"Transmigrator…?" Ren looked at me, wide-eyed.
I expected him to deny it, but, to my surprise…
"Oooh! You mean someone who got isekai'd!"
Yep. He admitted it easily. How naive could this boy be?
"Hey! Hey! How did you know I'm from another world?" he asked, excitedly.
"Of course. It's so obvious. What kind of medieval noble speaks in Gen Alpha slang like you?"
"Ohhh… So you get it, huh? Interesting… Are you also, like, isekai'd too?" His eyes gleamed with the discovery, almost childlike in their enthusiasm.
I nodded.
I'm kinda amused. I don't expect that William—no, Ren—to be so, well… blunt.
"Tch! Not cool! I thought I'd be the main character in this world!" He pouted, muttering under his breath.
I chuckled, "Sorry to burst your bubble."
This revelation shifted something in me. It turned out there was more than one variable affecting the future of this world besides myself.
If Ren is another transmigrator like me, an anomaly changing the fates written in Twilight's Chronicle… Then small inconsistencies in the plot and deviations from the story's original events suddenly begin to make sense. I am not the only variable in this world; he is, too.
I need more information from him. But first...
"Hey. Isn't it risky for us to discuss about transmigration and reincarnation things so openly in here?" I glanced toward his door, uneasy.
"Oh! Good point!"
Ren snapped his fingers, and suddenly the room was enveloped in a yellow dome.
"This is… space magic?"
"Yep." Ren grinned, showing me the yellow EMBLEM symbol etched into his arm. "It's the FORCE EMBLEM. Pretty rare, isn't it?"
I looked at the EMBLEM which glowed faintly, feeling amused.
FORCE is a symbol of unique power belonging to William's character in the novel. It allows the user to manipulate objects, even bend space and time.
"I've soundproofed the room, so no one can hear our conversation," Ren explained.
I nodded, noting the new level of caution. "Alright then, let's get down to it. How did you get isekai'd here?"
"Hmmm… Let's see. I was just chilling, playing an online game on my PC in my apartment alone. Suddenly, there was a fire and a huge explosion. Then boom! I passed out. Next thing I know, I woke up as a baby in this world." He shrugged as if that explained everything.
"So… you died in an explosion and reincarnated?"
"Yeah, I guess that's one way to put it." He gave a careless shrug. "What about you?"
"Uhh…"
"Huh? Cat got your tongue?" Ren chuckled. "It's okay to tell me. I won't laugh if you end up here by the truck-kun."
"No way!" I glared at him. "Actually I… I don't know. I can't recall my past life clearly. All I can remember is stuff related to Twilight's Chronicle."
"Twilight's Chronicle?" he frowned. "What are you talking about? I thought we were in the world of Adventoria."
My mind blanked. "What?"
"Adventoria, the MMORPG I was playing before I got isekai'd," he replied.
Wait… was he serious? How could he see this world as the setting of an MMORPG, while I knew it as the world from Twilight's Chronicle?
"Ren, there's a difference in our perceptions..." I said slowly. "Are you up for a trade of information?"
"Sure, I'm always open for business!"
"First of all… Do you even realize whose body you're in?"
"Heh, this body?" he snorted. "I'm the illegitimate son of a perverted Marquess named Lazarro and his maid."
"Not just that! You're William Lazarro! One of the main characters in Twilight's Chronicle, you know!" I revealed, trying not to let my disappointment show.
"Huh…?" He blinked, and then his expression turned smug. "Sheesh! So my hunch was right! I am truly special!"
I sighed and rolled my eyes.
I suppose he's only about my age, but still… It's hard to believe that this easygoing fool is really William, the character I'd idolized.
"Then what about you? What role do you play in this world, according to the novel you read?" Ren asked.
"I'm the king's daughter," I replied. "But not just any princess… I'm the future main villainess."
"So… we're supposed to be enemies?" His gaze sharpened, a glint of intrigue flickering there.
"Something like that." I nodded and went on to explain the basic plot of Twilight's Chronicle, watching as his expression shifted from curiosity to mild disinterest.
"Huh… so I'm supposed to marry your sister and become king consort of this kingdom? Just like that?"
I frowned at his unexpected reaction. "What were you expecting?"
He scratched his head, a half-smile playing on his lips. "If you put it that way, of course… The answer is… adventure!" Ren replied enthusiastically.
"Adventure? You mean like traveling the world, hunting monsters, and collecting treasures?"
"Exactly!" His eyes lit up.
"But… we're born into nobility. We have comfortable lives, wealth, influence, and other privileges." I tried to comprehend him.
He clicked his tongue. "Tsk, tsk. Typical noble talk. Don't you have any passion?"
"Excuse me?" I stared at him, affronted. "I'm here trying to survive, thank you very much."
Ren crossed his arms and sighed, shaking his head as if I were hopeless.
"Do you even know what kind of world we're in? This is Magaia, a vast world full of wonders. A dream world that's nothing like Earth where we used to live!"
The boy walked over to a world map hanging on the wall, one I hadn't noticed before.
"See? There are so many things we could do here. So many places remain unexplored, unknown mysteries to the people here due to their limited technology." Ren said while pointing to Emeraldine Kingdom on the map. "And you'd rather stay here, stuck in one corner… live a quiet, boring life in this kingdom, like a frog in a well?"
"But if we just stay here, then the fate of this kingdom…"
"Do you really think that's our responsibility?"
I swallowed, his words hanging heavy in the air. I'd never thought about it that way.
"There's something bigger than just a single kingdom waiting for us, I'm sure of it," he continued. "Why else would we be reborn here, with powers beyond the average human's?"
"So… you have no interest in saving this kingdom? You can become a hero and a ruler." I asked, testing the waters.
He scoffed. "Not at all. You think I care about ruling a bunch of people? Besides, no TV, no video games…" He gave me a sidelong look. "It's like someone stuck us in a fantasy RPG and forgot the fun stuff."
I let his words sink in. He wasn't wrong; every day here felt like a battle, another tedious step toward a future I dreaded. Was this how I wanted to live my life?
"Hey, Ren… what's your dream?" I asked softly.
"Of course… To become a great wizard and go on adventures all over the world!" he replied with such fervor that it almost shook me.
"Ren… if I could help you get there… If we could combine our strengths… Are you willing to work with me?"
He tilted his head, considering. "What's in it for me?"
I leaned forward, trying to mirror his casual tone. "Together, we could defeat our enemies and travel the world afterward. You'd have the adventure you're craving and I'd be free from the constraints of this kingdom. How about that? Two birds, one stone."
He was silent, eyes fixed on me as if trying to read something deeper.
Finally, he broke into a grin. "Deal."