“Hah, hah, haaaah...”
The blonde girl’s breath came faintly as she stood alone in the clearing, wiping away her sweat. She had won the magical skirmish that had spanned the past several hours, but in the end, it didn’t matter who prevailed—smoke rose all around her, and the sky was dyed red.
She hadn’t made it in time. She stood by herself on higher ground, looking down at the tragedy. This was the town’s demise. People screamed and roared as they ran in all directions, trying to escape.
The girl’s blood ran cold. Her hands trembled and her heart pounded. Usually, the view from this overlook was picturesque, so she often came here to people watch. What she saw now was a far cry from that tranquility.
She swallowed hard. It was all over. All of it.
A sound came to her then, perhaps a voice from behind her. She turned around.
Behind her was a man with long, gray hair and blood pouring from his mouth. He was looking at her, his face contorted with suffering. With the last of his mortal strength, he slowly pointed at her. It was as if he were cursing her.
“Master,” she breathed. “How did this happen?”
The man smiled and said nothing.
There was nothing to be done for the burning town. The enormous magic circle floating in the sky began to fade, having fulfilled its purpose.
That was the end of everything and also the beginning of everything. She would never forget what she had seen. No matter how many hundreds or thousands of years passed, it remained in the deepest part of her heart, like a wound that had been carved there. It was her fate.
Gradually, the noises faded. The surrounding landscape began to flow past her like a shooting star, and her vision became distorted. She felt her body slowly lifting upward. Then there was darkness.
“...up. Get up. Hey.”
She heard a man’s voice. It was followed by a tapping on her shoulder. Her eyes fluttered open. No longer was she in that town; instead, she found herself within the somewhat shabby walls of a horse-drawn carriage. Finally, she realized that what she’d seen was a dream.
“Hey, get up,” said the man next to her, shaking her shoulder.
Shannon rubbed at her eyes, then grasped her right shoulder and stretched her right arm upward. “Mmm...aaah,” she yawned. “Did I fall asleep?”
“Did ya?” the man scoffed. It seemed like she had. “You were out like a dang light. After the trouncin’ ya gave us and makin’ us transport ya, figures you’d feel fine enough to sleep defenseless! Honestly, if you can sleep that well, ain’t any of us gonna lay a hand on ya.” He pursed his lips, annoyed. “Anyway, we’re almost to Eldoa.”
“Eldoa,” Shannon echoed. “Oh, right. I wanted to go there, didn’t I?”
“Hey, give me a break! We gave you a lift because you wanted to get there!” He spread his arms wide to emphasize that he was right. However...
“Oh? Aren’t you forgetting something?” Shannon said cheekily. “You guys are bandits. By all rights, I should’ve handed you over to the knights. I’m choosing to look the other way.”
“Ugh, but...” The man frowned and bit his lip, annoyed. To his chagrin, Shannon had the upper hand. She had been walking at a leisurely pace toward Eldoa when his group caught sight of her and decided to attack. Unfortunately for them, she turned the tables on them easily. After examining some of their belongings, she ordered them to give her a ride the rest of the way to Eldoa. “B-But we didn’t think a mage’d be walkin’ on the road! Ya look like a weak little girl!”
“Exactly. I am a weak little girl. What are you going to do, try to force me to do what you want again?” She smirked.
The man shuddered. “Who would?! Some of our guys are injured now! We’re almost to Eldoa, so please just stay put and let us take you there!”
“Ooh, you’re so kind!” Shannon put her hands together, swaying left and right. The man dejectedly dropped his head.
It was sunset. The sun on the horizon blazed red, though it was an entirely different red than the one she had seen in her dream.
After a while, the wagon arrived at the castle gates, and her ears picked up the sound of lively voices. “Ooh, a festival!” Shannon enthused with shining eyes. She hung her torso out of the carriage to get a better look.
Stalls and booths stood all around, and people strolled happily through the street with sweets or kebabs in hand. Above the road, strings decorated with multicolored banners had been tied between the buildings. Lively music drifted from the throng of people; it seemed that there were poets and musicians among them. The street lamps sparkled in the dim light of the town at sunset.
