The beginning of a long jorney

"Ah! Here it comes!" Liz exclaimed, brimming with excitement.

Just as she said, in the distance I could see the wagon coming to pick us up and take us to the nearest town.

"Ah, finally… Wait—what the hell is that!?" I shouted in surprise.

It was a wooden wagon with a roof to block the sun, fairly standard-looking, but what caught my attention were the creatures pulling it.

Unlike the horses they used in my world, this animal had a far more unsettling appearance. Its body was built like a bison’s, but with a slightly longer neck; its head didn’t rise up like a horse’s, but instead stayed level; its skin was a grayish tone and it had no hair except for an abundant black mane running down its neck; as for its face, its shape resembled that of a dog, but it was about the size of a horse’s, and it sported long upper and lower fangs jutting out from its mouth.

It had a rather ferocious look to it.

"Huh? You mean the felta? Relax! They’re just pack animals. Harmless as long as you don’t bother them."

"Uh-huh… I see…" I replied, clearly not very convinced.

If she’d told me it was a monster, I would’ve believed her without question.

Ever since I’d left the ruins, I’d been seeing strange animals, but without a doubt, this one was the most terrifying so far.

The wagon steadily drew closer, and Liz began checking over her belongings and the things she carried in a sack. Probably just to make sure she hadn’t forgotten anything.

Satisfied that everything was in order, she nodded with a small, charming smile.

"All set!" she announced.

Seeing her like that, all I could do was smile back.

"By the way, how long is the trip to the town?" I asked. It wasn’t something I had thought about until now, but it was definitely important.

"Oh, right, I never told you. It’s a short trip—just two days and one night," she replied casually.

"I see… two days and one night… Wait—WHAT!?"

Isn’t that way too long!?

I knew it wouldn’t be a quick trip given the lack of modern vehicles… but still, that’s a lot!

What am I supposed to do on such a long journey!?

"The wagon’s here, let’s go!"

"Yeah…"

This is definitely going to be a long trip…

***

Clunk

The wheel must have hit a rock.

The road had no pavement or anything like it, so bumps were pretty frequent in the few hours we’d been traveling.

To pass the time, Liz pulled a notebook from her bag along with a pencil and began writing. I was curious, but when I asked her about it…

"Ah! I-it’s nothing! Just a logbook for this mission…" she said, a little nervous.

Judging by her tone, I could tell it wasn’t really a logbook, but she must have her reasons for hiding it, so I decided not to press the matter for now.

Sigh

It had only been a few hours, but I was dying of boredom. I’d love to at least use my phone, but if the battery ran out, there’d be no way to charge it again. And besides, there was no internet here—not even a signal.

All I could do was watch the scenery go by.

I’d seen animals and creatures of all kinds—some looked like antlered bears, others resembled lions with bull horns. Everything was so surreal. I even noticed a few that seemed a bit underfed.

Still, one thing that stood out the most to me was the yellowish vegetation. It wasn’t just in the ruins—sino everywhere had that same color. Trees, weeds, grass… all with that neglected, yellowed hue.

I wondered if it was because of the season. It was common for plants to look like that in autumn, but the heat made me doubt that it was that time of year.

"Hey, Liz, do you know what season it is right now?" I asked out of curiosity.

"Yes, it’s spring. Why?" she replied casually, not looking up from her notebook.

"Spring!?" I blurted out in surprise.

"Ah!" Liz squeaked, startled by my shout. She nearly dropped her notebook, but managed to catch it.

"Yes… what about it?"

"Well, in my world, spring is greener and not nearly as hot," I said. "It’s just surprising that it’s so different here."

"I see. As far as I know, it’s all because of the destruction of the Great Tree Mildfir," Liz said as she closed the notebook in her hands.

"The Great Tree… would that be the one behind the ruins of that castle from before?" I asked.

"Yes. I don’t know the details, but it was an important event that brought the world to the brink of collapse," she said seriously. "They say the world used to overflow with life and mana everywhere, but with the destruction of Mildfir, the mana it generated vanished, and nature began to wither, as it depended on it."

That sounded pretty serious. If what she was saying was true, then this world was in a very fragile state.

Seeing as nature hadn’t completely died out, I could guess it wasn’t entirely dependent on mana—but still, it was clearly a major factor in the ecosystem.

I think I now understood why some of the local animals looked so thin. If mana affected the ecosystem, then it wasn’t far-fetched to think that food had been growing scarce.

"Is all this related to the war from a hundred years ago you mentioned before?" I asked again.

"Yes. From what little I know, it was a war against demons that ended with the destruction of Mildfir. After that, the humans managed to repel them, and they haven’t been seen since."

"Demons, huh?" I muttered, a hint of irritation in my voice.

Monsters, wars, demons, ecosystem problems… What kind of world have I ended up in…?

Yaaaawwwn

Liz yawned.

"I think… I’ll get some sleep," she said, her voice heavy with drowsiness.

I was feeling sleepy too, but with the constant rattling of the wagon, it’d be hard for me to rest—even a little. Liz was probably more used to this.

"Wake me… if something happens," she added, setting her bag down as a pillow and lying back.

"Sure," I replied.

It didn’t take long for her to fall completely asleep.

"She really was tired…" I murmured to myself.

The Great Tree Mildfir… I wonder if it has anything to do with me appearing in this world. It’s hard to believe it’s just coincidence that I showed up in the ruins of the castle that once housed it.

Still, as Liz said, the tree died a hundred years ago—most likely destroyed by the demons.

That war really left its mark, huh?

Maybe I should also look into the tree in the Noxhollow library. Considering how important that war is in this world’s history, there’s a good chance I could find something.

And if, for any reason, it’s connected to my summoning, then learning more about Mildfir would definitely help.

Alright, I’ve got something new to investigate.

Yaaaawwwn

Looks like sleep is catching up to me too.

Maybe it’s the combination of exhaustion, constant surprises, and heat that’s wearing me down… not to mention Liz, who’s sleeping so peacefully that I can’t help but feel a little jealous.

Clunk

The wheel hit another bump, and a strand of her hair fell across her face.

Even the wagon’s jolts over rocks didn’t wake her. She was truly a heavy sleeper.

I reached out and gently brushed her hair back so it wouldn’t bother her.

She really was a beautiful girl.

A little naïve—sleeping so casually beside someone she’d just met—but undeniably charming.

I’m glad I met someone as kind as her when I woke up. I feel like that helped me process everything a little better.

I don’t know what would’ve happened if I’d run into bandits or more monsters instead.

Well, no point dwelling on that now.

For now, I’ll follow Liz’s example and try to get some rest myself.

Clunk

I just hope the bumps aren’t too annoying…