Chapter Fourteen — A New Day
That same night...
A door opened in one of the main halls of the Order Knights' headquarters. A man in his late twenties entered, exhaustion and deep worry marked on his face. He was tall and broad-shouldered, wearing a smart black jacket threaded with thin silver lines that ran down its sides—a clear sign of his high rank. He sat heavily in the large chair behind his desk and leaned back with a long sigh, as if fatigue had settled into his bones.
He sat in silence for a few moments, lost in a whirlwind of complicated thoughts, when the door opened again.
Another man came in, dressed similarly but wearing a different badge on his shoulder that marked a lower rank. Although he knew the seated man was his direct superior, their relationship was close enough that he spoke plainly, without ceremony.
He approached and asked with curiosity, "What's wrong? Was the operation that difficult? Did anyone get hurt?"
The commander raised his eyes and looked at him with a weighty expression, then answered in an enigmatic tone, "No... it's not what you think. It's worse."
He paused, then continued in a low voice, "We finally managed to kill the madman we'd been hunting for so long... but we discovered he was nothing but a puppet, carrying out someone else's orders."
The second man frowned in surprise. "Someone else? Do you have proof of that?"
The commander shook his head. "No conclusive proof yet... but every sign points to a particular man—the only suspect. From what I know of him personally, there's no doubt he's the one behind this."
The other man slammed his fist on the table and said sharply, "If that's the case, that works to our advantage, doesn't it?"
The commander sighed again, his voice now heavier with sorrow. "No... even if that man turned out to have committed crimes more heinous than these, no one would prosecute him."
Silence fell for a moment before the second man struck the table once more—this time in real anger as he grasped what the commander meant—shouting, "Damn it! Why do we have to clean up this bastard's mess every time?!"
At that moment the door opened again and a third man entered. He seemed younger and of lower rank. He stood at attention, saluted formally, and then stepped forward to the commander, saying, "Commander Bran, I've prepared the full reports on the newcomers who arrived this year, and I've added the names of the recently found abductees."
Commander Bran took the papers from him and replied calmly, "All right. You may go."
The soldier nodded and left, while Bran began flipping through the sheets with focused eyes, as if searching for something specific.
The second man noticed and asked, "What are you looking for, Bran?"
Without lifting his gaze, the commander answered, "From what Leon told us about the abductions... one man caught my attention. A man with a good mind and rare courage."
He paused, then added with a faint smile, "The madman attacked him personally... with a sharp fragment of bone! He nearly died from it."
The second man's eyes widened. "Are you considering recruiting him into the Knights?"
Bran's voice stayed even. "I'm thinking about it... but first I want to watch how he adapts to this world."
Finally, Bran drew a particular sheet from the stack. It contained basic information about someone named "Daniel." He read it carefully, weighing each word, trying to connect the written profile to the person Leon had described.
He handed the paper to the man opposite him and asked, "What do you think? Do you think he's lying?"
The man took the sheet, read slowly, then said, "His life seems fairly quiet, which doesn't match the reckless behavior you described. But... there's something you should know. I've heard of something called the Internet in their world. They say it can change a person's life completely—whether for better or worse. It reshapes interests, drives people to decisions that don't align with their real surroundings."
He added more cautiously, "Either that really happened to him... or he's hiding something darker in his past. After all, people who crossed over from their world include both good and bad."
......
Daniel woke to someone tapping his shoulder to shake him awake. He opened his eyes groggily and saw a familiar face framed by glasses. It was Lucas.
(Oh brother... why do the people who follow me always have four eyes? And why are they all so similar? Please don't let him turn out to be obsessed with cleanliness too... please no.)
Lucas spoke in a serious tone as he gave Daniel a little shake: "Come on, wake up. It's time to go."
Daniel replied lazily, trying only to change his position on the bed, "Okay, okay... I'm getting up now..."
His voice was thick with sleep, but when he remembered they were going to collect money and learn more about the powers of this world, he sighed and pushed himself up, knowing sleep wouldn't help anymore.
He looked at Lucas sadly when he learned Lucas was heading next door to wake Sanjay.
(What an injustice... why me first?!)
Daniel turned slowly and took in the room where he'd woken after yesterday's adventures. It was simple, yet arranged in an old-fashioned way. Stone walls, small windows with wooden frames, a bed of heavy wood with a straw mattress covered in coarse cloth. A small candle sat in a brass holder on the wall. Beside the bed was a small chest for belongings, and on the table lay some strange metal tools he didn't recognize.
(Everything here feels like it came from a storybook... yet somehow, it's more comforting than my room in the old world... comforting, in a way.)
Daniel slipped quietly from his room to explore the house while Lucas struggled alone to rouse Sanjay. The whole place was modest but neat, built of stone and sturdy wood. It had three bedrooms, a small sitting room with a round table and wooden chairs, and a primitive kitchen with a stone oven and some copper utensils.
The bath was in a roofed backyard courtyard—like a shared medieval bath—there was a large stone basin filled with water carried in buckets, and a towel hung on a metal peg. The place wasn't luxurious by any means, but it served its purpose.
Daniel thought to himself as he studied the household details, (I suppose I was very blessed in my previous world.)
The three left the inn after getting ready and boarded a horse-drawn wooden cart. The road to the Order Knights' center was filled with scenes that drew all their attention.
Houses stood packed close together, their roofs thatched or made of clay; small shops sold bread, simple jewelry, and wooden toys. Vendors called out their wares, and the scents of herbs and spices slipped through open windows. The streets were paved with cobblestones, other carts passed by, and people walked in robes and garments that looked medieval—with a magical twist.
(This world is unbelievably strange... as if I'm living inside a massive video game.)
At last, the cart reached the Order Knights' center. From the outside the building resembled a miniature fortress: high gray stone walls topped with banners—red flags bearing a strange emblem that looked like a spear piercing a star. Two guards stood at the gate wearing leather-metal armor, eyeing entrants sternly.
They entered, and the interior was as impressive as the exterior: a wide hall carpeted thickly, stone pillars rising up, torches burning overhead. Knights moved about—some training, others filing reports—while a commander sat at a large wooden desk receiving visitors.
Leon stood waiting for them, dressed in the Order Knights' uniform: a black jacket trimmed with silver lines and a short sword at his waist. He smiled when he saw them and said, "Welcome. Come, I'll take you to a side room to talk."