Magical Girl

Chapter 14

As Marlene returned to the inn, she ran into a familiar Rod family laborer at the entrance. He was vomiting all over the place, and when he looked up and saw her, he flashed a lewd smile. “Oh, it’s Gloomy Marlene. Your sweetheart’s here to see you.”

Marlene hadn’t planned on entering through the front; she intended to slip in through the kitchen door. But this comment caught her attention.

“Who did you say?”

Inside, the inn was bustling with noise. People were talking loudly, eating, and the whole place was in an uproar.

The laborers and guards from the Rod family were gathered, drinking and shouting to each other.

“Neal says we’re leaving Jetugara tomorrow to go take care of some business with him.”

“I don’t want to leave. Jetugara’s amazing!”

“Don’t worry. Neal said we’d be back in just a few days once the job is done.”

Marlene’s gaze avoided the rowdy drinkers and found, tucked away in a corner by the bar, a tall, slender figure in a gray robe. She immediately knew who it was.

“Hey, why are you looking for me?” she called out. In the noisy tavern, it was impossible to hear without shouting.

Felido, who had clearly been waiting for a while, started complaining the moment he saw her. “By the goddess, you’re staying in this filthy little inn? I’ve never seen a place so rundown.”

“Alright, Master Felido, let’s skip the commentary. Why are you here?”

“This place is too loud. We need to talk properly. Follow me.”

The two of them walked to the wall behind the inn. This area backed onto the street, with the stable on the other side, so it wasn’t a place people often passed by. The dim light from the stable flickered nearby, casting shadows and filling the air with the unpleasant smell of manure. But it was the best they could manage in the area.

“I remember you saying that the temple is closed at this hour,” Marlene remarked.

Felido looked irritated, his green eyes flashing in the light. “Yes, and yet you knew that, and still made me wait until now. Do you have any idea how difficult it is for me to sneak out of the temple?”

“And what does that have to do with me?” Marlene retorted, already on edge after the day’s events. Felido’s sudden complaints made her feel unjustly accused, so she shot back, “No one there to open the side door for you? I’m so, so, so sorry!”

As she spoke, she could almost see Felido’s short hair bristle with frustration.

“You… you… you!” Felido was so mad he was almost at a loss for words.

“Oh, my goddess! It’s already so late! I think you’d better tell me why you’re here quickly, don’t you think?” Marlene said, feigning innocence.

Felido gritted his teeth and replied, “If it weren’t for Minister Vincent asking me, do you think I’d want to come looking for you?”

Marlene eyed him skeptically.

“I heard you told Minister Vincent that you’re a god’s chosen?” Felido questioned. “These days, many people pretend to be chosen, but whether you have magic or not is obvious enough. No one can lie before a sacred crystal. If you think you can get something by posing as a god’s chosen, I’d advise you to drop that idea. You won’t succeed, and the consequences of lying will be more than you can handle.”

Though Felido’s tone wasn’t exactly pleasant, Marlene sensed the good intentions beneath his harsh words. He was genuinely trying to warn her. A pang of guilt hit her; she realized she shouldn’t have lashed out. After all, he wouldn’t have come to this shabby little inn if it weren’t for her. He hadn’t meant her any harm. Collecting herself, Marlene replied sincerely, “Honestly, I’m not sure if I really am one of these so-called god’s chosen. Someone mentioned that I might have a weak magic ability. Minister Ash said that in Oderlin, there’s no crystal to test for magic, so to confirm, I’d need to come to Jetugara. He even wrote a letter for me, but it got ruined by that Anas guy—”

“—That’s Yanis, Yanis Eut.”

“Yes, him. He tried to open the letter, but the seal suddenly burst into flames. The fire was white, and then the whole letter turned to ashes.”

“That’s a type of holy magic used to seal letters. If someone tries to force it open, the letter self-destructs,” Felido scoffed. “So it’s Yanis who lied. No one could make that up without having seen holy magic before. I believe you.”

Marlene smiled. This was the first time anyone had said to her, “I believe you.” It felt almost strange—she was from Oderlin, and yet someone was telling her that they trusted her.

Felido continued, “Minister Vincent will send a letter to Oderlin to confirm your story. Even if Minister Ash’s reply takes time, it doesn’t really matter. After the annual Day of the Goddess’ Blessing, the temple always tests the magic of the children from magic-wielding families. With Minister Vincent’s support, you’ll be able to participate.”

Marlene looked at Felido with delight, feeling a spark of hope for her apprenticeship.

“But have you really decided to stay in a place like this in the meantime?” Felido asked, wrinkling his nose as he eyed the inn with disdain.

Marlene let out an exasperated sigh.

“Come with me,” Felido said.

He led her across the street, his long legs carrying him forward quickly. Marlene, unable to keep up with his pace, had to jog every few steps. After passing two streets, they arrived at their destination. It was in the same neighborhood as the Ivy Inn, but closer to the edge of the slums. The building in front of them was a low, old stone house that looked quite worn down.

The owner was an elderly woman. Felido showed her a note from Minister Vincent, and she raised her cloudy eyes to glance at Marlene. “You can stay in the attic,” she said.

The attic wasn’t an ideal place to live—it was cramped, cold in the winter, and sweltering in the summer—but for Marlene, who had been sleeping in the stable, it was a blessing.

Only then did Marlene realize what Felido had done for her. Her eyes filled with tears. “Felido, I’m so grateful to you!”

“It was Minister Vincent,” Felido corrected her. “This place is thanks to him.”

But Marlene was still incredibly grateful to Felido. In all her fifteen years, few people had ever shown her kindness, and at times she even thought there were no good people in the world.

Marlene was relieved to have come to Jetugara.

“I’m glad. I think coming to Jetugara wasn’t all bad after all.”