I Was Caught up in a Hero Summoning, but That World Is at Peace

After enjoying Kaori-san’s delicious stew, we relaxed with Akane-san and Kaori-san over tea and casual conversation before parting ways.

[Are you heading straight back to Symphonia, Kaito?]

[Ah, no, I was thinking of stopping by Archlesia Empire’s Imperial Capital for a bit.]

[Archlesia Empire’s Imperial Capital? Is something happening there today?]

When I answered Akane-san’s question, Kaori-san tilted her head curiously and asked back.

[No, nothing like that. Isis-san once told me there’s a really big bookstore in Archlesia Empire, and I’ve been wanting to go. Since I’m already out, I thought I might as well stop by. I can get to the Imperial Capital quickly using a teleportation magic tool anyway.]

[Ahh, you talking about that ridiculously huge shop on Central Avenue. I’ve never been there myself, but I’ve heard they’ve got everything, from magazines to old books.]

[Yeah. I’ve got plenty of time today, so I figured I’d take it easy and enjoy myself……]

There might be books I can’t find at my usual stores, and since I’ve got time to spare, it’s perfect. After briefly saying goodbye to the nodding Akane-san and Kaori-san, I activated the teleportation magic tool and headed for Archlesia Empire’s Imperial Capital.

The bookstore I was heading to was, just as Akane-san had said, ridiculously huge. I could tell where it was the moment I got close. It was several times larger than any bookstore I usually went to, and the inside was spacious, lined wall to wall with books. It almost looked like an enormous library, but since it was a bookstore, there were clearly divided sections, with popular books stacked flat on tables, it had a distinctly different atmosphere.

For now, I headed to the magazine section, but even that was enormous, filled with a ton of magazines I’d never seen before.

As I was browsing for something interesting, I came across an area lined with magazines featuring photographs on their covers.

……I see, fashion magazines huh…… Well, photographs go hand-in-hand with fashion after all. Even if recording magic tools were still in the process of spreading, the impact they had brought to the publishing world was tremendous.

Still, even fashion magazines here were quite different from those in my old world……

< Monthly Undead >

……Huh. I ended up finding a magazine with Sechs-san on the cover, wearing what looked like a very stylish formal outfit. Well, Sechs-san is supposedly an extremely popular and dashing gentleman among the Undead, so it’s not exactly strange for him to be treated like this…… b- but still, what a sight.

From what I could gather from the cover, it looked like Sechs-san had a 14-page feature inside. The cover even had a tagline saying something like “Because we’re bones, we must have backbone”.

D- D*mn it…… I really want to see it. I’m insanely curious about the inside…… but no. That’s not good. Because right now, I don’t want to look inside it for its purpose as a fashion magazine, but because I want to see it for its comedic value. That’s no good.

It’s disrespectful to treat something from a field you don’t understand as a joke. I’m curious. I’m extremely curious, but…… I’ve got to restrain myself here……

[Ah, by the way, there’s a tagline in the photo section that says “Youngsters just don’t have our bone density!”. Maybe bone density is considered a mark of handsomeness among skeletons?]

[Pff! Stop that, idiot, don’t tell me weird stuff like that……]

[And apparently, there’s even a sexy shot showing off his ribs.]

[A sexy shot showing ribs!? So ribs are sexy in the undead world…… Wait, just stop, seriously, don’t feed me any more information.]

Alice started saying all sorts of unnecessary things, and I couldn’t help but burst out laughing. Stop, d*mn it, you’re making me want to buy it!!!

No, Miyama Kaito, stop. Don’t do something that would make it impossible to look Sechs-san in the eye again as a friend. Stay strong. Move on to another magazine……

< This Year’s Must-See Buff Yet Cute Minotaur Outfits >

……What is this section? Some kind of fashion hell? Right next to the Undead fashion magazine was one featuring three muscular, scantily clad…… presumably female Minotaurs, posing confidently, each with the face of a bull.

Also, “buff yet cute”? Seriously, buff yet cute? From my perspective, they just looked strong and ripped. Without the text, I’d think it was a bodybuilding poster, but maybe in Minotaur culture, it’s different…… I’m really feeling the species gap here.

Well, I can kind of get the Undead thing since their culture is broad, but are there even enough Minotaurs for them to have a dedicated magazine?

……Ah, wait, looking closer at the cover, it also mentions Cyclops and Orcs, so it seems to be a fashion magazine that covers multiple species.

Come to think of it, I remember hearing once that Mina-san, Minagard-san, one of Nia-san’s Minotaur aides, is considered a peerless beauty among Minotaurs.

This too, I don’t really understand, about as much as I don’t understand how it was like with the Undead…… but well, when it comes to Mina-san, I can somewhat see the reasoning.

Her voice is incredibly high and beautiful, and every one of her gestures is so refined that, now that it’s been pointed out, she does have that air of elegance and nobility. I can see how that would make her a beauty in the Minotaur community.

As for Sechs-san’s bone density or bone structure, yeah, that’s still completely beyond me……

A- Anyway, as expected of such a massive bookstore, there really is an unbelievable variety of magazines.

< Monthly Maid Fashion >

……Yeah, this section would be a den of madness, isn’t it?

---

<Afterword>

Serious-senpai : [A magazine called Maid Fashion…… That naturally implies there are probably all sorts of maid-related magazines out there. And it’s also safe to assume that Ein is somehow involved in this.]

? ? ? : [Well, that’s true, but…… Marie-san and the others are in the Imperial Capital right now, aren’t they?]

Serious-senpai : [……Ah.]