Chapter 34: Nightfall

A rainy day, listening to the pitter-patter of rain, huddled around a fire, sharing stories with a fellow traveler… Ah, what a captivating and mesmerizing scene. Too bad I was just drenched in the rain and then shared my non-existent dating experiences under a tree… Oh well, at least it was more adventurous than following people around town and catching cheaters.

Selene and Richter chatted casually until dawn, when the heavy rain gradually subsided, the continuous sheet of rain turning into scattered raindrops.

“Ah… I need to get going.” Selene reached out her hand towards the area beyond the tree, feeling the rain, and said softly.

Richter nodded slightly, his gaze passing over her shoulders, which were bare. He sighed inwardly.

Who goes out at night, doesn’t do anything, just hides under a tree in the rain? She’s wearing a police uniform, but not a badge? Her disguise is very sloppy…

“Safe travels, miss. I have some other things to do and need to stay outside of town for a while.” He stood up from the chest and looked up at the clearing clouds, at the starry night sky, beautiful as a painting. “It’s hard to see at night, this lantern…”

“I don’t need it,” Selene waved her hand, declining his offer.

She took the shovel from the chest, to prevent the vials from breaking if she bumped them. Then she pulled the chest away from the tree and slowly, with some difficulty, began to walk away.

Richter took the lantern and watched her figure disappear.

But just a few dozen steps later, she turned around and waved at him. The lantern’s light reached far, illuminating the warm smile on her face.

“See you later—!!”

...

“So, you were waiting outside for hours in the middle of the night, meeting with some guy…” Louise bit into a roasted potato, drawing her conclusion. “Oh my, it seems you’ve forgotten your principles…”

Selene slapped her friend on the head, saying angrily,

“Don’t expect to eat anything other than potatoes for the next few days.”

Louise immediately shut up and continued to eat her potatoes.

Selene also bowed her head and ate some bread with potato soup.

A faint blue light descended from the railing on the second floor and circled the dining table. It seemed displeased, and the food on the table, including the roasted potatoes, potato soup, potato chips, potato heads, and fried potato skins, instantly turned into blocks of ice, also letting out a grating noise that only superhumans could hear. This almost made the two women spit out their food.

It seems the little ghost has a very strong preference when it comes to food.

Seeing this, Louise quietly pushed her roasted potatoes away, feeling relieved that she’d successfully escaped the Potato Hell.

“I hate potatoes,” she said gravely, her deep eyes looking at Selene, who was stuffing food into her mouth, “What kind of terrifying psychology makes you put three sacks of potatoes in the kitchen…”

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

Selene closed her eyes and mumbled,

“Gotta save money… gotta buy things…”

“Why is your pronunciation of ‘money’ so clear?” Louise sighed and rubbed Selene’s head hard. “Tell me, where does your money usually go? You make thirty gold coins a year. Is that enough to hire a maid?”

With a maid, they wouldn’t have to be fighting potatoes in the middle of the night.

“Books… buying books,” Selene finally swallowed her food, then picked up her cup and took a sip of water. Her expression was troubled. “Every week, merchants come from Nymph Fu and bring a lot of goods, including many books we don’t have here… The new printing presses and factories have made books cheaper, but the merchants need money for transportation. I specifically asked them to find me a few Chronicles each week…”

Louise remained silent, a little confused.

“But I don’t see you reading that many books? We’ve known each other for two years, and you mainly use the Ritual of White Dew. Besides the rituals in the 《Ascension Tantra》, I don’t see you using any others…”

“It’s hard for merchants to find Tantras,” Selene took Louise’s hand, rubbing the sore wrist she’d hurt carrying the chest all that way. “At least I’ve learned a few low-level spells. That’s something, right?”

“You might as well have given me the money. I know those spells.” Louise leaned back in her chair. “And you can borrow those kinds of books from the university library for free…”

“Do I look like I can go to university? I don’t even have an ID card. Duquesne knows me, so he hasn’t said anything. But if I go to a big city, I’ll probably have to stay at the station for a few months before they can give me something to prove my identity…” Selene sighed.

It’s a shame that the original owner had such a sad life, dying alone in the forest with no one to look for her. She’d been in town for two years, made a little bit of a name for herself, but no one had claimed her. She didn’t even leave me any memories.

Louise fell silent for a moment, recalling Selene’s condition when she first arrived in town two years ago: her clothes were tattered, she was covered in cuts and scratches from wandering through the forest, she was completely dirty… Except for her bright, energetic eyes, she was like a beggar on the street.

That beggar had gone into the Adventurer’s Guild, her steps unsteady, her limbs weak. Even then, everyone could see that she was about to collapse, but she still walked towards her goal, smiling, and saying to herself, “I want to become an adventurer.” Her eyes were full of imagination and hope for the future—

Those eyes truly shone like stars.

“It’s too late. Think about this later,” Louise whispered, clearing the table and hurrying Selene upstairs.

After washing her face in the bathroom on the first floor, she also went upstairs and sleeping fully clothed in the room next to Selene.

...

“Mama, I’m home.”

Ellen quietly closed the door, her hand covering her left shoulder. A strong floral scent wafted from the large bouquet she was carrying, masking a smell she didn’t want her mother to detect.

A weak voice, punctuated by persistent coughs, came from the cramped, narrow room. It was filled with obvious worry.

“Why so late… Cough, cough… Did something happen…?”

“No, Mama.” Ellen put the flowers on the table, took out her dagger, silently cut away the fabric over her wound, and took out a strongly-scented ointment from the cupboard, applying it to her wound.

“Really—?”

“Really nothing, Mama.” Ellen’s voice was naturally tinged with resignation and guilt, like a child who had stayed out too late because they were having fun. “There was a lot of commotion at the station. I went to watch the excitement, and I got a little lost last night…”

She paused and changed the subject, whispering,

“I want to go to the cemetery…”

“No!” Her mother’s voice immediately rose in volume, causing her to cough, the force of the cough making one worry that she would cough up her lungs.

“….Okay.” Ellen replied softly, silently taking off her blood-stained clothes and putting them in a black cloth bag.

“Mama, I’ll have enough money tomorrow. A doctor has agreed to come and see your illness…”

In the pitch-black room, Ellen sat on the table, whispering softly.

The darkness outside was thick, the night vast and silent. No one answered her. Only the occasional cough kept her company.