"Yeah!" I had no choice but to release the excitement that had been building up inside me.
I untied the bag, and Jayka climbed out, stretching like he had just woken up from a five-star nap.
"Haaaaaaa! You guys actually stole a cleaner's car?!" His eyes nearly popped out of his head. "Do you want to get caught or what? And leaving that aside—YUJI! Why is this girl following us? And what's with the sudden bossiness? Do you want to get shocked again?!"
He glared at me with a face that looked like he had just been possessed by a demon.
I smiled calmly.
"Well, you should be thankful," I said. "She's only here because you got locked up. To free you, I had to agree to her condition. And by the way, I just found out you're supposed to obey me."
I leaned slightly closer.
"So if you shock me again… you're getting dropped off this bus."
Jayka froze.
Then—
"WHAAAAAAAAAT?!"
He screamed like he had just seen the end of the world.
"So now you're trying to get rid of me?! Don't worry! Things are definitely going to get messed up with her around!"
Before things could escalate further, Ariam snapped.
"Will you two shut up?! I'm driving here!"
She shot Jayka a sharp look.
"And you—familiar. Is that how you talk to your owner? I could report you if you try anything stupid again. You're already a wanted poster."
Jayka puffed his cheeks angrily but finally sat down, mumbling to himself.
Peace.
At last.
Taking advantage of the silence, I gathered my courage and turned to Ariam.
"Hey… that magic you used earlier—what kind was it?"
She glanced at me.
"You really might have lost your memory," she said. "You know nothing about this world."
"Of course he doesn't," Jayka muttered. "That just made him dumber than before."
THWACK.
I gave him a clean karate chop to the head.
"OW!"
He jumped up and immediately started swinging punches at me.
And just like that—
A full-blown human-versus-familiar war broke out inside the truck.
"STOP IT, BOTH OF YOU!" Ariam shouted as the vehicle started swerving wildly.
"Do you want us to crash?!"
The truck shook like it was dancing to music no one could hear.
Somehow, Ariam managed to regain control.
Jayka stumbled backward and collapsed on the floor, trying to recover.
Ariam sighed.
"Finally. The rodent is down."
She shook her head.
"I don't understand you two. Can't you stay quiet? You're going to blow our cover."
Then she continued,
"My magic is called reality warp magic. It allows me to change reality itself."
I leaned forward, interested.
"It works differently depending on the user," she explained. "In my case, I can transform objects into other things. But there are limits. I can't change anything equal to or larger than my size—it would drain too much energy."
"Well, that's disappointing," Jayka muttered from the floor.
"And the rodent is back," Ariam replied instantly.
"I am NOT a rodent!" he snapped. "And don't act all superior just because you have rare magic. I've heard only nobles have that kind of power. So how did someone like you get it?"
Ariam's expression went cold.
"That's none of your concern."
Silence.
Then—
More muttering.
More glaring.
I decided to ignore them and looked out the window.
Reality warp magic…
That sounded amazing.
If I had that kind of power…
I'd be rich.
Famous.
Surrounded by girls.
…
Yeah.
Still stuck with my current situation.
Eventually, Ariam suddenly shushed Jayka again.
He tried to argue—
But I quickly covered his mouth.
"Look ahead," I whispered.
He followed my gaze.
Guards.
His eyes widened.
He immediately understood and jumped back into the trash bag without a word.
Smart rodent.
As we approached the gate, one of the guards stepped forward.
"ID."
Ariam handed it over.
While he checked it, another guard walked around the truck, inspecting everything.
He reached the back.
Checked the trash.
Then moved toward us.
"What's in the bag?" he asked, pointing at Jayka's hiding spot.
Ariam didn't hesitate.
"Just extra trash. The back is full, so we kept it here."
The guard stared at us.
Long.
Suspiciously.
Then—
He burst out laughing.
"You people are funny," he said. "Putting trash in the front seat instead of just leaving it behind?"
I forced a smile.
"Just doing our job," Ariam replied calmly.
He shook his head and walked back.
I exhaled slowly.
That was close.
I glanced at the back of the truck.
Completely filled with trash.
I thought Ariam planned that.
But then—
She whispered under her breath,
"Thank goodness the back was actually full…"
…
Wait.
So that wasn't planned?!
The first guard handed back the ID.
"You may proceed."
The gate opened.
And just like that—
We left the city.
As we moved forward, the atmosphere changed.
The bright, lively world faded behind us.
What replaced it…
Was dark.
Cold.
Unsettling.
For the first time since arriving in this world—
I felt fear.
We continued driving through the eerie land until we reached a massive glowing pit.
Ariam pointed at it.
"That's where all the trash is dumped. It gets recycled and sent back into the city."
I stared at it.
Even in a place like this…
This world still had systems.
Strange ones.
But still.
We drove past the pit.
Then—
I saw them.
Mountains.
Tall.
Dark.
Covered in a gloomy glow.
Ariam smiled.
"That's the Nilelands."
My heart skipped.
"Just a little more," she said. "We're almost there."
Then she kicked the trash bag lightly.
"Come out, rodent. We're clear."
Jayka crawled out, stretching again.
"Seriously… do you want to kill me?" he complained. "I was having a nice nap in there."
I stared at him.
"…You slept?"
Inside a trash bag?
During a high-risk escape?
Unbelievable.
He ignored me and suddenly froze.
Then—
He leaped forward to the front of the truck.
His eyes widened.
Completely mesmerized.
"The Nilelands…"