Chapter 654 - Won't You, Asmo?

While Yvonne had her eyes fixed on Asmodeus, waiting for his answer, two pairs of distinct eyes were fixed on them as they witnessed this entire scene.

In a realm far away from the one Yvonne was currently in, two figures sat next to each other as they stared at the dark sky outside the large window.

This dark sky was being used as a means to project the image of the events that were taking place in the other world.

Right now, their eyes were aimed at the bird hovering too close to the little girl.

"Didn't I tell you that he would appear soon?" A mocking voice echoed in the silence, bringing a grunt of frustration from the only other person there.

The person who had just spoken let out an exasperated chuckle before shaking his head.

"Is this how you express your gratitude, O Great Neo~?" He teased the one next to him.

Neopolene, God of wisdom and knowledge, glared at this other person with a vicious glint passing through his snake-like golden eyes..

Understanding that he was playing with fire and was on the verge of getting burned to a crisp, he decided to stop teasing him any further.

He knew that he should leave soon to avoid getting attacked by the scary god but not before he had the last say.

"You think he will appreciate the efforts you are making for him, hmm?" He whispered before snapping his fingers.

With these words echoing eerily around them, this new face disappeared from Neo's golden eyes which were akin to a snake's.

Neo grit his teeth as his eyes fell back on the scene taking place in the world his old friend but current nemesis had created.

"You will appreciate it, won't you, Asmo?" He muttered to himself as there was no one around him at this moment.

A bitter and self-deprecating smile formed on his lips as he doubted the words he had just uttered.

His friend was not one to back down or admit that he was wrong nor was he someone who would appreciate the meddling that he was doing.

Knowing full well just what kind of personality Asmodeus Del Ovin had, Neo strengthened his resolve to never let him know of his interference in the world that the other god had created.

While he went back to watching Asmodeus and his interaction with that child he had brought over to this world, the one who had just disappeared from Neo's sight was watching him from a safe distance.

Each one was spying on the other without letting them know about it.

Taking a look at the subtle smile that formed on the God of wisdom's lips who was staring at the God of flight and thunder, this stranger smirked before shaking his head with mirth and amusement dancing around in his eyes.

"Who would have thought that I would find something so interesting today?" He snickered without a care for being heard as there was no one around for hundreds of thousands of miles.

Having said this, his mind went back to the events that had led to where he was right now.

___

Many hours ago, 

In the great land of Rosenhyde, the citizens had completed their week of mourning a few days ago and life had returned to normalcy once again.

There was a sense of grief present even now but they reminded themselves that life went on with or without their deceased dear ones.

Hence they too had returned to their daily routines while cherishing their loved ones deep in their hearts.

Similarly, one such child too had buried the love and longing she had for her beloved parents as she walked along.

For the last few days, Hilda, the little girl with fluffy brown hair, had earned enough money to help her survive till she left town.

The villagers here were generous with her after hearing her story and had let her work for them while she stayed at their residence for a short while.

Their generosity had given her a chance to save the money that she would have used on food and lodging, instead, using it for the journey she was about to embark on.

Her continual insistence on leaving the town to reach her hometown had left these welcoming villagers with no option but to see her off when the week of mourning came to an end.

She was a child who was traveling alone so they asked a few of the youngsters to accompany her until the border of their town.

Hilda was grateful as she accepted this gesture of theirs and was escorted safely to the boundary of that town.

Bidding goodbye, she strode ahead, onto the next town which would be the first of a few that she would have to journey before she could reach her hometown.

Many people were traveling back and forth between towns as they had been stuck in different fiefs during the lockdown.

Therefore, it was easy for her to blend into the crowd, pretending to be one among the travelers as she moved between towns.

There were large groups and Hilda was smart enough to stick close enough to a group to not arouse suspicion from the others but at the same time, stayed at a distance to not attract attention from this group.

Since they were all traveling in the same direction and no one had expected a child of her age to be alone, they did not pay too much attention to her.

Far away from the Capital, law and order was lax and unless it was a major scuffle that broke out, the authorities would not pay much attention to those passing by.

Therefore, Hilda had journeyed for over two days by communal carriages which brought her closer to her hometown.

She was still in the Wescott fief and to reach the Lumex fief where her father's inn, The Cozy Inn, was located, it would take a whole week's worth of journeying.

If she was on a carriage that took her directly to her hometown, then she could cut short her journey by a couple of days.

However, those were extremely expensive and she did not have enough money to even hire a personal carriage.

The communal carriages were larger in size, allowing many people to pay for a seat and travel together.

Though these were cheaper they had their drawbacks as well.

They traveled only between a few towns and she would have to wait to find one every time she got off another.

Until there were enough passengers, these carriages would not make the trip to the next town.

This delayed Hilda for quite a while as even after a few days, she was still in the Wescott fief as she waited for these carriages.

While she waited, she often strolled the town and saw new people and places.

Not everyone was as kind-hearted as the people of the town where she had spent the week of mourning.

Today, especially, she had encountered someone who was not a good person.

A child who looked a few years older than her had seen her waiting for the carriage to have enough passengers.

Hilda had inquired with the coach driver about the itinerary and was told that she could purchase a ticket as soon as there were enough people to make a trip forward.

Therefore, while waiting for people to arrive before they could begin the journey, she felt her stomach tingle with hunger.

As she had almost no luggage with her, she picked the small bag containing a few clothes that the kind villagers had given to her and made her way to a bakery to buy some bread.

Bread was the only cheap food item that she could afford and oftentimes, would only drink water to fill her stomach in order to have enough money for the journey ahead.

She had calculated her expenses well, thanks to her father who taught her how to deal with money matters while they were still working in their inn.

Therefore, she knew that she had barely enough to take her back to Lumex where she could return to the place she called her home.

However, unlike the past where she traveled like a phantom among the other travelers, someone had noticed her presence and had observed her from afar.

Finding that Hilda was a child with money and no adults with her, the child who had observed her for a while had called his friends over.

This child was the local bully who often stole money from other children in this town and also beat them up when they refused to pay him.

Even the adults feared him as his father was a member of a mercenary guild that was often recruited by their town's elder.

Therefore, whenever they saw this young boy bullying someone, they ignored him and diverted their path to avoid him.

Sadly, Hilda had caught the attention of such a person and was oblivious to the dangers coming her way.