Waiting again felt strange especially since it was the third time. But most of the things Rom did were exactly the same as before, which made the waiting a little easier. I even turned it into a game, trying to predict what he would do next.
Yeah, I was that bored.
Aside from that, I was trying to figure out how mana worked—specifically, how to use it without casting a spell. Last time I tried, well… nuked it...
So now, I wanted to get some experience controlling the flow of mana before actually executing anything.
Unfortunately, I had no luck so far, except for knowing I could open my mana gate and close it. But I was too scared to let any mana out, cause, again. nuked the place last time.
but, now that it was around the about the time felt came, i decided to walk up to rom.
Now that it was almost time for Felt to arrive, I decided to walk over to Rom.
Before Felt shows up, I want to talk to Rom and tell him about how we used fake names. Considering it's kinda useless now. Better have him more trusting.
Rom was sitting behind the counter, lazily swigging from a chipped mug filled with watered-down alcohol.
He looked up at me, eyebrows raised, and grunted, "Huh? What do you want?"
His voice was rough but calm. "Felt ain't here yet."
"Uh huh, yep, know that, but that isn't why I'm here, here to talk to you actually," I said slightly cheerfully.
Rom raised his eyebrow higher, took a slow swig, then let out a dry belch. "Me? Alright then, spit it out."
I forced a small smile. "It's about my name. It's not actually Belova."
He blinked, waiting.
"It's Shiro. Sorry for deceiving you, but it's just not safe to go around giving out my real name."
Rom studied me for a moment, the corner of his mouth twitching like he was trying to decide whether to believe me or not.
Finally, he grunted, "Fair enough. Names can be dangerous."
I nodded. "Yeah. I figured it was better to be upfront now, considering what's to come."
Rom set the mug down and leaned back against the counter, giving me a curious look. He seemed a bit confused by my choice of words that sounded a bit ominous, but probably chalked it up to me being weird and ignored it. "Is there anything else ya need to say then?"
I tapped my finger on my chin, then grinned. Ooo, quite a lot, actually. About how all the stuff I said before? Complete lie. Soooorry~" I gave him a cheeky smile.
Before he could react negatively, I held up a hand. "Hey, hold up. I'm not trying to hurt you or anything. You see the girl I was with earlier? Yeah, she had her insignia stolen, and Felt's the one who took it. Now, don't get mad - like we said earlier, we just want it back, no violence. so relaaaax. I'm a very trustworthy individual," I smiled, with a thumbs up.
Rom blinked, a bit shocked. He blinked again, processing what I'd just said. Then he narrowed his eyes and asked, "Why are you telling me this now? Why go through the effort of lying, just to tell the truth later?" he was giving me a serious look.
I smirked, enjoying the reaction. "Well, about an hour ago, I learned something pretty important - something I wish I'd known sooner. sadly, i got no proof, but my friend's bringing in backup as she believes me. but i guess you'd want to know what im taaalking about~ riiiiiiight~" I paused for effect, then continued, "You see... the person who hired Felt is Elsa Granhiert. You might know her as The Bowl Hunter. so yeaaaah, a bit of a problem."
Rom's expression darkened at the name, even though he hadn't faced The Bowl Hunter himself. Her reputation as Gusteko's deadliest assassin was notorious. A sharp flicker of anger flashed across his face, but he quickly masked it with calm.
I met his gaze steadily. "I get how serious this is. That's why I want to know if you'd be willing to help, just slow her down. I know I'm not exactly the most trustworthy person right now, but it's in my best interest to keep her alive. And I figure she'd want you alive, too." I let that hang for a moment before continuing, "The backup my friend's bringing is someone you definitely know, Rienhard, more commonly known as the sword saint. He's coming, no doubt about it, so don't worry... oh, one last thing, don't ask how I know. Let's just say it's a... special ability of mine, and leave it at that. So, what do you say? Can I count on you?"
Rom rubbed his chin thoughtfully, then let out a slow, tired sigh as he picked up his mug again and took a long swig of the watered-down alcohol. His eyes narrowed, a familiar flicker of wariness shining through.
Rom's eyes narrowed, his rough voice steady as he muttered, "You sure are confident to be saying all this. If you're telling the truth, then this situation is bad—real bad." He paused, the dark glint in his eyes sharpening. "She's dangerous. But if she's coming after Felt..." His protective instincts flared, and his voice hardened. "I'll do everything I can to keep her safe. No matter what."
He leaned back slightly, taking another slow swig from his mug before continuing. "Fine, so an Astrea is coming, huh? Alright, I'll agree to this, on one condition." He fixed me with a steady gaze."You make sure Felt's safety is the absolute priority. Nothing else matters if she's in danger. Felt means more to me than anything, and if anyone tries to hurt her, they'll have me to answer to. Got it?"
"Yep, loud and clear, I understand your care for her, and I swear on my life, that I'll put Felts safety above anyone else's."
He took one last long drink, then set the mug down with purpose. He grunted, "ok, now, what do you have planned to deal with this then?"
I smiled and explained.
A/N i really wish i had like, robot to just right the rest of this, cause i Cannot be bothered to. would ya'll get mad if i just skip to arc 2? of course you will. well, if there is OOC, i can't be bothered. want something good. come back later. i feel so shity about this ngl.
hope you enjoyed
bye bye.