Magical Girl

Chapter 8

After parting ways with the Ash Priest, the caravan continued its journey.

As they passed through the forest surrounding Auderin, the landscape began to change noticeably. The trees grew sparser, and the terrain became increasingly steep. Gradually, they saw no more large trees or thick woods. Instead, the road was lined with deep ravines and sinkholes, making their journey more difficult and often forcing them to take long detours.

The journey went relatively smoothly, and ten days later, they reached Jetugara.

Without the cover of trees, Marlene caught sight of Jetugara’s city walls as they crested a hill.

Unlike Auderin, which didn’t even have walls, Jetugara was encircled by a gray stone wall. From afar, she could see the high watchtowers rising from the walls, giving the city the appearance of a giant fortress. Built on a slope, Jetugara loomed over them as they crossed a small river and approached, giving the impression that the towering city was watching them like a giant.

Though Jetugara seemed close, it still took a long time to reach. Marlene’s eyes never left the city as they drew nearer, and her heart, as well as her gaze, seemed ready to fly ahead of her.

As they approached, Jetugara’s features became more distinct, and Marlene’s sense of awe grew with every step.

The city walls were constructed from massive gray stones, each roughly three meters wide and five meters long, hewn into remarkably uniform shapes. In the small town of Auderin, Marlene had only seen industry at the level of basic iron tools, with very rudimentary smelting techniques. The sight of such enormous and perfectly shaped stones—whether for quarrying or construction—seemed beyond the capabilities of mere manpower alone.

As they moved closer to the wall, Marlene noticed that the base of the wall was firmly embedded into the earth. The upper portion was heavily scarred, with one particularly large gash running over twenty meters long, cutting across four or five stones. Sitting in the wagon, Marlene passed directly beneath this mark. She looked up at it and couldn’t fool herself—this was not something that could have been made by the crude weapons she’d seen in the hands of mercenaries.

Though she had never heard tales of war, Marlene speculated that a battle might have taken place here. Jetugara’s walls appeared to have been built with war in mind.

As dusk approached, they reached the city gate.

At Jetugara’s gate, guards were stationed, and a long line of people waited to enter.

Marlene leaned out to see what was happening ahead.

“Hey! You fool, stop moving around,” Neil scolded her.

In the brief moment she looked out, Marlene saw the answer. People were paying a fee to enter the city, charged per person, and only those who paid could go in.

“There’s a toll fee?” Marlene asked in surprise.

“It’s an entry tax. If you want to enter Jetugara, you have to pay,” someone explained.

Marlene felt her pockets. She had only a little more than one silver coin left, while the entry tax was one gold coin.

She asked Steward Neil for a loan, promising to repay him as soon as she sold her ring.

Neil was reluctant to lend the money—he certainly didn’t trust Marlene. However, when she mentioned the Ash Priest, Neil remembered his instructions and begrudgingly agreed.

The city of Jetugara was said to have a population of fifty thousand. In Marlene’s former world, that might not have seemed like much, but here, it was the largest city in the Yamanron region. Considering the current level of productivity and the era, fifty thousand people made for a bustling city. Marlene thought of historical European cities like London, which had a population of only about a hundred thousand during the Renaissance. But then she shook her head with a wry smile—this was clearly no longer the world she knew, so such comparisons were meaningless.

Walking along the streets, the ground was no longer muddy dirt but clean paths paved with irregular stones. On either side were neatly built stone houses. People bustled around; Marlene saw vendors selling fresh fruit and flowers, carriages clattering over the stone streets, and women laughing as they walked by.

Marlene’s gaze was almost hungry as she took in the shops lining the streets, staring at the passersby. She felt like she had returned to civilization. Although the city’s grandeur was modest, for Marlene, it was a sight she had long awaited.

While eagerly observing her surroundings, Marlene unconsciously followed the Rod family’s group down a quiet side street.

They arrived at a small inn called the Iris Inn, and Neil seemed to know the innkeeper, exchanging a familiar greeting. One of the laborers noticed Marlene and, raising his chin, asked, “Why are you still here, Miserable Face? Don’t you have a letter to deliver for the Ash Priest?”

