*knock!* *knock!* *knock!* *knock!* *knock!*
Her eyelids were heavy when she heard someone kept knocking on her door. Rena was tired, very tired. Her muscles hurt too.
"Purple sis! Wake up! How long are you going to sleep?"
"Purple sis!"
She heard Mirra's voice outside the door. She forced herself to wake up, wishing that she left some drops of red potions. "Alright... I'm comin'..."
Dragging her body off the bed, she finally opened the door.
"Good morning! It took me ten minutes just to wake you up!"
"Are you okay?" Mirra observed her.
"Yeah, I'm alright. I'm just still tired. Good morning, Mirra." Rena answered her, still rubbing her sleepy eyes.
When she lowered her hands from her eyes, she saw not only Mirra, but Senka who was standing behind her. She lifted her face a little, moving her gaze to focus on his face.
"Good morning, Senka." She greeted him as well.
He nodded a little, awkwardly, and looked away.
"Purple sis, didn't you say you want to walk around the city last night? Go get change already. Let's go!" Mirra said enthusiastically, looking at her with a cheerful expression.
"Eh? Ah, that's right... Ok, I'll change my clothes. Can you both wait for a little but then?"
"No worry!" Mirra answered firmly.
Before Rena closed the door, she took a clear look at the brown hair girl. She tied her hair in ponytails lately. The style matched her, making the high cheekbone on her tiny face visible. She was a little short compared to the girls around her age, probably because of her poor livelihood, but it made her cute. After Rena interacted with Mirra often, she learned the girl was, in reality, motherly. Behind that small stature that stored abundance energy, short temperament, and a loud mouth, she was protective toward the people she cared.
(She would definitely be mad if she knew...)
After they left the inn, they were strolling the big capital roads looking for the market square the innkeeper told them. He said the market was a perfect place for them to find anything they liked.
decided to get something to eat first before looking for Jean's house. They were strolling around the big roads looking for the market square that the innkeeper told them. At least a hundred food stalls lined up neatly on the square, with many different kinds of foods, fresh or cooked, baked or grilled. Many different smells mixed in the area. A lot of people were crowding the market square.
(This is like a food bazaar...)
[Fish, fish! Give me fish!]
She frowned. The little selkie from last night casually invaded her mind.
(Alright, alright. I'll give you some fish later. Be quiet, okay?)
Her mind is her sanctuary, she didn't want someone entering her mind just like they went to a convenient store. Rena thought that she must put strict rules to Neel before he made her crazy.
They joined the mass walking on the crowded street. Mirra pointed at one of the food stalls that had foods she recognized. They went there and found that the owner was a merchant from Tawarr. From him, they learned this unusually crowded market was because the tournament event that would be held soon in the Valia Kingdom. A lot of merchants from different kingdoms came here to sell their goods.
They ordered three pieces of kebabs from him.
"Can you give me one more piece?" Rena asked.
"Oh, sure. Here, miss!" The nice kebab merchant gave another stick to Rena.
"Thank you!" She gave him thirty bronze coins for all those kebabs.
She gave one to Mirra and two to Senka. Senka held the two kebabs with both hands, confused.
"Well, I thought you'd be hungry with only one. Men usually eat more, right?" She explained it to him.
He tried to return the money, but Rena refused. This was her little thanks of what happened last night.
She bit her stick. "Mmm, juicy meat and it's still warm... I love it! The taste isn't too strong, it's perfect for breakfast."
"I bet you can make it better than this, Purple sis. How about making kebab next time?" Mirra
"I can't make everything, Mirra, but I guess I could try. It's just..."
She thought a full meat dish was impossible for now since Frei had a problem eating this source of protein. She looked at the kebab on her hand and wondered if he was eating well.
A question popped into her mind, (Why did he send me here?)
She was glad that she could practice more spells on the way with Jean, but there wasn't any particular reason why she must be in the capital.
Rena shook her head, trying to stop her pointless thought. There was no way for her to know what he was thinking.
"Right, I want to buy fish. Do you see any stall that sell fish?" Rena said.
"I saw some dried fish there." Mirra replied, pointing in a certain direction.
(Neel, dry fish is okay, right?)
[I guess... For now.]
(Can you eat any other food than fish?)
[Yeah, I can eat normal human foods. But my favorite is fish!]
Mirra was really good at spotting a certain thing in the crowds. When Rena mentioned it to her about this, Mirra casually replied, "Yeah, I used to be a thief. They recruited me because of these eyes of mine and my nimble body."
After Rena bought ten bronze coins worth of small dried fish, she secretly dropped half of the contents on the ground. But before she could pay, Senka already paid it.
"Eh, why... Thank you."
She looked at Senka's light blue eyes that were avoiding hers.
(Neel, can you send a telepathic message to him?)
[Yeah, I can send my thought to him. What do you want me to say?]
(Thank him. He just bought your food.)
She saw him flinched, wearing a surprised expression. She knew Neel was talking to him right now.
[Ok, I told him thanks. He said it was just a payback for the kebabs. He said thank you too.]
Their gazes met, but Senka quickly looked away again.
