IWTGHFW CHAPTER 32

Episode 32

The next morning, my eyes snapped open the moment I woke up.
I thought, If only I could feel this lighthearted every day before work, and looked out the window — the weather was gorgeous.
The sweltering summer had passed, and the cool autumn breeze was arriving.
Come to think of it, it had already been more than half a year since I came here. Time really flies.

Normally, I might have gotten sentimental, reflecting on things like whether I was truly an outsider here, pretending to ponder deep thoughts.
But not today.
Today was vacation day!

I grabbed the bag I had prepared in advance the day before and headed to the meeting place. Mishi, who had arrived ahead of me, waved when she saw me.
Mien had already left the day before, saying she would let her family know and get things ready.

“Ron… I mean, the Captain?”
“He went to the warp zone first. We can head there too.”

Mishi lifted the hood of the robe tightly wrapped around her face and smiled faintly. Ah, how is it that even this early in the morning, you’re so pretty and handsome — radiating pure prettysome charm?
Just looking at her face was healing. After soaking in that healing for a while, I finally made my way to the warp zone.

Warp.
Seriously, warp!

The closer we got to the warp zone, the more my heart pounded with a mix of excitement and anticipation. I still couldn’t quite believe I was about to experience something so magical.
Then again, I hadn’t experienced it yet, so maybe that was why it didn’t feel real.

The warp zone turned out to be simpler than I had imagined — just a small office next to the main palace with the sign “Warp Zone” written above it. I was slightly disappointed, but the heavily armed guards standing around — in stark contrast to the modest building — quickly rekindled my excitement.

Normally, you had to go through multiple rounds of identity checks to enter, but thanks to the influence of the crown prince and the commander of the royal knights, we were able to get in without any inspection.

Some of the staff eyed Mishi suspiciously under her robe, but no one dared openly question her when Ron was standing right beside her.

We passed through the lobby and descended the stairs into a massive cavern. On the floor was a large magic circle, and my eyes sparkled as I stepped closer.

“Wow, this is a warp magic circle…”

I clasped my hands and spoke dreamily. Ron patted my head and explained:
“All existing warp zones were made during the ancient era of magic. Even if someone wanted to make one now, they couldn’t — there are no mages left to draw the circles.”
“So they can only be operated, right?”
“Exactly. And even then, each use consumes an enormous amount of magic stones.”
“Then it must be ridiculously expensive?”
“It is. But still… it can be worth using sometimes.”

Ron spoke casually, but later, Mien told me, “Think of it as losing a mansion in the capital every time you warp.”
After hearing that, I was shocked at just how rich Ron must be.

Still unaware of this at the time, I followed the staff’s instructions and stood at the center of the magic circle, heart brimming with anticipation. Ron’s hand lifted from my head as he stepped back. For a moment, I thought I saw a flicker of regret in his eyes — but maybe it was just my imagination.

“Have a good trip. When you come back, use the warp zone over there. Just letting you know in advance.”
“Got it. Thanks, Captain.”
“A week should be enough, right?”
“Yep, see you in a week.”

Ron waved with a regretful expression, saying the knight order would be quiet for the week. I felt a little guilty and waved back even more enthusiastically.

To be fair, there were only two administrative staff in the whole order, and both of us taking vacation at the same time was pretty irresponsible. The fact that Ron allowed it at all was impressive.

The staff warned us we might get a bit dizzy, and then the magic circle blazed with light.
So this was warp.
The light grew brighter, wrapping around us until it was so dazzling it blocked my vision. I shut my eyes tightly.

“…Huh?”
When I opened them again, instead of being greeted by Mien’s family as planned, the first thing I saw was the dazzlingly blue ocean.

My first thought was, Yep, vacation is the best. Whoo, the sea!
My second thought was, Wait… why is the warp zone in the middle of the ocean?

And that was the problem.
We were in the middle of the ocean.

All around us — left, right, every direction — nothing but sea. The endless horizon stretched wide open before us.
We were standing on a tiny island in the middle of nowhere.

I turned to Mishi, hoping she might know something, but she looked just as bewildered, her hands fidgeting outside her robe.
“Mishi, you don’t know either?”
“No idea. The warp zone in the Remiblanc County is just like the one in the imperial palace. It’s never in the middle of the sea like this.”
“Could someone have moved the warp zone?”
“Impossible. There’s no mage capable of redrawing the magic circle.”
“Then what is this?”
“Beats me.”

