There was one thing I might have been gravely mistaken about.
The kind of mistake where I assumed that using interdimensional magic meant she might not be able to return to her original world.
Don't those portal fantasy stories always end up with the hero being told, "We'll send you back once you defeat the Demon King," leaving them no choice but to go fight?
This would be even more true for someone who used magic to cross over to Earth from another world.
And especially so if they happened to land in the basement of a house I just bought.
So I thought I might have to arrange a new home for this great mage or something...
"Ugh, it's good to be home."
Stepping out of the portal in the wall, Rasian stretched and took a deep breath.
As if escaping a polluted city for the fresh air of the countryside, Rasian opened her mouth wide and inhaled deeply.
A circular garden filled with vibrant flowers.
Although a curtain-like barrier obscured the view beyond the walls, the interior was filled with a bright, radiant light, despite the lack of any visible light source.
This was the same person who—
"To think interdimensional travel is possible for the price of ten hamburgers. How absurd."
Just thirty minutes ago, she had been eating ten different kinds of hamburgers, one after another.
She had managed to devour all ten, yet her stomach remained perfectly flat.
"It wasn't for ten hamburgers."
"Then what?"
"Opening the portal itself consumes a lot of mana, but simply passing through it isn't an issue."
Rasian pulled back the tightly drawn blackout curtains.
Swish.
"...!"
Beyond the blackout curtains.
The entire wall was a single pane of glass, and beyond the transparent window, a vast landscape stretched out.
It was the kind of view you'd expect from the peak of a high mountain, a truly expansive vista unfolding beyond the window.
"...Living in a house with a view like this, it's no wonder you were so sure you'd landed in another world when you ended up in my basement."
"The language was different, for starters."
"Ah."
I had thought about it but deliberately chosen not to bring it up.
"Is that the power of magic, too?"
"The power of translation magic. It makes my thoughts audible to others in their own language."
"..."
"You can think of it like AI real-time translation. From my perspective, it's just as fascinating that people from different linguistic backgrounds can converse using the power of a program without borrowing the power of mana. It's similar."
Rasian stood before the glass window and gestured for me to come closer.
I immediately moved to her side and stood where I could look down at the land—
"Wait."
"...Hahaha."
"Is this, by any chance...?"
"As I expected, you've noticed."
When Rasian stretched her hand forward, an image appeared on the glass window like a hologram.
"My home, the White Magic Tower, floats in the sky."
"..."
"It's a place designed to keep others from intruding, so the people of this world sometimes call it the 'Sky Castle'."
Rasian reached out and swiped her hand across the wall, and in the image on one side, a massive sky island appeared.
Above, a magnificent white magic castle.
Below, a landmass large enough to support the castle extended downward toward the ground like a horn.
"Is this also something only a great mage can do?"
"Of course. If I can open a dimensional gate and travel between worlds, carving out an entire island and lifting it into the air is nothing."
"You carved out an island?"
"When it was on an island in the sea, too many people bothered me."
Rasian waved her hand as if she didn't even want to think about it.
"To be honest, I don't have any lingering attachments to this world. I have no family, and the people here have only ever brought me suffering, pain, and annoyance."
"..."
"However, if you ever wish to see this world for yourself, I will gladly cooperate."
"Why?"
For a moment, I couldn't understand.
"Why are you helping me?"
"What if I said it's the price for ten hamburgers?"
"...That's too cheap."
"What if I said it's ten hamburgers every day from now on?"
"...Even with that calculation, it's the same. I don't understand what you see in me to make such an offer."
"Because I'm a good judge of character."
Rasian's words made my heart sink.
Because those were the exact words I often used with the people I was producing back when I was at the company.
"Mr. Kang Minhyuk, do I look like a demon king who would invade another world to you?"
"No."
"Then what kind of person do I look like?"
"Someone so incredibly smart and talented that she could open a portal to another world."
"Yes. That's close. It's just one of my many facets, but that alone is enough."
Rasian pointed to where I had been standing before.
"To be more honest, I came here for two reasons. First, to replenish my mana, like this."
Rasian plucked a blue rose from the garden.
It snapped off more easily than I expected, and the blue rose shimmered like a jewel before starting to flow like water.
"It's a pain to eat ten hamburgers every time I cross through the portal, isn't it? So I use these pre-stored mana stones. They're like... batteries? Something like that."
"You don't have to translate it into my world's terms; I get the gist of it. So, the second reason is...?"
"I'm more curious about your world than this one."
The rose, now a blue liquid, seeped into Rasian's arm and became light.
"As a great mage, I've already achieved enough, and because of that, wherever I go, I'm surrounded by people who either praise me or try to use me."
"Am I any different?"
"It's not that I hate being praised or used. As long as there's a fitting reward, I can be perfectly satisfied."
Rasian reached her hand into the empty air.
The space before her parted like a curtain, and Rasian reached into the opened void.
"A subspace?"
"Yes. I couldn't open it over there, but... here."
Flash.
