BRAND NEW WORLD-Chapter 59: More Than Just a New Game

"Lun, are you alright?" Rima asked anxiously.

Despite her concern, her gaze remained sharp, never leaving Tiamat in the distance. The hand resting at her thigh was poised, magic ready to be unleashed at any moment.

"Rim, wait! I think you’ve misunderstood!" I shouted.

"Huh? What do you mean, misunderstood?" Rima replied, confused.

After a moment, strength slowly returned to my knees and legs, and I managed to stand again.

"Rim... he’s not an enemy," I whispered.

"Not an enemy? Didn’t he almost attack you earlier?" Rima shot back.

I then explained everything that had happened. Rima fell silent, sinking into thought.

"If he’s not an enemy, then who is he?" she asked.

"That’s what I want to find out. So let’s hear what he has to say first."

Rima hesitated for a moment before finally replying, "Alright. But if I feel even a little that he’s suspicious or untrustworthy, we leave immediately."

I nodded in agreement.

After we reached an understanding, I called Tiamat over. He approached slowly, stopping about ten meters away.

My heart pounded as I imagined the answer he was about to give.

Alright... It’s time for the truth.

"Tiamat, tell me—why do you call me ’Milady’?"

Tiamat fell silent. That silence only made me more uneasy, my heartbeat growing louder.

"There is someone who ordered me to protect Milady whenever she is in danger."

"Someone... ordered you?" Rima murmured.

That’s what I thought too. Who exactly is this ’master’ he’s talking about?

"Yes. You heard correctly," Tiamat replied.

"Then who, exactly, gave you that order?" I asked.

Tiamat paused briefly before answering.

"Lord Radhimar."

The name struck my ears like a bolt of lightning from a clear sky. In an instant, memories flooded my mind—all of them connected to Radhimar. The memories of helping Bara finally became clear now that his name had been spoken. The face that had once been vague was now unmistakably real.

My heart raced wildly. My chest tightened. Emotions surged within me—anger, longing, joy, sadness—everything tangled together into a single storm.

"Ugh..."

My breathing faltered. My hands trembled, and my voice failed me.

Then, suddenly, my vision blurred...

Luna lost consciousness, her body collapsing instantly. Rima caught her just before she hit the ground.

"Hey! What did you do to my sister?!" Rima shouted, glaring at Tiamat.

"I didn’t do anything," Tiamat replied, raising all four of his hands.

"Liar! You must’ve done something to her, didn’t you?!" Rima accused.

"I swear I did nothing. Lady Luna is Lord Radhimar’s wife—and therefore my master as well. It would be impossible for me to harm her."

Rima fell silent, still eyeing Tiamat suspiciously before turning her gaze to Luna lying in her arms.

"Lun! Lun! Wake up!" Rima gently patted Luna’s cheeks, but she remained unconscious.

Rima clenched her teeth.

"I’m taking Luna to the city. You’re coming too—this is your responsibility as well," Rima ordered, her eyes still filled with suspicion.

Tiamat simply nodded.

With Luna in her arms, Rima flew toward the city, while Tiamat followed behind.

"Uhm... where... am I?"

When I opened my eyes, I found myself in an unfamiliar room. A canopy bed, luxurious furnishings, and sturdy walls filled the space.

Why am I here? I remember... I was with Rima and... Tiamat!

As I struggled to recall—

"Luna!" Rima rushed into the room.

"Thank goodness you’re awake," she said with a relieved sigh.

"What happened? And where are we, Rim?"

"You fainted earlier. We’re at an inn in Rantjah City now," Rima explained.

"How long was I unconscious?"

"Just one day. Thank goodness you’re alright—you really scared me," Rima said, letting out a long breath.

"Tiamat... where is he now?"

"Because his body’s too large, he’s waiting somewhere else," Rima replied.

"Then let’s go see him. I want to know more about Radhimar."

I got out of bed, changed clothes, and left the room.

"Oh, right—Clive! How is he?"

As I asked while stepping out with Rima, Clive was already seated on a sofa outside.

"Clive! I’m glad you made it safely to the city."

Clive stood up. "It’s all thanks to you, Milady. Thank you very much," he said, bowing slightly.

"How did you get here?" I asked.

In response, Clive explained everything.

After separating from us, Clive drove the carriage at full speed. The passengers panicked at first, but once they’d put enough distance between themselves and the danger—and no one was chasing them anymore—they calmed down. After exiting the forest, they encountered Rima flying overhead, who explained the situation. Rima then rushed to find me, while Clive and the others continued to the city. Upon reaching the city gates, Clive waited for us.

Not long after, Rima arrived carrying my unconscious body, accompanied by a massive, tall, black-skinned Draconian. Naturally, Clive was shocked. He followed Rima and Tiamat to one of the city’s luxury inns.

Once there, Rima immediately laid me down to rest.

"Viscount Inda and Guild Master Amara came to check on you yesterday while you were still unconscious," Clive added.

"I see..."

"Come on, Lun. I’ll take you to where Tiamat is," Rima said.

The three of us then left the inn.

The sun shone brightly in the east as people bustled about their morning routines, and we walked through the streets of Rantjah City. After a while, Rima stopped.

"Rim, why did we stop?"

"We’re here," she replied.

"Huh?"

I hadn’t even realized we’d arrived. All along the way, my thoughts had been consumed by what Tiamat might tell me about Radhimar. When I came back to myself, we were standing before the gate of a towering mansion. A four-meter-high gate stood guarded by two sentries.

"They’re with me," Rima said to the guards.

The guards nodded and opened the gate.

"Let’s go," Rima said, stepping inside.

