The Other World

"I didn't expect that the saint summoners would make a mistake like this. This man doesn't seem like he should be here."

A healer treated the wound on Yohan's abdomen. Alastair Indark, who was assigned to watch over Yohan, kept a close eye on the unconscious man.

"That wound, did it come from the summoning?"

The healer sighed softly. "I am not sure, Captain Indark. Looking at this wound on his abdomen, I'm pretty sure it came from a sharp object. It could be that this person was already injured before coming through the portal."

Alastair Indark rubbed his chin with a thoughtful expression. "If he had been wounded this badly before, why would he have entered the portal?"

The healer shook his head. "I don't understand. Perhaps the summoners can better explain what happened."

Alastair nodded. "So, is she okay?"

The healer nodded. "Her body is quite strong. He'll regain his health after some rest. As long as his wounds are well taken care of, he'll be back to his normal self."

Alastair nodded. The healer quickly bowed respectfully before excusing himself.

Alastair guarded Yohan and made sure he didn't go anywhere while he was there. He was specifically asked by the crown prince to watch over him. This person was not supposed to be there. Of course, his presence caused concern for the crown prince and the royal officials.

"Ugh."

Alastair turned his head. He looked at the hourglass that he had deliberately set up since the healer said he was leaving. If counted, it had been three times while Alastair was waiting for Yohan to wake up. He put down the book he was reading and looked at Yohan, who was frowning while holding his head.

"How are you?" Alastair asked.

Yohan looked at Alastair and was surprised. "Ah! You scared me." Yohan rubbed his chest.

"How are you?" Alastair repeated.

Yohan blinked softly. "Ah, oh... I'm fine, really. Uh, right." He looked down and stared at his neatly bandaged abdomen. "Wow, did you take care of my wound?"

"No, I didn't. The healer took care of your wound."

Yohan nodded. "Oh, I see. So, who are you?"

Alastair's forehead seemed to crease when he got that question. "My name is Alastair Indark. I am the captain of the knights in the second division of this kingdom. What is your name?"

Yohan opened his mouth. "My name is Yohan Dharmawijaya."

"D-Dharma..." Alastair seemed to have trouble pronouncing Yohan's name.

Yohan giggled softly. "Yohan is fine."

Alastair nodded.

Yohan, who was laughing amusedly, suddenly turned into surprise when he realized the knight's previous words, "eh, wait a minute, knight? Kingdom? Wait, am I dreaming?" He then rubbed his eyes.

Alastair looked at him with a displeased glance. "Have you forgotten what just happened to you?" he asked.

Yohan was silent for a while. He tried to dig up the memory of the strange incident he had just experienced.

"Ah! That's right. Where is that high school girl? Is she okay?"

"Watch your tongue, stranger. How dare you speak disrespectfully of the Saint."

Yohan gaped for the umpteenth time. "Wait, what do you mean, what is this place?"

"You are in Freda's palace right now. The saint summoners seemed to have made a slight mistake when summoning the saint girl. Do you remember what happened before you got to this place?"

Yohan nodded. "Yes."

"How did you get in here?"

"Huh? I don't know. I heard the high school girl screaming for help in the toilet. I was curious and checked, only to find that her body had been sucked to the floor. I grabbed her palm, and crap, I got sucked in along with her. This is really weird and doesn't make sense."

Alastair let out a long breath. "This place is parallel to your world, or at least that's what I know from the shamans."

Yohan scratched his head. His brain was having too much trouble coming to terms with what he had just experienced.

"Your people can summon me here. That means they can also return me to my world, right?"

Alastair was silent for a few moments before answering. "I'm not sure."

"Huh? Why?"

"The summoning ritual is only held once every hundred years. We do this also because there is a great purpose. The preparations are also very complicated. Even if the summoners can return you to your original world, your destiny will change. If that happens, are you ready?"

"Well, let's say I managed to return to my original world. What fate would change?" asked Yohan.

"Returning to someone through a portal between worlds is dangerous. That means we are playing with time. If you can go back there, it's very likely that time will go backwards for a while. You might think it's not a big deal, but it is a big deal. Tell me, what were you doing to get that wound on your abdomen?"

Yohan sighed. "I was saving my young master."

"That's it. When time goes back a while, it might not be you who will get that wound, but your young master. Are you ready?"

Yohan did not know what to answer. Just being able to get to this place was something very weird. But considering the possibility, he definitely did not want that to happen. He did not want his young master to get hurt.

"Hey, what's going on here and why are you summoning someone from another world?" Yohan asked.

"The Freda Kingdom has a tragedy every 100 years. This curse has continued since the kingdom's establishment until now. There is one forbidden area in the kingdom that is the origin of the disaster. Every 100 years, that area will be the beginning of the miasma that will kill everyone in the kingdom. The shamans in the kingdom have traditionally believed that the only way to stop the mass deaths is to summon a saint from another world. The saint girl will purify the kingdom."

Yohan rubbed his face. "What a horrible story," he said. "So, where is that region?"

"Nox. It is in the far north. The only area that is always dark and inhabited by many dangerous monsters."

"Wait, monsters?"

Alastair nodded. "The kingdom has a group of specially trained hunters along with the knights. They most often come to Nox area to get good hunts."

"For what?"

"Although the monsters are dangerous, their body parts are also very useful. Their body parts can be used as medicine, weapons, poisons, and even immortality potions. Some evil people even use them to perform forbidden rituals."

Yohan raised one eyebrow. "Are there people who trade them?"

"Of course there are. Groups of hunters are officially trained in the palace. They work for the kingdom. If you find people dealing in monster body parts from the Nox area, they are illegal hunters working on their own. The price must be very expensive."

"You're a knight, right?" asked Yohan suddenly.

Alastair's brow furrowed. "Yes, I told you that from the beginning."

"Then you must have come to the Nox area many times?"

Alastair did not answer immediately. He was not even sure if he should answer.

***