Chapter 5: Chapter 1: An Awkward Awakening
CHAPTER 1: AN AWKWARD AWAKENING
Yuuta could hear the calming sound of chirping birds and the murmurs of several people close by. He felt a strange, warm and soft sensation on both his left shoulder and his left thigh. It was an unfamiliar sensation, but it felt comfortable. For a moment there, he forgot about what happened in his dream and gave in to the comfort of his bed.
"Mother…", a soft, feminine voice exhaled as it spoke.
'Eh? Mother?'
Yuuta slowly opened his eyes and looked to his left. He was stunned. His eyes widened in surprise and his mind went blank for a minute before he realized what he was looking at.
Lying next to him was a beautiful young girl with long, silky red hair, wearing nothing but a pink, laced nightdress underneath which her soft breasts were pressing onto his left shoulder as her left leg enveloped Yuuta's. He could feel her warm breath on his face as she slept peacefully next to him. His heart was beating so fast, he thought he would die.
'Oh, shit! What's going on?! Why am I in bed with a beautiful girl like her?!'
Yuuta was used to girls trying to get close to him, but he was never truly alone with one and especially not with a girl as beautiful as her. To make matters worse, he was even sharing a bed with her.
Yuuta could not look away from her. He was too excited to think and his breathing got heavier the more he observed her.
His heart was beating wildly as his right hand slowly moved towards her breasts. He did not know what he was doing, but he could not stop either. He never felt this way before. It was like his hand had a mind of its own.
As his excitement reached its peak and while his hand almost touched one of her breasts, the girl murmured something before slowly opening her eyes. They were of a beautiful light blue color.
It took her a moment to process the development in front of her. Yuuta froze in place with his right hand close to her breasts and his face contorted in fear and embarrassment as he stared at the girl. An embarrassing silence filled what little air there was between them before both of them realized the position they were in.
"Eh?"
"Eh?"
The girl mumbled something as she jumped out of the bed in surprise, almost at lighting speed. She grabbed and unsheathed a dagger that she kept hidden under her pillow and pointed it at Yuuta. After taking a few steps back, she glared at Yuuta for a moment before she shouted at him in a mildly embarrassed tone.
"W-Who are you?! How the hell did you get in here, you pervert?!"
Yuuta got up quickly and sat on the edge of the bed. He couldn't help but to stare at the girl for a few more moments. She was nothing like any girl he had ever seen. Of course, he had seen his fair share of pretty girls throughout the years, but when he thought about it, none could compare to the one in front of him.
Noticing the disgusted look on the girl's face, Yuuta shook his head as he came to his senses. He stood up and calmly introduced himself.
"I'm Yuuta. Yuuta Nakamura. Nice to meet you.", he said with a smile as he bowed.
"Eh?", she said in a surprised tone.
The girl did not expect him to politely introduce himself after almost being groped in her sleep. The unexpected development made her lower her guard against Yuuta a little, but she was still cautious of him. After all, not many people would be able to get so close to her without her noticing. She was curious about him. Just what kind of person is he?, she wondered.
"So? Why and how did you get in here? If you came here to p-play with my b-body, I will-"
"-I'm sorry, I don't know what got into me back there. Please forgive me." Yuuta interrupted her and bowed. He formed a serious expression on his face as he spoke.
She could not say for sure, but the girl felt like he was being honest with his apology. She did not sense any ill intentions from his words. He was probably truly sorry for his actions, but it's not something she could forgive that easily. She thought about it for a few moments before she answered.
"…Alright. I forgive you.", the girl said as she exhaled. "But I'm keeping my eye on you!"
"I see. That's understandable. Thank you, uh…?", Yuuta hinted at the girl that she should introduce herself.
"…Alice. Alice Grivois.", she said in a slightly annoyed tone.
"…Thank you, Grivois-san."
Yuuta smiled as he thanked her. His honest smile made Alice blush for a second. She sheathed her dagger and crossed her arms.
"Hmph. I was ready to kill you if you were some ordinary pervert, but it seems you have more decency than I thought you would. Well then, care to finally explain why and how did you get in here without me noticing? Not many people have been able to get so close to me and walk away unscathed afterwards, you know? You should consider yourself lucky to still be able to call yourself a man!", she said while pointing to his nether regions with her eyes.
'Tsundere? Seriously?'
Yuuta got a little annoyed by her act, but he tried not to let it get to him as he replied.
"Well, before I say anything, I believe it would be best for the both of us if you got dressed first, don't you think? Standing here covered in nothing else but a thin nightdress in front of a man you've just met must be quite embarrassing, right?", Yuuta said with a devilish smile on his face.
