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2. Where To Go

  He open the door to his room revealing Danith sitting alone on the window staring at the night sky. She turn around at the sound of door creaking to see him holding a bowl of vegetable soup for her and a plate of wild boar roast. "Here, I brought you a vegetable soup," he offered.

  "Thanks, you don't have to be so considerate."

  "No worries. I just think eating alone is kind of awkward. So I thought I'd bring something for you."

  She took the vegetable soup from his hand. She took a spoonful of it, blowing it first before slurping them. Meanwhile, Vane eating his roast, enjoying every bite of it. "Mine is good. How's yours."

  "I don't know." She just nonchalantly continue eating the soup.

  "What do you mean?"

  She stared at him. Noting that he was genuinely ask the question, she just sighed. "Anyway, what do you find in the city today?"

  He perked up, remembering what he got while strolling through the city. "Not much. Mostly rumor about the demon lord and the alliance between country. People also seems to be talking about evacuating from this continent. On the bright side, I got a cloak and a map! This should prove to be helpful."

  "I see. Most of my life is living in Aslund and the great Juva forest. While I can navigate this land well, this map would be a good help."

  They studied the map to see landmarks and the way to get to the Juva forest that located in the center of this continent. Danith explained that it would take five days to walk straight to the forest crossing monsters territory. The other option looking at the map is to take a detour to Selen town a bit to the south, three days worth of journey on a wagon. Then, after two days of journey, they could enter Juva forest through the road built connecting the western Juva continent with the eastern Juva continent.

  "I'm down with any route. Having to go through monster territory sounds pretty dangerous though."

  "It is. Though the fact that me and my team used it to get here should prove that it is possible."

  "Well, we don't have such team sadly."

  Danith clicked her tongue. She reminded of her comrade that wasn't as lucky as her. Noticing her clicks, Vane asked, "how about we rescue your friend so that our return to Juva through the same route you use?"

  She hesitated before finally answering, while leaving a lot untold, "they got sold."

  I proposed wrong plan, "I'm sorry."

  "You don't need to."

  They agreed to talk more about their plan tomorrow. For now, they took the time to rest through the night. His sleep wasn't much of a sleep as he just staring at the ceiling. He remembered two questions that pops into his mind before. However, he decided to ask her later.

  Lonely? the sound of Aurel’s voice rang clear in his head.

  Very.

  Is there anything you want to talk about?

  Let me think... do you remember when I graduated.

  Yeah. I can see myself giving you a bouquet of flowers.

  I hope it still placed in my bedroom.

  I can check it if you want.

  No need to. I'm just happy to talk to you.

  There was no answer but, he know she was still there. He didn't chase her for the answer, he just stayed silent. In silence, he remember the time when he got transported.

  He was walking alone down the road near his house. He was on his way to come home after his circle graduation party in Jean's house, one of his close friend. He wasn't that drunk that night when he saw Aurel went into a dark alleyway across the street.

  After getting into the alley, the next thing he remember was he stood in a big hall. Several people lined beside him. Some familiar face, some are complete stranger. He would love to talk to those who are familiar to him yet there is a pressure coming from in front of him that made him unable to talk.

  You'll do as you'd like. Just remember that your action will change the world.

  Those word fade into the darkness before his eyes opened into the ceiling of the inn.

  Light seeps into the room. He looked at Danith's bed to see her nowhere in this room, vanished along with the cloak. I hope she stay vigilant, he thought.

  After he washed his body, he prepared himself for another tour around the city. He hoped to gain more information about this world. He can gleam it from looking at the map.

  He knows that this world is comprised by two big continent, one small one in the south, and an archipelago in the center of them three. The Juva continent, located west of Archipelago, house two kingdoms of Tretan and Joval with a few merchant cities, like city of Caro, scaterred along the continent. In the middle of the continent located the Great Juva forest that, according to Danith, houses animals and beast endemic to the forest. There is also Elf that reside inside the forest.

  The small continent in the south is conquered by the Holy Empire of Kandus. Not much he knows about them but the name made him think this is the typical zealous nation. Though, he reserved his judgement at least until he got more info.

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  The last continent located east of the archipelago is continent Arnka. This continent houses four big kingdoms warring against each others, Danith said. He looked at the map, finding that there are a few small kingdoms scattered around. Arnka continent seems to have only one or two, if he didn’t miss any, merchant cities. Both located on the eastern shore of the continent.

  Lastly, the Ginu Archipelago. There isn’t much to gather from looking at the map. Danith only heard about it from elder elves that the archipelago used to be in a warring state like Arnka continent until a war general by the name of Jirnnodhara was able to end the war one thousand years ago and unite them under the flag of Amarus Bel. At least, that’s how the story goes.

  There is still a lot of detail being left out about this world. He was thinking about asking Danit this morning but she already left. Maybe he could meet a wandering scholar and ask more about this world when he is going around the city. That would be the ideal scenario.

  Instead he ended up in a reunion with his old friend, Jean. He still have the blonde short spiky hair he used to have from another world. He still smiles a lot and his laugh is just as loud as before.

  “Yo, you are looking unremarkable as ever!” chirp Jean loudly when they first met. Now they are in a pub, he doesn’t speak as loud because he almost got beaten for it.

  “That was definitely an experience,” Vane commented at his tragic story.

  “I know right! It was horrible. Good thing I remember that sharp eyes of yours. Now I don’t feel so alone.”

  “Alone, huh. What about that kid you brought alongside you?” Vane pointed at short, white haired girl with eyeglasses. Not that it was clearly seen because her blue hooded cloak with yellow stripe covered most of her hair.

  “Oh, she is my new friend! Vane, this is Mia. Mia, this is my best friend, Vane.”

