The mixture of the bright, warm, cold, dim, and neon lights was only an ordinary scene every single night on the downtown of Nacht City. No skyscrapers are ever seen upon a look-up on the sky of inconsistent system of weather, yet tonight, there was not even a haze.

An ordinary scene… an ordinary night…

Under the moonlight, the city persists to function until late with a myriad of jobs and businesses keeping the life left from daylight to sundown. May they be normal jobs or ones that has never met with the illumination of the sun, the lives of every single individual continue on.

An abundance of heavy footsteps meets the ears, the sirens of the police peaks at the high frequencies, the very seldom gunshots echoed from quite afar.

But asunder to the halting shrieks of the police, another pursuit was transpiring.

"Where did she go?! It's too dark in here…! Give us some light!"

"Agh…! Let's separate for now! She couldn't have gotten far!"

"Was she able to learn the Stealth Ability?!"

"Is she really so desperate to escape that she had to become a Clandestine?!"

"We really do not have any choice… If needed we must take her back by force…

But still, we have to realize that that woman may only be a potential subject and not the one. They know too well how to conceal their each and every identity.

Anyway, let's move."

Clandestine.

They are humans, and only humans. A legend of them tells that these individuals are capable of beyond normal mobility especially on the darkest shadows of the night. But in reality, they are people who took tutelage on a maestro to master the ways of stealth.

Upon completing and stepping away from the master's teaching, Clandestines are free to do what they wish for. Be a criminal, a prowler, an unknown identity, the maestro holds no responsibility. It was not his objective to teach his students morals, but only the lessons they need.

Thus, among those who chose to freely do so, one—just like anyone—chose the path of never ending escape and hide-and-seek.

"Hahh… I finally lost them…"

On her huffs, the certain Clandestine hopped down from a very short protrusion of a building and emerged from the shadows, blending in to the crowd.

The life of one that hides day and night was ultimately a struggle. It was not only a matter of being able to see the surroundings omnidirectionally, but also being able to leave no trace of one's existence.

On her silent footsteps, she arrived in an apartment building and nonchalantly took the stairs until she was in front of an apartment room on the third floor of the six-story apartment.

(!)

Her hearing immediately caught even on the slightest movements of the doorknob on the room right of her. Steadily, a woman on a tracksuit that is in her mid-twenties came out of the room and gave the Clandestine a sweet smile.

"Good evening, Ms. Vanta. I suppose you came home from a work meeting?"

"Yes, Ms. Jade. How was your teaching today?"

"It's always so-so. As always, they are noisy and they still keep talking about the disappearance of the princess.

Speaking of… it has already been seven months since she went missing… the whole country is really worried…"

"Y-Yes… I was really heartbroken when they told us that she suddenly disappeared."

"Well, I hope that she is safe somewhere. This place is too dangerous for her."

"I agree… well then, I shall go."

"Oh, have a nice rest."

An input on a passcode lock and a scan on a fingerprint sensor later, seven clacks sounded from within the door and such she twisted the doorknob of her apartment room. On wobbly and exhausted steps, she landed on her bed facedown and let out yet another enormous sigh.

"…"

My name is Althea Vanta.

I am a 22 year-old remote employee that solely works at the comfort of my home for a certain technological company that is based here on the city of Nacht, within this country called Inchiostro.

Surprisingly, we are the only nation in this world that is still maintaining the system of monarchy, even on the period of technological revolution. Inchiostro is still technically a kingdom, and the king still holds power with their prime minister.

But that being said, the country is in the midst of crisis.

"We are once again living and ending another day without a trace of the only princess, Aiumina Azure and the country continues to remain in distress.

As we have always done, we would like to ask for your help on searching for the princess on any other ways."

The news has always been like this for the most of the seven months on the television ever since then. Again, this nation is still under the system of monarchy, heavily at that. The only remaining royal blood is the family under the name of "Azure," and is keeping the peace of this country until the incident that had happened.

But even so, it does not stop me from continuing from my work on the development and advertising side of my company. Amidst of the things going sideways in this place, the love for the things I do has never waned down. Even though I am in utter avoidance of chase, I am very glad that I am able to achieve the very small dream I have always wished for.

…

There is no point beating around the bush. I am the reason why Princess Aiumina Azure has not yet emerged until today… because Althea Vanta is the same person as her.

I am a coward. I have always wanted to run away from my responsibilities. At such a young age, I have gotten exposed to the system of governing the entire nation. But I was suffocated. I never wanted a life where the only thing that I will do has already been decided.

Then I had a servant that taught me a lot of things about the world… as I was one that has always been caged inside the compound of the royal capital. She was never an unruly one, she does not tolerate the times when I laze around, but in spite of that, she has always told me stories about the world outside. She helped me search for the things I love and the things I want to dream of. Because of her, I found my great interest on creating something in my own way. Indeed, people have their own intelligence and skills, and it just so happened that I found my passion for a proficiency called programming.

