Chapter 7

"Hmm...

"Aliff, why did you follow me here?" Ina asked with her usual flat expression.

"Huh! I just wanted to know where you've been going all this time," Aliff replied.

"Ahh, you...

"Come on... don't be mad, Ina," said the old woman.

"So, you are Aliff?

"Eh?! How do you know who I am, Grandma?

"Of course, Ina always talks about you to me," replied the grandmother.

"Grandma!!!" Ina shouted, a bit angry, as if she was embarrassed.

"Ohh, I didn't expect that," Aliff said, smiling at Ina.

"What are you looking at?" Ina said, slightly annoyed.

"Is he your boyfriend, sister Ina?" asked Anna, the little girl he had helped earlier.

"Hmm... boyfriend?" Aliff looked surprised.

"He's not my boyfriend; we just live in the same house," Ina explained to Anna.

"By the way, what happened to this village? It looks like a dead village," Aliff said, looking at the grandmother sitting in a wooden chair.

"Ina, you and the children go play outside," said the grandmother.

"Hmm... alright, let's go kids, let's play outside," Ina said. The children were initially afraid to play outside because of what had happened earlier, but with Ina, they all went out to play.

"Hmm, as you said, this village seems like a dead village. Yes, indeed, it has been dead for a long time.

"Do you know, every village or city has a King?

"What is a King like in this world?...

"Hmm... as I suspected, you're not from this world, are you?

"Huh?!... *How does she know that?*

"How do you know?...

"It's very easy; the aura within your body is very different from the aura in this world, and the aura within a body cannot be explained.

*The answer is the same as what my teacher said; is my aura really different from the people in this novel? I don't even know what my aura is like.*

"When you talk about what a King is like, a King is like a hero, whose duty is to help the villagers or defeat monsters that enter the village.

"Then why is this village like this?

"Because the village was sold by the village King without telling us, we couldn't accept it.

"What!!! What is that? You said that a King is like a hero, but what is that?

"You must know, son, not all Kings are good in this world; some crave power, while others care about the villagers or the city.

"Many villagers couldn't accept it because suddenly a King dared to do something like that, and because he was a King, many didn't dare to do anything against him.

"The people of this village had to move to the city and had to leave the beautiful village they had developed.

"After several years, the village was bought, but the person who bought it didn't take care of it but rather destroyed it; they seemed to hate this village.

"They didn't realize that I was still in the village, and I was very lucky because my house wasn't destroyed.

"King?... So where is the village King?" Aliff asked.

"I don't know, and I don't want to know. I wish that King would die.

"Then, are those five children your grandchildren?

"No, they are children who have lost their parents. Their parents were heroes, and they died during a mission.

"Ina is the one who always played with them when they were still babies. Ina also always brought food for us, and I am very thankful to her.

"So that's how it is... *I know Ina cares about others, even though she's a bit cold towards me.*

"By the way, how long have you been in this world?

"9 years," Aliff replied.

"9 years!? That's a long time. Don't you want to return to your original world?

"If I knew how to return to my original world, I wouldn't be here. I want to go back to my original world, but..."

*At 8 o'clock...* Everyone had gathered at the dining table. The children, Ina, Grandma, and Aliff sat around the table, staring at the steaming hot dishes.

"Hmm...

"Oh, it smells so good," Anna said, sniffing the air.

Anna rubbed her hungry stomach. "Brother Aliff, what is this food? I've never even seen it before."

Alif smiled slightly. "*Oops, I forgot that people in this world have never eaten fried rice.*"

"Hmm...

"This is fried rice. It's quite a popular dish where I'm from," Aliff replied, serving rice onto everyone's plates.

"Fried... rice?" Grandma raised her eyebrows.

"Fried rice is made with rice and a mix of vegetables and spices. How about you all just try it first?"

"Hm...

Ina looked at the dish with her usual expressionless face.

"*What's up with her? Doesn't she like fried rice?*" Aliff thought as he noticed Ina's face.

Anna couldn't wait any longer. "Let's eat. Anna is hungry now!"

"Alright, go ahead and eat," replied Aliff.

Simultaneously, they all took their first spoonful.

"WOW!" Anna was astonished. Her eyes widened.

"DELICIOUS!" they all exclaimed happily.

"*Looks like they like it.*

"Wow, this is so good!" Grandma nodded with a wide smile. "It's been a long time since I've tasted something this good."

"This food is even better than what Ina's sister made," Anna said, and the other children seemed to agree.

Meanwhile, Ina looked a bit surprised after hearing that Aliff's cooking was better than hers.

Aliff smiled contentedly seeing their reactions. "Hehe, I'm glad you all like it. Eat a lot."

They all laughed while enjoying that special dinner.

"*Thank goodness the people in this world like it,*" Aliff thought to himself as he watched them eat.

After finishing the meal, Aliff and Ina were about to head back to their home.

"Alright Grandma, we're heading home now," said Ina who was standing outside the door with Aliff.

"Yes, be careful on the way," replied Grandma.

"See you tomorrow, Brother Aliff and Sister Ina."

"Yes, see you tomorrow," Aliff replied to all of them.

"By the way, Aliff, are you also going to attend the magic academy with Ina?" Grandma suddenly asked Aliff.

"Magic academy? *I think I've heard about it from my teacher.*

"Is it the academy that gathers people who can use magic?

"From the way you talk, it seems like you know about that Academy. The magic academy will have many strong and talented students," said Grandma.

"Is that so? I guess I'll enter that academy. Ina, please enroll me in that academy, okay?"

"What?! Why me? You just have to put your name in there."

"Is that all it takes? *Isn't that too easy?*

"Alright, I'll start at the academy tomorrow. *I'm quite sure that in that academy, I'll meet the main character from this novel, even though I don't know what the main character looks like.*

On the way home, Ina was silent.

"Hey, Ina!"

"Hm... what?"

"What's wrong with you? You've been quiet for a while. Did I do something to make you mad?"

"Hmm... nothing, I'm not mad, I'm just...

"You're just a little jealous because they said my food is better than yours, right?"

"Hm...

"Don't be jealous like that, you're acting like a child."

"Shut up!"

"Hm... do you want to learn how to make fried rice?"

"What?!... I want to learn it."

*Hah! Suddenly she's so cute.*

"Hmm... alright, I'll help you make fried rice."

"You're not lying, right?"

"I'm not lying, besides I want to return the favor, you've also helped me all these years, right? So I want to repay you."

Ina's face showed a slight smile.