Mishi threw off her stifling robe. Her black hair fluttered beautifully in the sea breeze… Not the time for that.

She narrowed her eyes at the sea, so I did the same. I still only saw the horizon, but apparently, she spotted something.
“There are a lot of islands nearby. If there are this many, then this must be an archipelago. Don’t tell me…”
“Don’t tell you what?”
“This isn’t… the Aint Kingdom, is it?”
“The Aint Kingdom? You mean the one that’s been picking fights with the Empire lately…?”

While I didn’t know much about the Empire’s internal affairs, I did know a bit about the border regions.
The Aint Kingdom was located east of the Kashian Empire — a maritime nation formed from a cluster of islands, constantly eyeing the mainland and stirring trouble with the Empire.
In short, they were currently the Empire’s most formidable enemy.

“Oh? There’s a ship coming!”

I looked out over the water and spotted something shaped like a ship. Hiding wasn’t an option — the island was so small there was nowhere to go.
So Mishi and I could only watch as the ship drew closer. Soon, we could see the flag fluttering in the wind — a design I recognized from the time the knights had used it for a dartboard.

Which meant I knew exactly what it was.
“That’s… an Aint Kingdom warship!”

“Ah!”
The moment Ail and Mishi vanished in a flash of light, the warp zone operator let out a scream.

Ron, still lingering in regret after seeing Ail off, turned toward the operator with a questioning look. The man spoke nervously:
“I… I input the wrong coordinates…”
“What?! Where to?!”
“I think… to the Kingdom.”
“Where?!”

Ron’s furious shout made the man shrink back.
“T-to the Aint Kingdom…”
“Are you telling me Ail just warped into the Aint Kingdom?!”

The operator nodded miserably, as if confessing a mortal sin. Ron looked ready to grab him by the collar when Shun, who had just arrived, stepped in to stop him.
After hearing the story, Shun frowned.

“Warp zones can only be operated when both sides are active. If they ended up in the Aint Kingdom, then their warp zone must’ve been active too.”
“I… I’m not sure…”
“Check again.”

Trembling, the operator rechecked the coordinates and nodded. No matter how many times he looked, the coordinates were indeed set to the Aint Kingdom’s warp zone.

Ron glared at the man, then at Shun for restraining him, before stomping off in frustration.
The operator looked pleadingly at Shun, but Shun kept his eyes on Ron’s retreating figure and said calmly:
“Everyone makes mistakes.”

The operator’s face relaxed — until Shun added:
“But some mistakes… are worth execution, you idiot.”

Why is my life always so chaotic?
I just wanted a normal job, retire quietly… but no.

First, I got in a traffic accident.
Then I woke up in another world — in someone else’s body.
Then, as a mere commoner clerk, I somehow got tangled up with the crown prince, the princes, and a string of high-ranking nobles.
And now… a king?

“I was expecting to greet a diplomatic envoy, but what is this…?”

That’s my line.
So, to sum it up —

Apparently, the imperial warp zone staffer sent us to the wrong place. And the wrong place — the Aint Kingdom — just happened to have their warp zone active because they were waiting for another diplomatic delegation.
Thanks to this ridiculous coincidence, we safely(?) warped into the Aint Kingdom.

The first ship we saw had been sent to pick up the envoy from the Duchy of Shium. They mistook us for them and treated us with extreme hospitality.
Unable to correct them at first, we were eventually brought before the king himself — and finally confessed the truth.

The King of Aint stared down at us with an incredulous expression.
“So you’re staff from the Kashian Empire’s palace? You were going on vacation and used the warp, and somehow ended up here?”
“Yes, that’s correct.”
“Even in the Empire, ordinary staff can’t use warp zones, can they?”

A sharp question.
While I was still scrambling for an answer, Mishi spoke first:
“Sir Ron helped us.”
“Sir Ron?”
“Yes. Sir Ron is the commander of the royal knights. This friend here works in the knight order’s administrative office.”
“Hmm…”

The king made a thoughtful noise, resting his chin on his hand.
This was no time to be admiring appearances, but I couldn’t help quietly marveling at how handsome he was.

To be continued…