CH 67

While it seemed clear that people wanted them to go, it hadn’t been officially decided yet. Still, they didn’t unpack their bags. They could just put on a new change of clothes and do the rest tomorrow. 

“Hey, Maki-chan. This is the palace, but…”

“Yes, I was thinking about it too.”

It had become a habit for them towards the end of their trip. But surely the monsters wouldn’t come all the way here… Still, Maki and Chiharu went out to the balcony, quietly, so the guards wouldn’t hear them. Then they sat down.

At night, the castle was illuminated by magic stone lamps, but those too were turned off at midnight. And so it was nearly pitch black outside. Underneath the railing, they could see the faint outline of the town below. The lighthouse by the sea was one of the few visible lights out there. Though, the moon’s reflection could also be seen on the water.

“The nights sure are dark in this world.”

“It’s dark no matter where you go. But I find it relaxing too.”

Dark nights were like a danger warning telling you to go to sleep.

“And yet here we are, wide awake.”

Said Chiharu.

“Exactly.”

Said Makii. Then they looked up at the night sky.

“Ah, so they are here after all.”

“Maybe it was just that we hadn’t noticed before.”

A small, small gazer approached. It was about twice the size of a human fist.

“Where did you come from?”

Chiharu asked and the gazer answered.

A dark place. Sometimes, there was lots of water. I followed the fast thing and came to a wide place.

“And did you see a lot?”

Chiharu asked quietly.

Lots of things. But not enough.

“Then, why did you come to us?”

Nice smell. Relief. And then it twirled around.

“Cute.”

“Cute.”

The two said as they saw the gazer turn.

Good bye.

After a while, the gazer seemed to grow bored, and turned away. Their backs are black. Chiharu thought. Then she asked.

“You don’t want to return into a stone?”

Not yet. I want to see more.

“Don’t go around following people.”

Why. They look so warm.

“Because people grow weak if you touch them. And then they cannot see things.”

Do they dissapear.

“If you touch them too much, yes.”

That is not good.

The gazer swayed as if it was thinking.

“Come when you are tired. I’ll turn you into a magic stone.”

Okay.

And the gazer slowly drifted back into the night sky.

“It was so cute.”

Maki said as she put both hands on her cheeks. Then Chiharu said,

“It was cute, but this is not the underground. It would be fine if it was a weakened gazer. But I wonder if one as healthy as that one won’t cause trouble.”

“Healthy? It looked pretty dazed to me.”

Maki said with a chuckle.

“But, they were here before, weren’t they? And no one noticed. There was no trouble, right?”

“If it really is the same as before…”

“Chiharu?”

Maki turned to her. Chiharu was staring at the sky with a harsh expression.

“Two Saintesses. Thick miasma. Dungeon troubles. Monsters in lakes. Weren’t all of those things unprecedented?”

“True. So it wasn’t that no one noticed. They weren’t here before. So something is happening now. That’s what you think, Chiharu?”

“I can’t say for sure. But that gazer seemed different. And that makes me wonder. What if we left a dangerous monster to wander through the town?”

“Chiharu…”

“But still, I can’t turn them into a magic stone by force.”

No other monsters came that night. But Maki and Chiharu were so anxious that they didn’t feel like returning to their rooms.

In other words, they did not get much sleep that night.

Knock-knock.

Knock-knock.

“Lady Maki. Lady Chiharu?”

“Mmm…ah! What time is it? I don’t have a watch. Uh, come in, Sera!”

Maki jumped up at Sera’s voice.

“Chiharu. Chiharu!”

“Mmmm…”

“Get up! The elf lands!”

“Ah! Honey wine!”

“That’s what got you!”

Chiharu finally got up. Sera then came in. She was chuckling.

“You just came back from a long journey. It’s no wonder you are tired.”

She prepared their breakfast and continued to talk.

“Lady Maki and Lady Chiharu. I have heard people saying that you two will travel again when you have only returned tomorrow. Surely, I must have heard wrong…”

She was mad. Sera was mad. Maki and Chiharu traded awkward glances.

“We just heard about it last night. But they didn’t give us any details.”

Chiharu was still drowsy, so it was Maki who answered.

“That silly elf boy even said that you two could travel empty-handed because they would prepare everything for you in the elf lands…”

Boy… He was probably over 150 years old… They did say he was the Prime Minister’s aide…

“But you’ll be stopping at the south lands as well. And yet that elf didn’t even think about…”

The south lands, huh? Yes, the food should be good there…

“As his uncle, that damned elf should control his nephew. But I think he stayed quiet because he doesn’t want Lady Chiharu to go. Damn him!”

Damned elf? The White Philosopher? Maki didn’t know how to react, so she turned to Chiharu.

She was sleeping.

“Chiharu!”

“Hmm? Ah.”

“The elf lands!”

“Honey wine…”

“Hmph! You better get ready or we’ll leave without you!”

“Yes! I’m up!”

Maki sighed and turned to Sera.

“Miss Sera. We will have to go eventually. And we were able to get plenty of rest on our way back from the dwarf lands. I promise you, we won’t push ourselves too hard.”

Sera’s eyebrows lowered. She knew there was nothing she could do.

“I do not mind that you must leave, Lady Maki and Lady Chiharu. But those selfish, barbarous elves…”

“It will be fine. Don’t worry. He always helps us. And I feel like it would be better for us to go.”

Yesterday, she and Chiharu had decided to take a firmer stand in this matter regarding the monsters.

Maki turned to Chiharu. She wanted to see her resolve.

“Hey, Chiha-…. Wake up!”

“AHHH!”

What happened to the cool Chiharu from last night? Maki was a little baffled.