CH 12

November 05, 2022

“This isn’t normal,” said Rye.

“This coffee? You’re right, it’s pretty bland,” said Stella. “I tried increasing the quantity of ground coffee for each cup, but I’m afraid these beans were roasted far too long ago.”

“Miss Stella, should I go buy some new beans?” said Marie. “I saw a shop in the Central District.”

“No, not yet. I might as well drink what we have first. These beans are among my prized possessions, after all.”

Stella swirled her cup and poured the brown liquid into her mouth. Coffee—it could wake one up and improve their mood, but at the cost of being slightly addictive. Drinking multiple cups a day, like Stella, would cause headaches after the effects wore off. It’s nothing like the tears of falling stars, though, she told herself. And I’m not just making excuses.

Coffee wasn’t so poisonous that a few cups would shorten her lifespan, but she didn’t know if the same could be said about the tears of falling stars. It’s probably fine. Probably.

“No, not the coffee. I’m talking about you, Stella.”

“Don’t point at me. It’s annoying, and above all rude. You’re a girl, so behave like one.”

“Oh, sorry—No, hang on, me being a girl has nothing to do with this. Why is it that you’re three years younger than me but so levelheaded and knowledgeable and able to deal with goons like Mace like he’s your best friend? It doesn’t make any sense!”

“Calm down, Rye, sweetie,” said Marie. “Some people are just different. It happens.”

“No, no, no! It doesn’t happen, there’s no way! I’ve been thinking—in what world can a ten-year-old girl deal with all those scary thugs without feeling the least bit intimidated? I’m telling you, it doesn’t make sense!”

“Uhm, it happens. It’s a big world out there, right? Just remember how this continent recently got invaded by an army from a different continent. That was also unthinkable, before it happened.” Marie stroked Rye’s head to try and calm her down.

The army she was talking about was the very one responsible for the current raging war. The Khorshid Empire, a distant empire that worshipped a sun god, had one day sent a hundred thousand men into this continent of Mundo Novo for no apparent reason. After trampling the disorganized remnants of the Dolebucks Confederation to the ground, they declared the establishment of a new state. That set the Astral Church to fuming, so they tried a few times—without success—to put the “vile heretics” to the sword. Now they had calmed down and were watching carefully, waiting their chance to regroup and strike at the heart of the enemy. These were all rumors Stella had heard in the streets. The information was unreliable at best.

One thing is certain, though—this town is in the heart of the conflict. If only it were farther away from everything.

Peasbury stood right in the middle of the two armies. It boasted of being on the Church’s side, but in practice it was neutral, as the Church had not seen any value in stationing troops here—what with it being an utterly indefensible position with impious citizens and unsafe streets. Initially, they were content with taking this town’s money and leaving it alone, a decision that they now seemed to regret. Greggs, the current mayor, was strongly in favor of independence from the Church, and thus didn’t take well to any meddling from their part. If they made a wrong move now, he might turn on them, as other landowners had. Greggs’s plan was to rule this town while treading the thin line between the Church and the Empire.

Greggs Georgia was himself a nobleman from the former Dolebucks Confederation, and before its downfall he used to be a supporter of the previous mayor. Then he murdered him and took his place.

He’s a shrewd man, but he can’t stay on the fence forever. How long before he’s forced to take a side? I want to see that.

Stella had no idea whether the Empire’s invasion would be able to keep momentum, or whether the Church would be able to crush them. The Church’s army was an assortment of different people brought together by their faith, and it didn’t seem very tightly knit. Things changed every day, and nothing was certain—except that Greggs would soon be forced to make a difficult decision.

“If they hadn’t come, I’d never have become a slave, and nobody would have died!” said Rye. “No, wait, I mean . . .”

“Will you keep it down? Yes, I know some things. I can use magic, and I enjoy myself a nice cup of coffee. So what? Do you have something against that? What exactly have I done to earn your distaste?” Stella squinted. This cup of coffee isn’t particularly nice, though.

“Nothing, really, but . . .”

“Well, there you have it. You’re in a fairly privileged position yourself. And so is Marie. Heck, even Beck, in a way, though he’s useless and a pervert. What more do you want?”

Beck was holding his head with both hands while whispering under his breath that he was not a pervert. He didn’t deny being useless, though. It was good that he knew the extent of his own abilities, but if that was the case, Stella wished he would strive to improve. Well, it wouldn’t be Beck if he did.

“Hmm, I hate to admit it, but I guess you’re not wrong. I’m supposed to be a slave, yet I’m acting more like a . . . freeloader? or something. I talk back to you all the time and you never get mad.”

“I could make you kneel and teach you to speak like you have honey stuffed in your throat, but that would only bore me. So I didn’t. Even this conversation we’re having right now, it’s sort of a waste of time, but it’s probably helping me understand humans better. That’s why I’m still talking to you, even if it’s annoying.”

“. . . You didn’t have to spell everything out like that. Why don’t you—you know—try acting more your age?”

“A child, telling me to ‘act more my age.’ This is an interesting experience, to say the least,” she complimented the girl, smiling.

“. . . Yeah, no. This is beyond me.”

“That’s just how it is, sweetie.”

“Marie, why do you keep saying that, eh? . . . Oh, I’m speaking like Clever again.”

‘Keke! Nice, eh? Not ’alf bad, eh, lil’ Rye!’

“Cut it out!”

Rye darted off, with Clever following joyfully at her heels. They make a good duo. Content, Stella asked Marie for a cup of coffee. Her coffee is the best.

