Chapter Thirteen — Arrival at the Kingdom of Anfrida
They waited in a tense silence, as if the very air itself were holding its breath. Minutes stretched until they felt like an eternity before two of the Order Knights stepped forward with steady strides to lead Daniel and the others toward the kingdom. Nikola walked with them; his features were composed, but they carried the weight of much left unsaid.
Nikola moved to the front of the group, paused, and looked into their tired, anxious faces, then spoke in a steady voice:
"All right, to begin with... my real name is Leon Harp. I'm one of those who were brought into this world by fate... I came here last year, and I used to work as a police officer in my former life."
He stopped for a moment, then continued in a more serious tone:
"When the Order Knights — who in this world serve a role similar to our police — learned there had been people kidnapped from our world, they immediately realized these criminals were part of a gang they'd been chasing for a long time. When they discovered I was a stranger in this place and a former cop, they decided I'd be their eye — an undercover operative among the newcomers, on the pretense that I was one of the kidnapped."
A brief hush fell; they exchanged looks before Leon went on:
"They even implanted in me an Eira that can track a person's location, so we could find where the kidnappers were and who they dealt with. And that is how... we finally managed to catch all those criminals — after we were sold to the madman."
Murmurs of astonishment rose among those present as he added:
"When I learned we were to be sold to that madman — a man far more notorious and dangerous than the kidnappers themselves — I chose to go with him of my own accord. I even smeared my clothes with blood so I would look like one of those who'd helped kill the tall Harith. Thankfully, the kidnappers punished the whole cell."
He looked at them with deep regret and added, "And I'm sorry to everyone... because I was the one who broke the key."
"Oh, we already know." Amadou's voice came quickly, laced with light mockery, and he winked as he added, "And having the Order Knights with you was enough to give the whole thing away. Just their presence alone is utterly unreasonable."
A few of them laughed softly, then Daniel spoke, studying Leon intently:
"Leon... so you were willing to risk your life to catch that madman?"
Leon nodded, grim, and said in a dark tone, "The truth? Yes. That madman committed horrors beyond imagination. If you saw just one of his victims, you'd hate him without question. You'd want him executed in the worst way possible. So if it meant one person's death to catch him, that's a price I'd pay rather than let him slip away and change his hiding place again. Then we'd never find him."
Daniel was silent for a moment, then answered more soberly, "But... what if you were the one he took in my place? If the Eira inside you were discovered, and the madman realized you were spying on him, wouldn't he flee again? Or worse, take us all with him... and then we'd all die while he walked free."
Leon reached calmly into his pocket and produced something small. "If that ever happens — although I think the chance is very slim — I'll give you this."
He opened his palm to reveal a key identical to the one that had been shattered in the cell.
"How?" Lucas asked in surprise as he stepped closer. "Didn't we see the key broken?"
Leon smiled and met everyone's gaze. "No — this is another key. I managed to secretly make one while I was with you, but I had hidden it."
After thinking a moment, Daniel said, "Well... if I were in your place and went through all that... I'd have done the same. Don't worry."
(But despite everything... I'm still not ready to die.)
The cart finally reached the kingdom's outskirts with the first threads of dawn. Towering walls rose before them, built of tightly stacked black stone and guarded by watchtowers where sentries stood in armor, long spears glinting in the rising sun.
As the cart approached the gate, one guard, upon seeing that they were accompanied by the Order Knights, stepped back two paces at once and immediately made way for them. But when he noticed Amadou among the passengers, he moved forward and began questioning him about his absence.
The cart passed through the massive gate into the city. Inside, Amadou produced identification and told them he served as a wall guard. The companions learned of Amadou's position and also that Karo worked as a blacksmith; only Kaoru's occupation remained unknown.
Curiosity simmering, they all turned automatically to the nervous Kaoru, awaiting his answer.
Noticing their stares, he cleared his throat and said, a little embarrassed, "What? I... I work as a merchant."
At that, everyone's eyes widened in surprise. Lucas and Amadou tried to stifle their laughter in vain, though their teasing looks were clear.
Kaoru flushed with anger and snapped, "What?! What's so strange and funny about being a merchant?!"
Daniel hurried to calm him, trying to suppress a smile. "Nothing... nothing... it's just... when someone comes to buy something from you, do you smile and say, 'What would you like to take, my dear customer?'"
At that, the whole cart exploded into laughter.
The cart wound through the kingdom's streets beneath the golden light of morning. Finally, it dropped Amadou, Karo, and Kaoru at their homes before continuing on to deliver Daniel, Lucas, and Sanjay to a residence belonging to the Order Knights — lodgings provided to them at the kingdom's expense. This came after Leon had taken from them the most important information about their past lives to record, as required by the kingdom's laws. He also asked them to do something when they told their stories: he introduced them to an Eira for lie-detection — Level One.
From what Daniel heard, Lucas's life had been hard as well. His father died when he was young, forcing him to work early to support the household with his mother; he had a younger sister he cared for dearly, and he kept studying on the side. His days were split into three parts: work, study, and sleep.
As for Sanjay, he was the youngest in his family with only one older brother. His father owned a successful company, which placed them among the wealthy. His older brother was supposed to inherit their father's position — until his mysterious disappearance in his first year.
The three of them entered the inn, and as soon as they crossed the threshold, their exhaustion was obvious; their bodies sought rest before their minds. Each found a random room and a bed, threw himself down without hesitation, and surrendered to deep sleep from the first minute — after a long, grueling day filled with fighting and tension.