After a brief farewell, Ebony's group climbed the stairs to the second floor of the wooden building.
Once there, they searched for room number 15. When they found it, Lucian used the key the old bearded bartender had entrusted to him.
"(I hope that cat girl is okay… Even though she was a girl, she was strong enough to carry my shield…)" Ebony thought as she stepped into the room and noticed there was only one bed.
The situation brought back memories of her nights in motels with her gaming companions. They barely had enough money to pay for a room with two beds and ended up sharing a single mattress.
There was nothing inherently wrong with that situation, but this time it was different. She was a girl—one who needed privacy and comfort, or at least that's what her companions thought.
When Daniel and Lucian saw there was only one bed, they considered leaving it to Ebony since she was a damsel. However, after days of knowing her, they knew that damsel was anything but feminine.
"There's only one bed, how are we going to decide who gets it?" Daniel asked with a sharp gaze, looking at Ebony.
"What are you talking about? It's obvious who gets it, don't you think?" Ebony replied with a mocking smile before throwing herself onto the bed and taking off her boots. "Thanks for your chivalry, guys, you're the best."
Daniel, annoyed, was ready to fight for the bed right then and there, but after remembering that thanks to that irritating girl he was still alive, his expression shifted from anger to resignation.
Lucian, however, after setting down his backpack, entered the room's bathroom. Inside, there was a wooden tub and a container of water beside a towel.
The elf carefully washed his face and hands. Spending days out in the open field brought along a lot of grime, something the elf usually couldn't tolerate.
After looking at himself for a moment in the mirror embedded in the wall, he realized that the lonely expression he had worn just a week ago had changed.
That blonde girl lying on the only bed in the room had completely changed his life. With a faint smile, Lucian left the bathroom and headed for the door.
"I'm going to buy some food, I'll be right back. If you want, you can sleep, it's fine. Tomorrow we start working anyway," the elf said as he was about to leave the room.
"What? Oh right… We're poor," the blonde said with a tired expression.
After a brief exchange of exhausted looks among the three, the elf left the room. As he walked through the building, he looked at the doors with nostalgia.
He had lived in that place for at least fifteen years long ago, but he didn't have time for nostalgia. He went down the stairs as night began to settle over the village.
When he reached the bar, there were fewer people than when they had arrived. All of them were unfamiliar faces to Lucian; his old companions were either out of town or asleep in their rooms.
Lucian approached a table in a lonely corner of the bar, and there Russel, the owner of the place, came over with a mug of cold beer for the elf.
"You took a while to come down. Veronica already left," Russel said while stroking his beard. "Look, Lucian, I know we're friends. I know we have history… but we need to talk clearly."
Russel then took out a small hourglass.
The artifact contained purple sand and was about the size of a keychain. He placed it on the table, and it began to slowly pour its contents from one side to the other.
At that moment, a magical circle the same color as the sand glowed on the surface where the hourglass rested. At the same time, the same magic circle appeared on Lucian's neck and on Russel's.
{{Armament Magic: Time of Privacy}}
"To use Time of Privacy… I guess you've already seen it," the elf said as he picked up the mug and took a sip of beer.
"Yes… I'm afraid I have, unfortunately for both of us… I was able to see the Traits of your dear wife…" Russel said as he sat across from the elf, crossing his arms with a cold stare.
"Well… I appreciate that you didn't kick me out when you saw them… Don't worry, we won't cause any trouble… We'll leave tomorrow… I promise," the elf said with a sad, guilt-filled look.
"That's not the point of this conversation, and you know it…"
Russel took out his pipe and began to smoke. He often did this to clear his mind, thanks to the dwarven tobacco he always kept on hand.
"If she had just been a temporary companion like I suspected at first glance, I wouldn't say anything, and you know it… This wouldn't be the first time we've helped society's outcasts here… But!"
The bearded man exhaled white smoke from his mouth.
"Marrying a Visitor is no damn joke!" he said, slamming the table and producing a sound as if it were about to break.
Lucian swallowed and looked at the hourglass as it trembled from his friend's strike. Fortunately for him, that clock allowed two people to speak without anyone—or anything—being able to hear them.
It was a common artifact that could be rented at any mercenary guild tavern to have private conversations without raising suspicion, since it even created an illusion that prevented lip-reading or seeing their arguments.
"Listen, I know it sounds crazy, but Ebony isn't what you think… She's already saved my life twice," the elf said with a sincere look.
"And tell me, my friend, who put your life in danger in the first place on those occasions?!" Russel replied with an irritated tone and a disappointed gaze.
Lucian didn't know how to respond. He knew Russel was right—his life had been in danger because of getting involved with Ebony.
"I have no fucking idea how you two got married, but you're going to have to break that bond and let that girl go her own way in peace."
An annoyed Russel sighed before looking sadly into the elf's eyes.
"Old friend… she's dangerous, and you know it. It's not healthy to carry a bond with a Visitor, and you know that perfectly well…" he said as he added more tobacco to his pipe.
"I know… but…"
Lucian kept thinking, searching for some logical argument to allow that woman to live and remain bound to him. Deep down, he hadn't spared her life because of the deal.
Deep within his battered heart, scarred by decades of solitude and years filled with violence in his homeland, he knew he had spared the blonde girl's life because when he looked into her eyes, he didn't see a threat—he only saw the same thing he saw in the mirror every morning.
"Listen, I understand that you love her, but this isn't—"
"Of course not! No, no, no, I don't love her or anything. Hey, hey, look… Ahh… The thing is, we made a blood contract, but so the Cult of Promises wouldn't kill us, we had to pretend the pact was for love," Lucian said while scratching his hair.
"WHAT?! That's even worse! Why would you do something like that?!" Russel shouted, slamming the table in fury.
"Because she knows where the Emerald Seed is!" Lucian shouted, his eyes sharp and his expression cold.