Chapter 182 - 6
Anna awoke to the sounds of seabirds and the clamor of the city. The light filtering into the room indicated it was nearly noon, not early morning.
“Mmm, I slept well.”
She had been sleep-deprived the day before, so it seemed she had slept soundly. But with no chores or work here, oversleeping didn't inconvenience anyone. She stretched wide to loosen her stiff body, and a stabbing headache immediately assaulted her.
“Ugh, what is this?”
The pain was in her temples, a throbbing ache. Her head also felt incredibly heavy, as if something were resting on it.
“Are you awake?”
Edward, who seemed to have been reading a book while drinking green tea at the table, stood up and picked something up with a smile. It was the flat teapot unique to this country for brewing green tea.
“Yes… but my head hurts…”
“I’m not surprised.”
He said this calmly and poured green tea into a new cup. The aroma was so refreshing it felt like it could wake her up.
“You must be thirsty. Have some water first.”
Now that he mentioned it, she realized she was incredibly thirsty. The tea filling the handle-less cup he handed her was cool and lukewarm. It was unusual for Edward to offer lukewarm tea, she thought, but the moment she took a sip, she understood why. Faced with the tea, she realized just how parched her throat was.
She drained the tea in one go, and Edward silently poured her another cup. She drank that one down as well. The throbbing in her head hadn't changed, but she felt a little calmer.
“Are you all right?”
“Yes. My head just hurts a little…”
“That’s to be expected. You did chug such strong liquor all at once.”
“Strong liquor… Aah!”
Remembering her disgraceful behavior from the previous night, her face flushed hot. She was so ashamed of her actions she could die. Looking down, she saw she was still wearing yesterday's clothes. This meant she had been sleeping like a log since then.
“Do you remember now?”
“I remember!”
If Edward weren't here, she would have pulled the covers over her head and screamed, “Idiot! I’m such an idiot!” but that wasn't an option.
She was supposed to make a cool exit, but instead, she got completely drunk and passed out. Had she crashed to the floor after that, slept on the pub floor, and made a complete fool of herself? She couldn't remember anything. This headache, then, was a hangover.
“Ugh… I’m so sorry, Ed-san…”
Clutching her head and healing her own hangover, Anna apologized, wishing she could crawl into a hole. She had picked a fight with Qiuzi out of some misplaced rivalry, hurt Ritz when he came to intervene, and then drank herself into a stupor and collapsed.
She was so pathetic and embarrassed, she really did want to hide under the covers and scream. It must have been Edward who carried her here and looked after her. She had caused him so much trouble.
A closer look revealed a small basin of water and a towel on the bedside table. There were clear signs it had been used. She might have thrown up or made a racket without even knowing it, causing an incredible amount of trouble.
“It must have been awful for you. I’m truly sorry.”
Once the pain subsided, Anna sat up in bed and apologized to Edward again. But Edward just smiled serenely and shook his head slightly, as if to say it wasn’t him.
“Don’t worry about it. He probably thought of it as atonement.”
“Huh…?”
“He can’t quite grow up either. He probably doesn’t know what to do.”
From his tone, she knew who he was talking about. Ritz. That meant it was Ritz who had carried her here last night and looked after her all this time.
“Anna.”
“Yes.”
“For now, just calm down. There is always only one truth. And that truth is usually found within one’s own heart.”
“Ed-san…”
“Though that’s easier said than done. In any case, try not to dwell on it and maintain your composure. The path before you will clear someday.”
With that, Edward smiled. Don’t dwell on it was a difficult thing to ask. She was always thinking about it, which was why she ended up sad.
“Come, let’s have lunch and I’ll tell you what we learned yesterday.”
Edward gently prompted Anna, who was about to get lost in thought again.
“Wait a minute! I can’t go out like this!”
Anna’s clothes were all wrinkled. As a woman, this was not good. No, as an adult, this was quite bad. She had Edward step outside the room and quickly changed her clothes.
She resolved to borrow a tub from the inn and do laundry today. Then she braided her usually tied-up hair, washed her face with the seemingly clean water from the basin, and wiped it with a tightly wrung towel. That made her feel human again.
Looking at herself in the mirror before her, she spoke to her reflection.
“Don’t give up, me!”
When she stepped out the door, Edward was waiting, leaning against the wall.
“Let’s go!”
