Their lips brushed against each other gently, causing his eyes to widen in surprise. He was at a loss for what to do next, realizing he had already kissed the cherished woman of Arzotoc village. To make matters worse, the entire scene had been witnessed by farmers, leaving him with no escape from this predicament.
"I'm in deep trouble," was all he managed to utter before swiftly turning around and walking away. He couldn't shake the feeling that there would be consequences for his mortifying blunder...
Hey there! What are you doing with our lady Arisu?
You... I believe that's why only your lips are visible on your face. So, are you suggesting you should kiss lady Arisu?
This was expected from the farmers and villagers, despite not being in the best of health. They were still guarding King Luke's only daughter.
Arisu was taken aback by this unexpected scene, and she slowly pressed her lips together, her face reddening. Honestly, it was her first kiss, and she hadn't expected it to come from an outsider.
Once she regained her composure, Riku was kneeling on the ground, his face touching the dried surface.
"I'm truly sorry, Lady Arisu. My attempt to explain the situation came across too aggressively. I didn't intend to kiss you, and I'm prepared to accept any appropriate consequences," Riku apologized with sincerity.
While Riku might not have found it meaningful, Arisu held onto his apology, carrying it in her heart. She wouldn't be able to forget the incident easily. She recognized that her own slip on the small stones had been the main reason for the accidental kiss.
Arisu patted her buttocks and brushed off the dust from her clothes. "Please stand up, Riku. No need to apologize further; it was just an unfortunate accident," she reassured him, still sensing the memory of this man's gentle lips.
"Why do I feel so much heat inside my body? W-What is this thing? Something is dripping on me." She struggled to explain the strange sensation coursing through her.
Riku raised his head slightly, noticing that Arisu's gaze was directed elsewhere. He got to his feet and began to apologize, "I'm truly sorry—" His words were cut short as Calin and two other guards entered the scene.
"What is happening here?" Calin asked the thin farmers who were patrolling the area.
"That guy kissed Lady Arisu."
Calin couldn't control his emotions, charging towards Riku with his spear in hand.
Riku's interest was piqued, but he had no intention of letting the guard stab him. He calmly lowered his upper body, waiting for Calin to approach. 'Why does this kind of thing keep happening to me?' he wondered.
As Calin thrust his metallic spear forward, Riku instinctively lowered his body, allowing the spear to pass harmlessly above him. Swiftly, he moved beneath the spear's arc and delivered a powerful uppercut to Calin's chin.
Thud!
Bam!
In an instant, Calin crumpled to the ground, consciousness slipping away. He lay there, stunned, staring up at the expanse of the blue sky, until one of the guards hurriedly approached.
"Sir Calin, are you all right?" the guard asked with concern.
Only now did Calin realize he had been punched by an outsider. He quickly regained his senses, standing up and bristling with anger, determined to eliminate this man and salvage his pride.
"You..." Calin's brow furrowed as he retrieved his spear. Activating his magic circle to ward off any interference from the outsider, he knew that Riku hadn't yet attained the level of a warrior.
In this world, users can activate magic circles by enchanting the words within them. These circles enhance physical strength or channel magical powers.
Zing!
Arisu suddenly employed a larger magic circle to halt Calin. "If you lay a hand on this man with your spear, I won't hesitate to end your life."
Calin knelt on the ground, humbled, as several magical circles materialized around him. Despite her gender, Arisu possessed a remarkable level of magical prowess that outclassed all the guards.
"Apologies for my behavior, Lady Arisu. I couldn't control myself when I saw that outsider kiss you," Calin apologized, though it was a fabrication. His lack of control stemmed from his special feelings for Arisu, and his desire to be the one to claim her first.
She let out a deep sigh, comprehending the reason behind the man's peculiar behavior. "It was an accident, and it's my fault that Riku kissed me. So, please don't attack him without knowing the full story," she urged, puzzled by how Riku had almost floored Calin with a single punch.
It was common knowledge that a blow to the chin could destabilize someone's balance. However, the anomaly was that Riku was only at the Worn level, making it seemingly impossible for him to knock down a guard of warrior level like Calin.
Riku extended his hand towards Calin, a broad smile on his face. "I apologize for the punch. I was just really startled."
Accepting the hand, Calin mumbled loud enough for Arisu to hear, "I don't need help from an outsider like you, and I'll ensure you don't linger in this village for long."
Riku shrugged, spinning around. "Do as you please. Frankly, I don't plan on staying in a place where the villagers can't accept someone from the outside," he stated solemnly.
__
In the meantime, under Arisu's command, villagers and some farmers made their way back to their homes, allowing them to carefully survey their surroundings.
Arisu, Riku, Calin, and two guards walked along the edges of the crops.
Riku lowered himself to the ground, gathering a small amount of soil in his hand. He sniffed it and inspected it closely. 'The lack of nutrients in this soil means they resort to using animal waste as fertilizer.'
That was it. Riku had already identified the three main issues plaguing this farm. The first problem lay in the size of their crops; while larger crops seemed better, they often led to wastage. Why? Because if the crops are too easy to harvest, they end up being discarded. The second challenge was their need for consistent irrigation to sustain the crops. The third issue revolved around the soil; ailing soil made harvesting difficult, especially if it was on the brink of degradation.
His detailed explanation impressed Arisu. She hadn't anticipated that this outsider would be capable of identifying the crop issues simply through observation. Previously, she had assumed that the problem was solely due to insufficient water.
"E-Excellent, Riku," she stammered, offering her praise before continuing, "But do you have any ideas on how we can resolve it?"
He nodded thoughtfully, turning his gaze towards her. "It depends, Lady Arisu," he replied, his eyes scanning their surroundings. He noticed the boundary crops near the high wall of Arzotoc village, which could potentially be breached by monsters.
Curious, she prompted, "What are you discovering, Riku? Please, ask anything you need, and I'll do everything I can to assist you."
"Is there a lake in proximity to this farm?" he inquired, his tone earnest.
"Yes, but if you're considering going there, it's about 33 kilometers from here," she responded matter-of-factly.
"Why not have the farmers transport enough water from the lake to supply this farm? You could also use carriages to transport more water," he suggested.
However, this plan was unlikely to be feasible due to the area being surrounded by formidable monsters. Hasty actions like that were out of the question.
Arisu responded thoughtfully. Riku, now gently massaging his chin, shared his initial idea. "Alright, if that's not an option, assign some farmers to dig a well. Make sure to provide them with guards for protection. Meanwhile, I'll head to the library to search for the necessary resources to construct a pipeline."
A pipeline? What's that?
The guards exchanged confused glances, unsure of what this man was talking about.
"Just trust me and follow my lead," Riku assured them. He was confident in his ability to create a pipeline, considering it was essentially made of metal. He had used the term "resources" merely to gather information from his previous world.
"You already heard what Riku said. Now, move!"
Big development at the Arzotoc village was about to come...
__
Meanwhile, on the other side of the world, Yui and Mr. Akio were at a loss, uncertain of where to even begin searching for Riku.
A sudden knock echoed through the room.
Haru entered, his face etched with misery. Yui was still in tears, struggling to come to terms with the sudden disappearance of the man she loved.
"I'm sorry, Lady Yui. We still haven't located Master Riku. But please, don't worry. The Mutant Association is actively investigating this incident," he reassured, his own eyes welling up with tears. Despite his outward toughness, the pain of Riku's disappearance weighed heavily on him. He regarded Riku like a son.
Yet, what could they do? Beyond the two fallen pillars from the sky, they had no leads. Finding someone was a daunting task when they didn't even know where to begin.
"Riku, please come back here... Everyone is missing you..."