"We're finally here," rejoiced Nia.

"So this is... the Duchy's capital, Lilith."

With the noise of seagulls' cry above us, Nia and I finally arrived at the next destination from Beaufort Duchy, the duchy of Lilith, more precisely its capital itself.

Nia took a deep breath in, and so did I. And with the breeze came a potent salty smell that one might at first feel discomfort on first contact, but one eventually gets quickly used to it.

"This smells, it's just like the ocean." as she jumped around excitedly.

"Yes." I nodded, agreeing that indeed it smelt a lot like the ocean.

Eyes sparkling in anticipation, she pointed at the colorful city down the slope, "Hurry up, Ronandt, I want to reach the city as soon as possible." She child-likely announced she was unable to stand in place.

To be honest, I couldn't help but relate. After all, this was my first time visiting another duchy other than the duchy of Beaumont. And, while I have traveled extensively in the Iharana Great Forest, traveling with the expectation of seeing people and their dwellings rather than monsters and great trees is a completely different and novel experience for me.

"What are you daydreaming about? Hurry up." Nia urged.

"All right, all right."

Following Nia down the slope, I headed in the direction of the enormous city below, which surrounded the massive saltine lake in a crescent-moon shape that seemed to stretch endlessly into the horizon.

Unlike Beaufort, the duchy of Lilith didn't have walls surrounding the capital, so the moment we reached the capital border, we were able to pass through without having to go through the same inspection we would have had we been crossing Beaufort's capital walls.

Well, we did have in our possession a document that would "explain" our presence, provided by the two coachmen who by carriage took us from Beaufort to the capital border, but so far we still hadn't encountered a situation that would require us to show it off.

So yes, it's fair to say that border security isn't as tight as I would've expected the second wealthiest duchy of the city to be.

Soon we reached a popular quartier of the city and, as excited as we were, it didn't take us long to notice one thing: we were standing too much, or to be exact, our clothes were.

I did notice it throughout the small village we visited, but it was that in villages, we didn't mind it much, or to be exact, we didn't have to, but now we, by the stare following us, weren't given much of a choice but to mind our appearance.

So, the first thing we had to do upon setting foot in this beautiful city was to look for a local clothing shop, which we didn't have much trouble finding.

"So how is it?" Nia asked upon coming out of the clothing room along with the shop assistant lady who had helped her try this outfit.

She came out wearing the outfit recommended by the shop assistant lady, a long white and gorgeous flower-embroidered flowing robe with loose sleeves and a blue belt at the waist.

"It looks great on you," I praised with my thumb raised.

"Really?"

"Of course."

Approaching, she started scrutinizing my face, then, with a mischievous smile, asked, "Then what is this lack of reaction?"

"It’s,... you know, I’m just kind of petrified by the gorgeousness. I suppose."

"Hum, is that so."

"This brother is right. Hanfu does fit, Sister, georgeously," commented the shop clerk.

"Thank you, ... Sister," said Nia, who, like me, was initially perplexed by how people in this land refer to each other as sister and brother rather than miss and mister, but was gradually growing accustomed to it.

"We do have other models; Hanfu, Jeogori, Yukata that I believe will all look great on you, sister," the woman said, pointing at a good dozen clothes a second shop clerk was holding in her hand for Nia to try.

"I would like to try these... but you, Ronandt?"

"Hum, what about me?"

"Do you really plan to content yourself with those?" she asked, pointing at the clothes I had already chosen to purchase and the ones I was already wearing.

"Yes, I’ll be fine with these. Just take your time. "

Not wanting to venture out of my depths upon entering the shop, I requested a Lillith-themed tuxedo outfit, which they happened to have. And upon receiving a suggestion, and having tried one of them, I just simply requested four others of different colors, along with some other furniture, and I was pretty much done.

It was a little bit flashy for my taste, but hey, it’s at least Lillith-themed. Who am I to judge this country's fashion taste?

A few hours later, when it was time to pay the bill related to our expenses, we realized one thing: what we had purchased cost a little fortune. Even for someone like me, who never really had to feel threatened money-wise,

Even though I'd never made a purchase like the one we made today, the sight of the bill made me bitter. Despite the fact that we were only buying clothing outfits, each of our purchases cost us a quarter of what Nia's typewriter cost us back in Beaumont.

I was under the impression that I was being duped into paying a higher price than usual. But since the money I was paying with had been stolen from the church's beloved cathedral, I didn't mind squandering it in this manner.