When she said this with a smile, Edward smiled back and pointed to the adjacent door. It was Ritz and Franz’s room. She had thought they were going to the dining hall downstairs, but apparently not. It made sense; they couldn’t talk about the Soukai Clan in the dining hall.
When she opened the door, she saw Ritz sprawled lazily on the bed and Franz at the table, chin in hand, flipping through the book he bought yesterday.
And on the table, under a thin cloth bug net, was a large quantity of rice balls. Rice was the staple food in this country. The sight of it made her realize she was hungry. She thought it was shallow of her to be hungry after all the commotion she’d caused, but she couldn’t help her appetite.
“Well then, let’s eat first, and then we can talk about the trade suspension between the Soukai Clan and this country.”
Edward took the lead and sat at the table, and Anna timidly took a seat as well. Ritz, who had been lying on the bed, slowly sat up.
After saying such horrible things to him, she felt she couldn’t even look him in the face… but contrary to her feelings, she found herself staring intently at Ritz’s face.
“…Hm? What is it?”
With a slightly stiff tone, Ritz looked back at Anna.
“What happened to that?”
“…Nothing.”
He said curtly and looked away. But the damage was not something that could be dismissed with a ‘nothing.’ Ritz’s cheek was horrifically swollen.
“But your face is a mess.”
“Don’t worry about it.”
With that, Ritz sat at the table. Usually, he chose the seat farthest from Anna, but this table was small and meant for four, so his swollen face was right in front of her. This situation was clearly not normal.
“Did you get into a fight?”
“No.”
“Then did someone attack you?”
“No.”
“Then… could it be that I went on a drunken rampage…?”
“I was a mercenary captain, you know. You think I’d get injured just because someone like you went on a rampage?”
“Oh, right. That’s true.”
“Just forget about me and eat. In this country, they call this onigiri.”
“But…”
“I said it’s fine. This is my problem.”
With that, Ritz picked up a rice ball in front of him and took a bite.
“Tch…”
Ritz muttered under his breath and winced as he chewed.
It looked painful, and she wanted to heal it. But a palpable aura of refusal was radiating from Ritz, so she couldn't press the issue. Ritz, who had been putting on a cheerful front like when they first met, had completely stopped and was now showing his honest feelings on his face. And because he was being honest, he was rejecting her. Come to think of it, she had said some terrible things before she passed out drunk.
—We can’t live together anymore. I don’t know you anymore, Ritz!
The harshness of her own words filled her with self-loathing. Saying that to Ritz must have been as harsh as when he had cast Jin aside, and she had completely rejected him and pushed his hand away.
If that was the case, then it was wrong for her, the one who had cut him off and hurt him, to even think of being kind to him again.
Did she think Ritz wouldn't be hurt, that he would forgive her? How stupid and childish.
Anna stood up and quietly moved behind Ritz. Then she just silently placed a gentle hand on his swollen cheek.
“I told you, it’s fine…”
Anna glared back at Ritz, who refused without turning around. Ritz flinched visibly.
“I’m doing this because I want to, so it has nothing to do with you.”
“…Nothing to do with me? It’s my face.”
“It hurts to look at it, so I don’t want to. It’s annoying to have you sitting there like that.”
“Tch… Do what you want.”
“I will.”
Still glaring, Anna gently touched his cheek and stroked it. As if her presence meant nothing to him, Ritz continued to chew the rice ball while the heat from the swelling gradually subsided. As the heat went down, the swelling and redness slowly disappeared.
She knew it was completely healed, but she was reluctant to part from the rare contact with Ritz, so she gently touched his cheek and stroked it one more time. Perhaps because of the swelling, he hadn't shaved, and it felt rough to the touch, but it was warm as always. This was the best thanks and apology she could offer right now.
“What is it?”
When the grumpy Ritz asked, she slapped his cheek with a crisp sound.
“There, all done.”
“Ow, that hurt.”
“Right, let’s eat.”
Feigning nonchalance, Anna returned to her seat and took a bite of a rice ball.
“Thanks.”
Ritz muttered as he ate his own rice ball. Just that one word made her a little happy, and she gave a small nod. And for the first time, she realized something. It was more of a relief to have him show his displeasure openly than for them to both hide their feelings and interact. She didn't have to look at his face and pretend to feel something she didn't.
For the first time since Ritz had bowed to her in Tashkur, she realized they had both been forcing themselves not to show their emotions. Just like that, a faint glimpse of Ritz’s feelings, which had been completely unreadable, became visible.
