The crowd continued to move actively along the stone-paved sidewalks.
Lizard-like demi-humans brushed past Arata, while the echo of heavy footsteps and the creaking of carriages filled the humid air.
"Can I come with you?!" Arata insisted, raising his voice over the chatter of the street.
The girl stopped and looked over her shoulder directly at him.
"It's kind of dangerous to get involved with us," she replied seriously. "You've already shown that you're not exactly strong. I don't want you getting hurt because of my problems."
"But I'm pretty strong!" Arata puffed out his chest, forcing a confident smile. "I just haven't shown my true power yet!"
The young woman regarded him suspiciously, raising an eyebrow.
"Really? I'm not buying that."
"Neither am I," Buck added, shaking his little dragon head.
"Well... at least let me repay you!" Arata tried another approach, gesturing with his hands. "You saved me. I need to repay that debt."
"But it's dangerous, like I said. You don't owe me anything..."
"I do!" he interrupted, taking a step forward. "You helped me when I was at my lowest. Now it's my turn to help you! Please, let me come with you!"
"I..." The girl hesitated, looking around.
Pedestrians hurried past them. A man wearing a tunic grumbled under his breath as he walked by:
"What an annoying kid. All he knows how to do is yell."
Deep down, Arata felt a pang of disgust toward himself.
"There I go again... pretending to be this outgoing, loud guy when I'm clearly not," he thought bitterly.
"I think we're going to have to take him with us, Ma," Buck conceded with a sigh.
The blonde shrugged, finally giving in.
"Fine... You can come with us."
"Yes!" Arata cheered.
He approached them and, unable to resist Buck's cuteness, began petting the little dragon's head.
"Hey! How did you know I love being petted this much?" the little dragon asked, closing his eyes in satisfaction.
"I just figured it out, my little dragon!" Arata laughed.
"Okay, enough with the cute moment," the young woman interrupted, returning to her focused demeanor. "We need to look for the necklace."
"Okay, let's go! I swear I'll be useful!" Arata began walking alongside them.
"By the way... where exactly are we?"
"You're in the central capital of Karakiri," she explained.
"What's a Karakiri? Is it something you eat?" Arata blinked in confusion.
"Karakiri is the name of the nation we're in," she patiently explained. "Lugiri is the name of this enormous continent, which is divided into three major nations."
"Just to give you an idea, the continent of Lugiri is so colossal that it would be equivalent to the size of two Earth continents combined."
"Wow! And besides this continent, is there anything else in this world?" Arata asked, genuinely curious.
"No. According to the myths, Lugiri is everything that exists. Beyond our borders, there is only open sea."
"They say that if you sail far enough, you'll eventually encounter a gigantic and violent magical storm that marks the edge of the world and completely seals Lugiri off."
"No one who has ever tried to cross it has returned to tell the tale."
"That's crazy! I thought this would just be another cliché world, but this is pretty different from what I imagined," Arata commented, impressed.
"I didn't understand half of what you said..." the girl muttered.
"Ah, never mind! It's nothing!"
As they walked through the capital, Arata spotted an area surrounded by metal bars and wooden boards.
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Curious, he reached out and began pulling one of the boards loose, preparing to peek inside or enter.
At the same moment, the girl grabbed him by the collar of his shirt and pulled him back.
Since he couldn't read the local language, he hadn't understood that the symbols carved into the wood meant: "Area under construction. Do not enter."
About forty minutes of walking passed.
The group stopped several strangers on the sidewalks, asking about the whereabouts of or any clues concerning the purple-haired thief, but no one seemed to know anything.
Almost at sunset, exhausted from searching the lower part of the city, they left the commercial alleys and began climbing a colossal white stone staircase carved directly into the hillside that divided the city.
The steps were wide enough for carriages to pass through, flanked by ancient statues of knights that seemed to guard the horizon.
As they climbed, the humid air and smell of plaster from the alleys gave way to a constant, cool breeze.
