4 Chapter 3: Escapade

What a hectic day that was. I awoke in an unknown world, without any material possessions, alone, and with only a mission.

It had been about a week since then, when Astarte offered me a job as one of the servants in her mansion and even lent me a room to be used as shelter. To be honest, my debt to her will never be repaid, even if I work for all my life.

Furthermore, Astarte appears to be a busy girl, and even in her spare time she used it to teach me about various things. That gave me a general idea of this unknown world.

To summarize, the city I currently stay in was called Burnland, one of the major cities in Xartl. Xartl itself was one of the two major nation that made up Gregory continent. Though it's still a mystery to me how there was another nation nested within the Gregory continent that did not have any name or record of it ever written, how could something colossal like a country even be born like that? Well, now that I had more important tasks, I won't be thinking about it right now.

From a glance it looks like everything work well except I realized too late about the true nature of Astarte and this household. This past week made me think I should never really offer the becoming guardian thing, it was a curse that still bind me to this mansion. Guess all I could do right now was sometimes protesting, I thought as I continue cleaning the front hall.

Damn that Raul fellow! Just because he was the head servant, he treats me like crap and gave me all the heavy chores.

"Just wait, Raul, one day I'll make you regret your decision." I said as I struggled to clean a particular yellow stain on the chrome-colored glass window.

"Wow, Trevor, you just worked here for a week, and yet you planned to usurp the head servant?" "I can't tell if you are brave or stupid." I looked back at her with an angry glare. Now I understand why that timid shelter girl had an ominous side; apparently, this sadistic red-haired maid was responsible for Astarte's upbringing. "Do you really want me to report that complaint to Raul? Oh, it must be great to be young and have such a reckless tendency."

"Huff. Enough of that, Dorothy. Can't you see I'm still busy? Just tell me what you want and scram."

"You hate fun, don't you?" "Well, that's fine for me; I just want to relay a really short message." "Ms. Astarte has summoned the mr popular here to the study room."

"Those damn girl. She must have called me right now, knowing full well that I would be penalized by Raul for being late with my work. Tell her I'm busy; I'll be there later."

In response, she bowed her body and thrust her head into my toes, her eyes looking up. "It's not good to keep a lady waiting, you know. She always acts embarrassed in front of you, so only God knows what she'd want to do with you if she invited you to a closed room alone."

"Fine. Fine. I'll just go and stop talking like that."

"Now, that's more like it."

Instantly, I dropped the dirty sheet that I used for cleaning the glass. I walked into the study room with heavy sight in each step.

"Oy Astarte! I know I said I'd be your guardian, but don't you think purposely calling me right now so I can get cold-shouldered by Raul is a dirty move?"

Unlike her usual reaction, which was to laugh at my remark, she stands tall today, her gaze piercing and cold. "Sit down, Trevor, we need to talk about something important." Her index fingers gestured to the lounge chair that was located in the center of the room. Looking at the zamrud jewelry that was used as the armrest ornament, you would think this was a throne.

I sit obediently, arm at rest, eyes straight ahead looking at her. "Better be something important, or I'll be pissed if you waste my time with your antics." As the older one, I think it's appropriate for me to double down on the no-nonsense attitude.

"Believe me, you'll want to hear me out..." Astarte walked closer to me. She motioned her hand down, crushing my skull with minimal force. "Right, Mr. Otherworlder?!" Her frail, slender hand contained unimaginable crushing strength; she pinned my head down while pulling my hair up, giving the impression that I was resting my head on an invisible table.

I gritted my teeth against the incoming pain, mustering all my strength in my mouth. I utter "Ugh," even if I'm from another world so what of it!? What could that possibly imply for me to warrants this treatment? "Aren't you the righteous sole heir of the Fellendules family?! Are you really going to tarnished your family name by attacking the guest you invited!?"

"The dog sure knows how to bark." She kicks my ribs with such mastery.

I tumbled back and hit the ground. The burning sensation of pain numbs my senses; I can even hear a crack. I do hope it's the sounds of the wooden chair breaking.

I have to fight back or else my journey will end here. I jumped forward at her still-standing body, my arm in a grip, ready to rip her skin or at the very least pull her hair down.

