Chapter 3: I Dreamed of a Dream and yet not a Dream

(Bill's POV)

"I'm Bill, Iron Boar Bill. As you can see, we are bandits."

As soon as I finished speaking, the surroundings returned to normal.

I can see the field of grass on my feet fade and turned into dirt road.

I regained control of my body however, I still can't move.

It's been a long time since I last felt this.

I realized that I'm shaking, I'm scared... I'm scared of this guy in front of me.

This was supposed to be a regular hunt but this frail looking guy turns out to be a expert.

What's more is that... If I'm not wrong, this guy just used a domain!

I've never seen a domain-user in my 45 years of life!

People says that ability-users are special but in front of domain-user, ability-users are just kids.

Domain-users are the most rarest existence in this world. To the point that even if ability-users spend their whole life, they won't be able form a domain.

Even I only seen them on history books, and records.

But damn it! What a bad luck!

There's a lot of people out there and yet I tried to rob a domain-user!

"Bill, you say?"

"Y-yes!?"

As I was complaining to myself, I heard the young man's voice and reflexively responded to the call.

"Tell me... Where is this place?"

"Eh?"

Did I heard correctly?

"Don't 'Eh' me, just answer properly."

"Y-yes, yes! I will answer... This place is the road that connects the Billford Duchy and the Sylvien Dukedom."

The man seemed to be thinking of something as I replied to his questions.

I was nervous and scared...

Would he kill me if I lied to him?

I hope not...

Is he not familiar to this place? Why else did he need to ask where this place is?

Maybe he's traveling and new to this area?

After thinking on himself for a while, the man finally began to speak.

"Is that so?"

"Y-yes!"

"Well then... Which direction is the Billford Duchy?"

"Ahem! It's on the direction where you came from, sir."

I think he's just messing around with me.

Why else would he ask such useless questions?

Besides, didn't he came from Billford Duchy since he was traveling on this road towards Sylvien Dukedom?

However, the next thing that the man asked made me realize that he really was messing with me.

"Aren't you a bandit? If so, then give me all your money."

********

(Luke's POV)

"Aren't you a bandit? If so, then give me all your money."

Well, what can I do? If this really is another world, then I must at least have some coins to spend.

Hmm.. Is it me or I just sounded like a bad guy?

Nope.. I'm sure it's just my imagination.

After all...

If bandits that attacks and robs other people are bad guys, then beating them up and making their lives horrible is a good deed right?

That's just the same as how the Empire gives punishment to criminals by imprisoning them or worse, death penalty.

Right, right! I'm definitely not a bad guy...

It's just how knights retrieve the thing that the thieves stole after they captured one.

Rather, I'm a benevolent person because I don't plan on capturing them or killing them.

"Um.. Sir?"

As I was convincing myself that I'm not a bad person, the bandit guy walked in front of me.

"Sir, t-this is everything we brought on ourselves..."

The bandit's voice trailed off as he speaks and hands me a 5 pouches of coins.

It seems that he took even the money of his bandit friends although I didn't tell him to do so.

But considering that they're all bandits, I guess all these money are stolen so I'll just take it.

I took the pouches and put all the coins in a single pouch before returning the others.

I did it calmly, before speaking to the bandits once more.

"You guys didn't see me, alright? You didn't encounter me here. If I any information about me spread out..."

'It must be because I've become famous' is what I'm planning to say as a joke to lighten up their moods but I didn't manage to finish my words because the bandit guy interjected.

"Y-yes, yes! We won't tell anything... Even we are tortured for information by anyone, we would not speak a single word."

'Tortured?'

It seems that we're having some misunderstandings here...

"I'm not threatening the you or anything just intimidating you to not say anything about me, alright?"

"Isn't it... just similar?"

I also realized that there's something wrong with what I said so I corrected it.

"Ah! I'm just making sure that you won't say anything about me."

'Doesn't that just sounds like he's going to kill us?' I heard the bandit at the back muttered and immediately shut up after I looked at him.

Am I that scary? I won't do such thing as killing a person if not really necessary.

"Ahem! Let's not mind the small details,alright?"

"Yes, sir!"

"Sigh, I better go now."

Without saying anymore, I urged my horse to run towards the Billford Duchy.

As I do so, I heard faint voices from behind me.

'Isn't that the direction of Billford Duchy? Is he going back there?'

********

It's been about half a day since I'm traveling on this road.

I can finally see a city up ahead.

The sun was about to set when I reached the city.

The Silver City

The city on the bordering the Sylvien Dukedom.

I paid a toll of 5 copper coins to enter the city.

It seems that the currency in this world is the same from where I came from.

Is this really, another world?

It feels like it's a dream and yet not a dream.

This place is so good to be a dream world. What's more the people I encounter feels like a real person and not a dream character.

I walked through the city, and asked some locals where I can find a good inn.

After a several minutes of walk, I reached this inn in front of me.

Most locals recommended this inn to me, so I chose this inn among the others.

It was called Peaceful Resting inn.

I wonder why that inn has such an nice but ominous name like anyone going here would rest in peace?

Let's just take it as a their bad naming sense besides, the locals said that it's a good place.

"Hello, sir! Are you going to order some foods or rent a room?"

I entered the inn and was greeted cheerfully by a young lady.

She has a long black hair, and a petite body.

She's not on par with sister Ellie in terms of beauty, so I think it's more appropriate to describe her as cute.

"Do you have a room for 1 person? Also, give me whatever meal you recommend."

"Yes, sir. Just find a seat first and we'll just deliver your food."

"Okay."

She bowed before heading in a room that I think was the kitchen.

I, on the other hand, took a seat on a nearby empty table.

I noticed that there's quite a lot of people eating here.

There are also voices coming upstairs, I guess they are done eating or maybe they ate somewhere else?

It didn't take long before the food was delivered on my table.

It was a meat dish. I don't know what kind of meat it is but who cares as long as it's delicious.

After eating my dinner, paid for the food and rent at once before heading upstairs.

I lied down the bed and began analyzing everything that happened.

I traveled in my dream world and the world cracked as usual when I was about to wake up.

Then, when opened my eyes, I was already in this world.

The sensation I feel in this world is real, however, it also feels like I am inside a dream.

I know that this is a dream because I've always been in one every night since I was a kid.

Then an idea came into my mind

'Wait? Is this another person's dream world?'

I remember before coming here to this world that I travelled quite a distance.

Then, I said I would search for the end of the dream world then...

Maybe the dream world cracked because I entered another person's dream?

Let me try going back first.

I closed my eyes, and thought of waking up, going back to reality or something along those lines.

Then, I heard a cracking sounds and when I opened my eyes, I was back in my bed in the orphanage.

I get out of the bed and found out that it was already sunrise.

I fixed myself up before heading out of the room when I saw Aunt May walking towards me and asked.

"You woke up on sunrise, do you not have work today?"

"Ah!"

It was only then that I remembered that I need to go to the post office and arrange the mails I'm gonna deliver tomorrow.

That day, I rushed myself and immediately prepared myself to go to work.

I was late for a bit more than an hour but since there's not much work to do, everything turned out completely fine.

The day passed just like that... I had a little conversation with sister Ellie before going to sleep regarding our departure the next day and that was it.

There's nothing that happened, unfortunately...

Alright, that was me daydreaming so, I slept and woke up in the inn where I stayed last night.

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