"Argus! Argus…!"
"Huh…?"
Argus woke up to a knocking sound. He saw an orange light coming in through the window. The room was much darker than he remembered. He realized the sun had almost completely set.
"Did I just fall asleep?"
This time, the knocking sound was louder.
Argus immediately got up and opened the door.
Celes is standing in her casual outfit behind the door.
"Enjoying your sleep, huh?" Celes asked with half-closed eyes.
"Until you wake me up." Argus refrains from yawning. "Uh, what is it?"
"If you think it's getting too dark, you can turn it on by yourself."
Beside the door, a box-shaped device is attached to the wall. Thin, transparent glass surrounded all four sides. Inside, there is something white object that looks like a ball. When touched by Celes, it gave off a yellow light illuminating the room.
"There's something in it. What is it?"
"It's a magic cube. You've seen him at the inn several times."
It is a lamp with magic fuel that can be found in almost every house in the capital, town, or even village.
"It's always fascinating to see it glowing like that. Isn't a cube supposed to be a square? It looks like a ball to me."
"The shape name is actually an icosahedron. Everyone called it a magic cube, probably because it's easier to pronounce. Honestly, I don't know."
"An ico—what?"
"Icosahedron."
"Um…"
It would be embarrassing if he asked again, so Argus changed the topic.
"You should know already. In the village, everyone still uses fire." Argus is smiling. "There is this time when the parents taught their child to make a torch at night. The child fell and accidentally set the house on fire."
"Th-that sounds dangerous."
"We extinguished the fire before the entire house turned into ash. So, it hurt no one. It's kind of funny. I remembered how panicked everyone was."
"If you think that's funny, there is something wrong in your head."
"There was another time when it rained every day until the river overflowed. The entire village turned into a lake." Argus just laugh.
"Wait, I am here not to talk about your village." Celes snapped. "We need to go down. There are two more people I would like to introduce. Since you will live here, you will meet them every day."
Celes turned around and intended to go down to the first floor, but something kept her from moving.
"By the way, about your village. Should we tell them, or just keep it a secret?"
"Why do we have to keep it a secret?"
"Well, you know. There's a barrier protecting the forest and the village. Lumina told me, the chief is trying to hide the village. There must be a reason."
"Oh, yeah."
Even Argus didn't know the barrier exists until Celes told him. Probably, no one knows about the barrier in the village.
"You're the one who will introduce me to everyone, right? It's up to you."
Celes was silent for a few seconds before she finally continue walking toward the stairs. Argus followed behind.
On the first floor, three people seemed to be waiting. Fiore is one of them. The place is quiet.
"Is this the person you're talking about, Fiore?" said one of the men in a rough voice.
His head is bald while his body is full of muscles that make him look like a wrestler. Maybe around sixty. The frown on his face and wide eyes gave a tense impression. However, his excited smile erased that tension.
"Boy, what is your name?" asked the old man.
"My name is Argus. I am Celes's friend. Nice to meet you."
"Everyone here always calls me uncle Hegs. You can just do the same as everybody else!" He sounds excited. "This boy right here is my assistance, Hazel." He pointed to the man standing next to him.
"Hazel Gilwina. Just call me Hazel. Me and Uncle Hegs are in charge of cooking here. So we usually stay in the kitchen."
Compared to the old man, Hazel looks like a normal boy. Black hair with a face neither handsome nor ugly. Not as excited as Uncle Hegs, still Hazel gives Argus a friendly smile. The most important part is Hazel, probably the same age as Argus.
The last one is Fiore.
"We already met before. My full name is Fiore Valael. Once again, pleased to meet you."
It surprised Argus at how formal Fiore was. The last time they met, she always felt awkward.
"Well, everyone doesn't need to act formal here." Celes sits on the chair. "Anyway, please sit down! I want to discuss something important." Celes used a serious tone.
Everyone sits at the same table.
"First is Argus' condition. He will stay here for… to be honest, I don't know for how long. It's up to him to decide. But I doubt he can answer that, too."
"And why is that?"
Uncle Hegs's smile disappeared as he questioned Celes. This is the problem. Celes decided to keep it a secret, but she doesn't want to lie either.