Clive and I followed behind her.

Inside the mansion grounds, we were greeted by a beautifully maintained green garden, trees trimmed with meticulous care.

I’ve seen stuff like this on TV before. Rich people really do have strange hobbies.

We eventually arrived in front of the grand mansion. Several people were gathered there as if to welcome guests. Two figures stood at the center, while servants lined up neatly behind them.

"Good morning, Miss Rima! And good morning to you as well, Miss Luna!" the middle-aged man greeted us.

"Good morning, Inda," Rima replied.

"G-good morning."

"Lun, allow me to introduce him—this is Viscount Inda, the ruler of Rantjah City," Rima said, gesturing toward the man.

"Oh my, Miss Rima, you flatter me. Calling me a ruler makes me sound like a dictator. I’m just a humble official, hohoho," Viscount Inda said with a chuckle.

Spoken like someone with a massive mansion and countless guards.

"And this..."

I turned toward the woman beside him—a beautiful, elegant woman with dark skin and long, pointed ears.

A Dark Elf? This is my first time seeing one.

"...is the Guild Master of Rantjah City’s Adventurers’ Guild. Her name is Amara," Rima continued.

"Samprazan," Amara greeted us, bowing slightly with her hands clasped before her chest.

Oh? Is that a Dark Elf greeting?

Instinctively, I returned the bow, mimicking her gesture. Rima also introduced Clive to them, naturally, without mentioning that he was an intelligence agent.

"What about him? Is he still there?" Rima asked.

"Yes, he’s still there," Viscount Inda replied.

"Then we’ll head over," Rima said.

"I’ll guide you," Viscount Inda added.

"Um, Miss Rima? I think I’ll wait here," Clive said.

Rima glanced at him briefly. "Alright."

Rima and I were led toward the back of the mansion. There, a vast, serene garden stretched out before us. At its center stood a small wooden pavilion.

"Are you ready, Lun?" Rima asked.

I took a deep breath and nodded. We walked toward the center of the garden, where Tiamat sat with his eyes closed and his arms folded. As we approached, he opened his eyes, stood up, and bowed slightly. Rima returned the gesture with a nod.

"Lun?"

Even though my chest feels tight and breathing is hard, I have to ask. Maybe then I’ll finally understand where we truly are in this world.

I drew in a deep breath.

"Radhimar... is the Radhimar you mentioned, a blond high elf?"

"Yes, Milady," Tiamat replied.

My body stiffened instantly. My heart pounded, my breathing grew ragged.

"Hah... hah..."

"Lun!" Rima wrapped her arms around me.

So it was true. The Radhimar Tiamat spoke of was the same Radhimar I knew—my fellow player in The New World Online, my partner in countless adventures.

Which meant... he was in this world too.

I took another breath.

"Where is he now?"

"I’m sorry, Milady. I do not know," Tiamat answered.

"Huh?"

"What do you mean you don’t know?" Rima interjected.

"He never told me where he was going. So I truly don’t know," Tiamat explained.

"That settles it—it’s definitely him, Lun," Rima said with a smile. "Thank goodness. He’s still alive. The children will be so happy to hear this."

"Yes... Rania and the others will be happy."

"Hm... but knowing him... he’s probably off enjoying himself somewhere with young women—oops," Rima added with a wry smile, quickly covering her mouth.

At that moment, countless memories flooded my mind—hunting monsters together, traveling side by side, and so many other moments with Radhimar. They were supposed to be memories from a game, yet here, they felt painfully real.

There were so many questions I wanted to ask—but without any leads, answers would be hard to come by.

As I drifted into thought, I realized Tiamat and Rima were both watching me.

"Ah, sorry. I got lost in my thoughts," I said with a faint smile. "Oh, and... thank you. For saving me."

"You’re too kind, Milady," Tiamat replied.

"By the way... why were you there in the first place?" I asked.

"I was originally guarding a seal, but I sensed an enormous surge of mana and went to investigate. It turned out to be coming from you, Milady," Tiamat answered.

"Guarding a seal?"

"A seal? Wait—do you mean the Forbidden Land?" Rima asked.

"Yes, Miss Rima," Tiamat replied.

"Rim, you know about that?"

"Yes. That’s actually the reason we came to the Kingdom of Nyrranthea in the first place," Rima explained.

"?"

"The Queen of Nyrranthea invited us to discuss that matter," she added.

"Where exactly is this Forbidden Land?" I asked.

"Do you have a map with you?" Tiamat asked.

Rima pulled out an old parchment from her spatial storage and handed it to him. Tiamat spread it out on a nearby table.

"It’s... here," he said, pointing to a vast grassland area.

This location... if I’m not mistaken, players used to farm bosses there.

Back then, that area was a popular spot for boss farming—not inside the city, but on the wide grasslands outside, perfect for hunting powerful monsters.

"Why do you have to guard that place?" I asked Tiamat.

"Because it’s sealed," Rima answered.

"Miss Rima is correct. We were tasked with sealing that place because there is a boss monster inside... or so Lord Radhimar told us," Tiamat explained.

I see... so a player must have summoned a boss monster but failed to defeat it. After this world became real, the boss remained.

"Wait. You said ’we.’ Who exactly is ’we’?" I asked.

"Yes. We—the loyal servants of Lord Radhimar," Tiamat replied.

Tiamat was a level 500 NPC in the game. There’s no way he could’ve been a playable character.

"Don’t tell me... the other servants are level 500 too?"

"You are correct, Milady," Tiamat answered.

Hearing that, all I could do was rub my forehead.

So the rumors about him being an admin were actually true...