Chapter 46

R​e​ad on Ka​tRe​adingCafe

Under the sky as the sun began to set, a majestic city wall came into view.

The city where moonlight shines beautifully—Cressia.

A long line of people stretched out in front of the city gate.

Among the crowd, Lucy and Finn stood still, observing the people.

Well, to be precise, only Lucy was observing, while Finn perched on her shoulder, keeping a wary eye on their surroundings.

“Be careful, Lucy. Humans are very, very greedy creatures. With so many of them around, if you let your guard down, a naive kid like you could get taken advantage of in an instant.”

At Finn’s words, Lucy nodded.

Of course, she wasn’t exactly sure what to be careful of or what “getting taken advantage of” meant.

And Finn wasn’t entirely sure either.

Finn just knew that humans were greedy, so she had to be cautious. If she let her guard down, she would be in trouble.

That was the extent of her thoughts as she kept watch.

“But you don’t need to be too scared. I’m here with you. I’ll keep you safe until you meet your mom.”

Finn tapped Lucy’s cheek as she spoke, and Lucy nodded again.

“Thank you.”

“Heh, you’re welcome. You did save me twice, after all. That was a really good choice. Fairies never forget a favor.”

At Finn’s words, Lucy smiled slightly.

Even though she had bitten her hand and cheek and ran away the first time.

“By the way, Lucy, you might not know this because you’re young, but when entering a human city, you need to show something convincing. Look, all the other humans are doing it.”

At the city gate, guards were conducting inspections.

“Do you have something convincing?”

At Finn’s question, Lucy shook her head.

It seemed to be referring to something like an ID, but Lucy didn’t have anything like that.

However, Lucy wasn’t worried.

She had snuck into a city without an inspection before.

“I’ll handle it.”

“You’ll handle it…? If you don’t show something convincing, you won’t be able to enter the city. If you want to meet your mom…”

“Leave it to me.”

With that, Lucy started walking.

She headed toward the side of the gate, where merchants’ carriages were entering.

There were guards here too, of course, but Lucy slipped between the carriages and began walking slowly.

If she did this, she wouldn’t need to go through the inspection…

“Hey!”

At that moment, a guard grabbed Lucy’s shoulder.

“Why are you sneaking in?”

“…”

Lucy stopped walking, and Finn quickly hid inside her clothes.

“Did you think I wouldn’t notice? I saw everything. Kids like you aren’t rare.”

The guard gave Lucy a stern look.

“You’re here to see the Moonlight Festival, right? I’ll let you off this time, but be careful next time. If you’re caught sneaking into the city, you’ll face severe punishment. Now, go on in.”

Fortunately, the guard let Lucy go.

Lucy bowed her head to the guard and continued walking.

Once inside the city, Finn peeked out from Lucy’s clothes.

“Phew, that was close…”

Finn glared at Lucy.

“You said to leave it to you?”

“…I didn’t think I’d get caught.”

“How could you not get caught sneaking in like that? I told you not to let your guard down. So, where’s your mom?”

“I don’t know.”

“You don’t know…? Didn’t you agree to meet her here?”

“We didn’t set a specific location.”

The letter from her mom only said to come to this city, without specifying a place.

She’d probably find her somehow.

“Then what are you going to do now? You can’t just stand here like a statue. The sun’s already setting.”

“I’ll find a place to stay.”

“A place to stay? You’ll need money for that…”

“I have some.”

Lucy pulled out a pouch of gold coins from her pocket. It was from Lux’s carriage.

Finn’s eyes widened.

“That’s a lot! More importantly, put it away. Someone might try to steal it.”

Lucy put the pouch back in her pocket and started walking.

The city was bustling with people, but Lucy had no trouble finding a place to stay.

She had spotted a sign from afar.

[Moonlight Inn]

A large inn located in the center of the city.

The building had a classic, elegant look, suggesting that the stay wouldn’t be cheap.

But Lucy didn’t mind and headed straight for the Moonlight Inn.

After all, she had plenty of gold coins.

“Welcome!”

As she entered the inn, a loud greeting echoed.

“Whoa!”

Finn’s eyes widened as she looked around.

“This place is amazing!”