Once the simple meal was over, they pushed the plates aside and began to discuss their next steps. After confirming that Franz had paper and pen ready, Ritz, his cheek now completely healed, began to share the information he had gathered at the drinking party last night.
In late December by the Yuresla Kingdom calendar, mid-December by this country's calendar, around the time Anna and her group were snowed in in Tashkur, a man visited the military port of Suien, which was also snowed in.
The man identified himself as an affiliate of the Soukai Clan and summoned Touo, the highest-ranking officer of the military command.
In this land, far from the central government of Tarnien and close to the battlefield, there were many outsiders coming and going from the base, and even Touo, as the supreme commander of the military, would not refuse a formally requested meeting.
But Touo tilted his head at the man who had visited the military port directly. The Soukai Clan traded not with the Tarnien Army, but with the Suien Commercial Guild. The pearls of the Soukai Clan, traded through this guild, were an important commodity for Tarnien’s diplomacy.
Though suspicious, Touo agreed to meet the man who had requested the audience.
Touo was surprised when he saw the man. He was instantly reminded of an acquaintance. Though not identical, there was a vague resemblance. The man, who clearly was not of the Soukai Clan, had the features of the Clan of Darkness, despite the difference in skin color: a tall man with black hair and dark brown eyes.
The acquaintance Touo was reminded of was none other than Ritz. As he stared, taken aback, the man produced a letter.
“I would like you to read this.”
The offered letter was taken by Touo.
“Am I the one who should be receiving this?”
Touo confirmed once more. For Touo to accept a document concerning a commercial matter would be seen as an overreach of military authority by the Commercial Guild.
But the man just smiled faintly in silence. Touo, who had seen people from various countries and professions over the years, sensed something dangerous in that smile. He sensed a coldness, a disregard for human life.
But having accepted it, he had to read it. Steeling himself, Touo scraped off the wax seal of the letter with a knife.
The letter, written in blue ink, began with the words, ‘From January of next year, all trade of pearls, including ‘Goddess’s Tears,’ will be suspended…’
So stunned by the unexpected sentence, Touo ran his hand over the thick paper. There was no mistaking the special watermarked paper used for official correspondence between the Soukai Clan and the Commercial Guild.
“This should not be given to the Tarnien Army. It should be taken to the Commercial Guild.”
He pushed it back, face down, without reading further, but the man looked at Touo with a smile on his lips.
“If you wish to do so after you have finished reading, then by all means. I wanted you to read it.”
“Why?”
“Please read to the end, and then ask me again, Your Excellency.”
Feeling a sense of unease from his cruel smile, Touo reluctantly continued reading.
‘We bear no ill will toward Suien and the Tarnien Republic, but this is a measure we are forced to take in order to preemptively avoid a calamity that is to befall our Soukai Clan.
The calamity that will befall us will be brought through trade with humans. Indeed, the lands of the demi-human races in other countries have already had misfortune brought upon them, causing great confusion throughout their entire race. Knowing that this confusion is gradually approaching our country, we have decided on a course of action based on the words of our advisor.
If by continuing to trade, this misfortune may strike us at any time, then we shall suspend trade indefinitely until this disaster has passed.’
“This is still not for us to receive. I will pass it on to the Commercial Guild. Is that clear?”
“As you wish…”
“…By the way, what is this calamity you speak of?”
As he stood up to leave the room, he questioned the man, who slowly turned back.
“The calamity is a man-made disaster.”
“Why did you show this to me?”
“Because it is likely you, not the Commercial Guild, that the disaster will contact.”
“What…?”
He instinctively frowned, and the man smiled with just the corner of his mouth.
“If I were to give this to the Commercial Guild, it would be no fun if the disaster couldn't get any information. If I don't inform you that the Soukai Clan's severance of relations is a man-made disaster, you wouldn't be able to properly agonize over it, would you?”
The man spoke as if he knew what the disaster was. And Touo understood that the disaster the man spoke of was being set up in some kind of trap by this man, but he couldn't figure out what it was.
With a mix of mild irritation and unease, he glared at the man, who just smiled faintly and gave a polite bow.
“I have taken up your time. When the disaster comes to you, please tell them this: ‘Does our princess still not give up?’”
“Princess…?”
The man left the room without even looking back at Touo’s question. When he pulled open the door after it had closed, the man was already gone from the long corridor.
