Chapter 9.5: An interlude with Salma !

When they were separated at Auroria Castle, each of them had been transported to the four corners of Auroria. Salma had found herself in the south of the city. With her power, she had also received battle sickles whose blades looked like flames surrounding a sun. Indeed, she had obtained this power from a statuette depicting an angelic warrior holding a sun in the palm of her hands.

Naturally cheerful, she had no trouble reaching out to others with a most infectious smile. Two days after her arrival, she joined a kind of guild where she could find a variety of missions, from helping people in need, such as the elderly, to more perilous tasks, such as hunting monsters around the city or capturing criminals.

Salma took on small missions whenever she could, earning a little money from them and from the generosity of the people she helped, who appreciated her personality and kindness.

One morning, a week after their separation, Salma stepped out of her temporary home, which she rented for twenty coins a week. She wore a simple outfit, including the tunic Gaspard had given her after the teleportation, and straps around her chest supporting the sickles on her back.

With the money she'd earned on her missions, she'd bought herself a ring, a small satchel and new shoes, as she couldn't stand the leather ones he'd given her. She headed for the guild, which, contrary to what one might think, was not in a building, but in an open-air square outside with only small marquees to protect the posters in case of bad weather. The city hadn't invested much in these activities, which weren't as important as they once had been.

She examined the posters, almost all of which were identical to those of the previous day, except for one that caught her eye. It's a wanted poster for a criminal, certainly a thief from the description. The poster states that the imperial guard wants him alive, offering a reward of one hundred coins for his capture.

A drawing of his face accompanies the text, although it's mysterious because half his face is hidden by a scarf. We can nevertheless make out his red hair and a tattoo on his cheek, which protrudes from the scarf and extends to the bottom of his green, piercing eye. The description states that he purposely intercepted a letter from a colonel of the Imperial Guard to a high-ranking official of a certain Silver Fortress. The contents of the letter remain unknown, and it is advised not to open it if anyone manages to arrest him.

"It must surely be important to them given the bounty, this guy must be pretty damn cunning to intercept a letter from the guard, from a colonel no less," she thinks to herself.

She takes the poster, even though she's not really interested, thinking it might come in handy if she runs into him. She leaves the square without taking anything else with her, thinking that a little training outside the city wouldn't do her any harm. Since her arrival, she hasn't really taken her new situation seriously, preferring to help others and have fun. She uses her powers instinctively, thanks to her blades, which act as magical catalysts, making access to magic easy and intuitive for her.

She made one last stop at a small bakery, where she bought some small cakes which she stuffed into a bag for her breakfast. She ate them as she walked towards the city's western entrance, realizing that she had never explored this part of the city. Until now, since she'd been staying in the south all this time.

Once there, she was amazed by this new facet of the city, radically different from that of the south. The streets were busier, the vehicles were more frequent, but there were fewer nobles here, unlike in the central part of the south.

Suddenly, a noise far away caught her attention, and her eyes widened at what she discovered: a steam train, similar to those in our world, parked in a magnificent stone station. She approached the station, fascinated and shocked to find such a marvel in this world. On the sign at the entrance, she read the destinations of the only two trains: one served Alizea, while the other served Dikaf. Further down, an inscription indicated that a third train connected these two cities, but that it obviously didn't pass through West Auroria station.

"Salma?"

She gasped as she heard a male voice calling her name. She hadn't expected to be addressed by her first name here. She turned around, blushing in embarrassment, not knowing who could possibly be the person calling behind her. Her eyes fell on a young man taller than her, dressed in a tunic similar to her own, but much more worn and battered. A long trident hung from his back by a strap around his torso like hers. She recognized him immediately.

"K... Klaus?! What are you doing here?" She exclaimed.

"I'm the one who should be asking that question. I've been on the west side of the city since the beginning. You're in different parts of town, aren't you?" Klaus questioned.

"Well, yes. Personally, I was in the southern one and thought I'd explore the west a bit before leaving the city for some training..."

She was still a little embarrassed. She noticed again the pitiful state of Klaus's clothes and the smell he gave off and asked him why. He replied that he spent his time outside the city, training every day.

"But don't you take breaks? And where do you live?" Salma asked.

"Outside. I camp and eat what I hunt. Then I earn a little money protecting traveling merchants who want to reach Auroria."

"That explains the smell... But don't you have enough to afford a small place to live or some new clothes? You're really not presentable, dammit!" She said, plugging her nose and gesturing with her hand.

"It's all superficial! We've only two months to train, I don't want to waste my time with this futilities."

"Men, I swear... Follow me, I'll buy you something."

He followed her to a bar she'd noticed earlier. They entered and took a table inside, leaning against a window overlooking the station and the crowded central square. Sitting opposite each other, she ordered two sunflower-infused teas from the waiter.

"Where do you know these drinks from? And why the sunflower obsession here?" Klaus questioned.

"You shouldn't judge like that when you're so unpresentable." She said, teasing him.

"That's okay, how many times are you going to tell me that...?"

She sketched a slight giggle, resting her head in her hands, elbows on the table. She explained that she often drank these teas in a similar little bar close to her home, in the south of the city.

"As for the sunflowers, that's simply because they're Auroria's main product. From what I've heard, it goes back to a legend that the Saint loved the flower so much that she helped the local farmers grow it over an entire hill to the east of Auroria. From where I live, I can even see it, it's so pretty!" Salma explained.