The marble floor was covered with thick carpets, and lanterns shaped like moonlight glowed softly on the walls.

A delicately carved chandelier hung from the ceiling, making it feel like they had stepped into a castle.

Lucy approached the counter.

A neatly dressed employee was waiting there.

The employee asked politely,

“Welcome, miss. Are you here to book a room?”

“Yes.”

Lucy took out the pouch of gold coins and placed it on the counter.

“I’d like the best room available.”

Lucy’s room was on the third floor.

As soon as she opened the door, a sweet scent greeted her.

It came from a magical incense burner hanging on the wall.

The room was also very spacious.

The floor was covered with thick carpets, there was a plush sofa, and in the center of the room was a large bed with elegant white curtains.

The window was a glass pane that reached the ceiling, and beyond it was a terrace.

Lucy opened the glass window and stepped out onto the terrace.

From the terrace, she could see the city square at a glance.

She had heard that a festival was being held in the city today.

Perhaps that’s why the square was already buzzing with excitement.

The occasional fireworks and the cheers of the crowd filled the night sky, and the streets shimmered with the lights of the festival.

“Lucy.”

Finn fluttered over and perched on Lucy’s head.

“There’s a huge bathtub in the bathroom. Let’s fill it up. I want to soak in warm water for the first time in a while.”

“Okay.”

Lucy nodded.

But she couldn’t help thinking that Finn didn’t really need a bathtub.

She could just soak in a cup of water or something.

“No, no.”

Finn tugged lightly on Lucy’s hair.

“Before that, let’s go out and eat. Since it’s a festival today, there’s bound to be lots of delicious food. I saw a really big meat skewer on the way here. I want to try that. And also…”

At that moment,

“Ah!”

A small scream was heard.

“?”

Lucy and Finn turned their heads at the same time.

The sound came from the terrace of the next room.

A girl was hanging from the railing of the neighboring terrace.

She was wearing a dress that shimmered with a mix of sky blue and silver.

“What’s she doing?”

Finn tilted her head.

The girl’s hands were barely gripping the railing, but she was slowly slipping.

Below the third floor was a hard stone pavement.

If she fell, she would either be seriously injured or die.

“Is she trying to kill herself?”

Finn muttered, but Lucy thought differently.

The girl’s face was filled with fear.

The girl couldn’t even call for help, only letting out small, panicked gasps.

Soon, her hands slipped from the railing.

“!”

The girl began to fall.

Lucy immediately cast a skill.

Shadow Bind.

Shadows extended from Lucy’s hand and gently wrapped around the girl.

“Huh…?”

The girl, suspended in mid-air, tilted her head in confusion.

Lucy slowly pulled her in and reached out her hand.

“Grab on.”

“Ah, ah, okay…”

The girl took Lucy’s hand and climbed back onto the terrace.

Still shaken from the near fall, the girl trembled uncontrollably.

“Th-thank you…”

The girl said in a small voice.

“I-I just wanted to climb onto the railing, but… my foot slipped…”

Finn clicked her tongue in disbelief.

“Why would you climb onto the railing without wings? Are you an idiot?”

The girl hung her head in shame.

“I-I just wanted to get a closer look… to see the festival…”

“If that’s the case, you could’ve just gone outside.”

At Finn’s words, the girl lowered her head even further.

“B-but I can’t go outside…”

At that moment, the sound of shattering glass echoed.

Crash!

Lucy, Finn, and the girl all turned their heads in surprise.

The glass on the terrace where the girl had been was now shattered.

At the same time, someone was thrown out from inside and fell over the railing.

Thud!

It all happened so quickly that Lucy didn’t even have time to react.

The girl looked over the railing and let out a gasp.

The person who had fallen was a knight in armor.

“S-Sir Derrick…”

“You know him?”

When Finn asked, the girl nodded.

“H-he’s my escort knight, but why…”

Her question was soon answered.

Through the broken glass, men in black masks swarmed onto the terrace.

The masked men quickly spotted the girl and shouted.

“There she is, grab her!”

It seemed they were after the girl.

Translator Note

T/N (Translator’s note):
Staying out of trouble is impossible it seems, heh.