"So, what is it that you want to know first?" Rhodus asked, carrying a dull, wooden blade in his hands he secretly took from the storage room.

"Our current location…well, to be more precise, where we're located, other noble houses, their location, how big the kingdom is, basically those types of information." Jeongeun replied.

"Let's see…where do I even begin in the first place…" Rhodus pondered, caressing his chin for a moment before continuing.

"Currently, we are at what I could only assume to be the main manor of the House of Altifirma, the manor that the lord and the young lady spend most of their time living within." He explained, before tapping the concrete ground with his sword and using the speck of dust on the ground to draw, albeit poorly, a somewhat accurate geographical map of the Chetiz Empire.

"We are currently located at the utmost southeastern side of the Chetiz Empire. The Chetiz Empire, based on what I know as a commoner, was founded after the death of the witch that controlled the east, the Witch of Crimson Flames…I think was her title. In any case, twenty years after the demise of the witch, the man known as Eric Chetiz, would soon become the founder of the Chetiz Empire, and adopted a new name as Chetiz the Sovereign.

“The Chetiz Empire thrived greatly under his rule, united as one and loyalty was at all times high. However, he met his end due to uncertain circumstances without leaving a single heir for the throne, causing his loyal vassals to fight amongst themselves in search for a worthy leader to take his place. Multiple factions rose and the Chetiz Empire nearly ended, yet somehow remained intact until today. Currently, the current king of the Chetiz Empire is a man known as Boldrick The Fourth, a power-hungry conqueror who is from an unknown lineage.

“Moving forward, as I have stated, at some point in history, the Chetiz Empire was split into multiple factions, or in this current era, noble houses. Each noble house was once a prominent faction that played a great role in nearly causing the destruction of the Chetiz Empire. However, amongst all factions, only seven remained steadfast and continued to thrive even today while others fell and became a piece of history, with three of those noble houses being the most prominent of them all.

The three prominent noble houses are: The House of Altifirma, House of Scandivior, and House of Lapis."

As Rhodus finished speaking, he stared intently at Jeongeun—awaiting for the questions he would be bombarded with.

"I see…what's the difference between the three houses?" Jeongeun inquired.

"The House of Altifirma has the most soldiers and wealth. The House of Scandivior owns the most land in the Chetiz Empire. As for the House of Lapis…I'm honestly not sure. While they are still undoubtedly a prominent house…almost everyone is unsure why they are a part of the three main houses." Rhodus thought for a moment but quickly dismissed his own question, solely focusing on lending Jeongeun any knowledge that may be useful to him.

"Alright. I have a few more questions. You said that the Chetiz Empire isn't united but is made up of multiple factions. Does that mean all houses are actually enemies to one another?" He asked.

"Hm…I'm…not entirely sure. From what I've seen…the houses aren't enemies, nor allies. But stand somewhere in the grey zone. However, I can say with certainty that, at least right now, all seven noble houses are somewhat united, possibly to ensure the livelihood of the empire."

With the answer he received, Jeongeun tapped his foot on the ground for a bit before asking another question. "Next question, the main manor of the seven noble houses, aside from the House of Altifirma, where are they?"

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"That, I do not know." Rhodus replied firmly.

Rubbing his temples, Jeongeun asked one more question. "Alright…which kingdoms or empires are allies with the Chetiz Empire?"

"That…to be perfectly honest, I don't even know the names of other possible kingdoms out there. Us commoners are almost clueless as to any possible plans made by those of higher power. You seem like a person who was once a great figure…and I'm sure you know best just how rarely those in power give us truthful information.

“Most of what I've been taught as a child had been disapproved the moment I became a soldier. The skills that I thought were once useful were reduced to nothingness as I learnt much more efficient and effective methods from others. What I'm trying to say is, I'm pretty much clueless regarding most things transpiring within, and even more so what lies beyond the empire.

“The information I'm giving you may or may not be true. But like you said, I have nothing to lose and neither do you. So, I can only hope some of those things I've told you are actually accurate and that it will aid you in your goals, Park. Anyhow, I shall see you another time…and please, don't succumb to the tragedies that will be occurring soon enough."

