Chapter 18 - Searching
Meanwhile, when the elderly Derum arrived at the palace of the kingdom, he immediately spoke with King Amon.
Derum held a meeting with the King. He carefully explained the potential consequences if they did not prevent the vision he saw of the Ronoru ruling the human world as well as the world of dreams.
The King was also deeply troubled upon hearing the elder's ominous vision.
"If that's the case, do you have any idea what we can do to prevent this dire fate?" King Amon asked Derum.
"Your Majesty, the only thing I can think of is that we need to protect the chosen one who can open the gateway between the two worlds." the elder replied.
"Many people find their way to our world. How will we know who the chosen one is?"
"I have seen the chosen one in my vision." Derum said.
"Where is this person? We must bring this person to the palace immediately and keep away from the Ronoru. The Ronoru must not find out who the chosen one is, because if they do, they will surely declare war just to capture the one destined to open the gateway." the King said anxiously.
"In my vision, I see the chosen one has wandered into the southern region, the territory of the Ronoru." said Derum.
"If that is the case, we must bring the chosen one to the palace. I will order my soldiers and knights to search the South for the chosen one."
"Calm yourself, Your Majesty. We must not make rash decisions. We need to be careful not to let the Ronoru know that this person is the chosen one." suggested Derum.
"But it is extremely dangerous for the chosen one if they have indeed ended up in the South."
Derum did not reveal that he saw in his vision that Yana was currently in the hands of the Ronoru, crying in a cell in the palace of the Ronoru King.
He thought it is best not to disclose this to avoid the King making any hasty decisions, something that should be avoided at all costs. He believed they needed to remain calm and come up with a well-thought-out plan.
"For now, Your Majesty, I think we should find and select Aruha who can protect the chosen one, Aruha with unique powers, strong and skilled." the elder suggested.
"You're right, we need to act now to find the Aruha with unique powers." said the King.
After the meeting, the King ordered his soldiers to deliver messages throughout the kingdom. These messages contained an invitation for young men to come to the kingdom to test their strength.
Princess Hasi, the King's daughter, would administer the tests. The princess also possessed great power. She could determine if an Aruha had the necessary power and strength.
After the meeting, the elder went back to the temple and wrote a letter to Qrolo, asking him to come to the kingdom to be part of the selection process by the princess.
The elder had confidence in Qrolo's abilities and powers. Once he finished the letter, he sent it with a messenger.
The letter arrived, but it was Kenro who received it. After reading it, he felt anxious, fearing that the elder might be angry with him for not stopping Qrolo from leaving.
Despite his fear, Kenro knew he had to inform the elder about Qrolo's departure to search for Yana in the Ronoru territories. He decided to personally deliver this news rather than sending a letter.
Kenro had no choice but to bring Lexa along, as there was no one to watch over her if he left her behind, which could put her in danger.
"We're leaving now." Kenro told Lexa as she woke up.
"Where are we going?" Lexa asked in confusion.
"To the temple here. I can't leave you alone, so just come with me." Kenro replied, and Lexa nodded in agreement.
They set off to see the elder Derum at the temple.
Upon arriving at the temple, Kenro informed the elder of Qrolo's departure. The elder was deeply worried, fearing that Qrolo might be in danger in the Ronoru territory.
He decided that they should follow Qrolo. He took Kenro and Lexa along, as they couldn't leave Lexa behind.
"This person has not yet awakened and can't leave this world. She has been here for quite some time." Kenro told the elder Derum.
The elder looked at Lexa but couldn't explain why she remained in their world for so long.
They immediately set out for the Ronoru territory, wearing masks to avoid detection by the Ronoru. They traveled in a carriage driven by the elder's steward and a horse. While traveling in the carriage, Lexa asked why Qrolo had gone to the Ronoru territory.
"There is someone important that he needs to rescue from the Ronoru." Kenro replied.
"Important? Important to Qrolo?" Lexa asked.
"I think so." Kenro responded shortly.
"A person? So, they're like me?" Lexa asked.
"Exactly." Kenro confirmed.
