Finally able to rest, I carried on with a conversation that Rein and I had almost gotten to in the streets of the capital before we had been interrupted by another adoring fan of the Sword Saint.
"So, you were telling me before that the kingdom is going through a rough patch? What's going on exactly?"
Rein's eyes flashed in recognition, and he gave me the run-down of the current state of the nation.
My response to the bomb drop was pure skepticism, "So the entire royal family bloodline comes down with this mysterious illness… but no one else is affected. And only they die?" I raised one white eyebrow at him, "Not calling you a liar, my friend, but that sounds a little too convenient. Who took power afterwards?"
Rein's expression didn't shift much, but the tone of his voice softened slightly. "I agree, it all sounds suspicious. But we had the best healer in the nation working to save them through the entire ordeal. Nothing we tried worked. In the end, the Council of Sages assumed leadership."
My eyes narrowed again. 'A council swoops in after the royal line vanishes?' Convenient didn't even begin to cover it.
Before I could voice more of my thoughts, something else caught my attention, a smell. It wafted into the room like a divine warning. I had roughly ten seconds to prepare before there was a knock at the door.
Entering with graceful synchronization were Flam and Grassis, each guiding a trolley stacked with platters and pitchers filled with golden liquid.
Each platter they carried was a work of culinary artistry.
Warm, buttery, and rich, like the best deli, diner, and bakery I'd ever been to all blended into one divine moment. If heaven had a break room, this is what it'd smell like.
Each plate they laid out looked handcrafted by someone who cared way too much. Thick sandwiches were stacked with lightly toasted golden bread, glistening with a soft layer of herbed butter that crackled slightly when cut. I could hear it.
Inside?
Juicy, thin-sliced meat, smoky and tender, like the most expensive roast beef I'd never be able to afford back home, layered with melted cheese that had just enough stretch to pull when you picked up the sandwich. It smelled a bit fruity, almost tangy, and had this weirdly floral note that shouldn't have worked, but totally did.
Then came the veggies. Sharp little greens that gave a satisfying crunch, sweet grilled onions with that caramelized edge, and a sauce, sweet, spicy, and definitely addictive, that somehow tied everything together into a flavor bomb I knew I was going to think about in my sleep for the next week.
Another plate held vegetarian sandwiches that didn't even look like a downgrade. Roasted squash, soft and smoky. Bright strips of what I could only guess were peppers. And a creamy green spread that reminded me of basil pesto, but smoother, more refined.
And the drinks, dear God, the drinks.
Chilled glass pitchers of golden tea, glimmering in the light, with slices of bright fruit and little floating leaves. It fizzed just slightly as it was poured, like it had been kissed by carbonation, and smelled like fresh citrus and mint.
I didn't say anything. I just stared at the table like I'd been personally blessed. If this was lunch, I didn't want to know what dinner looked like; I'd probably cry.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The royal knight watched as Ethan took his first bite.
Ethan didn't speak. He didn't blink. He just froze mid-chew, eyes slowly widening like some ancient truth had just been revealed to him through layers of grilled bread and roast meat.
A soft, stunned breath left his nose.
He glanced down at the sandwich, then back at me, then back at the sandwich, like he wasn't sure if he should thank me or propose to the damn thing.
I leaned back a little, hand resting lightly on the table, and allowed myself a small chuckle.
"You'd think you were starving," I said, amused.
He swallowed, visibly shook, then pointed at the sandwich like it had committed a crime.
"This… this is illegal. This shouldn't be allowed. What is in this?!"
I smiled. "Flam and Grassis take their cooking very seriously. I'm glad you approve."
He stared at me with a look of complete disbelief before turning to share that same look with the twins who had made the meal for us.
His voice pitched a little higher from the shock that the two at their age were capable of such culinary feats, "You two cooked all this?? What do I owe you for blessing me with such divine food?"
He looked completely serious, eyes wide with awe as he turned his praise on the twins.
I could notice that the twins had gained a slightly bashful look; they weren't often so overtly praised, and they looked like they were preening at it, if subtly.