Rhodus then left quietly, returning to his barracks as sneakily as possible and getting back into his own bed with as little as noise produced and making sure no evidence was left behind, almost as if he had never woken up in the first place. Meanwhile, Jeongeun leaned back against the sturdy walls with a thoughtful expression, recalling every piece of information he received.

His mind was organised as he separated all the things he heard into two categories: a possible truth, and possible lie. Even though he already knew a gist of the world's history during his time at his previous master—getting confirmation for the source of information he had received could aid him. But in the end, even Rhodus himself was uncertain.

Jeongeun gazed into the starry sky with a perplexed yet curious eyes for a moment, thinking about how ridiculous and unbelievable everything that had transpired in under three months, from Seoul suddenly being overrun with creatures of unearthly abilities, foreigners that spoke an unknown language and used weapons and armours that belonged to the people from a different generation.

The sudden appearance of a supposed 'system' tasked with guiding humanity back to their own planet. Who exactly orchestrated the teleportation of everyone to a different realm. And the requirements needed to be fulfilled to receive a 'quest' in the first place. Even though a month had passed since his arrival in this new world, everything still seemed so surreal.

Jeongeun lets out an exasperated sigh, looking down at the poorly drawn map of the Chetiz Empire before erasing it with his foot. He decided now was not the time to dwell on such thoughts, and that he should focus on getting a better grasp of what exactly he needed to deal with. With a conflicted mind, he retreated to his barracks at last, unanswered questions piled up in his brain yet there was nothing he could do to solve them as of this current moment.

'So damn annoying…argh, whatever. Let's just get some sleep for now.'

…

Located somewhere within a certain mansion as a maid swept the hallways tirelessly while another maid was seemingly troubled by the maid's action…

"Sungah! Are you sure you're perfectly fine, and that you can continue working again? If you're not, please don't force yourself to work." Florin pleaded, frowning at the sight of Park Sungah resuming her duties as a maid despite the events that had transpired a few days ago.

"I'm fine, truly. You shouldn't worry about me too much, Florin. If you do, I might just accidentally start calling you mom." Sungah jokingly said, but only an exasperated sigh came out from Florin's throat.

"This is not the time to be joking! Seriously, are you sure that you are physically and mentally fine? I don't want you to overexert yourself, you're one of my precious friends…and I can't bear to see those I cherish to be in pain." Florin said earnestly, staring at Sungah with eyes that resembled Mother's eyes.

Before Sungah could respond, Aiala suddenly chimed in. "Sungah is already fine, Florin. She's an adult, not a kid. Besides, she already rested for two days straight after the incident, and I personally think that's more than enough."

"But still-!" Florin's words were halted as Aiala interrupted her once more.

"No buts! I understand that you're worried just like everyone else, but there must be a set limit to your protectiveness over your friends. Have a bit more trust and faith in the people you love, Florin."

"I…I suppose you're right. I'm sorry, Sungah." Florin apologised, recognising her concern for Sungah's well-being to be slightly over the top.

"It's alright. To have a friend who is constantly worried about me…isn't a bad feeling. Rather, I should thank you…and I should be the one apologising instead."

"Hmm? Why?" Aiala questioned, curious as to Sungah's unexpected response.

"Let's just say…we have some personal history together. It's something private we can't share with you, Aiala." She explained.

"I want to know so bad…urgh, fine. Well, I'm going to go and hang the young lady's clothes now. See you two later!" She uttered energetically, stepping gleefully towards her destination.

"Well, just like Aiala, I'll also get going. Do your best to sweep the floors. Oh! And don't feel guilty taking long breaks, okay?" Florin advised.

"Yes, mom…" Sungah muttered dejectedly, yet still felt grateful to have a friend like Florin.

As Florin soon left, a smile crept onto Sungah's face—reminiscing the pleasant memories she had created throughout the entire time she had been residing within this new world. Although she felt slightly anxious as to earth's present situation, the new friends she made always kept her calm and jubilant.

Sungah hummed, sweeping the floor with an even greater enthusiasm, enjoying her stay within this place. If this was a dream, she hoped it would last just a bit longer, perhaps forever even.

'An everlasting dream…doesn't sound too bad. I wonder if I have the courage to return back…staying here isn't too bad at all.'

…