Not long after leaving the arena, we found ourselves walking through what appeared to be a large open plaza.
The moment we stepped into it, I couldn't help but stop for a second.
The place was… alive.
People moved in every direction, voices overlapping into a constant hum of activity.
Vendors called out to passing customers, children laughed as they ran through the open space, and the distant clatter of carts rolling over stone streets echoed faintly in the background.
But what truly caught my attention—
Was the people themselves.
Not just humans.
No… far from it.
There were individuals with animal ears and tails—beastmen, casually walking alongside humans as if it were the most normal thing in the world.
I spotted a tall man with reptilian features—his scales glistening faintly under the sunlight—clearly a lizardman.
Others had horns, unusual eyes, or features that simply couldn't exist in the normal human world.
It wasn't like seeing different nationalities back home.
This was something entirely different.
This was a world where fantasy races actually existed.
"…Woah…"
The word slipped out of my mouth without me realizing it.
Beside me, Mashiro stood just as still, her usually sleepy eyes slightly widened as she quietly observed everything around us.
Her gaze moved slowly from one person to another, as if she were trying to capture every detail.
We were both completely absorbed in the scene.
Dazed.
Overwhelmed.
A little excited.
A little confused.
…Okay, a lot excited.
Meanwhile—
Ravel and Giratina?
Completely unfazed.
Well, in Ravel's case, it made sense.
She was originally from a supernatural world.
Devils, angels, fallen angels… compared to that, seeing beastmen and lizardmen probably wasn't anything new to her, or maybe she already saw a lot of them in the original world.
As for Giratina…
I glanced at her briefly.
She looked as indifferent as ever.
Yeah.
She probably just didn't care.
Eventually, after wandering for a bit, we found a quieter area near what looked like a canal—or maybe a small river.
The water flowed gently, reflecting the light of the sky, while a stone bridge stretched across it in the distance.
The sounds of the plaza were still audible, but much more muted here, creating a peaceful contrast to the earlier chaos.
"Finally…" I muttered.
We sat down on a nearby wooden bench.
I let out a long breath as I leaned back slightly.
"Phew… we nearly got caught up in something serious back there, didn't we?"
Ravel immediately turned toward me.
The look she gave me…
Yeah.
That was not a good sign.
It was the same look someone would give a random pebble on the side of the road.
Unimportant.
Annoying.
Easily kicked away.
"It was all your fault!" she snapped.
Her voice carried a sharp edge.
"Why did you leave me to deal with that situation alone?!"
I raised my hands slightly in surrender.
"Now, now… let's calm down a bit," I said carefully.
"That was clearly a situation involving communication skills."
I gestured toward myself.
"And we all know I'm terrible at that."
Then I pointed vaguely at the others.
"Actually, we all are—except you."
I gave her a small, helpless smile.
"So what exactly were you expecting? For us to handle that conversation?"
I paused for a moment before adding,
"You already know how that would've ended, right?"
Probably with us accidentally offending a knight and getting attacked on the spot.
Before Ravel could respond—
I felt a gentle tug on my shirt.
I looked down.
Mashiro was standing there, lightly holding onto my sleeve.
"Zevion," she said softly.
Her voice was calm, but there was a faint hint of excitement hidden beneath it.
"Give me my colors and paper."
She glanced toward the scenery around us.
"…Hurry up."
It was such a simple request.
But somehow…
It was ridiculously cute.
"Alright, alright," I said with a small chuckle.
I reached into my inventory and pulled out her painting set, handing it over to her.
"Here you go."
Mashiro immediately took it and sat down nearby, already beginning to prepare her materials.
…Yeah.
An artist really is an artist, no matter the world.
Meanwhile—
"Are you even listening to me?!" Ravel's voice snapped me back to reality.
"Even if that's true, it's the thought that counts!"
She was still glaring at me.
Wait a second.
Isn't she technically my maid?
Then why am I the one getting scolded like this?
…Actually, you know what?
I'm not even going to question it.
If I say the wrong thing right now, she'll probably just get even angrier.
So I wisely chose silence.
After a few more moments of light complaining, Ravel finally seemed to calm down.
She crossed her arms and looked at me.
"So?" she asked.
"What are we going to do now?"
"…Good question," I admitted.
I leaned forward slightly, resting my elbows on my knees.
"Well… obviously, we're here to get stronger."
That much was clear.
"But the real question is—how?"
I glanced around thoughtfully.
"It's not like we're in a rush. We've got plenty of time."
Still…
"That doesn't mean we can just sit around doing nothing."
I frowned slightly.
I mean, for all I knew, I might be completely talentless in this world, too.
Wouldn't that be great?
Getting isekai'd into another world just to be average again.
…Yeah.
No thanks.
Thankfully—
I had something that completely broke the rules.
My Pokémon System.
Even if I didn't have talent, I could still grow stronger through money.
And this time…
Maybe I could even take things a step further.
"…I could start selling Pokémon," I muttered under my breath.
That idea had potential.
I opened the system shop interface and checked my current funds.
…Less than 15,000 yen.
Which translated to around 15,000 system points.
"…That's not a lot," I sighed.
Barely enough to work with.
If I wanted to actually build something here—
Yeah.
I needed money.
"By the way," I said, turning toward Ravel, "do you know anything about earning money as a merchant? Or how businesses work in a medieval setting?"
Ravel blinked, clearly caught off guard by the sudden question.
"Why are you asking that all of a sudden?" she replied, her tone slightly cautious.
She paused for a moment before continuing,
"Although I don't have direct experience as a merchant… working for you has given me some understanding of trade and management."
…Perfect.
That meant she could handle sales.
Which meant—
All I needed now…
Was a product to sell.
"Alright. That settles it," I said.
"Come here."
A soft voice interrupted my thoughts.
"Hm?"
Before I could react, Mashiro grabbed my hand and gently pulled me toward her.
"Look."
She pointed toward the canvas she had been working on.
"…What?"
I followed her gaze.
And then—
I froze.
"…."
For a moment, I couldn't say a single word.
Was this girl…
Actually human?
Or was she some kind of hidden monster disguised as one?
On the canvas—
She had recreated everything.
The people walking through the plaza.
The nearby buildings.
The children are playing near the water.
Even the distant bridge stretching across the canal.
Every detail.
Every color.
Every shadow.
It was all there.
Perfectly captured.
No, maybe saying that is wrong.
As it is clearly drawn, but...
It's like she's drawn what is in front of her, but even better?
That's the simplest I can explain, and I know very well I am wrong about it.
The painting wasn't just beautiful.
It felt… real, better than anything that can be real.
Alive, more alive than anyone.
Like I was looking at a frozen moment in time that has been modified to look even better, rather than a piece of art.
"…This is insane," I whispered.
There was no other way to describe it.
It was absolutely breathtaking.
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