"Illyum, leave me please it is embarrassing."
She was blushing as hard as the reddest tomato.
"What? You were dying for this all the time and now backing out."
She is quite a lovesick girl who think that she is in love with me, a poor girl who can't differentiate lover's from friends.
"No, it is just I was recently being friends with Natalia and I don't want to."
"Friends with Natalia?"
Another friend...
"Yeah, she talks to me if I tell her how you were in the academy. She even called me sister."
"Oh, what did you say?"
Looks like there is a double agent here.
"Nothing but how you were recently experimenting tentacles, she seemed to be interested in your clones and that kraken..."
What...
I need to stop thinking now.
Otherwise, the image of a goddess will be ruined.
"She also asked if you can do it safely again."
Okay, it is ruined.
"So, you leaked my researches to her."
I covered her vision with my face so that she won't avoid my gazes.
"You usually don't care that's why."
So, because I usually don't care.
"Alright, what about the scumbag son of that count?"
I am talking about her boyfriend that was turned ex just a few days ago.
She pouted and reclothed herself with manners again,
"He was in love with me for real and ready to marry me but the rumours that I spread that he was cheating on me did a real number on his family. Father's department members raided their warehouses and that was enough to ruin them."
So, let me tell you the grand scheme of things.
Rishta is the only daughter of one of the greatest ducal family of the kingdom that holds enough power to stand independent.
The catch, however, is that the Rosette family has its own army and tax collection department.
The doting father of Rishta could easily destroy a family whose young master could make his daughter cry.
The guy talked rudely to me few months ago so I asked Rishta to play around with this guy. bit as a search for her true love.
She didn't mind ruining a guy she didn't like for her best friend and did her work like last unknown number of times.
'Your boyfriend is cheating on you' was just a code to activate his damnation.
The spies following Rishta did their own work of keeping her safe.
That is why Rishta is among my most favourites in the list of my friend.
The reason I dare act so brazenly here is because those spy don't dare enter the territory of an uncrowned king.
To ensure her safety, the tax collectors have become more active to be around her.
But, they can't be roaming in the park and father's spy on her and me don't mind.
"Ah, I need to ask Natalia for a date today. Later, enjoy your holidays."
"Come on, let her rest for a few days, show me around the town and city for today."
"Sorry, but I only know as much as you."
"Then, let's go and explore together."
Without any consent, I was dragged out of the park to follow her.
We reached the city as we crossed its almost guard less gates.
"Illyum, you look good in that shirt but please, just change it."
That is how I was bought new clothes while Rishta couldn't resist any beautiful dress as a noble women.
"Illyum, there is a crowd outside that shop, let's try out its specialty."
Our appetite got satisfied with some pastries and cakes. I also bought some whipped cream for an unknown reason.
"Illyum, let's go, there is a circus here. I really wanted to see one as a child but never thought that I would be here with a dat- a friend."
We bought tickets and got into the queue to enter the ginormous field tent.
Although, it is said to be a queue, it wasn't really one as the people were moving in crowds.
The arena was packed with many young people and children with their parents.
The circus did its magic and the crowd was left laughing their asses off.
Juggling, fire rings, gymnastics, jokers, beast men and women and everything that could be defined as a part of the circus was found there.
It was quite a big event to say but not as grand as that one.
The annual festival of the great Askanier empire of my past life.
Not like I could do anything about it but I don't even want to go back.
That memory is one of many precious ones in that hell.
As the show was ending, the excited show organizer came forward and said,
"We, of the Banjara tribe, thank you all ladies and gentlemen for the donation of your precious time and money that would help our people to feed their hunger. We never expected our first visit to the 'land of the god of the Games' to be so gracious period of our lives. As a thank to his shine bestowed upon us, we accept the religion of the Zagrath kingdom, as the first foreign organization to carry his will. The seven nights till the upcoming millennial festival would be celebrated with the greatest enthusiasm our tribe may deliver. May the light of our lord be with us."
Woahhh!!!
The crowd erupted in cheering roars with the man's declaration.
Rishta's eye were also sparkling but they had a hint of worry in them.
"Did something happen?"
"Nothing, it is just that I never expected a tribe to come under a god of our kingdom."
Me neither, the tribes are the forest dwelling beast people living far beyond the walls of the great cities, worshipping ancient beast gods as their saviour.
Their beast like instinct and strength differentiates them from a common man, being on par with humans of the upper echelon.
It is said that the reason the tribes are still surviving in this world are because whatever kingdom tried to conquer a tribe or just harmed it, was subjected to great beast tides that swept the nations from the face of the world.
Kraken was one of these ancient beast gods worshipped by some of the tribes living at the edge of the sea.
Although, they might not be same, Kraken was the closest resemblances to the mythologies I found in my bloodline.
That is also the basis of my findings that there existed many such beasts like Jormundgandr, Orcash, Garuda, Arkhana, etc..
The Banjara tribe is probably the most famous of them all, they are the nomadic beastmen constituting people from almost every tribe that came to cities as a mean of satiating the needs of their people.
Such a strong and influential tribe wanted to come under the religion of a kingdom, something great was spewing in the background.