"Ah! R-Right!"
Her face turned bright red. Seeing him ogle her body as she replied made her terribly embarrassed. Alice realized she was indeed standing there wearing only her silk nightdress which went down to her smooth, slightly plump thighs. She had completely forgotten about covering herself up with something while she was on guard against Yuuta.
"T-Turn around while I change, then! And don't you dare peek! I'll kill you if you do!"
"Don't worry, I won't peek. I've already seen plenty anyway…", Yuuta said in a sarcastic tone as he turned away from Alice.
She glared at him for a moment before she quickly reached the small wardrobe some steps away from the bed.
Yuuta could hear Alice frantically searching through drawers for some clothes to wear. He listened to every move she made while he looked around his side of the room. It was dark, but there was some light coming from a pair of windows, so he could still make out some shapes and colors.
White walls were layered with brown wood panels and had several decorative paintings hanging on them. Two stained glass windows with a brown wood frame surrounded the fairly large bed made out of high-quality materials. Both windows had pure white curtains hung over them. One of the windows was partially opened and a warm wind blew through it, making the curtains dance to its tune. There was a small nightstand on both sides of the bed and each nightstand had an unlit wax candle on it. Underneath the bed was a soft fur carpet laid on top of the brown wooden floorboards that covered the room.
Waiting for Alice to get dressed gave him some time to think and calmly organize his thoughts. He did not know where he was, but this was definitely not his bedroom. The most likely scenario would be that he was kidnapped for some reason, but it did not seem like that at all. He tried to remember the events from before he woke up in this room for any answers that may help him make sense of the situation, but he only vaguely recalled what happened after he came home from school and the dream he had in-between was almost a complete blur. He did, however, remember fragments of a childlike voice talking to him and the bright white light from his dream.
Lost in thought, he did not pay much attention to his surroundings until he was interrupted by Alice's sudden response.
"-I'm done. You can turn around now."
Yuuta turned around and let his eyes loose upon Alice's unusual outfit. It was made entirely of black leather and almost looked like something straight out of someone's S&M dungeon rather than a fantasy world.
She was wearing tall leather boots and tight leather pants with two rapier swords strapped to her thighs and a large dagger sheathed on her back.
Her top consisted of a hardened leather chest piece with an open bust on top of a black shirt and hardened leather shoulder guards with dark brown leather wrist guards, followed by her black leather gloves. She also wore a fairly long cape – black on the outside and red on the inside – with a large hood attached to it.
As he looked at Alice, Yuuta felt a sharp pain in his head. Her outfit made him recall some of the child's words from his dream.
"I'm sorry, but I can't leave you alone! This is the first time something like this happened! Besides, I summoned you, so there's no way back now!"
As he remembered her words in his thoughts, the word 'summoned' echoed through his mind.
'Could it be?! No, there's no way! There's no way I was actually 'summoned' to another world, right? I mean, such things are not possible…right?!'
A seemingly forced smile appeared on his face as he gazed upon Alice in total silence. She felt anxious as Yuuta's eyes analyzed her from head to toe. She tried to say something to break the uncomfortable silence, but before she could, Yuuta suddenly rushed towards the open window a few steps away from him. He drew open the slightly closed curtains as he reached the window and fell instantly into a state of shock after witnessing the sights before him.
There were hundreds of people walking through a wide, paved street surrounded by gothic-styled buildings on both sides. Several horse carriages went back and forth through the street while various shopkeepers attracted customers to their shops. A group of children dressed in shabby clothes ran past the shops, went across the street and then disappeared straight into an unusually dark alleyway. A group of men, wearing what seemed like plate armor, appeared from around the corner running with all their might down the street while constantly shifting their heads left and right as if they were looking for something or for someone. In the midst of it all, a tall, strange-looking creature appeared from the alley while carrying what seemed like a large linen bag on his back. The creature was quite big with a lizard-like head and tail alongside its sharp claws on both its hands and feet. It walked past the armored men and soon disappeared down the street.
'It…it's real. It's real! I really was summoned to a fantasy world! This is amazing!'
As Yuuta observed the unusual events outside, he finally came to terms with his situation. He truly was in a fantasy world. However, instead of being afraid or anxious about this, he was happy and excited almost beyond belief. He was feeling the happiest he has ever been in his life. After all, this is what he secretly desired all along. He wanted to start over and try his luck in a new world and now, with his wish granted, he finally felt free for the first time in his life. He was no longer a slave to society's every whim and expectation. He was free to live by his own rules now.
