Night settled over Orario like a velvet curtain, stars scattered across the sky in quiet competition with the city's own glow. The labyrinth city burned bright below, lantern-light and magic-light spilling from every window, every doorway, every street.
The day's labor left body and mind wrung dry, and this was precisely the hour for gathering friends and raising a glass. Nowhere was that more true than among the Adventurers, whose laughter and shouting poured from taverns across the city, weaving a rhythm of revelry into Orario's night.
"Jeanne, are you done yet? We need to go." Leon knocked on her door, exasperation plain on his face. How long did it take to walk out of a house? It was just a change of clothes and some light makeup. Was all this really necessary?
"Almost ready," came the reply from behind the door.
He wasn't sure if he was imagining things, but ever since their... deeper conversation that evening, something in Jeanne's manner toward him had shifted. Subtly. He couldn't quite name it.
The door creaked open, and she stepped out.
His eyes lit up.
She wore a simple off-the-shoulder white top that traced the elegant line of her collarbones, effortlessly alluring. Below, a light blue skirt fell to mid-thigh, showing off long, fair legs, its hem swaying with each step in a way that made her look impossibly youthful. Her golden hair had been woven into a single braid that hung past her waist, tied at the end with a blue ribbon that echoed the skirt perfectly. A wide-brimmed black hat with a pale band pulled the whole look together, and a green bracelet on her wrist added one last touch of color.
But what truly caught Leon's eye were the peep-toe espadrille wedges on her feet. Red nail polish gleamed on her toes, round and dainty where they peeked out from the shoes, and something stirred in him that he made absolutely no effort to hide.
"You... pervert! Creep! Where are you even looking?!" Jeanne's cheeks flushed scarlet and she took half a step back. She could feel her resistance to that shameless, possessive gaze of his crumbling by the second.
"The Saintess has incredible taste. Love it. Could stare all day." He grinned without a shred of decency, the compliment landing like a fastball she had no hope of returning. Jeanne's skin was simply too thin for this kind of assault.
"Just... let's go already, and keep your eyes to yourself." Flustered beyond recovery, she turned the tables by shoving him toward the door, both hands flat against his back, practically marching him out.
"You dress up for someone and then get mad when they look? Where's the logic in that?"
"That doesn't mean you have to be so... obvious about it!"
They bickered their way out the front door, laughing as they went, strolling down the tree-lined lane like a couple lost in the easy warmth of new love.
The quiet residential streets gave way after a few turns to the full spectacle of Orario at night: blazing lights, packed sidewalks, a river of people flowing in every direction.
"The city's just as lively at night, isn't it? I think there are even more people out than during the day." Jeanne had her arm looped through Leon's as they walked along the broad flagstone avenue of West Main Street, marveling at the crowds and the shops that blazed with light on either side, every one of them packed.
He heard the wonder in her voice and explained as they walked.
"You'd be right about that. Most people are working during the day, so the streets don't really come alive until evening."
"Orario's famous around the world as the Labyrinth City, sure, home of the Adventurers. But what people forget is that it's also a playground for the rich. Taverns, restaurants, casinos, the Pleasure Quarter, theaters... the world's wealthy and powerful love spending their money here. Combine that with the Adventurers who call this place home, year after year, and you end up with... well, this."
"Oh." Jeanne's eyes widened with understanding. "So that's why they call Orario the Center of the World."
"Pretty much." Leon rubbed his chin and nodded.
...
Their destination wasn't far. Same district, same street.
"Here we are."
He stopped Jeanne in front of a three-story building. The sign above the entrance read, in Common, Hostess of Fertility.
After weeks of study under Leon's relentlessly aggressive teaching methods, Jeanne could now read and write Common at a basic level. She recognized the name immediately.
"This is the place?" She tilted her head toward him for confirmation.
Leon smiled. "That's the one. Let's head in."
A cat-person waitress in the tavern's uniform was already approaching with a bright smile, brown fur and ears catching the lamplight. "Welcome to the Hostess of Fertility, meow! Table for two, meow?"
Anya greeted them with infectious cheer.
