“Ngh.. “I placed my hand over my eyes, covering the bright light going towards it.
“Hmm..? Ahh!” I quickly bolted upright and pressed my hands on my chest.
“It’s gone?” The wound that I got from the slash was now gone. I took a look under my dress and saw not even a small scar. My body isn’t even hurting one bit.
“What happened?” The last thing I remember was something tightly gripping my neck.
“Oh right,” I placed my hands on my neck, and the collar that I remember being there was now gone.
“What? Was everything that happened just a dream?” I couldn’t help asking myself. There was no trace or any proof that what I remember did happen.
I looked around and again, found myself in an unfamiliar room. It was a boring room. There wasn’t really anything inside except a small circular table and a chair in the corner of the room.
*Squish*
A slime suddenly jumped on my lap.
“Rimu!” I picked him up and hugged him.
“I think I just had a scary dream,” Hearing this, it felt like the slime in my hands drooped. Yeah, I think this slime really does understand what I’m saying.
Having nothing else to do, I went outside and found people wearing metal plate armor walking by. There was a short wall in front of the door preventing people from falling off. It seemed like I was on the second floor. I wandered around the building trying to find Lilia or someone that could bring me to her.
Unluckily, after crossing paths with the man wearing metal armor, I haven’t encountered anyone else. I continued walking around until I found a wide open area in the center of the building. There were more of these metal armor-wearing people. Are they what people call knights? I’ve only seen them in TV shows and animes. I guess I should call them knights for now.
There were knights jogging around outside the field, and some fighting each other with wooden swords in the center. A part of this area has a lot of people gathered though. I couldn’t see what was happening inside the gathering so I tried squeezing into the front, which I managed to do. I don’t know if I’m even allowed to be here.
In the center of the gathering was Lilia battling one of those knights. He was charging at Lilia, throwing slashes here and there, but Lilia is just nonchalantly avoiding them. The knight threw a big slash coming overhead. Lilia, seeing the wide opening the enemy is giving her, decided to immediately dash forward aiming the wooden sword at the neck of the knight. The battle was over. The knight raised both of his hands and everyone watching clapped. Before the knight could even swing his sword downwards, Lilia was already in front of him with the sword in his neck. I clapped my hands in amazement. Yeah! That’s the Lilia that saved me!!
“Lilia!” I called out to her and waved one of my arms. She went directly towards me, knelt down, and patted my head while smiling at me. I never really patted anyone in my past life, let alone receive one. I must say, it surprisingly felt good and made me feel warm inside. It still kind of feels weird though since if you think about it, Lilia is patting the head of a middle-aged man.
She held my hand after, said something to the knights, then proceeded to take me somewhere. As we started to walk away, the knights started bowing at us. Does Lilia have a high social standing or something?
We continued walking until we got out of the building. It was huge. It took us a couple of minutes just walking from that courtyard into the front entrance. Outside was a carriage and two white horses in its front. It had this red motif going on, a large golden crest on its side, and meticulously designed engravings all along the outside. In front of the carriage was an old man wearing some kind of butler suit. She handed Lilia a towel and opened the door of the carriage for us. I was hesitant to enter the carriage. I mean, this is insane! I feel like I’m being treated as a royalty here!
I looked at Lilia, looking for some sort of confirmation that this carriage is really for us. She smiled at me and lightly pushed me from behind. This means it’s for us right? I took a big gulp and slowly entered the carriage. I sat at one side of it and placed Rimu beside me. The seats were really soft. The inside of the carriage looked even more fancier than the outside. I may not look like it, but I’m actually completely ecstatic. Lilia entered the carriage and sat opposite of me. Is Lilia some kind of noble or something?
