The knights approached, stopping not far from the carriage, then hurried towards our location and knelt to pay their respects to Luna's father, before rising with their right hands poised on their sword hilts, prepared for any potential threat. "Princess Luna! We are relieved to see you safe. Is there any trouble, Lord Anderson?"
Luna's father stared at me sharply, radiating a strong aura of impending doom, which angered the young princess instead of instilling fear.
But thanks to her, I had been saved from danger and could breathe a sigh of relief, no longer fearing for my life. The old man approached, casting a gentle gaze upon his daughter, appearing as someone entirely different, and he said, "Forgive me, Luna. I was merely worried about you. I didn't want to lose you, and you were missing for approximately 5 hours."
"Papa doesn't need to worry, Luna can take care of herself, and besides, there is Luna's new knight who will protect her even at the cost of their own life, isn't that right?" she asserted without asking for my opinion first.
However, I could clearly feel her hands trembling beneath the strong facade she was trying to display to her father.
I can't lose against the princess, right?
"Please forgive my recklessness. I didn't mean to waste your time and make you suspicious. By chance, I met the princess in the forest while looking for the city ahead.
The princess was injured and unable to walk, so I offered to help her. I also didn't expect to meet someone as brave as the princess, exploring the forest alone without fear."
The princess's trembling hands immediately stopped, surprised by my statement, but she quickly regained control of the situation, folding her arms and flashing her characteristic arrogant smile.
"Did you hear that, Papa? Even the knight says Luna is brave. So, Papa, you don't need to worry. Luna is much stronger than you thought," she proudly exclaimed.
The man smiled, gently ruffled his beloved daughter's head, and then turned his gaze back to me.
This time, his look was softer, though still holding a hint of suspicion. "I believe I have been too harsh on your new knight, Luna. Please forgive me. As a token of apology, how about joining me and returning to the city? I'm sure you must be hungry, and I have prepared plenty of sweet snacks for Luna."
"Snacks? Let's go! Let's go back now! Luna can't wait to devour them all! Come on, Sir Knight, let's enjoy the snacks together!" she exclaimed enthusiastically, as if preparing for a battle.
We entered the carriage and rode it into the city, which turned out to be much larger than I had imagined. I never expected to come across such a big city, worthy of being called a capital. I thought I would find a small town or a village, but instead, I was awestruck by the towering walls that surrounded the city, stretching far into the distance.
I couldn't determine the exact measurements, but I believe the walls were about 50 meters high and 20 meters thick, truly solid and magnificent structures befitting a grand city. The gate itself extended much further back than the walls, probably around 25 meters, with several rooms that appeared to be a checkpoint and a warehouse. I could see armored soldiers inside, standing tall and motionless, except when they bowed respectfully as our carriage passed by.
The knights who had come to inspect the situation earlier stopped at the gate after bidding farewell to the man whom I was increasingly curious about.
Who was this man in front of me?
However, the sight inside the city captured my attention, filling me with a sense of wonder that I had never experienced in my previous world.
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This is it! This is what I meant! A city like this!
Streets made of white brick formations, a sky adorned with flying ships, not just one but dozens of them! In various sizes and colors. And not to mention the buildings that seem to float in the air along with some parts of the land they were built on.
On the four sides of the inverted pyramid-shaped land, there is a short but wide black tube with two brightly lit blue rings inside, which is likely the reason why the buildings can hover high in the air.
Each building here resembles structures from the medieval era with a touch of magic.
For example, the building we just passed had faint glowing cracks emitting blue particles of light that vanished into the air. At the same time, I accidentally caught sight of some teenagers riding a flying motorcycle?
The vehicle had a copper-colored body resembling a motorcycle, but with horizontal wheels instead of vertical ones, made of the same black iron where a glowing blue ring could be seen.
Not even two seconds later, the ground started trembling in a rhythmic pattern, one-two one-two, like footsteps. Then, not far ahead, a robot emerged from behind a building, made of steel with additional unfamiliar black iron as a form of protection. The robot stood about 10 meters tall, unarmed and simply walking as if on patrol.
The father of the princess observed me as I looked around, like a child witnessing the outside world for the first time. He smiled slightly before closing his eyes, waiting for the journey to end.
Perhaps he was tired of constantly observing the same scenery, but for me, it felt like a dream come true. Once again, I asked myself the same question...
WHY WASN'T I BORN HERE?!
Look at their attire! Their architecture! Their abilities!
Just a while ago, I saw a young child effortlessly floating in the air as if it were nothing! And what about those flying motorcycles? They're extraordinary, aren't they?
Not to mention the magic.
Imagine being able to control fire with just the palm of your hand or, like the people there, using wind as a cushion and propulsion to surf on water!
Damn, my heart is racing so fast that it's hard for me to hear the conversations outside. It's not like I can hear them from here, but my heart is pounding like a skilled drummer showcasing their best performance.
That's how excited I am, experiencing my childhood dream firsthand, living within it, participating instead of just being a mere spectator.
Then, my gaze shifted to the large building in the center of the city that resembled a tower. It stood tall, blackish-blue in color, adorned with bright blue lines on each side, forming rigid patterns that I couldn't comprehend their meaning, if they even had one.
I observed the peculiar structure for quite some time, realizing that it seemed completely out of this world, vastly different from the buildings within the city, until the papa spoke up.
"The Tower of Fate."
I jolted, turning to look at him.
"That's the name of the building you've been observing for approximately 5 minutes. It's vastly different, just like you, an Outlander. It's unique, striking, and holds so many mysteries that we will never understand.
The structure has been here even before I was born and remains the same till now, unaffected by time. Even the Elven race, with their long lifespans, can be defeated by time.
We have tried various methods to uncover the reason for the presence of the building, but so far, we have only discovered fragments of information. The rest eludes us as it employs a language that is completely beyond the reach of any living being's comprehension.
Indeed, you are aware that you can communicate with us despite coming from a different world," he said, noticing the evident confusion on my face. "The reason for that is the Tower of Fate. We don't need to exert much effort in learning other languages. And we speculate that, just like us, you were also transported to this world."
He folded his arms, gazing at the structure through the window before turning his attention back to me. "We, too, are not natives of this world but hail from a different world, a different realm. At least, that's what my grandfather told me. Not even a single race in this world is its original inhabitant; we all come from different worlds.
That's why we can achieve what we have now, a fusion of magic and Runes, thanks to the Vikings. My father was one of them, which is why I have this muscular physique."
So that's how it is.
I really didn't expect there to be a power that could bring together different worlds and create an entirely new world. Just thinking about it makes my head hurt, and I understand why he mentioned that language beyond the reach of living creatures.
The language of something that can make all of this happen surely holds information that our minds cannot comprehend. But, I'm sure there's an explanation for why this is happening.
Ah!
"Do you know about Glory?"
"Do you mean the glowing blue cube? Well, I-"
The carriage suddenly came to a stop right in front of a magnificent mansion, adorned with the same color scheme as the horse-drawn carriage. Three different runes were carved on two pillars on either side of the door, runes that should (if I'm not mistaken) represent protection, harmony, and peace.
"It seems we have arrived. Welcome to Alfcity."