Chapter 77 – Feelings and A Desire

Third person POV

Riana decided to stay at Blaise's potion shop until Robert came from school. She passed the time by looking at the potions on stock and reading potion making and alchemy books at the shop's storage room while Blaise was running the shop and serving the customers, who were mostly travelers and regulars.

Then, at 4 in the afternoon, Robert came to the shop from school, entering via the front door, causing the bell above the door to ring.

Upon hearing that, Blaise looked at him, and Robert greeted, "I'm back, big sis."

"Welcome back, Robert-kun," Blaise greeted back. "How's school?"

"Fine as usual," answered Robert back. "I just attended a potion making class, and I learned the basics."

Delighted by it, Blaise responded, "Wow, that's great. You're now learning how to make potions?"

"Yes, but I want to learn how to make one of your healing potions," Robert replied back.

"Oh, is that so? That'll be hard. You must go with the easy ones first."

"Okay, I will."

After that, Riana came back from the storage room, and asked, "Uh, is Robert back?"

Robert and Riana then looked at her, and Blaise responded, "Yes, he's here."

Recognizing her looks, Robert was mildly surprised. "Are you…Riana-chan?"

"Yes, it's me, Robert-kun," Riana answered back.

"I see. What are you doing here?"

"I want to talk to you," Riana replied back, "and to apologize for my fellow goblins' idiocy."

"Okay, what did your fellow goblins do?" Robert asked back.

"Do you remember six years ago? The time you defeated one of our mercenary divisions because they abducted your older sister?"

Trying to remember that time, Robert get it. "Oh, right, I remember now."

But he was shocked at the position of the goblins, and he asked, "Wait, what? They're actually mercenaries?!"

Riana then nodded. "Yes, and I apologized for their idiocy of trying to abduct your older sister."

"I-It's okay, it wasn't your fault," Robert profusely and frantically replied back, trying to defuse the situation.

He did, and Riana calmed down.

Later, at the shop's work room, Blaise made some hot tea for Robert and Riana. That room had a lot of bottles and chemicals used to make various kinds of potions being placed in various parts of the big room. But Blaise reorganizes them once every two weeks, following her late parents' rules.

"So, what you want to talk about?" Robert asked Riana while holding the ceramic mug of hot tea.

"Well, what you want to be in life?" Riana replied back.

Thinking about that, Robert responded, "I had no idea. I haven't decided yet."

"I see," Riana replied back. "How about being a mercenary?"

"What? Are you for real?" Robert responded in shocked surprise. "Why me?"

"We're looking for new recruits."

"Okay, I'm not sure about that. That's more like being a soldier."

"I see."

"But, I can be a soldier for the Ruler if war breaks out."

"Okay, I respect your decisions," Riana answered back, before taking a sip of her beverage.

But, Riana began to feel something off with her feelings, starting to have feelings for Robert Lightningheart.

"Man, why am I in love with him?" she thought to herself while being agitated.

Upon seeing this, Robert asked, "Are you okay?"

Riana then snapped out and responded, "Yes, I'm fine."

"Okay," Robert replied back. "Also, I was thinking about going to the Saheda Kingdom to meet up with the Windheart clan, my mom's clan so I could learn some wind magic."

"Oh really?" Riana asked back.

Robert then nodded. "Yes, because I had been focusing on only lightning magic, and that's about it."

"I see. That would be a 5 days' journey."

"That's okay. I can take it."