"Ugh, it's…" Celes thought. "Argus' family helped me a lot in the past. I promised his family to keep watching over him as long as he stays in the capital."
"Is that the only reason?"
Everyone could hear Uncle Hegs' doubtful tone.
"It's not like I want to keep it a secret or anything. It's just his situation is complicated. I don't know how to explain it. But if I leave him alone, he will die in less than a week."
Argus knew that Celes tried her best to convince everyone. However, the way that girl spoke irritated Argus. He nudges Celes on the waist.
"Geez, you're annoying! I am trying to talk here!" Celes got annoyed.
"I still don't understand. Why does he have to live with you? Why not stay at the inn or any other place?"
Uncle Hegs is one of the people who knows Celes since she was still a kid. He is even close to Celes' parents. Celes understands it very well. Therefore, she wanted to explain everything slowly.
"Argus doesn't have money. He lives in a remote place. There is no magic there. He even doesn't know what a magic cube or magic device is until I told him a few days ago. "
"Well, can you at least stop making me look like an idiot?" Argus, with a disappointed face, finally opened his mouth.
"Shut up! The main problem is, he couldn't go home until later."
"But, still…" Uncle Hegs seems troubled.
"Can I talk?" Argus raised his hand.
It didn't feel right for Argus not to speak, especially when they were all talking about his future. This time, Argus chooses to do it by himself.
"I know this is a little too much. I met Celes not long ago. This is also my first time meeting all of you. You don't have to worry about Celes or me living under the same roof. I may come from a remote place, not know much about the world, and probably I will also cause trouble for everyone. Even so, both my parents taught me how to behave. Celes is kind enough to let me stay at her house. And it's as she said, I probably will die somewhere if she doesn't help me. So, that is why I can promise everyone here I will not betray her trust."
Argus bowed his head.
Everyone fell silent upon hearing that. Even Celes is a bit shocked. For the first time, Argus looks like a responsible human.
"Isn't that good enough?" Hazel was the first one who broke the silence. "He looks sincere enough. I think everything will be okay."
"If you put it like that…" Uncle Hegs sighed. He closed both eyes and crossed his hand. "In the end, this is your house. I know that the final decision is yours, but please understand! I promised your parents to watch over you."
"I know. That is why I want to discuss this with everyone else." Celes let out a small smile. "We may have only known each other for a short time, but I believe Argus is a good person."
"If anything happens, tell me immediately!"
Argus getting accepted by everyone is a good thing, but at the same time, he feels more pressure on his shoulder. It is such a weird feeling to him.
"Since everyone has no problem with Argus' condition. Let's move to the next topic."
"Eh, there's more?" Hazel was surprised.
"Yes. It's about me who still wants to learn magic."
Everyone already knows about this. Hazel and Fiore never said anything regarding this. Uncle Hegs has a different opinion about Celes' decision. Celes is a professional chef and their duty is to cook food. By studying magic, Uncle Hegs thought, Celes is wasting her talent, experience, and knowledge.
"Lumina suggested that I study magic at the academy. So I will enter the academy starting tomorrow." Celes' smiling sounds excited.
"I am sure you were rejected two months ago?" Hazel with a doubtful expression.
"Th-that is a different matter! Lumina told me she had found a way for me to enter. I am not sure what she did, but if that means I can learn magic, then I will do it!"
Argus just listening peacefully. The other three, however, seem to have mixed feelings regarding this.
"Well, as long as you're happy, I guess that's okay." Uncle Hegs spoke, feeling a bit relieved.
"Uncle Hegs, I thought you didn't agree with Celes trying to learn magic," said Hazel, remembering the past.
"No, I still didn't agree. But studying at the academy means she will stay here. This is probably a lot better than letting Celes go to some dangerous place every day."
This happens a lot of times. Celes goes to a forest, mountain, or cave with Lumina to learn. When that happens. Celes will come home one or two weeks later. There's even this one time when Celes hasn't been home for a month and everyone thought that she was dead.
"I already told you! Lumina will protect me, so it's fine."
"Uh, she is actually the main problem!" Uncle Hegs lowered his shoulder.
