In the southernmost corners of the northern giant Angnarmarak, on the corners of a small road leading further south, a bunch of long wheat-like hair was spread out against the ground, as if imitating the picture of a squid. From the bottom of the pile of wheat stuck out a human body clad in a mahogany coat. The skin that should've been visible through the sleeves of the coat was covered to the tip with pale white bandages.

It was a strange occurrence for Don Chiik, the local squirrel and the ruler of this patch of the road. All the nuts that passed through and stayed here needed its permission, so what was this nutcase doing?

Bent on fixing the loose nut in the nutcase's nutcase, Don Chiik approached the wheat head. I sniffed the ground first, never know what these long-haired folks were thinking. When it saw there was nothing much going on, Don Chiik went closer and closer. It sniffed the hair, then the clothes, and finally ran up to the person's hands.

Taking in a deep breath, Don Chiik spread its mouth wide open!

-Chomp!

And bit down on the wheat head's finger. That ought to teach him a lesson!

"OUCH FUCK!"

With a loud scream, the hand Don Chiik had bit opened into a palm and smacked him with the force of a hundred falling nuts! Don Chiik was launched into the air, it rolled around and crashed back down on the ground. There was a trap after all! Swearing revenge on the nutcases and all the tiny nuts that come out from the nutcase's nuts, Don Chiik dashed back into the woods.

On the other hand, the Otherworlder shot up from the ground and grabbed his finger tight. He brought it close to his lips and blew on it then clenched it again.

The Otherworlder closed his eyes and remembered what had happened. Right, the absolute worst had happened.

He had finally left the town of Aborg, crossed the borders of the Blume County, and had neared the final stretches of Angnarmarak. But, he was driving while drunk. A rookie mistake.

Before he knew it, the Otherworlder had fallen to the ground and kissed the dirt to sleep.

The Otherworlder grabbed his one hand and winced at his stupidity, the bumpy and fast ride he had taken himself on was one that he couldn't forget easily. "Man, I'm never driving like that again..." he muttered. Then, as if a lightbulb had gone off in his mind, the Otherworlder shot up to his feet with widened eyes.

"Barley!"

The Otherworlder's eyes darted around in all directions. A few meters away next to a tree was the sleek black frame of the bike he had received as a gift from Mr. Yellow. The Otherworlder sighed in relief and walked over to it. All his bags and luggage were there as well, tied to Barley.

He had asked Vera to lend him some bags made with spatial magic for increased storage so the shape and look of Barley wasn't messed up by the luggage he was carrying. Before he had realized it, the Otherworlder had gotten rather attached to Barley, he could slightly understand what Mr. Yellow meant when he said she would be a good companion for him.

The Otherworlder opened his bag and took out a flask of water. He drank some of it and washed his hand and face with some more. The Otherworlder leaned against the bike as he looked up.

Beyond the rustling green leaves and the light brown branches of the trees surrounding the road, the dim light of the afternoon sun filled the sky with an ashy hue of blue. Though he couldn't see any birds, the sight of the clouds interrupted by the trees seemed strangely welcoming.

A smile spread on the Otherworlder's face. Emotions he had not felt since coming to this world bubbled up in his chest. Though he was doubtful and afraid of leaving what little he had built back in Aborg, the excitement of seeing whatever he had missed out on, whatever he had never seen before, the excitement of opening his eyes to a whole new world exceeded all those doubts.

He grabbed the handles of Barley Jamieson and pushed her off the tree. With his eyes still up, he said. "Shall we take a little walk for now?"

┈ ┈ ┈ ⋞ ⟨ ⏣ ⟩ ⋟ ┈ ┈ ┈

The Otherworlder pulled Barley along on the thin road between the grove as he headed further southward. His boots hit against the tiny stones and the uneven pits in the road. Sounds of small animals and birds came from all around him while the smell of fresh air and the blowing breeze tickled his nose.

It was a full feeling.

The Otherworlder continued for almost half an hour when he saw a horse-pulled carriage coming over from the other side of the road.

'Uh, do I wave at them? Or should I just ignore them?' the Otherworlder was thinking about what to do when the carriage came closer and stopped just a few feet away from him.

A bearded old man sat at the helm of the carriage, the reins of the horses in his hands.

The Otherworlder stared into the eyes of the old man, and the old man stared back.

A second passed.

Then another.

'Eh? Am I supposed to do something?'

The Otherworlder was very confused by what was going on but didn't show it on his face. Should he just leave? That would be nice. He thought of going ahead, but the look on the old man's face hardened all of a sudden.

Seeing no other choice, the Otherworlder awkwardly spoke up.

"Uh... how far is Rohatan from here?"

The old man heard the Otherworlder's words, still not breaking eye contact. The Otherworlder could feel sweat flooding the back of his head but somehow held it in.

After almost another minute had passed, the old man answered back. "Don't ask me. Talk to my master."

'Say it earlier, asshole!'

"Where would that person be?" Still keeping a blank face, the Otherworlder asked. "If you don't min—"

"Neiiigh-haw." One horse pulling the carriage raised its feet high into the air and shimmied side to side violently. The Otherworlder almost flinched back when the horse landed its legs again. "It is I, I am the master," the horse replied.

This time, it was the Otherworlder who stood blankly. His eyes remained halfway open and his body slightly curved back as he stared at the horse for a few seconds.

"Is that... so?"

"Yes."

Taking in a deep breath, the Otherworlder fixed his posture. "So, uh, how—"

"It's almost two days from here." The horse's voice was deep and nasal, but it carried a regal weight behind it. "I'll suggest a detour though, you'll have to pass through the forest of sleeping swords."

'Forest of Sleeping Swords?' the Otherworlder repeated the fantasy-like name in his head. "Is it, some kind of murder forest?"

"Not really," the horse whinnied back. "It just has an ominous name, is all. You should avoid those."

The Otherworlder was stunned by the horse again. "Well, if it's just that I can probably make do."

"Strange, another girl from a group had just said the same thing. They went the same way."

The Otherworlder's eyebrows raised at the information. "A group?" he asked. "Can you tell me more about them?"

"Why, are you lonely?"

"No, it's so I can make sure to avoid them."

Once again, an air of silence covered both of them as they stared at each other. After another minute, the horse raised its legs into the sky again and started shimming.

"Neigh-Hihihihihi! Heeheehee!"

Stomping its feet back on the ground, the horse turned to the Otherworlder. "I see, amusing."

The Otherworlder was certain he found it more than just amusing.

"Well, there were five people. Looked like a hero part with a saintess and two princesses, must be from some tiny country here or there being bothered by a demon. The girl who talked like you seemed to be a luggage carrier or an attendant of some sort. Pity, her heart was the prettiest out of everyone there."

The horse added some weight to the belief that its kind could see the hearts of people and slightly stepped ahead. "Then, we'll be on our way. Take care in the forest."

The Otherworlder could only nod, unable to tear his eyes off of the back of the horse and his carriage. They walked past the Otherworlder and a little further ahead before stopping midway.

"Hey," the horse turned its head and said. It gestured at the bike with its eyes and continued. "You're supposed to ride that thing, by the way."

"Right..." the Otherworlder replied. "Thank you."

"Neigh!!" Shouting one last time, the horse broke into a sprint and pulled the carriage with its mate to the distance.

The Otherworlder remained stuck, staring at the road the horse had left through. After a fair amount had passed, the Otherworlder lightly raised his chin.

"Huh," he said, turning back to the road ahead. With his eyebrows still scrunched together, the Otherworlder got on Barley Jamieson.

He felt like riding on the bike again.