“Touo handed this document to the Commercial Guild. Naturally, the Guild vehemently opposed it, and a meeting was held between their representatives and those of the Soukai Clan on the Trading Island, but the Soukai Clan was adamant about protecting their people and refused to budge.”
As Ritz’s long story came to an end, a hush fell over the room.
“When I asked Touo, he said he thought we might be the ‘disaster.’ That’s how much that man and I looked alike. Well, he has no intention of telling anyone, of course. So he gave me a copy of the Soukai Clan’s document.”
With that, Ritz handed the document to Franz. Franz took it, glanced at it, and tucked it into his papers. He would probably copy it later.
Anna, who had a good idea who the person referred to as the ‘advisor’ was, let out a deep sigh.
“The advisor… it’s Kuchiba, isn’t it?”
Kuchiba was blocking the path of Anna and the others, who were trying to move forward and visit the holy sites of all the races, in this way.
“The only one who knows what happened in all the demi-human autonomous regions is Kuchiba. And besides, there’s no one else who would scheme to keep us from contacting the Soukai Clan.”
Ritz muttered with a sigh. Edward, who had been listening to the story from Touo, nodded in agreement and placed both elbows on the table, lacing his fingers together.
“I also heard the story from Touo, and from what I heard, there’s no mistake. In other words, just to obstruct us, he has instigated a conflict between Suien and the Soukai Clan.”
“…Just for that? Even though it could lead to war?”
“It seems that is the kind of man Kuchiba is.”
Edward said calmly, and Ritz nodded in silence. Anna couldn't understand what Kuchiba was thinking, or why he could treat human life so lightly.
“There are three things I don’t understand about Kuchiba.”
With that, Ritz looked around at everyone. No one spoke, they just looked up at him.
“First, why does Kuchiba call Anna ‘Princess’? You’re the only one he calls that, right?”
“Yeah…”
Princess. Anna had no idea why Kuchiba called her that, not a clue. She wondered if he was teasing her because she was the only female in the group, but the way Kuchiba said ‘Princess’ didn’t feel like teasing.
He just said it matter-of-factly, as if that were her name.
“It makes me feel like a princess of Kuchiba’s country. But maybe he’s just joking when he calls me that.”
She tried to convince herself of this, but a part of her heart denied it. Kuchiba definitely meant something by it.
“Second. Why does Kuchiba… look like me?”
At Ritz’s words, Anna realized for the first time that being told he resembled Kuchiba had been bothering him.
“Is it just because I have the blood of the Clan of Darkness in me, or is there another reason… I just don’t know.”
As Ritz muttered to himself, Franz asked a question.
“Does everyone from the Clan of Darkness look like Ritz?”
“…Don’t say such creepy things. That would mean all the Clan of Darkness members who came out when I was fighting with Zeum as a mercenary had my face.”
He couldn’t help but nod at the image. It was indeed a very scary sight. Franz, who had asked the question, also seemed to imagine it and shuddered slightly, while Edward was suppressing a laugh.
“Well, I’m sure they’re similar in that they have eyes, a nose, and a mouth. Try to remember. Did Raven, who was with that bastard Stewart, look like me?”
“…No.”
“Right? I haven’t seen Kuchiba myself, so I can’t even imagine what he looks like when people say we look alike…”
Ritz said with a sigh, and then asked Anna, the only one who had met Kuchiba.
“Touo said you looked quite similar, but what did you think?”
She remembered the figure she had seen in Roshozu, illuminated by the fire in the darkness.
“I think you did.”
At that time, Anna had mistaken Kuchiba for Ritz for a moment. But the cruel smile on his lips quickly made her realize he was someone else. But the atmosphere of the mercenary Ritz, which she had seen several times, felt very similar to Kuchiba’s. Yes, even his presence.
“It’s unsettling to think there’s another guy who looks just like me in this city.”
Ritz said with a look of disgust.
“Third, his travel speed. That guy is moving through the demi-human villages at an incredible pace.”
Everyone fell silent. The path the four of them were taking was what Ritz, who had traveled this continent, believed to be the fastest. And yet, Kuchiba was moving to the next demi-human village much faster than them.
The incident in Tashkur happened at the end of November, but a month later, Kuchiba appeared in Suien as an emissary of the Soukai Clan. Barring some extraordinary circumstances, that should be impossible. But Kuchiba had done it.