Klaus had no reaction to this story, which obviously didn't really interest him. The waiter then arrived with their teas, and they continued chatting about anything and everything, reminiscing about the week they'd just had.

"By the way, Klaus, did your map also show a place you had to get to?" She asks.

"Yes, it was the Western Guild, but I didn't go in. It's not a routine that suits me. I prefer to be on my own, I get much better that way."

"Oh, so you understood straight away how the map worked...," Salma whispered.

"What do you mean?"

"It might have taken me a couple of days to figure out that I had to get to the point it was displaying...," she explained a little embarrassed.

He rubbed his eyes and held back a laugh as she sipped her tea, looking out the window and feeling judged by him. Looking out, she remembers something about the Southern Guild.

"One more thing! I ran into Su-jin at the southern guild two days ago!" exclaimed Salma.

"What was he doing there?"

"He told me he was from the northern district and had completed all his guild's missions. Also, he was wearing clothes from a magic school, apparently. This guy's really serious, it's crazy!"

Klaus remained silent as he heard this. He told himself that Su-Jin had surely made good progress by now, and he refused to believe that he could be stronger than him.

"And Armand? I imagine he's to the east. Haven't you seen him?" He asked.

"No, I haven't, unfortunately. There is a guild to the east, but I've never been there, and neither has Su-jin. I wonder what's become of him, since he doesn't have a catalyst like we have."

"He didn't look like much when we met. I find it hard to believe he'll ever catch us with our advantage." Said Klaus.

"You're tough though... By the way, you didn't really answer me earlier! What do you do with your money, seeing as you don't spend any of it, not even on new clothes?" Salma questioned, raising her voice to annoy him, unable to hide her slight smile.

He sighed after she made yet another remark about his clothes. Then he pointed out the window to the train station and explained that he'd been saving up all week to buy a ticket and get to Alizea.

"Alizea? Why?" she asked.

"Apparently, the climate there is particularly windy. The town's famous for that, as well as for its school of magic specializing in the wind arts, and there's also a very big opera house, but I won't hide from you that I don't care about that. As my powers are linked to the climate, I'd like to train in a place where the weather conditions are just as particular," Klaus explained.

Salma takes out her map to see where this town is, and unrolls it on the table. She sees that Auroria and Alizea are indeed connected by an axis, as indicated on the sign at the station, and that the distance between the two towns is considerable.

"I'm planning to stay there for a while and I'll come back when we all have to join up... . Ah, that reminds me of something important I almost forgot!" he exclaimed.

Confused, Salma watched him search through a small leather bag attached to his belt. He pulls out four gems and places three in front of her on the table.

"What's this?" she wondered.

"I met Gaspard a few days ago. He gave me these gems he forgot to give to us before we left. They're supposed to start glowing on the day we all have to meet again, at Auroria's North Station."

"So there are other stations!" Salma exclaimed.

"Salma... are you sure you've explored the south? There's also a station that leads to Zephiria, the capital of Primis. The one to the north, meanwhile, serves Risoria," he informed.

Salma, embarrassed by her ignorance, looks out of the window again, pretending to drink her tea when her cup has been empty for a while. Finally, she stopped pouting and grabbed the three gems lying on the table.

"You want me to give them these gems if I come across them, is that it?"

"Exactly. And also inform them that the appointment has been moved up a week!"

"Huh? Why a week earlier? The deadline was already tight!" Salma questioned.

"I don't know much more than that. Gaspard told me that an unforeseen event was going to happen a week early and that he thinks it will be the perfect time to confront Cristalluna's vassal."

"Ah, that's right... I'm not looking forward to it at all," she muttered.

" That's another reason to train harder! According to him, the four of us should be able to do it, but I don't intend to leave you anything," he exclaimed proudly.

Klaus stood up, placed his cup on the edge of the table and Salma did the same, leaving four coins to pay for the drinks. They continued talking and headed for the station. Suddenly, a thud escaped from the train's chimney, signaling its imminent departure.

"I really must be going! It was nice to see you again, even if you are as demanding as a mother considering all the reflections I've been getting." Says Klaus.

"Rightly so," Salma replied nonchalantly.

"... Anyway, don't forget what I gave you if you come across them! See you soon!" He said hastily.

He began to run towards the station as Salma watched. But she had an idea. She took out a small woollen bag, slipped in about fifteen coins and called out Klaus's name. He froze when he heard her, even though he was running late. Before he could react, the bag of coins hit his face at full speed, then fell reflexively back into his hands.

"Buy yourself some clothes over there with that! You should be ashamed to get on such a train with a tattered tunic!" she shouted across the street.

Klaus gritted his teeth, but finally smiled. He waved goodbye and thanked her one last time, as the train gave another warning signal. He entered the station, and Salma, who had remained in the main square, lost sight of him.

After a while, she crossed the city's western gate. She put her hand on the straps that held her sickles to her back and gazed at the horizon.

"They all take this so seriously. Maybe I should improve too. One thing's for sure, it's re-motivated me to give it my all!" she thought aloud to give herself courage.

She held out her hand to the sun still high in the sky, her face still smiling and full of energy. Then she clenched her fist and, after a long breath, began to run across the plain, her training finally beginning.

End of chapter 9.5.