For a moment, just a moment, I forgot about the pressures outside this quiet room. The weight of titles, the silence of empty halls, the voice of a man who hadn't offered me a kind word in years.
Ethan didn't see any of that.
He saw a friend, a sandwich, and the joy in both.
And that was enough to make me smile, truly, without hesitation.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I took another bite, leaned back with a full stomach and a half-sigh of joy.
"You know what this reminds me of?" I muttered.
Reinhard tilted his head. Flam and Grassis looked up from where they'd been quietly watching me devour everything like a starving wolf.
"There was this shitty little burger back home. Gas station food. Wrapped in plastic, barely food. I grabbed one before I... well, before I ended up here."
I chuckled.
"Never even got to eat it. Honestly? I'm glad this was my first meal instead."
That earned me some confused but curious looks.
One of the twins, still couldn't tell them apart, gave Reinhard a questioning glance. He responded with a warm, reassuring nod. With that silent approval, she tilted her head and asked, voice cautious but genuinely interested, "What do you mean 'before you ended up here?'"
The other twin quickly followed up, more confident once her sister had broken the ice. "Are you not from Lugunica?"
I looked to Rein again. One more nod, the same gentle smile. That was all I needed.
"I'm actually from what you might call beyond the Great Waterfall, or, to me, another world entirely."
Both twins blinked, eyes wide as saucers. I caught Reinhard out of the corner of my eye, he'd set his plate aside and was now leaning in slightly, the picture of quiet interest.
They wanted to hear tales of another world? I'd be more than happy to oblige.
I leaned back in my chair, stretching a little before crossing my hands on my lap and considering how I'd go about this.
"So, you want to hear my story?" I spoke theatrically, as if I were about to tell them how I'd fought through a war single-handedly.
The twins nodded in sync, wide eyes locked on me. Reinhard simply smiled and rested his chin on a hand, patient as ever.
"Well, it all started at a gas station."
The girl on the left tilted her head. "Gas… station?"
"Right. So imagine this: a large roadside store that sells food, drinks, and all kinds of random junk. But its main job is to feed metal carriages with liquid fire."
The one on the right squinted. "That sounds dangerous."
I barked a laugh. "It kinda is when the prices go up. But no, back in my world, people drive machines called cars. Big hunks of metal with wheels that can move faster than any horse or lizard carriage."
The twin with the flat fringe immediately tilted her head at that, "Lizard carriage? You mean ground dragon carriage?"
Her sister gave her a light nudge. "And what's a horse?"
"Ah… sorry, sorry. You gotta remember, I've only been here for a few hours. Most of that time, I've spent walking here with Reinhard."
From across the table, Reinhard's smile grew wider, clearly pleased at the mention.
"I'm not completely sure what all you have here that is or isn't in my world. We had animals called horses, four-legged mammals, kind of like your ground dragons, but smaller and fluffier."
Both twins gave tiny, synchronized nods, mentally filing that away.
"Anyway, our metal carriages, or cars as we called them, ran on fuel, which we call gas. Hence, gas station. It's a place to refuel and grab snacks. I was there to pick up one of these," I said, patting the twelve-pack beside me.
They both leaned forward, curious expressions practically glued to the cardboard box of Dr. Pepper.
"And a shitty burger for my breakfast slash lunch. And that thing would be nothing, and I mean nothing, like the feast you two cooked today. Seriously, thanks again."
Their gazes flickered to Reinhard, who gave them a proud nod. That seemed to give one of the twins the confidence to puff up slightly.
"We do our best," she said with a coy smile. Her sister elbowed her lightly, grinning.
"Right, moving on," I chuckled. "Along with my disappointing burger and sacred soda, I picked up a solar charger for my phone."
New words landed like pebbles in a still pond.
"What's a phone?" Reinhard asked, curiosity no longer veiled.
"Glad you asked," I said, fishing into my pocket and pulling out the slightly scuffed rectangle along with the solar charger and plug that came with it, all stuffed and forgotten about in my left pocket in favor of existential dread.