"...Meow?"
Jeanne's eyes went slightly wide, her gaze drifting to the girl's tail as it swished back and forth.
It wasn't her first time seeing a cat-person. She'd run into other Adventurer parties now and then in the upper floors of the Dungeon, and cat-people weren't uncommon among them. Their speed, especially, had left an impression. Fast. Seriously fast.
But she'd never been this close to one, and this particular cat-girl had the most adorable verbal tic.
That soft little "meow" hit Jeanne's heart like a critical strike.
"Is this your first time seeing a cat-person, meow? Think I'm weird, meow? Or are you just captivated by how cute I am, meow?" Anya tilted her head, all wide-eyed innocence.
"Yes! So cute!" Jeanne nodded enthusiastically.
"Ahem." Leon cleared his throat and stepped in. "Just the two of us. Sorry, my girlfriend just arrived from the countryside. It really is her first time meeting a cat-person. She's still getting used to all the different demi-human races."
He steered the conversation quickly. The last thing he needed right now was complications. Never mind a certain goddess lounging somewhere in this very tavern, playing at the carefree life. Even just the obsessive sister-complex lurking behind the scenes, watching Anya's every move, was headache enough.
"Got it, meow! Understood, meow! I'm Anya Fromel, and I'm a cat-person, meow!" Anya introduced herself without missing a beat.
"Jeanne d'Arc." Jeanne offered her own name.
"Then we're friends now, meow!" Anya declared happily.
Leon stared.
...What?
That's how friendship works between women? Out of absolutely nowhere. Incredible.
He shook his head and followed Anya inside.
"Mama Mia, two guests, meow!"
"OH!" A booming female voice answered from behind the bar.
...
...
The cat-girl led them into the main hall, and the wall of noise hit them all at once: every seat taken, every table surrounded, the roar of a hundred conversations crashing together.
Patrons threw back mugs of cold ale in great gulps, tore into plates of food with reckless abandon. They clustered around tables in twos and threes, laughing, cursing, venting whatever the day had put in them. Others leaned back with easy grins, swapping tall tales or trading whispered gossip, Adventurers savoring a hard-earned moment of peace.
Leon took it all in. Wooden mugs brimming with ale lined the oak tables, foam catching the warm lamplight each time someone clinked a toast. Platters of food steamed alongside them, rich and golden, a feast for the eyes as much as the stomach. The whole scene was a portrait of the good life, painted in amber light.
"The atmosphere's great in here. And so many Adventurers." Jeanne leaned close, her voice low near his ear as her eyes swept the room.
Leon's gaze flicked briefly to a grey-haired waitress weaving between tables with a tray balanced on one hand. He raised an eyebrow. "Well, the owner's philosophy is simple: everyone who walks through that door eats their fill."
They made their way down the aisle and settled into a table near the back.
He couldn't help but notice the stares. Half the tavern's eyes had followed Jeanne across the room, and the look on their faces was unmistakable.
Apparently, the Saintess turned heads wherever she went.
"Seems like you're quite popular, my dear Saintess." He leaned in close, his voice a low murmur against her ear, a teasing smile playing at the corner of his mouth.
"We're in public... behave yourself!" Her ears burned red, and she swatted his arm.
Leon chuckled quietly. Her skin's still too thin. Swap her out for that grey-haired goddess working the floor, and this kind of thing wouldn't even register.
"What would you like to order, meow?" Anya appeared at their table, menu in hand.
"Jeanne?" He passed it over.
But Jeanne's attention had drifted far from the question. She waved a distracted hand. "You pick."
"Suit yourself." Leon shrugged and looked down at the menu.
What he didn't see was Jeanne's eyes, gleaming with fascination, fixed on Anya's tail as it swished lazily back and forth. A voice in the back of her mind grew louder and louder, impossible to ignore:
So cute. That tail is so cute. I just want to touch it. Just once. Come on, reach out. Reach out already!
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Note: Sorrry for the delays, I'll update daily from now on
Also 150 powerstones = Extra chapter
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You can read 40 chapters ahead at Patreon.com/Nia XD