“What do you say we stop here for the night?” Beldo said with a wistful smile as he looked around at their surroundings.

They were in the middle of a large patch of ruins. Lusya did not know what age they were from, or what damage might have come from battle, the elements, or mere age, but the term ruins had scarcely had a better match. Disparate patches of crumbling walls and shattered stone pavement dotted the landscape. What was left that could be identified as buildings was overgrown with grass and ivy, though both were yellowed and appeared dead at the moment. Lusya could make out a few battlements atop the broken walls, suggesting this had once been a castle or a fortress, and quite a large one based on how spread out the ruins were. Beyond that, any details about the place eluded her.

Ariya gasped. “We should. This place it cool!”

It did have a certain intrigue about it. And aside from that, Lusya saw no particular reason not to stop here. It was about the time they would stop for camp anyway, and the ruins provided a convenient place to do so. This time of year especially, the walls could provide some welcome protection from the elements. The cold did not bother Lusya, but—though she did not complain much these days—Lusya knew it was often unpleasant for Ariya.

“I have no objections,” Lusya said. “We may setup camp here.”

“Yay!” Ariya exclaimed.

Beldo simply grinned, and they set about preparing for the night.

It did not take long. Ample trees had sprung up since this place had been abandoned, so there was plenty of wood for a fire, and Miudofay made creating a dry patch of ground in the corner of two mostly intact walls trivial.

Within the hour, they had finished their evening meal. Lusya read Ariya her allotted three chapters and ushered her off to bed, leaving Lusya and Beldo sitting on opposite sides of the warm, crackling fire. She did not particularly need the warmth or light, but it would benefit Ariya even in the tent, and Beldo seemed to appreciate it as well.

“Why did you want to stop here?” Lusya asked. She could sense that it was not for the same reasons as herself or Ariya.

Beldo smiled and looked around again before letting out a heavy sigh. “Call it nostalgia, I guess. I used to love coming here back when it was bustling. Of course, when it was a fortress, not just anyone could waltz in, but still, it was an impressive sight, as big as a city. Even just passing by you could tell it was a lively place, and it was never really at the front of any wars or on any contentious borders, so they sometimes let travelers in to spend the night anyway. And before it was a fortress, it actually was a city. It was great then too. I don’t know what they did to their bread, but it was to die for.”

This book's true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.

“I see,” Lusya replied.

“It’s a shame it ended up like this,” Beldo said. “But I want to protect the places that are like it used to be now. That’s why I want us to stay on this Count Rebran’s tail.” He gave her a bitter smile. “Though I’m sure you don’t feel the same way.”

“I do not,” she confirmed. “I have no particular interest in protecting mortal settlements or keeping them lively.”

Although, learning a bit about this place was interesting, at least. It’s decline did not bother her in and of itself—though she perhaps would have liked to try that bread, now that Beldo had made her curious about it—but it was interesting to imagine it as it had once been, to try to piece together the past from what remained. Where had the popular gathering spots been? What had that building over there been used for? Why did it decline in the first place?

“I figured,” Beldo said. “So, I know it’s not for me, but I appreciate you going along with it.”

“Your thanks are unnecessary,” she replied. “As you say, it is not for you. It is for Ariya and my own curiosity.”

Beldo cocked an eyebrow. “Oh?”

“I have never seen anything like that stagnant Malice or the device that caused it before,” Lusya said. “I will not object to learning more about either.”

Beldo chuckled. “I guess I’ll take what I can get. You being interested is better than not, regardless of the reason.”

“Indeed. However, my priority is reaching my destination safely with Ariya. If it appears that pursuing this matter will become an obstacle to that goal, I will abandon the matter without hesitation.”

“I know,” he said. “But for now, having you with me is reassuring. It’s frustrating, but there’s not a whole lot I can do to solve problems like this on my own.”

“That is your own choice,” Lusya replied.

He nodded. “Yeah. And it’s the better one. But that doesn’t mean there are no downsides.”

She supposed she could accept that explanation. Beldo could probably destroy the devices without harming the guards, but he likely did not want to take that chance. For that matter, though it was clear it was not a strict taboo for him—seeing as he had helped gather that snowroot before and ate every day—he may be reluctant to destroy even an inanimate object. He did seem to go out of his way not to damage anything if he could help it. He avoided breaking branches when gathering firewood, even dead ones lying on the ground that were too big to fit in the fire whole. If they needed them, she had to be the one to break them. Ariya had offered once, but she had no chance of doing so. She had not been happy with Lusya for pointing that out, but humoring her by letting her try, giving her some smaller branches to break afterward, and reading an extra chapter before bed had been more than enough to mollify her.

If Beldo’s reluctance to break anything was an extension of his pacifism, it seemed a bit excessive, but she supposed he knew what worked for him. He had mentioned that he had not discovered how to control himself immediately, so he must have arrived at this extreme level of restraint after some trial and error.

After a moment of silence, Beldo sighed once more. “It’s cold, but it’s a nice night. Clear with lots of stars.”

“Indeed,” Lusya replied. She paused for a moment. “Would you tell me more about this place’s past?”

He widened his eyes at her. “Really?”

“I am curious,” she said, nodding.

He grinned. “Well, I definitely don’t want to discourage your curiosity. I’ll tell you anything you want to know.”