Procession

After a bit of deliberation, I decide to head back to the inn and get some dinner. I make my way through the streets, going with the flow of the crowd. After a while though, I frown. The crowd has grown thick, and it seems like nobody is moving anymore.

Curious, I tap on someone's shoulder. "Any idea what's going on?" He turns to me, his irritated expression lightening up on seeing that it's a cute girl that's bothering him.

"Oh, this? Well fifteen years ago, after the incident, the count and countess stopped showing up in public. But then five years ago they took a carriage ride through the city. People got excited, thinking that they'd finally gotten over their grief. But they never left the carriage. It simply looped around the city, then returned to their estate. Now whenever they go out, it's become kind of an event where everyone tries to catch a glimpse of them through the windows."

"Huh." I tilt my head. "And what was the incident? I'm new to the city so I don't know about it."

He cringes and slowly shakes his head. "Sorry, but…nobody talks about it. It brings back bad memories. For everyone." He turns away before I can press him for more information. Joining in when everyone else cheers as a carriage rolls down the road.

It's a nice carriage. Fancy. I can see runes covering its white exterior, glowing orange. Though they seem a bit…strange. Narrowing my eyes, I realize that I can't actually see the runes themselves, they're obscured by some kind of haze hovering over them. I nod my head in approval.

'They must have some kind of rune of obfuscation written somewhere on it. Smart. Now you won't be able to see what kind of protections are on the carriage.'

Since I have no interest in seeing the nobles, let alone getting involved with them, I start to make my way through the crowd, heading for a side-alley. When I'm halfway there, there's a sudden commotion behind me. Glancing back, I see the carriage shaking a bit.

The crowd around me starts to mutter, worried about what might be going on. I just shrug it off though. Maybe the nobles decided to get it on. I'm not one to kink shame. By the time I get to the alley, the shaking has stopped. I give one last glance behind me before I leave the crowd behind, looking forward to a warm meal and a comfortable bed.

So I'm not there to hear the gasps of shock and excitement when the curtain on the carriage moves and a middle-aged man with short black hair pokes his head out. His slitted eyes peer into the crowd, searching for something. Not seeing what he's looking for, his ears twitch. Though he knew that he wouldn't see her. She's long dead, after all.

With a sigh of resignation, he pulls back inside and closes the curtain. Inside, his wife peers at him, anxiously wringing her tail between her hands. You wouldn't think she's a noble if you saw her outside of the carriage.

Her appearance is bedraggled, her fiery orange hair in disarray as it falls around her. The fur on her tail is sticking up in odd places, parts of it stuck together in clumps. "Well?" She asks her husband.

He sighs. "There was no one catkin with orange hair. As I said, it's not-" He's interrupted by his wife throwing herself at him.

"You're wrong! I saw her, I know I did! You just didn't look hard enough! You gave up just like you did before!"

*Slap*

The crisp sound of skin on skin resounds inside the carriage. The count's eyes stare coldly at the shocked countess. "I looked for her for two years. I followed every lead, every anonymous hint, every ransom note. I walked into a dozen obvious traps for even the slimmest chance that there was any hope that she could still be alive. And you have the nerve to say I gave up on her? No, Chere, I did not give up. I finally accepted reality."

He turns away from her, glaring out of the enchanted curtain that allows them to see out, but no one else to see in.

The countess holds her cheek with one hand as she stares at her husband. She could be mad that he slapped her. She should be, as a matter of principle. But she isn't. She was lashing out, and they both knew it. Her voice is quiet, but it fills the carriage. "I'm sorry."

He glances at her then returns to looking outside. He lets out a slow breath. "I'm sorry as well. I shouldn't have hit you. But I can't really douse you with water to calm you down like we would at home. And the physician says that the sights of the city are good for you. Though maybe we should cut today's outing short…"

"No!" She shouts, but the soundproofing enchantments prevent any sound from leaking out. "No, I am feeling better. So let's continue. We don't get out much anymore, so it's important that we at least make the full round when we do." Her voice holds more conviction than he's heard in years.

He stares at her. "Do you really think that? Or are you just hoping to see a flash of orange ears somewhere in the crowd?" She flinches and looks down, confirming his guess. "...You really think you saw her?"

She looks up at him in conviction. "I swear that I saw a catkin with my family's hair color. You know what that means."

"...I do. But perhaps you were mistaken. Or maybe it was a distant relative-"

"I don't have relatives. You know that just as well as I do." She glares at him and he averts his gaze.

"I'm sorry."

"It's ok. I'm sorry for snapping."

There's silence in the carriage, each of the nobles lost in their own thoughts. The count is the first to speak again.

"Maybe we should schedule more trips around the city. Maybe go off of the main road for once."

She looks at him in surprise. "Really? But…"

He waves off her concern. "Like the physician said, the rides will do you good. And who knows? Maybe we'll find out the truth about what you saw."

She smiles, the brightest smile he's seen in fifteen years. "Thank you. That does sound lovely." They exchange smiles and fall into silence. A comfortable silence.

Unaware of the change soon to be upon the city, I look down at the three corpses lying in front of me. I shrug and store them in my ring, possessions and all. I don't feel like finding some guards to report the attack, and I don't want them to think I'm some kind of troublemaker.

Besides, they're just some random thugs. If they weren't prepared for the consequences they shouldn't have attacked me. I look at my notifications, glad that I figured out how to condense the experience gains.

*Congratulations! You have slain: Three Humans, Unclassed.*

*Congratulations! You have advanced Hand-To-Hand to level 2!*

*Xp gained: 220*

*Congratulations! You are now level seven.*

*You have 5 stat points to allocate.*

I nod my head in satisfaction and distribute my points. Reluctantly, I put two into wisdom and hope that the reset won't make me lose them. Then I even out my dexterity and agility, bringing them both to an even fifteen. For my last point I decide to put it in intelligence, bringing it up to twenty-three and my mana to four-sixty. I nod my head in satisfaction and continue back to the inn.