In order to escape the country no matter what, registering as an adventurer was essential.

Before the game’s forced mechanics could kick in, Christina decided to take as many preventative measures as possible and immediately sprang into action.

Apparently, adventurer registration is possible from as young as five years old.

The reason is to allow children from poor families to help support their households by taking on requests such as gathering medicinal herbs in grasslands near the castle town where monsters rarely appear, or doing simple errands within the city.

The Adventurer Guild is an independent organization that does not belong to any country and adventurers have the privilege of not being subject to coercion from any nation.

Furthermore, guild cards issued by the Adventurer Guild function as universal identification documents recognized worldwide.

Besides the Adventurer Guild, there are several other similar global independent organizations.

The Commercial Union, the Medical Alchemy Organization and the Igras Holy Church.

These four organizations, including the Adventurer Guild, are independent institutions not affiliated with any nation and each has branches in every country.

Thus, even by registering with organizations other than the Adventurer Guild and obtaining a Commercial Union card, Medical Alchemy Organization card, or Igras Holy Church believer card, one can still acquire valid identification.

I don’t think I’m particularly intelligent (though Christina did have talent for harassment and criminal behavior), so I’m probably not suited for commerce or medical work. And after being cast in a role like this (a villainess), my faith in the gods is basically nonexistent.

No matter how I look at it, becoming an adventurer is the safest option.

Fortunately, I was already five years old, so I snuck out of the house and headed straight to the Adventurer Guild in the royal capital to register.

I hopped up and down in front of the reception counter, but nobody noticed me at all.

The counter was simply too high—a tragic oversight.

“Um, excuse me.”

I called out from below the counter, trying to get someone’s attention.

“????”

The guild receptionist, a woman who couldn’t see me, looked around in confusion, so I called out again.

“Excuse me, down here.”

The woman finally leaned over to look beneath the counter and widened her eyes in surprise when she saw me.

“Huh? Were you the one calling, little boy?”

“Yes.”

“Um, what’s wrong, little boy? Are you lost?”

“No. I came to register at the adventurer guild. I heard you can register from age five.”

“W-well, it’s true you can register, but… aren’t your father or mother with you?”

“Do they have to be with me to register?”

“No, you can register without them, but… aren’t your parents… not here?”

“They’re not here.”

“I-I see. Just not with you right now, then?”

Ah, she’s trying to determine whether I’m an orphan or just alone.

“My dad… and mom… are at home.”

That was close. After two full years of strict lady education starting at age three, I nearly slipped and said Father and Mother in noble fashion.

Incidentally, even while I’m acting masculine, I’ve been strictly ordered to continue my lady education, so going forward I’ll be juggling three things at once: gentlemanly behavior, adventurer training and lady education.

“I see. Do your parents know that you came to register as an adventurer?”

“Is it bad if it’s a secret?”

“…It’s not bad, exactly, but…”

“There are… complicated reasons. I want to register without telling them.”

“I-I see…”

‘For a five-year-old, he uses awfully difficult words.’

“Please register me.”

“…Alright. Then please fill out this form—ah, wait, the counter’s too high. Hold on a moment.”

The receptionist came around the counter with the registration form, took my hand and led me to a table and chairs in the guild’s attached dining hall and tavern.

“Sit here.”

“Yes.”

Since five-year-old me couldn’t climb onto the chair, she easily lifted me up and seated me.

But the table was still too high.

“Ahh, still too tall. Hmm… wait here a moment.”

She went over to the bar counter and spoke with a man there, who handed her a wooden box about twenty centimeters tall.

Apparently, they planned to make up the height difference with the box.

She returned, lifted me down, placed the box on the chair and seated me on top of it.

“Alright, perfect height. Now then, let’s start by writing your name here.”

Crap. If I write Christina, I’ll immediately be exposed as a girl.

What should I write?

Taking too long just to write my name would be suspicious.

But while I was hesitating, unable to think of a good name, the receptionist suddenly realized something.

“Oh, sorry. You can’t write yet, can you?”

Right. Literacy rates in this world are extremely low and very few people can do arithmetic.

Nobles and merchant families learn from a young age, but commoners rarely have opportunities unless their parents are educated. Many adults can’t read or write or do calculations.

A five-year-old commoner child definitely wouldn’t be literate.

“Um, I think I can… probably write my name.”

“R-really?”

