New chapter of Single Old Man is out (1/1 chapter)

 

 

Isekai Match

(Thank you for reading at bayabuscotranslation.com)

Now then, I was about to start thinking about how to make a fire-starting tool… when a thought suddenly came to me.

I asked Yeran a question.

“Hey, there’s magic in this world, right? Couldn’t you just light a fire using magic?” (Gentoku)

“Impossible, impossible. Fire attribute is a super rare element, you know. Among magic users, fire is even called the ‘strongest’ attribute. It’s on a whole different level compared to the others.” (Yeran)

“I see…” (Gentoku)

Fire attribute, huh… it feels like it should be super common in fantasy worlds. Well, most people in this world are non-attribute users anyway. According to what I heard, non-attribute magic is only enough to levitate light objects or to send simple commands to ‘magic stones’.

“Magic tools work by giving commands to magic stones. Like this, for example.” (Yeran)

Yeran showed me something like a glass pot. She poured water into it and flipped a switch… and the water became hot.

“A magic tool pot. It gives the command ‘generate heat’ to the magic stone and then produces heat. Magic tool technicians also have the job of writing ‘commands’ onto the magic stones.” (Yeran)

“I see.” (Gentoku)

A magic tool technician… so they’re craftsmen who engrave commands onto magic stones to make them produce effects or create tools using magic stones… sounds pretty interesting.

“A magic stone is a crystal taken from inside a magical beast. Basically, adventurers sell them to the commercial guild, and then merchants buy them. The higher the purity of the magic stone, the more expensive it is, and the more complex commands can be written on it. With something like a goblin’s magic stone, you can only write basic commands like ‘generate heat’ for a pot. And if the purity’s low, they break easily.” (Yeran)

Magic stones are consumables. And… as expected, there they are the classic isekai ‘adventurers’. Damn… the more I learn about this world, the more fascinating it gets.

“Anyway, right now we need to come up with a fire-starting magic tool. That thing you called a ‘lighter’? How does it work?” (Yeran)

“Nah, it’s too early for lighters. We start with matches.” (Gentoku)

“…Matches?” (Yeran)

“Yeah. Hey, let me see your fire-starting stones.” (Gentoku)

“Sure, but…” (Yeran)

The fire-starting stones in this world… yep, just as I thought.

“Looks like quartz. You strike it against steel to produce sparks… let’s call this quartz for now. But using this won’t make fire easily.” (Gentoku)

“What are you even talking about?” (Yeran)

“Hey, about that pot earlier… it generates heat, right? Let me see the magic stone.” (Gentoku)

“Fine. This is a replacement magic stone for the pot. It’s already processed, though.” (Yeran)

“Let’s see… hmm?” (Gentoku)

The magic stone for the pot was about the size of a ping-pong ball.

It was supposedly already processed… but what is this?

“…What’s this supposed to mean?” (Gentoku)

“What do you mean? That’s a magic script. Magic stones engraved with those symbols become the core of magic tools and produce various effects.” (Yeran)

“…………” (Gentoku)

Magic stone… this wasn’t an optical illusion, right? They call it magic script? No matter how I look at it, it clearly has the kanji for “heat” engraved on it.

“This means ‘heat’, right?” (Gentoku)

“Eh, you can read it? It’s a simple magic script, but I carved it myself.” (Yeran)

“…Huh.” (Gentoku)

“Heheh. Right now, I can only do up to three characters, but my goal is to become a magic tool technician like Onee-sama, who can write eight characters!!” (Yeran)

“…” (Gentoku)

I glanced at the magic aptitude paper from earlier. Looking closely, the back had “Magic Aptitude Survey Sheet” written on it.

No way… is magic script really this simple?

“H-Hey… is magic script that easy?” (Gentoku)

“Huhh!? You better save that nonsense for when you’re asleep!! Magic script requires years of research just to discover how to generate a phenomenon and then to develop the corresponding character!! Just creating one working magic script takes years, and even if a magic tool technician devotes their whole life to it, they might not even make ten!!” (Yeran)

“S-Sorry…” (Gentoku)

S-Somehow… I feel like I could totally do this!!

“Kukuku… I see, I see. I might be able to manage something with magic script.” (Gentoku)

“…That smug face is seriously annoying.” (Yeran)

“Alright, I’ve got questions, Yeran. Answer what you can.” (Gentoku)

“…Fine.” (Yeran)

And so, I continued to absorb knowledge of this world.

 

—

 

One week had passed since I came to this world. Yeran and I holed up in the basement, pouring ourselves into developing a new “fire-starting magic tool”… and finally, the prototype was complete.

Holding the prototype, we went to Sandrone’s office.

“You just got back. Perfect timing… wait, what’s with that face?” (Sandrone)

“Hm, what?” (Gentoku)

“Your beard… and your hair. Take better care of yourself.” (Sandrone)

“Sorry ’bout that. Yeran said I looked ‘wild and cool’.” (Gentoku)

“W-Well, you didn’t need to say that now!! Onee-sama, more importantly!!” (Yeran)

Then, Sandrone lit her cigarette with my Zippo lighter.

“…Hey, this thing lights poorly.” (Sandrone)

“Ah, maybe it’s low on fuel.” (Gentoku)

“…Fuel?” (Sandrone)

“It’s called naphtha… probably doesn’t exist in this world.” (Gentoku)

“…I see. Then no problem. We’ve got a new ‘fire-starting tool’ anyway.” (Sandrone)

Sandrone slipped the Zippo lighter into her chest pocket. Then, she opened a wooden box on her desk. Inside was a small wooden container.

