The Saloon in the Sand and the Wizard in the Cage

“We found… something?”

I muttered weakly, my voice dry and heavy from dehydration.

“That’s not exactly what you’d call a medieval city,” he remarked as our eyes finally made out the wooden structure ahead of us.

The sun wasn't just hot; it was angry. The air shimmered like a broken TV screen.

An old wooden building stood there, its swinging doors creaking whenever someone passed through—those double doors that sway back and forth at the slightest touch.

Out front, a wide porch supported by several pillars sheltered a handful of tables made from worn, weathered planks.

“Is that… a bar?” I asked.

“Looks more like a saloon.”

“Saloon?”

“Same thing. Just Old West–style.”

From here, I could make out a few men and women sitting around, chatting and drinking.

But the distance made it hard to see much detail.

W-Wait a second—Old West!?

Damn it, does that mean I got isekai’d into a cowboy world?!

…That might not actually be so bad.

I mean, who wouldn’t want to ride a horse and trade gunfire with the police after robbing a bank?!

…Although, I guess I could technically do that in the normal world too.

Tsk. I don’t really know how to feel about this.

“Jojiro, let’s go closer and ask for information. At the very least, we can drink some water.”

“T-That was exactly my plan…”

“But isn’t it kind of strange to have a bar like this in the middle of absolute nowhere?”

“Yeah, but what choice do we have?”

Even after spotting a possible solution, our steps didn’t feel any lighter, nor did the heat beating down on our backs ease up.

Every step was still exhausting, and we’d already been walking for several long minutes since spotting the place.

It was tough—my vision even started to blur at the edges.

But at last, we arrived.

“GODDAMMIT!!!”

I collapsed onto the ground, throwing myself against the wooden boards of that isolated place.

I could barely feel my trembling legs or my jelly-like arms—only my battered body hitting the floor.

Around us, nearly everyone sitting on the porch turned to stare.

Eyes followed us from people playing chess, from those eating meals, and from others simply drinking and chatting.

“C-Come on… you don’t want to die the moment you arrive. Let’s go to the counter or something.”

“Y-Yeah…”

I pushed myself up, wiping the sweat from my forehead.

But just as I was about to take my first step, a voice froze me in place.

“HEY, GET ME OUT OF HERE!!!”

“Shut it! Maybe think twice next time before flooding a stranger’s crops.”

“I-I… please?”

“No.”

“Damn you, old fool!”

That voice…

Pressed against the wall was an iron cage—and inside it… a girl?

I mean, she doesn’t look that young. Probably just a few years younger than me.

She was arguing with a middle-aged man, arms crossed, who stubbornly refused to meet her eyes.

What the hell is this—

Tap.

Something lightly knocked against my head.

“We’ll deal with that later. First, let’s drink.”

“A-Ah… right.”

Wait—he said “later”?

For a moment, I thought he’d say something like “that’s none of our business.”

What does he mean by that?

Without using my hands, I pushed the swinging doors open with my stomach, and we stepped inside the bar—or saloon, as he called it.

The floor was coated in dust, the air reeked of alcohol and smoke—disgusting.

The counter stretched long and wide, scarred with cup rings and knife marks.

Standing behind it was a bartender, who quickly turned toward us while polishing a wine bottle.

A few others drank quietly or played cards like outside, while a well-dressed man played a piano that seemed utterly out of place in such a filthy environment.

“Please, give us two bottles of water!”

Theo and I slammed our hands onto the counter, pleading desperately.

“I’ll pay even with a kidney if I have to!” I blurted out.

“Huh? No, you won’t.”

“Do you want us to die of thirst!?”

“Yes!”

…That was certainly a conversation.

“Hey, hey. Calm down,” the bartender said.

“Why do you think I built this place in the middle of a desert? Water’s free.”

Ah, I get it.

This place is basically a gas station—built along long roads, open 24/7 for travelers like us.

Gulp gulp gulp

“AHHHHH—SO GOOD!!”

Nothing feels better than water after almost dying of thirst!

Honestly, we’d only spent about half an hour in the desert.

But even one minute under that hellish heat is enough to make anyone desperate for hydration—not to mention the psychological toll.

“Another one, please!”

“Of course. Don’t worry.”

And he handed us what felt like three hundred cups of the greatest drink in existence.

Water—simple, pure water—had never tasted so good.

And we drank… a lot more.

“Hey, sir… could you also serve us some food while you’re at it?” I asked.

