Shuffle…Shuffle…
With no time to spare, Otto ducked into one of the crates and wrapped himself with a cloth. It was then that the caravan came to a halt.
A tall man with a chiselled face who has been standing outside a small station put up a stop hand gesture to the caravan. Judging from his armour, he seemed to be the guard. He walked up to Ryatt. "Purpose for coming?"
"Staying overnight, sir." Ryatt responded calmly. Meanwhile, Otto was trying to control his breathing to steady his heart. Sweat trickled down his forehead—hoping that no 'security check' was done here.
"Papers, please." The guard put out his hand in order to receive the paper. Ryatt nodded and pulled out a yellowish-coloured paper. The guard received the paper and scanned for a while before breaking the silence. "And what's in that waggon, may I ask?"
"Goods and trinkets. That's all." Ryatt chuckled nervously.
"I will have to conduct a search for security reasons." The guard immediately rushed to the back of the waggon.
Before Ryatt could even retort a single word, the guard continued. "You must've realised this by now—that Venim is currently in the midst of the border." Ryatt knew this very well. But his heart still lurched at the fact that there is, in fact, a suspicious man that's currently hiding in his own waggon.
The guard jumped on the waggon. As he slowly scanned the surroundings, he didn't spot any suspicious objects lying around. It was then that he crouched in front of a box that was covered in a big cloth.
Otto heard the commotion outside. His hand trembled, and his heart pulsed uncontrollably. He can imagine the pain and suffering he will get if he gets caught by the guard right now.
The guard grabbed the cloth and yanked it aside. What was revealed caught him off guard. "You…"
Ryatt gulped while sweat trickled down. It was over. If the guard notifies all other knights in the vicinity, then both Ryatt and Otto will be experiencing hell...
"You… did you forget to put a cover on these crates?" Ryatt was dumbfounded. He rushed to the guard's side and looked into the interior of the crate—it was nothing but stacks of sweetcorn neatly arranged inside.
Ryatt then sighed in relief and told the guard. "A cloth is better when it comes to protecting the crops from the sun and allowing them to 'breathe'. Well, that's what the scholars from the House of Hikma said." The guard nodded. "I see… then my apologies; I have not been able to get an education at a young age, you see."
"That is understandable." Ryatt smiled. Meanwhile, on the other side of the waggon, Otto quietly sighs in relief. The guard exited the waggon and returned to the front of the gate. "Well, you may pass now."
"Thank you." The caravan moved on from the gate. Otto jumped out of the crate and went to the front of the waggon. That was close. I almost thought that I would not be able to go back home. I was preparing my last will back there!
"Where are we going now?" Otto peeked out of the waggon. Stone roads extended to the edge of the town, while rows of wooden buildings with stone foundations can be seen on both sides. Windmills stood at the perimeter of the town, and locals were walking by the road whilst minding their own business.
"I'm bringing you to the nearest inn. You need to take care of yourself once we're there. After all, I'm not your caretaker." Ryatt kept his eyes on the road.
Makes sense. We don't even know each other after all. Don't know each other… Otto glanced at Ryatt. Now that I think about it, this guy has been helping me all this time without both of us even knowing each other. Does this guy not suspect me at all?
He narrowed his eyes before opening his mouth. "Why did you help me in the first place? Did you not smell something fishy about my sudden appearance in a random forest?"
"I did. And I still do now. But you do not look like someone with malicious intent. So, I might as well be kind once in a while by helping a lost pup like you." Ryatt stroked his hair.
Otto was astonished by that statement. He didn't think that someone could be this kind to such a stranger. Back in his life, he was not treated to such kindness very often. Every scream of 'Are you useless?!' from his insufferable boss, no one would be beside him at his lowest, and even his past love left him because she had found a better man that just so happened to be a drug addict. To him, a stranger being kind towards him was able to make him reconsider staying in this world.
He then shook his head. It was a foolish thought. There's one thing that kept him alive in his world and kindled his flame of determination to return home over and over again—family. The call of his mother for dinner, the playful sound of his two little brothers, and the encouragement his father gave him at the lowest point of his life. His family was the only thing that he truly cherished in that world.