The carriage started moving and slowly left the premise of the building we were at. It was kind of rocky compared to the cars in our world, but it’s still comfortable nonetheless. We continued traveling for a while, passing carriages and multiple large gates on the way. We were slowly getting in front of a giant gate with multiple knights guarding the outside. When I thought that they were going to stop us and do some checks, the gate slowly opened, not even letting us slow down even for a moment. Now that I think about it, the crest on the carriage was the same crest that was on the gate. The carriage continued going for a bit longer and stopped at a gigantic looking door of what I can only describe as a castle.
What kind of rich people live inside here? I asked myself as we went out of the carriage. The knights guarding the door slowly opened the door. There was a red carpet, a line of maids on both sides bowing, a man, and a little girl at the end of it.
“Lumina!” The little girl shouted and ran towards me. It was the girl that was in my “dream”. I guess what happened was real after all. How did they manage to remove the wounds I received though?
“Alicia,” I also called her name. She took one of my hands and pulled me deeper into the castle.
The hallway was long and wide. There were tons of doors leading to somewhere. There were also some chandeliers hanging on the ceiling. She grabbed the knobs of one of the bigger doors in the hallway and pushed it. It looked like she was struggling a bit so I decided to help her. I placed Rimu on the floor and pushed. The door was indeed heavy, which is normal for its size. Seeing that we were having a bit of a hard time, Rimu also started pushing on the door. Suddenly both of the doors opened, it turned out there were also maids inside of the room. Inside of the room was a long table and chairs at each side of it. There was also food already prepared on the table. Alicia pulled me towards one of the chairs and instructed me to sit. There were only enough utensils for two people. Is Lilia and the other man not gonna eat with us?
“Kangan!” Alicia said to me and grabbed the fork and the knife on the table. I’ve had experience eating in a formal setting so I at least know how to use these utensils properly.
Today’s breakfast consists of omelet, salad, mashed potato, and a piece of bread. The bread this time around was a lot better. It doesn’t even compare. It was softer and a lot tastier. After having our fill, Alicia once again guided me somewhere. This time it was outdoors, the garden. There was a big round fountain in the center of it. On the right side was a small maze of flowery plants. On the left side was a gazebo with a rounded roof. Under it was a rounded table with a couple of chairs. In there was Lilia sitting and drinking something. We walked towards her and I sat beside her.
After sitting down, Lilia prepared two cups of tea. One for me and one for Alicia. I was more of a coffee guy myself, but I’ll take whatever. I took a sip and… It tasted like boiled grass! I tried to not let my reaction out, but Lilia seemed to have noticed. She let out a laugh, took a small teapot and filled my cup with it. It was milk. She also added two cubes of sugar and stirred it. I took another sip, and this time, it was a lot tastier.
After preparing the tea, she took out books, a small board and some chalk and handed them all to me. Finally! A source of knowledge! I can finally learn the language of this world. I opened one of the books that was given to me. As expected, I couldn’t understand anything. Seeing me being confused, she took the board and the chalk from me and started writing characters. She continued teaching me until the evening, taking some breaks here and there. After the sun setted, Lilia guided us to our room. We went to the second floor of the castle and entered a fancy looking door. Inside were two large canopy beds. Everything in this room is fancy. There’s even a nightstand beside the beds. In the corner of the room was a circular table surrounded by 4 chairs. There’s a balcony. There were also two doors on the other side of the room which turned out to be a bathroom and a closet. After taking a short bath with Lilia, Alicia went to our room and helped me with my studies, then headed to bed after.
*+*
It’s been around a week now since we arrived in this castle. I’m now used to living in this new body of mine. I have also learned a lot in my stay here. First of all, I can now communicate with people albeit only using simple words. It’s a good thing that the writing system in this world is similar to the writing system on earth. They also had 26 characters with only its appearance being different. This totally helped in increasing my learning speed. They also use base 10 in counting with the only difference being the appearance so I was able to easily learn numbers too.
“Lumina, can you pass me the book over there?”
“This?” I asked her, raising a mathematics book.
“Yes that one.”
“Here,” I handed it to her.
“Thank you.”
