Isekai No Gakusei: Students From Another World
The Unexpected Meeting

Early in the morning, Darren had already packed up his things and went down to the bottom floor of the inn. There, Clara and Good were already standing waiting for him.

Darren was relieved to see the two of them. They seemed to have forgotten about the conversation last night, and there was no awkward feeling between the two. It can be seen from the way Clara spoke that was full of jokes.

"Hi everyone," Darren approached them.

They both looked at it at the same time. "Finally you arrived too," Welcomed Clara, while Good only smiled lightly.

Without saying much, they immediately left the inn and went north of the city.

Fueno City is a big city. It may almost resemble a province. Going to the other side of town takes a long time.

Despite the size of the city, Fueno remains a safe city that has a small criminal figure. In addition to slavery, things like theft and robbery are rare.

This is because the police force in the city has a direct relationship with the government military. Anyone caught committing a crime will be brought directly to the King and punished.

But lately, the view of the city feels a bit different. Clara herself frowned when she saw a lot of homeless people wandering on the sidewalk.

"They..." Darren said, looking at the sight.

"Yes. They are the ones who have lost everything. Houses, possessions, and even the people they care about" Clara continued. "Those who cannot pay taxes end up losing their homes and living in poverty. Their property was exhausted, and to live was difficult. There may have been casualties from that."

"It turns out that the new policy really makes people miserable, yes" Darren said.

Four hours away by foot, Darren and his friends arrive in the northern part of Fueno. The view there hasn't changed much either. Many tramps were sitting by the roadside, with open arms asking for mercy.

"His love" Darren said. He took a loaf of bread and gave it to one of the men there. But Clara quickly stopped him.

"Stop, Esema," he said as he pulled Darren. "Don't just feed with your hands. You might be considered harassing them."

"Impressed how? I obviously just want to feed them."

"People you give may be happy, but those who see will think you're demeaning to them" Clara said. "That's the same as elevating yourself and thinking demons are just weak beings in need of help."

Darren was rather surprised to hear that explanation. But now he knows why Dyland was so angry before when he saw Shiro with him.

It turns out that here too, the position and the fact are very much in guard. A human like Darren who is an outsider should really keep his attitude. Even doing good has consequences.

"Clara-san," Nicely called out, while pointing to a shop across the street. "This is the drugstore."

They're coming in soon. Not much different from the previous store, the store was filled with people. The queue extended out to the exit of the building.

"Why is every drug store we visit always crowded?" Darren.

"Maybe because of the effect of the new policy. Many people can't afford healthy food, and end up getting sick" Clara replies. "Esema-kun, can you use your weather magic again?"

"Could certainly."

Darren cast his spell slowly. "Weather Modification."

The rain fell and dispersed the crowd. Darren and his friends immediately went to the store and broke through the remaining lines.

A few people there looked at the three of them with annoyance from the ambush, yet a young man standing guard at the cashier only smiled and greeted them.

"Can I help you?" Said the young man.

Clara took the broken glass out of her pocket and placed it on the table.

"Have you ever felt like selling this bottle?" Ask Clara.

The young man leaned over and observed the broken glass above his desk. Sometimes he sniffed his nose and nodded as if he saw the shape of a bottle of broken glass.

"I'm sorry, but I never sold this" said the young man. "But I know who sold it."

"REally?!" Reply Clara enthusiastically.

"Yes. I know clearly from the smell. And also, from the shape of the shards, this bottle is indeed designed to be broken," continued the young man.

"Cracked?"

"Yes. This bottle is designed with a slightly oval section at the end, serving to increase the precision when thrown. The oblong section also works as a handle. When thrown, it feels like throwing a knife. In addition, the glass is also made not too thick, so it can immediately break once it hits something."

Clara nodded.

The young man continued, "And from the smell of the medicine, the effect should have been gone a long time ago. But I can still recognize him. This sleeping drug has a very high dose. Without having to consume it, the smell of this drug is also able to make people who breathe it sound asleep."

After hearing that, Darren immediately guessed what happened. "So chances are, the intruder put everyone to sleep before killing them. Yes, that must be the way," Inner Darren. "But, this is still not enough to explain why he left Tora and Hain."

Clara continued. "Then, who sold this potion?"

The young man replied. "A shop in the east of the city, run by an elderly woman. There you can find many types of drugs and potions. But I think you should be careful when you go there."

The three of them frowned in wonder. "Emang why?"

The young man whispered softly. "The shop sells a lot of illegal drugs. If you buy something there, you'll probably be suspected of buying weird stuff."

Clara nodded. "All right, I get it. Thanks for the information."

The three of them went and left the store feeling satisfied and curious about what was waiting for them in the next store.