Alright, then I’ll just improvise. I’ll borrow from my older brother’s name.

My brother’s name is Ferdinand, so I’ll take the first three letters and go with Fer.

“Fer…-kun, right?”

“Yes.”

“Where do you live?”

My home is in the noble district, extremely close to the royal castle. After all, we’re a ducal family with royal blood.

There’s no way I can honestly write that.

Oh, right. There’s a slum district on the southern side of the capital.

The street name was…

“Daron Street.”

“I see. Daron Street, huh.”

‘So he’s from the slums. That explains why he wants to help his parents and came to register in secret.’

The receptionist filled out everything except my name.

After all, I’d established that I could write my name.

Incidentally, perhaps because I’m a reincarnator, I have a cheat ability that lets me read and write all the writing systems of this world.

There were books in foreign scripts in the ducal library and I could read them without issue. I could also write them just by thinking about it.

I can’t see a status screen (I haven’t even tried), so I don’t know what else I can do.

But just being able to read and write already helps immensely.

Also, although this country’s language sounds like Japanese to my ears and I’m speaking Japanese, everyone else hears it as their own language and conversations proceed normally.

“So, Fer-kun, what kind of things can you do?”

“Um, I can use a sword… just a little.”

“Heehee, I see. You can use a sword just a little. That’s impressive.”

A child’s “just a little” usually means not at all, but she didn’t deny it, smiling as she wrote it down.

Magic is considered a special power exclusive to nobles, so I don’t plan to declare it.

A slum child being able to use magic would be unheard of.

That privilege belongs only to the protagonist Saintess, Elise.

“You’re five years old, right?”

“Yes. I turned five in the fourth month.”

I opened my palm to show five fingers and answered like a child.

“Heehee, such small hands. How cute.”

She gently took my hand and smiled.

Incidentally, this world has four seasons.

After all, it’s the setting of a Japanese-made otome game.

I don’t know whether the game came first or this world did and I don’t really care, but like Japan, there are twelve months of thirty days each.

Every month has exactly thirty days. There are no thirty-one-day months or twenty-eight-day months.

The year starts in January and ends in December.

School enrollment is also in spring, with entrance ceremonies in April and graduations in March, just like in Japan.

The New Year festival is held in January and a Christmas-like festival called the Divine Procession Festival is held in December.

Only the Igras Holy Church exists as an official religion, but secretly there are also demon worshippers and demon-kin worshippers, though few in number.

This becomes relevant to the later story of the protagonist and the Hero of Light, so for me it’s a complete non-issue.

It has nothing to do with a mob boy. If anything, I want nothing to do with it.

“Alright, done. I’ll issue your guild card now, so come with me.”

She lifted me down from the chair, held my hand and brought me to the counter.

“Wait here a moment.”

She stepped behind the counter and took out something like a crystal from below.

When she pressed the registration form against it, the paper dissolved into the crystal.

“Now I’ll set the card here…”

After placing the guild card into a space beneath the crystal, she came back around the counter and lifted me up again.

“Alright, put your hand on the crystal.”

When I slapped my hand against it, the crystal glowed pale blue. The light turned into droplet-like shapes and fell into the guild card.

She set me down and examined the card closely, then handed it to me.

“Alright, registration complete. This guild card is an important item that also serves as your identification, so never lose it. If you do, report it to the guild immediately. We’ll issue a new card and make sure the lost one can’t be misused.”

“Yes. I understand. Thank you, miss.”

“You’re welcome.”

“Is there… any work I can do right now?”

“Huh? You want to work already?”

“Yes. I want money as soon as possible.”

“I see… hmm, wait a moment.”

She went to the request board and came back shortly.

“One of these three, maybe?”

“What kind of jobs?”

Since I can’t read, I need her to explain.

“This one is gathering medicinal herbs outside the city. This one is picking up trash in town. And this one is helping at a restaurant.”

“I don’t really understand medicinal herbs.”

“That’s fair. Then either trash pickup or restaurant help.”

“What do I do at the restaurant?”

“Peeling and washing vegetables, cleaning the shop, washing dishes.”

“I’ll do that.”

“Alright. Can you go to a restaurant called ‘Little Bear Pavilion’ on Frau Street? It’s half-day work and they want you to come five times, whenever you can.”

“I understand. I’ll go. Thank you.”

She stamped the request form and explained while handing it to me.

