Chapter 23: Differences in civilization levels.

“Luxurious? It’s just average,” Rudy calmly replied to Noemi’s astonishment upon seeing the planned log house.

“No, it’s too luxurious. First, how many rooms are there?”

“Well, it’s a 5LDK.” (T/N: I see the japanese standard has become the universe standard)

“LDK?” Noemi tilted her head, not knowing the meaning of the floor plan abbreviation.

“On the first floor, there are two rooms, and on the second floor, there are three rooms, plus a dining area and a kitchen. Of course, there will be a bath and a toilet, naturally.”

“But I heard you were building a log cabin?” Noemi’s image of a log cabin was simply a rudimentary structure made by stacking logs. The house displayed on the monitor was clearly not a cabin in any way.

“We’ll lay the foundation stones, but we can still build it with logs, you know?”

“Why do you need so many rooms?”

“The two rooms on the second floor will be mine and the other room, yours. On the first floor, there will be my workspace and study. The remaining room is planned as a guest room.”

“…………”

“Is that not okay? By the way, the storage room will be in the basement.”

Observing Noemi, who was staggering from dizziness, Rudy inquired with concern, looking up at her.

“Can you really build such a large house?”

“It depends on the drying time of the logs. If we have the materials, including logging, it can be estimated to take two weeks.”

“Y-you can actually build it…”

Unable to believe the reality, Noemi said that and started walking unsteadily.

“Master, where are you going?”

“I’m going to pick some flowers. I want to calm down a little.”

“In that case, wait.”

“What is it?”

“Come over here.”

Rudy led Noemi to the bathroom.

“This is the toilet.”

“… Isn’t it a washroom?”

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Noemi tilted her head at the automatic flush toilet, and Rudy, shocked by her response, repeatedly banged his head against the wall.

“It’s the difference in civilization levels, the difference in civilization levels.”

“….?”

Noemi was surprised by Rudy’s peculiar behavior, but when he regained his sanity and explained, she was even more astonished.

“It’s just a toilet!”

“Try it once.”

Saying that, Rudy left, and Noemi, left alone, wondered if it was really appropriate to use such a luxurious fountain for her needs. However, since Rudy said so, there must be no mistake, so she entered the toilet.

… Ten minutes later.

“Welcome back. How was it?”

“… It was amazing.”

Noemi, who replied to Rudy in that way, was trembling with emotion.

“That toilet must absolutely be installed!”

“Over-technology is a no-go.”

Excitedly asserting that she wanted to include an automatic flush toilet in their new house, Noemi crossed her arms, making a cutting motion, only to be rejected by Rudy.

“But it cleans with just a push of a button. Why wouldn’t you want such convenience?”

“You can wipe with paper.”

“If you’re talking about over-tek-norogy, even that paper falls into that category. What’s with that soft paper? It’s a waste to use it for wiping!”

“It’s not ‘teku-nroji,’ it’s ‘te-kno-roji.'”

“Don’t point out my mistakes in word usage when you always get them wrong.” 

“Grr, I can’t argue back. Now, let’s get back to the topic. Toilet paper is also a no-go.”

“When you say ‘paper’ in this world, it means animal skin or parchment made from goblin skin. That soft paper doesn’t exist on this planet.”

“…, how have you been wiping until now?”

“With leaves.”

“Oh no.”

Wiping with leaves could pose a risk of contracting parasitic worms.

Covering his eyes at such a primitive wiping method, Rudy suggested that they discuss it further. They decided to have two guest rooms and a workspace on the first floor, a study in one room on the second floor, and install one toilet on each floor. The second-floor toilet would be an automatic flush toilet, while the first-floor toilet would be a septic tank-based one suitable for local customs.

Once the toilet discussion settled, Rudy proposed hiding the other household facilities by presenting them as Noemi’s magical tools.

“In other words, we’ll say that I made all the other facilities as magical tools.”

“That’s right. It was shocking to learn that this planet’s civilization doesn’t have facilities like water supply and sewage systems. Well, the concept itself doesn’t even exist.”

“Technically, they exist in cities, but in the village, the only public facility is a well, I guess.”

“Water will be pumped from a nearby stream to ‘s house and stored in tanks.”

“That would make fetching water much easier…”

“Understood, master’s reasoning is clear. Automatic flush toilets are still a no-go.”

Noemi chuckled at Rudy’s retort. She also realized that she had lost her composure earlier due to excitement.

“Okay, okay. But even if we’re going to deceive them, what are some examples?”

“For example, a refrigerator.”

“Ah, a box for cooling food. That’s convenient.”

“Guests shouldn’t open the refrigerator without permission. But we’ll… place it in the basement… place it? No, drop it.”

“What else?”

“Um, how about lighting?”

Rudy pointed to the ceiling lights. 

“They are valuable but not completely absent. If you were a noble of a certain level, you would have something similar. It’s just that they don’t use them because they consider it wasteful.”

“In that case, it’s borderline acceptable. However, it’s unclear whether the civilization on this planet is developed or underdeveloped.”

“To you, who lives in space, any civilization would appear underdeveloped.”

Noemi shrugged her shoulders, and Rudy shook his head from side to side.

“That’s not entirely true. The universe is vast. There was a species that became an advanced civilization and formed a mental collective.”

“So?”

“That species achieved eternal life by discarding their physical bodies and existing only as consciousness. However, in return, their consciousness became unified, losing individuality. One day, one of them committed suicide. And then the entire species… simultaneously committed suicide and became extinct.”

“Having a highly developed civilization also has its problems.”

“Sudden leaps in civilization pose dangers. Convenience can bring calamity. That’s the current situation, .”

Upon Rudy’s observation, Noemi swallowed hard.

“… I see. Understood, I’ll be careful.”

“That’s why automatic flush toilets are a no-go.”

“So that’s the punchline…”

Rudy once again crossed his arms, making a cutting motion, and Noemi chuckled wryly.

“Master, tonight’s dinner will be Mediterranean cuisine.”

As evening approached and they were about to prepare dinner, Rudy spoke up.

“Mediterranean?”

“Mediterranean. I don’t know much about it, but it seems to be the birthplace of many dishes.”

“I see. What kind of dishes are they?”

“Something Greek? Lots of olive oil, vegetable, and meat dishes.”

“Sounds delicious. I’m looking forward to it.”

“Enjoy it.”

With that, Rudy got up from his seat and headed towards the kitchen.