"Can we really trust him?" Good Ask.

"Maybe. At least we got a lead" Clara replied. "Right you, Esema-kun?"

Darren retaliated. "Y-Yes."

Clara looked at Darren. He saw Darren's slightly complicated face and full of question marks.

"What's up, Esema-kun? You look confused" asked Clara.

"Yes, there's actually something that's kind of bothering me" Darren said.

"What's that?"

"Strong sleeping banquet, and a bottle designed to be thrown. Don't you feel like this refers to something?"

"yes too. Something is not right" said Clara.

It's good to say, "So you mean, the intruder used the drug to knock everyone unconscious, then kill them?"

Darren nodded. "Yes, but that's not all."

Good and Clara looked at him seriously while continuing to walk.

"It makes no sense why Tora and Hain were left alive. There is no benefit for the perpetrator" Darren said, explaining his opinion. "So far we think that the intruder has done its job. It was to take back the magic stone. However, with Hain and Tora remaining alive, there must be some intent behind it all."

"yes too. I think I'm starting to understand what you mean" Sahut Clara. "So likely, the intruder still had other goals in the organization. And he purposely used Tora and Hain for his purposes. But, what's the purpose of that?"

"For his purposes in the organization, I still don't understand. But leaving Tora and Hain behind, I'm sure he wants to use them both for something. Like, to cover his tracks."

"Covering tracks? How could it be?" Good reply. "If he wanted to erase his tracks, wouldn't it be better to kill everyone?"

"That's one way. However, killing everyone would only cover his tracks. But it doesn't make the task easier" replied Darren.

"Don't, you mean-" Clara said.

Darren nodded. "Yes. The two of them might either be victims of slander, or be false witnesses."

Clara scowls. Hearing this news greatly disturbed him.

"Just as soon as we get back, we have to look at both of them" Clara said, the road gets faster.

"Well" Darren replied.

After which, they immediately accelerated their pace to search for the nearest inn. However, something caught their attention in the street.

"Wine. Quickly cover your faces with a scarf!" Clara suddenly panicked.

Darren quickly covered his face, as well as Nice. As he looked towards the road, it turned out that a horde of horse carriages were walking in the rain.

"Are they the royal army?" Ask Darren. "Somehow it looks so familiar."

"Yes. Anyway, stay calm. Don't make any suspicious moves" replied Clara. "Walk as usual. Don't look at them for too long. Assume we don't see anything."

"Well," Reply Darren.

They immediately turned their faces and looked straight ahead. Darren tries to walk as naturally as possible, but his nervousness makes him look like a walking statue. Very stiff.

But, Clara instead looked the most panicked among them. Somehow he kept walking while lowering his head, and also his whole arm trembled.

Things became more and more chaotic when suddenly the horse carriage stopped right beside them.

"You guys there," Someone got off the train and called them.

Darren and his friends continued to walk without turning their heads, pretending as if they had heard nothing. But the person approached them and pulled Darren's shoulders violently.

"I'm talking to you guys" he said, trying to see Darren's face.

But, the man instantly fell silent. And Darren too. The two men looked at each other.

"K-You-" They both say the same sentence together.

"Michael!?" Darren surprised.

"You!" Michael also shouted in surprise.

Spontaneous, Clara and Nice immediately pulled Darren from it. "Esema-kun, come with me!"

They ran away from there. Michael immediately ordered his troops to pursue them.

While running, Darren thinks about how Michael got here. This was the land of demons, and there were naturally rare humans here.

"You recognize that guy?" Ask Clara while running.

"Yes, slightly. We have a history" said Darren.

"The story later. The important thing is that we have to escape first" Sahut Bagus.

While they were running, Michael did not come after them. He remained standing near the carriage as he clenched his palm furiously.

"I don't think he's here" he said exasperatedly. "Little human base."

From the train, another man came out. A man dressed in white with a shiny stick in his left hand.

"Michael-dono, what's wrong?" Said the man while covering his head from the rainwater.

Michael immediately bowed his body. "I'm sorry servant, Holy Priest. But, I met him."

"With him? Ah, is he?" Reply priest.

"Yes. The servant had ordered some people to chase after him. But, he seems to be bringing some friends."

"Friends, huh? Fascinating."

Seeing the Holy Priest standing in the rain, Michael immediately asked him to go back into the carriage.

"Sacred Priest, please return to your carriage. You cannot protect yourself from the rain. If something happens to you, the servant will probably be humbled by the Servant King."

"Yes, yeah. I'll come back" said the pastor back into his carriage, followed by Michael behind him.

.

.

.

"I felt something unique between the three of them."