Is this the end? What on earth am I supposed to say as an excuse? Tens of thousands of thoughts ran through her mind in an instant.
But contrary to her worries, Byron continued walking past the desk where she was hiding and all the way to the window.
“Is it because fall is approaching? It’s a bit chilly at night.”
Byron muttered to himself as he closed the window. It seemed that he had gotten up to close the window because it was chilly outside.
Byron closed the window and walked slowly back to bed.
It was only a short period, but to Aila, it felt like an eternity.
‘...I’ve been watching you for ten years.’
Every time she was caught on one of these dangerous night outings, it felt like ten years had been shaved off her life. Aila patted her startled chest and calmed her heart that was about to burst.
'It seems dangerous to go out right now... I guess I'll have to wait until Byron falls asleep again.'
She wasn't completely out of it yet. Byron was still awake, and she was shivering, hiding under his desk.
Still, thinking that she had overcome the dangerous crisis, she kept her mouth shut and let out a long breath through her nose without making a sound.
She wanted to sigh deeply, but if she did, Byron, who was still not asleep, might notice her presence.
While waiting for Byron to fall asleep again, she changed her position. If she continued to squat until Byron fell asleep, her legs would become numb, and she would not be able to return to the room.
She sat comfortably on the floor with her hands on the ground and felt something under her left hand. It felt like a thin sheet of paper.
'What?'
She lifted the paper as carefully as she could without making a fluttering sound and examined the writing. It was a list of dates and places.
‘I feel like I’ve seen these place names somewhere.’
The date written on the very first line was about ten days in the future. And the place names written next to it and below were all familiar.
And soon she remembered where she had seen it, and was disappointed. It was the cities she had seen on the map just a moment ago, and the date.
'What, it's not new.'
Aila was about to put the paper back down with a pout in disappointment, but when she noticed something different from the map, she looked at the paper again. There were words written behind the city names that she couldn't see on the map.
'The Wild Goose Inn, the Vine Inn...'
They were names of establishments such as taverns and inns. And as Aila looked at them, memories from long ago came to mind.
Where did she go after leaving these ruins?
The very place that quickly made her happy when she was young, and she was shedding tears after parting ways with the attic she loved so much.
'...That's right. That's right.'
That Byron, who usually ran away to deep forests and mountains where there were no permits, had taken her to visit cities for the first and last time.
And in ten days, they would be moving to that first city.
This is what is called a recovery call.
When Byron suddenly got up and almost got caught, she was afraid that she would ruin everything, so she was able to remember this fact.
At the time, it was just fun to move from city to city every few days, but now that she thinks about it, it was incredibly suspicious.
Why on earth would someone who is running away and avoiding even small rural towns move to a populous city?
The clue is a map stuck to the wall.
It was clear that they were following someone's journey from Venator, around the western part of the empire, and back to Venator.
'Who is that?'
Her parents by any chance?
It's not entirely impossible, but it's more likely that Ophelia and Roderick won't be there. They're unlikely to go to the west of the Empire.
'...There is one thing that catches my attention.'
One thing to think about was the 'young lion' mentioned in the letter, the one Byron was trying to gather his strength to hunt.
It could have been something completely unrelated to the letter, but based on what Aila knew, it was the most likely one.
Could it be that they are following the journey of the 'young lion'?
Time passed by while she was organizing her thoughts.
She didn't want to wait any longer, as she might not be able to get back to the attic before Laura came to wake her, so she just peeked over the desk and looked at the bed where Byron was lying.
Fortunately, Byron was sleeping, oblivious to the world.
She opened the window quietly. There was a small squeak on the old hinges, but it was not loud enough to wake Byron, who was sound asleep, so he did not move at all.
She quickly but silently escaped Byron's room and returned to her room through the secret passage.
Not long after Aila returned to her room, the once dark sky began to brighten. She had only taken a nap, but it was time to get up and head out to the training grounds.
But she wasn't that tired.
Although she was still a child, she had a muscular body that had been trained through long-term exercise, so she was in good physical shape.
Besides, last night she didn't get any results for the first time in a long while.
Although she didn't find out any definitive information, she was grateful just to have time to prepare before leaving here and heading to the city.
That's right. There was something Aela had to prepare before leaving this ruin.
That night, she went to bed early and woke up while it was still dark. She had only slept for a few hours, but she felt completely relieved, and her mind was clear.
There was no clock, but judging by the shape and position of the moon, there was still quite a bit of time left until sunrise.
She got out of bed, did a quick stretch, changed her clothes, and secretly left the room.
Today's destination wasn't Byron's room. She was headed to the room where Cloud and her toxicology class were taking place.
The door was always locked because it was a room full of toxic substances, but the ventilation window was always open. And the ventilation window was big enough for an adult to pass through, but it was still small enough for Aila to pass through.
'Yes. Let's make it then.'
She lit the lamp with a match that was always in the same place. It was a lamp for burning poison, but it somehow brightened up the surroundings. It was enough light for her, who was used to moving around in the dark.
She had memorized where each poisonous plant was placed in her toxicology class during the day.
