After finishing her delicious breakfast and morning ale, Muriel used the wet cloth provided by the young waitress to wipe her greasy hands and mouth. Once she was clean, she grabbed her backpack, slung it over her shoulder, and stood up.

"The breakfast was wonderful. Be sure to tell your mother," Muriel said, placing five silver coins on the table as the Irey came to clear it.

"Thank you! My mother does make wonderful food. Oh, and here’s your water skin filled with ale," Irey replied, handing Muriel the water skin she had given to her father earlier.

"Your mom's cooking is amazing. I wonder if my own mother could cook as well," Muriel said, taking the water skin.

"Have you never met your mother?" Irey asked innocently.

The moment she said that Muriel’s expression changed. She turned to look at the girl with an intense gaze, filled with anger and irritation and a hint of deep, painful longing. Realizing her mistake, Irey quickly tried to smooth things over, not wanting to seem like she was rubbing salt in Muriel’s wounds.

"Oh! I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to upset you."

"No, you didn’t say anything wrong. In fact, you deserve a reward for having the courage to ask me such a question," Muriel said after a moment of silence, turning back to Irey. "You're right, I've never met either my mama or my birth mother."

"Your mama and birth mother?" Irey asked, confused.

"Ah! It's nothing. I’ve answered enough of your questions, human," Muriel said abruptly, turning away and walking out of the tavern.

"Okay, please come again!" Irey called out as she cleaned up the table and collected the silver coins.

Muriel walked through the town, passing various shops that were just opening for the day. Nothing caught her interest, as she only desired the core of Chiaki and more wealth. Besides, she had just eaten breakfast and didn't need anything else for the journey. After making her way through the town and into the forest, she spread her wings and took off into the sky, disappearing into the distance.

After flying at speeds three times faster than sound, Muriel reached the capital city of Senwara in less than five minutes. She slowed down to avoid overshooting the city and gently landed just outside its main road. As she walked barefoot into the city, her elegant princess dress transformed into a black cloak that concealed her identity.

"Hehe, now no one will recognize me. Stupid humans," Muriel whispered to herself as she approached the city gates.

"Hey, you there! Stop right now. Take off that hood," a city guard ordered, grabbing Muriel's hood and yanking it off. He suspected her of being an escaped slave.

"Huh?"

Muriel stood still, her body frozen in place as the guard pulled back her hood, revealing only her human-like head without horns. She wasn't frozen because she wanted the guard to approach her. Rather, she was genuinely perplexed by his audacity to touch her. What courage did he muster to touch her, and what foolishness led him to address her as a slave?

"Just a regular human, no slave collar. I was hoping to catch a slave. Get lost and get into the city," the guard grumbled, stepping aside. But Muriel wasn't willing to let it go so easily.

"Die."

"Wha—"

Before the guard could react, Muriel clenched her fist and punched him in the chest with such force that his ribcage shattered, causing his spine to break as well. He collapsed to the ground, blood gushing from his chest.

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Other guards and citizens at the gate were horrified. The sight of the guard lying on the ground, bleeding profusely, sent waves of panic through the crowd. Muriel watched him slowly die, not because she wanted to feed on him but because she despised his very existence. Then, more guards rushed towards her.

"Hey, you! Stop right there!" one of the guards shouted.

"Disgusting creatures," Muriel muttered, pulling her hood back over her head and running past the other guards into the city.

"Get her! Quickly!" one guard commanded, and four guards chased after Muriel while another ran to fetch a doctor for their fallen comrade.

Muriel dashed through the streets of Senwara, evading the pursuing guards with ease. The bustling city, unaware of the chaos at the gates, continued with its daily activities. Muriel, with her superior speed and agility, swiftly navigated the narrow alleyways and busy streets, blending into the shadows whenever possible.

It didn’t take long for Muriel to lose the city guards chasing her. She quickly transformed her appearance and slipped back into a small woman's form, wearing her black princess outfit again. Despite her success in evading the guards, she knew she couldn’t ask for their help anytime soon. As she walked through the city, she suddenly realized her bag was missing.

“Those fools, just a little transformation, and they forget all about me,” she muttered. “I need some ale... Huh?”

“Hey! Where’s my bag!?” Muriel reached behind her to grab her water skin filled with ale, but her hand found nothing. Turning around, she saw that her bag was missing. Panicking slightly, she checked the pockets under her cloak and was relieved to find her bottomless money pouch and the business card from Mellenia still there.

“Damn it... How am I supposed to read these new languages without my book? And worse, how will I carry ale while traveling!?” Muriel sighed, thankful that her most valuable possessions were still with her but distressed that her ale-skin was now gone. As she continued walking through the city, she realized she had ended up in a commercial district. She decided to ask for directions.

“Hey, you there. Do you know where this place is?” Muriel asked, pulling out the business card and using her nail to scratch off the names, leaving only the address. She handed it to a silver-haired elf woman passing by, assuming she could read the language due to her age.

The elf looked at the card and then back at Muriel. “Wow, you’re an old elf too, huh? Still using this old language.” She smiled, handing the card back.

“Well... I’m not an elf, but I am old,” Muriel said, taking the card back and avoiding eye contact.

“Just follow the main road left from here. You’ll find an alley with numbered signs near the arena,” the elf explained, pointing out the direction and indicating a large amphitheater-like structure in the distance.

“What’s that?” Muriel asked, never having seen such a structure before.

“Never seen an arena? It’s for holding competitions. There’s a tournament coming up soon, probably closing registration today or tomorrow,” the silver-haired elf explained, though her smile had faded.

“Building something so huge for fights... How stupid must the builder have been?”

“That’s pretty harsh,” the elf commented.

“Anyway, thanks for the help.”

Muriel said, walking barefoot in the direction the elf had pointed. The elf kept her gaze fixed on Muriel until she disappeared into the crowd. Shortly after Muriel vanished, a guard approached the elf, holding a leather backpack in his hand.

"What happened here? And that bag, where did it come from?" the silver-haired elf asked the guard.

"A child in a black cloak attacked a city guard and killed him with just a single punch. She dropped this bag while we were chasing her," the guard explained, visibly shaken.

"With just one punch? What do you mean?" The elf was startled but quickly lowered her voice.

"We don't really know. We just know she had long black hair and golden eyes," the guard replied.

"Golden eyes... Wait, could it be...?"

"Is something wrong, ma'am?"

"No, nothing. What's in the bag?" she asked, trying to hide her concern.

"Nothing much, just some travel supplies and salt... but there's a book with strange writing on almost every page," the guard said, pulling out Muriel's translation book and handing it to the elf.

"This language... I need to keep this bag," she demanded, extending her hand.

"But—"

"No buts. Hand it over," she ordered firmly.

The guard hesitated but eventually handed the bag to her and walked away. The elf inspected the contents of the book, finding only translation notes. She sniffed the bag and caught the scent of ale from the water skin. Looking back towards the direction of the amphitheater where Muriel had disappeared, she pondered.

"Who exactly is that little one?"

"When the boss returns, I must report this immediately."

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