“Maybe, uh… tell me what you’ve got—”

“Hey. You have to pay for food.”

A-Ah… damn it, I got carried away—

“Thank you very much, sir,” Theo said.

W-Wait—Theo thanked him!?

I—I forgot to say thank you!?

Damn it, how rude can I be!?

“I deeply apologize!”

I bowed at a full ninety degrees.

“This will never happen again! And thank you very much!!!”

…That’s it!

Theo’s staring at me funny.

The bartender too.

For some reason.

“Well then, what can you tell us about this place?” Theo asked.

“What do you want me to say? It’s just sand.”

“I mean… this world.”

“This world? What do you mean?”

“Yes, this world. We don’t know anything about it because we’re actually from another wo—”

“GYAHHH!!!”

I literally lunged at that idiot, tackling him to the floor.

“WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU!?”

“HUH!? WHAT’S WRONG WITH YOU!? DON’T JUMP ON ME! I WAS JUST SAYING WHERE I’M FROM—”

“BUT YOU CAN’T SAY THAT, YOU MORON!!”

“WHY NOT!?”

“BECAUSE—… GAHHHHH!!! YOU’RE SO DAMN NAIVE!”

This idiot…

He seriously thinks he can just tell random NPCs that he’s from another world!?

That’s Rule Number One of every isekai ever!

“Alright, alright… whatever you say.”

“Let me handle this!”

We both stood up like nothing had happened.

Now I’m in charge!

For some reason, I feel extremely confident!

“What he meant is that he comes from a very faraway place—so far you could call it another world. Same goes for me! Haha…”

That was a good explanation, right?

Though Theo doesn’t seem to grasp why lying is necessary.

“Well, whatever…” the bartender shrugged.

“If you want any information, just ask.”

Ahh—this is on the tip of my tongue!

“What’s the name of this kingdom!?”

“The closest one is Velmara. Technically a city-state, though it’s a bit far from here.”

“City-state?” I echoed.

“Basically a kingdom that’s only the size of a city. Like the Vatican.”

“Like the ancient Greek cities?”

“Exactly. Wow, I’m kind of impressed.”

“Hehe, don’t underestimate my knowledge, Theo-san!”

A city-state…

Doesn’t sound great to govern.

What if a whole country decides to invade you? What do you even do!?

Ah—I know!

That kingdom must be weak!

So I’ll become a knight and protect it from the Demon King’s threats!

…I’m thinking way too far ahead.

“Jojiro, if you don’t mind, there’s something I’d like to ask.”

“Ah, no need… I already know what it is.”

All four of our eyes turned toward the same thing.

“Why the hell is there a woman locked in a cage outside!?”

The bartender glanced toward the window.

“Oh, that girl? You two are pretty nosy.”

“Huh? What did we do wrong? That’s a pretty bizarre thing to see!”

Heh—stole the words right out of Theo-san’s mouth!

“Well, whatever. The man told me what happened.”

“…And?”

“That brat’s a wizard. She destroyed an entire plantation belonging to that man. No clear reason. She can’t pay, so she’ll stay locked up until someone pays for her—or until she’s sold.”

S-Sold?

That’s… disturbing.

But wait—wizard!?

So this really is—

“Is that normal here?” Theo asked.

“Huh? And grass is green? She’s paying for what she did.”

I see…

Slavery is common in this world.

That makes my stomach churn a bit…

I’m sure Theo-san noticed too.

“I understand.”

Theo turned toward the exit.

“Hey! Where are you going!?”

He didn’t answer.

So I chased after him.

Outside again, we found ourselves back on the porch.

Theo walked straight toward the man responsible, pointing a finger at him.

“You…”

Oh shit—he’s huge.

And furious.

This isn’t going to end well!

“T-Theo-san, wait!”

He… he completely ignored me.

The man—middle-aged, fat—sat at a table, his eyes glued to a rough wooden chessboard.

Across from him sat another man, not much different from him.

“What do you want?”

He rolled his eyes, clearly annoyed.

T-This is bad…

Theo-san looks genuinely angry—

“I challenge you to a game of chess!”

…Huh?

“T-Theo-san, what are you thinking—”

“Jojiro. Let me ask you something.”

He turned toward me.

“In… worlds like this, do people often form parties or something?”

“Uh… yeah, I guess so. Like guilds!”

“Well then…”

He smirked, pointing toward the cage.

“We just found ourselves a member.”