I wanted to be a normal girl. I wanted to become a child that has friends I can play with. I wanted to go to a school just like any other children. I wanted to learn together with them, I wanted to understand what the feeling of love is with friends. I wanted to fall in love just like any other person.

But then I was born as a princess—with blue blood and an aquatic hair that only the nobles inherit.

It was not that I didn't love my family, if anything, it is the opposite. What I disliked was the life I have, and the lack of freedom to decide for my own which I should have had.

My only hope was my servant, which I later then considered as an older sister of mine. But I was awoken to a cruel chance of events. She had contracted to an incurable illness and I was not even able to hear her last words on her deathbed.

It was at that moment where I have completely and finally gotten sick of this life I had. I loved her as a family, and I couldn't imagine how I could live without her in that cage. And so, being the coward that I am, I ran away and left the royal confines.

I sought for guidance from the maestro of stealth within the Clandestines and found myself residing in the lively city of Nacht. I then strove to continue the path of my dreams regardless of not having academic records. I made them face that an uneducated like me can prove something in the society. I changed my name and the color of my hair to black, got a job, rented a small apartment, and finally achieved the life I wanted.

Things were going fine until the men of the king, my father, began to mobilize in search for the missing princess. On their own ways, they managed to narrow down potential individuals that could be her. But one thing that they did not know about this city is that most of the citizens here are nimble people that would not submit to pursuits that does not have apparent bases.

For the most part, I was able to move forward in this life full of risks peacefully aside from the close calls where I was almost identified. To be honest, there were times where I was once again visited by the thought that I am getting sick of this life of being chased. Truly, I have come to be very exhausted, but I swore to never return to that confinement.

~ ~ ~

But soon, I found an agency that aims to hear out the sentiments of those that have suffered in this admittedly miserable world. Amidst the risk of being outside, I presented myself to that agency for a tour and to verify its credibility, and they did not disappoint.

At one certain time, I inputted their hotline from my dialer and the call was immediately answered after a few rings.

"Hello, this is 'Other' Agency graciously hearing out your voices; how may I help you?"

"I just want your advice…"

"May we know your concern?"

"It's just… I love my job and the things I do… but I just don't want the life I have right now. As time goes on, my life is becoming less and less peaceful. I want to know of the means… I want to know if there is any way for me to start over a new life peacefully and happily without being put to danger. Is such a thing… possible for someone like me…?"

If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.

"I personally understand your sentiments, ma'am. There are indeed many people that wanted to start a new life although they seem to be doing well. Perhaps it goes by the same principle of having money but not happiness. I am not presuming that it is your circumstance, but was it any near from that?"

"I suppose so…"

"Thank you for your honest response.

We believe that there is a possibility to start a brand new life, especially if this is what you truly meant from your heart and mind. Our actions require for a person to be sincere to the decision that they had made and that they also are accepting of being able to move on."

"I… I would like to hear more of that. If possible… I really want to start over sooner than later. Please… I really need your help."

"We humbly apologize that a very immediate response is not possible, but we can act in such a way that would not take very long. If you would give us enough time, we can do something to help you."

"I will be willing to wait…"

"I see. Once we have sorted out the things on our side, we would get back to you immediately. But can we please have a copy of your information and credentials for purposes of analysis and finding the best course of action for you? You can also take the process of transferring your bank account to a new one if you so desire to not be tracked.

We will assure you that your information will never leave our premises, according to Law No. 965 regarding the right of the citizen's privacy.

Once again, we would get back to you once our side has been settled."

"Thank you… Thank you…"

▪ ▪ ▪

With all the things that has been said and done, reality is never kind to those that did the wrong thing, in the end.

I was a coward, I fled from my responsibilities, I chose the life where the whole country is going to lose trust on me, all because I am a selfish child. If only did my life as a leader of this country did not feel like my existence has been decided from the moment I was born to the time I die, I would not have ran away. Or perhaps… maybe I will still have.

I have become very aware that even my "older sister" would definitely dislike my actions, yet I still acted upon them.

It felt like I have been punished… as the cruel reality does not forgive.

Clandestines are people of the night, and yet I still fell for such a simple trap.

The hopes and great delight were seen on the many faces that ultimately surrounded my standstill on the middle of a road in the still young day. The cheering of the crowd was loud and clear, in unison, without even a failure within their rhythm.

But somewhere deep inside that the people will never get to see, it felt like I was being persecuted. My breathing drastically shortened, my head became so light, my ears began to hurt, and my eyes began to tear up from the face that has been unmasked in front of this very nation.

I was starting to lose my mind.

