Nacht spent a delightful hour teasing Aisha. Then, finally, they arrived in front of the gate.
“You may pass.”
“Fine...” Nacht started to say, her voice preemptively dejected. “Wait, really?!” Nacht had identified herself as merely “a traveler” and given the guard an extra generous toll payment in place of proof of her identity. She was flabbergasted that they were being let through so easily.
“I mean, look at how you’re dressed, milady! You’re a noblewoman, aren’t you? We’ve been getting a lot of you lately—nobles on some secret mission using an assumed name. But I can’t believe you ventured out dressed like that, milady! I’m glad you made it here safely.”
Nacht was wearing an elegant dress and Aisha was in a maid uniform. Even ignorant children understood the principle that one received favorable treatment based on their social status. If you couldn’t make it through the city gate, what was even the point of being a noble?
“The development zone is to the southeast,” the guard said, cheerfully waving them off. “Good luck, milady. I hope we meet again.” It was a bit anticlimactic after the long wait.
“I’m glad we made it through so easily!” Aisha chirped.
They made their way cheerfully through the carriages and wagons waiting outside the gate. Nacht may not have been satisfied with waiting in line, but they had made it in. Her thoughts were already on what lay beyond them.
They stood in front of the great iron gate that separated the capital from the outside world. Nacht took a step forward and suddenly gasped. She was struck with an immediate sense of unease as if she had stepped on a trap plate in a dungeon, and she felt a piercing alarm ring out as if it had detected the presence of an intruder.
She protectively pulled Aisha in close. “Weh?!” Aisha cried. Nacht felt something touch her back—something intangible like the wind. But it lasted for only a moment. Nacht looked around to see humans going about their business like nothing had happened.
“What...was that?” Nacht asked.
Aisha seemed utterly bewildered. “M-Mistress?” she said. Nacht clutched the girl close to her chest and began taking in as much of the area as she could with her golden Dragon Eyes.
She saw everything from the line of people stretching outside the walls to the inside of the merchants’ wagons to the guards stationed far, far away. She saw from the depths of the earth to the far reaches of the sky. Not even a single ant escaped her notice. And her vision was not just material—it also showed her the movement of magic and living souls. She didn’t know who or what she was looking for, but she channeled her powers, searching everywhere for the source of the unease she had felt. And yet, to her astonishment, she could find nothing.
“What does this mean...?” she said. If the person who did that hadn’t been nearby, they must have attacked her using some sort of special ability. But it would take someone extraordinary to not only avoid Nacht’s awareness but overcome her resistance as well. Nacht could have easily resisted a spell like Peep Eye, and if they had been using an item like the Eye of the Spirits or the Sixfold Creeping Eyes, which she happened to own, her Ancient-tier Bodyless Earring accessory should have prevented her from being detected.
Maybe it’s someone who can use Clairvoyance... Nacht mused, but then rejected that train of thought. If that had been the case, she would certainly have seen them watching her. “Then what could it possibly be...?” she said out loud.
Aisha squirmed against Nacht’s chest. Nacht had been standing still in the middle of the road, lost in thought while clutching Aisha tight in her arms. Aisha had turned quite red from the treatment, so much so that she looked like she had just gotten out of the bath. “Um...” she said. “Mistress? Everyone’s staring...”
It was probably too much to expect Nacht not to stand out, but now everyone in the vicinity was staring directly at her—a beautiful girl holding another girl tight in the middle of the road. Some of the people around were whistling or cracking jokes. Nacht didn’t mind being the center of attention, but Aisha was trembling with embarrassment.
“It’s just...maybe we should do this somewhere with less people...?” Aisha went on. She had hoped the words would get Nacht to loosen her grip, but they had the opposite effect. Aisha’s timid voice only spurred Nacht’s sadistic side. The onlookers’ jokes and jeers got louder. It was like everyone watching could sense what Nacht was feeling. They watched intently to see what she would do.
Nacht leaned in, pressing her lips against Aisha’s ears as if intending to give the crowd what they wanted.
“Um...” Aisha protested. “Um, um um...”
“Did you feel something off earlier?” Nacht whispered.
“Something...off?” Aisha asked quietly. “No, nothing...”
Nacht was pretty sure Aisha also said something else. Something like “Mistress! Get off me!” But she ignored that part and kept holding Aisha tight. It was very possible that they were in danger. This was just being safe.
“I don’t think I imagined it...” Nacht said. She once again began running through possibilities in her head, squeezing the trembling Aisha tighter and tighter in her arms.
“Th-That’s enough! I can’t take any more!” Aisha shook free from Nacht’s arms, her face as red as a ripe tomato. The audience seemed to let out a cry. They looked as disappointed as Nacht did to no longer have Aisha in her arms. “Why are you on their side, Mistress?”
“Because my Aisha got away!”
Quite a crowd had formed around them, and Aisha seemed ready to bolt at any second. There was nothing to do but press farther on into the city. Nacht held Aisha’s hand as they walked—it was very possible that they were in danger, after all.
Euto Fia did not feel at all like a city in a kingdom at war. The open-air markets were filled with cheerful voices, and the people they saw going about their lives had smiles on their faces. Nacht bought a bottle of fruit juice from the Giellaria Forest and handed it to Aisha, who happily took a big gulp, smiling delightedly as the raspberry-like juice filled her mouth. “It’s sour but sweet,” Aisha said. “I like it!”
“That’s khuko fruit!” the merchant said. “The balance of sour to sweet changes depending on the time of day. You can learn about people’s tastes by seeing when they like it best!”