...
As Marco joined Nina and Aily, sitting together with them and not even having a breath of relief yet, Nina strikes him a question.
"Umm, Marco..."
"Huh, what?"
Marco replied as if there's no burden weighing his shoulders.
"I thought you're with Scias. Where is he?" she asked curiously.
"Scias? Oh, right... it's been over an hour since I didn't see him..." Marco stated as he stared into the ceilings. "I wonder where he is..."
Nina watches with a bit of concern in her face. In her heart speaks out, "I thought he had joined you. Scias and I returned here together, so where's that guy off to?"
"Well, don't worry!" Marco suddenly flicked his fingers. "That guy won't lose track so easily. I believe he'll be back, 'pretty soon'."
Marco said it with a cheerful face. He believes Scias won't go away far from him, so he told Nina to not concern his whereabouts.
"Well... unless he hasn't return till sunset... that's when we'll be looking for him," said Marco in addition.
"...I see. Right, I hope everything's okay."
"Swister, you're over-worrying him. I twhink he's gwonna be fine..." said Aily comforting her sister while having her mouth full of cookies.
"Aily..." Nina smiled. Almost immediately, Aily felt her sins crawling on her back.
"Don't talk while eating!" her sister scolded. But her expression shows the other way. She's just there, smiling adorably. That smile of hers might be like opposites side of a coin, either sincerity, or malice.
After gulping the food in her mouth, Aily nods slightly and gives a nervous smile.
"Y-Yes, sis... sorry,"
Marco sips the cup of tea that Nina had poured earlier. He stares at the two talking at each other.
"These two never change. Besides, Nina, can you show a much more relevant expression than just simply smiling?!"
--so said Marco, in his heart, while still sipping his cup of tea.
...
After their short squabble, Nina pulls another tray from the oven. That tray is full of cookies designed in multiple shapes.
"Yay! More cookies!" Aily yelled happily.
"Alright, alright, here you go, dear. Marco, have some too!" Nina offered kindly.
"Huh..." Marco took one of the cookies and gives a good look at it. "Well, this one is cutely design, wonder how's the taste... *nom!*"
Without a second thought, he munched it.
"Whew, it's good! Nina, you can actually cook?!"
"Huh?" Nina changed expression sourly instantly. "What, do you think it's just you who can cook?"
Marco sweats a little, "Eh, what's with her sour face?"
"Haah..." Nina let out a heavy breath. "Of course I can. I am not a good sister if I can't cook, don't you think?"
"H-Huh... right..." Marco cringed as he took another cookie from the plate.
...
"So... Marco, there's something I'm concerning, to be honest..." Nina stated. She sat beside her sister on the round table.
"What's that?" Marco replied.
"It's been several days since we're here. But I just realized one thing... where will we go from here?"
"Where will we go?" Marco wondered.
"Yeah, I mean... we got teleported here to this village, right? We only had a map that covers the region that your uncle had visited before. I've checked that map again, yet there's no exact place of where we are right now. 'Yugos' is nowhere in the map."
"Well, of course, there's none. This village is a magically concealed region. Only the chosen may visit this village, so they said. Even seasoned explorer like my uncle could never find this place. We're just lucky to end up here, or perhaps unlucky, that is."
"Mm... you sound strangely calm, Marco," Aily stated with one of her eyebrows rose.
"Heheh, what are you talking about, Aily? This is how I deal with things every day. Not just me, though. All of us, Aredanian explorers are taught to stay calm when in an unknown place. That's how most of us survive and managed to return back home with splendid outcome."
"But, do say, Marco..." Nina stated shortly. "Are you planning to return back home, someday?"
"Of course," Marco answered shortly. "I will return someday, bearing good results!" he added in such spirit with his fist clenched in the air.
"But Marco... how much progression have we done so far?" Nina asked again. "We've been travelling to some places, fighting demons in our path, facing unexpected dragonians, and many more... but I wonder one thing, Marco. Just how far we've progressed in our journey?" Nina conveyed casually while pouring tea to Aily's cup.
"Thank you, sis"
"You're welcome~"
"Hmm..." Marco thinks while his eyes meet the ceilings again.
"Lesseee... We've been battling monsters that attacked Napre, fought against that dorky dragon in a forest, then went to Alidia and got Pio along with our journey. Finally, we ended up here, in Yugos, and fought another demon.
...I went on this journey to discover where the Grand Altar of the World's End is. In order to find it, I must gather information. But just how much information have I gotten regarding its location?"
Marco thinks hardly, harder than before. He then sweats profusely, realizing something.
