The narrow slice of skyline she could see through the tall buildings around her was adorned with a waning half-moon. The light it cast let her see the ground ahead without a streetlight. Angeline hummed a tune as she walked with springy steps.
It wasn’t long before she’d depart from this city, and after she would return from Turnera, she would then go on a journey that would take her away from here for even longer. Thinking about it like that made quiet moments like these quite valuable to her.
Before Angeline even thought about what she was doing, she found herself hopping from one stone to another. Back when she’d first arrived in Orphen when she was twelve, she would play around like this, taking care not to step on any cracks. It had been winter at the time. Back home, it was normal for everyone to be shut away in their homes during the cold months, but in Orphen, even when the streets were covered in snow, someone would clear it away, and nobody was stopped from going about their business. Both places lay in the great expanse of the north, yet she was surprised to see just how different things were between them.
Her aimless strolling eventually took her to roads that gradually inclined upward, and she came out into an open area—the top of a small hillock with a nice view of the rest of the city and nothing to shield against the wind. It was nearly midnight now, and there was no one else around, not even any soldiers on patrol or vagrant tents. It was so quiet her breathing sounded loud to her. The rooftop of every house around reflected the pale moonlight, and off in the distance beyond them, she could see the vast plains, and the hazy shapes of distant mountains farther still. Billowing clouds hung over these far-off peaks as though threatening to crush them.
With a clearer head, Angeline gazed out over these distant sights. She turned to the north, in the direction of her hometown. Her family was getting on with their everyday lives in Turnera even as she stood here now. It was a curious thing to think about.
Angeline’s nose felt itchy, and a large yawn escaped her unbidden. She felt like she would begin to shiver if she didn’t get moving again, so she turned around and continued her stroll until she made it back to the main road, where there were still some people about. It wasn’t as populated as at midday, naturally, but Orphen was large enough that there would always be some people active during the night. The endless parade of passersby cast a long shadow over the road.
Angeline idly observed a drunkard ahead of her who was singing off-key tunes as he stumbled along. She’d imbibed quite a bit herself, but oddly enough, her mind felt crystal clear now. Perhaps the chill of the night breeze on her face had sobered her up.
Whenever Angeline was in a mood like this, it seemed such a waste to her to go to bed. Angeline was still young, and reckless enough to enjoy a little foolishness, with a body strong enough to handle it. She wanted to drink a little bit more, in other words. But she hadn’t forgotten that she would have to leave tomorrow. There would be nothing to do while she sat aboard the carriage, and no one would care if she slept, sprawled out over the seats. But she doubted she would have a very comfortable rest on the hard benches of a typical stagecoach. It wasn’t that long ago that she had willfully run off into the night, but Anessa was right—it was best to go back and get some rest.
A simple camp stove had been placed under the eaves of a shop along the road. A red flame was lit within it, and the steam of the kettle slung over it seemed almost exaggerated as it spewed out into the cold night air. What sort of shop is it? she wondered. The first thing she saw as she looked at the open storefront was a bookshelf. A bookstore, perhaps.
A table and chairs were set up next to the stove, seemingly an invitation for customers to sit down and read. The middle-aged shopkeeper sat in one of those chairs with his head buried in an enormous tome.
What a strange store, Angeline thought as she was passing by. No sooner than that thought entered her mind, a customer emerged from the store.
“Mr. Ishmael?”
“Oh? What a coincidence.”
It was indeed Ishmael, carrying an old-looking book under one arm.
The shopkeeper looked up from his own reading. “So you’ve made your choice?”
“Yes, I’ll go with this one.” Evidently, he had found something to buy. Ishmael paid for his purchase and tucked the book into his bag.
“Out shopping, huh?”
“Yes, I stumbled upon a book that was far more interesting than I thought it would be... It seems I won’t be bored along the road,” he explained as he slung his bag over his shoulder. “But Ms. Angeline, we’re leaving tomorrow. Did you have some business here at this hour?”
“No... I was drinking with the others, and I went for a stroll to sober up. I’m going back now. Do you want to come too, Ishmael? Yakumo and Lucille are with us.”
“I’ll have to decline. I’m a little hesitant to be alone in a room with so many women.”
Angeline nodded. I guess he has a point. “It really is nothing but women there, come to think of it. For some reason, dad never looked out of place when he was with us,” Angeline murmured. But the same couldn’t be said for most other men.
Ishmael chuckled. “Yes, that may be so. That man does have a motherly propensity, after all.”
“Uh-huh, that’s my dad for you,” Angeline said with as much pride as someone receiving a compliment herself.
They began walking down the road together. Angeline noticed her breath was coming out as puffs of white vapor again. “It’s almost winter already...”
“The plan is to return as soon as the autumn festival is over, right?”
“Yes. Then I’ll be traveling out east... What about you?”
“I plan to return to the capital eventually... But the renowned Elmer library is here, so for the time being, perhaps I shall work as an adventurer around Orphen a little longer.”
It seemed that the library really was a priceless treasure to all magicians. Because Angeline happened to know the nature of its owner, she never wanted to go back there again. Even so, she was starting to get invested in their conversation, and it felt like a waste to part so quickly. Angeline pointed to a pub that still had its lights on and seemed to be boisterous.
“How about a drink?”
“Oh? What about tomorrow?”
“We’re leaving at noon, so a little won’t hurt... Or are you already sleepy?”
“No, I don’t mind keeping you company.”
So they entered the pub. Angeline had never been here before, but it had the familiar aroma of any other pub she had been to and the same kind of energy of any such business that kept open so late at night.
Angeline and Ishmael snatched up the nearest seating they could find and ordered some light snacks and drinks.
“It must take quite a while to get to the capital from here.”
“Indeed. It can take as long as a month and a half, accounting for the stops along the way. If you avoided any detours and traveled as fast as possible, I’d say it would still take about a month.”
“As I thought...” Angeline murmured. Back when there had been a fiend outbreak around Orphen, Lionel had sent for Yuri, Edgar, and Gilmenja in the capital, but they’d never made it in time to help, and the situation had been resolved without them. It wasn’t that they had been dawdling along the way—it was really just that long of a journey.