Does he have to be so close to say that? Vivia's brow twitched.
She understood his conundrum though. It was harder to communicate with the kind of varied bell sounds riding across the wind.
"I'm okay, my lord!"
"Are you sure?" His warm breath fanned her cheek. "I thought I saw you a bit surprised there. Like this is the first time you're coming here."
"..."
"But of course, Bellor is your home town, so you must be used to this."
I absolutely am not! was what she wanted to cry, but she lacked the tears to shed.
Added to that, her curious mind was dying to know the deal with the plethora of bells in the city. She had never seen a town or city that always…rang and chimed like that. The sounds of some bells were deep and low while others chimed like pleasant tickles that made one laugh.
Lucian approached Zerath with his usual deadpan expression and took out a board with a message.
'You must be tired, my lord. Would you want to rest first?'
Zerath took the board and wrote at the back of it.
'I'm fine. Let's proceed as usual.'
Lucian bowed in response.
Vivia didn't know what kind of face to make witnessing that kind of communication. They looked completely used to the silent exchange as if the bells didn't bother them one bit. She felt Zerath's gaze and straightened up. Once again, he stepped closer and whispered in her ear.
"Since you're in your hometown, do you have any plans, Ril?"
The small hairs on her left profile stood straight with a shiver.
Why aren't you using the board with me like you're doing with Sir Lucian? You don't have to be so close! Don't you feel even a little bit awkward about this proximity with a man?
"No, my lord! It'll dutifully wait for your return," she nodded.
"Is that so?" He held her gaze and nodded. "As you wish. But will you be okay if you come across that lady who broke your heart?"
She cleared her throat. "I'll be! I won't falter."
He smiled. "I see. Good to hear that. You can wait here until I'm done. Don't get lost."
Where would I get lost? She frowned but kept it to herself.
As she saw Zerath leaving with Lucian following him, the latter slightly turned, throwing a side glance at her.
Vivia brightened.
I'm doing great, Sir Lucian, thanks to your help! Zerath didn't realize a thing!
She only received his deadpan expression in return, and he turned back without much response.
He-he is not talkative at all, is he…? She coughed, feeling strangely embarrassed.
As soon as Zerath left her view, Vivia immediately hopped back to the carriage and jumped inside.
"Eurus, we're in the clear! Come out."
A silver head popped from behind a seat, and a pair of curious eyes looked at Vivia. He came out of his hiding and immediately trotted to hug her.
"Hehe, wasn't it fun? We fooled Zerath, but he didn't even get a whiff!" The look of pride in her eyes was unmistakable.
Her excitement of victory trickled down to him and he sparkled too. He nodded enthusiastically.
"So so! Once Zerath is back, I'll drop my disguise and reveal the truth. And also you!" she smirked. "Ah, I can't wait to see the look on his face, hoho~" she rubbed her palms together like a villainess.
"Until then, we've nothing much to do, so how about we look around the city? Aren't the bells amazing?"
Eurus had been wondering about the constant stream of bell chimes ever since their carriage had stepped through Bellor's gates. It was quite a different and vivid experience from the complete silence he was used to in the cave where he lived.
Vivia and Eurus happily stepped down and made their way to the heart of Bellor. A loud gong just resounded then, almost making her stumble. In the distance, she saw a crowd form and stars met her eyes.
Something exciting is happening over there!
She tightly held onto Eurus's hand, and they navigated through the sea of the crowd together. It was quite a journey, but they managed to reach the front where two demons stood on either side of an arena, all muscular and strong, slapping their thighs ready for a battle.
Is this some kind of a battle tournament?
She then realized a common pattern as she swept her gaze across the street. It wasn't just those demons who looked fit and muscular. The general populace of Bellor looked very healthy and lively. Most of the demons had toned bodies and some demonesses, too, weren't shy of flexing their light arm muscles.
What kind of exercises do they do to stay so fit? That's amazing!
Another gong later, the two demons instantly dashed toward each other, locking each other's torsos in their arms. Both demons were an equal challenge and threat to the other as none refused to give even a slip in their defense and offense.
Vivia marveled. She had not witnessed such sparring matches in the Human Realm. Sword training was common but physical fights not so much. The exhilaration of hearing the demons' grunts and passionate voices as they fought off their opponent was truly a sight to behold.
Eurus behaved exactly like Vivia's twin, his eyes were glued to the match the entire time. The punches landed were harsh, the twists of the arms were unforgiving, the kicks screamed of pain, yet the demons laughed as if they were enjoying every moment of this battle. The fire in their eyes never dimmed down even once.
Eventually, the victor came out at the top and roars of thrilled gushes and screams filled the air, even louder than the bells. Vivia clapped hard, and by the end of it, she was rooting for both of them. She held her breath, eager for the victor to come forward who would probably receive some kind of an award.
But a different kind of a bell chimed this time, and the victor demon immediately laid out on the arena, closing his eyes. He went to sleep, and the crowd began to disperse around the arena, hushing down.
Vivia's jaw dropped, dumbfounded. One moment, the demon was celebrating with the crowd's cheers and the next moment, he was asleep?
Just like that? How can he sleep so suddenly in a public place like this?
What's happening here?