Inside the carriage, thin curtains hung over the windows, shielding them from the desert heat.
The steady sway rocked its passengers gently, and the soft thuds of the camel's hooves filled the silence.
It might be a little too hot, perhaps due to the summer inflicted by the weather.
No actually... it's always been 'summer' in this place.
Yunnie sat lost in thought, unaware of the sweat dripping down his cheeks as disbelief plastered across his face.
'I… I really convinced her!'
His mind replayed the morning's events like a bad joke he couldn't stop laughing at.
***
( Earlier that day… )
"And what exactly are you doing here?" Seon asked, her expression flat as her gaze settled on Yunnie's flushed face.
Yunnie rubbed the back of his neck looking so flustered.
"W-what do you mean? Just… looking for the comfort room."
Seon raised an eyebrow.
"The comfort room is in the village. Not in the woods."
"Ah… right, I, uh…"
His eyes darted around until they landed on a scruffy hamster awkwardly trying to blend into the grass.
Isn't this the same hamster who ate the card? And why does it have a bag in its back?
Forget the unusual attitude of this hamster. Yunnie had no other choice but to scoop it up.
"Actually, I was… bringing you your hamster! You left it behind."
Seon stared at the creature, which the said hamster looked up at her with wide, pleading eyes.
She vaguely remembered throwing it out the window earlier that morning.
But...
"Why is it following me?"
"Isn't it yours?"
"Unfortunately, yes," she muttered, plucking the hamster by the scruff and tucking it under her hat. "I'm not done interrogating this thing yet."
Seon turned around to leave, but Yunnie grabbed the edge of her sleeve before she could take another step.
"Madam Prophet… if you don't mind…"
Seon paused, glancing back.
"What?"
"I… I've been in the village for twenty-four years, and maybe it's time I search for answers about my past or… something…"
Silence hung heavy between them.
Was Seon supposed to feel sad for him? Alas, The prophet had no idea how to react.
Instead, the two simply stared at one another, only when a random bird chirped jolted the two awake.
Yunnie waved his hands frantically, embarrassed. "Actually, never mind—"
"You know," Seon interrupted. "I could use that convenient ability of yours."
"Pardon?"
"..."
Seon didn't reply further as she grabbed Yunnie by its collar.
"W-wait! I was just kidding, Madam Prophet!"
"No, you're coming with me."
"Madam Prophet?! Madam Prophet, please! I— I— NOOOO!"
***
Back in the present, Yunnie sighed, doubting his own boldness.
What on earth had driven him to volunteer for this?
Across from him, Seon sat quietly, her hat tipped low over her eyes.
Beside her, the hamster was diligently peeling an orange, placing each piece in her hand with an oddly focused dedication.
"It tamed itself… almost immediately."
From the front of the carriage, the orange-haired lady asked as she held the leash. "So, where are you two headed?"
That carriage owner is someone named 'Yako'. They accidentally came across her while they were walking in the middle of the desert.
Yunnie gave her help to push the stuck carriage under the sand and to repay the kindness, Yako offered them a ride.
Seon remained silent, leaving Yunnie to answer all her questions instead.
After all, it would be rude not to.
"We're… uh, going to the Kingdom of Loerei."
"Loerei, huh?" Yako chuckled, focusing back on the reins. "With the war and all, getting inside might be a bit tricky."
Yunnie's stomach twisted, remembering rumors about the ongoing war in Loerei.
How could he have forgotten?
Even a minor skirmish in his village made him uneasy—what would an all-out war feel like?
He stumbled over his words, trying not to sound insensitive.
"So… um, h-how's the war going?"
Yako briefly turned around, facing him with a smile. "No need to worry about the manners, I heard Loerei's is currently the one in advantage"
"Have the holy knights returned?"
"Not quite," Yako replied thoughtfully. "But Loerei's doing well enough keeping the rebels at bay."
Seon, who had remained silent until now, shifted slightly.
"The Deacon of the Church of the Sea alone is powerful enough to be wary of" she remarked. "I'd say the kingdom is far stronger if that strength applies to all their ranks."
"O-oh, is that so?" Yunnie mumbled.
"It wouldn't be surprising if they survive—unless the empire we're talking is far stronger" Seon added.
