Arrival

The first thing that hit Sora was the smell: a mix of dirt, sweat, and something vaguely rotten clung to the air, carried by the breeze that swept through the uneven stone streets. The ground beneath her feet was rough, with dust kicking up with every step.


[Sora: Eeh? Wh-what the heck]


A second ago, she had been lying on her hospital bed. Now, she was standing in the middle of a town.


She barely registered the warmth of sunlight on her skin before her mind caught up. Her breath hitched.


This wasn’t the hospital.


The town was alive with movement—merchants calling out their wares, the clatter of hooves against stone, and the occasional shout of an argument in the distance. Wooden buildings lined the streets, some well-maintained, others with warped beams and patched roofs. Stray animals darted between carts, searching for scraps.


Her fingers twitched.


She looked down at herself.


Her hospital gown was gone. Instead, she wore a prismatic dress—cream-colored with puffed sleeves, a rainbow gradient bodice, and a red under-skirt. It was the outfit of her Light Priest character.


Her stomach dropped.


[Hey you can’t be serious right I mean the truck did not even kill me]


Right on cue, with a loud shout from the driver and the clatter of wheels, a horse cart barreled straight toward her.


[Sora: Gah—!]


She leaped back just in time, the wooden wheels rolling past where her foot had been.


[Sora: Seriously !!. ]


Just moments before, she had been complaining about not getting hit by a truck—now she nearly got run over by a cart.


Taking a deep breath, Sora decided to regain her focus.


First, she would move somewhere less open and calmly analyze the world’s culture and its differences with Japan. She needed to ascertain any differences in the laws of physics and the possibility of contact with humanoid organisms. These were her priorities.


She thought back to the sights she’d seen around her and organized the information in her head. Earlier, as she’d scanned the crowded marketplace, she’d noticed that people wore medieval clothing—tunics, cloaks, and even armor. Some even openly carried swords, axes, and other weapons. One time, there was a stall selling what looked like exotic fruits, and she had seen a group of wolf-eared people chatting.


She also registered the complete absence of modern infrastructure: no power lines, no streetlights, and no cars.


(The genre is parallel world fantasy. The culture is that of your typical medieval civilization. Demihumans are common and judging by the amount of armour and weapons just like in my world awakeners must be common here as well Is that how it is?) Sora concluded.


[Sora: Oh right if this is a Isekai then status!]


As if god had answered her prayer, a status screen opened.


================================  
          STATUS  
================================  
Name: Sora Ueda  
Class:  
  • War Wizard (Light)  
  • Exorcist  
Level: 120  
================================  
HP: 1780  
Mana: 550  
================================  
Strength: 41  
Vitality: 51  
Intelligence: 98
Speed: 87  
Endurance: 47  
================================  


(OMGODSYESHHH I 


have a cheat skill and Level 115—I knew spending time on that game was worth it) she gushed


Next, she checked her inventory.


(I’m loaded with money... Time to find an inn and figure my next move maybe also buy something)


---------------------———————————-----------------------———————————--


[Innkeeper: Ya tryin’ to be funny, brat? You think ya fool me white his thing you call money?]


The door slammed shut.


Sora stared mutely at the closed doors.


Her stomach dropped as reality set in: her wealth was entirely in gold, which meant nothing here.


[Sora: Looks like the currency around here is completely different after all…]


It seemed that this world used some sort of glowing square coins called tale as its currency.


[Sora: Lost and penniless, right now my situation is hopeless...Oh, give me a break already. What on earth am I supposed to do here?] Sora yelled as her eyes began to well with tears.


At her limit and with no hints or clues on how to navigate this world, she was forced to face reality.


The only thing keeping her stable was the childish belief—born from reading too many Isekai novels and manga—that this was a good thing, along with a sense of intrusion that urged her to stay alert in unfamiliar territory.


Sniffing, Sora scuttled into a back alley and rested her head against a wall as she sniveled and let out a small groan.


I’m really gonna start crying if I don’t do something. That won’t be good...This no time to cry...stop..


As she tried to hold back her tears, she heard a loud noise. She lifted her head, ears still ringing, and turned her attention toward the entrance of the back alley from which the noise came. It was in the direction of the main street, but she couldn’t see the pedestrians, as they were hidden by the three figures standing in front of her.


The figures were staring at her, while she still had her forehead pressed against the wall.


Her tears quickly subsided. She faced the three figures, doing her best to hide her anxiety as her heart pounded loudly. She glanced behind her and realized the back alley was a dead end. Why did I choose to come to a place with no escape route? She thought, cursing herself for lacking any sense of caution. Even in her world, she had always been told to be careful when walking alone at night.


(No, don’t be scared, don’t be scared) she said, attempting to psych herself up. (I have a game screen that displayed my current status and skills; it’s still too early to give up! This is another world! I need to use my cheat powers and take them all down!)


That instantly faltered as the three figures approached, their forms now clearer in the light. They were not the brutish thugs Sora had imagined; instead, they were well-dressed men, their attire suggesting a degree of refinement she hadn’t expected in this backstreet. They wore tunics of muted colors, well-maintained leather jerkins, and breeches tucked into polished boots. Each carried himself with an upright posture.


[???: Forgive our intrusion, young lady.] The first man spoke, his voice smooth, as if he’d practiced talking to fancy people. He had neatly trimmed brown hair and a thin mustache.


[???: And I am Bram.] The second man, slightly taller than the first, offered a polite, if somewhat too wide, smile. [We couldn’t help but notice you seemed a little… distressed.]


[???: Indeed. It is no place for a fair maiden to be alone and troubled.] The third man, who had been silent until now, spoke in a low, steady tone. He kept his arms loosely crossed, watching Sora with eyes that didn’t quite match his polite words [allow me to introduce myself, I am Gareth.We are retainers of Lord Elmsworth.]


