When I woke up, the room was dim. When did I fall asleep? I wondered as I rubbed my left eye and sat up, only to find that I was outside. What a wild way to wake up. I scanned my surroundings, assuming I’d just sleepwalked into the garden, but I was completely stunned.
“Huh? No, really. Where am I?” I had woken up in a truly unfamiliar place. I had no idea where I was, let alone which part of the world this could be.
I looked down at myself and saw I was in my usual dress. Did I change out of my pajamas and... Wait. Did I even change into my pajamas last night? My memories are foggy.
Before me was an expansive red wasteland. There were no buildings or plants in sight, only reddish-brown boulders and sand-covered land.
One might refer to this as That Time I Woke Up in a Red Desertlike Place.
Joking aside, the shade I used to describe this place—the color of the rocks and sand—was probably not the area’s original color. It seemed that the sun was red, and the red light from the sun was spilling over the horizon and shining onto the wasteland. But was the sun setting or rising? Taking into account the time I spent sleeping, it’s probably the glow of sunrise.
Since I was involved in this mysterious phenomenon of waking up in an unknown location, I probably couldn’t trust my own sense of time. As I looked out at the red world and sorted through my thoughts, I realized something—I clearly had jumbled memories.
I could recall what had happened up to yesterday afternoon, but I had no clear memory of what had taken place last night. I had vague memories of eating something, of having makeup put on me, and of being manhandled as I was put to sleep, but it all felt like a dream.
I guess I’ll figure out what time it is eventually. If the sun goes up, it’s early morning, and if it goes down, it’s evening. There’s a fifty-fifty chance, I thought, voicing my guess like I was placing a bet.
“This one is...a sunrise!”
“Is that how you see it?” a voice asked out of nowhere from my right side.
Shocked, I turned to my right and saw a blond young man standing right beside me. How did I not notice him until now? I made sure to raise my guard as I faced him.
I looked the mysterious young man up and down and saw that he was a king. His outfit looked like army clothes, but there were formal elements of aristocratic clothing included in various parts of his clothes. The western sword on his hips was overly decorated and looked to be for ceremonial use.
The biggest clue to his status was the golden crown on his head. His golden blond hair, which looked as soft as silk, also seemed to announce his regality.
“Where did you come from?” I asked.
“I’ve always been here. I just thought it would be best to watch over you until you calmed down. Everyone who comes here is confused at first.”
“Is that so? I didn’t notice you.”
“Maybe I shouldn’t have stood so far back. It probably didn’t help that I was on your right side either.”
I was sure I had scanned my surroundings and turned 360 degrees as soon as I’d woken up. Do I have a blind spot...?
Though this young man was definitely no ordinary man, I was happy that I wasn’t the only one here. I need to ask him where I am and find a way home. Did I teleport here, or was I kidnapped? Figuring out why I was moved can wait for later.
As such thoughts ran through my mind, the man gazed into the distance, where the light was still spilling over the horizon. He stood with a tall, confident posture, but his expression was somber. I couldn’t help but silently stare at his face.
After some time, the man dressed like a king noticed my gaze and spoke. “It’s rare for someone to stay composed upon arriving here... Welcome to the Kingdom of Twilight.”
“The Kingdom of Twilight?”
“Yes. This is a kingdom where the sun is constantly about to rise and where people’s regrets gather. I’m the king of this land.”
The Kingdom of Twilight...? I’ve never heard of it. Also, the sun never fully rises? What does that mean? I was definitely confused, but it probably wasn’t showing on my face at all. The man wasted no time and continued his explanation.
“Everyone refers to me as ‘King,’ but some call me ‘Hero’... You can call me whichever you’d like.”
“I see... Well, I know a king, so I’ll call you Hero.”
“Sure. And what’s your name?” He asked this naturally, but I had to think about it.
Was it okay for me to reveal my true identity of Yumiella Dolkness to him? I wasn’t sure why, but I was brought to some place I’d never heard of while I was asleep, and I wasn’t in the Kingdom of Valschein anymore. Stating my name in the neighboring kingdom of Lemlaesta would cause chaos, so it was best to use a fake name when I was somewhere that I’d achieved notoriety.
I’d introduced myself as Eleanora to Gilbert, Patrick’s older brother, but Eleanora was too close to me, and it was hard to respond when someone called me by that name. I don’t really want to use my name from my past life... Maybe I can use the player name I used in games? But being called “RedBeanMochi” out loud makes it feel like an offline gathering for online friends, and it’s embarrassing. Why don’t I use this opportunity to come up with a really cool name?
Though I gave my response a lot of thought, I thought it would be suspicious if I took too long to answer, so I quickly introduced myself.
“My name is Joker.”
Shoot. Joker? Really? That should be your last choice. That’s so embarrassing. It’s so cringe. I feel like my face is on fire.
The self-proclaimed hero took my cringey name seriously. “It’s nice to meet you, Joker.”
“It’s Yumiella. Yumiella. That’s my real name, so please call me Yumiella.”
“Huh? Is Joker a family name? Yumiella Joker?”
“It’s Yumiella Dolkness. Please forget about Joker.”
I shouldn’t have introduced myself as Joker. The only ones allowed to use the name Joker are clowns, phantom thieves, metal bands, and... I guess that’s a lot. Still, I have to be careful. Who knows what’ll trigger a relapse and turn me into an edgelord again.
My current location was the still-unfamiliar kingdom known as Twilight. Had the name of Yumiella reached these lands...?
Surprisingly, my first name wasn’t what caught the hero’s attention.
“I’ve heard the name ‘Dolkness’ before. Where do I know it from...? I think it was the name of a yeoman to a count.”
“I think that might be a different family with the same name. My family holds the rank of count in the Kingdom of Valschein.”
“Oh! You’re a noble lady from Valschein!” The man seemed happy to hear the name of my kingdom. First Dolkness and now Valschein—this guy reacts to the weirdest things.
Though his reactions were strange, I was glad that he seemed to know of my home kingdom. I’d been worried that I’d traveled so far that no one would know where Valschein was, but those fears were wiped away in an instant.
The hero was as excited as someone going, “We’re from the same place!” Maybe he’s involved with the kingdom. I can probably get home right away.
“So you know of the Kingdom of Valschein?”
“Of course. My knowledge is quite old, though, so I don’t know how it’s currently doing.”
“What’s the distance between Twilight and Valschein? I’d like to know the way back.”
“The way back? To Valschein?”
“Well, yes... Oh, you might not believe me, but I woke up and was suddenly here. I should’ve been in Valschein.”
I was aware that my story sounded unrealistic, but I just wanted to know the way back, so it wasn’t really an issue if he didn’t believe me. But, or I should say as expected, he responded in a way I didn’t anticipate.
“I understand. That’s the sort of place this kingdom is.”
“What sort of place?”
“It’ll take a while to discuss the Kingdom of Twilight. Let me first take you to somewhere you can rest. The settlement is a short walk from here.”
This desert looks like an empty wasteland. Is there really a settlement here? I took another look at the red desert, and the hero pointed at a rocky mountain behind us. It was the opposite direction of the sun.
“People are gathered behind there, in the shade of the mountain. Don’t worry—there are a lot of strange characters there, so I’m sure they’ll accept you.”
“Oh, black hair must be rare here too.”
Having black hair was especially rare in the Kingdom of Valschein and its surrounding area, but it was also somewhat rare in the entire world. My appearance was bizarre no matter where I was.
Having figured out what he meant, I realized that the hero was staring at me. His gaze was focused on my head. He observed my hair as he slowly moved around me. He was on my right side, but he passed by in front of me and looked at my left. His eyes were now locked on the back of my head.