She quickly extracted the herbs she needed little by little, and before she knew it, she had created a thick, transparent liquid.
She poured the liquid into a small glass vial the size of her little finger, closed the lid, and looked at her work with satisfaction.
'That's why you shouldn't have given me this lab.'
Aila smiled mischievously and put the vial in her pocket, erasing any trace of her presence.
A glass bottle of this size could be carried around secretly.
Although she had never once acted against Byron's wishes in her life, now she seemed like a mischievous child in a rebellion.
She thought it might be a bit too much to call it a joke, but whatever. It wasn't a drug that killed people; it was just a drug that put people to sleep for a while.
In fact, she wanted to give this person something extremely poisonous instead of sleeping pills, but it wasn't the time yet.
'Then, should we start heading back now?'
After checking once more to see if there was any trace of herself left behind, she turned off the lamp and escaped the laboratory.
“Miss, miss! Get up!”
Aila had to wake up because Laura shook her awake.
“There’s a lot to prepare. You have to wake up quickly.”
She sat up in bed with her head in a mess, rubbing her eyes and blankly staring at Laura, who was wandering around her room.
This happens not once or twice, but several times a year, so she just can't understand why Laura always makes such a fuss.
“Change your clothes quickly and come down. The carriage is waiting.”
“Yeah, okay, Laura.”
Time passed quickly, and the day came to leave these ruins.
As Laura left her alone, making a fuss, Aila, who had been rubbing her sleepy eyes until then, quickly moved as if nothing had happened.
It was to hide the sleeping pills that she took out of the secret space last night and hid under her pillow.
'Where should I hide it?'
She looked through the clothes Laura had left behind, looking for a good place to hide the medicine.
The ribbon-tipped shoes were so tight on her feet that it seemed impossible to hide them in the shoes. She could have tucked them into her knee-length white socks, but then they would have bulged out and been too obvious.
'I think I can hide it in my belt.'
There was a belt to fasten a large pink ribbon to the back of her waist, so she figured she could just sneak it in there.
From now on, it would be important to hide it somewhere else so it wouldn't be discovered whenever she changed clothes, but for now, Aila felt reassured.
After safely hiding the glass bottle, she took a short time to look around the attic she had grown fond of.
It wasn't a very fond memory, but it felt strange to be parting ways with the attic that had briefly provided her with solace during her childhood.
“Take care. Thanks to you, I’m doing well.”
It was somewhat awkward to say goodbye to a space made of nothing but rocks, not even a living being, but Aila knocked on the secret passage door that had allowed her to wander outside every night and said goodbye.
Somehow, she wanted to do that.
Now it was time to leave this place.
But contrary to her worries, Byron continued walking past the desk where she was hiding and all the way to the window.
“Is it because fall is approaching? It’s a bit chilly at night.”
Byron muttered to himself as he closed the window. It seemed that he had gotten up to close the window because it was chilly outside.
Byron closed the window and walked slowly back to bed.
It was only a short period, but to Aila, it felt like an eternity.
‘...I’ve been watching you for ten years.’
Every time she was caught on one of these dangerous night outings, it felt like ten years had been shaved off her life. Aila patted her startled chest and calmed her heart that was about to burst.
'It seems dangerous to go out right now... I guess I'll have to wait until Byron falls asleep again.'
She wasn't completely out of it yet. Byron was still awake, and she was shivering, hiding under his desk.
Still, thinking that she had overcome the dangerous crisis, she kept her mouth shut and let out a long breath through her nose without making a sound.
She wanted to sigh deeply, but if she did, Byron, who was still not asleep, might notice her presence.
While waiting for Byron to fall asleep again, she changed her position. If she continued to squat until Byron fell asleep, her legs would become numb, and she would not be able to return to the room.
She sat comfortably on the floor with her hands on the ground and felt something under her left hand. It felt like a thin sheet of paper.
'What?'
She lifted the paper as carefully as she could without making a fluttering sound and examined the writing. It was a list of dates and places.
‘I feel like I’ve seen these place names somewhere.’
The date written on the very first line was about ten days in the future. And the place names written next to it and below were all familiar.
And soon she remembered where she had seen it, and was disappointed. It was the cities she had seen on the map just a moment ago, and the date.
'What, it's not new.'
Aila was about to put the paper back down with a pout in disappointment, but when she noticed something different from the map, she looked at the paper again. There were words written behind the city names that she couldn't see on the map.
'The Wild Goose Inn, the Vine Inn...'
They were names of establishments such as taverns and inns. And as Aila looked at them, memories from long ago came to mind.
Where did she go after leaving these ruins?
The very place that quickly made her happy when she was young, and she was shedding tears after parting ways with the attic she loved so much.
'...That's right. That's right.'
That Byron, who usually ran away to deep forests and mountains where there were no permits, had taken her to visit cities for the first and last time.
And in ten days, they would be moving to that first city.
This is what is called a recovery call.
When Byron suddenly got up and almost got caught, she was afraid that she would ruin everything, so she was able to remember this fact.
At the time, it was just fun to move from city to city every few days, but now that she thinks about it, it was incredibly suspicious.