Done with our clothing issue. Nia and I, with the time close to midday, decided to find a place to eat first before searching for a place we could stay for the night and the upcoming days. A place where we could do both would be ideal.

As we wandered through the streets, a place caught our attention.

"Is this a real restaurant?" Nia asked.

"I was asking myself the same question."

Though the word "restaurant' was written on the entrance, we couldn’t help but question whether or not it was true or some sort of misunderstanding.

The thing is that, maybe already preconditioned by our stay at the Auberge de Belltower, my idea of a restaurant would be something of... indoors, while here the said restaurant’s seats and tables were literally on the structure’s veranda.

I think this was what is called a pavillon. It was my first time seeing one.

Though there were people already seated and enjoying their food, suggesting that this place was indeed serving food, the sight of that podium on the same said veranda made me think that this was not, or not just a restaurant.

It was then, as we were still wondering what that establishment truly was, that we were approached by one of the establishment's waitresses, who took notice of us from the said wallless veranda.

"Brother, Sister. You two are looking for a place to eat, right?" She asked, already certain of our answer, "Please, come visit our establishment."

"Is this place a restaurant?" Nia asked.

The waitress smiled and said, "We are often asked, Yes, sister. This is a restaurant. Please take a seat at our table. Our restaurant's special invitee is about to perform. "

A part of me was wondering what that "special invitée" was, but for the time being, at the waitress's invitation to her establishment, we gave in.

We took seats at one table and, after roaming through the menu for a short while, made our choice, forwarded it to one of the waitresses, and waited for it to be served.

I was passing the time by looking at the nice scenery provided by the veranda view of passers-by walking around, when Nia called out, "Hey, Ronandt, look," pointing with her chin at something.

"Hum? What is it?"

Following her gaze, I saw on the podium, two men installing a large folding motiffed screen.

I, upon setting eyes on the screen, realized what she wanted me to see. It was not the screen in itself, but rather the motifs embroidered on it.

It was the embroidery of several things; mountains, people, but most importantly, several large creatures that Nia and I immediately recognized as dragons.

"Now that I think of it, this is not the first one I've seen. Point on the street, "Look there, across the street," I remarked to Nia,

Across the street, there was a shop whose emblem was the appearance of a dragon.

"You’re right,... Now that I think of it, these are not the only ones. I’ve noticed quite a few on the road. "

I nodded, agreeing.

I grew quite curious about what all of this was all about, but with the appetizer served upon us, Nia and I decided to put these thoughts aside for now.

In the meantime, as other new customers went to take seats, preparations were quickly made on the platform, and soon, just as we were about to snack upon the main course, which was a very well-cooked and graciously-presented fish, the performance on the podium was ready to start.

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Applause rang out for what appeared to be regular customers when a girl, perhaps 13 or 14 years old, and what appeared to be her background music performers took the stage.

Smiling, the girl declared, "Brothers and Sisters, this little sister is thankful for your warm welcome." while bowing to the public.

It was a strange feeling to be there, amidst those people cheering for her while being completely clueless about what the cheers were all about.

Well, I suppose from the musicians behind her, I could only assume she was some sort of singer, but somewhere something was telling me that it wasn’t just quite that.

It might’ve only been an impression, but for a moment, the girl's gaze lingered on us before she announced, "My name is Junhua. I am a maiden of the local church. I sing and dance stories for the people to hear and behold. "

Satisfied with her introduction, she continued, "Today’s performance will be in honor of the first and human-loving dragon, Rena."

With these words she performed.

How exactly to explain what she performs exactly?

I wasn't sure if these words would accurately convey what I was seeing and hearing during her performance. It was a lovely blend of three elements: an exotic dance, a poetic song telling an intriguing story, and the soothing and rhythmic music played by the two background musicians.

The dance and the background music were equally mesmerizing, but the story she narrated through her poem-like song was what struck us the most, Nia and I.

Though the girl did mention being a maiden of the local church, she was without a doubt a commoner, yet the story she narrated was faithful, to an extent, to Rena’s story.

Which was a chapter of history to be completely forgotten, replaced entirely by the Seven Apostles. When I was still a child, I did know a little about the Primordial Dragons, but it was, in fact, only through Nia that I learned of Rena's existence prior to the Primordial Dragons.

So one could easily imagine our surprise to Nia and I, to hear that she knew and was so openly singing about this bit of history,

Her performance having reached its end, a deluge of applause reverberated louder than it had before her introduction. This time, unlike earlier, we joined in the round of applause. We did so, finally understanding what it was for.

