Free Web NovelChapter 178: Tija Tiam
"W-what is wrong with that woman?!" Mika wondered as he fought back.
It was night when a random young woman was attacking Mika with a sword in the city Fyuna. The others were about to step in but were stopped by Yarjak, who could just shake his head in disappointment and shame. frёewebnoѵēl.com
"Hic~"
Her eyes were not focused nor was her stance firm. Furthermore, her reddened cheeks, her occasional hiccups and the stench of alcohol led one to believe that she was drunk. And yet, she managed to swing her long sword, which resembled Belian’s one-edged sword, without any problems. It was as if wielding the sword was like moving a part of her body to her.
Mika, who did not know who that woman was, defended her attacks and recognized that he could not let his guard down against her.
"Are you from the north?" the woman asked.
"Hic~"
And a hiccup followed right after.
"The north? I’m from Loogam!" Mika replied.
The woman narrowed her gaze.
"I don’t like liars, you know?" she said sternly.
The air around her changed as she took a deep breath, gripping on her sword tighter.
"!" freēwēbηovel.c૦m
Mika, too, turned serious as he infused magic into his rusty blade in response to his opponent.
But before the two could swing their swords, Sara appeared between them.
"Wait!"
She used her wrapped relic to fling off the woman’s sword and her other hand to take hold of Mika’s wrist.
"Sara...?" the woman muttered pensively, squinting her eyes even more.
Sara sighed.
"Were you drinking too much again, Big Sis?" she remarked disappointedly.
Both Mika and the woman stepped back and ceased their hostilities.
"Who’s that?" Mika asked as he put away his sword.
"We apologize for her action..." Yarjak said ashamedly as he joined Sara’s side.
"She is Tija Tiam. Our oldest sister..." he added.
"Yarjak! Is that you?" Tija said joyfully, jumping at him.
"S-she is the one, who was considered as the c-crown princess...?" Mika stuttered in shock.
"How long has it been since we saw each other?!" Tija wondered, hugging her siblings tightly.
"Ugh... You’re reeking of alcohol..." Sara grumbled.
"..."
Yarjak was trying his best to remain calm.
"I-I’m sorry that you had to witness this..." he said.
"N-no, no need to apologize." Mika replied awkwardly.
Sara was lending the drunken Tija, who was rumbling about random stuff, her shoulder.
"Let me lead you to the inns." Yarjak announced after clearing his throat.
"..."
But before he moved, Mika took a glance at the back of Tija. Her previous question was still stuck inside his head.
"Who was that...?" Lily, who came from behind, wondered.
Because the others stood further away from them and also did not know about their conversation in the carriage, they were in the dark concerning Tija, the oldest daughter of the Tiam household.
"That was Tija Tiam, the older sister of Sara and Yarjak." Harik replied.
"Oh, you know her?" Mika wondered.
"Yes... Kind of." he replied sternly before he passed by Lily and Mika.
"?"
Mika found Harik’s behavior somewhat odd.
However, there was something that was even odder.
"Where are Elsa and Sylvia?" Mika asked, looking around him.
But he never saw the two among the passing people.
"I think those two were keen on staying in the carriages..." Lily replied pensively.
"Huh? Why would they do that?"
"I’m not sure... But Sylvia told me that she wanted to watch over the carriages in case bandits were to try stealing them."
"..."
Mika looked dumbfoundedly at Lily.
"Whatever, I guess..." he sighed as he followed the crowd.
The next day.
"I deeply apologize for my rude actions yesterday."
Tija, whose composure was completely different from last night, bowed her head deeply in front of Mika.
"..."
Mika was at first slightly taken aback as she spoke in a calm and polite manner, matching the image of a princess.
"No harm was done, so there’s no need to apologize, your Highness." Mika replied, nervous at first.
When she lifted her head, she flashed him a faint smile.
"Let me introduce myself then. I am Tija Tiam, the older sister of Sara and Yarjak. You drop the formalities and call me Tija." she said, stretching her hand to Mika.
