"I am glad we reached the capital before dark."
Beside Celes, Argus is walking with a big smile on his face. They just finished with the inspection and passed the gate that was surrounded by the stone wall.
It took them almost three days to reach the capital by walking. It was supposed to be over three days. She pushed through because she needs to be present at the academy tomorrow morning.
"This is Endora. One of the three largest capitals city of the western continent."
Many people are passing by, carrying different stuff. Buildings that are made other than wood, filled with glass and vibrant color. The peaceful atmosphere was unique from that in Argus's village. Such a marvelous sight to behold, especially for him, who had never visited a big town.
As they walked down the main street, Argus' head kept turning left and right looking around. Not until his eyes focused on what was ahead, he realized a tall tower in the middle of the capital. Behind the tower, exists a majestic royal castle like the one in the book he had read.
"I am surprised you can keep your mouth close after we arrived here."
"S-shut up! I am trying to keep my cool here! There are a lot of things that I've never seen." Argus's smile fades away. "You know, everything just feels different."
Argus seemed at a loss for words.
"I have prepared myself to answer all your questions. Of course, as long as it's not something embarrassing."
"How about that huge tower over there?"
From the point they stand, the tower looks bigger even than the castle. Or maybe it's just their perspective, since it is closer.
"It's a clock tower. Not everyone has a clock. You can even see it from outside the wall if you go up to the cliff in the east."
Before reaching the tower, they turned and took a different route along a smaller road.
"That path leads to the uh… clock tower, right?"
"Yes. That's the main street. Behind the tower, you can see the castle. Just follow the big path and you can meet the king."
"It kinda reminds me of my village a little."
"Well, thanks to that, I can find my way to see the chief without a problem."
"Why do they make the street that big?"
"Don't know, don't care."
This always happens. When Argus has a chance to ask something, the questions will never be enough. Because they are almost there, Celes gives the signal to stop.
"We're here."
Argus's stare was fixed on the building in front of them. On a side street near the main path. Around it, there are also much smaller shops selling a wide variety of goods like food, merchandise, clothes, accessories, and others.
"Spice and soup?" Argus read the big board hanging in front of the building.
"I already told you, didn't I? We specialize in spicy food. Of course, other restaurants cook spicy food, but we're the best here in the capital." Celes sounds proud.
Opening the door, the atmosphere changes. The place is half full of people. Various kinds of sounds came into their ears. Eating, drinking, breathing, water pouring, plate, spoon, and more.
"The air here feels cold?"
"It's a refresher. People tend to get sweaty when they eat something spicy."
How does refresher work? Even if he ask, he probably wouldn't understand the concept. It will lead to a long conversation. So Argus decided to just be silent.
Celes looked around, trying to find someone.
It is a girl who is slightly taller than Celes. Short brown hair, round face with big brown eyes, everything about her looks normal. The only thing that set the girl apart was the white-brown uniform she is wearing.
"I read it in the book. Female workers who work in the restaurant. They wear waitress or maid uniforms. Since there are no pictures, I can't tell."
"I don't understand. Why such a book exists in your village?"
Noticing Celes's gaze, the girl's body shuddered as if she had just seen a ghost.
"Guhk!"
Feeling that she had no choice. The girl approached Celes with heavy steps.
"That's weird. Haha…" It was an awkward laugh. "The last time I saw you, you were planning to go for a month or two."
"You messed up something else again, didn't you?"
"Wha—No, of course not! How could I—Uhm..." she coughed. "A-anyway, Welcome back, Celes?"
"Why do you greet me with such a questioning tone? Actually, forget about it. This is Argus."
"Nice to meet you. My name is Argus." He said casually.
"Eh, ah… yes. Nice to meet you, too." The girl didn't expect a formal greeting like that. "My name is Fiore. Please call me Fiore."
Argus doesn't understand. The girl keeps letting out an awkward aura as if she felt guilty about something. So weird.
"I am tired, and I want to rest. I will come down later. Tell the other two I have already come back."
"How about him?" asked Fiore.
"Well, Argus will stay in one of the empty rooms."
"Uh, that is…"Fiore seems unsure about something. "Well, alright. For now, I will tell Uncle Hegs and hazel about you and your guest. Please rest well."
Celes walked over without giving a reply. Argus followed behind, walking up the stairs to the second floor.
