B9 - Chapter 53: A Night Out (Patreon)

Knock. Knock. Knock. 

Viola's feet, which had been paddling the air behind her, suddenly stilled. She looked up from her book and stared at the door.

"Yeah?"

"It's me."

"...Irina?"

"Who else?"

Viola hesitated for a moment before reluctantly setting her book aside and rolling off the bed. A few quick steps later, she was already at the door. She slid the bolt open and unhooked the chain before opening it.

On the other side stood Irina, leaning slightly against the doorframe.

"You do know we aren't thieves, don't you?"

Viola blinked. "Huh?"

Irina pointed at the locks. "Grent doesn't even bother closing his door most nights. Meanwhile, yours is locked tighter than a royal treasury." Irina craned her neck, peeking inside suspiciously. "Got some valuables stashed away?"

Viola rolled her eyes. "What valuables? Did you forget we make the same amount? I can barely afford the books I'm reading."

"Damn. That much? Then you should definitely give up reading, because we're making a lot."

That was out of the question. 

Lately, she only felt truly at peace when her nose was buried in a book. She wasn't even picky about what kind of book it was. She had even started buying public research papers and blueprints, even though she'd never been interested in magical engineering before.

Maybe it was because she had only recently seen what the new Wraith model could do?

Viola couldn't be sure, but one thing she knew for certain: She wouldn't give up reading even if it bankrupted her.

At the sound of rapid footsteps coming from downstairs, Viola glanced past Irina and saw Bernard hurrying past, followed by Rex a moment later. She looked back at Irina, raising a brow. "Did you need something?"

"Need? No. Want? Yes."

"Okay, okay. What do you want?"

Irina raised her hand and pointed at Viola. "I want you."

Viola clutched at her heart dramatically and took a swooning half-step backward. "Oh my, Iri, we can't... We really can't. What is your husband going to say when he finds out?"

There was a moment of silence as the two women held each other's gaze before they both burst out laughing.

Dabbing at the corners of her eyes, Irina finally revealed the reason for her visit. "No, but seriously, Fay, we're all going to the Square tonight. You coming, or what?"

Viola shook her head. "I'm not really in the mood."

"Come on, Fay. It's been ages since you've tagged along. Besides, what else are you gonna do other than rot in bed?"

Viola shrugged. "What's wrong with having a healthy sleep schedule? If anything, it's you who should tone it down. All that drinking's gonna give you wrinkles."

Irina curled her lips. "What are you, a decrepit granny? Gotta live life while you still can, girl."

Viola shook her head. Why should she go to such a noisy place and deal with a hangover the next day when she could just go to bed early and enjoy a good, long night's sleep?

Viola paused. Okay. She actually did sound a little like a cranky old granny, but what was she going to do about it? People who felt tired should just go to sleep.

"I don't want to."

Irina's expression turned a little more serious. "Fay. Are you... okay?"

Viola tilted her head. "Why wouldn't I be?"

"Ohh, I don't know. Maybe because you haven't left your room since we came back. We've barely seen your face."

Viola pressed her lips together, causing Irina to sigh.

"Look, Fay. We're not stupid, okay? We knew the moment we met you that you weren't some lost farmer's daughter. And none of us are dumb enough not to recognize the bearing of a noble after seeing how you dealt with those delegates. So, if you're keeping your distance because you're worried about what we might think, then there's really no need to. None of us will treat you differently..."

Viola felt a prick in her heart. She had never expected to grow this close to the Wayfarers when she first joined them. Yet here was Irina, telling her that even knowing she had lied about her background wouldn't change anything.

She couldn't quite put the feeling into words, so she said the only thing she knew how to.

"Thank you."

Irina smiled warmly before casting a glance over her shoulder, where the house had now gone still.

"Sure you're not coming?"

Viola was just about to decline again, but she hesitated upon hearing Irina's next words.

"...There's supposedly gonna be a big show tonight. That Rose girl might be there, and so might the princess and many of the other delegates."

Viola's eyes flickered.

She didn't know why, but the drowsiness she had felt only seconds ago seemed to have vanished all of a sudden. In fact, she felt more energized than she had in a long time.

That... had to be a sign, didn't it?

"Fine."

"...Huh? You're really coming? Really?!"

Viola nodded and began closing the door. "See you downstairs."

The moment the locks slid into place again, Viola took off her comfy silk robe and slipped into her scout uniform. She had earlier claimed that most of her earnings had been spent on books, but the truth was that her gear had been an even bigger money sink.

The fitted trousers and tunic were made from the supple hide of a high-ranking monster, treated through an expensive alchemical process that made the leather remarkably light and resistant to blades.

Next came her gloves and bracers, followed by a heavy black cloak whose layered shoulders concealed most of her equipment. Even the fabric had cost a small fortune, woven from monster silk and enchanted to resist tearing.

Finally, she pulled up the oversized hood and glanced at herself in the mirror.

For a moment, her gaze caught on the tufts of red hair peeking out from under the hood. She pulled out one particular strand and brought it up to her face. She truly regretted her choice of color now, considering how much trouble it had brought her.

...Maybe it was time to let it go?

According to the dye's instructions, there was also a way to expel the color. It wouldn't take more than one concentrated push of Mana to return her hair to its natural shade.

But...

Viola pushed the desire down. No matter how much trouble this hair brought her, it wouldn't be nearly as much as her natural color would. The silver of the Windtänzer family was unique. Even a child could recognize it.

