We were now in the middle of the afternoon. The carriage rode through the lower city for a good fifty minutes before finally stopping somewhere I've never really been to, but I knew that it was in the heart of what used to be the area belonging to the formerly common city before its expansion.

"It’s here," Elliel announced, upon the carriage stopping.

We got out of it, and I immediately realized that we were in front of what seemed to be the entrance of an inn. Written in big letters at the entrance were the words "Auberge de Belltower".

A woman came out of the establishment along with a child who was maybe six or seven years old.

Both were wearing what looked like an apron. The child, upon noticing us, or more precisely, Elliel, ran toward him, only to be caught midway by the woman, who I assumed was his mother, who, with an apologetic smile and a respectful bow to each of the three of us, dragged him inside.

"Follow me," Elliel announced, casually entering the establishment.

Upon entering it, I saw inside what one would most likely call an inn would look like. A counter close to the entrance pinned on the wall behind its blackboard with the menu written upon it in white chalk; deeper within the room, several dozen sets of tables disposed around a small circular space in the middle.

The interior was just like the exterior. It wasn’t particularly fancy on a noble level, but certainly had this "fancy enough" vibe. Three woman were seen wandering around, most of which didn't look like customer but rather waitress, and were clearly surprised by our presence.

"Hello Ei." The child was greeted, this time from behind the counter with the woman.

I was left to wonder who that "Ei" was, but not for long.

"Hi, Finn." Elliel casually greeted him back.

"Finn!" the mother urged, clearly not as casual as the boy was. "Good Morning, Welcome to the Auberge de Belltower. What can our inn do for you, my sirs?

She seemed distraught by something, and it didn’t take me long to guess what the problem was, or rather who it was. It clearly wasn’t Elliel, but rather us.

Her eyes nervously went from Nia and me.

Even Elliel took notice of it and proposed, "I think we should get a seat first for my friends here."

"Yes, of course."

She left the counter and escorted us to one of the tables. She went and came out of a corner of the room with a four-sided blackboard with marks on it, the same thing written on the blackboard from behind her counter.

"Please choose something of your choice from the menu. I will talk to the owner in the meantime," he proposed before heading back to the counter, from which this time, the woman behaved rather less

awkwardly than she did earlier, but still, from their conversation, I could still feel that gazes were thrown at me from time to time.

It was clear that by taking us to this seat, Elliel did this to get rid of us so he could have a private talk with the owner.

"What will it be for you two, my good sirs?" The child from earlier asked with a big smile on his face.

It was clear from their earlier interaction that this child knew Elliel, or Ei as he was called earlier, to some extent, enough for them to be this casual around each other.

I glanced at Nia, who was seated on the other corner of the table, and I saw her reaching her hand toward the boy’s head.

"What are you doing?"

"Look at him; he’s so small; he’s so cute with this little cloth of his." She smiled, slightly amused by the boy's appearance.

"Stop it, you’re scaring him." Look at him now, all red. "

"Oh, you’re right. Sorry little boy, what were you saying? "

"You’re okay, boy?" I asked, as he was fixated on Nia.

I said, "What will it be for the two of you?"

"..."

"I think he meant what we would eat." They are selling food, and we are buying it. I explained.

"Oh." She gasped, finally understanding what he meant.

As she was trying to figure out what was written on the menu, from a staircase leading to the upper floor, someone was descending. Soon it was revealed to be yet another woman, this time a young woman with quite an inflated belly.

Her first reaction upon reaching our floor and noticing Elliel was to call out familiarly the name he seems to go by here, "Ei, it-," but upon noticing our presence, she went silent and bowed respectfully before joining Elliel and the woman from earlier in a silent but clearly familiar discussion.

I didn’t know the specifics, but Elliel seems to know these people very well.

"Hey, what should we take?" Nia asked, pointing at the menu on the board.

To be honest, I had no idea what those dishes could possibly look like from what was written on this board. I recognized some individual words, but none of the dishes proposed were familiar to me.

