"Is it okay for this young maiden to ask directions for the road you took towards Berrick Valley?" Keira continued to show a pure smile as she calmed herself.
"Do you want to travel to Berrick Valley lady? May I ask the reason why?" A confused face was evident on the man's face.
"Yes, I have been traveling around places to study the Light and Darkness wars and I happen to want to see for myself Berrick Valley after hearing the magnificent sacrifice the Saintess made."
The system thought to itself, 'This Host has a very respectable amount of thick skin even reusing the line.'
The man looked at the ground with his hand on his chin as if he was pondering about something. After a few seconds, it looked like he had finally made his decision. He looked at Keira and spoke,
"I—if you don't mind miss, should I take you there? Oh don't get me wrong! I have no hidden intent or anything of the sort. I happen to be needing an ingredient that could be found along the way to Berrick Valley. " The man stuttered as he tried to explain himself. Now it was getting even harder for Keira to hold a cackle from escaping.
'This man is simply hilarious!' Keira found it very entertaining as a big man was blushing and fumbling his words to A THIEF!
Not sensing any malicious intent from this man, Keira readily agreed. Moreover, Keira could defend herself in case things go awry, she has her trusty system anyways.
A pure joyed expression appeared on the man's face as Keira agreed. He steadied himself and spoke,
"Forgive my insolence for forgetting my introduction. My name is Robbiery, Rob for short."
"PFFT!" Keira coughed as she choked on her own spit.
"Lady, are you okay?" Rob asked, full of concern. Keira coughed a few more times, before clearing her throat.
"Ehem, pardon me. My name is Mapajoke." Keira said while graciously giving a small bow.
Rob's heart skipped a beat and sincerely said, "Mapajoke… A beautiful name for a beautiful lady indeed."
He repeated the name 'Mapajoke' in his mind like it was some kind of spell. Her system is not even surprised anymore.
After talking for a while, Rob and Keira made an agreement. They would embark on their journey two days from now as Rob needs time to prepare. They would meet after dawn in front of the city gates. Rob would prepare his carriage and Keira wouldn't need to do anything except bring herself. Keira waved Rob goodbye and when Keira left the bakery she noticed it was already past noon.
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She did not get hungry because Rob already offered her a lot of bread to eat inside the bakery. It seems like he didn't bother having her in. Keira also liked talking to Rob, he was a fun and easy to talk to guy despite his robust appearance. She didn't even bother keeping her cute and innocent persona up for she genuinely had fun conversing with Rob. They talked about a lot of stuff and he even shared some gossip he heard from his customers.
Keira continued to look around the huge city to areas that she hadn't seen yet. She even bought a simple butterfly hairpin with sapphires embedded in it.
After roaming about, she returns back to the inn. She talked to the inn owner once again and Keira expressed her gratitude. The aunty only told her it was okay because the aunty was already very pleased with the gold coin Keira left in the morning. Keira was quite satisfied with the progress so far and hoped that it would continue this smooth sailing to the other worlds.
Hopefully, her words won't bite her back.
…
In the King's office in the royal palace, the air was dark. Beads of sweat slid down Aster's subordinate back as he relayed the events he had witnessed during the morning when he followed this woman who named herself Mapajoke. He was scared out of his wits thinking that he too soon would follow suit of his dead subordinate to the afterlife if he did not deliver his task properly. But thankfully, his master only asked him to continue spying on Keira's actions and dismissed him. With a deep bow, the shadow guard disappeared.
Aster's expression was grim and somber. His radiance was nowhere to be found, even his golden eyes were only displaying a cold glint. If one were to stand beside Aster right now, they would surely suffocate from the coldness emitting in this room.
"Why are you heading to Berrick Valley, Keira?" Aster talked to himself.
Even though he could not ascertain right now if she was indeed Keira, somehow in his soul, he feels that 'Mapajoke' was Keira.
"Is there something you are seeking that could only be found in the place you had once died?" Aster was dead on but of course, he has no knowledge of this.
He stared at the report his subordinate had written. It included the background of this man named 'Rob'. Aster was displeased that she was happily conversing with another man for the whole morning. His subordinate even expressed that Keira carried a carefree smile as she conversed with this hunk man. Aster continued to talk in the gloomy room,
"Rob huh?" As that name rolled out his tongue, a chilling smile formed on his lips. He then let out a deep chuckle as he thought to himself.
'If you would not reveal your true identity to me, I would happily play along until I could fully dispose of the room for disputable things you might weasel your way out.'
Aster called his aid in and told him to prepare for a departure to Berrick Valley. He told him that they would go to Berrick Valley for an 'inspection'. The aid only nodded and went on his way to begin preparing. Aster also called upon a guard that obeyed his every command, he instructed him something and the guard also nodded before disappearing. Aster once again gave a small chuckle and said,
"I'm looking forward to meeting you again Keira."