Three hours had passed since Arthur started his cardio session. Now, he was lost in the forest. Still, his mind remained calm. As for Alice and Leclerc—if they died, he wouldn't care. All he would say is, "Farewell."
"Alright, let's see..."
Arthur lifted his right arm.
Fuck... I'm lost as hell.
Arthur didn't mind being lost—after all, he had no plans of going back. With quiet determination, he pressed deeper into the forest.
As he walked, he began to absorb the faint traces of mana lingering in the remains of dead animals. It wasn't much, but even a little could fuel him.
"Thanks for the mana," he muttered, barely breaking stride.
Along the way, Arthur cut down any monster that crossed his path. He absorbed their energy, then moved on—swift, efficient, and silent.
Two hours later, he emerged at the forest's edge.
Before him stretched a vast grassland, blanketed with swaying white, yellow, and red flowers. A soft breeze rustled through the petals. Amid the sea of color stood a lone figure—someone who sparked a strange familiarity in Arthur's mind.
"…Is that…?"
He took a cautious step forward.
"YEAH!" the stranger suddenly shouted with unrestrained excitement.
Arthur blinked. Huh?
"I got transferred into my favorite novel? Hell yeah!" the boy cheered, throwing his hands in the air. He looked no older than fifteen.
That voice. Arthur recognized it.
No way…
"…William?" Arthur called out, his tone calm, almost disbelieving.
The boy turned, startled. "Huh? Someone knows my name?"
As he spun around, Arthur got a clear look at his face—rectangular glasses, same sharp features.
It was him.
William Olstad.
His co-leader from the past world.
"A-Arthur?" William's voice cracked with shock.
Arthur gave a small nod. "Guess I was right."
William stared, stunned, as if he were seeing a ghost rise from the grave.
"AAAAAA!" William screamed, jumping back.
Even though he was once Arthur's most trusted companion, his personality had always been a bit... eccentric.
"Arthur?! No way! You should be dead! And—and you look like you're fifteen!"
Arthur raised an eyebrow. "Aren't you the same?"
Silence.
"…S-so… uh, Arthur…" William shuffled awkwardly. "What… what happened after you died?"
Arthur's voice dropped. "You tell me."
William scratched the back of his head. "Well… I lived till I was 80. Our 'evilness'—uh, you know—gone. All of it wiped out."
Arthur narrowed his eyes. "Then how the hell are you still alive?"
William grinned. "I'm the best goddamn magic user around. I can change my face whenever I want. Immortality cheat, baby."
Arthur went quiet, thinking. Yltar… that cat brought my soul here. Could it have brought William too?
"…William," Arthur said, narrowing his gaze, "when you came here, did a talking cat speak to you?"
"Cat?" William blinked. "Nope."
Arthur frowned. "When I woke up here, a cat named Yltar told me I was brought from our world to this one. Said I had to stop some guy named Killiar… apparently, he's lost his fucking mind and is rampaging."
William's eyes widened. "Killiar is here too?"
Arthur nodded slowly. "Yeah."
A pause.
"You said this world is from a novel, right?" Arthur asked.
William straightened up. "Yeah?"
"Then you should know everything about this world."
"I-I mean, kinda…"
Arthur smiled.
William's expression froze.
He knew that smile.
That was the "I'm going to use your knowledge as a weapon" smile.
"But before anything else…" Arthur said, arms crossed. "How was England after I died?"
William leaned back with a sigh. "Peaceful, I guess. I stopped doing… all that shit. Just laid low in London, selling potions and messing around."
Arthur raised a brow. "You? Laying low?"
William groaned. "Okay, fine. My identity got exposed four times. People don't forget, apparently."
Arthur snorted. "Greatest magic user."
"Fuck you," William snapped
"Oh wait—does this world use a different language?" William asked, glancing around. "The novel didn't mention anything about that."
"They still use English," Arthur replied flatly.
"Crap… I should've known. The author was British after all."
Arthur gave him a look.
William scratched his head. "Alright, alright. Let me give you the rundown."
He adjusted his glasses and began.
"This continent is called Uhurka. We're currently in a kingdom named Erudia. Erudia's always at war with its neighbor, Ilkas—but it keeps winning. The kingdom's known as the 'Warrior Creator' for a reason."
Arthur nodded. "That's all you're gonna tell me?"
"For now, yeah."
"Why not everything?"
William frowned. "C'mon, I'm not spilling all the lore in the middle of a field. Let's head to the nearest city first."
Arthur took a step but paused. "One more question."
William groaned. "Fuck… fine, what is it?"
"Who's the main character of the novel?"
"Alice Pedoria."
Arthur blinked. "Huh?… Wait. Do you know her father's name?"
William made a face. "Yeah. Apparently, it's a freaking F1 driver. Leclerc."
Arthur stared. "You're joking."
"I wish I was."
Arthur realized he left the main character and her dad on a fucking cave, well shit is arthur can say, tough it was kinda funny how he left both of them in a forest cave
"Yeah... okay whats the nearest city" arthur said while grinning
"Yulyas"