Nero slowly dissolved the shadow again after they had waited for almost half an hour. Eleanor stumbled out into the open. Unlike Nero, he could not see anything from within the shadow. It had felt like he had been trapped in an endless prison of darkness, yet he was not allowed to relax, because he had to use his magic to suppress Nero's aura. It had been as if he were trying to stop a river with a single bucket. But Nero had put enough effort into it himself that Eleanor just barely managed to make sure their pursuers could not sense them.
Nero showed no emotion. Instead, he simply walked slowly toward the exit of the alley. "Eleanor," he said. Immediately, Eleanor straightened up, shaking off his discomfort. "Yes?"
"Are they still nearby?"
Eleanor hurried to Nero, then leaned slightly forward. He paid attention to the auras and tried to pick out the two extremes, but this time, he did not try to actively use his magic like before.
He could always perceive the auras of mages, but half an hour ago, he had focused more intensely on them and had therefore used his magic. He had done it completely subconsciously, like when your vision sharpens when you focus on something far away. This time, he avoided it consciously and only looked superficially. "Yes," he said after a short while, "but they are far away from us, down the street." As he said that, he pointed to a street that led to the right.
Nero briefly looked down the crowded street. "Then we go that way!" he said, pointing to a street that led in the exact opposite direction. They left the marketplace and followed the street, keeping an eye out for some kind of accommodation.
After about fifteen minutes of walking, they finally arrived at a tavern called 'The Glowing Kettle.' The Glowing Kettle was not a particularly fancy tavern, yet it was packed, because it was the closest one to the marketplace. Nero assumed they would not have any luck there, so they moved on. They walked for quite a while before they finally came to a much emptier inn called 'The Dog.'
The street here was by no means empty, since many people were still walking around, but only rarely did anyone enter the tavern. Nero nodded to Eleanor as the two stepped inside. It was a fancy tavern that was kept very clean. It was lit by a high-hanging chandelier and by candles on the beautiful wooden tables that stood in orderly rows. At some of them sat elegantly dressed men, drinking expensive wine or beer from clean glasses.
It was immediately clear why there were so few visitors here, because this tavern was far more luxurious. As the two entered, in their torn clothes, dirty faces, and barefoot, all eyes immediately turned toward them. The bartender, a skinny man, came straight toward them.
"I'm sorry, esteemed guests, but this bar is too expensive for people like you. However, if you go a bit further down the street, you will come to 'The Crown,' which should suit your taste better," he said politely, yet clearly looking down on them.
Eleanor was already about to respond when Nero began to speak. "How dare you assume to know who we are or where we belong?" Nero spoke with the voice of a noble boy who had just been deeply insulted.
"I'm so sor—" the bartender began, but Nero cut him off immediately.
"We are dirty because we were caught in an incredibly unfortunate storm, and this… hole of a city called Tissling was the only city on our path. So, of course, we have not yet had the chance to wash ourselves or buy new clothes, which is exactly why we came into this establishment. But I will NOT tolerate this disrespect!" Nero continued furiously, then took a breath. "I demand an immediate apology, and I also want you to give us your finest room, prepare a warm bath there, and provide us with fresh clothes. In addition, we want a warm meal delivered to the room immediately, but not some peasant trash, give us your best meat. And also your best wine! Can you do that? Are you capable of that? Or do I have to complain to my father, because he will have this place shut down immediately, I swear it by all the saints, saviors, gods, and believers of this world! So, how much will it cost me?" Nero pulled the small pouch from his pocket and let it drop with an audible clink and bounce.
The innkeeper was speechless for a moment after this tirade. "O…Of course, my esteemed lords," he stammered. "Please forgive my rudeness. As an apology, I will reduce your price to only 40 instead of the usual 60 sun coins per head. Food and drink are included in the price, of course."
Nero merely snorted and handed the man one of the moon coins he had. "Break this, I don't have anything smaller!" he barked. Immediately, the innkeeper nodded and hurried to the register, where he took out several sun coins. Depending on the size, their value varied. On the largest one, a '500' was stamped, which stood for the value of 500 sun coins. The others had the values '200,' '100,' and fifty. When Nero received his change, he nodded in satisfaction. The currency in this world was quite well designed, he had to admit.
The man's behavior had changed drastically after he received the moon coin; after all, not everyone casually carried a moon coin with them. Nero had to be the child of a truly wealthy family to be able to afford something like that.
"This way," he said, leading the two up a beautiful staircase. After that, the innkeeper guided them through a nice corridor that was decorated with valuable-looking paintings, while soft candlelight provided good lighting.
They stopped at the end of the corridor in front of a large door. On it, in beautiful golden numbers, the number one was written. The innkeeper unlocked it with a heavy metal key. The door opened silently, as if the hinges had just been oiled.
"My lords," the innkeeper said and stepped politely aside. Nero merely wrinkled his nose and walked past him into the room. The room was large, very large. There were two comfortable beds in the room, placed at opposite ends. The beds were cleanly made, the blankets neatly folded, the pillows fluffed. On each of them lay a sweet wrapped in fine paper. Three large windows decorated the wall, offering a view of a beautiful courtyard in which flowers in all kinds of bright colors and shapes grew. The beautiful red curtains were tied neatly to the sides, allowing sunlight to fall freely into the room.
In a glass cabinet stood half a dozen sealed wine bottles, above them clear wine glasses. In an open drawer lay neatly stacked long white candles meant for the holders on two small bedside tables. In the middle of the room stood a large round table, on which a spotless white tablecloth was spread.
At the right end of the room stood an open door that led to a large bathroom in which a big bathtub stood.
"How luxurious…" Eleanor murmured. Nero, on the other hand, merely snorted. "That is the bare minimum; my room in the palace is far more beautiful."
He turned to the innkeeper, but before he could say anything, the innkeeper spoke. "Do not worry, my lord, we will bring your food up to the room and fill the bath for you. We can also bring clean clothes, but we do not have anything for… people of your status."
Nero waved it off. "That's fine, as long as I get out of these rags!"
The innkeeper nodded. "As you wish. It will be done immediately." With that, he bowed and then closed the door behind him, but not before handing Nero the steel key.
"I have never slept in such a beautiful room…" Eleanor murmured. "At least not since I can remember. Maybe there were more magnificent rooms in my grandfather's palace."
Nero's expression lost all arrogance and returned to the cold mask as always. "I hope those two mages will not look for us here," he said thoughtfully. "But once we have fresh clothes and have washed ourselves, we should be hard to recognize. For now, we have to keep a low profile until we have found out as much as possible. In one month, we will return and report what we have found."
Eleanor nodded, distracted. "Do you want to drink some wine?" he asked, pointing at the cabinet. "I haven't had wine in a long time."
Nero frowned. He thought about it briefly, but then saw no real harm in it. He sighed. "Fine, don't hold back. Now that you have become a mage, it is very difficult for you to get drunk anyway."
"Really?"
Nero nodded as he walked toward the window. "You may not be a body mage, but magic affects every being. You have become younger, as you have surely already noticed, and accordingly, you also age much more slowly. In addition, your body is more resilient; normal weapons can only leave scratches on you now. Even mortal poisons are no longer truly dangerous to you, and that includes alcohol. So you can drink as much wine as you want."
Eleanor looked thoughtfully at the bottles in the cabinet. Then he shrugged, took one out, and unsealed it. A fragrant aroma immediately filled the room as he uncorked it. He placed two glasses on the table and poured both. With enjoyment, he sat down and took a sip.
"DELICIOUS!" he exclaimed.
Nero looked at him with two emotionless black eyes before turning his gaze back out the window. His thoughts had long since moved on to more important matters than wine.