I woke up in the middle of the night to relieve Misha, who’d been keeping watch. Alice was lying down next to me, asleep. She looked the same as always. I hadn’t felt any ill will from Salamander, and I didn’t think he’d done anything that could hurt her, but I still couldn’t help but feel uneasy. I gently caressed Alice’s hair a few times and fixed her ribbons, which were slightly crooked, before getting out from under my blanket. We were already a small distance away from the Sacred Mountain, and the chill of the night had set in.
“Good work, Misha. I’ll take over now,” I said as I walked to the entrance of the cave.
“Thank you, Miss Ellie.”
“We’re far enough from the Sacred Mountain that the air is cold. Make sure to sleep under the covers.”
“I will.”
I watched Misha crawl under the blanket, and then I directed my attention outside the cave. I kept my senses alert while listening to the soft crackling of the fire we’d started earlier. Suddenly, I felt someone approaching from behind—there was no malicious intent, though.
“Why are you up, Kagali? You’re not on watch yet.”
“I couldn’t sleep.” Kagali sat down next to me. She picked up a few twigs and threw them into the fire. “Are you all right, Ellie? That thing about your daughter—Alice, was it? That must have come as a shock to you.”
“I’m fine. I can’t give you the details, but I always knew she was special. I never would have imagined she was half spirit, though.”
“I don’t think anyone would have.”
“They certainly wouldn’t.” I paused for a moment. “Kagali... About Alice...”
“I won’t breathe a word about any of this to anyone. And you don’t have to worry about my dad running his mouth either. We’re both devoted believers in Spiritanism. We’d never betray someone who has helped our lord archspirit.”
“I see. Thank you.”
Since we didn’t have anything better to do, I decided to brew us some tea. I created some water with my magic, filled a pot, and put it over the fire.
“Come to think of it, Kagali, you’ve stopped calling your father ‘master.’ Was that a conscious decision?”
“Yeah. You know, I... I used to call him that in the hope that he would recognize me as his disciple, but I don’t think I need to anymore.” Kagali’s cheeks flushed in embarrassment, and she fixed her gaze on the campfire. “Thank you, Ellie. Without you, my father and I would have never come to understand one another.”
“You should be thanking Tida, not me,” I said.
“I’m very grateful to her too, of course, but without that conversation I had with you, I think I would have spent my entire life admiring the imperial capital from afar. I was able to face reality thanks to you.”
“I haven’t done anything. You found your own answer. I just shared my opinion on the matter with you.”
“Well, your opinion is what helped me see the bigger picture—that I needed to escape the small world in which I’d trapped myself.”
“I see. If that’s how you feel, I’ll accept your thanks. So, Kagali, have you decided what your next step will be?”
“I’m not sure yet. I’ve now accomplished something I’d always wanted to do, but I don’t know what my father will have to say about it. Maybe we’ll end up in yet another fight as soon as we get home.”
“If that happens, keep communicating until you understand each other.”
“I will. Although we might just end up speaking with our fists.”
“That’s not exactly how I envision a discussion.”
“You’re good at it, though, aren’t you? Speaking with your sword and magic.”
“I can’t deny that,” I replied.
Kagali and I looked at each other and laughed. Our quiet chuckles merged with the sound of the water boiling before disappearing into the night.
The following morning, we returned to the capital of Hepheast. It wasn’t all that far from the Sacred Mountain in the first place, so we departed at dawn and reached the city gate just past noon. As soon as we got there, the guards invited us into the guardroom for tea. Lekius had apparently asked them to do that, and a carriage would arrive for us soon.
We all had tea together as we waited. Mireille and Lunoa ended up arriving from Gaien’s shop before the marquess’s carriage came. Misha and I exited the guardroom to meet them.
“Miss Ellie, Misha, are you both all right?” Mireille asked.
“We are. It was a bit of an ordeal, but we weren’t hurt,” I said.
Lunoa hesitated for a second. “What about Alice?”
“She’s okay. A lot happened and she’s asleep at the moment, but she should wake up in a few days.”
“I’m glad to hear that,” Lunoa replied, looking relieved.
As Misha was informing Mireille about what had happened, the marquess’s carriage arrived. There was a lot I wanted to discuss with Mireille—especially the matter of Alice’s identity—but I couldn’t do so in such a public place. I decided to leave that until after I reported back to Lekius. I went back inside the guardroom to pick up Alice and entrusted her to Mireille and Lunoa. Misha and I boarded the carriage to accompany Kagali and the others to the marquess’s residence.
“Gaien! Kagali! You’re all right!” Lekius exclaimed as soon as he saw them. He rushed to them and slapped their shoulders, smiling broadly.
“Sorry for worrying ye, brother.”
“That hurts, uncle!”
“Lord Hephaest, I’d like to give you my report, if that’s all right,” I said.
“These things can wait! First, time for the banquet!”
“Huh?” Misha and I let out in confusion.
The marquess ignored our outburst while the servants, clearly used to their lord’s tendency to throw banquets at the drop of a hat, began to make preparations.