6. Aavinisia

Roy trailed after the maid, admiring the Viscount mansion's grandeur. The inside of the house filled him with wonder once more.

"It looks like you have finished your discussion with the Viscount." The familiar, icy voice reverberated down the corridors. Roy was startled and turned to see James approaching. He paused just in front of Roy, the maid. The maid winced and quickly bowed in James's direction to show her respect.

Yes, he did bring up our meeting, which I had with Miss Martha. Sir James, did you tell him? " Roy inquired, his eyes glimmering with curiosity. He remembered that he had told no one about his meeting with Martha to Jonan; only James, Roy, and Martha were aware of his meeting with Martha . James maintained his neutral demeanor, acting as though nothing could possibly bother him. And he answered in that same cold tone.

"You may not know this, but I am the commander of the knight order of the Wulfric family, and it is my duty to report everything to my liege, even if it's irrelevant."

"But he is also your brother, right?" Roy couldn't contain his curiosity and asked him again.

"I know how to differentiate between familial ties and my obligation as a commander of the Wulfric's family knight order." With a look at Roy, James answered.

"I apologize if I said something to offend you," Roy answered hesitatingly. He didn't know if he heard right, but it seemed James tone of voice was a little agitated. Roy wondered if it was his imagination, but he thought it would be better to apologize to James, as he didn't want James to think poorly of him. He berated himself inside and promised himself to keep his curiosity in check.

"It appears that I became a bit irritated; I displayed an unsightly attitude. I'm sorry, Sir Fortis. James's eyes relaxed slightly, but only with great focus was it discernible. Although Roy was blind to it as well, he thought James's apology was real. Before he could respond, James went on.

"We can't keep Miss Pelfrey waiting; let's be on our way." James turned quickly and set out on foot. Roy began to follow him. Before long, Roy was standing outside the mansion, gazing at the identical carriage that had carried him here. He marveled at the strange animals towing the carriage.

'Fascinating' Even now, Roy couldn't believe it. He, who was an ordinary student, unknowingly ended up in this strange place. Things such as this animal in front of him force Roy to accept reality. He looked up to see two moons like the pupils of an ancient beast glaring down on him, one shining crimson red and the other luminescent blue, which once again reaffirmed Roy's belief that he is in another world completely different from his own.

"Sigh"

"Is something the matter, Sir Fortis?" James asked as he saw Roy staring blankly at the moon. He looked at Roy with a scrutinizing gaze. Jonan told him where Roy came from, so he more or less knew about his circumstances. Even though James had heard about such humans from his brother, it was his first time seeing one in person, which also explains why his brother would take a sudden interest in a stranger.

Roy averted his eyes and ascended the carriage, saying, "No, it's nothing." James walked behind him, and the carriage quickly departed. Roy became caught in the beauty of the city as he gazed at the passing streets. Even though it was evening, the roads were busy, and the people were glowingly happy as they went about their own ways. Roy turned his head to follow the sound of music that was reaching his ears and saw that one location was busier than the others. In the middle of them all was a group of five people playing what appeared to be violin-like instruments while donning long black coats that covered their entire bodies.

As Roy was observing these musicians, he noticed a glob of white light floating above them, causing that area to light up. He was stunned and looked around to find these little balls of light everywhere, with the two moons casting their light on the city. Roy found himself mesmerized by this scene. As Roy witnessed this world's architecture, which was so different from his home, he felt a sense of emptiness inside him; he felt like he didn't belong here. At that moment, the silence inside the carriage was broken by James voice.

"Sir Fortis, it will be best if you don't mention anything about your origins to Miss Martha.

What do you mean, James?

You must have heard about it from my brother that the knowledge of people such as yourself is strictly regulated, so even though Martha is quite reputable, she does not know about the existence of people from another realm.

I see. I will just say I am suffering from amnesia.

Yes, that will be much better. Having said that, James once again closed his eyes, and the carriage fell silent once again.

The carriage stopped abruptly before what appeared to be a family tavern. James and Roy got out of the carriage and went into the tavern. The bar was just as bustling as it had been in the morning, with many people greeting James. A few even went so far as to welcome Roy, which made him uncomfortable because he had no idea what they were saying. Roy was looking at the wooden door that he had exited earlier in the day. He followed James into the door, taking a deep breath.

A familiar scene entered Roy's eyes, with the only difference being that in place of the sun, there were two moons, which caused the already beautiful landscape to become even more mesmerizing in Roy's eyes. He followed James to the dome shaped building.

They saw Martha waiting for them at the entrance; it seems that she had been informed about their arrival beforehand.

"Good evening, Sir James. Martha greeted James as soon as they arrived at the entrance.

"Good evening to you too, Miss Martha. I have come to drop off Sir Fortis, as promised. Now that I have completed my task, I will take my leave now," replied James as he turned around to leave. It looked like he didn't want to stay there, even for a minute longer.