"Then, don’t mind me if I do so, Tija. My name is Mika Elbar, a friend of Sara and Yarjak."
Mika responded with a handshake.
"If you ever need help, I will do everything in my power to aid you as repayment." she added.
"I-I will remember that."
Then, it turned slightly awkward.
After all, Mika was sharing the carriage with the three Tiam siblings. As Tija wanted to personally talk with Mika, Ophelia decided to sit in another carriage on their road to Youra, where they would arrive this evening.
And obviously, Mika felt uncomfortable. Sitting with Sara and Yarjak did not pose as a problem to him anymore as he spent much time with them already but now, a new face was sitting right in front of him and it was a mature woman with mature charms and a high status. It was not helping his case that she was constantly smiling at him.
"How was your trip to Loogam? I’ve heard that, among other things, you wanted to watch the tournament there." Tija asked the other two.
"Well..."
Sara was scratching her cheek sheepishly, not knowing how to explain the situation to her. Tija did not even know yet, why so many people were heading towards Youra with Sara and Yarjak. Luckily for her, her brother took the trouble and explained everything to her.
"I see..." Tija muttered in thought as she had a finger on her chin.
Compared to Louis Hayth, Tija was a lot calmer after hearing about the invasion.
"If I were in your position, then I would have most likely done the same and I suppose that Mother will understand the situation and help with finding a temporary place for the people and students. However, how the public will see this is another story." Tija said calmly.
Yarjak nodded his head.
"Anyways, I’m glad that at least you two are fine." she said with a smile, standing up and caressing her siblings’ heads.
While Sara was enjoying it, Yarjak was very embarrassed.
Mika cleared his throat, trying to make them remember that he was also sitting in their carriage.
"Oh, sorry. Seems like I was getting carried away." Tija stated, still smiling.
She sat down again.
"Ehm... Can I ask you something?" Mika said nervously, averting his gaze from her.
"But of course. What is it you want to know?"
Sara and Yarjak were also curious.
"I don’t know if you still remember last night but you were asking me if I was from the north..."
Her eyes sharpened.
"Sorry, I was pretty wasted, huh...?" she scolded herself as she palmed her face.
Mika remembered the hostility she was showing towards him.
"Is there something about the north...?" he asked cautiously.
"..."
Yarjak took a deep breath.
"On paper, Grat is considered as one nation, however, it is on the verge of splitting up into two. The south and the north."
Mika only knew that they were currently in the southeast of Grat, heading to Grat’s center, Youra.
"Even though we’re technically considered one nation, the people living in the south and in the north are completely different." Yarjak added sternly.
"Not only that but the climate is also totally different there." Tija said.
"I was never there yet but I have heard that the land was covered in snow and ice." Sara speculated.
"Well, there are many aspects, which lead to the separation between the north and the south, but in the end, the south is more than three times bigger than the northern land."
"Oh, I see. The north sounds pretty exciting considering the different climate and culture, doesn-"
"It’s not." Tija cut Mika off.
Her tone was still stern but she seemed a little enraged and threatening.
"You see..."
Yarjak was trying to find the right words.
"..."
And Sara was completely averting his gaze from him as sweat rolled down her cheeks.
"..."
Tija was pressing her tightly clenched fists against her thighs.
"Again, let me apologize to you and everyone, Mika."
"I-I apologize, too!"
Now, Sara and Yarjak were bowing their heads earnestly to Mika.
"H-hey, what’s going on here...?"
"From the start, we had another intention aside from watching the tournament in Loogam." Yarjak began confessing.
"The truth is, we wanted to get the cooperation of other nations for our problem. At first, negotiations failed but after we contributed to the fight against the demons and monsters, we lastly came to an agreement, which allowed us to lend the elite students of the academy, in other words, the white class."
"..."
Mika also turned sterner.
"We’re currently calling this a mere exchange program but in reality, you were sent here as help."
"Help for what?"
This time, Tija answered for Yarjak. And her following statement made Mika freeze up.
"We need your help in the civil war between the north and the south."