Marlene snapped back to attention. She had nearly forgotten her task in the excitement. Once she delivered the letter, the Ash Priest’s friend would surely make arrangements, and then she’d have a place to stay in Jetugara. It was already getting dark, so she needed to hurry.

After asking for directions to the temple, she slung her small bundle over her shoulder and set off.

Though her shoes were worn out, Marlene walked with long strides. No longer would disgusting things seep into her toes. The evening wind was cold, but driven by anticipation and excitement, Marlene didn’t feel it at all.

As night fell, lights gradually illuminated the streets of Jetugara. The shops lit candles, and their glow spilled out from windows, casting light onto the streets.

When she arrived, Marlene gasped in awe at the magnificent building before her.

The temple was the largest and most beautiful structure in the city. Its roof was so high that Marlene couldn’t see the top, and the entire facade was covered in intricate reliefs. The temple’s grand doors were as tall as two stories. In the glow of the evening lights, it looked like something out of a fairytale.

But the temple doors were closed and all was quiet.

The small chapel in Auderin was just a larger house, so no one hesitated to knock on its doors. But the temple in Jetugara was so imposing that Marlene felt her hand could never reach up to knock on its stone doors.

She had thought that her letter would allow her to pass without difficulty, but now, standing before this massive structure, she suddenly felt intimidated.

The temple doors were locked, so Marlene circled around to the side and found that the side door was open. It was hidden in the shadows, and a figure stood near the entrance, too obscured to see clearly.

Marlene approached and said, “Excuse me!”

From a distance, she had assumed it was a nun. But as she got closer, she realized it was a boy in a gray robe. He seemed about the same age as Marlene, tall, with short red hair that stood out vividly in the darkness.

When he heard her voice, he turned, and Marlene caught a glimpse of his bright green eyes. In that moment, she felt as if a cat were watching her.

“Excuse me, I have two letters written by the Ash Priest. He asked me to deliver them to Wald Priest here. May I meet with him?”

The boy glanced down at Marlene. She wore clothes that looked outdated by who knows how many years; her underskirt was yellowed from washing, and her apron was patched. Her dark hair was brittle as straw, tied into a short braid that stuck up a bit at the end due to its length. Her face and clothes were dusty from the long journey, and she still carried the faint scent of horses.

The boy made no effort to hide his disdain, turning away before responding, “It’s not prayer time anymore. You should leave.”

When he spoke, his voice was unexpectedly rough and raspy for his appearance, and Marlene couldn’t help but find it amusing—he was clearly in the middle of a voice change.

Suppressing a smile, Marlene replied earnestly, “These two letters are very important. Another priest entrusted them to me.”

The boy looked at her with clear distrust. He obviously couldn’t believe that a beggar would be delivering letters for a priest. “No matter how important, you’ll have to wait until the temple opens tomorrow. The priests and clergy are already resting,” he said coldly.

“But I really need to speak with him. Could you please call for Wald Priest? I’m sure he’ll be interested if he hears the name Ash Priest…”

“That’s not my concern. Leave now, and don’t cause trouble,” the boy said irritably.

At that moment, the sound of an approaching crowd grew louder behind Marlene.

Marlene turned to see a group of boys, also dressed in gray robes, approaching with playful shoves and laughter, chatting about the lively happenings in the streets.

She glanced at their clothing, then back at the boy in front of her, confirming from the style of their robes that they held the same rank.

“Felido, looks like you finally grew up today,” one of them called to the boy at the door.

The boys were all around the same age, and the leader walked past Felido with a smug grin, giving him a few condescending pats on the face. The others laughed, brushing past him as they entered the door—some shoving him, others giving him a mocking slap on the back of the head. Felido clenched his fists and kept his head down, but Marlene noticed his flushed ears and the red creeping up his cheeks.

The last one in turned back to Felido and said, “Alright, Felido, you can go back to your homework now.”

They burst into laughter as they went inside.

At that moment, Felido sharply raised his head, catching Marlene’s gaze. She quickly pretended to look elsewhere, as if she hadn’t seen what had just happened.

“Country bumpkin, get lost!” he snarled, then went inside and slammed the door shut behind him.