Why on earth would someone who is running away and avoiding even small rural towns move to a populous city?
The clue is a map stuck to the wall.
It was clear that they were following someone's journey from Venator, around the western part of the empire, and back to Venator.
'Who is that?'
Her parents by any chance?
It's not entirely impossible, but it's more likely that Ophelia and Roderick won't be there. They're unlikely to go to the west of the Empire.
'...There is one thing that catches my attention.'
One thing to think about was the 'young lion' mentioned in the letter, the one Byron was trying to gather his strength to hunt.
It could have been something completely unrelated to the letter, but based on what Aila knew, it was the most likely one.
Could it be that they are following the journey of the 'young lion'?
Time passed by while she was organizing her thoughts.
She didn't want to wait any longer, as she might not be able to get back to the attic before Laura came to wake her, so she just peeked over the desk and looked at the bed where Byron was lying.
Fortunately, Byron was sleeping, oblivious to the world.
She opened the window quietly. There was a small squeak on the old hinges, but it was not loud enough to wake Byron, who was sound asleep, so he did not move at all.
She quickly but silently escaped Byron's room and returned to her room through the secret passage.
***
Not long after Aila returned to her room, the once dark sky began to brighten. She had only taken a nap, but it was time to get up and head out to the training grounds.
But she wasn't that tired.
Although she was still a child, she had a muscular body that had been trained through long-term exercise, so she was in good physical shape.
Besides, last night she didn't get any results for the first time in a long while.
Although she didn't find out any definitive information, she was grateful just to have time to prepare before leaving here and heading to the city.
That's right. There was something Aela had to prepare before leaving this ruin.
That night, she went to bed early and woke up while it was still dark. She had only slept for a few hours, but she felt completely relieved, and her mind was clear.
There was no clock, but judging by the shape and position of the moon, there was still quite a bit of time left until sunrise.
She got out of bed, did a quick stretch, changed her clothes, and secretly left the room.
Today's destination wasn't Byron's room. She was headed to the room where Cloud and her toxicology class were taking place.
The door was always locked because it was a room full of toxic substances, but the ventilation window was always open. And the ventilation window was big enough for an adult to pass through, but it was still small enough for Aila to pass through.
'Yes. Let's make it then.'
She lit the lamp with a match that was always in the same place. It was a lamp for burning poison, but it somehow brightened up the surroundings. It was enough light for her, who was used to moving around in the dark.
She had memorized where each poisonous plant was placed in her toxicology class during the day.
She quickly extracted the herbs she needed little by little, and before she knew it, she had created a thick, transparent liquid.
She poured the liquid into a small glass vial the size of her little finger, closed the lid, and looked at her work with satisfaction.
'That's why you shouldn't have given me this lab.'
Aila smiled mischievously and put the vial in her pocket, erasing any trace of her presence.
A glass bottle of this size could be carried around secretly.
Although she had never once acted against Byron's wishes in her life, now she seemed like a mischievous child in a rebellion.
She thought it might be a bit too much to call it a joke, but whatever. It wasn't a drug that killed people; it was just a drug that put people to sleep for a while.
In fact, she wanted to give this person something extremely poisonous instead of sleeping pills, but it wasn't the time yet.
'Then, should we start heading back now?'
After checking once more to see if there was any trace of herself left behind, she turned off the lamp and escaped the laboratory.
***
“Miss, miss! Get up!”
Aila had to wake up because Laura shook her awake.
“There’s a lot to prepare. You have to wake up quickly.”
She sat up in bed with her head in a mess, rubbing her eyes and blankly staring at Laura, who was wandering around her room.
This happens not once or twice, but several times a year, so she just can't understand why Laura always makes such a fuss.
“Change your clothes quickly and come down. The carriage is waiting.”
“Yeah, okay, Laura.”
Time passed quickly, and the day came to leave these ruins.
As Laura left her alone, making a fuss, Aila, who had been rubbing her sleepy eyes until then, quickly moved as if nothing had happened.
It was to hide the sleeping pills that she took out of the secret space last night and hid under her pillow.
'Where should I hide it?'
She looked through the clothes Laura had left behind, looking for a good place to hide the medicine.
The ribbon-tipped shoes were so tight on her feet that it seemed impossible to hide them in the shoes. She could have tucked them into her knee-length white socks, but then they would have bulged out and been too obvious.
'I think I can hide it in my belt.'
There was a belt to fasten a large pink ribbon to the back of her waist, so she figured she could just sneak it in there.
From now on, it would be important to hide it somewhere else so it wouldn't be discovered whenever she changed clothes, but for now, Aila felt reassured.
After safely hiding the glass bottle, she took a short time to look around the attic she had grown fond of.
It wasn't a very fond memory, but it felt strange to be parting ways with the attic that had briefly provided her with solace during her childhood.
“Take care. Thanks to you, I’m doing well.”
It was somewhat awkward to say goodbye to a space made of nothing but rocks, not even a living being, but Aila knocked on the secret passage door that had allowed her to wander outside every night and said goodbye.
Somehow, she wanted to do that.
Now it was time to leave this place.
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