  “Nice to meet you, Mia.”

  “Nice to meet you Vane,” she said in a voice befitting a 18, maybe 19 years, old. “And for the record, I’m not a kid. I’m a fully grown twenty years old.”

  A mistake happened. He quickly apologized to her. Luckily she let it pass, “well, it happened often so I don’t mind it. I just want to let you know to not treat me as a kid.”

  He didn’t realized dwarfism would be a thing in another world. In hindsight, this is so very like isekai stories he used to read where there is always a thousand years old lolis in the story so it shouldn’t surprise him. Yet here he is surprised at the turn of the event.

  “That was very rude of me.” He turned into Jean. “Why didn’t you tell me in the first place?”

  “Well, I was about to. But you noticed her before I could introduce her.”

  Mia chimed in, “no need to dwell in it. But I do notice your friend here is a lot more polite than you.”

  Jean responded nonchalantly, “well, he probably just don’t want problem with anyone.”

  Vane didn’t react to that statement. It’s mostly true but Jean missed the point of simply being a decent human being. You made mistake, you apologize and remember to not do it again. Right after his second sip, he raised another question, “what are you guys doing here?”

  “Well, you can say I’m on an adventure. The adventure of searching for adventure.”

  “You just don’t have any idea where to go.”

  “Yep, pretty much.”

  He now turned into Mia. “How about you, how did you stumble upon this guy?”

  Long story short, she was on her way from the kingdom of Joval to Tretan. It seems like she was an exchange student between two big academy of the kingdoms. She was studying magecraft and has just started the advanced class. However, on her way to city of Caro, she was ambushed by bandits who were reported being seen on the way to Caro. They killed the coachman, her guard, and was cornering her to a tree.

  That’s where Jean comes in and save the day. His sudden appearance from the bushes was able to distract the bandit long enough for Mia to conjure up a spell, burning them and rendering them incapacitated. The spell wasn’t strong enough to kill them as she was afraid if she took too long,the bandit would notice.

  And so, they spent the past few days walking together to Caro until a wagon appeared and gave them a lift.

  “So, what’s your destination next?” asked Vane.

  “Next stop would be Selen town. And then I after resting for one night, I’m gonna go through the mainroad crossing the Great Juva Forest.”

  That gave him an idea about what to do next. After talking a bit more about her travel, he said goodbye and went back to the inn he was staying. As he open the door to his room, he could see the cloak hanging by a chair and an elven woman stood on the window looking at the stars.

  “How’s your little scouting going?” he greeted her.

  “Null. I was caught last, lucky that I missed the shipment,” she answered holding a lot of regret in her voice, “I wish they were just as lucky as me.”

  Vane couldn’t find any word to respond. Question pop into his head, does she need encouragement? Does she need pity? Or is she just simply answering him? Should he just ask her what she wants to do?

  She didn’t waste the opportunity to lead the conversation away from her, “how about yours? Find anything?”

  “Yea, I found someone that can help us go to Selen town and the entrance of the Great Juva Forest,” he answered. “So if you’d like to go back to your home, we got a free ride. I’m fine with helping you though.”

  She turned her head around in disbelief at what she had heard. This was her own vendetta, her own operation. She couldn’t just let someone in. Also, “you are a stranger. Why would you help me? What do you gain from it?”

  He would love to go all comedic and say ‘Because I like elvish girl!’ –at least that’s how most self-aware parody isekai story mc would go on about it. Jean definitely would say it. However, the mood didn’t call for it. She was glaring at him with tears dropping from her eyes. She didn’t sob. It was just tears flowing down like a river.

  “I have a plan. One of the rumor I heard on the pub was where the slave shipping went. We can track it down and free them. I just met a friend, he’s an other worlder too. I could ask him for some back up.”

  However, it wasn’t what Danith asked, “You didn’t answer my question!”. She clenched her fist, her face is red. “if only I could protect them, maybe I should be the one that got shipped. If only I was strong enough. If only…, If only….”

  She took a few deep breath. Each deep breath she took she slowly calmed down. Her face started to look less red. Her tears stopped flowing as she wiped them off. “Sorry for lashing out.”

  Understanding she was in grief, he didn’t mind it. “It’s fine. Sometimes you just need to vent it all out.”

  “Vent it all out huh,” she muttered to herself.

  “So, what do you want to do about them? Wanna chase it?”

  “No. That would be too dangerous. There is nothing we can do for now. I should head back to my home and report this. From there, we should know what to do next,” she explained. “Moreover, the rumor you said before would be a really good intel.”

  He proceed to explain about the plan. Danith preferred if they didn’t waste much time on resting so stopping for one night work really good for her. They will then hopped off the carts once they arrived at the entry of the forest while Mia went on her journey. Vane proposed to bring his friend Jean with him but sadly, the elvish community is really closed off of strangers. He would be one of the few exception ever noted in history. Even then, doesn’t mean the elves would truly be open to him and his friend. So, Jean couldn’t join him and Danith into the elvish territory.

  “Wasn’t the plan to just escort you until you are safe?”

  “You told me that you want to help.”

  “Well, yeah. I also want to bring Jean too.”

  “If he wants to join, then he has to wait outside the forest.”

  After discussing their plan a little bit, Vane conceded. It was her home turf. At the end of the day, he couldn’t force his own will to her. He didn’t even know if Jean would join in retrospect.

  Thinking about the trip, he ended up staring at the ceiling again. He’s hoping to maybe hear her voice again but alas, it was morning when he woke up. Looking at the room, they were already prepared for the journey. Finally, I can’t wait to get away from this place.

  Of course he would be excited. After all, this marks the beginning of his journey in another world.

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