Volume 3, Chapter 16 – Acquaintance and Surveillance

After Renee left, the room, now occupied by only Fia and Milu, fell silent. Milu stood barefoot and dirty by the door, while Fia walked towards the bed. It was clear at a glance who was the host and who was the guest.

Fia let out a soft sigh.

“In a little while, a big sister named Anastasia and a girl named Liti will come over. They are my companions, so you don’t need to be afraid, Milu. I plan to have Anastasia take you for a bath first, and then we’ll all go to dinner together. Is that arrangement okay?”

Right now, Milu was not only wearing a very simple gray linen garment, but her exposed, thin arms and legs were also covered in grime, and she exuded a peculiar odor. Even though eating was important, she had to change into clean clothes first. Diseases in this world could easily claim a person’s life; paying attention to hygiene was crucial.

Although the [Cleanse] spell could directly remove the dirt from Milu’s body, Fia would then be responsible for changing her clothes, a process that would make Fia feel awkward. Besides, Milu hadn’t had a proper rest in a long time, and a bath would allow her to relax. In terms of comfort, [Cleanse] could never compare to a bath.

“You’re the boss.”

It was the same listless tone, but this time, Milu did not keep her head down. Instead, she stared intently at Fia, who was sitting on the bed.

The vertical pupils, which looked like congealed blood, made one’s scalp tingle. If Estelle’s blood-red eyes had a natural charm, then Milu’s cat’s eyes brought more fear. Just being stared at by Milu gave Fia the feeling of being targeted as prey by a carnivorous animal.

However, it should be said that Milu’s presence was extremely faint. If she hadn’t been looking at her, and had just stood silently by the door as she had before, Fia would have eventually thought she was alone in the room. In fact, on the way to the inn, Fia had several times thought that Milu had snuck away when she wasn’t looking, only to turn around and find that Milu was following her properly.

Being stared at by Milu, Fia curved her lips into a wry smile.

“Is there something on my face?”

“Very special.”

“How special is ‘very special’?”

“I don’t see fear… It’s not the first time I’ve met someone who isn’t afraid of me, but you’re different from them.”

Even while speaking, Milu kept her eyes fixed on Fia.

“How am I different?”

Fia’s question made Milu furrow her lovely brows, her troubled expression as if she were contemplating a profound matter.

“…I can’t put my finger on it, but you’re just different. There’s no malice. Hmm, you’re a good person.”

It was less that Milu was answering the question and more that she was talking to herself. Before Fia could reply, Milu put on a serious expression again, her face, which was smudged with dust and dirt, filled with an indescribable sorrow.

“Can I not see them? Your companions.”

“If you’re worried they’ll be afraid of you, you don’t have to. They’ll get used to it quickly.”

Anastasia and Liti could even adapt to Claire’s curse; Milu’s eyes were just a little scary, which was nothing at all.

“Ngh…”

Milu clearly wanted to argue, but the sound of footsteps outside the door made her close her mouth. The moment she did, her presence immediately weakened, as if she were a ghost. If you weren’t looking at her, you couldn’t feel her presence at all.

Knock, knock.

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“Sister, may I come in?”

“No problem, the door’s unlocked.”

As Fia’s voice fell, the door was pushed open cheerfully by Liti. Even though Milu was standing against the wall, Liti, as she pushed open the door, seemed not to see her standing nearby and rushed straight for Fia on the bed.

“It’s so late, and you had Renee call me to your room. Have you finally noticed my good qualities, sister? Hmph hmph, even if you tell me directly, I won’t refuse you.”

Fia reached out and blocked Liti’s puckered lips, sighing helplessly.

“Haah, I asked Renee to call you over for something else. Do you have any simpler clothes, Liti?”

“Hmm?”

Although her enthusiasm was doused by Fia, her attention was caught by the strange question. Liti stood up straight and asked in confusion.

“I do, but they would definitely be tight on you, sister. It would look terrible.”

“They’re not for me, they’re for Euphimilu over there.”

Fia pointed to Milu and Anastasia, who had been standing by the door.

Unlike Liti, Anastasia had noticed Milu’s presence as soon as she entered the room. It was just that because Milu was thin and her dirty appearance was completely non-threatening, Anastasia had not mistaken her for an assassin—though those crimson cat’s eyes did make the hairs on Anastasia’s body stand on end.

“Euphi… Milu?”

Following Fia’s finger, Liti turned to look at the doorway.

And then.

“Eek!”

As if she had stepped on a red-hot iron plate, Liti’s shoulders jumped, and she practically fled, throwing herself at Fia, her expression filled with terror.

