Chapter 3: Console
"R...Ragnar... You are alive?!"
While Ragnar was still trying to figure out a way out of his embarrassing situation, a loud yet steady masculine voice from the crowd behind him spoke in astonishment, addressing him.
Ragnar tilted his head toward the speaker, a tall youth with an impoverished, slender physique. Long, messy black hair framed his face, and his dark eyes shone with astonishment as they observed Ragnar. He looked no older than eighteen.
The words of the youth seemed to have triggered some reaction in the chattering crowd, as they instantly turned silent.
Their eyes were now fixed on Ragnar.
Including the wailing mother, the two older women consoling her, and even the sobbing husband, all paid extreme attention to Ragnar.
The new influx of attention made Ragnar very nervous and curious. He could not help but wonder what the status of the original Ragnar of this world meant to the others, and what had happened prior to his transmigration. Seeing as the boy was surprised to see him alive, he thought the original Ragnar might be deadly sick or had gone missing.
But his deduction was far from the actual lore.
While Ragnar was lost in thought, the wailing mother took her time to observe his visage with the help of the dull light from the clay oil lamp, and her expression twisted as she yelled, "It is really Ragnar.... He is alive?!"
As she yelled, she began crawling backward as though she had just seen a ghost. The other woman beside her followed suit.
They created a small distance and observed Ragnar with sincere astonishment, one that could be easily mistaken for horror.
Their actions were a confirmation for the crowd outside, and it sparked further reactions.