Awakening in this new world

While I was jumping around, I stopped and fell in the grass because of dizziness.

Right, my fever hasn't gone down… let’s try to find a guild or something

I stand up from the grass and look at the horizon smiling and when I stop looking, I sigh and start walking aimlessly.

“I can’t see anything… where am I?”

I kept walking as the sun went down, I drank water from time to time and took my pills when I thought it was time but I just couldn’t find anything, the more I walked the more I felt exhausted.

I was supposed to be resting, not doing this…

I tried to drink one more time but the bottle was empty, not only that but my stomach was roaring for something to eat. I tried to keep going but my legs betrayed me. After that my body went down and the last part was my consciousness, a black-out.

“-an, -man, young man!”

I heard the voice of an old man calling from someone, a young man, probably his son.

“Young man! Are you ok?”

I heard and felt how the old man was shaking my body and I looked at him.

“Hmm?”

“Oh, thank goodness, you are ok”

“Who are you?...”

“I’m a merchant, I was on my way to the city when I saw you”

“A merchant? I don’t have any money to give you…”

“Don’t you believe in acts of good faith? Come on”

The merchant made me get on in his car, he gave me a bit of bread and some water.

“I cannot repay you this…”

“Don’t worry, you can pay me telling me how you got here, I am a curious old man who loves hearing stories”

What should I tell to this old man? I cannot tell him I came from another world; she would get scared or won’t believe me… am I really in another world tho? Maybe this is all a dream for the fever… everything feels so unreal… but… anyway… I should say something

I was munching the bread while thinking about a good story that wasn’t crazy or too lazy.

“Are you perhaps with the king's special unit?”

“How do you know that?”

King special unit? If he is trying to fool me at least I’ll follow his game so I can get close to a city and just run

“For your clothes, every candidate that has gone with the king has those rare clothes, are they expensive?”

“Sorry, these are the only clothes I have right now… I am not with the king since it is going to be my first meeting him”

Woah, what a lie, this must really be a dream for how good I am

“Hahaha you should have told me before, don’t be shy, I don’t get intimidate by the king… don’t tell him I said that thought, I respect him”

“Sure thing”

I was in an actual carriage I thought as we went close to the nearest town, the carriage stopped and the merchant got down.

“Ah, wait for me a little bit, young man, I need to deliver some items to people in here”

“Sure, no problem”

I wait for the merchant for an hour while I was taking my medicine and hiding it in my clothes

If they find out that I have this, how would I know what would happen, I don’t want to find it out so I will just hide it… it is not like I can recreate medicine, and I think they don’t have this either…

“Sorry for that, young man”

The merchant got up in the seat with the horses with a big bag of coins and made the horses move again.

“It seems that you did great”

“Hahaha yeah”

“What items do you sell, though?”

“A curious young man, huh? Well, I just deliver what they provide me, medicine, some food, artisan works, and sometimes even gems, those are the ones were the money really comes in handy, but it’s not a job for everybody, you need to know about the art of sell and selling yourself”

“Sounds complicated”

“If you get the trick, not really”

“You love your work, huh?”

“You can say that, I don’t have any day that is boring, although some customers or vendors are scary”

“I kind of get what you mean”

I smile with sadness in my eyes while the merchant looks behind.

“You are still young, don’t beat yourself about things you can control, young man”

“Yeah… I know…”

The trip continued for a bit; the sun was about to set when we could see the entry of a giant kingdom.

“Is that?...”

“Yes, that’s the capital of Eudcks, see the giant castle at the hill, that’s your destiny, a normal merchant like me can’t go that far so you would need to by foot”

“Eh?...”

I lay down in the carriage and look at the carpet.

“Don’t get like that, young man, I tell you what, I will invite your dinner and breakfast along with the room for tonight”

“Really?! Are you sure you are not a saint, merchant?”

“Call me Rox Tarue”

“Ryuzaki Hikari”

“What an odd name, well Hikari, a pleasure”

“Thank you, Tarue, I appreciate your help, I’ll pay you back someday”

“Don’t mention it, I like you, young men don’t like to talk with an old person so it was refreshing to have you, this is my way to say thanks”

“Oh, you shouldn’t have… for that I could do it for free”

“I appreciate it, if we take another ride then, but I need you to take that dinner, I know you are starving”

“Hahaha thanks, Tarue”

“Oh, before we go down, put this on, I don’t want you to drag the attention”

Tarue give me a blue coat and I put it around my body, after that Tarue and I went into the inn and it was just like the fantasy games I played before, cute waitresses, a lot of people in armors or common clothes of the age and everything made of wood and stone.

I couldn’t help but smile but I was trying hard to not embarrass Tarue, we sit down and he ordered two specials.

“And to drink?”

“I am fine with a beer, you drink, young man?”

“Oh yeah, I can take one”

“That’s two bears, I’ll bring them in no time”

“You sure you drink?”

“I might look young but I am actually 28”

“Oh, well that’s still young”

I was looking at the waitress and the old man hit me with his arm.

“Cute don’t you think?”

“Yeah, she really is”

The waitress came back with the drinks and the food, two plates of steak, rice and salad, we started eating and drinking while Tarue told me how his life was. Apparently, he has been a merchant for 40 years now, he is 65 years old but he still holds a good spirit.

He isn’t married or have kids, he tried to have a life with a woman in the past but it never worked out.

“And you, young lad? How has your journey been until coming to the capital?”

“Well, I came from a distant town from here, I got a letter from the king and I feel really lucky, to be honest I hate that place, nothing good came from it and I didn’t want to be stuck in that place”

“I don’t think it's that bad, was your whole life like that?”

“No… I just notice a few years ago before the letter came”

“What about your parents?”

“My parents got rid of me some years before…”

“But you don’t miss anyone from your old town?”

“I… I don’t think they miss me anyway so, why would I care?”

“Young man… your foolishness amazes me but that is part of being young”

“Excuse me?”

“You are being really harsh in yourself and with your loved ones, I bet your parents miss you and someone from your village, no one pass invisible even if they want to”

“Ah…”

I look at the old man, giving me a big smile while finishing his drink and petting my back.

“The room is the 9th in the second floor, I’ll let you think about that”

I held my drink while the old man took the stairs, I finished my drink and went outside, the whole city was in the dark while some candles lit the light, I looked at the city while resting my back at the side of the door of the inn.

I clench my teeth and then bite my lower lip, a tear dropped from my check while I try not to sob, I press my chest and let a shaking breath in and out, I clean my tears and went upstairs, opening the door and sitting in the other bed while looking at the moon and the light it produced.

“I am a fool…”