The acceleration from the little sprint before I jump and the jump itself, logically, should be fast enough for me to at least touch the girl in front of me before she could dodge. Yet that didn't happen. I was suspended while in midair in my elevated posture.

She drew a rusted green bell from her belt strap like a trained gunman who could draw their weapon in less than a second. I couldn't hear it clearly amidst all the pain, but before I could touch her, she chants a certain word with such swiftness, and then a light came out from the bell held in her right hand.

As my body was suspended in air, I remembered a bleak memory before my death. It reminds me how I was held by many strong men to prevent me from moving a muscle. Like before, I was helpless before this frail young girl.

She stared at my helpless flesh with ecstasy, her smile widening with wicked intent behind it. "You must be surprised, right? After all, this thing we call magic doesn't even exist in your world."

Magic? If that blasphemous art of the witch had spread throughout the land, it's no surprise I was send to fix this world.

"Pray. Say your prayer right now." She was serious; she would really take my life if I show a bit of resistance.

"O—oo lord I..."In my panicked state with trembling voice, I utter a random word from the holy script.

"You absolute buffoon! I don't want to hear your geeky prayer, so pray with your whole heart!" Hiiiik---! She's mad. Even the executioner in London was more merciful than she was; at least the criminals who are executed could pray without being shouted to before their execution.

I was murdered by those tribes at that time. Now in my second chance, I'll also waste it because of my foolishness. The Lord must have forsaken me, and even if I have to beg from the devil, I'll do anything just to get out from this predicament. I pray without any direction, without anyone to answer, I pray to whoever could save me right now. O' thou who heard my voice, may this helpless flesh be truly blessed by yours, for I'm afraid my sin exceeds this Trevor Herscher's deed.

Then I was struck by the thud, my brain in the death situation was filled with many unexplored, unknown thoughts. It might as well be considered an insight because it's what I could closely describe it to at that time. The connotation, the syllables, the chant sound. Inside my brain, my mind was only interested in prayer.

[Those who cause conflict among heretics, praise thy name.

This frivolous world is protected by thy blessing.

May the touch of mankind never reach your throne]

A purple light appeared before me, it should be not known but I somehow felled a sense of familiarity with it.

Before she could let go of her hand. "Prang" crashed a pottery and some glass ornaments during her heroic landing. It must be hurt for someone like her to land so forcefully.

Yet she stands tall, and the damage from her fall was practically nonexistent. She brushed her hair down, making her appear older and taller, giving an impression that her appearance was more important than her own safety. "Using the shield spell as an offensive attack, as expected of otherworlder, you really do have a talent."

She reached into the pocket of her shirt, pulling out a cylindrical object that was eerily familiar.

"No way, no how could that be here..."

"Yeah, that's right." "This is the weapon previously brought by the hero from other world. Currently the most versatile weapon in my possession." A firearm!? And plus that bit about hero from other world, does that mean I'm not the only one...

"Night night, Mr. Trevor." She pulled the trigger, a ringing sound was manifested, and I closed my eyes, accepting my death.

I still closed my eyes, hoping the painful sensation of hot lead will at least be reduced, but nothing had changed. I opened my eyes for a bit, and all I saw was Astarte grinning.

"I'm surprised, Mr. Trevor." "You should have seen your face when you cowered in fear," she said, holding a gun that was firing confetti and colorful ribbon.

"A....." I'm in utter disbelief.

"You don't have to say anything because, as you can see, this was just a test that also served as training."

"But why?" I'm still numb from that experience.

"Easy, because generally people from other world have high aptitude for magic here in this world but most of the unlucky one never unlocked their potential for learning magic because of some reason. So all that test I did was for you to manifest your magic."

"And does it have to be by force!? Is the violent really necessary!?" I said as I punch the air above me.

"Hmmph, of course not. Most of that was my own personal idea after all."

"HOHOHOHO! What's wrong don't like it? Well not like a lowly servant can do anything against his own master." This little... I was really angry, but I controlled myself and only gave her head a light hit to the head.

"Astarte you." "Don't expect to sleep soundly tonight you hear me!" I said as I leaved the study room, walking furiously to continue my previous job.

"Oh, so you finally dropped your straight man act; what happened to the man who said he would never play at my silly little game?" She was cute and all, but I swear, some of these days, I really wanted to see her get eaten by a dragon.