"I…

If this is how everything is going to end… THEN I MIGHT AS WELL JUST DIE…!!!!"

I was too weak to even hear the echoes of the screech that made the crowd dead mute in an instant. On my blurring sight, I saw only disheveled expressions slowly disappearing within a plume of smoke, and on my dying ears, I heard absolutely nothing.

Amid the fading consciousness, I was not able to realize the things that were about to happen. But beyond the cloud of smoke surrounding me, something was loud, and something was still visible, but I was not able to feel anything as my eyes closed.

~ ~ ~

"Oh, oh, finally awake, Ms. Vanta."

I woke up inside of some kind of a vehicle. It was indeed a car, but its layout is very much different from the ones I have known. Even from the inside, I could immediately tell that it is very wide. The windscreen was almost flat and almost upright, and with the wideness of the vehicle it felt like I could see anything in front of us, and I was taken aback by how high we are from the ground even with the guarantee that we are not hovering from the ground.

"Wow, really. I did not expect this place to be so familiar from the system, technology, infrastructures, and to the lands. But still, this place is waaaayyy more environmentally maintained than I imagined."

"W-Who are you…"

"Before that… may I please verify that you are indeed Ms. Althea Vanta, age 22, an information system associate, and a member of the advertising department to boot under Softhave? Well, not like I actually know that company."

"Y-Yes… they are correct…"

"Then that's settled. My name is Hitoyoshi Vecker, a driver employed by Other Agency. I was oriented in detail with your circumstances, and it was decided that I will be your agent for the moment until all the processes have been finished. We believe that we have found the solution to your problem."

"…"

On a better look at this person behind the wheel, it felt deep within that something was off or unusual with him. His appearance is something I have not seen anywhere. He still appears to be a human, but I have never seen a race with an appearance the same as him.

"Take a turn left on Codis Rd."

"Haaahh, thankfully there is also GPS here…"

My attention was caught for an entirely different reason when I looked at his phone. To my great surprise, the screen of his smartphone was literally bordering the edges of its footprint. I for one have never seen a device like that. Even I know that the most expensive phones in this day and age have a screen that only houses the center with less than inch of a bezel on the top and bottom. If I may speak of complex words, I have never seen a phone screen that is not in a 16:9 aspect ratio.

But for me to even care more about it was too much of a stretch.

"Please settle down for a bit, Ms. Vanta. We're arriving very soon to our destination."

"…"

~ ~ ~

The vehicle stopped inside a well-lit warehouse with not a lot of people in it. I hopped down from probably more than a foot of elevation as I stepped down, and immediately saw the exact size of the vehicle I was inside. It was hard to describe, but the shape of the vehicle was very rectangular and flat on its surfaces. There were three wheels on each side that were almost as tall as my knees, and there is a large metallic container.

"W-What is this vehicle, Mr. Vecker…"

"That's what you'd call a box truck," he proudly uttered with his hands on his hips.

"S-So… what exactly is going on…?"

"In my world, there is a trope where getting hit by a truck, presumably dying, will lead a person to be transported to another world."

"Ehhh…"

"But in this case, you have clearly told your sentiments to the call center, and here we are now. I just said that trope, but what would happen isn't something like that. Basically, the solution that we arrived at is sending you to a different world."

"…

There is only one world… and even I have never heard of such fiction…"

"Well, I have read and watched so many of that trope. But what it is most commonly known is "isekai" from another language in my world. It roughly means another world.

I'm sure that you're sick and tired of this place so I would like to ask you once and for all. Even if you don't believe me, you will definitely be transported to another world where you are going to be able to start a new life that you really wished for and-"

He was interrupted by the sound of the news from the television.

"In this unfortunate day, Princess Aiumina Azure has been identified to be residing in downtown Nacht and was able to be found by the royal guards, but in an unexpected turn of events, an unknown vehicle has taken the princess and is still not able to be tracked as we speak."

"So you are a princess that has escaped. Fortunately, I put up a smokescreen so we weren't seen on live coverage. Well, anyway, I'm not from this world so I don't care.

Continuing… if that is the case, then no one will be able to track you down and be a princess in that world. You will live your life as a normal person there and choose how you want to live.

If you truly want to leave this place… we would like to know right here and right now."

Mr. Vecker led me to a table with a lone paper work on it.

"Apparently there is a power that you generally call an 'Ability' that is being brought out by a 'force' inside your body. This is basically a contract in which you agree to be transported to a different world. In this printed circle, apparently you have to press your thumb and channel a bit of your Force and it will disappear. But I highly advice you to read it in detail, so please take your time.

Also, sorry to say, but my people on our world does not have any kind of ability including myself.

So, have you made up your mind, Ms. Vanta?"

I am incredibly tired to even make a speech inside my head, and all this exhaustion has led me to this place that doesn't even feel real. My escape has finally led to me apparently leaving this world to another one.

