The girl’s gaze was calm, her tone as usual.
At first glance, one might have thought she had come to threaten her into silence.
Ella, ever self-aware, spoke up, “We can just pretend it never happened.”
To her surprise, Celes frowned.
“It happened, so it happened. What do you mean, pretend it didn’t?”
Huh?
So she wasn’t here to keep me quiet?
“I want to apologize for what happened the night before last,” Celes said seriously.
“Sometimes, for certain special reasons, I end up doing things that even I can’t understand afterward. It’s not what I intended…”
She paused, a hint of unease surfacing in her calm, ice-blue eyes.
“You might not believe me, maybe you’ll think I’m making excuses, but this is what I wanted to say.”
I really don’t believe it, Ella thought.
Suppressing impulses, sure, that happens.
But how can you just separate yourself from it?
‘Not what you intended’?
To me, this is clearly you letting yourself go—a true act from the heart. It’s the third realm, above the ego and the self—Superego.
But a good girl should be understanding.
So Ella smiled gently and spoke in a soft voice:
“I understand. You have so many responsibilities, and they put a lot of pressure on you. That’s why something like this happened. It’s not your fault.”
And then she saw Celes’s eyes light up.
“That’s what you think?”
There was a trace of excitement in her voice.
“Ah, yes… Is that wrong?”
“It’s not wrong, it’s just… no one’s ever said that before.”
Celes’s emotions clearly rippled.
“You’re the first person who’s ever understood me.”
Ella was momentarily at a loss for words.
In truth, she’d just borrowed Vina’s understanding and made it sound nicer.
“I have things to do, so I’ll go now. Also… thank you.”
The girl turned and hurried away.
Ella still had a few things she wanted to say, but before she could, Celes had already closed the conversation unilaterally.
Well, at least she said thank you.
It was just a hug, after all—it’s not like she gave me anything.
Besides, we’re all girls…
“We’re all girls, what?”
The little witch’s head suddenly popped out, nearly making Ella jump.
“I mean, since we’re all girls, sharing a room isn’t inconvenient. It’s a good thing when we’re out traveling. Vina, why are you back?”
“We’re staying at an inn, not just camping anywhere. What’s so convenient about that? Besides, if someone really wanted to do something, does being all girls make it safe?”
Vina scared her a little, then pulled out a map and spread it on the ground.
“I’m checking the route, obviously I had to come back. What, you expect me to draw lines in a shop?”
“…You’re right.”
Ella wanted to come closer for a look, but found her view blocked when she got too near, so she had to step back a little.
“We’re here right now.”
Vina pointed it out.
“After leaving the Royal City this morning, we followed this road. I confirmed with the Stables—the fastest planned route is in bad shape due to the local weather. They suggest we take backup route three. If we do, we’ll only get there by the evening after tomorrow.”
“Emmmmm…”
The human maps were different from those of the demons.
Ella couldn’t make sense of it at all.
Better not to disturb the professionals.
She went off to do her own tasks.
She walked from the front of the caravan to the back, making a show of checking behind the curtains, good, no sign of thieves sneaking in.
Work was going smoothly and efficiently.
After a while, Zero returned with the inn arrangements.
“All done. The inn is next to the Stables, five single rooms.”
“Good, finally some good news.”
Vina put away the map and stretched lazily.
“What are we waiting for? Let’s go, let’s go!”
The little witch skipped away, leading the first carriage.
Ella stayed at the back, watching over the last one.
She then noticed Zero slowing her steps, falling to the rear, and reaching out with something in her hand.
“I picked this.”
Ella accepted it and found a pale pink wildflower lying in her palm.
“I saw it by the roadside. It’s not as nice as those in the Royal Garden.”
Zero rubbed her hands shyly.
“Do you like it?”
Ella smiled sweetly.
“I think it’s pretty, too.”
The only question was, why insist on picking flowers for me?
Was there some hidden meaning?
“Hehe… Oh, and there’s one more.”
Seeing Ella’s puzzled look, Zero handed over another wildflower, looking a little odd herself.
“This one was picked for you by Celes.”
“Celes?”
“Yes, I ran into her on the way here while I was picking flowers. She asked what I was doing, and I told her I wanted to pick a flower for Ella.”
Zero recounted the whole story.
“She walked beside me and picked one too, asked me to bring it to you. She said it’s encouragement for the team’s newest member.”
So it really was from her.
Ella held the two flowers together, a question mark popping up above her head.
“Why didn’t she give it to me herself?”
“I don’t know, maybe she’s busy with something else?”
But thinking back, when work assignments were being handed out, Celes didn’t seem to have scheduled herself for anything.
She was always the busiest, so no one noticed.
Inside the inn’s hall, dinner was already prepared.
Leah was praying for the Blessing of Light.
“O Light, please grant us the last warmth of this day. Dispel our fatigue and impurity, and bless us with the food before us.”
As for the others, Vina already had her knife and fork at the ready, prepared to strike first at the jam waffles she had her eyes on.
Celes also sat at the table, quiet and silent, lost in thought.
She’d come to chat, gone off to pick flowers with Zero, and still managed to be first at the dinner table.
So she really didn’t get assigned any duties!
“Everyone, rest early. We leave at dawn.”
Celes spoke the last words of the night.
There were no disturbances, no knocks at the door, and no surprise visits.
The night at the inn was peaceful.
They all slept soundly until morning, and the girls continued their journey.
Since that talk, Ella felt that Celes’s attitude toward her had changed a little—like the wildflower in her pocket.
But maybe it was just her imagination.
They’d been on the road these past two days, and hadn’t had much chance to interact.
As their destination drew near, Ella gradually shifted her focus to the Rebellion Suppression.
“We don’t know much about Feng Lie, only that he has a human body and a wolf’s head. He’s hot-tempered and impulsive, and his fighting style reflects that. Thanks to his bloodline, he grows fiercer the more he’s injured. So when fighting him, be ready to disengage quickly—don’t let him get a hold on you. Also, we’re almost there.”
The caravan slowed as the road became clearer. In the distance, the outlines of houses appeared.
There was no smoke from the chimneys, but windmills and scarecrows dotted the fields.
This was the border town—Lilburg.