Ingrid bit her lip as she contemplated.
She was that girl who had the same name as her, right?
That Ingrid called 'Inna.'
And that 'Inna' was most probably that 'Nana' as well. After all, there was no syllable 'Na' in her name so it can only be that girl.
Ingrid furrowed her brows as she abandoned the thought of sleeping. Instead, she decided to take the time and declutter all the troubling thoughts in her mind. She didn't want to leave Anemoly with more questions than answers so she willed herself to at least try and resolve them before she left. After all, her curiosity would never let her live it down.
Now, the thing regarding this 'Inna' personā¦
It's far too unlikely that only their names were the sameā¦
After all, they've been mistaking her as this 'Inna' girl left and right. And despite seeing her clad in armor, they still believed her to be 'Inna.'
Could it be, that aside from their names being identical, their physical looks might also be identical?
That's the only explanation that she could concur based on their behaviors.
Ingrid sighed as she began to consciously touch her face.
To think that there would be someone with the same faceā¦
She couldn't help but be disturbed slightly.
Suddenly, as she was lost in her own thoughts, she felt a disturbance of the magical particles around her. Then, she heard a familiar voice cry out.
"Who dares to trespa.s.s in this forbidden area?!"
The voice was somehow familiar but she couldn't pinpoint who it was. Curious, Ingrid whipped her head towards the origin of the voice and was startled to see a silhouette of a man standing intimidatingly in the middle of the pebbled pathway.
Ingrid immediately stood up as she readied herself for the possibility of a fight. Despite the poor lighting, she could almost see the man before her ooze out numerous waves of anger and frustration which made her sweat in nervousness.
"Show yourself!"
The man screamed again as he slowly made his way towards the entrance of the pavilion. But before he could, Ingrid changed her stance into that of her usual fighting one.
The man stopped in his tracks as his eyes furrowed deeply.
"You do not wish to show yourself?! Well, then.."
She suddenly heard casting and after a flash, the whole pavilion was illuminated. She staggered back from the sudden brightness that she ended up clumsily sitting back down on the long lounge chair. Then, she s.h.i.+elded her eyes from the light as she groaned in discomfort.
The man made his way towards her, about to interrogate her when he noticed the familiar armor she wore.
"I-inna?"
Ingrid stiffened at the name and having had enough with being mistaken as her all the time, she instinctively growled out.
"I'm not Inna!"
Startled, Raghnall blinked profusely as he remembered the events that occurred a few days ago. Realizing his mistake, he sighed as he leaned into one of the pillars by the pavilion's entrance.
"Dear heavens, how did someone like you get in here?"
Raghnall grumbled as he looked around. He tried to check the seals that surrounded the place and he was shocked to find out that they were all down.
Just how did she possibly nullify all his barriers?
Only someone that was higher or of the same rank of the Preist cla.s.s would be able to do such a great feat. And although he only knew a handful of those in the Academy, he was confident that they wouldn't find the area since it was in such a secluded location.
Raghnall sighed as he put away all his questions for the moment. The most important thing he needed to do was to protect the place. And so, he proceeded to cast the barriers again.
Meanwhile, Ingrid's eyes finally adjusted to the bright light and she finally lowered her hand that originally s.h.i.+elded her vision. Then, when she laid her eyes on the man, she finally realized that he was the one who inappropriately hugged her back when she first woke up in Anemoly.
An involuntary blush spread throughout her face as she remembered the embrace but she willed herself to calm down as she observed him.
After a few seconds of watching him, she saw that the man didn't hold animosity but was instead looking at the fields with concern in his eyes.
Maybe he was the caretaker of the place?
Somehow, seeing those eyes, she felt that the man wouldn't do anything to harm her so she slowly relaxed by the chair as she replied to him.
"What do you mean? I justā¦ entered..."
Ingrid furrowed her brows as she looked at him with confusion.
Meanwhile, as Raghnall finished his casting, he looked at her with the same expression of confusion.
"What do you mean you just entered? I had this whole place surrounded by barriers! Were you the ones who nullified them?"
Ingrid's eyes widened as she tried her best to explain her side despite being greatly confused.
"Iā¦ No, it was just that I was walking on my own when I saw this bright light and I just chased it. But it entered here so I just simply followed it."
Raghnall furrowed his brows as he c.o.c.ked his head to the side, now showing curiosity aside from confusion.
"A bright light?"
Ingrid nodded slowly as she looked out the pavilion, trying to search for that strange b.u.t.terfly.
"When I finally got close enough, I found it to be a b.u.t.terfly."
Raghnall figured that she was looking for the b.u.t.terfly to prove her point so he joined in on searching as well. And when saw one flutter away, he knew she was telling thd truth.
Though he wasn't sure if a b.u.t.terfly that big was strong enough to nullify his barrier, he couldn't find any other explanation since the woman before him must have the same abilities as Inna. And he's sure as the heavens above that Inna would never be able to nullify the multiple barriers he had set up given her current level.
Recalling that little ninny once again, he looked at the beautifully grown roses outside of the pavilion with a small frown as he thought to himself.
He should really start growing lilies here...