“It’s not a boast, but I know my way around pretty well. I might lose to merchants who know a small area inside and out, but over a wide range, I shouldn’t lose.”
“In other words, Kuchiba is a step ahead of you.”
“No. As someone who knows the roads, I can say with certainty that there is no road that can get you from Tashkur to Suien in under a month.”
Ritz stated this with confidence.
“Then how did Kuchiba get to Suien?”
“That’s what I don’t know, and that’s what’s creepy. If there was some secret shortcut somewhere, I could accept it.”
“A shortcut, huh…”
For some reason, Franz muttered this enviously. It was probably because the arduous journey was a pain for him.
“Well, in short, the guy is a complete mystery.”
Ritz concluded. It seemed the mystery wouldn’t be solved unless they asked Kuchiba himself. Anna recalled Kuchiba’s face from Roshozu, but he didn’t seem like the type to answer any questions.
“The only mystery for me is why he’s getting in the way of me meeting my master.”
Franz groaned. All he wanted was to ask Orphe a few things, but the existence of Kuchiba, who stood in the way of him meeting his master, must be infuriating.
“Who knows. Apparently there’s a truth that he doesn’t want known… but I don’t even have a clue what that truth is.”
A truth known only to Kuchiba. There was no doubt that Franz’s master, Orphe, was involved. Otherwise, there would be no reason for Kuchiba to obstruct their attempt to meet Orphe.
Besides, Orphe was a mysterious person who had lived for fifteen hundred years, an impossibly long time even for the Clan of Light; he wasn’t a normal person.
If so, then who was Orphe? Come to think of it, Orphe had said that if they collected all the legends, they would reach his location. And all the legends pointed to the same thing. The place where the Spirit Kings were.
“Is Orphe-san one of the Spirit Kings?”
She said it casually, and the room fell silent.
“That’s what I think too. There’s no other explanation, right? For someone who says you can find out where he is by collecting legends.”
As Ritz agreed with Anna, Franz shook his head.
“The Spirit Kings should be able to wield powerful spirit magic, but I’ve never seen my master use powerful spirit magic. It might sound plausible from just the stories, but when I think about my master, I can’t be so sure.”
“Then why can you find out where he is by collecting the demi-human legends?”
“I don’t know. But my master didn’t seem powerful or full of strength. He was curious, but lazy, didn’t move much, and was sloppy… he was an ordinary person.”
Franz seemed to be telling himself this, trying to believe it. Anna and Ritz didn’t know Orphe well. But Franz, even though he had closed his heart, had lived with Orphe for five long years. Considering that, Franz’s assessment felt more likely to be correct.
“You’re right, the Spirit Kings feel like they’d be super strong.”
Seeing Franz deep in thought, Anna chose her words to be intentionally bright.
“Maybe the reason all the Spirit Kings are in one place is because all six of them are having a big party. Yeah. And of course the Goddess is there, and Orphe-san is helping out with something.”
As she said this, she imagined it. A table surrounded by incredibly strong and impressive people, with Orphe off to the side, fiddling with his junk and saying silly things in his laid-back tone. The image might be quite fun.
“I don’t like that image for some reason.”
“You don’t? I think it sounds fun!”
“You think so?”
To the complex-looking Ritz, Anna smiled. Noticing the conversation was about to derail completely, Edward cleared his throat.
“Shall we return to the main topic?”
At his words, Anna finally remembered the real purpose of this conversation. They were talking about how to get to the Soukai Clan’s holy land.
“Yes, let’s.”
“Very good.”
Smiling like a teacher, Edward took the paper that had been tucked into Franz’s notes. It was the paper Ritz had gotten from Touo.
“From this, we can infer that we have two paths to take from here. Do you understand?”
Edward posed the question to the silent Franz. Franz, who had been taking detailed notes, looked up.
“…I’m not sure.”
“Think about it. The materials are in the document you copied and this piece of paper.”
Prompted, Franz looked at his own scribbled notes, which only he could read, thought for a moment, and then looked up at Edward.
“Whether we say we are the ‘disaster,’ or whether we keep silent.”
“Exactly.”
Edward smiled, satisfied with Franz’s answer. A school teacher must be like this, Anna thought, strangely impressed. For Anna, who had never been to school, the scene was something out of her imagination.
“But from my perspective, there’s only one choice.”
Ritz said this in a lazy posture, leaning back in his chair.
“That would be the case for an impatient man like you.”
“Yeah. I can’t wait forever.”
