The rhythmic thub-thub-thub of hooves in the ground slowed as the carriage began its approach toward the massive city gates.
Inside the cabin, the earlier conversation had faded into a comfortable silence, replaced by the sheer magnetic pull of the world outside.
Nico was practically glued to the glass on his side.
From a distance, the crowd waiting to enter the city had looked like a singular, colorful smudge against the grey stone walls.
But now, as the carriage drew closer, that smudge resolved into a living, breathing painting of fantasy demographics.
There were rows upon rows of wagons and worn-down carriages, piled high with crates and large travel bags.
People on their feet stood in another line, creating a chaotic sea of colors and shapes that made Nico's heart race.
It was the "Isekai Package" in its purest form.
He saw the tall, lithe figures of the Elves with pointed ears, dressed in flowing robes of emerald and silver that seemed to catch the sunlight even in the shade.
They stood with an effortless grace, contrasting with the Dwarves beside them, who were clad in sturdy leathers and heavy iron-toed boots and beards braided with intricate metal rings.
There were Beastfolk of every variety, wearing clothes that looked strikingly similar to the fantasy-Japanese style Nico remembered from Earth. Loose happi coats, wrapped tunics, and wide trousers, all tailored to accommodate twitching tails.
And towering over the rest were the Demons.
They were magnificent men and women with pale skin and impressive physiques with obsidian-black horns coming out of their heads.
They wore simple, practical tunics similar to the humans, though sized up significantly to fit their broad shoulders.
It was a kaleidoscope of culture with races that seemed like they had no business standing in the same line, yet here they were, coexisting in a vibrant, noisy mess of civilization.
"So many people…" Nom-Nom whispered, her voice filled with a sincere, breathless wonder.
She was pressed against the opposite window, her seven-foot frame hunched slightly to get a better angle.
For a dragon who had spent five hundred years trapped in the isolation of a remote island, this wasn't just a crowd. It was a revelation.
She watched a beastkin mother adjusting the sash on her child's tunic with a look of absolute fascination, as if witnessing a miracle.
She then tracked the movements of a dwarf arguing over the price of an apple with a human merchant ahead of him in line, absorbing every gesture, every expression.
Even usually stone-faced Peko looked out at the scene with a rare smile gracing her lips, enjoying the sheer liveliness of it all.
As the carriage reached the gate, the driver steered the horses toward the priority lane reserved for nobility and military officials, bringing the cabin parallel to the waiting line.
The line of refugees and travelers was now right in front of Nom-Nom's window, separated only by a pane of glass and a few feet of air.
And as the carriage rolled slowly past them, the chatter in the line died down.
Nico noticed it first as hundreds of eyes of every race turned in unison to look at them.
At first, Nico assumed the tension was just the standard class divide and the resentment of the masses watching a "Noble" cut the line with a VIP pass.
But that theory shattered the moment he locked eyes with a beastkin woman in the front row.
She didn't look angry. She looked petrified as she instinctively grabbed her child, pulling the small fox-eared boy behind her legs while trembling visibly.
Nico frowned, scanning the rest of the crowd and found pure unadulterated awe mixed with fear.
[Why?]
As he glanced outside, he caught the reflection of the person sitting beside him on the glass.
There, reflected in the glass pane, were Nom-Nom's wide, shimmering violet slit pupils.
She was staring…intently and unblinkingly at the people outside, with a toothy grin plastered on her face as if she were trying to burn every single detail of them into her brain.
Nico internally face-palmed.
[Of course… If I were just some guy standing in line and I saw a Greater Dragon staring at me with that level of intensity on top of that grin, I'd probably wet myself.]
To Nom-Nom, it was just curiosity. But to the average mortal, it looked like a predator selecting its lunch.
"Nom," Nico said, letting out a gentle cough. "Don't look at them like that… Don't forget you're an apex predator to them."
Nom-Nom snapped out of her trance before looking back at Nico, then at the terrified people outside, and realized what she had done.
Her eyes drooped as she pulled back from the window and sat properly in her seat.
"I'm sorry…" she murmured, looking down at her lap. "I didn't mean to scare anyone."
"I know," Nico said with a sigh and a small, reassuring smile. "Just… try looking at them with a friendly smile… Gently wave your hand. And maybe don't press your face against the glass and stare at everyone's face."
Hesitating for a second, she then nodded.
Nom-Nom leaned forward again, making sure to keep a respectful distance from the glass this time before softening her expression into a gentle smile, and raised her hand in a small wave.
The change wasn't drastic, but it was instant.
The abject terror in the front row seemed to thaw.
They were still wary, but the Dragon behind the glass suddenly looked less like she was internally debating which one of them would taste the best, and more like a curious traveller.
Then, there was movement.
A small demon boy, no older than five, peeked out from behind his mother's leg.
He had pale skin and tiny, nubby black horns poking out of his forehead.
He stared up at the seven-foot dragon-woman, blinked his big, bright eyes, and put on a brave face.
Then, with a grin wide enough to show off a missing tooth, he raised his little hand and waved back.
Nom-Nom instantly beamed as her face lit up with joy, and she waved back harder.
Watching the exchange, Nico chuckled, shaking his head as a wave of surrealism washed over him.
Back on Earth, he had only ever read or dreamt about scenes like this while laying on a hospital bed.
And now here he was.
Riding in a gold-trimmed carriage through a fantasy city, surrounded by magic and races he thought were fiction, equipped with a System that gave him Time powers and a similarly broken innate affinity, and accompanied by two companions he would trust with his life.
For a fleeting moment, he couldn't help but feel like this was one long, and incredibly detailed lucid dream.
[I don't want to go back to that hospital bed.]
He thought, feeling a sudden lump forming in his throat.
Across from him, Dove watched the interaction with a quiet intensity.
She saw the genuine regret in Nom-Nom's eyes when she realized she had scared the people.
She saw the softness in Nico's expression as he coached her.
[Watching them closely… they appear to be rather harmless,] Dove thought with a small, involuntary smile touching her lips.
[If I didn't know they were highly trained Pantheon operatives, I'd even say they were… kind people.]
Her gaze then slid to the side before landing on the third member of the group.
Peko sat silently beside her, staring out the window with an expression that gave away absolutely nothing.
And Dove's smile faded slightly.
[Except that one… I cannot tell what she is thinking at all.]