Martha glanced at James with a wry smile. Since "that" incident, he had always been this way , and she thought it unfortunate that James' brother's actions had led to his being this way. Unfortunately, it was too late to consider it. When Martha turned to face Roy, she saw that he was lost in the view and smiled, but before she got to him, Roy met her eyes and walked quickly in her direction. As soon as she saw Roy approaching, she quickly removed the bronze pendant and put it on.

"Good evening, Miss Martha". Roy greeted.

"Good evening, Roy. There is no need to be so stiff with me; you can drop the honorifics and just call me Martha." Martha replied with a jovial tone.

"Sure", Martha Roy replied. Even though he hasn't been showing it on his face. It was quite uncomfortable for Roy to address them with honorifics; he thought that it was just the way the locals here communicated, so when Martha told him to speak to her comfortably, Roy relaxed completely.

Martha nodded as she heard how Roy addressed her, seemingly satisfied with him. She wasn't like those snobbish nobles who have their noses turned to the sky. Martha finds these formalities pointless.

"Come. Boy, let's go inside." She urged Martha, as she still thinks Roy is sick and isn't keen on keeping him standing outside. She quickly turned around and led Roy inside the building. Roy found himself in what looked like an office, with an unusual scent permeating inside. Hesitatingly, Roy entered the room. He took a look around and noticed a black wooden table and two chairs facing each other, with a set of teapots and cups resting on one corner of the table.

Martha made her way to the chair and sat down on it while gesturing Roy to do the same. Roy swiftly sat down in front of her.

"So, lad, care to tell me what happened in the Viscount's house?" Martha asked Roy curiously. Roy recounted everything except things about drifters; instead, he told her he had lost his memory.

Sigh Martha let out a long sigh as she stared at Roy with pity. Not knowing who he is or where he came from. Martha couldn't imagine what Roy was going through right now. According to her, there are only two situations when a person loses their memory. First, they suffer an injury or trauma to their brain, and second, someone deliberately erases their memory using forbidden magic. If it's the first possibility, then Roy's memory could recover over time, but if it is the second...

Martha didn't even want to think about it.

Unbeknownst to her, Roy didn't lose his memory, so there was no chance of the second possibility coming true.

*Grumble*. An awkward silence ensued in the room after Roy's stomach growled with hunger, causing Martha to break out of her reverie. She looked towards the source of the sound and found Roy looking flustered as he avoided her gaze. This sight caused Martha to chuckle inwardly.

"Didn't the Viscount ask you to stay for dinner?" Martha asked as her eyes glinted with amusement.

"No, he did not." Roy stammered as he answered embarrassingly. With all the things going on around him, how could he have time to think about food? Now that he is somewhat relaxed, his body remembers that he hasn't had any food since he woke up.

Martha called her attendant and asked him to bring food for both of them. A few moments later, the attendant arrived carrying two plates and placed them in front of both of them.

As Roy gazed at the freshly delivered food, he noticed that it was covered with a yellow stew that appeared to be curry and that the small, black grains resembled rice but were actually nearly spherical. Roy took an involuntary gulp at the fragrance. Observing this, Martha went on.

"Dig in, boy; you hadn't had food since you woke up. Eat your fill; if you want a second, just tell me." With that, she picked up her own spoon and started eating.

Seeing this, Roy no longer hesitated and started to eat. As he took the first bite, his mouth was assaulted with a taste of a mixture of spices, which surprisingly tasted like curry but was a lot milder. Even the unusual black grains taste like rice. With gusto, Roy finished all of his food.

After a while, both of them finished eating. Martha asked her attendant to show Roy to his room, where he would spend the night.

"Good night, Roy."

"Good night to you too, Martha." Roy replied as he followed the attendant.

Roy entered the room prepared for him and thanked the attendant for showing him the way, but the attendant only bowed, causing Roy to look at him awkwardly.

"Now what should I do? Roy thought as he lay on his bed, thinking about what he should do for the time being.

'First, let's find out more about this world.' From the time Roy learned of the fact he had unknowingly crossed worlds, he had an itch gnawing his heart to learn about this mystical world he found himself in.

'I want to learn magic' thought Roy as his heartbeat sped up. Roy has always been an avid fan of novels and anime back in his world. He always dreamed of casting spells like throwing a ball of fire or summoning thunder with a gesture of his hands. Thinking of this Roy's eyes gleamed with excitement. But Roy didn't know it yet about how he will be disappointed when he will learn how magic works in this world.

As Roy was lost in his dreams his thoughts drifted to his home world, he thought about how his mom and his friends were waiting for him. Especially his mother, thinking about her Roy's heart tightened. He remembered Jonan's words about how none of the drifters were able to make it back. Roy clenched his fists as his eyes blazed with determination.

'If others didn't make it back, that doesn't mean I won't be able to do as well. I will make my own path.' Roy's heart burned with ambition as he thought of this, and his determination has become even firmer. He will slowly find his own way home while simultaneously fulfilling his wish to learn more about this world. With such thoughts, Roy fell asleep and thus marked the end of his first day in the world of Aavinisia.