"Are you sure acting like that to her? She seems worried about you."
"You don't realize it, do you? You're the problem here?" Celes turned around, facing Argus with a troubled face.
It took him a moment until he knew what happened.
"Wait, a moment! You live alone?"
"..."
"You should have sooner about this."
Well, we will discuss this issue later. I just want to rest right now."
On the second floor, there are two doors on the right and another two on the left. Four rooms. Celes brought Argus to the door on the far right.
"You will be fine here."
"Well, as long as we are not in the same room, I guess. You know, some people in the village sleep together. One bed for four to five people. I just realized this as a real problem until I moved here."
It's nice to have an enormous house. There are many rooms.
"Um…" Celes refrained from opening her mouth.
"No, I didn't sleep with my parents!" Argus looks upset. "I have my room."
"I haven't said anything yet. Also, you're the one who told me it's normal to sleep together in your village."
"I said nothing about it being normal. Some people just don't have a choice since their house is small. I am lucky, I have a private room. But you know, I need to make the bed by myself. Until it's done, I slept on the floor." Argus smiled, recalling some of his memories.
Celes just sighed. She never asked.
"You have nothing to support you to stay in the capital. You will die if I leave you alone. I will feel bad for the chief if that happens. So, don't think too much and just use the room."
"By the way, what should I do after this?"
"Just unpack everything you have. I want to rest first. Also, don't go downstairs without me. So, I suggest you shut yourself in your room until I call you later."
Celes opened the door. She stopped as if she remembers something important.
"By the way, don't touch that room." Celes pointed at the room in front of her room. "Don't you dare!"
Argus just nodded. She seems serious. What exactly is in that room? Maybe if he had the chance, he could check it out secretly later. For now, he does better check up on his room.
It is a room for a single person. There is a wooden wardrobe as a place to store clothes. Table and chair in the corner. A bed that is much better than his room in the village.
Argus put his backpack on the floor beside the wardrobe. He touched the bed.
"It's softer than my bed. Much bigger than my room." He saw something that made him curious. "How do they make a transparent glass like this?"
Before he arrived in the city, Argus and Celes passed through villages. He saw a lot of windows with glass. However, this is the first time he had the chance to investigate it.
In his village, when someone mentioned a window, it was just a hole in the wall. You can see outside while letting light and fresh air enter the house.
"Oh, wait. You can open the window?!" Argus was surprised as he opened it, letting the wind push him back. "I guess this is how to get fresh air to enter."
Argus can see people do their things. No one has a second floor in the village. At this moment, he felt that there would be many things to surprise him more than this.
It was when Argus enjoying the wind and the scenery he heard a knocking sound.
"Wait, a moment."
Argus left the window open so that air can enter. He opened the door.
At the door, is the girl he had just met on the first floor. Her maid uniform gave off a unique impression of Argus. Not for her name, though.
"Uh, Fiore is it? Please enter."
"Ah, no. The restaurant is kinda busy. I just want to give this."
Fiore's hand carried a tray containing food and a cup of water.
"I apologized. It's just a cake and tea. No one expected Celes to come home suddenly with a guest."
"No, this is more than enough. Thanks for the food." Argus took the tray.
"When you're done, just leave it on the table. I will pick it up later."
After that, Fiore left in a hurry.
Argus put the tray on the table and closed the wooden door. He stared at the food with a sharp gaze. During his lifetime, he had never eaten a cake. These were the luxuries he had experienced after he left the village. Eating something that he had never seen.
Argus took a bite. He ate while enjoying its sweet taste with the soft texture.
"Oh, this is nice! How do they make this?"
Even though there were four pieces on a small plate. Argus ate them all quickly. In between, he drank the tea. The cake taste delicious, but there is something that made his throat dry whenever he swallowed.
Now that his stomach was full, he lay down on the bed.
It sure feels nice when you can enjoy your life. Not scolded by parents. No work to do. Nothing to worry about. He is glad that Celes is kind enough to let him stay. It's only temporary, but precisely because of that, he wanted to fully enjoy it.
He had been walking for several hours. Every time he saw something interesting, he was getting excited. Only now did he realize how tired he was.
He slowly closed his heavy eyes while feeling the breeze. It has a fresh feeling compared to sleeping on green grass. Somehow, this felt much better either because the bed was comfortable or he was just exhausted.