Cut to the present, Agario arrived outside the mayor's office along with Lyrica whom he escorted on the way. Quietly, he watches the girl who seems to have found some interest in the door in front of her.
'Hmm... it's strange.' Lyrica mumbled to herself. 'This door seems brand new, but the way it was put here looks like it was rushed. What the hell happened here?'
Right then, the commander goes for the door, the sound of the doorknob clicking resonates through the girl's ears.
"The high commander is inside."
Agario opens it, and Lyrica enters the room right after. Immediately, she sees the mayor's desk along with two chairs facing one another. And, she also sees two faces inside the mayor's office.
'The one sitting in the mayor's office is obviously the mayor. The other person sitting on one of the seats is...'
Right then, the commander introduces the two who are waiting for her arrival.
"The one sitting on the mayor's desk is the town's alkalde, although I guess you can already tell."
"Huh."
"His name is Agno Madusai."
'He kinda looks like every mayor I know in my country.' Said Lyrica to herself as she exchanged greetings with the alkalde. 'He looks friendly and chill, someone who easily gets along with people. They're all like that in the Philippines, especially when it's time for elections.'
Lyrica scoffs in her thoughts.
"And, the one who summoned you here in this room is him." Agario proceeds to direct Lyrica's attention to the person sitting on one of the chairs in front of the mayor's desk. "He is one of the high commanders in Kruule."
'That bulk... Riko and the others' toned bodies cannot compare to his. I can't believe the chair is capable of carrying his weight.'
"His name is Gilberto Angono."
"Are you sure this pretty young girl is the one that saved your men, Agario?"
Agario nods in agreement. The high commander let out a short chuckle.
"Well, pardon me and my unfunny jokes. How are you? Are you enjoying your stay in our town, so far?"
The man named Gilberto Angono greeted Lyrica right after he was introduced. During that time, his bright smile caught Lyrica off guard. It's something she did not expect to see from someone who looks very intimidating.
"Yeah, I'm good."
Following her reply, the mayor invites Lyrica to sit on the chair, facing the high commander. She accepted the invite and sits down on the chair comfortably, following her expression of gratitude towards the alkalde. In that instant, she shifted her gaze towards the high commander.
'In contrast to his menacing appearance, he looks like he's actually a dependable, good person. But...'
"My name is Lyrica Ley Rael. I'm sorry for introducing myself this late."
"No worries, we know you." The high commander replied with his soft-spoken voice. "I've heard quite a lot about you from Agario's men—To how you saved them and how you all managed to escape the Forest of No Return."
"Is that so... I didn't know I'm already this popular."
"Yes. Even the Hari has heard about you, too."
"The Hari?"
Right then, the high commander reveals that the Hari whom Gilberto called by the name of Uruk, became interested in the girl after saving his people from the Guardian Snake.
"Well, I did help them and they also helped me escape the Guardian Snake. But, not everyone got out of the forest alive."
Saying this, Lyrica recalls Karlo and Riko's father's deaths. After fighting the Guardian Snake and learned that she can at least stand her ground, the girl begins to wonder what could have happened if she acted a lot earlier.
"Well, not everyone who confronted the Guardian Snake gets out of the forest alive." The high commander stated, which Agno and Agario agrees.
"It's a miracle that you guys managed to get out with a few casualties," Agario added.
"And our people couldn't do it without you." Agno followed suit.
"That said, the Hari wants to personally offer his sincerest thanks and give you a reward worthy of your heroic deed over in his royal castle."
"A reward, you say?"
"We've prepared a very special Kalesa just for you to ride on towards the capital of Kruule. However, earlier this morning, we've encountered a few problems."
Agario who's keeping a calm expression on his face tries to steal a glance at the high commander.
"So it's postponed, then?"
"I hate to say it, but yes," Gilberto replied. "But if you can wait, we will have a new Kalesa for you tomorrow morning."
"That's all right, I'm not in a rush or anything." The girl stated. "Plus, even if the Kalesa is ready today, I don't think it'll be safe to go on a ride right now."
Lyrica glances at the glass window behind the high commander. There, she and the others can see the thick, black clouds starting to form above the town of Takkot.
"Looks like there's going to be a heavy rain soon." The mayor commented. "We're gonna need people to watch over the water levels in the river."
Right then, Agario and Agno's eyes meet.
"I'm on it." The commander replied.
"Well, I don't want to take any more of your time, so let me just ask you a couple of questions."
"Sure, go ahead."
The high commander takes a breather as he leans his body forward. Right then, he rubs his palms together while looking straight at Lyrica with serious eyes.
"Who summoned you here? What kind of deal did you make with that person?"
The moment he asked those questions, Lyrica turns quiet. She already expected it even before she arrived in the mayor's office. This time, however, Lyrica believes there's no reason for her to hide it. Not any more.
"I don't know if you're going to believe me when I say this, but the person that sent me here claimed to be a goddess."
"A goddess?"
"She asked me what kind of world I desired, so I told her what I wanted. And then she brought me here."
This time, the high commander is the one who has gone quiet, allowing Lyrica to continue to speak.
"She gave me a chance to live in another world, something I never thought would happen for real. But if I really want to live in peace and without trouble, I have to make Alteria into one I desire."
"You want to make Alteria into a world you desire? That sounds like a very hard task to complete, young lady." Gilberto mouthed, followed by short laughter. And then, he looks straight into Lyrica's eyes once again. "Think you can do it?"
Lyrica looks back at the high commander with the same glint in her charcoal eyes.
"I've been asking myself the same thing." She said in response to the high commander. "But I'm still looking for an answer."
"Is that so..." The high commander stood up as he extends his hand to Lyrica, offering the girl a handshake. "I hope you find the answer soon."
"...Yeah." Lyrica stood up and gave the high commander a handshake. "I hope so, too."
"It's been nice meeting you, Lyrica. I shall meet you again tomorrow morning as your escort to the capital."
"I'm looking forward to it."
As the conversation between Lyrica and Gilberto ended, the high commander tells Agario to show her the way out. The high commander and the alkalde wordlessly watch as the knight and the girl leaves the premises.