The chaotic noise of the crowd below began to echo distantly, slowing the frantic pace of the search for a moment.
When Arata finally reached the top of the plateau, known as the Upper City, he was met with a view that made him completely forget about the pain from the beating:
The ground up there was no longer made of dirt or rough plaster, but polished marble blocks that reflected the golden light of the summer sun.
Along the edge of the plateau stood a long, curved stone safety wall, forming a true lookout point that stretched for hundreds of meters.
When Arata looked back beyond the wall, he finally grasped the true scale of the world he had fallen into.
Below, the Lower City spread out like a sea of thatched roofs and dark clay tiles, crisscrossed by narrow streets that resembled ant mazes.
The dusty trails left by carriages could be seen along the main avenues, while sunlight reflected off the small waterways cutting through the commercial district.
But what truly caught his attention was the horizon.
The sunny, cloudless sky allowed the view to stretch for miles, revealing lush green forests and distant mountains surrounding the capital of Karakiri, creating a feeling of freedom and, at the same time, complete isolation from his former home.
He really wasn't in Japan anymore.
As beautiful as the view was, seeing the colossal size of that medieval city made Arata realize just how small and insignificant he was in this new world.
He was just a broke, powerless, injured kid staring at a gigantic empire.
They felt the strong wind blowing against their clothes, carrying the cool moisture of the approaching night.
In the distance, beyond the houses, stood the imposing silhouette of a monumental castle.
"Wow... What a huge castle," Arata broke the silence before turning toward the young woman.
"Wait a second, we haven't properly introduced ourselves yet! My name is Arata Ryusei. What's yours?"
The girl hesitated for a brief moment, averting her purple eyes before answering:
"My name... It's... Ma... Marina!"
"Marina! What a beautiful name! I like it," he said with a genuine smile.
"So... you like it?" Marina seemed surprised, displaying a somewhat forced smile. "That's... nice..."
Buck took advantage of the distraction to fly close to Arata's ear and whisper:
"You have terrible taste in names, you know that?"
"What did you say, Buck?" Arata frowned.
"Nothing!" the little dragon quickly played it off.
The girl shifted her violet eyes toward the white streak falling over Arata's forehead.
"That streak..."
Arata looked at her.
"What about it?"
"Were you born with it?"
He raised a hand to his hair, running his fingers through the small white streak among the brown strands.
"I think so."
Marina frowned slightly.
"Think?"
Arata opened his mouth to answer, but stopped.
For a few seconds, he tried searching for some memory connected to it.
The image of a house.
Someone's voice.
A face.
Nothing came.
Only that familiar emptiness.
"I... don't remember much about my childhood."
Marina remained silent for a moment, realizing that his answer was hiding something far greater than he was letting on.
Suddenly, a loud, cavernous sound echoed across the lookout.
Arata instinctively placed a hand over his stomach, feeling hunger demand its due.
He was still carrying the plastic bag containing the uncooked ramen.
"Where can I find some hot water to cook my ramen?" he asked awkwardly.
"Ramen? What's that?" Marina tilted her head to the side.
"It's a traditional food from my homeland."
"I see... But it would be much better to go to an actual restaurant instead of wandering around looking for hot water," she suggested.
"Okay, fair enough. Let's go to a restaurant and get something to eat."
With their minds made up, Arata and Marina began descending the massive structure toward the busy streets of the Upper City, where the sound of carriage hooves was growing louder again.
It wasn't long before they spotted an inn with a purely medieval theme.
When they entered, Arata noticed that the floor was made of rough cobblestones and that the dining hall contained several round tables and chairs made of pine wood.
The two chose a more secluded spot and sat down.
Arata placed his plastic bag on the floor, directly beneath the table.
"Do they have some kind of menu or something?" Arata asked, looking around.
"I don't know what a 'menu' is, but I assume you're talking about the establishment's list of meals... perhaps?" Marina deduced.
"Exactly! That's exactly what I meant!"
