‘What… are all these things I’ve never seen before…?’
She had never seen a city like this.
There were no city walls here, nor any temple emblems she recognized.
She watched the people passing by on the street, all wearing strange clothes.
Some wore thin jackets, some held transparent umbrellas, and some wore skirts that were absurdly short, or loose-fitting pants.
They carried no swords, no talismans, no adventurer badges. They didn’t look like merchants or civilian craftsmen either.
Then she looked at the sign beside her. She had clearly never read anything like it… yet she understood what the characters meant.
“Strange. Why can I understand this kind of writing…”
She muttered to herself.
“Have I been thrown into another time and space…?”
If this truly was a completely unfamiliar world—
Then could she even go back?
Alisia shook her head vigorously.
“No, there has to be a way.”
She forced herself to calm down.
Panicking would only make her judgment more sluggish.
‘First… I’ll survey the surroundings with magic…’
But she discovered that this place had no magus at all—she couldn’t use even a sliver of magic.
“Could it be… that this world has no magus…?!!!”
Alisia shouted in panic. When she came to her senses, she found herself the center of attention on the street.
Several passersby stopped in their tracks.
They raised the black boxes in their hands, pointing them at her.
The next instant, flashes of light erupted one after another.
Click.
Click, click.
The blinding white light hit Alisia’s face, making her instinctively raise her right arm to shield her eyes.
“What are they doing…?”
She lowered her voice and took a cautious half-step back.
The black boxes were a bit larger than a palm, their surfaces smooth.
Almost everyone had one. Some people nearby even looked down at them while walking.
“Hey, look at that kid…”
“Did she just come from a comic convention?”
“Carrying such a big sword, that’s creepy.”
“Seriously, why is she standing in the middle of the street alone in the rain? She doesn’t seem to be in a good mental state.”
The murmurs of strangers reached her ears.
Alisia understood them.
But she couldn’t fully comprehend.
Comic convention?
Mental state?
Were they talking about her?
She glanced at her cloak, her academy uniform, and the greatsword on her back that was completely out of place in this world.
She indeed stood out.
She couldn’t tell whether those black boxes were weapons, nor could she be sure whether this world’s ‘guards’ would arrest her for carrying a greatsword.
Continuing to stand here was by no means wise.
Alisia turned and quickly left.
She covered her face with her cloak and ran along the street into a narrow alley.
Rain pelted against metal pipes and walls, producing a dense patter of sounds. The alley was much quieter than the main street. Only a few strange green bins were piled against the wall, emitting a somewhat unpleasant odor.
She was just about to stop and collect her thoughts when her body suddenly collided with something.
“Ugh, ah!”
A girl’s startled cry rang out.
The other person was knocked to the ground, her umbrella slipping from her hand and landing with a splash in a nearby puddle.
Alisia steadied herself immediately and reached out to help.
“I’m sorry… are you alright?!”
The girl on the ground rubbed her forehead and looked up.
She looked about the same age as Qiu Meng, wearing an ordinary jacket and a pleated skirt, with a cloth bag slung over her shoulder. Her long black hair was slightly dampened by the rain, and her eyes held surprise and confusion.
She stared at Alisia for a moment, then said:
“Cosplay…?”
Alisia froze.
“What… thing?”
The girl picked up her umbrella, opened it again, and looked her up and down.
“You just came from a comic convention, right? How come you’re not even carrying an umbrella?”
As she spoke, she raised her umbrella and tilted it a bit toward Alisia.
The sound of rain immediately softened by half.
Alisia was taken aback for a moment.
“Thank you…”
The girl waved her hand, then stared at the greatsword behind Alisia.
“That thing on your back… is it a prop from the convention?”
Alisia answered instinctively:
“A model… a replica? This isn’t a replica. It’s real.”
The girl’s expression changed.
“Huh? Really?”
Alisia saw the fear in her eyes as the girl looked at her, and immediately realized something was wrong.
The people here feared weapons.
“No.”
Alisia quickly changed her answer, trying to sound as natural as possible.
“This is actually a model… I was just reciting a script!”
The girl visibly relaxed a little, but was still somewhat worried.
“Um… maybe I should take you to the police… you seem to be in a pretty bad state.”
Police.
Alisia turned the word over in her mind.
It must be the guards of this world.
If she went to them, she might get help.
