It was already evening by the time they arrived at Crimson Town.
The last rays of the setting sun had just faded into the horizon, leaving the red maple trees to be dusted in the blue light of indigo skies.
"Lady Eleanora," Ahzure read the name over the envelope and then passed it to Ezrahl.
"That name sounds familiar," Noah raised a brow.
"The uncle you were going to stay with," Aesther asked, "Was he Jenkins?"
"Yeah…"
"What a coincidence," Ahzure softly chuckled, "You must have heard of Lady Eleanora through your uncle then. They, along with Orpheus, are the only honorary elders of our council."
Noah rolled his eyes, "Some honorary elder he is, my uncle is just an old perv―"
He stopped mid-sentence as a silhouette appeared in their view. They have yet to enter the town and so far they were greeted with deserted paths.
But the woman who arrived was the only human they encountered in the last few hours.
She had long blonde hair that cascaded down in beautiful waves, they framed her face in short bangs. Her eyes were clear but laced with arrogance, her full lips were painted red.
The woman appeared to be in the prime of her youth, dressed in black pants, and a white shirt with some of the upper buttons being undone. And above them, she wore a richly embroidered coat.
Her gaze narrowed, but she offered a sweet smile.
"Witch," Noah's eyes narrowed suspiciously, "It's a kitsune."
The lady's sweet smile twitched at that.
Ahzure stepped forward and offered a polite bow, "Lady Eleanora, we are here to deliver an important message from Alkazar"
"I was waiting," She regarded others with a brief glance before turning away, "It's about to get dark, let's go somewhere safer first."
And so they followed the lady inside the town but as they were silently crossing the woods. Noah seemed uneasy.
He left Ahzure's side and leaned towards Aesther, "Aren't the elders old? Why is this woman like this then?"
Aesther had the fortune of knowing Eleanora very closely in her former life. Sometime in the future, it was her who taught Aesther how to master the spirit of nature.
"She is old," Aesther replied in a whisper, "But Lady Eleanora uses a mystical art to preserve her youth."
"Woah―" Noah's eyes widened.
"And don't bring that up again!" Aesther hissed immediately, "She can get very scary."
Noah blinked his eyes and glanced at the lady but it didn't seem like he completely understood Aesther's point.
Eleanora was a healer but she was also known for her destructive strength.
She was hailed not only to be the most beautiful amongst wolves but also the strongest when it came to raw power.
The town was small but appeared developed enough to carry countless houses and shops. Aesther had heard that it was a small commercial hub.
But that evening, barely anyone could be seen on the streets. Those who were present were too few in number.
Was it because of the dawning night? Eleanora did mention the dark hours being unsafe.
She led the four to a tavern which was seemingly as deserted as the streets.
It looked fairly big and well maintained, lined with rich furniture, artistic chandeliers and beautiful paintings.
This only made the lack of any staff strange.
Ahzure booked four rooms for them.
The only person present was the old-aged owner at that time.
Eleonora gestured to him.
"Listen to him well, and get going when the sun rises."
With that, she just turned and left.
"The granny is kind of rude," Noah mumbled but somehow, the words reached Eleanora. She paused and pinned Noah down with a cold glare.
"..."
That night, everyone had dinner early.
Aesther understood that for them, it was only because they will have to leave early in the morning. But why would the townsmen of Crimson retire to bed so early as well?
That place carried a strange dreary air.
She was lost in her thoughts while looking outside the windows as all those few lights extinguished from other houses.
The few people on the streets were all disappeared by now.
During the meal, no one spoke. Perhaps because everyone could feel the oddness.
"There are no children here," Ezrahl broke the silence in a low nonchalant voice, his eyes focused on the steak, "Nor do they have anyone younger."
"A tavern doesn't need to have children…" Aesther murmured but she could understand what Ezrahl meant and the realization wasn't warm.
"Everyone is old here," Ezrahl continued, "Above 60 at least."
Ahzure slowly paused his meal and glanced around, "Besides one."
They all followed his gaze and indeed there was a young man who seemed to be around Noah's age. He was cleaning tables and looking tired and wary.
Aesther returned her gaze and asked, "Dessert?"
The young man arrived after some time with their dishes and politely bowed. Aesther smiled warmly.
"Thanks a lot."
"Just my duty," he sheepishly smiled.
"Ah, you seem very hard working. I can see the exhaustion written all over your face," Aesther said in a solemn voice as if she wasn't feeling sorry for a stranger but her very own brother. "Do you want to join us?"
His face became a little red, "Oh, no! I won't dare!"
She kindly smiled, "It's nothing."
The man awkwardly scratched the back of his neck, "Well, are you all going to stay here for the night?"
"We are."
His smile fell suddenly and in a hushed whisper he said, "Don't."