"Finally... finally we've arrived." Amira exclaimed with labored breath. Sweat soaked her forehead, flowing down past her temples before falling to the dusty ground. Her legs trembled, as if her bones and muscles had lost all their strength. "Why does this place have to be so far away? My legs feel like they're about to fall off!"
The girl leaned her body against the nearest tree trunk, trying to regulate her uneven breathing. Meanwhile, Kazuki stood calmly beside her. There were no signs of fatigue on his handsome face. His slightly disheveled black hair was blown by the gentle wind, but his posture remained upright as if the long journey they had just completed meant nothing to him.
*How is it possible that this person doesn't look tired at all?* Amira thought to herself while staring at Kazuki with a questioning gaze. Her eyes narrowed suspiciously. *What is his body made of? Steel? Or maybe he's not human?*
Kazuki, who noticed Amira intense stare, turned to her, his black eyes meeting Yuina's gaze. "What's wrong?" he asked in a calm tone, slightly confused by the expression of the girl in front of him.
Amira quickly averted her gaze, a little embarrassed at being caught staring. "Nothing," she answered briefly, trying to divert attention. "Let's hurry into the city."
"Ah!" she shrieked in panic. "Hey, they're about to close the gate!" Without thinking twice, Amira pulled Kazuki's arm. "Hurry up!"
With what remained of her energy, Amira ran toward the gate with Kazuki following behind her.
In front of the gate stood two guards with appearances that seemed strange to Amira. They wore armor made of metal and leather, with the kingdom's emblem engraved on the chest. Their hands gripped long spears with gleaming sharp tips.
After reaching the gate with gasping breath, Yuina tried to speak to one of the guards. "Excuse me," she said in a soft but clear voice. "Can we enter?"
The guard frowned, then responded with a series of words that Amira couldn't understand at all. "@@@@@@@@@?"
Amira eyes widened, confusion clearly radiating from her sweaty face. "Huh?!" She turned to Kazuki in panic. "What are they saying? I can't understand their language at all!"
Kazuki smiled slightly, a smile suggesting he had anticipated this. "That's normal," he answered casually while shrugging. "We're in another world now, you know."
Without hesitation, Kazuki stepped forward, taking control of the situation. He stood confidently in front of the two guards, his back straight and his demeanor calm.
"Hello, can we enter this city?" Kazuki asked in a language that sounded foreign to Amira ears.
Amira stood frozen in place, amazed at the sudden change in Kazuki's way of speaking. The language coming from Kazuki's mouth sounded like a mixture of ancient languages with a strange accent, yet it flowed fluently as if he had been using it since birth.
*Since when can he speak that language?* Amira wondered in confusion. She could only stand still with a blank face, observing the conversation she couldn't understand at all.
"The clothes you're wearing are very strange," said the guard, eyeing their modern clothing with suspicion. "Are you from another world?" His eyes narrowed investigatively, hand remaining alert on his spear.
"Yes, we are indeed from another world," Kazuki answered calmly. He glanced briefly at Amira before continuing. "It seems there have been some people who came here before us, right?"
The guard exchanged glances with his companion, a silent communication that made Amira even more curious about what they were discussing.
"Yes, there were some people who came here this afternoon," the guard finally answered. "Did you get separated from them?" There was a slight tone of suspicion in his voice.
"Yes, we did get separated," Kazuki answered without hesitation. "So, can we enter?"
The guard seemed to consider for a moment, his eyes assessing the two foreign visitors in front of him from head to toe. "Please wait a moment," he finally said. "We need to call the city guard for this matter."
While one of the guards went to call the city guard, Amira pulled on Kazuki's sleeve impatiently. "Hey, what were you talking about? Are they letting us in or not?" she whispered.
"We have to wait for the city guard to come," Kazuki answered.
◇ ◇ ◇
The two gate guards led Kazuki and Amira through a damp stone corridor until they finally arrived at a small room inside the gate structure. The room looked simple—containing only an old wooden table with several chairs around it. The stone walls were adorned with dimly lit torches.
"Please sit down. The city guard will meet you soon," said one of the guards in a monotone voice before leaving the room.
Amira dropped herself into one of the wooden chairs, still exhausted after their long journey. Meanwhile, Kazuki chose to remain standing, his eyes sweeping every corner of the room carefully.
Less than five minutes of waiting, the old wooden door creaked open. A thin man wearing an expensive-looking brownish robe entered the room. His thin hair was neatly combed back, and his gaunt face was adorned with a pair of small, cunning eyes. He walked with an arrogant step, chin held high.
*So is this the city guard?* Kazuki thought to himself while observing the figure before him. *Looks very weak. Even his aura of power is almost imperceptible.* Kazuki's gaze was sharp and judging, unimpressed with the figure who had just entered the room.
The man sighed dramatically before speaking, "So you two were separated from the people this afternoon, right?" His voice sounded lazy and disinterested. "This is really troublesome for me."
Amira startled in surprise. Her eyes widened when she realized that she could clearly understand the man's words, unlike her conversation with the gate guards earlier. The language coming from the man's mouth sounded exactly like the language from their world.
"Yes, we want to meet with them," she said. "So, can we enter or not?"
Although Kazuki had never spoken directly with his classmates before, his instinct told him that gathering with them was the best choice at the moment.
The city guard raised his hand with a dismissive gesture. "Since it seems you're also among the potential heroes, we can allow you to enter," he said in a bored tone. He stared at them for a moment before continuing, "But if you're looking for your friends, they're all no longer here. They're on their way to the capital. You came too late." He waved his hand indifferently. "I won't help you find them, so go on, look for them yourselves."
