It was morning. The breeze through the open window came through, flowing in like soothing cold air. Inside, Lucid woke up from what seemed like a good night's sleep. His eyes soggy, he lifted his upper body from the ground and casually leaned against the wall. As he scratched his eyes, the mask seemed to welcome his hand into the fog-like glass. Lucid looked to the right of his room, gazing outside the wide-open window. After all, Lucid loved to sleep in the cold; he found it made him sleep better. And despite having a bed next to him, sleeping on the ground was oddly comfortable for him.
"Huh... I wonder if I slept like this back in my previous life."
Lucid stood up, stretching his arms and legs, ready for a new day to begin. As he stretched, he moved to the sink and started brushing his teeth, going about his day. It was rather chilly, and Lucid assumed it was somewhere around late summer where the heat had gradually worn down.
"Well, not like it matters."
"I better check on Alice," he thought as he got up, got dressed, and left his room. He knocked on Alice's door.
"Hey Alice, wake up. It's me, Lucid."
There was no response. He knocked again, and after a pause, decided to enter. He opened the door and carefully closed it behind him. Inside, he saw her sleeping like she was in some kind of peaceful slumber, lying on the bed right next to a pile of books.
"Wow… she really has no sense of responsibility. Well, what can I expect. I'll let her sleep some more."
He closed the door gently, careful not to disturb her. Making his way downstairs, he greeted Andrew.
"Morning, Andrew. How are you today?"
Andrew looked behind him while carrying a couple of boxes.
"Oh hey! Did you sleep well?" he said in a chatty tone.
"Oh yeah, I did. Might have had the best sleep in a while," Lucid replied.
"Oh really? Well that's good to hear. I make my beds comfortable—like, really comfortable. The materials I buy just to make those beds are baffling..."
'Oh...' thought Lucid, careful not to admit he slept on the ground. That would probably shatter Andrew's heart.
Andrew finished stocking up boxes and looked at Lucid.
"Oh, by the way, have you seen the wanted poster hanging on the wall right there?"
Lucid looked around and noticed the poster. It was rather new—the ink fresh and the paper pristine. He looked closely. The figure's face was mostly obscured by a large scarf and headwear, the only identifiable feature being their eyes. This person looked like an assassin.
Lucid read the name aloud, "Yu Sakamoto…"
It was indeed Yu Sakamoto, the very person they were sent to seek out by none other than the village chief.
Andrew observed Lucid looking at the poster.
"This person is said to have breached the Celestial Archives and amassed public support from the commoners. I don't know, but they seem like a really dangerous individual if you ask me. If I were you, I wouldn't dare try to capture them. Apparently, they're the reason a whole world fell in the first place."
He continued:
"The bounty might seem like a lot, but if I were you, I would value my life over some gold. Chances are those corrupt nobles would probably hog the reward for themselves. Not like they want to give it to anyone who isn't a noble."
Lucid looked at the count on the poster. It read: 200 gold coins.
"Two hundred gold coins?" he muttered.
Lucid didn't know much about the currency in this world, let alone The scattered worlds as a whole; his guess was that each faction probably might have its own currency. But he knew enough to understand that a single silver coin could cover a full day at the inn, food included. So, 200 gold coins? That could probably buy a mansion and then some more.
While Andrew read something behind the counter—that looked like a newspaper—Lucid walked over.
"Wow, that is indeed a lot. Hell, it's even making me hesitate."
Andrew looked up.
"That's true, but you have to consider that girl of yours. What if you never come back? Well, not like it's my problem. You do you, man."
Lucid looked at him. He was surprisingly honest. For all Lucid knew, he could have told him to throw his life away, but instead, he warned him like he actually cared.
Andrew broke the silence. "So what will it be today?"
"Can I have some coffee? With milk. And lots of sugar."
"Done!"
"Uh... where is it?"
Andrew chuckled. "Oh come on, look to your left. It's been sitting there for a while now, mate."
"Uh… thanks, man," Lucid replied, eyeing the coffee almost suspiciously.
After sipping his coffee and chatting leisurely with Andrew, Lucid left the tavern without Alice. He asked Andrew to watch over her, and Andrew agreed.
'He's such a nice guy,' Lucid thought.
It was the only moment he was truly alone. He wandered aimlessly, thinking about Yu Sakamoto.
He sighed. "I'm confused. What should I even do at this point?"
Kids played nearby, senior citizens chatted on benches—everything seemed normal. Until it didn't.
Two horse carriages arrived. A couple of guards and two noble-looking individuals stepped out. One noble had a cloth covering his mouth and nose, as if even breathing the air of the city was beneath him. It was clear they weren't ordinary folk. The guards approached a nearby residence and knocked. Someone answered. One guard began reciting from a piece of parchment:
"The family of Magnus, you are hereby evicted from this residence and shall forfeit all your belongings due to failure to comply with monthly payments. Any refusal will be met with force."
Moments later, guards breached the house, dragging out belongings and furniture.
"From this day on, your possessions will cover your due payments," one guard said harshly.
People gathered, including Lucid, watching from afar.
One noble scoffed. "This is not nearly enough. Do you have no respect for the founders of this world?"
The homeowner pleaded, "I'm sorry!" He opened a pouch, handing over what little he had. A guard snatched it forcefully, knocking the man to the ground.
The guard counted, "20 silver coins, 30 bronze coins."
The noble sneered. "That won't do anything at all. So what now?"
"I'm sorry, sir. I'll work. I'll do anything. Just please let my family stay."
The cloth-masked noble leaned toward the other and suggested, "If he can't pay, why don't they use other means as payment?"
The other noble grinned. "You're right. I say we take the woman and the boy—they can serve in our quarters until their debt is paid."
A civilian stepped forward, yelling, "Nonsense! That's a woman and child! Why not take the father?!"
Lucid recognized him. It was one of the men Alice had played cards with yesterday.
"SILENCE," one noble roared. "Do not raise your voice to me, filth. GUARDS!"
A guard drew his sword, pointing it at the civilian's neck.
Lucid watched. He could step in. He could be the hero. But with Alice under his care, he couldn't afford to expose them both to danger.
So all he could do now was watch, observe.
'Like the fleeing bastard I am,' he thought bitterly.