Alice, who was looking at Yuuta in surprise as he happily examined the outside, could not understand his sudden actions.
'What is he doing? I've never seen anyone become so happy just by looking outside a damn window! '
Just as she was going to ask him about his weird behavior, Yuuta turned from the window and spoke first.
"Grivois-san! Although I am already pretty sure about this, let me ask you something!", he said loudly.
"Eh?!"
Alice stared at him in anticipation as Yuuta continued.
"What is this world's name?"
"Aruneya. Why?"
Yuuta let out a long sigh after which a satisfactory smile appeared on his face.
'As I thought, this truly is a different world…'
"I see. Then, can you tell me where are we now, what is this place and which country am I in?", he continued in a much calmer tone of voice.
Alice looked at him as he spoke, all the while trying to make sense of his questions.
'Why would he be asking such things when it's pretty common knowledge here? How could he not know this?'
Alice sighed while walking over to the round table close to the window. She sat down on one of the chairs and made a gesture which meant that Yuuta should sit as well.
As he sat down, Alice began to explain with a stern look on her face.
"We are inside the 'Hungry Dragon' inn, which is located within the city of Brurradin - capital of The Brurradale Kingdom. It's a coastal kingdom overlooking The Brurranean Expanse from one side and The Overgrown Forest from the other. Alongside Brurradale, there are two more human kingdoms: The Holy Kingdom of Sihranon to the west and The Gastrian Empire to the south. Besides the human kingdoms, there are also several non-human nations to the east. Most notable would be: The Khurdarum Empire, The Great Beastmen Alliance and The Enneas Dynasty. That's all, unless you'd like a history lesson too.", she said in a slightly annoyed tone.
"No, it's fine. Thank you for explaining this to me."
"Then I believe it's your turn now, wouldn't you agree? How did you get here and why?"
Her words pierced through him as he himself did not know exactly how and why he showed up here. He knew he was summoned, but he didn't know anything about magic apart from what he saw in games or manga and he couldn't use that as reference.
"I was…summoned here, apparently."
"Summoned?!", she blurted out quite loudly.
"Yes. A childlike voice spoke to me in my dream saying I was being summoned and then I saw a bright white light and soon woke up here. That's all I know, really."
It seemed to him like he just said something truly unbelievable as Alice's face froze in surprise. He could see droplets of sweat slowly forming on her face.
Despite doubting his words at first, Alice realized there was indeed a possibility that he was summoned to this world if one took in consideration his unusual behavior so far, but then who summoned him and for what reason? He was above average-looking, a bit of a pervert and wore an unfamiliar outfit, but that was all. He didn't seem like someone special to her. Just why would someone go through all the trouble of summoning a man like him?
More importantly, the person responsible for bringing him here must be a powerful magic user as a spell of this magnitude is something she never heard of before. She began to question what little knowledge she had about magic. She was quite skilled with a number of Illusion spells and a master of the delicate Shadow Arts, which used several Conjuration spells, but still she had little insight in other schools of magic.
Alice stared at Yuuta, lost in her thoughts, until his words snapped her back to reality.
"Grivois-san? Are you alright?"
"A-Ah, yeah! It's just…"
"What is it?"
She cleared her throat and calmed herself before continuing.
"Well, as you probably realized by now, magic exists in this world. It's divided into eight schools of magic: Protection, Conjuration, Divination, Enchantment, Elemental, Illusion, Necromancy and Transmutation. Each school has several sub-schools of magic. Conjuration magic – the type of magic used on you – is used by wizards, sorcerers or priests to summon familiars or the undead by using low-tier spells. However, the potency and type of spell like the one used on you is something I've never seen or heard of before. Whoever summoned you must be a very powerful magic user. Then again, I do not know that much about magic and I could be wrong about this. That being said, you should consider paying a visit to the Brurradale Royal Magic Academy as you might find some proper answers there."
After listening to her explanation, Yuuta let out a loud, hearty laugh. He could not stop himself from laughing at the fact that this world's magic is actually quite similar to what he saw and read in games or manga.
"I see. Thank you again, Grivois-san!", Yuuta said with a wide, honest smile on his face.
Alice blushed a bit as she forced a smile back. She was afraid she might've said something weird, but Yuuta's smile somehow assured her that was not the case, so she ignored it.
"I'd like to visit the Magic Academy as soon as possible, then, but I do not know the way to it nor anything about this city. I'd hate to impose on you any longer, but since I do not know anyone else around here, could I ask you to lead me to it, Grivois-san?"
