Kana nodded her head and felt slightly bad for this poor soul whose face was now distorted beyond recognition. After taking him to the guard station, reporting the pervert, and then getting directions, Kana finally returned to the inn she was staying at with great effort.
"Oh, dear, you are back! I will get some food cooked up for you shortly and bring it up to you." Cia saw Kana walk in and smiled at her. She was just as friendly as she always has been, even after killing her own son.
"Thank you." Kana replied with a nod of her head before going to her room. She entered it and opened the window to let some fresh air in. As she did, a blue figure flew in and landed on her shoulder.
"How was it?" Kana asked.
"Naru went to search the city, so I went to the castle. There seems to be a section of the castle with a barrier around it. I can not enter it at all. It's strange, though, because this barrier is only surrounding one spot in the castle underground." Aoi replied as she hugged Kana's cheek.
"Keep trying to access it if you can. So far, this sounds like our best bet. I will try to rise through the ranks of the knights and see if I can get stationed in the castle at some point." Kana felt that what she was looking for was behind that barrier. From Aoi's description, the area was further underground than the lowest floor, and only a single set of stairs led down to it. The door was small and made of metal that led into a large room, but Aoi could not pass the barrier that was set up in front of the door. She could only sense the size of the room, and that was it.
"Okay, I will be off again. If that idiot comes back, tell him to come to the castle. He can help me try to breach the barrier." Aoi said while giggling at her own words.
Kana laughed as she poked Aoi. "Get going. I will send him when he gets here."
"Okay! Bye, bye!" Aoi gave Kana another hug before flying back out the window.
Not long after, Cia dropped off Kana's meal which was just as much food as the night before. Kana ate and bathed and sat by the window, looking up at the darkening skies. The window ledge is large enough for her to sit right on it, one foot propped up in front of her bent at the knee and the other dangling just over the floor. Her damp hair shimmered in the setting sun's light.
She hugged her knee, feeling a bit lonely. In her past life, she was always alone. But ever since she was reborn, she always had someone there keeping her company. Now that Aoi and Naru were gone, she was suddenly alone. "It's strange… Before, I was happy to be alone because that meant I was safe. But now, I dislike this feeling of solitude. It makes me wonder how everyone else is doing. Is Kiliffia doing okay in the academy by herself? Is Cielie fine by herself while she is out exploring the world and training?"
Kana let out a sigh as a handsome man's face appeared in her mind. Her cheeks blushed a little as she held up her hand and looked at the black ring tattoo around her ring finger. "Does Creige miss me? He hasn't found someone else to love, right?"
Kana paused, her eyes began to become a little moist, just thinking about such a possibility. But as her thoughts rested on Creige, the ring on her finger glowed slightly, and a sudden wave of emotions filled her. These were not her emotions but a certain handsome husband's emotions. They were warm and filled with love. Kana smiled faintly as she rubbed the ring tattoo. "Handsome Husband's feelings for me are stronger than ever… I will have to make sure I give him a big kiss when I see him..."
Kana's cheeks turned bright red as she giggled to herself. "I hope I can leave this place soon. If I end up spending too much time here, then I will have no choice but to fight my way into that room. But for now, I will play it safe. There is no telling how strong the people in the castle are."
"Kana, the most handsome spirit in all the lands is back!" Narus suddenly showed up being his normal narcissist self.
"Find anything?" Kana asked, completely ignoring everything he had just said. She was completely used to it now.
"No. But I did find a large army below the city. It looked to be about ten thousand or more. They were chanting something about overthrowing the current king." Naru answered.
"Hmmm… That is good to know I may be able to use this later. For now, go to the castle and find Aoi. She wants you to help her to see if the two of you combined can bypass a barrier. She thinks she has found the boss room doors." Kana explained.
"Alright, then I will be off!" Naru went to fly off before stopping and turning to look back at Kana: "Kana, cheer up. The water bug and I will do our best to help you complete anything you wish to accomplish." After saying this, he flew off.
Kana smiled and felt blessed she had friends who were willing to be by her side. Who were willing to help her reach her goals. She leaned her head back and looked up at the starry sky above. "I really should raise my sprites! Once I conquer this dungeon, I will evolve and take on the third trial!"
While Kana was thinking about her goals and future, in another part of the city inside a jail cell Duke Berg was smiling as he heard footsteps walking down the hall. Three men in black clothes stopped in front of his cell door and knelt down. "Your Majesty, the rightful king. We have taken care of Bridan, the woman who harmed you got away. Number six was severely hurt, and his face will never return to the way it was before. Do you still plan to sit in the dungeon tonight? We can..."
"I will stay here. I will not show myself just yet. Forget the girl she is unimportant. Once the night of the full moon comes, the night before the knight's test, we will show them who the true King is. I will return this kingdom back to its former glory!"