“Mmph—”

Before Liti could say anything rude, Fia hugged her head, making her swallow the words that were about to come out. But this reaction alone was enough to show Liti’s fear of Milu. Milu’s crimson, vertical pupils showed not only sorrow but also a hint of mockery.

Fia was sure that this mockery was not directed at herself or Liti, but at Milu herself, as if to say, “See, I’m just that detestable.”

Fia had no choice but to make the introductions awkwardly.

“That is Anastasia, the captain of the Second Division of the Silvar Royal Guard, and nominally my bodyguard. This here is my younger sister, Liti. She’s still a child and doesn’t have very good manners. I’ll be sure to teach her properly later.”

Although Liti immediately protested, her face was buried in Fia’s chest, so she could only make muffled sounds, which had no effect other than making Fia’s chest feel warm.

Milu said nothing, biting her lip with a somewhat complicated expression. Taking this opportunity, Fia began to introduce Milu to Liti and Anastasia—from when she met her at the alley entrance to bringing her back. During this process, Liti gradually calmed down, trying her best not to look at Milu’s eyes, and secretly sized up this pitiful girl with a faint presence.

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“So, Milu is a child you picked up outside, sister?”

Liti asked Fia, glancing at Milu, who was standing stiffly by the door.

Fia nodded lightly.

“Yes.”

“She feels a bit like Sister Claire… the white hair, close to silver, and the part about being scary. Phew, but as long as I know that little Milu isn’t deliberately trying to scare me, it’s fine.”

As if in lingering fear, Liti patted her flat, barren chest, then took a step forward and extended a hand to Milu, an embarrassed smile on her pretty face.

“I’m sorry for what I did earlier. My name is Liti Alexia Yushir.”

“…”

For a moment, Milu looked at a loss. Her gaze went past Liti, looking to Fia for help.

Fia shrugged slightly.

“Anastasia and Liti are both kind-hearted girls. You can answer however you like, Milu. Just relax.”

“…”

Milu hesitated for a moment, then lowered her head and gave a light “mm.”

Her voice was so soft it was barely audible, but Liti didn’t mind. As the youngest member of the royal family, who had grown up in the court, she had met all sorts of people. Euphimilu seemed like a shy girl; she should be glad that she had answered at all. She withdrew her hand and looked back at Fia.

“Aren’t you going to give little Milu a bath first, sister?”

“That’s why I asked Renee to call you over. I wanted to ask you and Anastasia to help her take a bath and change her clothes.”

“Leave it to me.”

Anastasia slowly bowed to Fia.

Although Milu’s eyes were terrifying, Anastasia was, after all, a captain of the Royal Guard. As long as she knew that Milu posed no threat, she could overcome the psychological discomfort. Besides, compared to the curse on Claire, Milu’s scariness was much milder. The first time Anastasia had met Claire, she had been tense all over as if facing a great enemy, but in front of Milu, she had only paused for a moment.

“It’s just that there’s no private bathroom in the inn. If she wants to take a bath, I asked the inn staff this evening, and there are separate public bathhouses for men and women on the basement floor. She can only go there. As for clothes…”

“She can borrow Liti’s for now. Milu and Liti look about the same size.”

“No problem at all. She can have them, no need to return them.”

Liti waved her hand cheerfully.

Is Liti always this generous to commoners? Fia couldn’t help but be surprised.

On the way to the Bart Duchy, although Liti had participated in distributing food to the refugees, she had only done so to “get closer to sister.” Fia had always thought that Liti was not that close to the common people.

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As if seeing through Fia’s surprise, Liti turned around and pouted, saying in a volume that Milu couldn’t hear.

“Anyone would feel sorry for such a pitiful little thing. I’m not a heartless, evil woman. What do you take me for, sister?”

Fia was slightly taken aback. On second thought, it made sense. Liti had lived a human life before, and now, Euphimilu might be reminding her of the time when she had lived in poverty.

“Right, right, Liti is a kind-hearted girl. Then, Anastasia, you take her to the basement bathhouse, and Liti, you go pick out some suitable clothes.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

“Little Milu has beautiful white hair. A short skirt and top combination would match well. The weather here is hot, so a cool outfit is suitable.”

Anastasia and Liti made their respective plans. As for Milu, since she hadn’t heard Fia arrange anything for her, when she was being led by Anastasia, she immediately looked at Fia with an uneasy gaze.

“What about Fia?”