I, and I could tell Nia too, loved her presentation, so much that for the good eight minutes her performance lasted, we forgot even to touch our now-cold main course.

After the performance, it was when our attention was on our food that we were unexpectedly approached by the young girl.

With a gentle smile and bowing, she said, "Little Sister Junhua, greet elder brother and elder sister. I hope my earlier performance was to your tastes."

"Hi, yes, of course, it was phenomenal," enthusiastically praised Nia. "I have never seen anything like that."

"Neither do I," I added, "But it was really something pleasant to watch and listen to."

"I’m glad it pleased you." She once again bowed, then, after throwing a few glances at us, asked, "Can I presume you two aren’t from around here?"

"Yes, indeed. We are not from around here. We just arrived this morning," Nia explained.

"I see, it’s an honor for me to have you attend on your first day in Lillith then,"

Thinking about a certain detail about what she had earlier said, introducing herself, I asked, "Say, can I ask you a question?"

"Hum? What is it?"

"You did earlier mention being a maiden of the clergy. What is that? Do you work for the church?"

She seemed confused as to why I asked, then, as if coming to realization, she said, "I almost always forget. There is no rank of maiden of the church where brother and sister come from, right?"

"No, there aren’t."

Nodding, "Well, after all, this is something proper and unique to our Archbishop and those under her authority," she mumbled to herself, to then explain, "Maiden of the Church is a title given to a girl who chooses to effectuate a regular and permanent given duty on behalf of the local church’s clergy. In my case, it is to sing and narrate stories and long and almost forgotten histories. "

Hum?

Wait.

"Wait, you mean it was the church that ordered you to narrate that story, that one story about Rena?"

For some reason, I had the impression that something I had said offended her, causing a subtle change in her expression.

"Yes, and it is not just a story, it’s a part of history, our history, the Primordial Dragons' existence and passage is proof of that." People just happened to have started over the years to forget about it, and it is my duty, as a Maiden of the Church, to revive this history. " She explained with faith, passion, and diligence, palpable in her voice.

Maybe suddenly realizing how heated she got in the discussion, she immediately apologized, "I am sorry, I didn’t mean to…"

"It’s nothing, it just shows how passionate you are with this," I reassured, not minding the slightest.

After all, if she believed that story, she was free to do so. That was her right.

Who was I to tell her that what she seemed to strongly believe was somewhat incorrect?

Or at the very least, I had no business doing so, but just because it was the case for me didn’t mean that it was for Nia.

"Say, can I say something about your performance? It’s not about the dance or the singing, but rather the story itself." Nia said, offering the girl a seat at our table, which she accepted.

"What is it?"

"It’s about the virgin part."

I knew from the moment that part was mentioned that Nia would definitely comment on that part.

To summarize briefly the content of the girl’s story earlier, it was about Rena, how she, from atop her mountain, after being begged by humans, came to live amidst them, protecting them from monsters and calamities for centuries.

Nia most likely doesn’t have a problem with this part of the story thus far; it was the mention of the virgins that, as she had said, made her seethe the most.

Virgins, who, in the girl’s story, were chosen to serve the dragon in the temple that humans had made on the base of the mountain for Rena, until a certain age was reached, only then would they be allowed to resume their lives.

Locked in a passionate argument, Nia was doing her best to make it come across that the virgins' part was somewhat inaccurate if not straight up untrue, but it required a lot more to shake the girl’s faith.

"I mean that doesn’t make sense. Think of it. Why would a dragon like Rena request virgins to be taken to her to serve her?"

"The mother of dragons didn’t request them, they were chosen to take over that duty." The girl said firmly.

"Yes, but..." Nia sighed loudly, then threw a stare at me, which I, not wanting to get involved, pretended to not notice.

She knew the truth. After all, there was no better person to know that part of history than Nia herself, but reason was stopping her from laying it bare for the girl to hear.

"... The virgins' part put aside, the Dragon Temple itself doesn’t make sense."

"Hum, what do you mean?"

"I mean, you’ve seen the primordial dragons behind the calamities, didn’t you?"

Nodding, Junhua said, "I remember it clearly." as if reminiscing a faraway memory.

"You’ve seen his size?"

The girl once again nodded.

"Don’t you get it?"

The girl tilted her head to the side, completely oblivious to Nia's point.

