This is not a stroll

*sigh*

'Feels like a dream now...'

The memory prompted Meiris to gaze at the God's Compass. Its existence was mentioned in the basics of astronomy, but if not for one of those days, she wouldn't know its use.

In hindsight, that was fairly easy to figure out. But it was only a part of a recurring theme, as she had noticed. It made her realize how small the large world of nobles really was.

While mostly justified, the choices on what knowledge she was supposed to posses or not didn't satisfy her.

Either way, these memories were things she would now hold onto. There wouldn't be a domain for her to rule over anymore.

***

For a long time the only humans Meiris encountered were the occasional guard patrols. Their number increased slightly ever since she crossed the eastern main road - that was before she reached the inn - but they were still easy enough to avoid.

There was a lit window on the ground floor of the inn, likely awaiting any adventurers returning late from their travels. But it was only after passing it that she spotted the first few human silhouettes of the night that weren't clad in the empire's armor.

The hour was late even for a bar to be open, other than a few places along the southern main road. That's where she guessed these people came from. Three of the four silhouettes were swaying in a telling manner.

The southern avenue was the most important. It originated at the castle's main gate, ran by several noble households and major businesses, all the way out of the city. Then, among other options, it continued south through the largest cities on its way to the empire. Specifically to the capital of a region ruled by the empire's sixth high official.

In terms of Meiris' way out, the road was an option to avoid the slums. Whether useful - that was up to her internal debate.

Other than along the four main roads, the slums neither had lamps nor patrols during the night. That was on top of their supervision being less thorough in general. A fact that some people made use of. Meiris herself wasn't oblivious to stories about thievery, kidnappings or worse things that went on - if not only - there. While at the same time, judging from the one-off experience she had, the people living in the slums didn't seem all that troubled. But of course that wasn't enough to lift her doubts completely.

The issue with the southern avenue was that it was well-lit and heavily patrolled. Though that wasn't all. Each major road leading into the city had a small fortification with a gate. The city was too large to wall it off fully. Or rather, the investment was too expensive to prioritize for the royals. Still, Meiris had already escaped the castle in bright daylight, so in comparison this should have been far easier to tackle.

Which is why she would stick by the avenue once she reached the slums.

***

Everything was going smoothly. Meiris had to hide in the branching alleys or take minor detours quite often to avoid unwanted confrontations, but that was all.

She was feeling even lighter mentally than before. A little careless.

Then the sound of glass breaking filled the street.

"What-"

'...'

While crossing in front of a tavern, Meiris bumped into someone who must have left it just when her gaze drifted to a clothing shop on the other side of the road. It grabbed her attention because it was oddly nicely lit for the area.

Then again, any business by the southern avenue could aim for rich clients, so several mana lamps were no big investment. Even in the slums.

The tavern had actually closed around an hour earlier, but the man was a friend of the place's owner. He received a glass bottle on his way out. A bottle that now laid shattered on the pavement, the burgundy liquid it once held seeping in-between the tiles.

The man was about to get angry, but his confusion would first turn into disappointment. Wine wasn't cheap for anyone living in the slums. Most just didn't care to get anything fancier than beer, but he liked the taste. It reminded him of his better days.

Meanwhile, he wasn't the only person analyzing what just happened.

"So you wi-"

He began saying while turning around, since Meiris hit him from behind. His movements were a little uncertain, probably because of the alcohol in his veins.

As for her- She started running towards the alley she was hiding in a moment earlier.

"Huh? HEY!"

The man screamed after Meiris once it dawned on him that she had no intention of repaying him for the wine, but none of the words ever reached her.

The panic had already overcome her mind. It wasn't exactly the idea of the man catching her that was scary. Though that wouldn't have been ideal on its own, her real fear were the knights that turned to look at the commotion she caused.

She would get recognized. Whether by those three she saw in the corner of her eye, or after the arrest. That was if they didn't kill her on the spot for being a ghost or the things she stole once they realized what they were.

After crossing two streets, the pathways she ran through turned into a maze. A result of people building houses in the slums wherever there was space.

She sprinted straight east, as much as it was possible. The line of sight behind her was maybe 50 meters at most either way.

A short while later she stopped to listen-

But it was quiet. Save for an ominous creaking sound made by a sign that hung nearby.

'Are they not following?

'...'

"Haaa..."

She's seen a lot of knights today and yesterday -as it was a few hours past midnight - but when they looked precisely at *her* in front of that tavern... Maybe if she still had her guard up it wouldn't have caused such a shock.

And there was something else. In that moment she recalled a memory- It was gone now. The only thing that remained was her surprise from the moment it showed up. Whatever it was, she knew it shouldn't have been hers. So why was it?

Another question she didn't know the answer to.

'Alright. That's alright.

'I was almost at the gate, so it should be at most a quarter of an hour left without the patrols...'

The gates were built two centuries ago and no longer marked the capital's edge.

Though the city's growth wasn't as rapid as it used to be. Many of the buildings that far out were abandoned, collapsing.

'Just be careful, this is not a stroll.

'Ah really...'

Meiris shook her head. She shouldn't have had to remind herself that. Her situation was far too complicated to become careless. Even if it helped her get away from her past...

She glanced at the sky to confirm where the north was, then began heading in the opposite direction.

Unluckily for Meiris, someone had been watching her run through the slums. They also saw the guards that ran after her across a few intersections, before giving up. The knights used some techniques, but Meiris had too large of a head start. At least for the little trouble she had caused.

Unaware of it all, she kept walking.

Along the way she passed by a large run-down building. The sign making the creaking sound was mounted above its door, the contents obscured by the night.

The slums were much darker than the wealthier portion of the city that she's been in so far. No lanterns and no lit windows. They looked dead at night. Until she spotted the red light of a cigarette in an alley to her left. Though the person smoking it hardly seemed alive.

Because it was so hard to see, she stumbled over a broken basin that was left in the middle of the path.

"Ack-"

The sudden noise made her jump back a short distance.

She squinted at her surroundings- And then continued around the obstacle. Even though she broke the last standing piece of wood that was attached to the basin's bottom.

However, a moment later she heard footsteps rapidly approaching on her right.

There was no time to think about it- Meiris started running instantly when she heard them and took a quick turn left. Hopeful she would lose them before they got here.

But the reality wasn't so kind.

"OY! Ahead of you!"

A man shouted from behind her back.⠀To whom?

Didn't matter. She kept running in-between the buildings. Frantically trying to escape whoever was after her. Starting to doubt whether it was the knights.

'Left, right... Damn it-'

Some of the paths had a hint of pavement, but the pathway she just took was filled with mud. Probably created by sewage. She barely kept her balance when she stepped into the puddle.

When she regained a sort of footing, a woman blocked her path. The lower part of her face was covered with a cloth and even though it was dark- It was obvious she wasn't wearing the knights' armor.

In a split second Meiris made the decision to sprint through a very narrow passage, present in-between two houses on her right, barely escaping the woman's grasp.

The gap was so thin it should have been impossible to run through it. That is if one excluded Meiris' ability to pass through objects.

Her cloak caught a little on a few uneven bits of the walls, but that was inevitable. She only had the time to roll up its sleeves.

The woman certainly didn't expect this, but she didn't waste time either. She gave the man a sign to wait here, while she cuts off their target. They couldn't chase in parallel, because the girl they were after moved in near complete silence, meaning she could turn around and they would never know. Of course that only added to her potential value. Her issues with the authorities seeming like a signed contract.

Meanwhile Meiris reached some kind of an opening, surrounded by several more buildings. There was the passage behind her, and a cart-wide path ahead. She could continue along it, but there was another way.