Magical Girl

Chapter 9

Night was falling, and drunks and thugs were starting to roam the streets. If Marlene stayed outside all night, she might end up frozen by morning. With no way to meet Wald, she decided to find a place to rest and returned to the Iris Inn.

The Iris Inn was both a tavern and an inn, and when Marlene returned, the Rod family’s men were there, happily drinking.

“Miserable Face Marlene, you’re back already? Didn’t you go to deliver that letter for the Ash Priest?” someone called out.

“The temple was closed,” Marlene replied.

“Well, of course it was. Jetugara’s temple isn’t like Auderin’s little chapel, letting just anyone walk in, hahaha…”

Another voice chimed in with mock sympathy, “That’s a real shame.”

So they knew the temple would be closed but didn’t bother to warn her. Marlene was too tired to argue. She asked, “I couldn’t find anywhere to stay. Can I rest here for a bit?”

“Suit yourself,” Neil replied.

The laborers continued drinking, and one of them, bleary-eyed and smirking, said, “There aren’t any free rooms. You could…” He gestured around the room at the crowd, “pick a room, or you’ll have to sleep in the stables.”

The men roared with laughter. They were clearly relaxed now that they were in Jetugara. On the road, they’d mostly kept to themselves, probably due to the Ash Priest’s influence. Now, however, they had no qualms about making lewd jokes.

Marlene wasn’t interested. The stables, at least, would have hay to keep the horses warm, and that was better than sleeping out in the open.

“Then I’ll choose the stables,” she said.

As she walked away, she could hear them muttering behind her—

“What a dull girl.”

“Yeah, and stupid. Can’t even take a joke.”

“That’s why she’s called ‘Miserable Face’ Marlene.”

“Hahaha…”

One pockmarked man sneered, “Even if ‘Miserable Face’ Marlene did come knocking on my door, I wouldn’t give her a second look.”

The others agreed, saying, “Obviously. So many beautiful girls here… any one of them is better than that sad little weed.”

“Man, the women in Jetugara are beautiful, way better than the women in Auderin. I wish I could stay here forever.”

“Who wouldn’t, hahaha…”

A short-haired laborer added, “We’re meeting Young Master Hach tomorrow. If he lets me stay in Jetugara, that would be perfect.”

“With that sorry face of yours?” someone scoffed.

The short-haired laborer laughed, “Who knows? Maybe he’ll think I did a good job this time. After all, the mercenaries couldn’t finish the task, but we did.”

Marlene found a relatively clean corner in the stable to lie down, gradually dozing off amid the scent of manure and hay. For over a decade, she had lived in a constant state of labor and worry, accustomed to this restless way of life. The drafty, shabby stable was far from an ideal resting place, but Marlene only wanted a quick nap to regain a bit of energy. That would be enough for her.

At dawn, a traveler retrieving his horse woke her up. When Marlene stood up from the pile of hay, she startled him.

She borrowed some water from the inn to wash up, brushed her hair, cleared the hay from her clothes, and exchanged three copper coins for a piece of black bread at the back of the kitchen.

As she gnawed on the bread, Marlene grumbled about the high prices in Jetugara. A loaf of black bread like this would only cost two coppers in Auderin. Cities were different, with everything costing more.

Now, her money was running dangerously low. The only valuable thing she had left was the ring Mirian had given her. Since the mercenary captain had been willing to accept it as fare, it was probably worth at least four gold coins—enough to live on in Auderin for several months. She was reluctant to part with it; though not particularly beautiful, it was the only thing Mirian had left her. Marlene didn’t want to pawn it unless absolutely necessary.

First things first, she needed to deliver the letter. Once she met the Ash Priest’s friend, perhaps this problem would be solved.

When Marlene arrived at the temple, she found that a long line of people had already gathered outside, waiting patiently.

She approached the back of the line and asked an elderly woman, “Excuse me, what is everyone waiting in line for?”

“What did you say?”

“What is everyone waiting in line for?” Marlene repeated herself three times before the old woman finally understood.

“Oh, your accent is terrible.”

Marlene knew her accent differed slightly from that of Jetugara’s locals, so she did her best to speak slowly and clearly. “I’m sorry. I’d like to know why everyone is waiting here.”

The old woman looked at Marlene as if she were a fool. “Of course, it’s for the daily prayer.”

Marlene was surprised. “Do people really have to line up just for daily prayer?”

Indeed, the temple in Jetugara was extremely popular. In Auderin, the chapel was always quiet except during festivals, so Marlene had never imagined people might queue up just for daily prayer.

She didn’t intend to wait in line; she was here to deliver letters, not to pray. But when she tried to move to the front, the crowd erupted in angry shouts.

“Where do you think you’re from? This is before the goddess! Do you think you’re a noble, cutting in line like that? Shame on you!”

Marlene tried to explain, “I’m sorry, I’m not here for prayer. I have a letter—no, two letters…”

But her weak explanations were drowned out by the furious voices.

At that moment, a middle-aged nun in a gray hooded robe stepped out from the temple. Her sharp eyes and the deep, downward creases at the corners of her mouth gave her a severe appearance. She glanced over the crowd and said, “Silence.”

Her voice was not loud, but the crowd immediately quieted down.

“How can you make such noise in front of the goddess’s temple?”

“Sister Cabena, this little beggar tried to cut in line,” someone from the crowd complained.

Marlene quickly stepped forward and said, “I’m sorry, that’s not what happened. I’m not here for prayer. I have a letter—Ash Priest sent me to deliver it to the temple.”

The nun replied, “If I remember correctly, Ash Priest serves in Auderin.”

“Yes, I came from Auderin,” Marlene confirmed.

The crowd fell momentarily silent, and someone gasped, exclaiming, “That Auderin!”

The murmurs erupted like boiling water, with chaotic comments reaching Marlene’s ears—

“The Auderin?”

“Full of rapists and thieves!”

“A cesspool of scum.”

“No wonder she’d cut in line, coming from a place like that.”

“Disgusting…”

Marlene looked at the nun who had sparked the crowd’s remarks, noticing the fleeting look of disdain on her face.

“Forgive me if I find it hard to believe that someone from Auderin… someone like you, behaving so rudely in front of the goddess’s temple, is here for anything legitimate. If you wish to pray, the goddess is merciful. You can get in line, and perhaps you’ll have a chance,” the nun said.

Marlene took a breath and forced a smile. “The goddess knows I’m telling the truth. The letter has Ash Priest’s seal, and he instructed me to deliver it personally to Wald Priest.”

“It’s truly unfortunate, but Wald Priest left Jetugara two years ago.”

“What?” For Marlene, this was a bolt from the blue.

“Yes, if you were indeed here to deliver a letter to Wald Priest, I believe you should know this. Wald Priest has been gone for two years.” The nun’s contempt grew, as she clearly assumed that if Marlene were really there to deliver a letter, she would have known Wald Priest was no longer at the temple.

Marlene managed a bitter smile. “Could you tell me where Wald Priest went?”

But the nun was already losing patience and unwilling to answer. She simply replied, “A priest goes wherever the goddess directs. If you wish to pray, please join the line and refrain from disturbing the other worshippers.”

Marlene had no choice but to move to the end of the line. Finally, after waiting until evening, cold and hungry, she was allowed into the temple.