It could be dangerous, and Eirin knew too well that there was no way she could defeat a fully-fledged beast man whose ability she wasn't unaware of.
Eirin hid with her heart thumping louder than her heavy breathing. She peeked at the man who came out of the room, waiting to ambush him on his way to the stairs. The teenage girl prepared her fists as she continued taking deep breaths.
Despite waiting, the man with wolf-like ears and tattered clothes jumped out of the window at the farthest end of the hallway. Eirin rushed to the room, sweat dripping from her temples as soon as the unknown man vanished. She opened the door and saw Coleen lying on the bed.
Eirin immediately checked Coleen's vitals. Her cold hand caused Coleen to wake up in surprise upon seeing Eirin's pale face while sweating a lot.
"Eirin? What's wrong?"
The teenage girl heaved a sigh as she caressed Coleen's cheeks. "Were you sleeping the whole time? Did someone strange enter the room and hurt you?"
Coleen's forehead creased as she looked around. It was still a tiny space, just enough for them. Seeing how worried Eirin had become causes Coleen to worry as well.
"Did something happen?"
Eirin heaved a sigh, seeing Coleen wasn't hurt, but she could not push the idea that something must have gone wrong due to the appearance of that unknown man. 'And what's more? He came right out of our room,' the teenage girl thought.
"No, not really. Nothing happened— anyway, are you feeling hungry? Should I get some food?" It was no use making Coleen worry, so Eirin hid her worries with a smile.
Coleen shook her head and stood from the bed. "After resting a little, I feel energetic. We should just eat together in the lounge," she said while holding Eirin's arm. "Where are the others?"
The teenage girl's gaze followed Coleen's arms to her legs, doing a final check to make sure that she truly wasn't hurt or anything. "They're still checking the area. Link said we should eat lunch for now." They went downstairs into the lodging's lounge, with tables and a small menu for them to choose from.
This made Coleen wonder why there was a perfect menu for people to choose from, yet there were no people at all.
"Was this the one you brought yesterday?" Coleen pointed to the menu, striking up a conversation as she felt awful for not being able to help search for the Phoenix. "It was delicious."
"Do you want it again? I could order something you want to try, and we can share it."
Coleen shook her head. "No need. You should order what you want to eat. You don't have to worry about what I want."
Eirin giggled and covered her mouth with her palm. "What does that mean? Of course, I'll think of you. We're friends, right?" Her soft gaze took Coleen off-guard.
"But..."
Coleen could not retort as they ordered what she desired. The clerk took their order as well. Even though they were the only people there, the two could not get rid of the feeling that they both are being watched.
"I could go with you to continue the search for Phoenix after we eat," Coleen offered, unable to comprehend due to the amount of food inside her mouth. "I think I had enough rest."
Despite that, Eirin understood everything and said, "But your face still looks pale," she sighed. "Your sister will worry if you get sick again this time."
"My sister?"
Coleen's doe eyes were wide with curiosity as she leaned forward to stare at Eirin's face. "You know my sister? How did you know her?"
That question caused Eirin's eyes to widen, wondering if she had said something she shouldn't have.
"Do you know her? Clarice McGuffin? The first daughter of Duke McGuffin."
Eirin blinked many times, confused and bewildered upon hearing someone's name for the first time. This caused her to wonder, if Calixta truly is Coleen's older sister, why does she not bear the same last name? Seeing how genuinely confused Coleen is gave Eirin the idea that it was not something she could talk about so easily.
"I don't know her, to be honest. I was just wondering if you have a sister who will worry about you if you push yourself too much."
Coleen tilted her head as she got back to her seat. Their rocky start of friendship seems to be rocking more than ever, making Eirin nervous.
"You don't have to worry about that," Coleen smiled, but it was melancholic. "As long as I don't do something that will tarnish our family's reputation, they won't bother checking on me."
Eirin was left astounded, not knowing what else was there for her to say. She does not know the power dynamics in this world, and she does not have a family she grew up with, nor can she relate to Coleen's worries.
"What about you, Ei? Don't you have any siblings that'll worry about you?"
Eirin shook her head. "I used to have one. A younger sister, but she left. We're not biological sisters, but we grew up like siblings, so..." her eyes followed her spoon as she scooped the soup and sipped it.
"Where did she go?"
Eirin halted. "Far away."
Meanwhile...
The wind blew gently as a silhouette of a tall man passed through the humongous trees in the woods. There was nothing else to see but the mixture of brown and green everywhere. Surrounded by the forest, Shade continued walking deeper as he sensed some ominous presence.
"Are you certain about those children?"
Shade hid behind a tree trunk after hearing a man's voice coming before him. He peeked to see what they were up to and saw a long white bag containing something huge and unknown inside. However, looking at it can already make the young man create predictions of what could be inside it.
"One of them bears a powerful flair."
Shade's brows furrowed upon seeing the old chief of the small village walking towards the two men with those animal-like ears.
"Why have you welcomed those who came from the academia, chief? They only cause us to move discreetly like this."
The old chief laughed hoarsely as he tapped his cane on the dirty ground. "Have you not seen the female students? They shall be of help to produce our food."
'Food?'
Shade could not comprehend what they were discussing, but he knew something was oddly wrong with what they'd said.
"What about the Phoenix? Those children are searching for her."
The young man's body stiffened upon hearing that, remembering how those people acted as if they knew nothing about the Phoenix.
"We cannot let the Queen learn that the Phoenix is here. Keep her in the chambers, and do not let her escape."