Glaiftrum War Chronicles The Salvation Strategy of Matthias, the Smiling Strategist
Unified Calendar, Year 1192, May 8th.
The Kingdom of Glaiftrum , Capital City Shwerrenburg, House of Baron Lauschenbach . Matthias von Lauschenbach .
I first realized I had two sets of memories about two months ago, in March.
In the body of an eight-year-old boy named Matthias von Lauschenbach , the memories of a middle-aged man who had lived in Japan for over forty years suddenly resurfaced.
Though I refer to the memories of this middle-aged man as from a third-party perspective, there’s no other way to describe it.
I have memories of having lived in Japan during the 20th and 21st centuries, but I can’t recall my family, where I lived, or even my own name.
When I try to remember personal details or the situation just before I arrived in this world, the memories blur as if a mist has settled over them, making everything hazy and uncertain. I’ve tried several times, but each time the memories fade, so I gave up on trying to recall them.
On the other hand, I clearly remember other things. I remember working at a think tank in a metropolitan area, doing market research, analyzing information, and providing consulting. I also recall studying business administration in school. These memories feel as clear as if they happened only a few days ago.
When my memories resurfaced, I was deeply confused.
I woke up suddenly in an unfamiliar place, and as I tried to get up, I realized my body had become smaller.
When I looked at my hands, they had the pale skin typical of a white person, and although I was thin, my skin still had a certain glow. In my memories from Japan, my skin should have been the yellowish tone typical of East Asians, with wrinkles and age spots.
I muttered to myself in shock, but then a white man, around forty years old, wearing a robe-like garment, spoke to me, which helped me begin to understand my situation.
He asked if I knew who I was or where I was, and after I seemed confused, he gave me some information, including my name, in hopes that it would help restore my memory.
However, the language he spoke was close to German, and at first, I was startled by how well I could understand it.
I had studied English and French in school, but had almost no exposure to German. Despite this, I clearly understood what he was saying, which puzzled me.
From Dr. Martin Netzer, I learned that my name was Matthias von Lauschenbach and that I was in the town of Shwerrenburg, in the Lauschenbach family estate.
As he explained things, the memories of the boy, Matthias, started to resurface, and I began to piece together a vague understanding of my situation.
Later, my parents came to visit, with expressions of relief and joy upon hearing I had regained consciousness. However, I quickly fell asleep, so we didn’t have much time to talk.
Afterward, my concerned parents spoke to me about various things. They told me that the Lauschenbach family had land in the southeastern part of the kingdom, that I was the eldest son with a sister and a brother, and that my father worked as a civil servant in the office known as the Prime Minister’s Office. As a result, we had lived in the capital, rarely returning to the family estate.
Thanks to their explanations, I was able to gather some basic information about myself, but I realized I still lacked knowledge about many things.
The reason for this was simple: Matthias was only eight years old, about the equivalent of a third-grader in Japan. Furthermore, his frail health meant he stayed mostly indoors, so it wasn’t surprising that he didn’t have much information. However, the lack of information made me feel uneasy.
Since I was starting to feel better, I asked my parents to bring me books from my father’s study to pass the time and gather more information.
At first, many of the words were beyond my understanding, and I couldn’t make much progress in reading. But by asking the servants who were taking care of me, and Dr. Netzer, who came for check-ups every few days, my reading speed improved, and with it, my knowledge grew rapidly.
And then, I discovered that I seemed to be in a parallel world or possibly the distant future.
I thought it was a parallel world because I learned that magic existed in this world and that there were monsters known as “Untia,” magical beasts from fantasy-like stories.
At the same time, I considered the possibility that I was on Earth because of the calendar and measurement systems.
The calendar used was the Unified Calendar, which was very similar to the Gregorian calendar. This meant that the planet’s orbital period was the same as Earth’s.
The system of measurements was also familiar: meters for length and grams for weight, the standard MKS units.
Additionally, the civilization in this world seemed to be at a level similar to pre-industrial Europe. However, there were also magical devices, called Werkzeug, which were similar to electrical appliances, such as cooking stoves, heating devices, and water-generating magical tools that provided water when a tap was turned.
It also turned out that I was born into a noble family in the Kingdom of Glaiftrum , and I was the eldest son.
This discovery filled me with excitement.
I didn’t care much for the idea of a parallel world or a world of swords and magic. What excited me was that I had been born into a noble family, which, in a monarchical society with a strict class system, could be considered a “winning” position. There might be power struggles, but at least I wasn’t born into the lowest rungs of society, like a slave. I considered this a good starting point.
Because of this, I became overexcited and let my guard down.
Despite not fully trusting even the servants, I carelessly began reading books about history and geography in front of Dr. Netzer, an outsider. I even naively discussed interpretations based on the knowledge I had gained in Japan.
I noticed Dr. Netzer staring at me with a puzzled look, and I felt a cold sweat run down my face. I tried to cover it up, but I didn’t manage to dispel his suspicions.
As a result, a great sage named Magda came to meet me.
Even with the incomplete knowledge I had gained in two months, I could tell who this person was.
The great sage was famous even in myth, going by the title “Advisor Belarater.”
Meeting someone who had lived for thousands of years would be impossible on Earth. It seemed like something out of a fantasy world of swords and magic, but I felt more fear than awe.
I feared being treated as a heretic or even a demon, facing the possibility of torture or execution.
Moreover, the great sage did not give me time to prepare. Without prior notice, he arrived at my house. I only learned of his visit about five minutes before he knocked on the door.
Without being mentally prepared, my father knocked on the door and told me that the great sage had arrived.
The servant who had been taking care of me opened the door without hesitation.
“The great sage has come to see you. Be respectful,” my father said, and then left without entering the room.
“You all may leave as well,” came the voice of a woman, dry and cracked with age but commanding enough to make the servants bow and leave.
And then, the owner of that voice appeared—a woman dressed in black robes, holding a twisted wooden staff, her wild white hair haphazardly tied behind her, and a hooked nose—a figure who could only be described as a witch.
