CHAPTER 21 - ONE BALUT FOR OUR CHEESY FAREWELL

“You’re going back to Agartha?”

Yufa Haruna spoke those words out of my mouth. I want to ask about that too, but Yufa had the chance to ask first.

“Yes,” Lizzy answered. “Why?”

“N-Nothing,” Yufa said in a nervous tone. She shifted from a confused look to a genuine smile. She clasped her hands and then her jolly aura sparkled. “I’ll ask the diocese about that, but I’m pretty sure they will allow it. We often use it on our operations anyway.”

“Good. So that is the deal.”

“Yes!”

The two girls shook hands as they closed their contracts. They looked like super friends teaming up. I feel like I’m the one being left behind though. I’m still stuck on so many questions, mainly about Lizzy going to Agartha. Is she really serious about going back?

Yufa clapped. “Oh, since we’re allies now, it is just right to have me registered in the system as your Fighter, right?”

“Yes,” Lizzy said.

All of a sudden, a text box popped right in front of my eyes.

[Yufa Haruna Registered]

[Affinity Level Up to 1]

[Ultimate Unlocked]

“With that, I officially mark this recruitment a success!” Yufa pumped her fists. She stood up from her seat and then bowed right in front of us. “Thank you for listening to my request!”

“No problem, as long as you will hold your end of the deal,” Lizzy said as she stood up. “Well then, I have to go back to my shift.”

“I’ll get going too! I still have to tape for my newest album this evening! Bye!”

As Yufa Haruna left her seat, Lizzy also walked away and went to the backroom of this cafe. As a result, I’m the only one left behind in this place. Figuratively and literally. I think those two even forgot that I'm here.

I looked at the clock, and it’s still four in the afternoon. The sunlight has been painting everything in a bright orange tint. I pulled out my phone and dialed someone. I guess I’ll have to call Frank to continue our plan of playing League of Losers in an internet cafe.

<>

It’s no good. My mind is completely occupied with the thought of Lizzy leaving and going back to Agartha. Because of that thought, I became a feeder in the game, got in a three-game losing streak, and got reported; making my rank go down the drain and having my account banned. We also played Defense of the Abnormals but my feeding streak continued. As a result, I became a victim of Frank’s trash talks for dragging him down with me.

I now have a new nickname on my squad: Agent 007. It stands for 0 kills, 0 assists, and 7 deaths. If your real-life and video game career sucks just like mine, you would often think of a way to drown yourself in a lake.

It’s already seven-thirty when we called it quits and parted ways. It was already dark during that time, but I decided to stop by the Yummy Cafe to see if Lizzy was still there. I know that the cafe closes as early as eight on weekdays, so I hope that the cat-maid princess is still there. Luckily enough, she was.

Lizzy got out of the cafe still on her maid uniform, but the cat ears and tail are no longer there. She looked like she’s drenched as if somebody splashed a bucket of water on her. There’s also a bandage on her forehead.

“Why are you here, you a stupid donkey?” Those were her first words when she saw me. Talk about ice-cold treatment. “Are you here to mock me again?”

“Of course not, you hobo princess. I just happened to pass by. Anyway, what happened to you? You’re soaking wet! And what’s with your forehead again?”

“I slipped while cleaning the restroom and bumped my forehead on the toilet,” Lizzy said with a huge sigh. “Let’s stop talking about this and let’s go home already. I’m tired.”

I want to laugh, but it should be a bad idea since I have angered her enough for this day. I think I have reached my daily quota on quarreling with her, so I don’t feel like opening a topic. I just focused on walking with her on the sidewalks while keeping this silent atmosphere.

While walking along the way, we went past through a small stand that sells egg street food. To be more specific, it was an old man who’s selling balut; a delicacy street food here in Ophir. 

“Lizzy, want to try that?”

“Hmm?” Lizzy slightly tilted her head in curiosity. “Are those… steamed eggs?”

She looked like she didn’t know anything about that food so I immediately bought two eggs. I seasoned both eggs with salt and vinegar before going back to the princess with a treat.

“This is my country’s specialty. Come on, try it!”

Lizzy is still clueless, but she accepted the egg. She sipped the balut soup and ended up eating the yolk. Since it’s already dark, she has little to no idea how gross and terrible balut looks. She seemed to like it based on her immediate blushing expression.

“It’s good, right?” I said.

“Y-Yeah. Can you give me some more?”

Since the princess is in her eating mode, we settled down on a nearby bench with a bag of balut on her hand. We started to eat it as we had this little break. The silence of the night was filled with the cracking of the eggshell and the sipping of the egg soup.

It’s kind of boring just to eat in a silent place, so I strike a conversation with her.

“That’s just one of the best things here in Ophir! You haven’t tried most of the gruesome yet delicious food yet!”

“Mmmm.” Lizzy licked her lips. “You actually surprised me with this. Your country is bad, and this egg soup whatever-this-is might only be its saving grace.”

“You speak like you’ve seen everything this country has to offer,” I said.

“Pretty much. Your country is full of trash. There’s a lot of beggars in the street. The criminal rate is high, and so is the unemployment rate. Most of your products here are expensive but looks so cheap. And the worst of it all… Your leaders here in Earth Realm are clowns. With their stupid cabinet members, they can make a shitty circus.”

I didn’t talk. She’s telling the truth, so I’ll let her preach.

“To be honest, none of the countries in this surface world can be compared to my Agartha, which is a complete utopia. We Erindels have perfect leadership skills that are passed through our bloodline since time immemorial, and it is our duty to keep it until the end of time.”

Her mood seems to lighten as she continues to eat. I saw it an opportunity to ask my question that has been troubling me.

“Hey, Lizzy.” I paused. “Are you really going back to Agartha?”

Lizzy stopped eating and gently held the half-eaten balut with her delicate fingers.

“Yes. I need to go back. I have to.”

“Isn’t it dangerous for you to go back there? You’re still a fugitive, right?” I asked.

Honestly, there’s a huge part of me not wanting her to go. I’ve been living with her for almost two weeks already, and I think I’ll be all lonely when she goes back to her country. But, if she really needs to go back and say farewell to me this early, then I am not to judge her decision.

“I will just visit somebody there. I won’t stay long.” Lizzy locked eyes with me. “Besides, you’re coming with me.”

“What?”

“You heard me the first time. You’re coming with me. I need you to use that Archonlight System to keep me safe. Don’t worry, this visit will just be brief.”

I felt like a thorn was withdrawn from my throat. For a second there, I thought Lizzy would say goodbye to me this early. Part of me is glad that she will stay, but another part of me seemed nervous about what we’re about to do.

“Ah, so we’re going on a field trip to Agartha. What tourist spots would you recommend?”

“As I said, we’re not going just to fool around. Agartha is a completely sealed utopia that is never open to the public, so there’s no beautiful sights or awesome places to go. And we’re just going to visit my mother there.”

“Your mother? You mean the Queen of Agartha?”

“Yes.” Lizzy nodded. “I hope we can make it in time.”