The boy and the nobleman had an intense stare-off, while Sol and Josh watched from the sidelines. "Felix?" Sol muttered, confused and shocked.
"They committed a crime, Sir Felix. You're not going to defend them, are you?" the nobleman implied.
"Indeed they did, Lord Adam, but they are someone close to me. I can't let you hurt them," Felix uttered.
"Oh? So now you've acquainted yourself with criminals? How will the king react if he hears this?" Adam said.
"Haha. Sir, I think you're the one who will be in trouble if the king hears you've killed people similar to myself," Felix said confidently.
"What!?" Adam was discombobulated. "You mean there are more of your kind?"
"Although I hate to admit it, yes. And there may be..." Felix glanced at the two.
Onemore is missing.
"One more coming, might be stronger than me, who knows."
Adam quickly caressed Sol's shoulders with a smile. Sol was confused and smiled awkwardly. "Young man... I apologize for accusing you of thievery; our game of tag was really fun," Adam murmured.
Our game of tag? Has this man gone mad? I thought I was going to die just before coming to this new world!
"I—it's alright," Sol said, removing the nobleman's hands from his shoulders.
What's going on? Why does it feel like Felix has more authority than this guy? It's only been the first day since our transmigration!
The nobleman, Adam, left, and Felix and the two boys entered the grand castle. Felix explained what had happened to him. He'd actually been here three weeks ago. It didn't make sense, since he'd been in his room only three hours ago; it seemed time moved differently for him. He'd magically appeared before the king. Initially, they thought he was a spy sent by another country, but when they detained him and read his memories with magic, they found nothing.
They only discovered he was an A-rank swordsman, so they recruited him as a knight. Felix then explained that they hadn't been isekai'd into the game they played. Although it had similar elements and settings, this world was far from the game's storyline.
"What do we do now? Unlike the game, where we followed a storyline, we're in a world where we don't know what will happen," Josh asked, looking down. The game's storyline had given him purpose, but now it felt like he would just be walking endlessly without aim.
"We'll figure that out later. What we really have to do now is find Simon first," Sol declared, giving Josh some hope.
"Agreed," Felix said, opening the door in front of them. It revealed the king sitting on his throne; the room was enormous and grand. A large golden chandelier dangled as the large doors swung open.
"Your Majesty," Felix bowed. Sol and Josh, flustered, also bowed awkwardly.
"Hoho! Are these your friends?" the king asked, stroking his long white beard. Sol and Josh stared blankly.
This is the king? He looks old; I think he should step down and let the young ones take over. It seems like he'll die of old age any second.
Sol looked at the king's old and frail body.
But suddenly, the king emitted an energy that made everyone tremble. The guards could barely stand under the immense mana pressure.
"Young man, I may be old, but I reckon I could take you down in one move," the old king stared at Sol. The three's clothes fluttered as the wind dispersed.
Shit. Did he read my mind? I'm losing my balance! This is insane! Sol's thoughts raced quickly.
Despite the situation, Sol, Josh, and Felix grinned, excited to discover what more this world could offer; this occurrence made their hearts flutter.
The old king saw their faces and stopped.
"Marvelous! Not only did you not falter, you even smiled! I knew Felix was already exceptional, but to think there are more! Kahaha! Our kingdom is blessed!" the king said joyfully.
"Oh! Right, ahem." The king composed himself. "I apologize. I haven't introduced myself to you talented youngsters. I am King, Hans Von Venice III of the Venice Kingdom."
Felix then introduced Sol and Josh to the king, also telling him that one more of them was missing and suggesting they'd have to find him.
"Alright, I'll form you three into a party for now until you find your friend. I'll provide you with money for expenses, but whether you find him or not, you'll eventually have to serve the kingdom."
These three are blessed with exceptional talents; it would be beneficial for the kingdom to have them serve as its heroes. Besides, there's a possibility that there's one more coming; such an opportunity should be seized, it's a win-win situation.
Without much thought, the three young men approved; they get to live in an unknown world with such privilege, so it's all good.
The meeting ended. The king ordered them to live in a recently abandoned nobleman's house, and so they moved on.
"What do you think will happen if we don't obey the king's words after we find Simon?" Josh said jokingly.
"Isn't it obvious?" Sol retorted.
"Yes, they don't have that much human rights compared to our world. I even saw the beheading of the nobleman whose house we're taking over," Felix stated. "Just thinking about it makes my spine shiver, so it's best we just obey." Felix was just a normal boy from the modern world after all.
The two stared at each other, imagining the horrible scene. Their hands cradled their shoulders.
"I agree..." Sol said.
Not long after, the Victorian-era-looking carriage dropped them off at the estate. It wasn't as grand as the castle, but it's a full mansion. They entered, and at the entrance, a butler welcomed them.
"Welcome, sirs."
"This is our house from now on? It's bigger than my apartment building!" Although it lacks some modern technologies, at least it has electricity. From the looks of it, the world seems to be in an era similar to the Victorian era back on Earth.
The boys settled in and chose their rooms. After changing clothes, they came back down and held a meeting to discuss finding Simon.
"We have to consider that Felix arrived in this world three weeks ago, which means Simon might arrive in the future, or perhaps something worse," Sol said.
"Yeah, he might be dead by now for all we know... Well, I really hope not," Josh added.
Just then, Felix barged into the room and slammed a newspaper on the table. They saw a news report: Man rampaged at a local pub, injuring nine people after losing a gamble.
This is Simon.
The three's thoughts connected. But then they looked again and saw something at the bottom that made their hearts sink.
The news continued: The assailant is now in the slave district because of debt, open for auction.