"Excuse me, miss — from the look of you, you seem to be a wandering Mage? Any interest in joining our party?"
The young swordsman flashed a confident smile and stepped forward to strike up a conversation with Nanoda.
Once again, Nanoda automatically tuned him out. Her eyes went past him to the buxom, opulent woman at the back of the group. Their gazes met — and amid a flicker of recognition, Nanoda felt an inexplicable twinge of revulsion.
As far as she was concerned, she was in the past, a thousand years ago. Finding the Goddess's monument was the only thing that mattered. Getting tangled up in other people's business was a waste of time.
"No thank you."
Nanoda's answer was clean and immediate. She turned on her heel and walked away in the direction the swordsman's party had come from.
"Hey, wait—"
The swordsman wasn't ready to give up. He reached out to grab the girl as she passed.
To his complete surprise, his hand closed on nothing but air.
"All right, stop pestering her."
It was the first time Hans had spoken up. Her voice was light, almost breezy.
The swordsman stared at his empty hand, then looked back in bafflement at Nanoda's retreating figure.
"That shouldn't have happened."
He had predicted the girl's path when he grabbed — and he'd been fast about it. An ordinary, soft-handed Mage should never have been able to dodge that, let alone a young girl. He was, after all, at least a semi-first-rate warrior.
The moment Nanoda passed him, the short monk felt a sudden chill run through his entire body. He didn't dare look back — because the same oppressive aura was radiating from Lady Hans behind him as well.
Hans said nothing. She simply let Nanoda go. But when she saw the swordsman still looking like he wanted to chase after her, she spoke again.
"She already said no. Keep it up, and I'm leaving."
Those words stopped the young swordsman dead in his tracks. His face shifted through several expressions before he scratched the back of his head with a sheepish grin. "Lady Hans, I'll do whatever you say — please don't say that."
The thought crossing his mind at that moment: Could Lady Hans actually be jealous?
...
One day later. A small town, somewhere along the road.
Walking without rest, day or night, Nanoda had finally come upon a town with a human population.
Thanks to her ability to suppress her Mana to nothing, and with both horns carefully concealed beneath her hat, she slipped into the crowd without drawing a second glance.
As she walked, Sode's voice surfaced in her mind for the first time in a while.
"What are you doing in a human town?"
"Gathering intelligence. If the monument the Goddess left behind is somewhere within the range of human activity, then blending into the crowd and asking around should be the quickest way to find it."
"Sound reasoning. You really are bold, I'll give you that."
"No need to worry. Even if my identity were exposed, the number of beings in this era who could actually stop us can be counted on one hand."
"I have no objection."
Passing an inn, Nanoda tugged her hat brim down and walked straight inside.
The wooden door chimed as a wind bell rang out. A wave of soapy fragrance washed over her, and the afternoon sunlight slanted through the windows, casting a warm sheen over the clean, bright interior.
The ground floor of the inn was spacious, with more than a dozen tables and chairs arranged neatly throughout. It was just past midday, and only a handful of guests were seated, picking at their meals.
Behind the large wooden counter at the front stood a middle-aged man with a considerable belly. He was counting a pile of coins with both hands, a coarse cloth sack sitting beside him on the counter.
Hearing someone come in, he set down his work and spared a single glance — enough to tell him a new customer had arrived. "Welcome. Staying the night, or just a meal?"
"For a meal, have a look at the menu on the table. We've got rooms available as well — five Imperial coins per night including lodging. You're from out of town, aren't you, miss? Fair warning: this is the only inn in this town, and also the best." The middle-aged man added a few more words for good measure.
Imperial coins. Nanoda glanced at the stacks of coins piled on the counter.
A style she had never seen before — not gold, not silver, not copper. An unidentifiable grey-black stone currency, each piece carefully carved with the image of a crowned figure, roughly the size of half a fist.
So this was the currency of the human Unified Empire, a thousand years ago.
Which raised an immediate problem: Nanoda suddenly realized she had no money whatsoever.
"Excuse me — do you happen to know where the monument left behind by the Goddess is located?"
Taking her chances, Nanoda asked the middle-aged man behind the counter directly.
Simple enough reason — if she could get the information for free, all the better. Ask and walk.
The man looked her over once more, then flashed a knowing grin. "Ah, funnily enough, I happened to overhear some travelers discussing that very topic not too long ago. Here's what I propose — it's getting late. Stay the night here, and I'll tell you everything in the morning. I can guarantee the information is worth your while."
Nanoda's head started to ache. She could see it in his eyes — the exact same look as that information broker back in the town of Nava, when she and Yuna had visited together. The look that said: the rest is behind a paywall.
"Fine. I'll be back shortly."
Without a moment's hesitation, Nanoda turned and walked straight out.
She couldn't handle this the same way she would have before — using magic or force in plain sight, in front of a crowd, would cause a scene and draw exactly the kind of attention she didn't want.
The moment she stepped outside, one thought occupied her mind entirely: get money.
Get a job? Perform on the street? Or… rob a local bank?
"I wonder if banks even exist in this world yet…" That, to Nanoda's mind, was the fastest way to come into funds.
"There's no need to trouble yourself over this — I'll handle it. Child's play." Sode's voice suddenly spoke up.
By the time she came back to her senses, she had already walked some distance — and there was now a bulging coin purse sitting in her hand.
She reached inside. A generous handful of Imperial coins.
"Where did you get all this?"
"It's lying around everywhere, isn't it? Just now, when I passed through the crowd, I used Paradox Magic to pick it up for you."
"Wait — you can use Paradox Magic to steal?"
"Such an ugly word. I worked hard with my magic to pick this up off the ground. What I pick up belongs to me."
"Was it that same paradox of stillness and motion you used this time?"
"Correct. You've actually made some progress — at least you can now recognize which paradox I'm using."
"Well, that one is the one I know best."
Sparing a brief, silent moment of condolence for the poor soul who was now missing their money, Nanoda hefted the coin purse and headed back toward the inn.
The inn door swung open again. The middle-aged man behind the counter furrowed his brow when he saw Nanoda returning so soon. "Oh — you're back already—"
A fat sack of Imperial coins crashed down onto the counter. Nanoda's expression radiated pure, unearned confidence. "I want that information. Right now. Name your price."
At the sight of all that money, the man's eyes nearly popped out of his head. Whatever confrontational remark had been forming on his lips dissolved instantly into: "Shall we say six Imperial coins? You're welcome to spend the night as well — complimentary late supper included."
"Skip the extras. Just tell me what you know."
Nanoda grabbed a fistful of coins and tossed them onto the counter.
The man lunged to catch them, terrified of losing any to the floor. "Right away, yes, of course." His tone had taken on a distinctly fawning quality.
At that same moment, from somewhere around a street corner outside, a bloodcurdling wail split the air.
____
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