I surveyed the aftermath of the brawl.
No one had died, but some of the guards' injuries seemed severe. Fortunately, it looked like one of the passengers on board the carriage was a medic of some sort, and she was already quickly working as soon as the battle ended.
One of the guards, probably the captain, stumbled over to me. He seemed to be the least injured of the three, but he wasn't in mint condition by any means.
"You... Who are you? Why... did you help us?"
The captain was unsurprisingly out of breath.
*Who am I? I don't even know the answer.*
What was I supposed to say?
Perhaps the look of confusion on my face registered with the captain. "Do you not understand Imlan? Perhaps... Why did you help us? Do you speak Sophot?"
*What is he saying...*
"I understand you, but..."
"Oh, fabulous! You have my - no, our - gratitude for saving our lives! I cannot understate how grateful I am."
*I think his accent changed, but I can still understand him...*
"How can we repay you?"
"I... I'm lost."
"Pardon?"
"I don't know where I am or how I got here. Can you take me to the nearest city?"
"... Very well. You're welcome to sit inside," the captain says as he's gesturing towards the carriage.
I probably should have asked him a few more questions, but I take his advice and head towards the carriage.
A man I hadn't seen yet, most likely the driver, turned to me with surprise.
*I guess he was also sitting inside.*
"You are...?"
*Again with this... I really need to come up with a good answer.*
"I'm lost. Can you let me in?"
Perhaps that wasn't the best way to phrase it, because the driver curiously turned towards the caption with a questioning look on his face.
"Very well. I apologize I cannot offer more help at the moment, but the two inside shall get you situated."
Whatever the captain did instantly changed the driver's demeanor.
"Thanks."
*Is this a fancy carriage?*
I had no idea how valuable a carriage was supposed to be just by looking at it. Though I'd lost my memories, something told me I'd never seen one being used in real life.
It was kind of shaped like a bulb, and thin golden streaks danced across the white surface.
*It kind of looks like an onion. Not my idea of good fashion.*
I didn't have a right to complain about fashion, though. I was still wearing plain black clothes.
I climbed the couple of silver steps - which were quite a bit sturdier than they looked - and parted the clean white curtains. Somehow, despite all the activity outside, the carriage still retained its pristine condition.
Inside, I was face-to-face with a boy and a girl who looked incredibly similar to one another.
*Are they twins?*
They looked to be in their formative teenage years, maybe around 14 years old. The girl clung to the boy who had a sharp look in his eyes.
Suddenly, he stood up, brandished a knife, and pointed it at my face.
"Get back! You'll not hurt us!"
Though it was a bit unexpected, this behavior wasn't anything out of the ordinary. Upon closer inspection, the boy was trembling ever so slightly.
*I think he deserves props for that.*
His stance looked pretty refined, and his nerves seemed to be under control for the most part. It was genuinely impressive. I think if I were in his situation, I'd become a Parkinson's patient.
"Um..."
I wasn't here to hurt them, but I didn't know what to say. If this carriage was like a sanctuary for the twins, having a stranger suddenly step inside was threatening, to say the least.
*Well I should probably say something at least...*
"Riche! Emma! This is the one who saved your lives. Do not slight him!"
Before I could open my mouth, the captain's booming voice almost shakes my eardrums.
The boy, presumably Riche, instantly grew pale, sheathed his knife and bowed deeply.
"S- Sorry! Um, I mean, apologies! I-"
"Dude, get up."
I didn't have anything against bowing, but I wanted to speak with him normally.
When he didn't budge, I sat down on the opposite end of the carriage to look around. To say the least, it was much roomier on the inside than it looked from the outside. The two rows of seats curved along the wall, and each one could probably fit six or seven people. There was even a round table between us.
A porthole-looking window on my left showcased the bland scenery I'd just emerged from, and on the right...
*Huh.*
There was supposed to be a curtain, right? It just looked like the rest of the wall, which was cream-colored and sported some sort of pleated, folding pattern.
"Where's the exit?" I asked.
Riche was done bowing by this point, and he was staring at me with a befuddled expression.
"Well... That's... Um..."
"Brother, I think we can tell him."
"... I suppose you're right. You see, what we have here is... advanced cloaking magic."
"Oh," I said, pretending like I understood.
*What did he just say?*
"Emma, I hope you're right about this. It's not a secret we should share lightly," Riche nervously said.
"It's alright, Brother. He saved our lives. Don't we owe something in return?"
"Yes, but... such sensitive information-"
"Sorry to interrupt, but... What's magic?" I asked.
The two of them stared at me as if I'd come from another planet.
*Honestly, that description could very well be accurate. I still have no idea where I came from or where I am.*
I stared back, waiting for an answer. I knew they heard me, so what was the point in repeating myself?
After a silence that continued for way too long, Riche finally spoke up.
"What... What do you mean, 'What's magic'?"
"I mean exactly what I said," I stated matter-of-factly. At this point, it was obvious it was a strange question. However, I still did not know the answer. So, naturally, I asked straightforwardly.
"Well, um, magic is..."
As Riche struggled to get his words out, Emma laughed.
"It's a very philosophical question, isn't it, Brother?"
"Wha- Shut up! I know what magic is!"
"You know, I was actually being serious. No one actually knows what magic is. But I assume, for some reason, you've never seen magic. Put simply, magic is a phenomenon that permeates the world that allows us to convert will into reality."
"Emma, I didn't get that at all. That was supposed to be simple? No way. Try again."
"No, I get it." I say, putting my hand on my chin as I thought to myself.
"What?? You're joking. Obviously you know what magic is, and you're messing with us!"
*Why's he all worked up now?*
"Brother, he's telling the truth," Emma said, placing a hand on the trembling Riche's shoulder. This gesture immediately put him at ease.
*So I guess she has a lie detector of some sort, or some very strong intuition. That's probably her magic. Anyway, magic... Hm...*
*>System Quest: Imagine new magic. In isekai, all you have to do to cast magic is imagine it! LOL.*