"I don’t know what to do about just taking it out randomly."

"Eh... Ah, Elliel, what do you recommend here?" She asked Elliel, who came back to our side from the discussion he had with the pregnant woman and the owner.

"...I...I don’t know... What about the first thing that you two would like? "

"...

"What about just asking little Finn over there, then?"

We both nodded.

"So, what do you recommend, Finn?"

And the child ran to the board, pointing at one of the names on the menu.

Then, they’ll take that "Cheesed Casserole of Moussaka", and also add the three other plates below it.

They will be staying around for some time, so the sooner they figure out the local cuisine, the better. "

The boy nodded and disappeared toward the back of the room.

At least for some time, I managed to secure a place for you two to settle down. For the specifics, I think it is best for you two to directly address her. She will take care of you two nicely.

"Thank you very much, Elliel." Nia thanked

"Yes, thank you."

"Don’t mention it, but there is something I would like to make clear. We only met yesterday, and I myself don’t know if I am making a huge mistake here, but there are three rules I would like you two to live by during the time you will spend here in this establishment, in this city: "Don’t venture to the noble districts", "Don’t make trouble of any kind in this city", "Don’t cause any trouble to the owner or anyone working for this establishment. I promised the owner that you two would live by these three rules, and I would like to hear it from your own mouths. "

"I promised we wouldn't do anything that would go against these rules," Nia immediately followed,

"Right, An?"

"Hm, yes. I promise too. "

"I believe I have your words on this. From now on, you two will stay here until we, or you, figure out what you want to do, and in the meantime, you will live here like... commoners, but I assure you that the owner and those working here will treat you well.They are good people. I have known them for some time now. This is an inn so there will be a lot of people who will go in and out. I don’t ask you to blend in with them, but I'm expecting a certain amount of discretion from you two. You can sleep and eat as much as you want here. There won’t be any problems. I’m just requesting you two to behave like respectable and reasonable people.

"Of course we will." Nia inserted herself without hesitation.

"I guess I can leave with peace of mind then." He sighed, standing up from the seat he was seated in.

"Leave?"

"Yes, go back home. I’ve been out for some time now. I should’ve been home early this morning. "

"I see. Thank you for everything. "

"Yes, thank you, Elliel." Nia said, reaching out for him, arm wide open.

"Eh... well, as I said, don’t mention it, but there is something else I forgot to mention," lowering his voice. "Here, it’s Ei, not... Elliel. I have my own circumstances, so please call me Ei when we’re here.

"

"Understood, Ei." Nia rejoiced, while tightening her embrace.

"Okay, you two. I’m leaving now. I'll see you two around next time."

****

"Do not cause any trouble in this city," "Do not cause any trouble to the owner or anyone working for this establishment."

It was only a few minutes ago that we heard this, yet why do I already have the impression that we are already trespassing on that rule?

Several minutes had passed since Elliel's departure. While the inn had been completely empty just moments before, it was now packed with half a dozens new customer. And all those clients' eyes were, I felt it, upon us, and I must admit that it was quite understandable.

The noise of bones being cracked apart, followed by a munching noise, and the noise of plate and fork tickling was reverberating across the room, from next to me.

"Euh, Nia, I..."

"Cough! cough!" She choked on the food.

"Here," I proposed, handing her a glass of water while blowing her back.

"Thanks," she said upon recovering.

"As I said, I think we are attracting too much attention." I murmured to her.

It was only then that she raised her eyes to the people looking intensely at us. They all immediately averted their gaze.

Though she was for a moment embarrassed by the attention she brought upon, she soon went back to gluttonously devouring what was in front of her. "

"It tastes good." she said, her mouth stuffed, while looking at me with puppy eyes.

"Yeah, sure it does."

How long has it been since I last ate something this good?

I couldn’t help but sigh in nostalgia.

The taste was so ... Let's say, humane.

***

"It was so good." Nia sighed after having finished eating all that Elliel commanded for us.