"Anyway, that is what I wanted to say. Everyone can go home for today."
"We're closing the restaurant right now?" Fiore, who was silent, spoke in an astonished tone.
"We're technically already closed. But, yeah. No night shift for today. Hmm, you look very happy, Fiore?"
"No, of course, that's not true. I am just a bit surprised." Fiore forced a smile.
"How is the restaurant?" asked Celes.
"Tables, floor, and also the dishes. I already clean everything. The ingredients for tomorrow have not been prepared, though." Hazel explained.
"I will do it by myself." Celes stood up. "Everyone can go home for today." She started to walk towards the stair leaving everyone.
"I guess that's it. See you tomorrow, Argus, Fiore!"
Hazel raised his hand as he walked into the exit. After saying goodbye to Argus, Fiore also left.
"Boy," Uncle Hegs, who noticed that Celes was already on the second floor, think it was a perfect time. They are alone now. "Did anything happen to Celes?"
"Huh? To her? I am not sure I know."
"How long have you known each other?"
"I think more than a week."
"I see. Even if something happened to Celes, I guess you won't know."
"I am sorry. Is there any problem?" Argus seems concerned.
"No, it's okay. The only person who knows you is Celes. Since the girl said she trusts you, then I will also do the same." Uncle Hegs stood. "Make sure to lock the door and the window before sleeping. I am going home now."
Still sitting on the chair, Argus saw Uncle Hegs leaving the restaurant. Now, there's no one. The place is quiet and empty.
"Sleeping alone in a place like this. I can understand why she prefers to be outside with Lumina."
This might be the best chance to explore the place. Argus decided to check everything on the first floor. As long as he doesn't touch anything, it should be fine.
The first floor can be divided into several parts. Kitchen, storage room, toilets, and where the guest ate. Not much can be seen. There is a big door made of metal in the kitchen. Since it's closed, he can't see what is inside.
"Celes tends to go out. It must be Fiore who delivers the food and takes care of the money." Argus mumbled to himself.
After being satisfied, Argus went up to the second floor. There are four-bed rooms. Celes and Argus' rooms are next to each other. His eyes were locked on the unused room. Her previous warning was clear enough not to enter it. However, it just made him more curious.
It might be better if he just went full-on with everything. Argus touched the doorknob.
"Oi!"
"Uwaa…" Argus trembled. He turned around and took a few steps back, feeling scared.
"I already told you not to touch that room?!"
"D-don't scare me like that."
Celes was silent. The girl was silent and sharpened her eyes.
The girl made a fist with her small hand and move swiftly, hitting Argus on his right cheek. Celes' fist pushed Argus back until he fell onto the floor.
"Ouch… w-what was that for?"
"Well, you just ignore my warning. I just thought it might be a good idea to give you a punishment."
"Ugh…" Argus is still sitting, rubbing his cheek.
"Are you okay?"
"Don't ask me that when you're the one who punched me. Of course, it hurts!"
Celes crossed her hand. "That is just a warning. Next time you ignore it again, I will break your nose."
"Well, I am sorry for being curious. Seriously, if you don't want me to enter, don't just give me a warning. Tell me the reason."
"Reason? The reason doesn't matter. You need to learn how to hold back. Right now, you live in the capital. You could just walk around like that and end up dying if you continued like this. I am not joking. There are people out there who will not hesitate to kill you just because you enter their place, or have a little money in your pocket."
"Th-that is... well, I know that already!"
"You know, and yet I have the feeling you still don't understand."
Celes sighed. She opened the door. It was just an empty room, like any other room. Bed, wardrobe, table, nothing special or weird.
"Whenever Lumina comes here, she will use this room as a teleport point. If you saw her when she teleports to the room, she will kill you. You just risked your life over nothing."
"Geez, yes. I understand. I won't do it again."
It was silence for a few seconds before finally Celes, who was still unsettled, opened her mouth.
"I want to take a bath." Still, with the sharp gaze, another warning comes out. "Don't you dare to peek!"
"No, I won't! You don't need to tell me that."
It was their last conversation that night since Argus choose to sleep early because he didn't want to see Celes after that punch.