“Take this request form with you. After each workday, ask the shop staff to sign inside this square.”

“Yes. I understand.”

After bowing, I immediately headed for Frau Street.

I’ve never heard of Little Bear Pavilion, so it probably won’t be a place tied to the protagonist or capture targets.

If the same request comes up again, I’ll keep doing this job.

I found the shop and opened the door.

“Hello.”

“Oh my, a tiny customer.”

“I came for a guild request. I’ll help.”

“What?! You took a job request, little boy?”

A middle-aged woman, likely a staff member, greeted me.

“Yes. I’ll do kitchen help. Here’s the request paper.”

Only after seeing the form did she realize I was serious.

“I see. Then come this way.”

She led me behind the kitchen to the back of the shop.

“Peel these vegetables, then wash them at that well. There’s a lot, so you probably won’t finish everything, but peel and wash as much as you can. When you’re done, take them inside and give them to the bear-like, shaggy-bearded man.”

“I understand. I’ll do my best.”

“Have you used a knife before? Be careful not to hurt yourself.”

She handed me a small knife, looking concerned.

“Yes. I’ll be careful.”

No peelers in this world, huh.

I took the potatoes from the box and carefully scraped the skins off with the knife.

After washing them at the well—using my body weight to pull the pump handle—I carried them inside.

“I washed the potatoes.”

“Alright, thanks, kid.”

The cook—a bear-like, shaggy-bearded man just as described—took the basket.

I repeated the process with carrots and onions until dusk.

“Good work, kid. You did great. That’s enough for today. Give me the request form.”

She signed one of the squares.

“There are five boxes total. Once they’re all signed, the request is complete.”

“I’ll come again tomorrow morning.”

“Oh? Then we’ll be waiting. Thanks.”

I waved and hurried back to the ducal mansion.

I snuck inside and quickly changed clothes.

I had been wearing cheap linen clothes from the commoner district, but that wouldn’t do inside the mansion.

I changed into my usual noble silk attire and rushed to the dining room.

My father, mother, older brother and my younger brother Michael were already there.

Yes—Michael, one of the capture targets, is my younger brother.

I want to avoid capture targets as much as possible, but family can’t be avoided.

If we become estranged, it might trigger villainess flags, so I plan to maintain a moderate relationship.

“I’m sorry I’m late.”

“Chris(tina), where have you been? The maids and attendants were searching for you.”

“I’m sorry. I took a nap in the back garden and slept too long.”

“Oh dear. Won’t that make it hard to sleep tonight?”

“It’s fine. I can sleep anywhere, anytime.”

“Really? You always complain you can’t sleep if your pillow’s even slightly off.”

My brother Ferdinand pointed that out, making me flinch.

“I’ve been sleeping well lately.”

“If you say so.”

“Chris, sit down.”

My father said sternly.

I hurried to my seat, where a maid lifted me into my child’s chair.

“O Goddess of Harvest, Rarna, we thank you for the sustenance you grant us.”

My father clasped his hands and everyone followed, saying only, “We give thanks.”

This is the equivalent of “itadakimasu.”

There’s no equivalent to “gochisousama”; when the meal ends, you simply leave.

* * *

The dinner was luxurious, as expected of a ducal house.

But it tasted terrible.

Fruits and sweets are passable, but vegetable and meat dishes are awful.

Seasoning consists only of salt, honey, pepper and wine.

Pepper is as valuable as gold, so it’s used sparingly. Salt is also precious.

As a result, all dishes taste bland and unfocused.

Commoners don’t use seasonings at all.

Today’s meal consisted of leafy vegetable soup, fish stewed in wine, Yellow Boar monster steak, grilled vegetables, white bread, boiled eggs and a fruit platter.

By any standard, it’s luxurious.

But it tastes so bad I want to cry.

If only I could cook…

I sighed without thinking.

“What’s wrong, Chris?”

My brother asked.

“I’m just… a little tired today.”

“But you were napping all day.”

“I slept too much.”

He laughed softly.

I barely ate and left quite a bit.

The leftovers would go to the servants.

Apparently, this is considered noble charity.

I don’t understand it at all.

* * *

A thoroughly former-ordinary-person Christina.

And a firsthand lesson in just how rich modern Japanese food culture really was.

Honestly, people in the past ate very simply.

After researching historical noble meals, I can’t say they look very appetizing.

I’m truly glad I was born in modern Japan (wry laugh).