But the problem was that she had no identification in this world, no money, no place to stay, and she was carrying a greatsword.
If the law here didn’t permit carrying weapons, she would probably be locked up immediately.
‘No… I have to hide it.’
“I just got separated from my friends.”
Alisia tried to stay calm.
“I’ll be able to get back to where we agreed to meet soon…”
The girl was still uneasy. She took out a black box with a pink shell and swiped it a few times.
The screen lit up.
There were many small icons on it, and one button with a green bubble was especially conspicuous.
“Then where’s your phone? Do you want to add me? I’ll transfer you some money so at least you can buy some food.”
Alisia stared at the black box.
‘So… that thing is called a phone.’
‘It seems to be able to communicate… and also store money?’
She looked at the size of the phone, then at the girl’s serious expression.
‘How could something so thin and small possibly hold money?’
“I… didn’t bring my phone.”
“You didn’t bring your phone?” The girl’s eyes widened. “Then how are you going to contact your friends?”
“They’ll find me by following the way we came.”
After saying that, Alisia lowered her head and patted her pockets, realizing she had not a single coin on her.
Then, her stomach betrayed her with a growl.
After confronting that twisted monster, fleeing, and being forcibly teleported to this place, her body had expended quite a lot.
‘The rain is also lowering my body temperature. If I keep dragging this out, I might collapse too…’
“Um… I’m sorry to trouble you.”
Alisia said softly.
“Could you help me buy some food… I’m so hungry I don’t have any strength left.”
The girl was startled for a moment.
Then her expression visibly softened.
“Then… th-then come with me. I’ll take you to the store.”
She reached out and grabbed Alisia’s sleeve, pulling her out of the alley as if afraid this strange ‘coser’ might suddenly run away.
Alisia didn’t pull her hand away. She just silently noted it in her heart.
The two walked through the curtain of rain into a small shop nearby that glowed with white lights.
When the automatic door opened, Alisia almost drew her greatsword.
Because the door moved on its own.
Without any triggering magic array, it slid open by itself.
“Don’t just stand there… come in, don’t be shy!”
The shop’s lights were blindingly bright, and the shelves were stocked with all kinds of strange packaging.
Colorful bags, square boxes, transparent bottles, and many items whose purpose she couldn’t comprehend.
It was hot outside, yet it felt a bit cold in here… and there wasn’t the slightest trace of magic, which made her a little afraid.
Alisia curiously picked up a package.
It said: Happy Eat.
“Happy Eat?”
She picked up another one.
Sandwich.
This one she could understand.
There was also a sandwich cookie with a cartoon pig on the package, with text that read “Many Pigs.”
It indeed contained pork.
Alisia’s expression grew increasingly complicated.
“The way this world names its food… is quite blunt.”
The girl bought sandwiches, chips, and cookies, and also grabbed a transparent umbrella for her.
At checkout, she pointed her phone at some machine on the counter.
Beep.
Payment complete.
Alisia stared at that scene.
This world’s currency really was hidden inside the phone.
She suddenly felt a strong sense of unreality.
In her own world, merchants used gold coins or notes or similar things to trade.
But here, you didn’t even need to take money out to buy food—you just had to let the phone and the machine face each other.
‘It’s too absurd… but also really convenient…’
The girl handed her the bag.
“Eat first.”
Alisia opened the sandwich and took a careful bite.
The taste was a bit strange, unlike any food she’d had in her own world, yet it was also very delicious.
Soft bread, egg, ham, and a little sauce mixed together, making her finally feel alive again.
“Thank you…”
But before she could finish, the girl said:
“So when will your friends arrive?”
Alisia was silent for a moment.
“Um… I don’t know…”
She looked at the sandwich in her hand and gave a half-true, half-false answer.
“Maybe they saw that I was gone and just went home by themselves…”
The girl frowned.
“Huh…? Then what’s your name?”
“Alisia.”
She answered solemnly.
“Then… Miss, what’s your name?”
The girl blinked.
“Miss?”
She seemed to find the address a bit odd.
“Are you a foreigner?”
Alisia nodded immediately.
“Yeah.”
Then the girl said:
“My name is Mo Lan.”
“Where’s your home?”
Alisia lowered her eyes.
“I don’t have one…”
“You don’t?”
“My father and mother… are both in a very faraway foreign country.”
“Then where do you usually live?”
“Places with few people.”