“It’s Eldoa’s harvest festival,” the bandit said. “Did ya know about it? It’s the town’s biggest event and it lasts for a week.”
“Now that you mention it, it is that time of year,” Shannon said. “Even so, it’s really busy. Eldoa hasn’t changed a bit—it’s still lively.”
“Ha ha! It seems like a fun time. It’s all thanks to this place that we can get jobs. Anyway, we’ll stop here.” The man sent a signal to the driver, and the wagon slowly came to a stop. “End of the line, young witch.”
“Okay, thanks.”
“No reason to be thankful. Hurry up and get outta here. If word gets out that we were beaten by a witch, we’ll never hear the end of it.”
“Ha,” she laughed derisively. “It can’t be easy to be a bad guy. Anyway, see ya. Try to do less crime—it’ll be better for you.”
“Who do ya think you’re talking to?” The man paused. “Well, I guess we learned not to target young girls anymore.”
With that, the wagon returned to the road they’d come in on. Shannon saw them off with a wave, but the man left without even looking back.
“Well now, what should I do? Guess I should look for a place to stay first.” For the time being, she walked toward the inns.
It had been a while since she last came to a large town, and there were even more people in Eldoa than usual because of the festival. She stood out in small villages and therefore had many people come talk to her, but that wouldn’t happen in a big place like this. Sure, a few people caught sight of her and did a double take at her robe and wand, but it didn’t seem to stir enough curiosity for them to approach her.
The foot traffic in the town was incessant; it stood to reason that tourists were commonplace here. People didn’t pay attention to a single traveler. If someone were to stand out, it would probably be a criminal. It seemed like a bit of a lonely way to live, but still, blending in wasn’t a bad thing. For better or worse, standing out would be proof that she didn’t blend in.
Shannon walked along a brick road, searching for a high-quality inn. She had been camping out for a while now. She took pride in keeping herself clean—she bathed every day and kept a large stockpile of soap—but living outdoors still brought with it a certain degree of filthiness.
She grasped the neck of her robe and sniffed it to check, and an indescribable odor wafted into her nose. “Ew,” she muttered. “A girl needs her beauty rest and a place to clean up.”
Shannon had three requirements for her ideal lodging: one, her own room; two, a clean bed; and three, a reasonable price. To be frank, Shannon was short on funds. She had been aimlessly wandering between villages and hamlets for a while without a job, and that didn’t bring in any money. That being said, she also hadn’t had many opportunities to spend money during her day-to-day life lately.
Thus, she didn’t want an inn that was too expensive. Either way, though, if she planned to stay long-term, she had to find a job...and she couldn’t start working without a place to stay. Perhaps it was best to compromise on price for the first day, then downgrade her room to match her earnings once she found a way to make money.
“’Kay, I’ll do that!” Shannon told herself. “Today, I’ll rest in style! Tomorrow’s Shannon will deal with everything else.”
She walked a while longer before she found a high-quality inn. Being a bit farther up the road, it was a hidden gem, but because it was festival season, only one room remained available. Shannon pulled a paltry number of coins from her robe pocket to pay for two nights. This was her last stand; if she didn’t find a way to support herself the next day or the day after, she would end up having to leave town.
She wasn’t that concerned, though. Mages usually had no trouble finding work; magic was a specialized field that no one else could replace. She could, she assumed, quickly find a job by going to the local employment agencies or job bulletin boards. There was probably at least one mage in Eldoa already, and if push came to shove, Shannon could offer her services to them and make a decent amount of money.
When Shannon got to her room, she flung her bag aside and dove onto the bed. Her body bounced, then slowly sank downward. It was heavenly—nothing like sleeping on dirt or a swaying branch.
“Mmm! This is so nice. The best!” She stretched, grunting, and wiggled to find a good sleeping position. She rolled onto her back, then cast off her robe, shirt, and shorts. “I’ll work hard...tomorrow. Tonight, I’ll sleep.”
Within seconds, Shannon was asleep. She would investigate Eldoa in the morning.