"Hey, wake up! Are you okay?" A girl's voice said, coming from a carriage attached to two horses, in a worried tone.
The words were directed towards the 24 year old Raizen– the very first person to ever transmigrate. After having lost his life, he finds himself lying on grass beside a dirt trail in a new world.
'My head hurts…' He thought, groaning as he kept losing consciousness.
"Get him inside the carriage, it seems like he needs help, and leaving him here is pretty dangerous." She ordered her butler.
"Your Highness, are you sure about this?" The butler asked, worried, "He's a complete stranger, what if he attacks you when he wakes up?"
"You worry too much!" the young lady exclaimed, "I have the inside of this carriage completely covered."
"Very well then."
Three Hours Later…
"Huh" Raizen slowly sighed, finding himself being carried inside a carriage with a young lady on the other side of it.
He calmly sat up straight and froze like a statue.
"So, are you going to introduce yourself to your savior?" The young lady asked politely yet in a demanding way.
"Nah."
"That's a really disrespectful response, I suggest you fix that attitude or else…"
"Nah."
"Do you know who I am?! More of that and I'll–!"
"Nah."
"Your Highness, we'll enter the capital in about 30 minutes." The butler reported.
"Alright! Now back to you, why are you refusing to introduce yourself?" The young lady asked, confused.
"I thought when people wanted to know each other, the one who strikes a conversation first introduces themselves." Raizen explained.
"That doesn't explain your rude response."
"Nor does your improper etiquette." He responded, getting on her nerves.
Moments of silence have passed, he sat next to the window pondering while the princess glared in disgust.
"Anywho, I am the third princess of this kingdom, Aliza Inarria." She said, introducing herself, "Your turn, come on, introduce yourself."
"Huh? Why the hell would I introduce myself to a stranger?" He exclaimed, smiling sarcastically, "You're a 100 years early to think you can handle the outside world, little princess."
"You… bastard!" She shouted, "What is wrong with you? Is this how you treat your princess and savior?"
"Give me a break from this savior stuff! Going unconscious is just better sleeping."
"Ungrateful piece of shit, I'm a princess, do you not understand that?! I can literally order you to be executed!"
"Woooo, I'm sooo scared! Who in their right mind would even grab a stranger off the side of the road?" He asked, confused, "What if I attacked you? Do you not care about your safety, what kind of princess even are you?"
"Argh! Forget it, just get out of my carriage and die in a ditch somewhere" Enraged, she shouted, "Stop the carriage!"
"Your Highness, we have entered and stopped by the gates for 5 minutes now" Alfred– the butler said– patiently waiting next to the door for them to stop arguing, "Are you done with your conversation?"
The princess sighed, tired of his mockery of her status and behavior. She decided to make him an example to others, and banish him at the center of the capital. Yet a voice inside her head thinks it's excessive.
After a minute of careful consideration, she finally came to the decision that his type of behavior towards those with higher status should not go unnoticed.
'Yeah, this is for the better and spreading awareness, this must be done to keep the commoners from getting ahead of themselves.'
"Alfred, restrain this…" She shouted loudly, but her voice quickly toned down.
"While Your Highness was deep in thought, the man casually left the carriage and went into the city."
"Why did you not stop him?!"
"I apologize, Your Highness, I presumed you had enough of his barbaric speech."
"I suppose you are right, his presence is so unbearable I didn't notice him leaving."
***
'Man, people from another world sure are stupid. These are the type of princesses you find in kids shows and anime, they tend to be the center of all the events and cause most of the issues.' Raizen thought, 'I should have amazing stats or something like that.'
"Stats! Open." He shouted, waiting for a menu looking thing to pop up for him. Nothing happened, except for the locals staring at him confusingly.
Raizen continues going around town, covering his face from embarrassment.
'I should've stuck with the princess instead of walking around aimlessly, I pray someone like her comes and takes me away. I really need a place to stay in, the sun looks like it's going to set soon.'
Right after that thought, three thugs came out of an alley. Dark, rugged clothing and black headbands, flicking their knives as they make their way to Raizen.
'Oi oi, this must be some kind of joke…'
'Surely I'm mistaken, they're not heading towards me, right?'
They stopped in front of him, giving him a malicious smile.
"Hey there, new to town? Come with us, we'll take you on a tour." The scariest looking of them said, flicking their knives on and off.
"Look! There's a rich old lady there!" Raizen shouted, pointing his finger behind them.
"Where!?" They all turned around looking, just to see a sitting old lady begging for change.
"Rich? That's just my poor mother that I'm trying to feed." Expressing disappointment, "Where's the rich…"
"Boss! He's running away!"
"What… stop being shocked and catch him! We're gonna strip him of all his belongings!"
5 Minutes Later…
'For how long are these guys gonna keep chasing me?!'
Unlike the thugs that have lived a tough life running away from guards and fighting in the streets, Raizen– who led a modern lifestyle– had not built enough stamina to outlast them. Although he himself did not expect to run for 5 minutes straight, he certainly knows that in the next 10 minutes; his speed will start to decline.