Business was much slower in the afternoon. Apparently, ever since Stella forbade consumption of alcohol and tobacco inside her store, all the tear addicts had taken their drunken ramblings to the company-operated taverns. That would hurt her profits, but she’d gladly accept it in exchange for some peace and quiet. The customers who still did show up were all idiots who thought the tears of falling stars sold here were somehow more “real” than those sold in the taverns—they could swear it packed a mightier punch. All nonsense, of course; the product was exactly the same.

“It’s calmed down a lot now, hasn’t it?” said Stella. “This is a good change of pace.”

“Hmm, I don’t know,” said Rye. “Now it feels like something’s missing.”

“Is complaining all you can do?”

“Right back at you.”

Marie smiled at them. “You two get along so well.”

She had come a long way after leaving that cage. Her once lifeless eyes were gone; more often than not these days, they were full of energy. She likes to serve others. Marie worked every day without a single word of complaint, doing chores, dealing with customers, and watching conversations with a smile on her face.

“No, I think she’s just making fun of me,” said Rye. “She looks oddly lively when she’s teasing me or Beck.”

“Your job is to take care of the store and be my conversation partner, remember? I said that right at the start. You’ve been doing great, by the way.”

“. . . Oh, yeah. I guess you did say that.” Rye sighed in acceptance.

“Oh, I almost forgot. Tomorrow is Rest Day,” said Stella. “You’re all free to spend it as you please. I’m not going to take that away from you.”

It was important that they get proper rest for the mind and body. Without it, sooner or later they would revolt against her. Like I did before.

“Well,” said Marie, “I’ll use it to clean the store and the storehouse, then. There are a lot of nooks and crannies that I usually have to ignore.”

“Is that what you want to do?”

“Yes. This is my home and workplace. It’s very important to me, and I’d like to keep it clean.”

“. . . Well, if you insist, I’ll allow it. Clean to your heart’s content.”

“Thank you, Miss Stella.”

If that was Marie’s wish, Stella had no reason to stop her. As for Stella, she was planning to go out for a walk, produce some tears of falling stars, do some magic training, rest, and do some reading. The same as always, for the most part, with conversations and human-watching interspersed between.

“I don’t have nearly enough time for everything I want to do. Maybe if I started sleeping one hour less each day—No, but if I do that . . .”

Right now, she was sleeping six hours a day. That was already the bare minimum, a number she’d reached after much compromising.

“W-What’s with the scary face?”

“If I shave off any more hours of sleep, I might lose a few years of my life down the line . . . I can’t decide. Ahh, if only I had more time!” Stella crossed her arms and let out a deep sigh.

“You’re so weird.”

“I can hear you, Rye. Should I tell Marie to stop smuggling you snacks?”

“Why?! I’m paying for them with my money!”

“I’m your master, remember? My word is law. But don’t worry, I’m not a monster. Have fun stuffing your face with snacks, child.”

“Ugh, you’re unbelievable!”

No, this is me being generous. Rye puffed her cheeks in anger, stamped her foot a few times, and disappeared into the back.

“She’s so childish.” Stella giggled.

“You’re the one who’s too mature, Miss Stella. But about Rye . . . I think she’s been through terrible things, so . . .”

“I’m not going to pity her, but as long as she’s here, she’s free to live as she wants. You too, Marie. As long as you’re not getting in my way, you can do what you want. You’re my things. If anyone tries to hurt you, I’ll show them no mercy.”

“Thank you sincerely. But take care of yourself too, all right?”

“I’ve been doing that this whole time. Your concern is unnecessary, and a waste of time, honestly.”

A hint of sadness crossed Marie’s face before she bowed and returned to her work. What was that about?

Thirty minutes later, Rye reemerged with an awkward expression, accompanied by Clever. She lowered her head and most commendably apologized for calling Stella weird. Stella said that she didn’t mind it, and Rye’s face opened up a little. She went to help Marie.

Clever flapped his wings knowingly.

“Clever,” said Stella. “You didn’t tell her anything you shouldn’t have, right?”

‘What you talkin’ about, eh? I don’t know nothing! I’m just a bird, eh!’

“Just a bird, huh. Then what did the little meddling bird tell her? Spit it out.”

‘I didn’t tell ’er that yer just a teensy bit twisted, or that you weren’t bein’ mean on purpose, or that yer just lonely despite appearances! I didn’t tell ’er none of that, oh no! Birds can’t even talk!’

“That’s all wrong, by the way. Maybe I should remove your head and sew a chicken’s head in its place, would you like that? It’ll be an improvement. Hey, I have some time. Come, it’ll take just a minute.”

‘N-No, thanks! I gotta go for a walk, eh? See ya!’

“You fly away pretty fast when you want to, huh.”

What kind of Sacred Beast has a personality like his? This wasn’t the way Stella remembered him; she was sure he’d been more solemn and imposing in the past. Which one was the real Clever? She didn’t know. What she did know, however, was that it was thanks to him that she’d gotten her memories back—and also that, even after she’d come to this world, he’d never left her side.

Speaking of which, how are things going in that place? Is it still stopped in time, frozen in eternal tedium? Or maybe . . .

They had gone their separate ways. Stella had chosen to leave and paid the price, giving up her own life and memories in exchange for a mortal life. The price had been steep, but she couldn’t stand that place anymore. And now she was here. That was all there was to it. Whatever was happening there now, it was beyond the reach of her knowledge.

I’ve never felt more fulfilled. Even if I died now, I could fade away with a smile on my face. My life is going to end one day—and that’s a beautiful thing.

A few moments later, Stella reconsidered. It was yet too early for her to die. And thus, she decided to exercise harder.