NOVEL NEXT Chapter 173: Suspicions
Our very valuable time sadly flies by as we are having fun kissing and cuddling. It’s as if only a moment has passed when my sister calls out from behind the door. “Amicia, Sam, you two are awake, right?”
“Yeah, we are.” I call back. “We’ll come down for breakfast in just a bit.”
“Alright. Oh, and my apologies if I interrupted something wholesome and, or, lewd.” I throw my pillow at the door after which I can hear my sister chuckle and walk away.
Sam and I quickly get our clothes on after which Sam sends Carol and Max a quick message. I for one, decide to also send a message to Hilda, my sister and Nikki, just as a reminder that we have the possibility too if need be.”
“It is quite immersion breaking, isn’t it?” Sam giggles. “Even though this is in fact a real world.”
“Hmm. I suppose it is, but not any less than a skill window… But then again that’s also very much connected to my reality so I guess it’s not immersion breaking?”
Sam stops for a second, thinks things over and then nods. “Good point.” She then smiles and gives me a kiss on my forehead.
“Come, let’s go downstairs to get some food.”
“Oh… Uhm… I need to go to the bathroom real fast first. I’ll be downstairs in five minutes.” I say as we walk out of the room.
She nods and moves on without me as I turn towards the bathroom. Once I close the door behind me I lock it. I actually don’t need to use the bathroom but there’s a certain thing that I kinda need to do first before we head off on an adventure. That certain something is collecting the rings I ordered from Roderick before he thinks I forgot about them.
I channel my mana and focus on the spot right in front of Roderick’s store. In the matter of seconds I’m standing in the middle of the street, right where I wanted to be. Luckily it seams as if the store is already open.
Roderick greets me as I walk in. “Coming to pick up the rings?”
“Yes! Did they turn out alright?”
“Surprisingly so.” Roderick nods and walks to the back of the shop, taking a key from his belt and unlocking a lock in the floor. A hatch opens from which he takes a leather pouch, looking a bit like a coin pouch but with sizeable less contents. “I polished them up very nicely too.” He walks up to the counter where I’m standing and gently opens the pouch for me. Inside our three golden rings, polished so nicely I can clearly see my reflection in them. The details are just as I pictured them in my mind. With the chain motif finely engraved.
“Wow.”
“Are you content with this?”
“More than content. Extremely happy.”
Roderick smiles and closes the pouch again and offers the bag to me.
“How much was it, eleven golden Dwargon, right?”
“Yes.” He nods. “That should more than cover it.”
“I think I’ll pay you sixteen.” I smile and get my own coin pouch out.
“Sixteen!? That’s way too much.”
“No, I don’t think it is.” I shake my head and count out sixteen golden Dwargon. “You’ve more than deserved it, plus your service was also rather good.” I gently shove the coins over to Roderick on the counter. “I will be rather upset if you don’t accept it.”
“Than I shall gladly do so.” Roderick looks really happy but then suddenly raises his finger. “Wait just a little bit.” He doesn’t even take the coins of the counter before he runs back into one of the back rooms. I hear some rummaging after which Roderick comes running back with a grayish wooden box in his hands, the size of a very small suitcase. It’s also decorated with a chain motif around the edges and it’s inlaid with what looks to be silver. “If you want me to take the extra gold, then I insist you take this box. You and your companions inspired me to think of some other products I could put chain motifs in. This box is one of them. You could use it to store mementos inside that remind you of your bond. Of happy times or sad ones.” He opens the box and the inside is lined by some incredibly soft looking blue fabric. My mind immediately flashes to some garments I could tailor with it. “The wood is from a tree that ages slowly but is known for its durability and how much it likes being surrounded by other trees of its kind.”
“Then I’ll gladly accept that too.” I smile and take the box out of his hands. I think I’m definitely going to take this back with me to Earth. It’s a very nice looking box and the symbolism behind it is very romantic as well.
I say goodbye to Roderick and head back outside after which I teleport back into the bathroom I teleported out of. When I open the door and peak outside, it doesn’t look like anyone really noticed I had been gone. I quickly rush over into Sam and mine’s room and stash the box, with the rings inside, underneath the bed. This way I can surprise Sam with it once we come back. When I make my way downstairs after carefully hiding my surprise I see my family already sitting around the table, enjoying some healthy breakfast. I take a seat next to Sam and swiftly start preparing myself some bread with what looks like some kind of jam. Sam puts her hand on my lap as I spread the jam on my bread. She’s not suspecting a thing and for the most part it seems like nobody is suspecting me either, apart from Nikki.
It’s not like she is making it very obvious, but I occasionally catch her looking at me with a questioning look, as if she’s trying to puzzle something together. But she doesn’t really do anything more than that.
“I got a message back from Max and Carol, by the way.” Sam smiles and takes her mug with water in her hand. “They are going to head over to the Ribaquen market square in just a bit.”
“Ah, then we shouldn’t waste too much time.” I nod and stuff my bread in my mouth.
“Have you already decided where you are going to go?” Sam looks at the rest of the party.
“Not immediately, no.” Hilda looks over to me. “Say Ami, do you have your watch with you? Your sister told me about it.”
“Oh, now that you say it.” I look at my wrist but I don’t immediately see it. But when I look inside of my inventory I actually do find a rather similar looking pocket watch, albeit analog and not digital. When I take it out, it automatically gets attached to my clothes.
“Huh. I’m not sure how many people will have pocket watches in this world, but at least it is less obvious than a digital watch.” My sister nods.
Hilda and I talk about the watch some more, she even comes to examine it from up close while I keep eating my breakfast. In the end Hilda smiles contently. “I’m happy that that situation got resolved relatively fine.”
“I am too.” I take one final look at my pocket watch before I put it back in my pocket.
Hilda smiles and pats me on the head. “Can I take away your plate already or do you want to eat some more?”
I just put the last piece of bread safely away in my mouth. “I’m dwone I thwingk.”
She chuckles and picks up my plate. “Can’t leave a mess when we are going to go out, right?”
“Very true.” Sam nods and helps Hilda and the rest of my family with cleaning up. When I finish chewing I decide to help a little too.
In no time the dinner room is spotless once more and everyone assembles in the main hall of our mansion.
“Anyone need any more gear?” My sister dons her shield and wiggles her sheathed sword. “Because now’s the time to get it.
“I think we are all done.” Nikki nods.
“Yep, all here.” Sam nods too, followed by Hilda and myself.
“Okay, Ami. You still remember what the Ribaquen main square looks like?”
“I can teleport us outside of the gate… that way there won’t be as many people…”
“Fair enough.” She laughs. “Let’s do that then.”
I do remember the big stone walls of Ribaquen quite well so it’s easy to form a mental picture of it. “Hang on everyone.” I channel my magic through my body for the third time this day and just like that we are breathing the fresh forest air of the area surrounding Ribaquen once more.
“Wew. And just like that we are on another continent.” My sister wiggles happily in her heavy plate armour. Making it rattle a bit.
“It feels good being back.” Hilda nods and continues talking a bit. Together with Sam, Élise and Hilda slowly start moving towards the gatehouse in the distance.
When I want to follow them Nikki gently grabs my arm. “I wanted to confirm something, which you just basically did, but you used teleportation magic back in the bathroom, didn’t you? Am I allowed to ask why?” She smiles at me gently.
-I should’ve guessed Nikki would’ve been able to sense my magic- I peek over my shoulder towards Sam. “Well… I guess I can tell you because I don’t think you’ll be telling Sam. But I’ve got a bit of a surprise for her…”
“Oh?”
