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Linda sighed as she applied a white ointment to the scabbing claw marks on her neck. She was sitting up in a bed, wearing pink pajamas. Beside her, Cleo was snoring, her cold, scaly feet pressed firmly against Linda’s thigh. The angel had given up trying to remove the lizardman from her bed long ago. One night, Linda woke up due to the cold because her blanket was gone, and she tied Cleo underneath the bed to teach her a lesson. In response, Cleo made the carriage disappear and they both slept while shivering underneath the moonlight.
Linda finished applying the ointment and capped the bottle, placing it on the drawer by her bed. Tomorrow, the two would reach Hailing Academy. If it were any other time, they would’ve already reached it, but the roads were heavily damaged and smoldering. Debris and fissures covered nearly every path. The guardians had done their best to get the main roads back in order, but progress was slow—too many refugees needed to be sheltered and rehomed. At first, there were some looters who took advantage of the chaos to line their own pockets, but they were quickly made an example of and executed by hanging. The swaying corpses kept Linda’s greed in check. On the other hand, Cleo made a game out of robbing every guardian the duo encountered.
Someone rapped on the carriage’s window, causing Linda to jump and whip her head around. She hesitated before climbing out of bed and pushing the curtain aside. A smiling face greeted her, its nose pressed against her window. Linda screamed and cursed as she fell backwards, causing Cleo to jump up and look around. The door to the carriage creaked and opened. “It’s just me, eldest daughter of the Ingel’s. Remember me?” Miriam asked as she walked inside and closed the door.
“What the hell was that?” Linda asked and threw her bottle of ointment at Miriam. A wall of wind stopped it in midair. “Do you enjoy scaring people shitless?”
“It’s a hobby of mine, yes,” Miriam said and nodded as she made herself comfortable and sat on the floor. “Must be part of the reason why I was expelled from the capital, I’m sure.” She clapped her hands once and the smiling expression on her face vanished. “Have you considered my offer?”
“The one that’ll get me executed if I join you?” Linda asked and snorted. “I’m sure the best way to persuade someone is to stand outside their window at night.”
“Have you seen the entrance to the capital?” Miriam asked, pretending not to notice Linda’s disgruntled expression. She completely disregarded Cleo who was muttering to herself on the bed.
“No,” Linda said. “The roads are too convoluted. We’re heading to Hailing, but we haven’t seen the main gates even once.”
Miriam nodded. “The guardians are purposely leaving debris on the roads to prevent carriages from approaching the capital,” she said. “It’s not a surprise. But what about the people on foot? The refugees whose homes have been destroyed? A little bit of debris won’t stop them.”
“You’re talking like a goblin merchant,” Linda said and furrowed her brow. “It’s past midnight. I’ve had a long day. My neck is killing me. Can you just get straight to the point? I don’t want to think of answers to any questions, unless the question is ‘how do I get this crazy woman to leave my carriage?’”
“I’m crazy?” Miriam asked and narrowed her eyes.
“An angel of humility and pride,” Linda said. “If that’s not crazy, then my name isn’t Linda Bael. Oh, wait, it is. Get the hell out of my carriage.”
“Someone’s upset at a little prank,” Miriam said as her expression relaxed.
“Someone’s about to bite your ass,” Linda said and smoothed out her pajamas before sitting down. “And it’s not me.”
Miriam’s brow furrowed as she glanced at the bed. It was empty. She squealed and jumped as her backside felt like it was set on fire. Cleo spat out a piece of cloth as she crawled back into bed and covered her head with a pillow. Miriam looked at Linda with tears in her eyes. “W-what was…? I don’t even…. It hurts. What the heck!?”
Linda shrugged. “It’s your fault for waking her up,” she said. “Consider it payback for that stunt you pulled earlier.” She scooted over into Miriam’s line of sight, keeping the bed behind herself. “What were you saying earlier about the entrance to the capital?”
Miriam bit her lower lip. “Tomorrow, when the first sun sets,” she said and glared at Linda while standing up. “Be there. You’ll regret it for the rest of your life if you miss it—that is, if you’re even alive afterwards.” She whirled around and stomped out of the carriage, covering her exposed skin with her hands.
“Hey, wait!” Linda shouted as she scrambled to the door, but Miriam was nowhere in sight. Linda furrowed her brow and looked up. A shadow was flying away. Linda scratched her head and closed the door, making sure to lock it this time.
“What was that about?” Cleo asked when Linda appeared at the bedside.
“If you didn’t bite her, maybe we would’ve found out more,” Linda said and rolled her eyes. “There’s definitely something going on with the civilians though. She wouldn’t have mentioned them otherwise. Do you think she got them to join her group of dissenters?”
Cleo shrugged as she yawned and rubbed her eyes. “I don’t know. And I don’t care,” she said and scratched her belly. Her hand disappeared beneath her belt. A second later, she raised a necklace with a golden, eagle-shaped pendant on it. “What do you think?”
“That’s the Ingel family’s design,” Linda said as she received the necklace. “Did you…?”
“Of course,” Cleo said and pouted. “I was having a really good dream until she ruined it. It’s only fair if she suffers as well.”
“But you can’t even sell this to anyone,” Linda said and handed the necklace back to Cleo. “It’s worthless.”
“One man’s treasure is also my treasure,” Cleo said as she made the necklace disappear. “And you can never have too many treasures. Now hurry up and go to sleep. We have a busy day tomorrow. There’s much sitting around that needs to be done.”