Ford couldn't waste this second chance.. but to gain Arias' trust, he had to find the answer to where he's from that wouldn't arouse too much suspicion. He certainly couldn't do the "lost child" bullshit again.
The events have played out almost the same as they had in the previous loop. Arias healed Ford then immediately asked where he was from because of his strange appearance. This time, however, Ford was of course prepared.
"Weeelllll.... It's sort of hard to explain.. I can't say where I'm from... It's somewhere pretty far away though..."
Arias' already wide eyes widened even more when she heard that, as one thought crossed her mind, which is the possibility of Ford being from beyond the wall.
Arias: "Could you possibly... Be from beyond the wall?!"
Ford had heard about the wall in a previous loop, a tall structure that acts as a barrier for one half of the world. That other half containing what Rae and Arias described as a burnt wasteland.
If Ford said he was from beyond the wall, he might be asked questions that were impossible to answer with him knowing nothing about it. However, if Ford said he wasn't from beyond this mysterious wall, then he would immediately lose Arias' trust.
No matter which path he chose, they would both lead to negative outcomes. Just then, a thought had crossed his mind, just how much does Arias know about this wall anyway? In the previous loop, she said she knew nothing about it.
This would lead Ford to his decision. He would tell Arias he was from beyond the wall, and hope that no further questions were asked.
"Aaaannndddd... Thats exactly right! I'm from beyond the wall!"
Arias: "Then tell me... What was it like living in that wasteland?"
Of course she asked the one question Ford wasn't expecting. He decided to play it off as not wanting to talk about what happened in that wasteland, which in turn would cause Arias to feel guilty for asking that question.
"I... would rather not talk about that if it's okay..."
Arias' face turned red from embarrassment as she immediately looked down at her feet and spoke in a soft and quiet voice--
Arias: "of course... sorry I asked..."
Ford had felt a bit bad for lying, but he also didn't want to be viewed as someone completely out of their mind. So, lying, was literally the only option in this scenario.
"Hey... Do you mind if I ask you a question?"
Arias: "huh? What is it?"
Instead of Ford saying Rae's name out of habit, he would point out the gold ring that Arias was wearing. If he wanted this loop to go right, he had to find out about Rae again--
"What's the deal with that sweet ass gold ring"
Arias smiled as she held up her hand to reveal a neat gold ring around her finger.
"This? It's the home of my contract spirit, Rae! I'll let you meet him!"
Just then, exactly like in the previous loop, a white orb had appeared, a talking white orb--
Rae: "Heya Fordy! I'm Rae!"
Also, just like in the previous loop, Arias and Rae still addressed Ford as "Fordy". A nickname that will always stick, for the rest of his life. Of course, Ford didn't mind that nickname much, especially since it was given by a beautiful girl like Arias.
Anyway, out of everyone, he had now met Arias and Rae again, but he had still yet to find out the identity of the knight that stood at the front gate of Arias' castle. During this point of the loop however, Ford had yet to find out about that castle, since that stalking incendent hadn't happened. So, to find out about that castle, he would ask one simple question--
"Also, I can't but notice that behemoth of a castle in the distance... What is that place, exactly?"
Arias would hesitate at first. After all, she had just met Ford. Giving your address to a stranger is certainly not the best idea. She, however, had a guard at the front gate that would protect her no matter what.
Arias: "It's... My castle.."
Ford, surprisingly, was a pretty good actor, so he was able to pull off that "clueless boy" persona pretty well--
"Woah... Seriously?! You own that?! You must be rich!"
Arias: "Well, contrary to popular belief... I actually don't have much change on me.."
Arias' face turned red as she let out a nervous chuckle.
"No way! You gotta be lying!"
Arias: "It's hard to believe, I know... But it's the truth.. the Lord of the castle takes almost all of the riches..."
"Sounds like unpaid labor if you ask me... So you're telling me this Lord guy takes all of the money for your work?!"
Arias was clueless about unpaid labor... Which is not what she's doing, but it's still low pay nonetheless. Had she been in Ford's world, she could've went on strike against this "Lord" as she calls him.
Arias: "of course not! He pays me more than enough! I... I think..."
"Yeeeaaaaahhh sure... Anyway, I'm going to get a closer look at that castle if you don't mind... You're free to follow me, since it is your place after all..."
With that, Ford made his way over to the castle. He has learned from his previous loop, so there was a pretty low chance he would pick a fight with the knight again.
On the way to the castle, he would remember that pain he felt when his throat was slashed, and wrap his hand around his neck while walking. He still believes it was a severe case of Deja Vu, and if it was, it ended in his death, which just made the thought of it even more scary, especially since Deja Vu is a premonition of something before it happens.
In other words, what that means is Ford is going to die if what he experienced was Deja Vu. Although, it should be impossible for Deja Vu to be that big.
There is another part of Ford who believes he actually had went back in time, and the spark that caused the time travel was his own death.
Anyway, Ford had come face to face with the knight of the castle once again. As always, the knight had straightened his posture as soon as he saw Ford.
The knight wasn't the most formal person ever, which made Ford question where Arias even found the guy; whether it was on some street or an actual hired hand from the knight's barracks.
"Heeey man! I just came to say that you're doing a fantastic job!"
Ford stuck his fist out as if signaling for a fist bump, which the knight had ignored.
??: "Sorry sir.. I don't have time for small talk... However, thank you for that compliment"
This second time around was already going way better than the first, with Ford and the knight becoming buddy buddy real fast. He had learned from the first time around and decided not to ask any further questions.
"Alright, alright.. I won't keep you from your duty, just wanted to let you know.."
Ford said as he waved and made his way over to Arias, who was watching from a distance making sure nothing went wrong.
Arias: "I see you and my hired guard are getting along..."
Hired guard? Why not just call him her knight? Unless he's not her knight, and she doesn't actually have one yet. Anyway, it was getting dark.
Arias: "It seems to be getting dark... I should be getting back... Do you money for the Inn?"
"No... I'm flat broke!"
Arias rolled her eyes as she pulled out 5 silver coins and handed them to Ford.
Arias: "here.. this is enough for one night... Don't lose that as it's all I have..."
Ford nodded as he made his way over to the Inn. He stood at the front door for a few minutes, contemplating whether to go in or not.
"Here I am..."
Ford said in a Shakey voice. He felt uneasy, most likely due to that horrible premonition he experienced. There was no way he could die on his first night in a new world.
Maybe that death he experienced was just a case of insanity, and nothing bad would happen at all... He walked inside, rented a room, and made his way upstairs.
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