I am not a good person; I chose my selfishness over the wellness of this place. I left relentlessly without trying to reconsider of returning back to my old life.

At this point… the last thing I would want to do is regret this haphazard decision.

I strongly pressed my thumb on the paper like there was no tomorrow and felt that a little bit of my Force left my body. In an instant, the paper glowed up and disintegrated to nothingness.

I was then startled by loud whirring sound from my behind, and found that the "truck's" engine has started and the headlights turned on.

"For people like you who have wanted refuge from the sufferings, we made the process simple for you. Please hop inside of the van at the back while I am driving. If you need anything, you can call me from there."

"U-Understood…"

"Well then… the duration of our travel will be six hours. At some point, you will fall asleep as it is intended to be, but it looks like you are already very tired so have that opportunity to rest."

What I assume were the agents of Other opened the van for me and revealed a living space that is even better-looking than my apartment. Who would even expect that such an industrial-looking cargo on the outside will actually look like this on the inside?

I have just judged a book by its cover…

Then from the inner side of the room, a heard a knock and slid the opaque window open and saw the cabin where Mr. Vecker has already climbed in.

"Are we ready to leave, Ms. Vanta?"

"Y-Yes…"

"Do you want to say goodbye to this world while you still can?"

"…

When I am by myself," I smiled politely and slid the window shut.

I felt that the vehicle started to move but then I was able to get used to the micro movements. After settling down, I first checked if there is something I can wear for a change of clothes, which there is.

The curiosity also got the better of me and so I checked the bed and pressed down my hand on it which immediately sank due to its softness that retracts back as if nothing happened. But I tried not to act spoiled and went to the bathroom to take a warm, quiet, and comfortable bath that I have not experienced in a while. Day and night, I have always worried of my surroundings. I always checked if I am being tracked, I have always avoided cameras, and even people that I think are suspicious. But unconsciously, I let go of those concerns after sinking on the warm bath. Surprisingly, being in there made me realize how smooth the travel is.

…

I have expected that the clothes provided here were not to my size, after all. But even so, it felt like forever when I felt so cozy. Even the room is air conditioned and is adequately furnished. The fridge also had beverages and ready-made food that only requires heating up.

But even before I act hysterically on the spectacle I am in, I slowly and silently approached the neatly prepared bed and disturbed its tranquility as I leaped straight down and sank on it.

"Waaaahhh… This feels like I am on a cloud…"

Five minutes after and before I even doze off, I decided to fill my rumbling stomach with the food in the fridge that I then placed on a microwave. What do you know, I was expecting a cheaply made meal, but what I got was a very delicious and nutritionally balanced meal.

…

Then I stumbled upon a bookshelf containing books that exudes of leisure and entertainment. But there was one book that totally piqued my interest.

"…!"

I thought that books only contained words, but this book is different. Along with the words that convey a story, there were also precisely drawn images that describe the story.

"M-M-Mr. Vecker, what kind of book is this?!"

"Oh… that's what you would call a manga. If you're confused, you are supposed to read the boxes from right to left. And it seems you can read English?"

"E-Engleeks…? What is that… this is Evian language."

"Hmm, whatever. But I like reading that kind of books. I hope you enjoy them too."

Surprisingly, it was as though what Mr. Vecker said was starting to align itself. I realized that the book that I was holding was not the first volume, and so to respect the literature, I took my time to find the first volume. I may have hated being a princess, but it did not mean that I disliked my time reading a lot of books in that time.

I decided to only read the very first chapter of this book called a "manga," but the words of Mr. Vecker immediately resembled the narrative of the book.

The protagonist was a teenage student that seems to be having a regular life, but in unfortunate chances, he was hit by a truck and immediately died. But he found himself waking up in an unknown field of lush grass, still remembering the tragedy he experienced. He realized that he developed some kind of a power that is akin to my Force and Ability. It appeared that he was transported in some kind of a fantasy world that disrupts all conventions of his old world. Be that as it may, he accepted the fact the he has no way to return to his original world and accepted his new life.

In many ways… it was definitely identical to what they said and what I imagined upon being told of that thought.

It was finally sinking in. I chose this path where I will not be able to see my family or even my original world anymore. Because of my selfishness, I am now apparently being transported to another world to start a new life that is different to my old one. If there is even a time for me to grieve and regret, I also ought to think about how I will accept this very tall thought.

Slowly… very slowly, the credibility of the events in the earlier moments is now converging to reality. I knew that I was extremely tired, but something was forcefully making me close my eyes and lose my consciousness to a slumber.

"…At some point, you will fall asleep as it is intended to be, but it looks like you are already very tired so have that opportunity to rest."

If I can recall… there were still five more hours remaining.