"I’m glad you liked it." A woman's voice commented, "I was afraid it wouldn’t be to your taste."

The voice belonged to the woman from this morning who welcomed us.

"Of course, Madam, it was." Suddenly, standing up from her seat, she lost her balance and fell back to her chair.

"Ni-Rena, calm down."

"Sorry."

Smiling, the woman came even closer and leaned toward us and asked, "Can I assume you two are done with eating?"

"Yes." We both nodded.

"I see. If you two have nothing else to do, then I believe I should show you two the preparation I made for you. If you could follow me. "

"Of course."

We stood up and followed the woman. She led us to the stairs the pregnant woman descended from and took us up to the next floor, which was arranged just like the basement, with tables everywhere. It was also from that same floor that we followed her to a corridor that I soon realized led to a second building connected by a bridge at the rear of the one we were in.

We found ourselves in the second building. Unlike the first one, this one was nothing but a bunch of rooms connected by a long corridor.

We stopped at one room away from the end of that said corridor, and at the end of that same said corridor, the little boy named Finn was standing visibly waiting for something.

"Mr. An, was it?"

"... Yes?"

"Please follow my son, Finn. He will show you your room and I will show Lady Rena, hers."

So it will be two separate rooms for the two of us, huh?

Nodding, I headed for the boy who immediately introduced me to what would be my room.

The room was, size-wise, bigger than what I would’ve expected. The entire room was covered entirely with a floor-to-ceiling tapestry. The room furniture was comprised of a bed, on top of which were sheets, pillows, towels, and a stack of well-folded clothes, along with a small crate containing overly-fancy bathing furniture, at least compared to the rest of the room, a table and its chair, a small wooden drawer, and wooden furniture upon which was attached a mirror.

Mom said to show you your room and to take you to the bath if you wanted to. Do you want to? "

"Yes, please."

***

Following the boy, I was led to the bathroom, where I took a bath. By the time I was done, it was already late at night, and I met up with Nia in the corridor, who, on her side, just like me, came out of the bath and was wearing new clothes that must have been handed by the woman. The clothes she handed us changed us greatly from the oversized and dusty outfits we found in the manor.

"If you feel hungry, don’t hesitate to make to our restaurant building. We can be open until very late at night. Our establishment might be a humble one, but please make yourself at home, and if you happen to need something, please just let me know, or my son. We will be glad to help. " She said, handing us the key to our respective rooms.

"Thank you, Madam," we both said.

With these words, the mother and son duo headed back to where they came from.

Nia and I finally talked after having made sure the woman was gone.

"So what do you think of this place so far?" I ventured.

I like it. The food tastes extremely good, and the room and the bed look comfortable. I can’t wait to sleep on it. and... " She seems to want to say something but chooses to say no too, leaving the discussion mid-sentence to shift onto another one. "They were really kind, right?"

"... Mh? Yeah, they sure were. "

I don’t know where Elliel met these people. So far, they have been quite nice to us.

Noticing a stare at me, I couldn’t help but ask, "What’s wrong?" I asked her, noticing her weird stare.

"Nothing."

"You’re okay?"

"Yes."

"You’re sure?"

"Yeah... hm,... okay, it’s the soap and the shampoo."

"The soap?"

"Yes," reaching for my face, she said, "It's so weird to see you not smelling like a monster and not covered in dirt, dust, or... blood."

"Does it look weird on me?"

It suits you better, but it’s weird too.

"Thanks,... I guess." Seeing the effect of a decent and humane bath on her, I said, "It looks great on you too, and no, it’s not weird at all."

"Thanks, the shampoo too. It smells super good. It smells like lemon. Don’t you think so? " She declared, reaching her hair toward me to smell.

Indeed, it emanated a pleasant fragrance. I was about to comment on it when we saw the pregnant woman from earlier coming out of the corridor.

She was startled by our presence, as if not knowing what she should do. She, at first, seemed to hesitate between heading back where she came from or continuing toward us.

She ultimately chose the latter, and waved awkwardly at us before entering the room next to Nia’s.