“Speaking of which, there is a saying in this country: ‘A hasty beggar gets little.’ It fits you perfectly.”
“What’s that supposed to mean!”
Franz sighed at their bickering, but Anna couldn’t quite follow the conversation.
“Question, question!”
She said, raising her hand, and Edward smiled.
“What is it, Anna?”
“What are the two choices?”
She thought she might be met with exasperation, but Edward answered her question as if it were a matter of course.
“One choice is to wait here until the Soukai Clan and the Suien side reconcile.”
“That’s a good idea!”
“But it could take anywhere from a few months to a few years.”
“Wow… that’s a long time…”
“It is. We have no idea when we’ll be able to meet the Soukai Clan.”
Even if their journey had no deadline, they couldn't be stuck here for years, or potentially decades. Besides, in their current situation of staying at an inn, they didn't have the budget for a long stay. And asking to stay at Qiuzi's boarding house was something she wanted to avoid. It wasn't just about the budget; Anna's own feelings were precarious.
Considering that, the choice to wait was a very painful one. But even more than that, telling Ritz, who was by no means a patient person, to sit still was probably impossible. They had always solved problems by acting rather than waiting.
“What’s the other option?”
“To go to the Suien Commercial Guild and claim that ‘the Soukai Clan thinks we are the disaster. But the real disaster is the one who has infiltrated their lands.’”
“What would happen then?”
“If we’re lucky, we might be allowed into the talks with the Soukai Clan.”
“That’s a great idea! It’s the truth, after all!”
The one truly causing the disaster was not them, but Kuchiba. As she insisted this forcefully, Edward gave a wry smile. Ritz also had an exasperated look on his face, and Franz was sighing.
“Hey, why the long faces?”
She asked, pouting, not understanding. It seemed to her that this method was the most proper, honest, and quickest way to resolve things. She looked at the three of them, and Ritz scratched his head as he explained.
“If we do that, several dangerous possibilities arise. One, of course, is that they’ll think that if they kick the disaster out of the country, trade will resume, and they’ll deport us. If we get deported, we won’t be able to do anything.”
“But if we tell them they’re being deceived by Kuchiba, won’t they understand?”
“Impossible. There’s no proof that Kuchiba is the bad guy. Same as how there’s no proof that we’re not.”
“Ugh…”
Anna, who had first understood the meaning of ‘innocent until proven guilty’ in Tashkur, could only groan. It was true; if they were asked to show proof that they weren't the disaster, they had nothing to show.
“Looks like you get it. Now for another one. Even if the Suien side brings us to the meeting with the Soukai Clan, will the Soukai Clan believe us and doubt Kuchiba? If we’re at the negotiations, and we tell the Soukai Clan that we’re the ones being called the disaster, wouldn’t they feel something close to betrayal toward Suien?”
“What would happen then?”
“Well, you know… it could lead to war.”
“No…”
“There is one possibility, and that’s if the Suien-based unit of the Tarnien Army gets involved in this meeting. Touo would guarantee our identities and back us up.”
“Um, so in other words?”
“We wait and see for a little longer.”
Ritz stated the conclusion plainly. So that’s why no one had rushed to a conclusion earlier. To think that waiting, something she was bad at, would become an issue again… she was really out of luck. Just as Anna was thinking this, Franz spoke up.
“…We have no money.”
A short but heartfelt statement.
“We still have what we earned in Tashkur, don’t we?”
“We do, but what’s the point if we spend it all in this city? The next country is Zeum. It’s impossible to enter without a penny to our names, right? We have no way of earning money in Zeum.”
“Hmm…”
Everyone knew the solution to that. To rent a room at Qiuzi's boarding house for a low price. But she could tell they couldn't say it out of consideration for her. It was uncomfortable to live in the house of Ritz’s ex-girlfriend, a woman who treated her like a child. But if their budget ran out, there was nothing they could do. This was something Anna had to decide.
“…I’m okay with it.”
As she said that one sentence, the three of them showed expressions of relief. Anna herself knew that being penniless in Zeum, where anything could happen, would be fatal.
“Then let’s stay at the inn today and move to Qiuzi’s boarding house tomorrow morning. Is that all right?”
“It is.”
In truth, her heart was wavering, but to meet Orphe, who seemed to know something about her parents, she needed to be frugal. For that, she had to endure what needed to be endured.
With a heart in turmoil, Anna let out a small sigh.