Marina picked up a thick, folded piece of paper lying on the table and opened it, revealing the available options.
At the same time, the delicious smell coming from the kitchen began filling the dining hall: a strong and exotic aroma of salamander meat being fried on a griddle, making Arata's stomach rumble even louder.
Looking at the small illustrations beside the incomprehensible writing, Arata pointed at a random picture.
"I'll have this one," he decided.
Marina raised her hand to get the employee's attention.
"Waiter!"
A man wearing an apron promptly approached the table.
Arata listened as Marina translated the description for him:
"I'll have the braised mountain rabbit meat with magical seasoning sauce, please."
"Excellent choice, sir," the employee replied, taking the order. "It'll take about twenty-five minutes to prepare."
"No problem. Thank you very much!" Arata smiled.
As the man headed back toward the kitchen, Arata breathed a sigh of relief.
"I just guessed based on the picture, and apparently I got lucky!"
"I hope the food here is good," Marina commented, resting her elbows on the table.
"Why did you say 'hope'?"
"Because I've never eaten here before. I have no idea whether the food is any good."
"Oh, I see..."
Arata looked away for a moment.
"Sorry for delaying your search for the necklace because of this."
"Don't worry. We just need to finish eating so we can continue looking for the thief."
Marina paused briefly.
"You have kiris, right?"
Arata froze.
"..."
Slowly, he reached into his pockets.
One.
Then the other.
Empty.
"Sorry," he muttered with an embarrassed smile. "But I'm completely broke."
Marina stared at him for several seconds.
"Then why did you order food?"
"..."
"Arata?"
"I didn't think that far ahead."
Buck let out a little laugh from the air.
Marina placed a hand against her forehead and sighed.
"Fine. I'll pay."
Arata immediately looked up.
"Really?!"
"You were just beaten up. I'm not going to send you searching for a thief on an empty stomach."
"Marina..."
Arata clasped his hands in front of his face.
"You're a saint."
"Just eat."
"Yes, ma'am!"
"As soon as I finish, we'll go straight after her!" he promised.
They continued talking and waiting until, exactly twenty-seven minutes later, the waiter returned carrying a metal tray.
On it was a generous portion of fried and braised rabbit, covered in a thick brown sauce with greenish accents.
"Man, that looks amazing!" Arata's eyes lit up.
"Enjoy your meal," the waiter said before leaving.
"Thanks!"
Without wasting any time, Arata attacked the dish.
He grabbed one of the rabbit legs with his hands.
He found the lack of utensils or chopsticks a little strange, but noticed that everyone there ate in that rustic manner.
He brought the meat to his mouth and tore off a juicy piece.
"Damn, this is incredibly good! Want some, Marina?" he offered, his mouth slightly full.
"No, thank you. I'm not hungry," she politely declined.
A few minutes later, after Arata had devoured almost everything, they left the inn.
He walked slowly, feeling the comforting weight of the meal in his stomach and rubbing his satisfied belly.
"What an amazing meal! I ate so much!" he exclaimed, letting out a discreet burp immediately afterward. "Too bad you didn't want anything."
"The important thing is that you got your strength back," Marina replied, remaining focused. "Now, we need to continue."
"Right. So where do we start looking now?"
"Let's check the outskirts... The slums nearby," Marina suggested, narrowing her eyes.
"Places like that always have informants or people who know the underworld and the thief's movements."
"Perfect. Then let's go!" Arata readily agreed.
They began crossing a large concrete bridge, walking close to the iron railing.
Down below, the sky's reflection had already taken on vibrant shades of orange and purple as sunset began, mirrored in the calm waters of the river running through the district.
Feeling the cold evening wind beginning to pick up, Arata looked toward the breathtaking horizon.
Deep down, his chest was tight with fear and anxiety over what they might find in a slum in this unknown world, but he kept marching forward.
He was determined to maintain his facade of courage in front of Marina and Buck, no matter what.
End of Chapter 3.
To be continued in Chapter 4...