67 The Day Before 3

"Thank you, commander Agario. I can go alone from here."

"Are you sure?"

"Well, the mayor told you to have people watch over the water levels in the river, right?" Said the girl towards Agario. "I wouldn't want you to get scolded by the mayor, especially that fake high commander because you couldn't do what they asked."

"What?" Agario looked at the young girl with his eyes wide open.

Moments since the commander and the young girl left the mayor's office, the dark clouds that were threatening the town of Takkot with heavy rainfall begin to lash down. Lyrica says her farewell to the commander at the same it all started.

"Hey! You need to use a Balabal!"

Shouted the commander who was left perplexed by what the girl said. However, the girl did not stop from going forward. Perhaps the heavy rain makes it hard for his voice to reach Lyrica who's already a long distance away from him.

Instead of uselessly trying to reach Lyrica and get her attention, Agario decided to just stand there and watch the girl go further and further away from him.

Right then, he asks himself in his mind, 'Who's going to save the heroes when they are the ones who needed saving?' He then clenches his hand into a fist as the girl disappears from his sight.

He turns around and makes his way to call the others and watch the river.

On the other hand, the young girl leisurely walks along the street as she makes her way back to Riko's residence. Along the way, she sees a group of kids, around the same age and height as Nilo, gathered in the middle of the rain. She can see their lips moving, but the sound of the heavy rain trickling down on top of the houses and other establishments, as well as the surface, makes their voices sound inaudible.

Perhaps they're having fun while playing with the rain, or maybe they're simply just talking with one another. Lyrica cannot tell. It's not because of the rain that she cannot tell if they're having fun or otherwise. It's because she couldn't read them, just like everyone in this mysterious town.

Lyrica thought it's all the same with everyone. Until she met the high commander who summoned her to the mayor's office. The high commander—Gilberto Angono—appears to be a kind, soft-spoken knight with an intimidating physique who also makes unfunny jokes. However, that's not really who he is.

Lyrica can tell. She could read him like a book.

'Hell, I can see it even with my eyes closed. Those hands... They're not the hands of a proud knight who's willing to save and protect people no matter the cost, it's the hands of someone who would crush the skull of anyone standing in his way.'

Being able to stand her ground against the Guardian Snake gives her some sort of confidence. But when she met the high commander for the first time, the one she could not tell is if she can win in a fight against him. A human that's even more threatening than the Guardian Snake itself.

'In any case, I'm glad I get to meet him. Our meeting made some things clear. The first four, the four heroes, and the strange things that are happening with the people, they're all connected.'

Lyrica reaches the street where Riko's residence resided.

'I also figured out who's behind all this.'

As she continues to walk on one side of the street, she finally sees Nela and her younger siblings outside their house.

"Hm? Ate Lyrica!"

Lyrica could hear the faint voice of Rona who's waving at her from a distance. And as the young little girl runs straight towards her, Lyrica noticed Nela who's sitting on one of the giant rocks beside the front yard fence.

She could see Nela facing toward her direction, but somehow, it feels as though Nela is looking past Lyrica despite eyeing the girl from afar.

'What's going on?'

"Ate Lyrica!"

Rona lunges at the girl before taking both her hands as she proceeds to pull her around in a circle.

"Ate Lyrica? What's wrong?"

The little girl noticed Lyrica whose eyes are fixated on Nela. Right then, the girl grabs Rona by the hand.

"Let's go." Said Lyrica as she gently pulls Rona forward.

Along with the little girl who's looking at her from behind out of wonder, Lyrica approaches Nela.

"Welcome back, ate Lyrica."

"Are you all right?"

"Huh? I am, why?"

Lyrica thought that probably she was just imagining it. But she can't be too certain because she couldn't read Nela at all.

'How troublesome.'

Lyrica looks down on Rona who's playing by herself with the girl's hands. After that, she took a glance at Nilo and Robert who's playing on the channeling rainwater on the side of the road.

'Even if I can't tell what it is, there's got to be something happening to Nela.'

"Everyone, I think it's time for us to take a bath or we'll catch a cold."

"Bath?! Together?!"

Robert looks at Lyrica from the corner of his eyes soon after hearing what she said.

"Of course, we'll do it one at a time," Lyrica replied while making a blank face. 'I can't tell if you're really embarrassed or not, and for some reason it makes me feel a bit annoyed.'

"I want to take a bath with ate Lyrica!"

Rona shouted out of the blue.

"No, you're going to take a bath with me."

Right then, the youngest sibling started whining and complaining. She wants to take a bath with Lyrica so bad that she started flailing about while lying on the ground.

"When will you ever listen to me, you brat!"

"Eek!"

Robert and Nilo look at their older sister with surprise. It's almost as if it was their first time to see Nela raised her voice like that. Meanwhile, Rona froze as her older sister glared at her.

As soon as he saw Rona almost tearing up, Robert went and pushed Nela away.

"You don't have to look at her like that!" He interjected.

"Sorry..." Nela told her younger sister before turning away in regret. "I need to wash you thoroughly, so you need to take a bath with me."

The little girl who also regretted whining and complaining about who she's taking a bath with slowly stood up from the ground.

Rona was about to take Nela's hand when Lyrica suddenly appeared between her and her older sister. The girl went and lifts Rona afterward.

"I'll take care of Rona."

"Ate Lyrica?" Nela looks up, facing Lyrica. "No, I should be the one to–"

"It's all right," Lyrica replied before the girl could even finish her sentence. "You can go in first. I'll stay here with Rona until then."

"Ate Lyrica... all right. I'll go ahead, then."

After that, she wordlessly watches Nela's back disappear as she went inside the bathroom.