*This person is very rude!* Amira frowned, feeling offended by the arrogant attitude shown by the city guard. Her hands clenched tightly in her lap, restraining herself from saying something that might worsen their situation.
Kazuki, who seemed accustomed to dealing with such attitudes, just nodded calmly. "Alright," he replied in a flat voice. "It seems there's nothing more you know, so we'll head into the city now." He stood and prepared to follow Amira who had already stepped toward the exit.
But before they truly left, the city guard suddenly spoke again, this time in a different tone—lower and full of hidden meaning. "Hey," he called, his eyes fixed on Yuina. "In this world, it's not just power that's important. Money is also very important, you know." He smiled crookedly, revealing a set of not-too-neat teeth. "I guess you probably don't have money, right?"
The man stepped closer to Amira. "How about you stay with me? That way, I think you'll be safer than staying with a guy who has no money, right?" he offered in a seductive tone that made Amira hair stand on end.
Amira face reddened, not from embarrassment, but from mounting anger. "Shameless!" she shouted, her voice trembling with anger. "Let's go, Hayashi-kun!" Without thinking twice, Amira grabbed Kazuki's hand and they ran out of the room, leaving behind the city guard who looked surprised by Amira reaction.
They continued running through the stone corridors, ignoring the puzzled looks from the guards, until they finally reached the city's main street. Only after feeling far enough away did Amira release her grip from Kazuki's hand, her breath panting from running and anger.
The city streets were filled with people in simple medieval-era clothing—tunics, long dresses, and rough wool cloaks. Merchants shouted offering their merchandise, while children ran around among the crowd. The aroma of freshly baked bread mixed with the smell of horse manure and incense burned in small temples, creating a distinctive blend from a medieval-era city.
Kazuki noticed Amira face that was still red with anger. "Seems like you didn't like him, huh?" he asked with a slightly amused tone, unable to hide the thin smile on his face.
"Obviously!" replied Amira, still with panting breath. "He was very rude. It made me angry and disgusted with him!" Her hand waved in the air, as if by doing so she could erase the memory of the annoying man from her mind.
"Wow, you're really angry," commented Kazuki with a soft chuckle. He then turned his attention to their surroundings, observing the city's alien architecture that reminded him of medieval cities he had seen in history books.
"This city seems similar to ancient cities," he continued while pointing toward the high walls surrounding the city. Those walls were made of large stones arranged neatly, forming a ring-shaped defensive structure that surrounded the entire settlement. "Look at those walls, they're built surrounding the entire city."
Amira followed Kazuki's gaze, just realizing how magnificent the city's defensive structure was. "It seems these walls are to prevent monsters from entering, right? More precisely, guardian walls," she murmured, admiring the thickness and height of the walls that reached about six meters.
On top of those walls, uniformed guards could be seen standing vigilantly, spears and bows ready in their hands. Watchtowers towered at several strategic points, providing a broad view of the area around the city.
Amira stomach suddenly growled loudly, reminding them that they hadn't eaten anything for hours. Her face reddened, this time from embarrassment.
"By the way, let's find something to eat first," Kazuki suggested with an understanding smile. "We haven't eaten for hours, and our journey was quite draining."
They began to walk along the city's stone streets, looking for a place to eat. Kazuki confidently pulled Amira toward a small shop at the end of the street.
The food shop was simple, with aged wooden walls and small windows displaying some bread. The aroma of freshly baked bread wafted from inside, making Amira stomach growl even louder. A middle-aged woman with a white apron welcomed them with a friendly smile, in contrast to the suspicious expressions they had received since entering this city.
After that, Kazuki bought some dry bread and two glasses of milk for them, perhaps by exchanging something he had. They sat on a wooden bench in front of the shop.
While chewing her bread, Amira observed the city life moving around them. Although the building structures were sturdy and planned, it was clear that many residents lived in poverty. Children in tattered clothes ran in the streets, while several beggars sat at street corners.
"This place doesn't seem to be really protected by heroes, huh," Amira murmured softly, feeling concerned seeing the condition of some residents. "There are many people living in hardship in this city."
Kazuki nodded. "Any world always has inequality," he answered wisely. "Even in a world with magic and superpowers."
After finishing their food, Kazuki invited Amira to look for new clothes. Their school uniforms were too conspicuous in this world, and it would be safer if they dressed like local residents.
They found a small clothing shop near the city square. The shop was filled with various clothes made from simple materials like wool and linen. With the help of a friendly seller—an old man with a long white beard—they chose several pieces of suitable clothing.
For Amira, a pair of simple dresses in light brown and dark blue, complete with a wool coat for cold weather. Meanwhile, Kazuki didn't buy anything for now.
After changing clothes in a small changing room at the back of the shop, they looked more blended with the local residents. Amira felt a bit awkward in her long dress, but it had to be admitted that the clothing was more comfortable for traveling than her school uniform.
"You look beautiful in that," said Kazuki with a slight smile.
"Thank you for that compliment, I'm very happy," Amira answered with a flat face.
"By the way, aren't you buying clothes? And since when do you have a hoodie?"
"Before we came to this world again," he answered.
Kazuki was now wearing a black hoodie and still wearing his black school pants and school shoes. Those were clothes he brought from his original world. He had put his hoodie in his school bag, which is why Amira didn't know about it.
Before leaving the shop, Kazuki spoke with the old seller, asking about a place to stay overnight. The old man gave directions to an inn not far from his shop.
"Thank you very much for your help," said Kazuki politely, bowing respectfully to the clothing seller.
By then it was already night. Oil lamps began to be lit along the streets.
"Let's go," Kazuki urged while pointing in the direction indicated by the clothing seller earlier, and Amira followed him from behind.