"Umm..." I rubbed my eyes as I got up.
"Rise and shine, princess~" the voice rang in my head as I was greeted by a pair of yellowish eyes and a black-furred cat.
"What time is it, Smokeball?" I asked, realizing that I might have overslept due to the comfort of the bed.
"One and a half days," Blaze said as he jumped out of the bed.
"Huh? What about the hotel staff? They didn't come to check up on me?" I asked, feeling surprised that the staff hadn't shown any concern when a guest had been locked in their room for more than a day.
"They did knock a few times but left when you didn't answer. We have to check out in a few hours," Blaze reminded me. It was true that our booking was only for two nights, and currently, it was the second night, which meant we had to leave the next morning.
"Hmm, I'll get ready, and then I guess we're going shopping. I'll sell some items from the system at the city center so we can have some money in our hands," I said. After getting ready, I made my way out of the room with Blaze, who had taken a liking to the hood of my robe for some reason.
"It's easy here. I don't have to walk around," Blaze said drowsily, clearly enjoying his current spot.
Walking past the receptionist counter, I placed the room keys in front of her. "Room 207, I'll be checking out," I informed her, waiting for a response.
...silence...
But to no avail. There she stood, slack-jawed and wide-eyed. I waved my hand in front of her eyes, trying to snap her out of her stupor.
"Huh!? Sir... I think there might be something wrong because you aren't the person I assigned this room to," the receptionist finally spoke, her eyes scanning me from top to bottom.
"Nope, I'm the right person. This room was assigned to me," I denied, a bit annoyed by her reaction. "It's just that I had a good rest, so I look a bit different. Nothing major," I explained before leaving the tavern.
The night was young, and people were out walking, especially the beastmen, as this was the Reva Kingdom.
I then went to the city center and sold some healing and mana potions that I had bought from the system store. It brought me quite a few silver coins that would suffice for now.
"So, what's the plan after we leave here? Are we going home directly or to the Hestia Empire for the academy?" Blaze inquired.
"We're going home first, and then I'll spend some time with my family before heading to the academy. There are still a few months until they start accepting admissions," I replied, feeling ready to move on. But before we could continue our conversation, a voice interrupted us.
"Hey, excuse me!" A young man in his twenties called out to us.
I turned to see him, noting his raven hair and handsome features, accentuated by a small cut above his left eye. He was a human, a rare sight in this part of the Reva Kingdom, as it was located far from the border that connected the Grav Kingdom and Reva Kingdom.
"How can I help you?" I asked, curious about his request.
"Oh, sorry to disturb you, but... I wanted to know the address of this place," he said, showing me a piece of paper with the name of a specific location written on it. It turned out to be a big shop located past the last corner.
"Oh, this..." I began explaining the directions to him, but it seemed like he couldn't understand them at all.
Clap!
He brought his hands together and bowed slightly. "I'm sorry, but can you take me there? I don't think I'll be able to navigate that place on my own, and it's really important for me to get there," he requested earnestly.
"Nope, I'm in a hurry, I'll have to go-" I started to decline, but he pulled out a silver coin from his pocket.
"Follow me," I sighed, realizing that I could spare a few minutes for some extra travel money.
"Thank you!" he exclaimed gratefully.
We made our way through the main road and then turned into a back street. The shop he was talking about turned out to be a large clothing store that I remembered from walking around the area before. It was hard to miss due to its size.
"Is it? Well, good for you," I replied curtly, not showing much interest in his comment.
"Where are you from, Mr...?" he continued, trying to strike up a conversation. I sensed no trace of mana from him, indicating that he wasn't a mage.
"Isn't it polite to introduce yourself before asking about others?" I quickened my pace, wanting to get to the destination quickly.
"Oh, my apologies. My name's Alver, and I'm from Sephra. Now tell me about yourself," he said, not seeming to take the hint.
"You're from Sephra?" I stopped in my tracks, surprised by his response.
"Yes, I recently moved there for guild work and other reasons," Alver explained.
"This is... quite a coincidence, isn't it?" I remarked, realizing that we were both from the same place. "I, too, am from Sephra."
"Huh! Huhhhhhhhhhnn!" Alver stepped back abruptly, his eyes widening dramatically.
I couldn't help but find his reaction amusing. What was his deal? At that moment, I sensed something different in his behavior, but for now, I decided to go along with the act.
I raised an eyebrow, pretending to be amused by Alver's exaggerated reaction. "What's with the theatrics, Alver? Did you forget your lines?" I couldn't help but tease him a little.
Alver blinked rapidly, trying to regain his composure. "No, no! It's just... I never expected to meet someone from Sephra here, especially not in the Reva Kingdom. It's quite a surprise!"
"Well, it seems fate has brought us together in this unlikely place," I replied, maintaining my fake amusement. "But let's not make a big deal out of it. We can catch up on Sephra stories later. Right now, we should focus on getting you to that shop."
Alver nodded eagerly, his initial shock fading away. "Thank you for helping me. I would have been completely lost without you."
"Consider it a small favor," I said with a shrug. "Now, let's keep moving."
As we walked, Alver shared some tidbits about his recent move to Sephra and his experiences with the guild there. I listened attentively, occasionally chiming in with my own insights.
Eventually, we reached the bustling market area where the big clothing store was located. Alver's eyes lit up at the sight of it.
"There it is!" he exclaimed, pointing excitedly at the shop. "Thank you again for guiding me here. I really appreciate it."
"You're welcome, Alver," I replied with a nod. "I hope you find what you're looking for."
Alver waved goodbye and rushed towards the store, eager to begin his shopping adventure. I watched him go, a smile tugging at the corners of my lips. It was an unexpected encounter, but now that Alver was occupied, I could focus on my own plans.
With Alver gone, I let my face return to its usual expression. "What do you think?" I asked Blaze through our mind connection.
"Too good to be a coincidence, princess. More and more people are marking on you," Blaze replied, his words echoing my own thoughts.
Looks like I'll have to extend my stay here for a few more days. There was definitely more to this situation than met the eye.
The source of this c𝐨ntent is freewe(b)nov𝒆l