When those words left her mouth, Mo Lan’s gaze toward her changed.
Alisia suddenly felt a pang in her heart.
She had told too many lies.
But she couldn’t tell the truth.
She couldn’t say she didn’t belong to this world. If she did, Mo Lan would probably really take her to the police.
Or somewhere even worse.
‘If I can later… I must repay her properly…’
Alisia thought in her heart.
Mo Lan then looked at the clothes she was wearing.
“Then what’s the deal with this outfit of yours?”
“My friends gave it to me…”
Alisia slowly wove her lies.
“Because my parents didn’t give me any living expenses, so I went to find them. They also asked me to wear these clothes.”
“Then why didn’t they come looking for you?”
“Maybe… they don’t really like me either.”
Mo Lan fell silent.
She stared at Alisia for a long while.
“You’re not lying to me, are you?”
Alisia looked back at her.
“If I were a scammer, I’d ask for money… not for food to be fed by someone else…!!”
She looked down at the half-eaten sandwich in her hand.
Mo Lan thought seriously for a moment.
“Alright then.”
She clapped her hands.
“To make sure you don’t sneak away, you’re coming home with me!”
Alisia almost choked on her sandwich.
“Huh?”
“What else am I supposed to do!” Mo Lan said with complete confidence. “That was my allowance! If you don’t pay me back, I’ll be in real trouble!”
Alisia was silent.
Call her foolish—she knew not to trust strangers casually.
Call her smart—she was actually planning to bring a stranger home, with the reason being to prevent the other person from not paying back the money…
“Then… okay?”
Mo Lan immediately raised a finger and put on a serious expression.
“And! You’re not allowed to do anything weird to me. This is a society ruled by law! If you do, you’ll get arrested, got it? The neighbors will help me catch you too!”
Alisia was even more confused.
“What counts as weird things?”
“It’s… it’s those things in manga! Like getting kidnapped for no reason!”
“I don’t know what manga is.”
Alisia said seriously:
“But I can tell that what you look at must not be very proper.”
Mo Lan’s face instantly turned red.
“You—you’re the one who’s improper!”
The shopkeeper’s voice came from behind the counter at just the right time:
“Thank you for your patronage.”
Alisia picked up the plastic bag and looked down at it.
‘What a special structure… it’s so light and transparent… yet so sturdy.’
The things in this world were incomprehensible to her at every turn.
Mo Lan opened the newly bought umbrella and led her back into the rain.
The rain fell harder and harder.
The two crossed the main road, walked through a small park, and then continued along a path between residential buildings. Alisia tried hard to memorize the route, but the pain in her head surged up again.
The image of that crimson giant hand kept flashing back.
The eye in the palm.
The faceless monster.
The faded forest.
She pressed her right hand firmly against her forehead, trying to ease the pain.
‘I can’t collapse…’
Mo Lan turned around, saw her state, and was startled.
“Are you okay?”
“Just a bit of a headache… I’m fine.”
“Really? Do you want to go to the hospital?”
Hospital.
Another unfamiliar word that her brain forcibly explained to her.
Similar to an infirmary?
“Don’t worry.”
Alisia shook her head.
Mo Lan was still uneasy, but didn’t ask further, only slowed her pace.
Finally, they walked through the entrance of a building.
The building was bright and quiet, with smooth ceramic tiles on the floor.
Mo Lan led Alisia to a small narrow metal room and pressed a button.
The door opened.
Alisia stood inside and immediately became alert.
This small room was peculiar, very much like some kind of teleportation room.
After the door closed, numbers on the wall kept lighting up.
1.
2.
3.
Alisia felt a slight tremor under her feet, and her body seemed to be slowly lifted upward.
“This is too strange… there’s no magus at all…”
She muttered quietly.
Mo Lan didn’t catch what she said.
“What?”
“Nothing…!”
The numbers reached 7.
The door opened.
Outside was a small corridor.
Mo Lan led her to Room 703, took out a key from her bag, and opened the door.
A living room with a strange decorating style came into Alisia’s view. It was the first time she had seen such a peculiar style—there was even a black rectangular box hanging on the wall.
Mo Lan put the umbrella away and turned to look at her.
“Come in.”
Alisia stood at the doorway, still holding the plastic bag of food.
The sound of rain came faintly through the hallway window.
Alisia lowered her head and said softly:
“Sorry for the intrusion.”