Lexa didn't say anything else, as she couldn't stop thinking that Qrolo had someone important to him. She couldn't explain to herself why she felt sad about it, so she remained silent and contemplative.
Meanwhile, Banki and Riyugi had fallen asleep outside the elder's house, sitting on a wide wooden bench.
Dream creatures also sleep, but they don't dream. Yana tried to get up from lying down, puzzled by the silence and the absence of Riyugi and Banki inside the house.
When she started to step out, she realized she felt much better, the dizziness she felt earlier was gone.
When she got outside, she saw Riyugi and Banki sleeping on the bench. She approached Riyugi and sat in front of him.
Despite wearing double layers, she felt the cold air outside, so she took off the extra clothes Riyugi lent her. After removing the clothes, she covered Riyugi with them.
"It's too cold here. I'm feeling better now, so I'll return these clothes—" Yana was cut off mid-sentence when Riyugi suddenly grabbed her arm tightly and pulled her close to him.
When Riyugi opened his eyes, they were glowing blue, and his fangs were visible. With their faces so close, Yana could see the frightening aura in his eyes. She felt nervous and scared, her heart racing with shock.
"S-sorry... I just wanted to return your clothes. It's too cold here, and you're topless." Yana explained nervously.
As she looked into Riyugi's eyes, they slowly returned to normal, and he released his tight grip on her arm.
Yana sat beside him, still feeling her heart race from the shock and fear. She thought Riyugi was going to attack her because she saw anger in his eyes.
"Were you scared?" Riyugi asked, making Yana look at him.
"Y-yes, I thought you were going to hurt me. Your eyes were terrifying." Yana replied.
"I have a strong sense of awareness. Even in my sleep, I can feel when someone comes near me." Riyugi explained.
"But it was just me." Yana said.
"Tsk, how was I supposed to know? My eyes were closed, right? How was I supposed to know it was you?" Riyugi retorted sarcastically.
Yana couldn't help but laugh at Riyugi's grumpiness.
She couldn't stop her shoulders from shaking as she suppressed her laughter. Riyugi noticed and looked at her irritably.
"What's so funny?" he asked, annoyed.
"Nothing, you're just grumpy, but you're actually kind, aren't you? You didn't let me die." Yana said with a smile, looking into his eyes.
"Tsk, your life is important for the King's mission, so I can't let you die." Riyugi said.
"Your loyalty to the King is admirable." Yana said with admiration.
"The purpose of my life is to follow the King's will." Riyugi said.
Yana was surprised by his words. While she admired him, she also felt a sense of sadness for the young man. For her, the purpose of one's life shouldn't be solely to follow anyone's will or orders.
She couldn't help but look at Riyugi with pity, which he noticed and found irritating.
"Don't look at me like that. It's not amusing." Riyugi said.
"Alright," Yana replied, understanding that Riyugi didn't want to be pitied.
The next day, they bid farewell and thanked the elderly healer before continuing their journey to the gateway.
Meanwhile, in the capital of the Ronoru territory, Qrolo arrived. He had yet to find the kingdom but overheard a conversation among some Ronoru about rumors that the leader of the Venera was holding a human.
"Can you tell me where the leader of the Venera is?" Qrolo asked the Ronoru he overheard talking.
"It's said that the Venera leader is currently traveling with a human towards the gateway connecting the human world." a Ronoru replied.
"W-what? Where can I find the gateway?" Qrolo asked.
"I don't know, maybe in the mountains." one Ronoru said.
"I heard it's under the ocean." another said.
Qrolo was confused about what was true. He decided to ask other Ronoru in the capital if they had seen a Ronoru with a human. After several inquiries, none of them had seen such a person.
Eventually, he asked an old man, who turned out to be the healer who removed the poison from Yana's body. he was in the capital to sell various kinds of medicinal herbs.
The old man told Qrolo about the Venera leader, Riyugi, asking for her help to heal Yana. She pointed him in the direction Riyugi had gone. Without wasting any time, Qrolo set off in the direction the old man indicated.