"Tell me more about this Destroyed Era. What exactly happened back then?" I asked eagerly.
Vicar shifted uncomfortably. "…I don't know much. Sorry."
"…What do you mean you don't know? It's your world's history!"
He gave a bitter laugh. "People like me… we don't get to learn much about the world."
"…People like you?" I tilted my nonexistent head in confusion.
He hesitated, then finally explained. "I mean the poor. The nobles call us slum dwellers."
That hit me like a truck—well, technically I was hit by a bullet, but you get the idea. I remembered his home earlier, the alleys, the people huddling in the dark. Of course. I should've realized sooner.
Vicar went on. "Only nobles can attend the academy or schools. They're the ones who get to study history, magic, geography… everything. For us, the only history we know is what's common knowledge."
"…Man." I sighed. "That sucks."
I actually felt bad for him. In my old world, I might've skipped class all the time, but at least I had the choice. Here, someone like Vicar never even got the chance.
"Hey," he said suddenly, brightening a little. "You never told me your name, Mr. Ring."
"Oh! Right. I'm Chase."
"Chase, huh? Nice to meet you." He smiled faintly, then asked, "What about your owner? Do you remember her name or what she looked like? That might help me return you."
I perked up. "Yeah! She's a beautiful girl with long red hair. Her name's Aliss."
The moment I said her name, Vicar froze. His eyes widened. He stopped walking entirely.
"…Aliss Steensiws?" he whispered. His voice trembled.
"You know her?!" I exclaimed. "Great! Then hurry up and take me back to her!"
But Vicar's face went pale, and dread pooled in his eyes. Something was seriously wrong.
"…Vicar? What is it?"
"I'm sorry, Chase." His grip on me tightened. "I… I can't take you back to her."
My core went cold. "What are you talking about? Of course you can! Just walk me to her place!"
Instead, he pulled me off his finger.
"Vicar! What are you doing?! Stop!"
Without answering, he hurled me into the street and bolted. His footsteps echoed against the stone road, then vanished as he disappeared into the crowd.
And just like that… I was alone again.
"…Seriously? What the hell just happened?"
I replayed it in my head again and again. The way his face twisted when I mentioned Aliss's name. The fear in his voice. The way he ran without explanation.
Was there something about Aliss that scared him? Did she do something? Or was it her family?
Hours passed as I lay there, abandoned in the dirt, my thoughts chasing themselves in circles. But no matter how I tried, I couldn't piece it together.
Eventually, the sky darkened. My vision dimmed. For the first time in ages, exhaustion hit me. Rings aren't supposed to sleep, but I couldn't fight it anymore.
When I came to, I felt something brush against me. My vision snapped open—only to find a stray cat pawing curiously at me.
"…Really? A cat? Here I was hoping it'd be a cute adventurer girl picking me up."
I was about to drift off again when something strange caught my eye. In the top-right corner of my vision… a tiny red dot blinked faintly.
"…What the heck is that?"
I focused on it, narrowing my attention. Slowly, it expanded, unfolding into a translucent screen.
[Notifications]
– System Install Complete –
My nonexistent jaw dropped. "…Wait. System?!"