"Oh dear, let's save the war talk for another time!" Yako suddenly chimed in. "Look out the window—there's something worth seeing."
Seon and Yunnie parted the curtains. Outside, towering walls of metal surrounded a sprawling kingdom. Slender towers rose within the walls, capped with giant rotating cogs that churned thick clouds of smoke.
Ahead, a pathway with a network of cables can be seen. And a shabby sign made of copper halted the carriage.
'Kingdom of Loerei Ahead. The Kingdom of Inventions'
As Yunnie took in the sight, his face was lit with awe, his gaze darting from left to right. "This… this is incredible!" he whispered.
But beside him, Seon's brows furrowed as she looked out over the kingdom of smoke and metal. "Nothing but pollution" she muttered while clicking her own tongue.
Yako climbed down from the driver's seat, wearing off her gloves as she turned back to Yunnie and Seon, a sly smile on her face was painted.
"Well, here we are," she said, gesturing grandly to the mechanical marvel that lay before them. "The Kingdom of Loerei. Quite a sight, isn't it?"
Yunnie hopped down from the carriage, still marveling at the kingdom ahead of them.
He turned just about to bow his head to thank Yako, but she immediately waved it off with a casual hand.
"No need for that" She grinned. "After all, I'm sure we'll cross paths again."
Seon raised her eyebrow as she kept her usual guarded gaze.
"You do sound certain of that"
"Oh, I am," Yako replied almost immediately with a jest. "Next time I'm sure our conversation will be a lot more pleasant"
With a nod and a final wink, Yako hopped back onto the carriage, her hands deftly taking the reins. She gave a little salute as the camels began to move, the carriage lurching forward onto the path it had come from.
As it rolled away, Yako's voice drifted back to them.
"Until next time, friends! Byebye~"
Yunnie watched the carriage disappear into the haze of desert sand, after that, he turned his gaze back to Seon.
"She's a nice guy"
Seon dusted off her sleeves.
"You can't be sure."
"Eh… why so negative?"
"Age makes me grumpy."
Yunnie remained quiet, thinking to himself.
'I keep forgetting—Madam Prophet isn't exactly human.'
****
In an endless line seemingly stretching all the way to the exit of city gates, Seon and Yunnie are stuck in the very last row. Twenty minutes had dragged by, and they hadn't moved a single step forward.
Yunnie wiped the sweat from his brow, glancing at Seon. "Well... it really is a long line."
Seon barely acknowledged his comment as her gaze wandered left and right, scanning their surroundings.
It didn't seem like she was sightseeing; if anything, it was as though... she was looking for something.
"Madam Prophet?" Yunnie prompted, trying to get her attention.
After few minutes Seon turned to him with an unusual smile. "Yunnie the Winnie, don't you know what it means when there's a long line like this?"
Yunnie blinked, completely lost.
"Uh… what?"
She didn't bother answering immediately as she simply placed a finger to her lips.
"Hush, now. Pretend distressed—play along."
Yunnie felt confused as he blinked rapidly.
But before he could ask what she was up to, Seon hunched her shoulders and arranged her expression into someone who experienced misery.
She looked about to cry- as if life had been especially cruel to her.
Just as she'd hoped, a small group of ragged men who had been eyeing the crowd drifted toward them.
The man at the front, with scraggly hair and crooked grin is the first one to approach them.
"You two are foreigners right?"
Seon sniffled dramatically, and tears started to drop from her eyes. "W-well, yes. Our village... it was plundered," she replied while putting her saliva in another eye quickly. "We have no place to go now…"
Yunnie's jaw nearly dropped from her act.
The man's grin remained as he replied. "You're not alone. With the war going on, it's nearly impossible to get into the city through the main gates. They're turning people away left and right."
Seon gasped, clutching her hands together in mock despair. "Oh no!" she cried, her voice rising to a perfect note of helplessness. "W-what should we do?"
The beggars looked at one another and with a nod, they replied.
"Don't worry we know another way to get in."
"Oh my good sirs! Thank you very much!"
And with that, the group of beggars gestured for them to follow, and Yunnie fell into step behind Seon, still incredulous at how naturally she'd taken to her role.
As they trailed behind their "guides," he leaned closed almost whispering.
"T-that easy?"
"Don't lower your guard Yunnie."