Chapter 3

"Seram, who belongs to the Knights of the Kingdom of Laforia, set out on an expedition to slay the monsters that appeared in the forest of Tuyge."

"Yes. However, the monsters lurking in the forest were far more numerous than expected, and the unit scattered and fell apart. Trying to retreat, I ended up fighting the monsters all night in the forest, and when I realized it, I was in Lord Jin's rice field."

"I see. I don't understand."

"Neither do I."

I've heard the story of how Seram ended up here many times, but I still can't understand it.

However, it seems Seram is in the same boat.

Looking at her serious expression, it doesn't seem like she's lying.

"As I said before, there's no such country as the Kingdom of Laforia or a place called Tuyge."

"That's impossible! Then, I must have been in the forest of Tuyge!"

"I understand, but—"

There is no such kingdom, and there's no place called Tuyge nearby. It's not a world from an anime or manga, and there are no such things as monsters.

How can I make her understand?

For now, I'll show her a map. I took out my smartphone from my pocket and decided to show her a world map.

"Look at this."

"…What is this?"

"This is a smartphone, a device that everyone in the modern world has. But forget that, look at the map displayed."

"Ah, ah."

"This is a map of our world. The small island country where I live, Japan, is here."

As I explained and showed her, Seram squinted and stared at the map intently.

"…It's not there. The Kingdom of Laforia is not there."

"That's right. There's no such kingdom in history either."

"That's a lie. There's no way. I have to hurry and regroup with the knights and return to the country…"

When I firmly stated the facts, Seram stood up.

With a ghostly gait, she stumbled towards the entrance and began to equip her armor and sword.

Seram's behavior was strange.

"Where are you going?"

"Back to the kingdom! I have to hurry and regroup with my comrades and request reinforcements!"

"No, I told you, there's no such kingdom!"

"Lord Jin, thank you for your hospitality! I will definitely repay this favor!"

Despite my attempts to stop her, Seram rushed out without listening.

"Hey, wait—she's incredibly fast!"

I tried to chase and stop Seram, but she ran at an extraordinary speed.

In no time, Seram's back disappeared from view.

"What's going on?"

That speed. I don't think any human can run that fast.

Is she really human like me? Her physical abilities were so astonishing that I couldn't help but doubt it.

"Well, whatever. At least I can finally get back to my farm work."

Thanks to Seram's strange behavior, I couldn't do much farm work.

I do feel like I should stop her, but I have a life to live. I can't waste time on a stranger indefinitely.

I decided to leave Seram, who had rushed out, and return to my usual farm work.

●

By the time I finished harvesting the vegetables and delivered them to the client, it was already completely dark.

It's now 7 PM, and I'm driving my light truck back home from the delivery point.

"Phew, finally done with work."

Usually, I finish the delivery by the evening, but today I was so busy taking care of Seram that it got this late.

Thanks to that, I caused trouble for the person in charge at the delivery point. That's the worst.

Tomorrow, I'll harvest quickly and deliver by the evening.

Trust is important in business.

While planning my schedule in my mind to avoid being late tomorrow, I was driving home on the night road.

Then, I saw someone trudging down the middle of the dark road.

"Whoa!"

When I noticed the figure in the headlights, I quickly hit the brakes.

When I confirmed the person in the headlights, it was Seram, who had rushed out of the house earlier.

I had fulfilled my duty by taking care of her when she rushed out.

I considered ignoring her and driving past, but I couldn't leave her alone when I saw her sad face.

"Hey, what are you doing here?"

"Lord Jin…"

I got out of the light truck and approached, and Seram looked as if she had just noticed me.

She had been asking questions all day, but now she didn't have the energy. She didn't even notice the light truck. She must be very depressed.

"Did you manage to get back to the kingdom?"

"You can see, can't you? I couldn't get back. It's not there. I asked people I met, but they all said they didn't know."

Of course, that's to be expected. Not just me, but no one would know.

Because such a country doesn't exist in this world.

"Maybe Seram came from another world."

"Another world…?"

"From what you've told me, it sounds like a fiction to me."

"It's not a lie!"

Seram shouted reflexively.

She looked like a child desperately trying to protect her foundation.

"I can tell you're not lying. So, if it's true, the only explanation is that you came from another world."

Recently, there have been popular web novels and manga where people from another world end up in the modern world.

Given the current situation, it seems like the same thing is happening here.

If that's the case, it makes sense that she's unfamiliar with things like water heaters, baths, and showers. She's so ignorant of this world.

"Haha, another world… It sounds like a far-fetched story, but maybe it's true. This place is so different from where I was."

After wandering alone, Seram must have had some thoughts.

She seemed to have accepted my words to some extent.

In that case, Seram has no one to turn to. It's hard to let a young woman sleep outside.

"For now, it's late, so you can stay at my place tonight."

"…Alright. I'll be a bother."

When I suggested going back to the house, Seram, still in a daze, climbed onto the truck bed and sat cross-legged.

She didn't sit in the passenger seat, which was unexpected.

It's a flat, straight road from here. If she wants to sit in the truck bed, I'll let her.

I got into the driver's seat and started the light truck.

After about twenty minutes of driving on the night road, we returned home.

When I got out of the driver's seat, Seram didn't get out of the truck bed.

"Hey, we're home."

"Ah."

When I called out, the dazed Seram responded as if she had just noticed and got down.

When we entered the house, Seram took off her shoes and came in properly.

She remembered the instructions from earlier.

"What about dinner?"

"I'm not really hungry. Can I rest first?"

The shock of realizing she was in another world must have taken away her appetite.

That makes sense. If I were in her position, I might be in a state of confusion and crying.

Despite that, seeing her calm demeanor, Seram must be very strong mentally.

For now, it's better to let her be alone to sort out her thoughts.

I led Seram to an empty bedroom and set up a guest futon from the closet.

"Let me know if you need anything."

"Alright."

Hearing Seram's indifferent response, I decided to leave the bedroom.

By the way, has she had any water since she rushed out? I'll at least bring her some water before she goes to bed.

When I brought a glass of water to the bedroom, I heard a sobbing sound from inside.

"……"

She seemed composed, but she must have been very shocked.

I placed the glass and water pitcher next to the bedroom and returned to the living room.