Rasian pulled out a gleaming golden object from within.
"I have quite a bit of gold stored up. If it's materially no different from the gold in your world, I can provide it."
"..."
"Ah, of course, you might have some trouble if someone comes asking where such a large amount of gold came from, but if you're willing to handle that."
"What do you want to do on Earth?"
I took the gold in my hand.
The refining method was clearly different from a gold bar, but the feel of the gold wasn't much different from what I'd touched once before.
"What is it you want to do on Earth?"
"Just... a bit of everything. Exploring and learning unknown knowledge is satisfying enough, but wouldn't it be better to have a local collaborator? For example..."
Whoosh.
A wind began to blow from outside.
"If you ever want to travel this world, I will be your guide."
"...!"
"We'll be interdimensional travel guides for each other. Local collaborators, so to speak. What do you say?"
Rasian extended her hand to me.
It was unmistakably a handshake. I clutched the gold in my other hand and reached out.
"You're a great mage who can cross dimensions. You could probably use brainwashing or hypnosis magic on me."
"I can use them in difficult situations, but I don't go around using them indiscriminately."
"Couldn't you just force me with a command like 'Cooperate with me'?"
"Even without the power of magic, can't I secure your cooperation through a rational conversation like this?"
Rasian gestured to her outstretched hand and smiled.
"Isn't that right?"
"...Fine."
I took Rasian's hand.
"Let's start by speaking more casually."
"Hmm..."
"Should I maintain a formal tone?"
"No."
Squeeze.
"Please, speak comfortably."
"I meant we could both drop the formalities."
"This is more comfortable for me."
"..."
"Really."
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
A short while later.
While Rasian stepped away for a moment to prepare a few things, I looked around her room, examining the objects within.
A grimoire.
At first, the letters were written in an unknown script.
But when I blinked, the text instantly transformed into English, becoming readable.
"...Therefore, when using magic to cross worlds, there is no guarantee that the space beyond the portal will be safe. One could end up underground, or inside magma. It's also possible to become stuck in a wall due to spatial distortion, or be sucked into a subspace forever. Regarding this..."
Was this a grimoire written by Rasian?
It was filled with content that showed her deep contemplation on the subject of interdimensional travel magic.
"...So this really is another world."
I put down the manuscript on dimensional travel magic and picked up another grimoire.
It was less a grimoire and more a regular book with illustrations, like a picture book.
The moment I placed my hand on one of the book's illustrations, a halo of light erupted from it.
"...Whoa."
And what appeared before me was a lush, green field.
Beside a creek with a turning waterwheel, children were playing, and women in worn dresses wandered through the fields as if gleaning grain.
I could even seem to smell the scent of wild grass tickling my nose.
Is this the power of magic?
"...This is incredible."
If.
If I had been reincarnated or simply dropped into this world, I might have explored it.
But there was one very important problem.
"Rasian."
"What is it?"
"Where's the bathroom here?"
Other places in this world might be well-equipped, but Rasian's Sky Castle might not have one.
"Is there a guest bathroom?"
"There's a shower room, but..."
"What about a toilet?"
"...Um."
Rasian scratched her cheek, then approached and gestured for me to follow.
"This way, sir."
"That's the dimensional portal."
"It's faster to take care of it over there."
"..."
A dry laugh escaped my lips.
I had prepared myself to some extent, but I never expected to go back so soon after arriving.
'It might have been different if I'd been on Earth this whole time.'
Since I had just returned from Japan, my own home still felt a bit new, so I didn't feel any desperate attachment that would make me unwilling to leave.
"If I go back, how do I return here?"
"I've adjusted the magic circle. As long as I place my hand on it, I can open the portal anytime."
"What about other people crossing over?"
"Even if all the other great sages combined their power, they wouldn't be able to breach the entrance to my castle. They don't even know I've been researching dimensional magic. And when you cross over, this garden will conceal the magic circle."
Furthermore, the thought that I could 'come back whenever I wanted' meant there was no need to make a hasty decision.
"...Then, before I go back."
I briefly stood in front of Rasian, blocking the portal.
"I need to prepare myself mentally, too. What do you want to do when you get to Earth?"
How should I go about fulfilling this great mage's wishes?
"Ms. Rasian, you may be one of the top five people in this world, but I was just an ordinary office worker. If there are seven billion people on Earth, I was just slightly above average."
What could I possibly do for a great mage?
"I might not be able to grant your wishes. Well, I'm sure someone like you could find a suitable collaborator on your own, but..."
"But I've found one now, haven't I?"
"..."
"I told you I'm a good judge of character. I'm certain. You will undoubtedly be a good collaborator."
Rasian smiled and extended her hand to me.
"I'll do my part, enough to earn ten hamburgers a day. So, will you lend me your space?"
"Of course, you can—"
Wait.
"Every day?"
"Yes."
"...Is there a problem with your mana?"
"That's not it. Well, it's not that I lied, but."
Rasian scratched her cheek and averted her gaze.
"It's a taste I've never experienced in this world."
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