Chapter 97 - Spirit Forest

For some reason, he was bothered. In his mind, why lady Arisu didn't spit about his punishment while they were having a conversation with King Luke.

'I think she is plotting for something...' He uttered to his mind, then looked at him maliciously.

While walking in the huge corridor, where all the things around them were made of gold. Arisu suddenly stopped as she felt something uncomfortable, she looked back, seeing Riku was thinking deeply and spacing out.

She smiled at him secretly along with a follow-up question. "Are you thinking about your punishment?" She said as she backed her gaze in front of her.

He rubbed his chin, trying to catch up in this woman's walking pace. "Hmm... I'm curious about it. Also, I don't have any idea what are punishment deserves for me." He said nonchalantly, looking at him straight at her eyes.

"You're tired with your expedition in the Assima forest. So I want you to treat a delicious food." She replied, didn't show that she was a bit uncomfortable every time Riku was looking at her that way. To describe it, her heart was going to melt, at the same time, felt the butterflies in her stomach.

"How about the punishment? I think it's inappropriate to see by the guards eating with you. After I accidentally hurt you." He said in a mild tone to avoid hearing from someone since their voices were echoing in this enclosed place.

"You'll receive it once we are done eating. For now, forget about it and enjoyed the foods that going to serve to us." She said in a deep tone, feeling a bit annoyed as Riku was persistent to receive his punishment.

In her opinion, this man didn't deserve to have punishment in this village. First of all, the guards have brutally tortured him multiple times even he was doing nothing. Now that he was helping this village to survive, she thought giving him a punishment was a huge mistake. In fact, that was just an accident, at the same time, she didn't expect the explosion would be turned like that and that was the main reason why she lowered her guard.

At this point, he could not do anything. He was just simply shrugged his shoulders along with a few nods of his head. "I understand, lady Arisu. And thanks to the food that you're giving to me, I'm totally hungry." He admitted since yesterday was the last he ate.

His smile and honesty were melted her heart, which gave her a mild heat throughout her body. "F-Follow me." She stuttered while trying to put a serious expression on her face.

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After a were moments. The two had a delicious dinner inside the luxurious room where the table was made in marble and the chair was metal. Well, he didn't anticipate the villagers here could make something expensive. Furthermore, around him was enveloped by paintings and statues that looked like an angel.

Of course, those statues piqued his attention as he thought it was the Goddess in this world. First, he finished all the food served in front of him, once he was done. He now started speaking to this woman to gather some information.

"Lady Arisu, can I ask you several questions?" He said, then looked at the woman who was sitting not too far away from him.

She asked the maids and the other guards to leave the place in the meantime. Or to be exact, she thought Riku was going to ask her confidential question because of his serious black eyes.

They were nodded their heads at once, didn't bother to leave lady Arisu along with this woman. In their minds, the man with her right was their main inventor right, aside from that, they knew about their relationship so assisting the highness was impossible thoughts.

She was chewing her food in a manner, after that, she wiped her red lips with the blue table napkin. "Yes, you can ask me." She agreed not because she was curious about the question; it because she wanted to become memorable this day.

To be more simple, it was the first time she had a chance to eat with this man. So she was thinking if she can call it a Date? On top of that, she hadn't had cared if she was the only one who asked for it. 'This man had no idea about my feeling about him. So I think this is the perfect time to move if I really want him I should be the one who makes him fall in love.' She uttered to her mind, didn't aware Riku was starting talking to her. She just realised it when Riku called again her name.

"Lady Arisu?" He approached her politely, curious why this man suddenly spacing out.

She narrowly flinched and looked at him in the way that she already regained her senses. "Eh? What is it, Riku?"

It seemed Arisu didn't hear all the words that came out of Riku's mouth. Her mind was flying away, thinking in the way that she wanted. What is it? It was the only woman who was in love and had the desire could answer that.

"Something is bothering you? You can talk to me? For some advice?" He said in an unsure tone, knowing this woman was a tough one so probably she was going to refuse.

Just like what she expected, she slowly shook her head with a cute expression. Well, aside from her father and the invasion, Arisu had nothing to say with him. "Hehe, don't worry about me. I'm good, Riku." She replied, at the same time, didn't expect she was going to think about that. "Can I hear your question again?"

"I'm just wondering what is the meaning of those statues around us? Because I noticed even they had a lot of numbers, still, the image projecting it was the same." He asked her, then walked towards the statue to see it clearly.

To describe the statue, it was a woman that had wide eyes, curly hairs based on its structure. If you pay more attention, this statue had a sexy body and you could feel each one of them was watching you.

She pushed herself into a stood up position, walking closer to him to describe the statue was. "Oh, it's the forest spirit, Riku. By any chance, you didn't recall it?"

She was well savvied about Riku's condition which was he lost some of his memories. Yet, she still asked him about this since the Spirit Forest was the one who protected the entire forest in this world.

He shook his head, pretending that this thing never went to his mind. But the truth, he just simply had no idea what it was. "Sorry to say, but it never came inside my head. I didn't mean to offend you with this question, but what is the Spirit Forest could do?"

He was respected that the people here were believing in the things that they like. Just like what they had on the Earth.

"The Spirit is the one who protects the people who came inside the forest. Also, she can decide your faith. And if you are going to ask me if I saw her and what kind of power she had? My answer is yes! She appeared out to save me from the monsters and to describe her power. You can't believe to me it's way better if you have a chance to see with your own eyes."

At this juncture, the only thing he can do was to believe in her. Why? Arisu had no purpose to lie against him, on top of that, she wasn't the type of that woman, and as she said she had already seen with his eyes.

'Hmm... If that Spirit Forest is the one who is going to save when I'm going to die?' He can't help to question himself after all the hard times experienced inside the forest.

Forest? This was the place he can stroll right now as the Arzotoc Village surrounded by it. Dungeon? He had a strong feeling that a dangerous place was existing in this world he had just no idea how the people called it here or how he was going to mention it to Arisu or Emma.

He shook his head once more, knowing that he must focus on one goal. In his mind, ever since he came into this world the only thing he succeeded in was creating the gun powder because he still can't finish the pipelines and find the information on how he can summon back to the Earth. To put it simply, every time he was doing something there was a new occurrence that would appear to stop him, just like the sudden invasion of the Rattin Kingdom. It seemed someone was stopping to reach his goal and letting him live in this world.

On top of that, when the time [Domain] quest transpired the gaming system was often to show up.

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"I think it's already dark, lady Arisu. I have to get back in my room and took some rest because tomorrow I'm going to show you the landmines." He informed her as he got the answer to what he wanted.

"No, you're going to stay in my room. That's your punishment! Hmp!"