(Lord Elmsworth? Never heard of him and retainers? What does that mean also seriously, who talks like that in this day and age?) Sora blinked, her initial fear giving way to confusion. They were far too polite and formal for just some random guys in an alley.


[Sora: Uhm… I… I was just… resting.] She stammered, trying to sound more confident than she felt while mentally hoping she could cast spells somehow.


[Alaric: We understand. However, this alleyway is hardly the most comfortable of places. Our lord, Lord Elmsworth, has a… shall we say, fondness for extending hospitality to travelling warriors such as you who find themselves in need. He would be most displeased to learn that someone was left to fret so close to his estate.]


(His estate? Okay, so they’re definitely fancy. But why me? What’s the catch?) Sora’s suspicion spiked. (This whole thing feels a bit too convenient, you know?)


[Bram: We would be honored if you would accept our humble offer of shelter and a warm meal. It would be no trouble at all, truly.]


Sora hesitated, her gaze darting between the three men. They seemed… nice, in a creepy sort of way. But their overly polite act felt as if they were a bunch of scammers.


(Shelter and food… yeah, my stomach is definitely on board with that. I’m broke and have no clue where I am. But seriously, a lord? For me? Is this some plot armour thing?) Her stomach growled again, a little louder this time. (Maybe I can just go along with it for now. Play dumb, get some intel. Can’t be worse than sleeping in this alley, right?)


[Sora: You guys would really do that? For a total stranger?] she tried to sound surprised.


[Gareth: It would be our pleasure. Please, come with us.] Gareth finally uncrossed his arms.


---------------------———————————-----------------------———————————--


[Haaa food..I am alive] Sora happily thought as she munched on stew-soaked bread. The bread was a dry, hard loaf, but it was perfect for dunking in the thick, lukewarm pottage.


The bright orange turnip and pumpkin pottage, served in a deep wooden bowl, was surprisingly pleasant despite its thick, sludgy consistency and somewhat off-putting aroma. Sora ate with the gusto of someone who had finally found purpose in life again. A tankard was placed in front of her. She cautiously took a sip of the thick ale; it was somewhat bitter and not to her liking. Discreetly, she slid the tankard closer to the burly mercenary across the table who seemed to be enjoying his drinks (already having drank his third tankard).


Across the table, Sora watched the young wolf-eared girl happily devour a truly impressive amount of food with quick, agile movements.


Sora overheard a snippet of conversation from the table right behind her.


[Mercenary 1 (whispering): …and then that whoreson Baron said the taxes would be raised again!]


[Woman Mercenary (sighing): Always something, isn’t it? First the Orc hides, now this.]


[Mercenary 1: At least the road to Oakhaven is clear again. Heard there were bandits last week.]


[Female Mercenary 3: Griffin or hippogriff, who takes it in a fight?] The female mercenary leaned back, a challenging glint in her eyes.


[Young Mercenary 4: Griffin’s got the edge, those claws can shred anything!] The young mercenary puffed out his chest slightly.


[Scarred Mercenary 1: Bullshit, lad! Hippogriff’s got the speed and that beak could crack your skull like an eggshell!] He thumped his chest. [Hippogriff’s got more raw power, end of story!]


[Young Mercenary 4: You’re just saying that ‘cause you’re scared of heights, old man!]


[Scarred Mercenary 1: What’d you just call me, you little—!]


A young mercenary turned to Sora. [What about you,girl? You look like you know a spell or two.] He grinned.


Sora blinked. [Oh, yeah, I can do some healing magic.] she said casually, taking another bite of her hard bread.


[Wiry Mercenary: Healing, huh? Handy.]


[Female Mercenary 3: A healer, eh? That dress… you’re not with the Red Goddess, are you?] The woman’s sharp gaze lingered on Sora’s attire.


[Sora: No...I..I from a different… branch?] Sora tried to cover up while making a note to learn more about this Red Goddess.


---------------------———————————-----------------------———————————--


(Magic...) Sora thought as she stared at the never-ending line of fields while the wagon wheels bumped gently on the dirt road leading away from the town.


After they had feasted and relaxed at the Golden Barrel Inn, they all got into a wagon to travel to the lord’s mansion.


Honestly, the journey was boring as hell—unlike most isekai fast travel; probably does not exist here.


As such, they took the normal route, and Sora gave up trying to appreciate the scenery, which was mostly open fields dotted with the occasional farmhouse and grazing livestock under the afternoon sun.


(Can I even use magic?) A knot of anxiety tightened in her chest. She needed to know if she could actually use these skills. She mentally pulled up her status screen and opened the spell list, scrolling through until she reached the Rainbow Veil spell.


It was one of the highest-tier Defensive Dual Spells.


She focused on the spell, treating it like a button she could tap to get some information about it—and then it happened. Not gradually, but a sudden, terrifying slide out of her own control.


(!!)


It was horrifyingly familiar. Just like after the truck hit her, when she was trapped in her own body—unable to move, unable to speak—just there in a pool of blood. Paralyzed. Her hands lifted, her fingers and mouth speaking in a language she didn’t consciously know, as a strange energy throbbed under her skin. It wasn’t her doing. It was like being plunged back into that endless, silent darkness, forced to watch as her body moved without her permission. A flash of rainbow light bloomed around her.


“Yip?” Across from her, the wolf-eared girl went wide-eyed in alarm, brandishing her short sword instantly.


(What the actual hell was that?! Not again…) Sora’s mind screamed, panic squeezing her chest and making her heart hammer against her ribs. That feeling—utter helplessness—vanished as quickly as it had come.


That’s when she noticed that everyone was staring at her.


[Sora :Ah...shit]