5. Drifters

Roy could feel reality crumbling before him; in fact, he had some theories about the circumstances surrounding him, but he was afraid to believe any of them since they were so ludicrous. Roy was not sure how to feel about it now that his ridiculous guesses had come true. He picked up the cup that was in front of him and gazed at his reflection in the long-since-cold tea.

" I was wrong, Sir Fortis; you seem more composed. I anticipated that you would act out and accuse me of kidnapping." Roy looked up into the Viscount's intense gaze.

"What do you mean? " Roy inquired. He was still reeling from the shock, so his eyes were blank, but Viscount's words snapped him out of it.

"Oh, I apologize for being rude, but there were others in similar circumstances who were not as composed as you." Viscount Wulfric remarked while sipping his tea. When he took a sip, his expression twisted in disapproval. With a flick of his fingers, a woman clad in a maid's uniform came in and took the teacups from the pair.

"I apologize; I didn't realize the tea had gone cold."

"No, it's alright, but more importantly, Sir Viscount, what were you saying earlier?" inquired Roy. Viscount Wulfric spoke while meeting Roy's gaze.

"As I have already mentioned, you are not the only one who has inadvertently entered another realm. We located people just like you in numerous kingdoms across the continent. I thought it admirable that you were so composed since, at first, when we tried to tell them the truth, they threw a fit and lived in total self-denial for a while until they eventually accepted their circumstances."

Roy listened raptly to what he had to say. He was listening to the Viscount's remarks to divert his attention from his current predicament. Roy listened to the Viscount's assessment of him and smiled wryly.

"You are getting it wrong, sir. To be honest, I am so shaken that I am not sure what to think. It excites and terrifies me at the same time." Roy's voice was shaking as he told the Viscount about his concerns. "Actually, since the moment I woke up, I have been trying to delude myself into thinking that I am still in my world and that this is just another country that I came to unknowingly," Roy said. Roy has been putting up with it since the time he woke up, and now that he had a chance to express his feelings, he was unable to stop.

Viscount Wulfric paid attention to Roy's speech. The Viscount's full name was Jonan Wulfric. In the kingdom's capital, he began his career as a knight. He started at the bottom of the ladder and worked his way up to where he is now. Five years ago, he was made a Viscount because he played a key role in resolving a case that had been bothering the kingdom for twenty years. Jonan felt deep sympathy for Roy as he stared at him. He has no idea why, but seven years ago, people like Roy began to show up. Even he learned of them only after rising to the nobility because their news was tightly controlled.

The three people that Jonan encountered were in the same predicament as Roy; he witnessed them yelling and displaying other strong emotions, for instance. When Jonan found out about what was going on, he witnessed a young man who looked to be around 15 or 16 years old jump with joy. Jonan thought the behaviour was strange. He pondered what action he would take in their shoes. He felt sympathy for Roy just now, but he kept it hidden from his expression.

"I'm sorry you have to experience it." Roy gazed at Jonan, his eyes widening as he spoke in an uncharacteristically gentle voice. Roy's impression of Jonan is that of a military man, so he ended up being surprised when Jonan talked in a soft voice.

Seeing Roy act like that, Jonan became aware of how strange his tone sounded. He hurriedly coughed to hide his awkwardness. Jonan quickly composed himself and spoke in a much more stern tone, completely different from before.

"To be completely honest with you, Sir Fortis, it will be ideal if you adjust to this environment as quickly as possible."

Roy felt uneasy, and the feeling intensified upon hearing Jonan's statements. He took a moment to compose himself before looking up at the Viscount.

"Is there any chance that I could return home?" Roy asked, wilfully forcing his voice to remain steady. When Viscount Jonan heard this, his expression became regretful.

"I apologize, Sir Fortis. From what I understand, not a single person who encountered the same circumstance was able to return." Upon hearing the Viscount's responses, Roy's face turned pale. The Viscount hurriedly continued, observing Roy's reaction.

"I have heard recently that they had a breakthrough, but of course every kingdom and even empire is doing everything in their power to figure out how to send you guys back to your own world."

"That's a relief." Even though Roy claimed Jonan could see worry in his eyes,. Because Jonan struggled with words, he was unable to offer the young man seated in front of him any consolation. Roy thankfully raised his voice at that point.

Roy questioned in a tone that seemed composed, "What should I do now?" Jonan was taken aback by Roy's adaptiveness once more. For some reason, Jonan thought Roy was unique. After giving Roy a long look, he answered.

"His Majesty has declared that the lord of the land in which a drifter is discovered is to care for them until they are able to adjust to our world. So, you don't have to worry about it because you will spend the time at my estate."

Roy took a moment to process the news. He asked the viscount about an unfamiliar term he had quickly noticed.

"What are drifters, sir?" Roy developed this behaviour as a young boy; he could never resist the impulse to satiate his curiosity about anything. Jonan had a look of awareness on his face when he heard Roy.

"I'm sorry, Sir Fortis; I totally forgot about it. To answer your inquiry, we native inhabitants of this world used to call individuals who crossed worlds like yourself "drifters." Jonan responded composedly.

Roy nodded his head and didn't say anything else. The room went silent as both Roy and Jonan were occupied with their own thoughts. After some time, Jonan spoke again.

"Sir Fortis, it is essential that you learn our language as soon as possible; we can't rely on this pendant forever. Rest for a few days and get comfortable here; I will assign you a tutor after that to teach you more about this world."

Roy listened to his words and nodded to show he heard Jonan's words. By this time, Roy has almost calmed down; he feels that, besides listening to the Viscount Wulfric, there is nothing else he can do now. In addition, Roy thought that in order to swiftly adjust to living here, he needed to learn the language and obtain more information about this region, even though he had more or less accepted his current circumstances.

"Even if you feel better, it will still be beneficial to have your body examined again. I believe you have an appointment with Miss Pelfrey." Roy was advised by Jonan. Roy was reminded of his promise to Martha by this.

"Indeed, sir. She told me to return once I was done with our meeting." Jonan gave a nod and went on.

"James will accompany you back." 

"I am very grateful, Sir." Without saying anything further, Jonan snapped his finger, and the maid who had been guided Roy to the hall slowly made her way inside.

"Linda, please take Sir Fortis to where James is. He should be at the knights' barracks, I think." The maid bowed, motioning for Roy to come with him. Roy got up, gave the Viscount a bow, and followed the maid.

When Roy had gone, Jonan just stared at the closed door. He finally said something out loud.

" Ryan, how do you feel about him?" The room was deserted when Jonan's words resounded. An elderly man materialized at the hallway corner. Gazing at the door, the elderly guy answered.

"It doesn't matter what I think. I was sent here to observe him. I won't intervene no matter what you say unless 'they' specifically order me to." After saying that, the elderly guy vanished from view once more. Jonan understood that this was not a dream, even though others would have believed they were dreaming if they had witnessed it.

With a sigh, Jonan gazed at the location where the elderly guy had vanished.