We’re currently in the library of the castle. Lilia wasn’t with us as she said that she needed to do something at the knight headquarters. Oh yeah, I also learned that Alicia, or Alicia Leo Ludenburgh, is the current crown princess of this kingdom, Kingdom of Ludenburgh. I was really shocked at first you know. I didn't even know how I should act around them. They keep telling me that I should just act as usual though, so I did.
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I’ve been homesick for quite a while now. Or should I say worldsick? I discovered that magic exists in this world. Maybe that’s the reason why the technology level in this world is so low. After being used to having the entire world on the tip of my fingers, being suddenly thrown into a world where there is no modern technology in sight, I’ll tell you now, it's tough.
“Alicia, how do you read this?” I showed her the book that I was reading and pointed at a word I couldn’t understand.
“Let’s see…” She leaned in closer and read it.
“...Heroes have gathered to seal the bloodthirsty demon king.”
I was reading a book about the history of this world. It said here that long ago, a demon king had suddenly emerged on the surface of the world, eradicating half the total population and plunging the world in total darkness for years and dropping the global temperature equal to that of an ice age. What? Too much information? Deal with it. I also need to memorize all of this If I want to survive in this world.
“What does bloodthirsty mean?”
“Hmm.. It’s like being hungry for blood? Killing people indiscriminately?” She explained
“Oh.. Thanks.” That bloodthirsty.
“The battle raged on for weeks. The heroes managed to defeat the demon king but they did not have enough power to kill him, resorting to only sealing him. This did not come without a cost, losing over half of the 10 heroes that subdued the demon king,” I read out loud, training my reading and talking skills
.
This was what started the discrimination against the demons, which continues to this day. It evolved into an even greater issue, creating an ongoing war between the humankind and demon kind.
This world has a dark and violent history huh. I mean Earth also had a violent history but it said here that the following disaster left the entire world in darkness for years. I can’t even begin to imagine living without any sunlight for weeks, let alone years. Humanity would surely end if that happened on Earth
“Hey Lumina, how do I solve this again?” She showed me a paper with a simple algebra problem. 2x = 50x + 15
“It’s simple. First you just need to move the terms with the xs on one side and those that have none in the others,” I instructed her while pointing at the 2x and 15.
“Like this?” She swapped the position of 2x and 15.
“Yes, don’t forget to change the signs though.”
“Signs?”
“Yes, the negatives and positives.”
“Negative? Oh. The numbers below zero?”
“Yes..” I think we should stop doing algebra for now. She was insisting that I teach her algebra. She said that she already knew the basics.
“Why is math so difficult! And how are you so good at it?” She complained, dropping her pencil on the table and stretching both her arms and legs.
“You could not even talk to us a week ago and here you are now, teaching me mathematics!” She complained further. I’ve been doing math for almost all my life, and with my experience in the computer industry, there’s no way I wouldn’t be able to solve simple problems like this.
“Now, now. How about we go back to the basics for now.”
“Yes princess, you should start with the basics first and build a proper foundation of your knowledge,” A maid with long black hair pushing a tea cart entered the room.
“How about taking a short break for now?” She asked, preparing a cup of tea for Alicia and I.
“I think we should do that,” Alicia responded, lowering her back on the chair.
“I want my tea-”
“2 cubes of sugar and 6 teaspoons of milk.”
“Yes..” The maid’s name was Ceres. She was assigned as my personal maid. She was the one that was teaching me the most about the language of this world. Lilia and Alicia were also teaching me sometimes but they’re busy most of the time, leaving me with Ceres.
I’m feeling more guilty the longer I stay in this castle. What did I do to deserve living this lavishly? Nothing. I wanted to help clean around but they wouldn’t let me. They wouldn’t even let me clean the room we’re staying in. I think I’m being pampered too much. At this rate, I’ll turn into a good for nothing.