Seeing that at this point, Nia was really too deeply involved, I decided to make an intervention. "He was enormous." I added.

"Exactly, enormous. If one of the seven dragons that were born from Rena were that big, can you imagine how titanous Rena's dragon form was?"

Noticing the girl still confused, I explained, "There was no way humans of that time were capable of creating a temple capable of holding a creature of that size."

It was clear that the girl never thought about that part, but still tried to excuse it, "Maybe... she shrunk... size."

"Possible, indeed. But wouldn’t you think there is another possibility that would explain both your story’s virgins' misconception and the temple incoherence part? "

"What is it?" The girl asked, showing genuine interest in what Nia had to say.

But before Nia could reveal the answer, a voice called out to the girl, "Junhua, we’re going to be late for our next performance."

The ones calling her were the musicians she performed with. Having already packed, they were already ready to go.

Reluctantly, she nodded, asking them to give her just a minute.

"I still have another performance somewhere else to attend to. Is there anywhere I can find you where we can discuss this calmly, Sister...?"

It was only then that we realized that we hadn't yet given her our name.

"Nia."

"Ronandt."

"Then Sister Nia, Brother Ronandt. Where can I find you two? If it is not too inconsiderate to ask, "

"About that..."

"The truth is, since we just arrived, we don’t even have a place to stay yet."

"If that’s the case, then, I think I know a place."

***

Following Junhua's suggestion and directions, we found a place to stay for the week.

The room we were given was somewhat similar, albeit slightly larger than the Auberge de Belltower's room; it had a bed, a table, and a pair of chairs, as well as the same tapestry model.

Having spent the previous few days on the road, I lay on the bed, my legs covered in a thick and warm black, thinking how much I missed and had almost forgotten the feeling of having a bed beneath me.

I heard reverberating across the room, the sound of Nia's typing.

"What are you writing? It's been 15 minutes since you've been typing nonstop. "

It’s for Junhua. I cannot allow that poor girl to spread this misunderstanding. Since when did dragons request virgins? "

"You really took that personally, didn’t you?"

"It is personal." She pouted.

"Fair enough..." I laughed, "But you can’t blame her. As she explained, she is a devout church envoy, and if this story is inaccurate, the church is to blame.

"I know. Which is why I was really surprised to hear that story. To be honest, I thought that no one, at least no commoner, remembered that part of history.

“It is, as I said, the church. The people of this land, most likely just like those of Beaumont, don’t know that part of history. It is most likely the church, to be precise, the local one, and the one leading it, that is actively trying to revive those old stories."

"Why would they do that?"

Good question.

Why?

There were a lot I could think but the first one that came was:

"This is just an impression, and it's only been a day, but haven't you noticed something different between the people of these lands and the people of Beaufort when dragons or calamities are mentioned?"

Nia paused for a moment before saying, "They were really laid-back to the mention of dragons."

I nodded.

"I have heard that out of every territory on the continent that has been traversed by the dragons, Lilith is the one that has suffered the least. The deaths during the calamities in this part of the continent were, well, from what I’ve heard, mostly indirectly caused by the passage of the dragon, Qomoss, The Lightless Void."

From what I heard, it was mostly the panic that ensued thereafter that killed the most. The dragon didn’t bring over hurricanes like the wind calamity, didn’t bring floods like the water calamity, nor did it cause earthquakes like the earth calamity. It just went over Lilith and headed toward the Iharana Greatforest.

"If I were to make a guess, the reason the local church revived those old tales was to preserve peace and order. Of course, this is just a passing assessment; it could be true or false, but if it is, it appears to work."

"I see, but that is not an excuse to make it sound like Rena was exchanging little girls for humanity’s protection. I will never forgive those damn cultists. " She said, raising her clenched fist in frustration.

"You’re helpless," I sighed before calling, "Hey, Nia."

"Huhm?"

Lifting the bed sheet, I invited her in. Though reluctant, she abandoned what she was typing to join me in

After a few moments of silence, as we stared into each other's eyes, she asked, "So, what are we going to do now that we've arrived in the city?"

"We will remain around here until we get additional information about the Archbishop we are after. From what I heard, that person is a very atypical individual, even among her peers and fellow Fourteens. Actions have consequences, and I can't afford to charge into my target carelessly like I used to."

Nia nodded.

"First we will find out about her, then what should and will be done. Until then, let’s enjoy the wonders of this beautiful city. That’s the point of the journey, right?"