"What is it?" The old lady asked the girl who seems to be looking for the right words to respond.
Lyrica looks at the old lady with a stern gaze. It's as if she's telling her that she wants an honest answer from the old lady.
"About what you said last night..."
"Last night?"
The old lady wondered. She stated that she cannot remember everything that she just said yesterday.
'I should have expected that.' Lyrica mumbled to herself. 'She's an old lady after all.'
The girl kindly reminds the old lady of the words that came out of her mouth at the moment she was watching over her grandchildren along with Lyrica.
Now that she seems to remember it, Lyrica opens her mouth and begins to ask her a question.
"Now about what you said, what did you mean..."
"Ate Lyrica!"
However, just before she could finish mouthing the question she wanted to ask the old lady since last night, Rona suddenly calls out to her from behind.
"W-What is it, Rona?"
'Why now of all times?!' Lyrica cursed in her thoughts.
She kindly listens to the little girl as she complains about Robert and Nilo who wouldn't let her join and play sungka with them.
Lyrica looks at Robert and Nilo who continue to act deaf and play sungka.
"Well, they are still in the middle of a game." Said the girl to Rona. "You should wait for them to finish the game so you can join."
"No! They just keep playing even after the game is finished!" Rona retorted. "They won't let me join no matter what!"
"Then what should I do?" Asked Lyrica while making a troubled face.
Right then, Rona invited Lyrica to come out of the house and take a walk with her.
"I knew it," Nela interjected while doing her chores. "You just wanted to go out that's why you're whining about Robert and Nilo, aren't you?"
"Do not involve our guest with your shenanigans, will you?"
Lyrica has never felt so glad than before thanks to Nela. She wouldn't want to go out now, right when she's got the opportunity to ask the old lady about what she said last night.
Rona turns back and faces Lyrica with puppy dog eyes.
'Crap, she's using her cuteness and innocence to seduce me!'
Badump! Badump!
Somehow, Lyrica could hear her heartbeat from inside her body. The more she looks into Rona's eyes, the more she feels strangled into the little girl's grasp.
'This is troublesome... But I must resist. I can't let this little girl control me. I will not be your babysitter, even if you're dynamite cute!'
Lyrica thought to herself until she gently grabs Rona's tiny arm with a nonchalant expression on her face.
"Let's go."
"Yey!"
Rona joyously leads Lyrica to the door.
"I'm sorry, Lyrica." Said Nela. "I would take her instead if I wasn't doing anything..."
"It's all right. It's a good chance for me to explore the town, too." Lyrica replied with a thumbs up while making a straight face.
"Plus we wouldn't go far from home if you're the one to take me out for a walk," Rona added as she opened the door for her and Lyrica.
"You brat..."
Before going through the door, Lyrica looks back to the old lady and said, "I'm sorry, Lola. Let's talk again later."
"Yes. Enjoy your exploration."
The old lady watches Lyrica and her granddaughter take their exit through the door before closing it shut.
Aside from being tricked by Rona, Lyrica has another reason why she wanted to go out and explore the whole town. She wants to confirm something, and just looking through the window wouldn't be sufficient.
And thus, in a way, Lyrica is glad that Rona invited her to go out.
"Now then, where shall we go first?" She asked Rona.
The little girl looks at Lyrica and smiled. "Follow my lead!"
Rona did not think about where to go first. After all, she planned to explore the whole town with Lyrica. However, as much as she admires the little girl for being outgoing and energetic, Lyrica regretfully told Rona that they cannot explore the whole town.
"We can't?!"
Rona's cheerful expression transformed with shock. A town is larger than a village and is smaller than a city. If they were to explore the whole town without stopping at every moment Rona finds something interesting, it would be doable in less than half a day.
'But I highly doubt it'd go that smoothly.'
Lyrica starts thinking for a while. Shortly after, an idea came to her mind.
"How about this," Said Lyrica, taking Rona's full attention on her. "We'll go around half of the town and the town square for today. Then tomorrow, we can go and explore the rest. How's that?"
It was a lie that Lyrica hoped Rona would forget by night. She has no reason to go looking around the whole town of Takkot. Much less, half of it. Just looking around the town square where most people gather in the morning is more than enough for her. After all, she's not walking around to sightsee but to investigate.
Rona contemplates.
"Hmm... So half today, and half tomorrow, huh...?"
She leans her cheek on the palm of her hand, looking at Lyrica whilst thinking continuously. Moments later, her lips form a smile as she puts her hand down.
"All right. We'll go half today and half tomorrow. And that's a promise, okay?"
"Y-Yes." Lyrica lied. "Let's go?"
"Yeah!"
Lyrica let Rona grab her right hand as the little girl lead the way. And just like that, they set off around town.
Not long since they left the residence, inside the town hall of Takkot are soldiers in black armor who's been called without the public knowing.
Including in those lines of soldiers are Cardo, Marlo, Roberto, and Magdalo. Along with them is the one soldier who left them all for dead back in the Forest of No Return—The commander—Agario.
"I apologize for leaving you all back then." Said the commander towards Magdalo and the others.
"As much as I want to punch you after seeing your face today, what happened back then cannot be changed," Roberto replied. "I can't afford to waste my life hating you for what you did, either. I can't die yet."
Roberto and the others stare at Agario in silence. The commander did the same and looks back at his squad.
"That aside, it seems like the news about Lyrica who saved us from the Guardian Snake reached the Hari," Magdalo interjected, breaking the silence between them. "It's the reason why we are all gathered here, right? What's going to happen?"
Magdalo and the others have no idea why every soldier in Takkot we're summoned to the town hall. And so is their commander, Agario. However, they all seem to suspect the same thing—That similar to the rumored four heroes, Lyrica came from another world.