But amidst his heavy breathing and loud heartbeats, a realization hit him.
He suddenly turns around to face the thugs, extending his arm and runs towards them with an open palm.
"You two, stop! He might be able to…"
"Fire ball!" Raizen shouted, the thugs boss pushed them off Raizen's direction in order to avoid… nothing?
Apparently since Raizen's attempt to open his stats menu or something similar has ended in a failure, he thought that magic did not exist within this world. But while he was running, he remembered how the princess he met had no one with her except for the butler.
'Considering how unguarded and vulnerable the princess appeared to be, it was very unlikely to be true. Their reaction to me only proves it more, magic does exist in this world!'
"Nice going, morons!" He said, mocking the thugs as he ran back the opposite direction he came from.
"Boss, we got tricked!"
"I already know that, shut up and follow him! That was the only trick he had left anyways." He told the other thugs, "He will regret not using it to lose us, he's already sweating while we can still run a lot more!"
"After him!"
Another 5 Minutes Later…
'I'm back to where I met them and they are still after me, damn it!' Raizen complained, 'Isn't that the old lady that I used to divert their attention? That means the gates are just up ahead!'
The realization that hit Raizen earlier was that where there is a gate, there will also be guards.
'This poor old lady, it must've been difficult raising such a troublesome son.' He thought, pitying her– an old, short lady.
Raizen speeds up forward, sprinting and using up all that is left of his stamina to reach the gates.
But in one moment, he channels everything he has left into his legs. kicking the shit out of that old lady!
"F*ck you, stupid old hag!", knocking her lights out. "You shitty failure of a mother, it's all your fault I'm in this situation!"
"Mom! What the hell did you do, you bastard!" The thugs boss shouted, mixed feelings of anger and worryness.
Raizen then takes her hostage, threatening the thugs and forcing them to stop their approach.
"Oi, why did you guys stop huh? Scared I'll twist her head off?" He shouted, "Ain't a thug no more, are you? Who's gonna strip who of what now?!"
'Hehe… I'll stay like this and recover my stamina, then run for the guards.'
"Hey! What's going on over here!" A blonde, black-dressed young lady appeared behind Raizen, it was princess Aliza, her butler and a squad of guards.
'That voice… it's the third princess!' Raizen thought, tilting his head towards her. Fortunately for him, she was at an angle in which the old lady was covered by Raizen's body. He quickly lifts the suffering old lady, appearing as a hero.
"Your Highness! Those hooligans have assaulted the poor lady in my arms, I ask for your help!" Raizen cried out to her, faking his emotions as if his life depends on it.
'It's the man from earlier! And the old lady looks unconscious and in critical condition too!'
Aliza felt hesitant, the man who had mocked her kindness, is now begging for help. 'Pull yourself Aliza! Why am I hesitating to help others, even if the request came from scumbags like him!'
"Guards. Arrest those four!" They all tackled the thugs and Raizen included, shackling them. "Alfred, let's get going, that old lady seems like she needs medical attention."
"Why am I also in cuffs…?" Raizen asked, bewildered on why these cold dark steel-made shackles were also put on him. "There must be some kind of mistake here!"
"You're overreacting." One of the guards said, "Unlike those three thieves– wanted for robbing tourists and newcomers– you seem new to town and likely happened to be there, but in most cases you will be held in custody for three days then released if nothing comes up."
The guard was a young looking man, black hair parted in the middle, his eyes shining with justice and potential.
"Tch, good-looking bastard." Raizen muttered.
"Hm, did you say something?"
"Uh… I said my name is Raizen."
"My name is Axel, and the man next to me is my supervisor, Verick." The young guard responded, referring to the bald man who seems to be in his early 40s.
"Hey Axel, don't get chummy with the likes of him, only trouble comes from being friends with them."
"Man, you really got a shitty supervisor. They sure are desperate, nowadays baldies like him get hired just to fill positions." Raizen said, with a smart look on his face.
Pissed off, Verick grabs him by his shirt collar, "Listen here kid, it took me hard work and effort to get where I am, and I am not gonna stand around letting you disrespect me for it."
"Ah!" Raizen screamed, "Stop looking at me! You're gonna make my hair fall off!"
"Tch! Newcomers these days…" He muttered, letting go of him.
"I mean there is always a better job for baldies like you, maybe as a landmark or beacon during the day. Imagine that reflective head of yours helping hundreds in the future!"
"Oh piss off, at least I have a job, you're just a leech." Verick said, disgusted, "Hey Axel, you're gonna be the one giving him food. Poison might fall in his meals if I had to deal with him for three days."
They all pop jokes and laugh while heading to the jail cells, marking the start of a friendship between them. Meanwhile at a hospital, princess Aliza is relieved that the old lady's condition is improving thanks to their gifted nurses and doctors.
"Now that the old lady is here at care, I believe Your Highness should rest before visiting that odd traveler…"