CH 3

Going Home. Home is No Longer the Imperial Palace

“Nier!! Nier!”

The sound of Sister Ning’s phone dropping nearly deafened me. It was reassuring to hear Nier’s voice, albeit shocking. Nier misunderstood I was imprisoned in the metal box. If I didn’t appear, she’d definitely kill Sister Ning because she and Sister Ning couldn’t communicate. I’d argue nobody knew how strong Nier was better than I did. If she wanted, she needed only one second to snap Sister Ning’s neck.

All I could do in my situation was belt as loud as I could, startling the taxi driver. He understandably looked displeased. I made an apologetic hand gesture then continued yelling into his phone that I borrowed. My phone was out of commission, but my SIM card was still functioning. I couldn’t remember Sister Ning’s number, though, which was why I had to swap out our SIM cards.

“Nier! Stop!! Stop! It’s just a messaging device!! I’m not inside!! Believe me, Nier! Let go of the woman! She’s my older sister! Don’t hurt her!”

I stopped hearing voices on the other end. I then heard something heavy hit the ground. Next, someone picked up the phone. It must’ve been Nier who picked it up. She had no clue how to operate the machine. I shouted into the phone, “Nier, wait for me. I’ll be back soon!! Believe me! Believe me!!”

“How do… How do I use this contraption?” asked Nier, fumbling with the phone. Her hands shook, and words wouldn’t come to mind.

“Don’t worry about how to use it. I’m hanging up now. I’ll be back very soon. Don’t worry.”

“No!!”

Nier’s yell froze me. I immediately grabbed the phone in my hand and loudly questioned, “What’s wrong? What’s wrong, Nier? Did something happen on your end?”

“No… I just… I’m just… quite scared… I want… to hear your voice… Your Majesty… Her Majesty and I arrived at a strange place. N-Nobody understands what I say. And… and… we seem to be in some sort of cage. There are countless small rooms and doors here… Your Majesty… I’m scared now… I’m really scared…”

“Nier…”

Though Nier usually wore an aloof look, she showed emotions around me. She was never fearless; she just wouldn’t express it. After we got together, Nier’s feelings became more and more apparent. Her shaky voice was painful to hear.

“Driver, please go faster!”

“What, you want me to run red lights or something?! We’re not far; we’re just two streets away. We’ll be there soon.”

“Nier, I’ll be back very soon. Don’t be scared. I won’t hang up. You’ll always be able to hear my voice. Wait a second… What did you just say? Mommy Elizabeth is here, too?!”

“Yes, Empress Elizabeth is also here. However, in order to avoid danger, I came and knocked first. We chose a random door. It seems there was a reason we came straight to this house… We were originally in the North. How did we suddenly arrive here? Why are we suddenly here?”

“Sorry, I don’t know, either. Lucia and Mommy Vyvyan are also here. I don’t know why we’re here.”

The most pressing matter at hand was to do something about the four who transmigrated here. The four of them weren’t residents of this world. We needed to put aside how to get back for the meantime. I needed to ensure they could live here first and foremost. I wasn’t rich in this world. With that said, I could cover the cost of living for four people.

“Son, how much longer will it take? This metal carriage is fast and stable, but it’s squishier than a horse carriage. It’s uncomfortable sitting in here.”

Mommy Vyvyan poked her head toward the front. Her pretty face almost caused the driver, who was sitting next to me, to rear end the car in front. Fortunately, I quickly pushed her back. I checked the suburb and replied, “We’ll be arriving soon. It’s just around the corner… Elizabeth and Nier are here, too, though. If it was a problem with the elven spring, why would it affect a place outside of Duargana?”

“Mm… Mommy only made inferences about the elven spring water in the past, which is why Mommy still has no clues. But nonetheless, there are no mana traces here. To ensure that Mommy can use magic at crucial moments, Mommy doesn’t want to test things with mana. Once Mommy finds a place to settle down, Mommy can begin testing with magic formations that don’t cost too much mana.”

Lucia queried, “Your Highness, where are we going now?”

“To where I live.”

“The Imperial Palace in the North? Wait, wait, this isn’t that world. So, this is your new Imperial Palace? I’m looking forward to it!”

I shook my head with a helpless smile: “Sorry, but it’s no palace.”

I didn’t reside in some palace. In fact, it wasn’t even considered a nice home. I lived in a standard home just as the countless similar homes in our small community. I wondered if the four could adapt to life here after being used to life in palaces.

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Current time at home…

“I’m sorry for hurting you, but there was a reason for me hurting you. I could not help it. I was honestly worried.”

Nier carried Sister Ning, who had run out of energy and was so scared that she couldn’t cry or speak, to the sofa and considerately covered the latter with her cape.

Elizabeth came in. She was fascinated with what she saw, particularly the television showing images. Curious, she remarked, “That looks interesting. It appears to be some sort of program except I can’t understand what’s going on. Actually, everything in here is strange. Even this house is strange. It’s similar to a cave in a mountain.”

“Your Majesty!!”

“Mm. It seems that you have found my son. Is he on his way here? While I don’t know where exactly we are or what’s going on, since my son is here, all is well. Nier, go see if there’s anything to drink here. It’d be best if I could have a cold alcoholic drink.”

“Yes, Your Majesty!! But would His Majesty… have alcohol in his room?”

Through the phone, I prompted, “The fridge. That grey box with two doors. Pull open the right door. I remember there are cans of beer in there. I don’t know if it suits Mommy Elizabeth’s preference or not… But don’t get yourselves drunk. I need to talk to you when I get back!!”