Jonah looked at Serina Lockstar. She didn’t seem worried that he would steal her name, despite his warning about the Fae. Well, it could be a fake name. And Serina could just be fooling him completely. But it was probably alright to tell her his name. As he thought about it and calmed down, he realized he had been a little sensitive. She didn’t seem to hold any malicious intent against him, at least not on the surface.
Being cautious was smart. And if Jonah really was an alien in her eyes, he couldn’t really hold it against her if she wanted to tie him up and protect herself. However, the question still remained as to why she had saved him from the Rock Roarer in the first place.
From what he could tell, he had inadvertently invaded this world. Although he didn’t know what that meant in detail, based on the terminology, he could guess that it wasn’t great. He was also wearing comparatively strange clothes and spoke a strange language. And while Serina wouldn’t have known that part about the language before he spoke, it wouldn’t be odd if she were cautious and wanted to find out who he was.
There could still be some other intentions, but maybe Serina was a good-hearted but cautious woman who, while saving him, still wanted to ensure he didn’t do anything dangerous.
Jonah decided to tone down his paranoia and skepticism until he got a good grasp of the situation and found a way to go back to Earth.
“Jonah….”
As he spoke, Jonah realized that arriving at a strange new world wasn’t all bad. While it was foreign, strange, and dangerous, it might just also be an opportunity for a fresh start, free of the baggage back home. At the very least, it was a chance to get rid of the last name that had plagued his life from birth.
“Just Jonah?”
Serina looked at Jonah with a raised eyebrow as she confirmed his name.
“Yeah. Well, you can call me Jonah Smith if that makes you more comfortable.”
“Oh, are you a smith? Can you make weapons?”
“Ah, no….”
Jonah was a little awkward at Serina taking his made-up last name so literally.
“Smith is just a common surname where I am from. I… don’t know how to make weapons.”
Jonah was about to reveal that he was a mage, not a smith, before realizing it wouldn’t be very wise to reveal what he could do.
Saying he was a mage wasn’t something he wanted to do that openly, either. After all, he could barely be called a proper mage when all he could do was use triangles.
He couldn’t even use the most basic Magic Missile. It would be embarrassing to claim to be a proper mage when he was limited to only one thing.
“Oh. Well, if it makes you feel any better, I’m not a smith either. I’m an aspiring mage.”
Serina didn’t know why Jonah had suddenly sounded a little sadder when he said he wasn’t a smith, so she tried to comfort him. It didn’t seem to work that well, but Jonah did perk up as he looked at Serina.
“Really?”
He had expected mages would be common from the moment he realized how much mana the air was packed with, but to think that the first person he encountered was a mage. But, considering she had brought him out from under the Rock Roarer’s corpse, it also made sense. He should have thought of that before.
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“Yep. Well, I’m not that good yet….”
Jonah didn’t know what to say to that, so he decided to change the topic.
“So, about this whole Invader thing… Mind giving me an explanation? And while you’re at it, maybe untie me?”
“Soup first?”
“If you free my hands so that I can eat it by myself, I will gladly accept it.”
Jonah smiled as he wriggled his arms a little to stress the fact that he was tied to a chair.
“The soup will wait then. I still have to confirm whether you’re suspicious or just unlucky.”
“Didn’t you already do that?”
Serina shrugged.
“You could be lying.”
Jonah just sighed and waited for her to continue. He didn’t bother saying that she could also be lying since it wouldn’t accomplish anything. He would just be leading the conversation in circles. It was just a few words away from turning into a childish yes-no argument.
Jonah would say Serina is suspicious, and Serina would say, no, you. Then, Jonah would say yes. Serina would say no. And then, they could continue until they fell asleep.
“Alright, the super short version is kind of as follows. This planet is called Thyskria. For a very long time now, it has suffered from Invaders from other planets, dimensions, and universes. Many of those Invaders aren’t very nice to the natives. So, the different countries and powers of Thyskria work together to kill any Invaders as soon as they show up. Although they rarely contribute, the monsters of Thyskria also help, which is why you were attacked by a Rock Roarer as soon as you showed up.”
“Okay… But I’m a nice person. Well, I’m not mean, at least, so I’m not going to be killed, right?”
Jonah couldn’t feel relieved, despite knowing the reason why the Rock Roarer had been so intent on hunting him down. Though, he was curious about how it had sensed him and how other Invaders were discovered. As well as if he would be living in constant pursuit for the rest of his life until he managed to leave Thyskria.
“That’s where you’re wrong. Invaders aren’t killed simply because they are mean. It’s because of the threat they pose.”
“If I were such a threat I needed to be put down on sight, I wouldn’t be strapped to this chair like a chicken about to be plucked, no?”
Serina chuckled a little at Jonah’s comparison, but she didn’t let the seriousness of the conversation slip away.
“Well yeah. Hmm. I guess potential threat might be a better word for it. Not all the Invaders who arrive at Thyskria are strong or dangerous. Some of them have even been known to have been practical saints when they first arrived.”
“But…?”
“Just to confirm, Jonah. You have never heard about Thyskria or what it’s famous for?”
“Nope. The only planet with life I know of is my home planet.”
“Which is…?”
“Not telling. Now, continue.”
“Wow, you can be pretty commanding, huh, Jonah.”
Serina smiled playfully as she teased Jonah a little.
“...”
Jonah stared at Serina with a deadpan look. She was finally getting to the juicy parts when she decided to get sidetracked by nonsense. Jonah wondered if maybe it would be worth trying to use a triangle to cut through the ropes and ambush her.
If he flipped the situation around, she wouldn’t have a choice but to answer his questions. Unfortunately, Jonah didn’t know if she were alone or not. If she had companions or something, he would only worsen his standing and get convicted as a very suspicious Invader.
There was another thing that stopped him from doing anything, the density of mana.
With how dense the mana was, mages who had lived and trained with it since birth were bound to be stronger than the mages on Earth. Jonah wasn’t even sure he could take Serina, even though she looked mostly harmless.
After all, she had somehow moved him from under the Rock Roarer’s corpse back to this shed, however long that was, and cleaned him. Jonah couldn’t do that with his magic. He should probably think twice before trying to confront her.
“Anyways, the reason people from other worlds Invade Thyskria and why they are such potential threats is the System.”
“The System…?”
Jonah repeated what Serina said as an instinctive way to confirm that he had heard correctly. But he could hardly Serina’s nod since something blue that he barely had time to read flashed in front of his eyes.
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