She wore this long, emerald dress, soaked in rain, waving its hems in the winds, and her hair covered her face in its violent dance.
'I could ask the same,' I said with the shaky voice of a child who knew he had done something wrong and now stood on trial in front of his parents.
'You were trying to rob that old artifact shop, weren't you?'
She walked towards me, her steps slow yet confident. I gripped the handle of my gun tucked behind my pants, my index finger floating above the trigger, but of course, I did come to my senses before I did anything stupid.
What am I thinking?
I pulled my hand away from the gun. I wasn't going to shoot her! But I had to do something, I couldn't let myself get caught now…well, technically I did already get caught, but let's not dive too deep into the details, shall we? It's the thought that counts!
'I'm not going to report you,' she said, stopping right before me.
'How can you be so sure that I was here to rob the artifact shop?'
'That was trivial, Sir Embers, though I must say, I didn't expect you to stoop as low as to theft.'
She said that with a look of disappointment and disapproval. Did she know me? I, for one, could not recall who she was.
'You do not know me, Sir Embers…this is only the second time we've met, after all. But I do know you, and if He permits, someday, you will know me as well. Till then, here's a little gift for you.'
She handed me a small pouch, made of I assumed jute. There was heft to it, quite a bit actually.
'What is—huh?'
A gust of wind forced my eyes shut as thunder growled in the skies above, and when I opened them, she was nowhere to be seen.
OH FUCK THIS!
That was my reaction, dear reader. The last thing I wanted was to get roped into the main plot of whatever tale is brewing in this world, and if my time reading web novels in my own world had taught me anything, it was that this was generally how things would go. Either you're handed some strange artifact under a gloomy sky, or you're assaulted by who knows what in empty alleys. Of course, you could also do absolutely nothing and get dragged in when a random orb shows up in the sky and teleports you to who knows where. Whatever might the case be, not once did it ever result in anything ending quickly, and I needed to go home quickly.
I could throw this gem away; in fact, I almost did, but if I was getting dragged into something, whatever was in that pouch would be of some use, right? Of course, it was also entirely possible that it is the reason I get dragged in.
Thunder growled again as the fog thickened.
'I should head back first,' I thought. 'At this rate, I won't even be able to go back.'
That was not an exaggeration, dear reader. I knew where I had to go from my memories, but I still relied heavily on landmarks. My memories did not translate into habits or instincts. If I had to describe it, it was more like a book that I could reference, a book that lived in my head.
I tucked the pouch in my pocket and headed back. Luckily…or rather, should I say obviously? The streets were empty, again, thanks to the thunderstorm, and even if there was someone, it would be difficult for them to spot me through the fog. I was, still, on alert, for literally moments ago I ran into someone, thanks to which I was now probably part of some grand, underlying story…though I guess that would be the case by default if I got transmigrated…why must everything be so…I don't even have a word to express the frustration I felt then.
I reached home. Lune was asleep, which was fortunate—I wouldn't have to deal with her. I quickly rushed towards my room. Drenched in rain as I was—I was bound to leave quite the proof of my ventures if I stood still in one place for even a moment. I need to clean this, I thought as I took off my clothes, throwing them in a corner as I wiped myself, before taking out a new pair from the wardrobe.
I wiped the floor with a towel, throwing it in the same pile as the other drenched clothes afterwards, and then sat down on my bed with the pouch in my hand. I debated on whether or not I should open it. I was curious about what was inside, but I also feared that I shouldn't know. I decided to put it on my table and instead focus my attention on the letter.
Zoras was trying to save someone.
Of course, initially I didn't think much of this part; since I didn't have my memories of the past month, I assumed it would be much more difficult to figure that out than just figuring out how Mr. Douglas was involved, but now that I couldn't…
Is it possible…that an artifact wasn't involved in the first place?
But I quickly brushed away that thought. What else, but an artifact, could carry such power in this world?
…
Or was Zoras going to hand over the artifact to Mr. Douglas…but couldn't? Was that what happened?
Who was he trying to save?
Of course, figuring that out would be a chore…but if I could…perhaps I could also piece together what happened in the past month.
Aside from that, I needed to figure out what role that pouch would play…or is it because I try to figure it out that it plays a role?
I am overthinking it…
But I couldn't help it. I wanted to stay as far away as I could from whatever the main story was.
'Let's worry about all that tomorrow.'
I had shut the windows, but the room was still cool, thanks to the winds leaking in through the tiniest of cracks and gaps. In fact, it was perfect for a good night's rest, and that was exactly what I was going to get!
I laid on the bed, my head over my soft pillow, which was cool on either side, something you can never take for granted, and drifted away into my realm of dreams.