“This is the new ‘fire-starter’?” (Sandrone)

“Yeah. Go ahead and open it.” (Gentoku)

When Sandrone opened the box, she found several thin sticks inside. Each stick had what looked like red paint on its tip.

“…What is this?” (Sandrone)

“I call it the ‘Magic Stone Match’. Or just ‘Ma-tch,’ maybe.” (Gentoku)

“Match?” (Sandrone)

“Yeah. You strike that match against the red strip on the side of the box.” (Gentoku)

I took a match from Sandrone and struck it on the box’s side. The tip ignited with a burst of flame. Sandrone looked astonished as she watched. But the flame went out in about twenty seconds.

“…How does it work?” (Sandrone)

“It’s simple.” (Gentoku)

 

—

 

First, I engraved “Flame” on a magic stone and tried channeling mana into it and what came next was insane. It nearly caused a fire. Yeran punched me for that one. But this proved something amazing. Carving kanji onto a magic stone produced that effect.

Of course, that was too dangerous as-is, so I tried crushing the stone. Apparently, no one’s ever thought to crush magic stones before, and Yeran was shocked. When I channeled mana into the fragments… they still ignited.

What if I crush the magic stone further, down to grains?

Then, I consulted with Yeran and used a slime, a gelatinous, sticky creature.

Slimes die when boiled. They’re like harmless amoebas that live around swamps or water.

I boiled it down until it became goo, then mixed in the fire-element magic stone fragments. In the end, even in that gooey state, it still ignited. So, I made several sticks with the goo at the tip, like a match. Then I smeared the goo on the box’s side and hardened it. And thus, the isekai match was complete.

Well, technically you just have to apply mana to ignite it, so striking isn’t even necessary. But I got so caught up in the idea of making matches that I included the striking mechanism… well, it turned out kinda cool, so whatever.

 

—

 

“That’s basically it.” (Gentoku)

“Wait. You can engrave magic script?” (Sandrone)

“Yeah, I manage somehow.” (Gentoku)

“…Huh.” (Sandrone)

I struck a match and lit it.

“Since it’s from crushed magic stone, the effect lasts about twenty seconds. But that’s enough to start a fire… and you can make it using cheap goblin stones. With the method I mentioned, mass production is possible if we get the right equipment.” (Gentoku)

“Onee-sama… it’s frustrating, but this guy’s amazing.” (Yeran)

“He certainly is…” (Sandrone)

Sandrone struck a match and lit it. Then, she lit her cigarette and exhaled smoke.

“We’ll begin mass production immediately. Heh, I’ve got to start marketing this everywhere.” (Sandrone)

“Hold up, Sandrone.” (Gentoku)

“What? Oh, if you want a reward, I’ll give you money. How much do you want?” (Sandrone)

“I don’t need money. I have a request for you.” (Gentoku)

“…What is it?” (Sandrone)

While making matches, I had Yeran teach me about this world.

There’s still a lot I don’t know. But I feel like I can do this. That’s why I make this proposal.

“I’ll work here for one year. In that time, teach me how business works in this world. After that… I’ll go independent.” (Gentoku)

“…You’re going to start your own merchant company?” (Sandrone)

“That’s right. But for advertising and sales, I’ll outsource to your merchant guild… I’ll establish my own business focused on magic tool development.” (Gentoku)

“…” (Sandrone)

Sandrone’s eyes narrowed sharply.

Nice. Those cold, sadistic eyes suit her better.

“Will I profit from that? Isn’t it easier to just keep you here as an employee?” (Sandrone)

“Maybe. But then I’d just be your pet. I want to live free. Earn money, play around, dive into hobbies… even make magic tools just for myself. I don’t want to work for someone else. I want to work in my own company, doing what I want. Locked up, I’d run out of ideas and get bored quickly.” (Gentoku)

“…Hmmm?” (Sandrone)

“I owe you, sure. But I’ve made up my mind. In this world, I’m going to live freely and have fun.” (Gentoku)

I beat my chest. Facing her directly, without averting my gaze.

Whether I was reincarnated or transported, I don’t know but ending up in this world was just bad luck. Still, my knowledge, my skills as a repairman, and a technician they might actually be useful here. Magic stones as a material. Magic tool technicians as a profession. And this fantasy world… surely, it’s full of amazing things I’ve yet to discover. A second life, crafting freely in another world… that sounds like the best.

“…Fine.” (Sandrone)

“Eh, really?” (Gentoku)

“Yes. These matches are probably going to be our next best-selling product. In a year, Alexandrite Company’s matches will be known worldwide. With a patent, no one can copy it. Fire is something people use every day. It won’t go out of style… Besides, a company built by a technician like you sounds interesting.” (Sandrone)

Sandrone giggled and leaned in close to my face.

“Do you want me?” (Sandrone)

“Nope. I’ve got no desire to get married. I want to stay single and free.” (Gentoku)

“Oh, what a coincidence. Me too. Hehe… we might get along well.” (Sandrone)

“Maybe so…” (Gentoku)

I held out my hand, and Sandrone grasped it firmly. A strong handshake. Facing each other, we smiled.

Ah, she really is interesting.

“Then, starting today, I’ll teach you how to do business.” (Sandrone)

“Looking forward to it, Sandrone-sensei.” (Gentoku)

Thus, I found myself a new goal and began moving forward.

In this other world, I’ll build my own company, earn a decent living, and live freely and easily. There’s a lot to do… but this second life, I’m going to enjoy it to the fullest!!

 

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(Thank you for reading at bayabuscotranslation.com)