Here in Rukia, that would turn her from a welcomed guest into an outcast faster than she could blink.

She let go of the strand and turned toward the window. With a practiced movement, she unhooked the latch and pushed the two halves outward. The fresh evening air streamed into the room, gently tousling her hair.

Viola smiled and closed her eyes. The touch of the wind on her face felt like a mother's caress to her. She enjoyed it for a moment longer before slowly opening her eyes again. Then, she took a single, decisive step forward and threw herself out into the night.

She flipped once before allowing her gear to catch the wind like the sail of a boat, slowing her descent. With a light flick of her hand backward, she sent out a targeted gust that sent the two window shutters snapping closed. Then, she flipped one last time and alighted on the street below.

Viola straightened, only to find two dozen eyes staring at her. They belonged to the entire Wayfarer party, dressed up for a night out in town.

Nobody said a word.

"What... is it?"

"Did you plan that?" Grent asked after the silence had dragged on a second too long.

"Planned what?"

"Oh, come on. You just happened to come flipping out of a window the moment you had an audience? Real smooth."

Viola blinked, utterly confused.

"There are stairs, Fay," Irina pointed out.

"I know. This was just faster."

"And the flips?" Rex asked teasingly.

Viola opened her mouth, then closed it again.

Those... hadn't been strictly necessary. But that wasn't the point. "Are we going or not?"

Grent's grin widened, but before he could answer, Irina slipped an arm through hers and started walking.

"Come on. You can explain on the way."

"There's nothing to explain!"

"Of course not."

The party kept chattering as they made their way along the main road toward the Square. Along the way, Viola noticed that they were far from the only ones out tonight.

Clearly, word that something big might happen had spread far and wide.

She also noticed an increased presence of the Bloodguard. It seemed at least one of them was stationed at nearly every corner. Their watchful eyes followed the passing groups as if they were trying to pick out criminals through the sheer weight of their gazes.

"Did something happen?"

"Hmmm?" Sebastian turned to look at her.

Viola nodded toward the nearest guard, who was giving another group ahead of them a death stare. Sebastian followed her gaze and immediately realized what she meant.

"Been like that for a few days now. The guards are on edge, but I don't know what it's about. There hasn't been a statement..."

The conversation naturally died down as they drew closer to the guard. As they walked past, each member of the party was subjected to the same scrutinizing gaze, but the guard didn't say anything.

When they were out of earshot, Rex spoke up. "I actually heard something about that from a girl I know."

Grent sneered. "Yeah, sure. Some wench from the taverns is gonna have the scoop when even we don't know."

Rex shook his head. "She's the leader of one of the stronger teams from the first branch. Word is, she has some sort of connection to City Hall."

"So?" Viola prompted. "What did she say?"

Rex leaned closer, as if about to share a massive secret. Then, he said a single word.

"Spies..."

"...Spies?"

"Shhhh! Not so loud!"

Viola shook her head. Spies? That was the great secret? Weren't they practically everywhere? Her own family had long since given up trying to deal with them. There was simply no way to weed them out, and the harder you tried, the more it seemed like you had something to hide. Her interest faded immediately.

Seeing her disinterested expression, Rex was quick to drop the suspenseful act and spill what he knew.

"There have been some break-ins at the research centers. Apparently, they weren't able to catch whoever was responsible..."

Grent hissed. "That could be trouble. The higher-ups seem to have a massive hard-on for those research things. If something actually got stolen, they might flip the entire city upside down."

Viola raised a brow. Research centers? Considering the kind of things being developed in this city, she supposed it wasn't surprising that someone would try to steal their secrets. Still, whoever had managed to break into one of those facilities must have been quite capable.

Sebastian shook his head, responding calmly. "Even if that were true, it has nothing to do with us. If anything, we'll be the ones doing the flipping..." He glanced at Viola, who promptly froze. So did the others.

"Group leader..." Grent started, his voice trembling. "Was that... a pun...?"

Sebastian's face turned slightly red, but his composure held. "...Maybe."

Viola exchanged a glance with the rest of the party before they all burst out laughing. Somehow, something like this was so unexpected from their taciturn group leader that even such a poor attempt at comedy sounded hilariously funny.

Their laughter had barely faded when a distant roar rose above the noise of the street.

Viola glanced ahead. They were still too far away to see the Square, but another wave of cheering soon followed, accompanied by a dull crash.

Grent's face lit up. "A challenge?"

"Sounds like it," Sebastian said.

Rex clicked his tongue. "Come on! We're missing it!"

Their leisurely pace immediately quickened. Even Irina tugged at Viola's arm, an eager smile spreading across her face.

Another burst of cheering reached them as they rounded the final corner.

The Square opened up ahead, its broad dueling platform surrounded by a dense crowd. It was the largest in the city, and judging by the noise, whatever was happening up there had already gotten everyone thoroughly worked up.

Grent craned his neck, trying to see over the spectators.

"Think we can get closer?"

Rex was already looking for a way through.

Apparently, they could.

Viola craned her neck too, trying to figure out who was fighting. After pushing into the crowd for a bit, she caught a brief glimpse of the contestants.

Surprisingly, that was enough.

She recognized one of the figures on stage immediately. After all, there weren't many people with such a striking appearance.

Long, crimson hair the color of blood...