Speechlessness and itching anxiety suddenly transformed the ever-so-loud crowd.
"H-Hey... I don't like where this is going." One of the knights whispered.
"We need to back away, or we might get into trouble."
The crowd united once again with that suggestions. They all took a few steps back away from the man and Lyrica.
"If you're not gonna spit out your name, then the kingdom will consider you an enemy."
Right then, countless bubbles made of liquid water started springing and floating around the man, leaving Lyrica wondering what those are.
'Who is this guy? The kingdom will consider me an enemy? That's not good, I need every single one of them if I want to get rid of Uruk.'
Knowing that losing the people she just managed to rally on her cause is something she shouldn't let from happening, with both her hands, she tried to appear harmless.
"I am not–"
"How dare you try and manipulate our people, you BRUHA (Witch)."
GASP!
Before Lyrica could raise her arms in the air, the man just spat out an insult towards her which left the crowd and Bagel shocked, and Lyrica froze in place.
"I-Impossible...!"
"You can't just say something like that to a girl!"
"H-Hey!"
A knight's panicked call draw everyone's attention to Lyrica and her gaze that was so terrifyingly cold that it could bring the whole Reilaea into an ice age.
"I just wanted everyone to help me with Kruule and Uruk but forget it, I'll just find another way." from the palm of her left hand, a raging fire emerged. "I'll deal with Uruk... After I'm done turning your ugly face into a pile of dirt."
The two stretched their hands forward, threatening to shoot a fireball and bubbles of water at one another.
"Not good! Wait, Lady Lyrica!"
Kael ran and tried to interject between the two in an attempt to stop them, only for an incredibly blinding beam of light suddenly painting the whole outside of the barracks bright.
"T-This light...!"
"T-The sun..."
Along with the crowd, Bagel and Kael, Lyrica and the man had to cover their vision in any way possible, ultimately forcing them to retract from attacking one another. As the light slowly dispersed and the sky's color returned to its natural blue palette, Lyrica also began regaining her vision.
"My apologies for my son's rude behavior."
"H-Huh?"
Seemingly left in a daze, Lyrica faced a tall woman, probably around 170cm tall, looking down on her with eyes that looked like a pair of fleeting suns in the dusk. Her dazzling golden dress, the golden sun crown, and the sun itself shining brightly behind the woman and her exposed golden brown hair and fair white skin made Lyrica think:
'Goddess... Is she a goddess?'
"My name is Amaya, I am the Reyna of Kruule. The one who rudely spoke to you is Aran, he's my son." Amaya spoke under her gentle smile. "Again, I apologize for his rudeness"
"Reyna..."
She's not sure what the light that came from the skies was, but right now, all she knows is that she's displaying a disrespectful mannerism towards the Reyna right now. Lyrica took an upright posture as soon as she could.
"M-My name is Lyrica Ley Rael," Lyrica lowered her head out of respect. "I came here from another world, it's nice to meet you, Reyna Amaya. Also, I apologize for making a scene here."
"Another world?" Amaya, acting surprised, puts both her hands on top of Lyrica's shoulders. "Are you one of them? Are you one of the four heroes we summoned?!"
"I-I'm sorry, but I'm not one of them." An awkward laugh escaped Lyrica's lips.
"Not one of them? What do you mean?"
"Mahal na Reyna, if I may interject," Kael approached the two and continued speaking. "We both learned yesterday that the four heroes are indeed being held captive in Kruule."
"Ah, Kael, it's been a few days since I ordered you to go to Kabba, I'm glad you finally returned."
"Thank you very much, Mahal na Reyna."
"You got us feeling worried," The man with blue hair interjected. "The Malayas we sent into Takkot and other towns in Kruule returned a lot earlier, we thought something bad happened to you."
"I appreciate your concern, Prinsepe Aran, but there are reasons why I stayed there for a long while," Kael replied as politely as ever. "Though I'm glad I did, otherwise I wouldn't have met Lady Lyrica and gained such valuable information."
At that moment, Lyrica and the one Kael called Aran stared at one another.
Lyrica thought to herself: 'So this is the Aran he and Bagel mentioned? Judging from the way he speaks and that untrustworthy gaze towards me, he does seem like a tough guy to deal with. I don't flaunt about it, but I know I inherited my Mother's good looks. For her to call me a witch... has he looked into the mirror lately? He's nothing like the Reyna at all.'
On the other hand, Aran thought: 'Lyrica Ley Rael... A girl that came from another world yet is not one of the four heroes we desperately needed right now. So Kael took her here from Kruule? She seemed like a calm, cool, and collected person at first glance, but when she feels insulted, she won't hesitate to get dirty. What's more, my gut is telling me there's something more to her than what she's showing on the outside. I feel like she's hiding something, and that's why I can't let our guard down around her no matter what.'
"So is it true?" Amaya asked Kael. "Lyrica is not one of the four heroes?"
"Yes," Kael nodded. "I wasn't able to get information about the heroes' well-being. If I have to guess, I believe the three of them are being held in the prison chamber in Uruk's royal castle. As for the other one, I regret saying this but, one of the heroes is dead."
"What?"
"One of them is dead?"
Quietly, Lyrica could see the ever-growing worry in Amaya and Aran's eyes. They seem utterly devastated by the news.
'What is it? What do you guys need the heroes for?'
"I shall explain what happened in detail, for now, let's get to someplace more private."
"Very well, let's continue the discussion in the mayor's office."