She was probably asking what she was going to do. For Milu, she had only just met Anastasia and Liti. Although she had also only known Fia for a short time, the degree of acquaintance was different; Milu trusted her more.

This special sense of trust made Fia feel as if she had gained another younger sister, which made her smile.

“I’ll wait for you in the restaurant, Milu. After you’ve taken a bath and changed, you can come over with Anastasia.”

“Together…”

Milu said softly, but before she could finish, Liti cut in between Fia and her, waving her hands up and down.

“No, no! The first person to take a bath with sister must be me! Even if I think of little Milu as a sister, she can’t get in line before me—second is fine, though.”

“It’s a public bathhouse. There’s no first or second.”

Fia immediately retorted.

Besides, Liti was thinking too much. The day she took a bath with Liti would never come. Liti was not a child. Her age, converted to human years, was at least twelve or thirteen, and in the human world, girls of that age usually already had fiancés.

“Then if it’s a public bathhouse, will you go, sister?”

Liti asked expectantly, a mischievous idea already written on her face—Fia couldn’t help but be glad that there was no photography magic in this world, otherwise the consequences would be unimaginable. She raised her chin proudly.

“The [Cleanse] spell is all I need.”

“Tch! The [Cleanse] spell is the worst invention in the world!”

Liti spat out these words with gritted teeth and took Milu’s other hand.

Fia gave a light wave of farewell.

“Don’t play for too long. If it takes too much time, it’s fine to ask a maid in the bathhouse for help.”

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Although asking a maid for help with a bath was a paid service, money was no object. Not to mention the elf princess’s allowance, which Fia still didn’t know the amount of, just the gold coins she had gotten from selling the Fire-striped Frog magic cores at the Mage Association was enough for her to live in this inn for a whole year with plenty to spare.

Even after subtracting the cost of buying magic crystals, living here for half a year would not be a problem.

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The time it took to give Milu a bath was exceptionally long. A full hour passed, and Fia, sitting in the bright restaurant, still hadn’t seen her. If not for the fact that the restaurant was large enough and her and Renee’s attire was proper enough, they would have been given strange looks by now, mistaken for poor people with no money.

It was worth mentioning that although the inn’s restaurant was large, Fia noticed that not many people were actually eating there. This seemed to be related to the high price of the dishes. Fia had only glanced at a few items, and their total price already exceeded one gold coin. Therefore, even a slightly well-off noble could not afford to eat here for all three meals a day.

There were rich nobles and poor nobles. The truly wealthy were only a small fraction in any world. The vast majority of nobles ate here only to show off their status, not to fill their stomachs, which was why there were more people in the first-floor lobby than in the restaurant.

“They’re taking too long to bathe,” the primly seated Renee frowned, her tone full of anger. “To make Lord Thanatos, whose time is precious, wait for a full hour.”

Fia did not know that Renee already thought of Milu as her future subordinate. She propped her head up with one hand and toyed with the silverware with the other.

“Milu has been wandering outside for a long time, so it’s normal for her to take longer to bathe. More importantly, Renee, someone is watching us.”

“Yes, since half an hour ago.”

The anger on Renee’s face quickly turned to seriousness. She did not look at Fia, who was sitting beside her, but said, looking straight ahead.

“There are three of them, at the table diagonally to our left. Although they’re trying to hide, they keep sneaking glances at us. Their technique is too clumsy. They’re inexperienced novices.”

“Can you recognize them, Renee?”

“Forgive my incompetence, but I have not seen them before.”

“They’re the people from the Witch Hall from today.”

“How did you find out, Lord Thanatos? From their clothes, I can only tell that they are two men and one woman. But that woman is not wearing the cat-eared nun habit from today, but a noble lady’s formal dress and a black veiled hat.”

“Well… that’s a secret.”

Fia smiled and made a hushing gesture. She had actually gotten the result using [Wind of Exploration]. She didn’t recognize the two men either. What had exposed their identity was the Sixth Rank woman named Friede.

Even at the same rank, different people would appear differently in [Wind of Exploration], just as 22 degrees and 29 degrees Celsius would show up differently on a thermal imager. Even if both were yellow, the color displayed would be divided into light yellow and dark yellow, which could be used as a basis to determine if it was the same person.

“People from the Witch Hall?”

Fia lightly tapped the silver dagger, Laevateinn, at her waist.

“They must be after this. Don’t mind them. If they don’t approach us, we’ll just pretend we didn’t see them.”

“Yes, Lord Thanatos.”

Not long after Renee’s words fell, Milu finally arrived, led by Anastasia and Liti.