After thinking about his family, Otto couldn't help but feel hollow in his heart. Now, he really wanted to get out of this alien world. The caravan finally came to a halt. "We're here."
At his right, Otto could see a 2-storey building with a big sign that spells gibberish. It was at that moment that Otto paused for a moment—he realised a problem. Throughout the whole journey, he could fluently communicate with the people in this world. Yet they still wrote in a foreign language that he himself cannot understand. The more he thinks about it, the more confusing it gets. How was he able to communicate by tongue as a complete alien in this world?
To not expose his real identity, Otto came up with a lie and told Ryatt. "Actually, I cannot read or write. Will it really be fine if I just go inside?"
It was really not a lie because he really can't read or write in this world. Ryatt stroked his non-existent moustache. "It really won't be a problem if you just go for an overnight stay. But it also won't be a big problem if you need a job in this town. But you will need it once you go to the big cities." He pointed his finger upward.
It was at that moment an idea struck him, and he went to the back of the waggon—searching for something. "Aha! Here you go." He handed a small book to Otto.
Otto scanned the book in his hand and saw a hand-drawn heroic figure on the cover. "It was a fairy tale that my grandmother always told me when I was young. You can start learning Yirtam with this."
Yirtam… So that's what it's called here. Otto nodded. "So, who can teach me the basics in this town?"
"Just find a nearby church. The clergy are always friendly when it comes to educating people, as it is their religious belief to educate people, after all." They also have religion like they do on Earth. Is there a connection between these two worlds? More questions piled up in Otto's mind the more he thought about it.
The orange hue of the sunset reached his skin. Night-time is approaching in Venim. People walking by are entering their residence one after another, while some even went to the bar. Ryatt pulled out a few silver coins and handed them to Otto.
"These can supply you for a whole two weeks' worth of meals. Ah, right. If we meet again in the future, make sure to give me double of these coins back alongside five more of those for the travel fee just now." Ryatt smiled brightly.
Hey! What happened to the kindness talk just now?! This guy…! Otto's left eye twitched involuntarily before sighing in acceptance. He wished that both of them would never meet again in the future.
…
In a bar that's lively in the night, it would be a normal occurrence for fights to break out in such a place. But to Otto's surprise, there was none—some of them played card games on the table with money on the side, while some were singing to the roof in enjoyment, which indicates that their mind was also beyond the roof. Otto ignored all of them and came up to the bartender. "One room, please."
The bartender calmly opened a bottle and served drinks to the customer beside Otto. "Five copper."
Copper? That merchant never told me such things! Is it more or less valuable than a silver coin? I have to pick one… He risked it all by putting only one silver coin on the table's surface. Otto was never the type of guy to risk something in a social confrontation. He preferred a quiet life, instead. Any embarrassing moments were a nightmare to him, for he does not want people to see him that way.
The bartender picked up the silver coin and pulled out a handful of copper coins before giving Otto fifteen of them. He then gave Otto a key. "Room #3."
"Thank you." Otto sighed in relief. He received the key and immediately went upstairs. Please let there be a numbering system that I can read…
In the far-left corner of the bar, a figure puts down his mug and stands up. He picked up his pace upstairs and quietly entered the inn corridor.
…
Thank goodness that the numbering system was the same in my world. Otto lay down on his bed. He used both of his forearms as his makeshift pillow and slightly looked to his right.
The room he was in was quite small. A single bed that was placed at the top left corner of the room, a wooden bedside table with a candle and plate as its support, and a wardrobe below his feet which was in contact with the bed itself—all of which fit well enough in a small room.
That was a tiring day, indeed. Tomorrow, I'll find this clergy as my starting point on learning more about this world. But I sure do hope that this journey won't be too long.
Moonlight peeked through the window near the bed with stars decorating the empty dark sky. It was a beautiful sight which made his eyes become heavy. Slowly, his eyes came to a full shut.
…
Thud! Thud! Thud!
A loud knocking jolted Otto, who was half-awake with a pair of reddish eyes. He looked out the window to see that the moon still hung up in the sky. He then looked to his right to see a pair of legs casting its shadow outside the still-lit corridor.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
One minute. Two minutes. The knocking won't stop.
Someone or something was behind that door.