Showing my phone to the group who had all gotten closer to me, in Reinhard's case, he stood up and walked over to my side of the table to get a better view.
Upon getting a better view, he brought forth a question while the twins stayed silent in their curiosity, now leaning over my shoulder, "Is it a metia?"
"Ah, no clue what a metia is, Rein," to which he quickly supplied the answer to my unspoken query, "Metia allow people to perform magical effects without a gate. A common one here in the capital is the looking-glass mirrors in guard stations."
My eyes widened as I considered the implications. "It seems I'll have to adjust my understanding of this world's level of technology, then, if you have things capable of that."
I shook my head and then continued, "Our phones can do that, and more." I clicked the screen awake. The twins flinched slightly at the sudden light.
"Most functions won't work here, but I can show you this." I opened the camera app and flipped it. "We call this a selfie."
I raised the phone up and snapped the shot, me in the middle, white-hair gleaming, Reinhard smiling over my shoulder, and the twins leaning in with wide-eyed wonder.
I turned the screen to show them, and both maids practically pressed their noses against the glass.
"You captured it," one whispered.
"Like a painting," the other added, voice tinged with awe.
"It can do more than that," I said, slipping the phone away. "I can record sound and motion, too. Like preserving a moment in time, forever."
I let the silence hang for a beat, then launched into the next part, my voice climbing as I hit the climax of my tale.
"Anyway, back to my legendary origin story. So, there I was, stepping out of the gas station, freshly purchased goods in hand, heading back to my car, ready to head home."
I paused for dramatic effect.
"Then I got in, sat down in the driver's seat, and felt a pressure building behind my eyes."
The girls leaned in slightly, frowns forming, curiosity growing.
"That pressure," I added blandly, "was because I'd pulled an all-nighter."
Immediate disappointment. The twins deflated in perfect sync. Reinhard just looked mildly concerned.
But I wasn't finished.
"I rubbed my eyes, it took a second, maybe less. Next thing I know?" I lifted a hand for emphasis. "I'm falling. Ass first. Into an alleyway here in your world."
The twins looked utterly let down by the lack of divine lightning or summoned circles.
Reinhard, though, leaned in thoughtfully, rubbing his chin.
"A curious phenomenon indeed. To be taken in an instant, in the exact position you occupied in your world, and deposited here, without any known catalyst…"
He paused, brow furrowed in consideration.
"Teleportation magic is already rare. The attribute required, the skill needed—it's limited to only a few. And to then pull someone from beyond the Great Waterfall, potentially without even being in physical contact?" He shook his head. "Truly strange."
I frowned. I hadn't seen anyone inside or outside the car. No chants. No glowing runes. I was pretty sure I'd have noticed a massive teleportation circle if that's how any of this worked.
But before I could think deeper, Reinhard shifted gears.
"As much as I'd love to further examine the nature of what brought you here," he said, "with the weather this nice, and the energy from lunch, I'd like us to head to the sparring grounds."
I tilted my head slightly, but hey, he was my host. I wasn't about to turn him down.
He then placed a hand gently on my shoulder.
"We also need to talk about that box you found."
His eyes weren't stern, just concerned. Protective, even.
"Of course," I said, rising to my feet.
I downed the last of the god-tier tea, grabbed my ever-faithful pack of Dr. P, and turned to the girls.
"Flam. Grassis. That was the best meal of my life. If you're ever curious about my world, don't hesitate to ask. I'd love to share more and it's the least I can do in repayment."
The girls, just beginning to clear the table, paused. Then, as if reading each other's minds, they turned to Reinhard.
He gave a single nod.
"We would enjoy that," they said in unison. "Thank you, Master Ethan."
I scratched my neck awkwardly. "You can drop the 'master' part. Just Ethan is fine."
With one last smile to the girls who grinned back, I followed Reinhard out of the room where he waited with that patient smile of his until I caught up, and together we walked toward the sparring grounds.