I should look for a part-time job. Or do requests at the Adventurer’s Guild…”

Actually, I registered as an adventurer in Elfrau. My rank is Green. Green rank is said to be the rank for average adventurers, but apparently, it’s rare for my age. Adventurer ranks are divided, from top to bottom: Gold, Silver, Red, Blue, Green, Purple, Black, and White. When you register, you start at White rank. Then, after completing a few simple requests, you become Black rank. From there you become Purple, finally escaping beginner status, and Green rank means you’re an average adventurer. By the way, Blue is considered veteran, Red is first-class, Silver is elite, and Gold is said to be hero level. In fact, apparently not a single Gold rank has appeared in the last few hundred years. Even the first Sovereign Duke was a Gold rank adventurer. The story of the first Sovereign Duke going from a mere adventurer to the king of a nation is used in books, plays, movies, and all sorts of places. I heard that the Brunhild Adventurer’s Guild has a Gate that leads to a distant island territory. Apparently, there’s a dungeon on that island, and adventurers dreaming of getting rich quick challenge it day and night. Obviously, since I’m a student, I can’t really dive into a dungeon for days at a time.

“Maybe I could do herb gathering, or goblin or wolf extermination on my days off…”

Gathering requests are one thing, but for extermination requests, I’d need to get weapons and armor. That would require an initial investment. Well, I suppose I could manage with punching, kicking, and magic. Yeah, I’ll stick to gathering requests to earn money at first. Thinking about that, I paid for my items and left the Strand Trading Company. I stored my luggage in my smartphone’s [Storage]. My smartphone isn’t the latest model, but it still has enough storage capacity for a small closet. I’m glad it all fit. Maybe I should buy a smartphone with a larger capacity… But that would require money… Mugu-gu. I spent quite a bit, but it’s about time for lunch. I should head to that cafe Sherry mentioned.

“She said it was on the same street…”

Looking around Main Street where the Strand Trading Company is located, I saw a stylish red brick cafe on the other side of the road where Ether-Vehicles were driving by. Is that it? I crossed the crosswalk and reached the other side, where a sign reading ‘Cafe Parent Main Store’ caught my eye. ‘Main Store’—does that mean there are branches in other towns? According to Sherry, it’s been around since the founding of the country, so it’s a pretty old establishment. It might be a little too high-class for me… It doesn’t look like there’s a dress code, so I don’t think it’ll be a problem if I go in, but… Long story short, I got in just fine. And just as Sherry said, it was a supreme shop. The pancakes Sherry was eating this morning looked delicious, so I ordered the Special Pancake Set from the menu, and it was absolutely exquisite. Pancakes topped with fresh cream and jam, served with various fruits and vanilla ice cream—it was so good. The customers next to me were talking, and apparently, this place is the originator of ice cream. They say the first Sovereign Duke created it for this shop. Seriously, who was he…?