Rena slightly tilted her head and frowned. This man loved to look away way too much. He had a cold face that made him seem hard to approach, but his behavior was easy to read. In short, he was just a shy guy.
"Hmm? If we're done here, shall we find that guy's house?" Mirra said.
"Yes, let's go." Rena said.
They quit the market square and they approached an elderly woman who had a flower shop nearby, asking the direction of Jean's house. It turned out finding his residence was easy, every local knew who he was and where he lived. Once they started losing way, they asked a local and they would give them direction. The reality struck them that he really was a famous person in this kingdom.
"So... How can we enter this place...?" Mirra left her mouth hung open after saying that line.
Or because there were only four entrances which separated the commoner district and the noble district that finding the direction of his house was easy.
A giant arch gate stood tall ten meters from where they were standing, with a stone wall separating the area inside the gate and the one outside. Two soldiers in their prime stood with a straight posture, each holding a lance, guarding the place.
Mirra and Rena stared at each other, a silent understanding conveyed between them. Just yesterday, they were having trouble entering the city. How were they supposed to enter the area where the nobles lived?
"Let's just try it. There is nothing to lose here." Rena walked toward the guards who were standing in front of the gate.
"Halt! Name yourself! What's your business here?!" The guard on the left said in a loud voice.
"My name is Serena. Can you tell Jean Jaunice that we're here please?"
"What's your relation with him?"
The matter of Rena's learning magic from him was kept as a secret, so she couldn't tell them that she was his pupil.
"We're working for a merchant named Frei, he was Jean's acquaintance. We promised to meet him once we arrived in Ladylake."
The guard on the right seemed to recognize Frei's name. He spoke to the other guy, "I heard about him from my girlfriend who is working in the Jaunice household. They're..."
He whispered close to the other guy's ear.
"Ohh... I see, I see." The other guard nodded a few times, listening to his friend.
Rena wondered what those two were talking because they made a perverted expression.
*cough* *cough*
The guard on the left cleared his throat before speaking, "I will send someone to inform Jaunice household about you. Please, wait here."
Ten minutes passed..., twenty minutes passed..., thirty minutes passed... .
"Argh! How long do we need to wait?!" Mirra lost her composure. She threw her bag on the ground.
Rena only watched Mirra venting her frustration on the wall that separated the city, she didn't have that much energy to express her frustration like Mirra, still tired and sleepy, she just wanted to see the bed in Jean's house. Nobles must have good beds.
But then, she was aware of her position again. Jean who lived beyond this wall was part of the elites, even then he was willing to teach her who was nothing, just a slave. It could be considered a miracle.
Then her eyes moved further above. The sky above her head had no border. Everyone, every living thing was the same under the sky.
[That's a deep stuff you're thinking.]
(Neel, why can you see what I am thinking? Why can't I see yours? And stop invading my mind whenever you like!)
Rena hadn't yet to know, that it was actually Neel's ability that made him able to read her mind.
[Isn't it obvious? It's because I'm better than you! By the way, he wondered if you are fine after last night.]
Her eyes moved, taking a glance at Senka. He was looking at her direction but turned his head away awkwardly when their gazes met, scratching the back of his head.
[Since you don't want to talk to me, I was talking to him earlier.]
(Oh... I guess this method of communication can be useful for him. Neel, why don't you make a contract with him?)
[Hey... I can't make a contract with just anybody, okay? First, they must have a required amount of magic power to form a contract with me. Second, we must be in the same wavelength.]
(The same wavelength?)
[Just like when I was sending my s.o.s. message, you are the only one who can hear me.]
(I see... How troublesome.)
She hoped there was a spell that could create Firewall in her mind. To protect her mind from the Selkie who treated it like 7-Eleven.
"Hah..." She sighed, her body and mind were exhausted at this point.
She only talked with Neel for a few minutes but it seemed like an hour had passed when she returned to her reality. Mirra now was sitting on top of her bag, tapping her foot on the ground rhythmically.
"Uhm, Senka..." She called him who stood next to her. "I'm sorry if Neel bothering you."
He shook his head multiple times telling her that it's alright. She watched his eyes that were as blue as the boundless sky, thinking if Senka could talk, they might become good friends. His personality and thoughtfulness made her remembered about her best friend, Jun.
"Well, I'm glad if he doesn't bother you. I'm actually a little jealous, I also want to talk with you." Rena laughed a little. She wanted to befriend him, even if he couldn't talk.
But his face changed a beet red the moment she said that.
"Oh..." She blinked, forgot to close her mouth.
A sudden realization popped into her mind, and she lowered her head, sweeping the cobblestone street with her gaze. She was afraid that if she lifted her head, her noticeable rosy tint would tell her state of mind.
(Could he be possibly.....?)
[Ding dong! You're correct.]
(Neel!! Stop barging in!!)
And after that the situation became awkward. Rena didn't know what to say anymore and Senka was standing like a statue. Mirra who watched them raised one of her eyebrows, wondering why both of them acting weird. In the end, they waited for an hour before the guards gave them permission to enter.
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