This corridor was clearly not a place to talk.

I guess that’s it for today. "See you tomorrow, N-Rena, I guess."

"... Mh? Yes. See you tomorrow."

With those words, we both went to our respective rooms.

***

I was now lying on my bed. It had been several dozens of minutes since I parted ways with Nia, and yet I was nowhere close to finding sleep.

So much has happened today that I just wish I had fallen asleep the moment I threw myself onto the bed. Sure, it was a great feeling to finally lie on a bed, but there was just this feeling that there was something off with it.

So here I was staring at the dark ceiling doing nothing else but that.

Sigh.

So this is it? The human continent, Beaufort. After 8 years, I was finally back. I thought for so long about having this place as some sort of final destination, a sort of final destination, "the final destination" for my long blood-stained journey, but what now?

It’s a mess everywhere.

Nothing was as simple as I imagined it would be.

I have gained some time to reorganize myself, but for the time being, everything is all upside down.

Some of the things I know I must do, others I really have no clue as to what to do with them, and the majority are still a mess order-wise for me. And as to what I want to know, I don’t know anymore.

Sigh.

Even lying on such a comfy bed, I was still shaken by an uneasy feeling, so I sat on the edge and lit the lamp that kept my room lit. It was then that I took notice of a sound.

Standing up and heading for the room’s door, the noise I heard followed.

I opened the door and stepped out. I found Nia coming out of her room like I was.

The noise from earlier came from the room next door, her room.

"You can't sleep either?" I asked.

She nodded.

"I think," remembering the pregnant woman who entered her room earlier, I stopped myself from saying anything else, at least not in this corridor, "Want to come in?" I proposed.

She seemed confused but eventually agreed to my proposition.

She didn’t immediately go into my room, but instead went back to hers, and dragged out with her a sheet and a pillow.

Was she planning to spend the night here?

***

"Are you sure you’re okay with this?"

Yeah, don’t worry, the bed is clearly too small for two people. Besides, I don’t know why, but I just feel like there is something... weird about it, so I’m pretty fine with sleeping here. "

"I see."

I was, as previously cited, now sleeping on the floor while Nia was sleeping on my bed. Apparently, my earlier proposition was mistaken for a sleepover invitation. It was too late, or at least too awkward to reveal, so I just let it happen.

"So how was it today?" I ventured, trying to strike up a conversation to kill off the awkward mood that started teeming in the room once we were left in the dark.

The people were nicer than I expected them to be. Elliel, the Madam, they were very nice. "

This morning, the moment I stepped foot over Beaufort, I thought that I would have to confront them today, but it seems that with Nia’s action it would not be for today.

"Yes, you’re right, they were."

"So... for you, how was it... to see him once again after all these years?"

"How was it, huh? I didn't know he was this small when I last saw him, and it was only for a short moment, so no wonder he seemed completely oblivious to who I could be. "

"Were you disappointed?"

"Disappointed? No, I wouldn’t say that. I was just a little bit surprised to stumble upon him instead of anyone else. For, from what I recall, he was still a child clinging to his mother." Raising my arm up, allowing the red and black pattern to appear and to shine in the dark, I declared," I think from now, it would be best if you do not believe whatever comes to my mouth as true. I think I’m completely clueless about anything as of late. "

"Same," she said, reaching her hand out and revealing the blue and golden pattern on her arm.

"Say, Nia, this morning, when you asked Elliel to give us some time before going to the Ducal Palace, were you afraid of my reaction upon seeing them?"

So far, my interaction with any fellow human she was given to witness has been of me killing them, or me wanting to kill them, so when I was asking this question, I was guenily serious.

"... Afraid? Maybe, yes. Did I overstep by doing what I did? I know that this was important for you.

"No, if there was something, I should be thankful." As I said, I might not be as all-knowing as I thought I was. "

"I see, then it should be fine if our time, little may it be, until you figure out what to do next, right?"

"Yes, thank you for this... morning."

"You’re welcome."