“Excuse me,” she said as she placed two cups of tea on the table and a plate filled with biscuits. I took one of the biscuits and hovered it above Rimu who was sitting at a chair next to me.
“Jump!” I said as I gestured my arms upwards. Rimu jumped to my lap and I gave him the biscuit.
“You do love teaching Rimu tricks,” Alicia said, taking a biscuit and placing it in her mouth.
“I mean, isn’t it cute seeing him doing tricks?”
“Sure it’s cute but shouldn’t you atleast train him a little and make him a bit stronger? I think he’s even starting to get fat,” Now that she mentioned it, Rimu looks bigger compared to when we left for the city.
In the middle of our talk, loud knocks came from the door.
“Come in,” Alicia responded.
“Pardon my intrusion,” She said while entering the library.
“Princess Alicia, King Edward is calling for you in his office. He said that it’s an important matter and he needs you there immediately.”
“Please tell father that I’ll be following shortly.”
After hearing Alicia’s response, the maid bowed and left the room.
“What do you think that is about?” I asked Alicia.
“I’m not really sure. Alright, I’ll be going then.”
She slowly stood up from her seat and proceeded to walk towards the exit.
“Good luck I guess?”
“Thanks,” she replied, letting out a short laugh.
With her leaving, I continued reading my book while drinking my tea. I occasionally ask Ceres for some words that I couldn’t understand. For a week of studying, I’d say that I made a lot of progress.
“Ceres,” I called the maid standing behind me.
“Yes, Miss Lumina?”
“Didn’t I tell you to just drop the honorifics, especially when we’re alone?”
“I’m sorry. I was just teasing you,” she replied, letting out a giggle.
I sighed then continued asking my question, “When will I be allowed to go out of the castle again?”
“We’ll need to ask permission from the King for that.”
“But why?”
“I’m not really sure either. The king just ordered us to not let you out of the castle without telling him first.”
“Alright then,” Hearing her explanation, I immediately went back to my studies.
*+*
I’m currently in the garden, roaming around the castle doing my daily afternoon walk. Alicia didn’t spend that much time talking with her father. She quickly went back to the library and explained to me that a prince from another country will be coming and we’re to keep him entertained in their stay here.
“This will be tiring,” I said as I kept walking on the stone pathway in the garden. Rimu was hopping on the ground, following me. I don’t mean physically tired. I meant mentally. Alicia by herself is quite an energetic one so it takes a lot of mental fortitude just for me to keep up with her.
Speaking of Alicia, she’s currently at the entrance of the castle along with the butler of King Edward. She said that they will be waiting for the guest there to show courtesy. Apparently she does this every time an important guest visits the castle. Must be quite a hassle.
“Hey Rimu, what time do you think Lilia will come home today?” As expected, I got no response. I’m just talking to keep the boredom away anyways.
“Maybe 7?” I haven’t seen anyone wearing any kind of wrist watch here so it’s difficult to know what time it is. They do have one of those grandfather clocks scattered around the castle though.
“Hey Rimu, how about we start a bet?” I turned around to look at the slime hopping behind me.
“I’ll set a time, and if Lilia arrives 10 minutes before or after that time, I get your dessert for tonight? Deal?” I picked him up and raised him in the air. I felt his body moving side to side showing that he doesn’t want to be part of the bet I proposed.
“Alright, that’s a deal then! You’re the best Rimu!” The slime in my arms started to violently shake but I didn’t care one bit.
“The time will be 7,” I said as I continued walking, glancing at the dejected slime now hopping slower behind me.
I continued walking around the garden then headed inside the castle to continue my walk.
“Good evening!” I greeted as I passed some maids walking in the hallway. They returned my greeting with a bow. I really should thank Lilia for the life I’m currently living.
As I got closer to the kitchen, the smell of cooked food started floating in the air.
“Good evening!” I greeted one of the chefs cooking some food in the kitchen.
“Oh! Good evening Miss Lumina,” He greeted back.