"....None! I've found nothing but trouble on my journey so far! I never got the chance of digging for information. I only participated in defeating monstrous beings, but didn't progress on my actual journey!"
"Marco?" Nina called him, yet he didn't respond. He had sunk in his sea of thoughts. Aily proceeds to eat more cookies made by her sister and enjoyed her time.
"I brooded over that crazy-wicked dream I had before. When it's gone, I totally forgot of what I am SUPPOSED to do! I totally have zero progression since I left the island!"
Reflectively, he stands up almost immediately, shocking the Meridian twins in front of him.
"I must not let this went this way. I must make amends! Or else, my journey so far will be in vain!"
"H-Hey, Marco... please calm down, okay? H-Here, have some more..." Nina stated while offering the plate of cookies to him.
"—Wait here, Nina! I'm going outside for a moment!"
In a fast move, Marco opens the door. He rushes outside and leaves the two girls.
"What's wrong with him?" Aily asked casually while looking at the door where Marco just left.
Nina pours tea to her own cup, and answers Aily's question.
"Not sure. I just asked him a trivial question. I didn't expect him to take it seriously."
"Maybe it's different for an explorer like him...?"
"Perhaps..."
...
..
.
Outside, Marco watches his surroundings. Everyone is still busy with the villagers' recovery. Marco mumbles to himself while putting his hands on hips, "If the condition's like this, I'm in no situation to dig for information. Seriously, though,"
Shortly, in front of him, an old man passes by accompanied by four Imperial soldiers and some villagers. Marco immediately notices the man.
"Chief!"
"Ohohoho... if it isn't Mister Marco..." the village chief replied as his old eyes meet the youngster. His voice is much calmer, though still hoarse as how his old persona grows on him. He smiled as he met him.
"Good to see you, chief!" Marco greeted friendly.
"Yes... good to see you too, young one. How is your injury?" he asked kindly.
"Eh, injury?" Marco got confused. He immediately notices what did the chief meant. "Oh, it's not me who battled against that demon general. It was my friend, Scias, and the dragonians. I was only helping evacuating the villagers from the battlefield..."
"I see. Lord Xregan told me that you battled alongside him and got some minor injuries..."
"Eh, Xregan? What's with that strange ominous name—wait a sec..." Marco thought about it for a moment and realized. "Oh, right... it was that fire dragonian's name."
He then continues talking with the village elder. "Apparently, I wasn't... much of help in defeating the demon."
"Ahhaha... no need to lower yourself like that, Mister Marco, you and your friends had done an excellent deed in saving us. Allow me to thank you for that."
"N-No problem! I-It's my most pleasure to help!"
"My, my, how glorious of thee... I am most honored to have met you."
Marco joins accompanying him on the road. Most of the time, the chief talks to Marco instead of his guards, but Marco felt a bit nervous as he still remembers how the chief talked creepily to him when he was under mind-control.
"I am grateful that you found us. Who knows what will happen if you didn't show up here..."
"Actually... I didn't come here intentionally."
"Oh?"
"Well, it's a long story... (Great, now I must explain it to this old geezer?)"
Marco explains how he ended up here. The chief quietly listens as they walk calmly down the road passing several houses and gardens.
"...I see. It appears someone had visited us before, but sent you people here instead of himself..."
"Well, I guess that's the case how we ended up here..." said Marco while rubbing the back of his head.
"Who was the person that sent you here, Mister Marco?" the chief kindly asked.
"...um..." Marco is unwilling to tell, just like before when he spoke with Ognist and the others. "I... don't quite remember his name..."
"You don't have to worry about anything, young one. I'd appreciate it if you're a bit more honest."
"Eh?" Marco quickly turns his sight to the old man's eyes. His eyes are sharp, unlike that of his appearance, as if he can look through someone's lies.
"When a man gives a false word... I could tell through their eyes, their way of speaking, and how they react when telling dishonesty. Your way to hide it is too easy for me to know," the chief squinted his eyes.
"Whoa... this old geezer here gives off some... unsettling aura. S-Should I tell him about the guy who teleported me here? I don't really think it would be a good idea..." Marco thought about it while looking elsewhere.
"...um... actually, his name is..."
The chief patiently waits for Marco to give out the name. Marco is still reluctant to tell, but he knew that he could not lie in front of the village chief.
"...Queaz."
As the chief heard the name, his eyebrows slowly rise, followed by his rough wrinkles on his forehead. Marco immediately thinks that he should have never told him. He immediately thinks that he might be in for another trouble.