Riku collapsed after going insane and attempting to attack one of the village guards. Based on his demeanor, he clearly had a grudge against them. Furthermore, if he didn't pass out at that point, Arisu would not hesitate to use her skill to stop him.
On the next day...
__
To begin, he gradually opened his eyes. He had a vision at first, and he was aware that there were other individuals in this room, so he massaged his eyes to clear his vision. He then looked around and noticed Emma, Solomon, Jara, Melissa, Arisu, and some guards who were protecting her.
Eh?
What?
Why they're all here?
He was blinking his eyes in surprise, and he couldn't help but wonder why those folks were here. Until... He recalled the incident involving him and Calin. However, he had forgotten that he had attempted to murder one of the guards.
"Master Riku, are you all right? Is there anything I can do for you?"
He was positive it was Solomon based on how the middle-aged man addressed him in a loud voice. He moved closer to him, gradually guiding him into a sat position.
"Ahh... No, I'm fine; my entire body was in pain.
True, the overnight wasn't enough to heal the lethal wounds he sustained from Calin, as the whip resembled a blade capable of severing human flesh. Furthermore, he did not ingest food for one day, indicating that his self-regeneration was not functioning properly.
Additionally, Jara and Melissa expressed how grateful they were to have their father returned to them. They presented him with bright flowers and fruits as the only way they could express their gratitude.
"Mister Riku, thank you for saving my father; I can't express how pleased I am right now," Melissa said with a smile.
"Sorry, this is the only amount I have," Jara said as she withdrew a small brown pouch from her pocket and handed it to Riku. "Please accept this, mister Riku, that penny is nothing because you have done so much for us," Jara pleaded, tears welling up in the corner of her eyes.
What would Riku do with that penny? It was simple for him to collect a penny though he could hunt a certain monster and sell its monster orb. So he shook his head and said, "No, Jara, I don't need your money; just enjoy the lovely life you have right now."
Ding!
And then he heard a familiar tone, and the small quantity of light provided by the screen blinded his eyes slightly. The system panel in front of him showed that he had finally finished his first quest.
[Great! You have finished rescuing Mellisa's father! Do you want to reap the rewards? Yes/No]
Unfortunately, Riku had a nasty smile on his face, well aware that he could still increase his mana pool by adding the free attributes to his status Intelligence.
When he answered Yes to his mind, a new tab of the screen appeared in front of his eyes. Aside from that, he didn't care that everyone was staring at him in awe.
[Reward(s) list!]
>> +102 experience
>> +8 mana pool
>> +18 fitness
>> +2 free attributes
>> +2 skill points
RIKU HIROTA'S CURRENT STATUS
Name: Riku Hirota
Health power: (100/100)
Mutant level: (210/1000)
Race: Human
Title: [Genes King]
Evolution: First evolution first-tier [Bloody crow]
Riku had managed to increase his mana pool by half, but he had no plans to use his skill points right now. Why? He just obtained a mimic skill came at the huge spider, or to put it another way, his skill pool was increasing power, which means his mana consumption was also increasing.
'Now that I'm stronger, I can feel like I'll be able to find my way back home,' he said to himself, then closed all the tabs so he could focus his attention on the woman who was quietly watching him.
Swoosh!
After seeing that Riku's condition was stabilizing, Solomon, Jara, and Mellisa exited the room. Inside the little room were Emma, Arisu, and other guards who appeared to be aware of Riku's abilities as they could not go closer to him.
Yes, it felt strange that the entire room was deafeningly quiet. As a result, he attempted to approach the woman standing on his left side.
"Hey, Emma, tell me how I can increase my mana right now," he said with an uneasy smile.
"Recover first, Riku, take a look at yourself, you looked pity, then you wanted to train to raise your mana? I already stated it, it's not as easy as you're expecting," Emma said to the guards and Arisu at the same time. Arisu can't control the guards properly, according to Emma, because she allowed this torture to occur for the second time.
"I understand, Emma," Riku smirked, "so calm down and don't be violent."
Arisu furrowed her brows, knowing that this woman was referring to her. But she just shrugged it off because it wasn't the main reason she was here.
"Guards, leave this room right now; nobody should hear our chat," Arisu said quietly, but the guards objected.
"W-We can't do that, lady Arisu; our mission here is to protect you," one of the seven guards said.
"You don't need to protect me since Riku would never injure me, and I'm stronger than him, so you don't need to be concerned."
These words seemed to persuade the guards as they slowly exited the room. She then cast darting glances at the woman who remained in the room.
Arisu approached her with a strong tone, "Hey, who are you again?" Riku was surprised since Arisu had never approached someone in this manner before.
"I'm Emma Norm, Adventurer of the Colonary Kingdom," she introduced herself, showing some respect as Arisu was still the King's daughter.
She kneaded her chin gently, looking at her from bottom to top. "Hmm... I assume you heard what I said, right? So why don't you leave in the meantime and return after we're done?"
And then, all of a sudden, Emma shook her head at her and said this. "I suppose I can't do that, lady Arisu, since if Riku and I return to the Colonary Kingdom once he's recovered, I'll have to listen in on your talk."
Arisu's eyes widened as she was taken aback by these comments. Furthermore, she directed her to look at Riku, as if to specifically ask him. "What does this imply, Riku? Are you going with her?" she asked in a melancholy tone, feeling someone pinch her heart after hearing this.
Riku lifted his hands in the air, "Huh? I didn't understand what she was saying; I just asked her to teach me how to enhance my mana-" He interrupted abruptly as Emma interfered.
"That's correct, the only thing for you to do is come with me to my realm," she added, a cruel grin on her face.
Arisu now understood why this woman was so determined to remove Riku from this hamlet. Emma, in her mind, appeared to witness Riku's transformation magic, and she desired for her Colonary kingdom to benefit from it. At the same time, she realized she couldn't do anything if Riku decided to leave the Arzotoc village due to the horrible agony he endured here.
"If that's the case, I'll leave the decision to Riku, but leave this room while I still have control." Arisu was generating a blue aura all over his body, which terrified Emma.
She took a hesitant step back till her back touched the wall. In her opinion, the King's daughter possessed far more mana than she did.
"Listen to her, Emma, leave this room since I have something to ask."
Afterward, it can't be helped Emma left the room and stood out in the corridor where the other guards were positioned.
Inside, Riku and Arisu were staring at one other intently. Riku then launched a dialogue. "First, I apologize for not informing you that I was going to the forest to save Solomon; second, I have no plans to leave this village right now because I want to help all the residents who need it."
To be more specific, Riku didn't know much about this world, therefore rushing to the other location was perilous for him. In addition, he must finish his first innovation on this planet.
"I already knew about it, Riku, I can see in your eyes that you won't leave me yet," Arisu replied, and tears dripped down her cheeks as she smiled at him.
She wiped his tears, "Sorry about that." She then moved closer to him and lightly slapped his chest with her closed fist. "That's for the days you made me worried!"
Riku couldn't move his body for some reason, wondering why this woman was so sweet to him.
What just happen?!
Why lady Arisu is attaining a closer distance with me?
This is too close, her lips can reach my lips!
But before that, these words were faded away as Arisu asked him. "Before that, where did you learn the transformation magic?"