“Come on SIR Charles, I already told you that you can drop the honorifics,” I said putting stress on the honorifics.
“You know I can’t do that right?” He replied with a laugh.
“Then I won’t ever stop calling you Sir Charles then. Understood SIR Charles? SIR CHARLES?” I added even more stress to the honorifics. I can see him flinch from embarrassment everytime I repeatedly called his name,
“Alright fine, I’ll stop calling you with honorifics so please stop.” He said holding his temples with one of his hands. Victory!
“Are these the food for the guests later?”
“Yes, don’t worry there’s also some for you later.”
“Hey, that’s rude! I'm not here to get some food, I'm just having an afternoon walk,” What does he think I am? A glutton? He laughed at my reply.
“Oh yeah. Wait here,” He said as he quickly disappeared deeper in the kitchen.
“Here,” He handed me two large loaves of bread.
“It’s left over bread for your slime,” I took the bread and thanked him.
“Thank you Uncle Charles!” I said as I quickly dashed out of the kitchen.
“I’m not that old, you problematic child!” I heard him scream as I ran farther from the kitchen.
After taking my walk near the kitchen, I don’t really have any other place to check anymore since I was trying my best to avoid the places where the guests could be.
I was taking pieces of bread and giving it to Rimu as we walked down the hallway, I’ll save this one for later so you have something to eat at night,” I said as I continued giving him more.
“I guess I’ll read some books in my room for now. Come on Rimu,” The slime took a huge jump and landed on my head. I started to walk towards my room. When I was turning at a corner, at the edge of my peripheral vision, I saw someone following me from afar. I didn't want to lead whoever was following me to my room so I decided to take a quick detour and head to the library instead. After turning 2 more corners, I confirmed that the person was indeed following me, and it was another child. It wasn’t Alicia so it was probably one of the guests.
After doing another turn, rather than continuing to walk, I decided to wait for him instead. When he turned at the corner I’m in, he was shocked to see me waiting for him, making him step back and fall on his butt.
“So? Why are you following me?” I lowered my face to his level, He was completely flustered. He tried to get up and run in the other direction but Rimu immediately jumped on his path, completely boxing him in. Nice assist!
“You can’t run now. Tell me why you’re following me,” I slammed my hands on the wall behind him pinning him on the wall. Now that I took a good look at him, it was a little kid probably in the same age range as me and Alicia. He had brown hair and greenish colored eyes. His face was also blushing even deeper and he was trembling.
“What do you think you’re doing?” A voice came besides us. I looked and it came from a man wearing a light purple suit aiming a long stick at me that resembled a cane. Rimu, after seeing him, started to violently shake.
“Get off the prince!” He commanded. His voice was so intimidating that I suddenly found myself a few steps back from the other child. Rimu, completely acting out character, lunged itself towards the guy wearing a suit. The man did not dodge, instead doing a quick roundhouse kick, kicking Rimu into the wall and leaving him in a splattered mess. Before I could even react however, a sound of shattering glass and vases from a distance could be heard, followed by a strong gust of wind. The second I realized what was happening, the man wearing a purple suit was sent flying further down the hallway.
”Who are you?!” Shouted the assailant who was now in front of me. It was Lilia, she was pointing her rapier at the man, now standing back up and lowering his stance.
The man clicked his tongue and quickly dashed towards Lilia. They were both trading blows at each other. Both also dodged every attack thrown by the other. The fight that was happening created a lot of noise attracting the attention of a lot of the maids close by. Some screamed, increasing the tension in the air.
“HALT!” A loud deep voice echoed through the hallway. Suddenly, a bright light covered the whole floor and my whole body got so much heavier. I dropped to my knees, trying my best to not fall over, the child with me also doing the same. Lilia and the man in the purple suit also fell on their knees as a dark orb above them got brighter and bigger.
“What is happening here!?” Asked by the deep voice. It was King Edward, casting a magic spell to stop the fighting happening inside his castle.