"Eh?!"
While she did not particularly mind leading him to it – as it would be a great chance to get him off her back – she couldn't do so with him looking like a fancy hobo.
"…Fine. I'll help you, but you can't go out looking like that. I'll go buy you something to wear, so you stay here and wait for me. I won't be gone for long, alright?"
"Y-Yes, I understand."
Alice stood up from the table and walked to the room entrance. As she was about to open the door, Yuuta called for her.
"Grivois-san!"
"What?"
"…Thank you."
"Don't worry about it. See you later, then."
The sound of the wooden door closing some steps away from him marked a new beginning for Yuuta and the end of a certain old man…
Chapter 6: Chapter 2: Sands Of Greed - Part 1
"Come all, come all! Freshly-caught fish for sale!"
"Fresh fruit & vegetables for sale! Apples and cabbages at half-price today!"
"Hey, you! Come back here, you little thief!"
Voices – soft and rough, male and female – emanating from all directions and entwining with each other to create an unintelligible noise, overpowering the sound of numerous footsteps, slow-moving wagons and frightened animals at the mercy of their captors. Long caravans guarded by heavily armored men as they make their way through thick crowds and shady characters watching them from a distance. Children jumping in and out of a large fountain, watering the small stone tiles surrounding it and splashing any unfortunate souls that came near them.
This is the 'Grand Bazaar of Brurradin'. Its beauty and sheer size is often more than enough to overwhelm anyone without nerves of steel or exceedingly deep pockets. Crawling with experienced salesmen hailing from all over the known world, it serves as a trading hub both for the Brurradale Kingdom and the surrounding nations. To succumb to greed here is considered a death penalty for the careless as only master hagglers or thieves can thrive within the shadows of the Bazaar.
"Hey, you! Damn it, someone stop that brat!"
One of the merchants shouted at the young thief running through the crowd as the wind itself. After getting some distance away from the merchant, the thief looked back and mocked him as he ran.
"Hahaha, see you old man!"
Thinking he was in the clear, the thief didn't notice the two guards that had appeared from the corner directly ahead until he nearly bumped into one of them while still running away from the raging merchant.
"Stop right there, you thief!"
One of the guards growled as he tried to grab him, but the thief dodged his grasp at the very last moment, jumped on top of one of the stalls next to him and swiftly climbed up to the roof of the Bazaar before the guards even realized what happened.
"W-What?! Where did he go?!"
"H-He just vanished!"
Standing on the edge of the roof overlooking the paved road below, the thief taunted the guards who were desperately trying to find him.
"Over here! Looking for me?"
Following the sound of his voice, the guards looked up at the thief wearing a black and white scarf covering his head and an unusual mask that concealed most of his face, but emphasized his beautiful sapphire blue eyes. Fingerless leather gauntlets protected his hands and a black shirt revealing his muscular torso fluttered in the wind as did his baggy, long white trousers which connected with his dark leather boots.
"H-How the hell did you get up there, you bastard?!"
The guard trembled in disbelief as he yelled at the thief who slowly removed his headgear which revealed his short blonde hair that looked like it was dancing with the warm summer wind and his smooth boyish face covered in sweat that glistened in the Sun. The thief whistled as he threw both his scarf and his mask on the sand-covered rooftop next to his feet. Soon after, a rather small brown monkey wearing a short red hat and vest appeared on his left shoulder.
"Heh, better luck next time! Let's go, Noxy!"
As the thief scoffed at the guards, the monkey's long tail that was drooping down his shoulder suddenly extended and coiled around the thief's body while its hands extended to an unnatural length, grabbing the roof of one of the buildings east of the Bazaar before pulling itself and the thief towards it at an astonishing speed, creating a powerful gust of wind that knocked down anyone and anything unlucky enough to be standing in the area as well as forming a thick cloud of dust in their wake. The guards, after slowly getting back on their feet and coughing up the dust they were forced to inhale, tried to make sense of what they just saw.
"What in Ahras' name was that thing?!"
"I don't know, but it was definitely not just a monkey…"
"Maybe it was a demon!"
Both shuddered at the thought and with good reason too. Demons are feared creatures that bring waste and carnage wherever they go and even one of them is enough to raze a city to the ground if it's given the chance.
"Whatever it was, we must report this to the Captain!"
"Y-Yeah! He'll know what to do!"
"Alright! You take care of things here and I'll head for the garrison!"
"Got it! See you later, then!"
As the guard ran for the city garrison as fast as he could, his partner took a few moments to calm down and check if anyone was hurt before departing for the garrison as well.
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