For the first time since their departure, the landscape started to change. There had been nothing but deserted plains with a sprinkle of minute bushes here and there ever since the knight and the half-elf had taken the west roads, but they had now covered enough distance that small hills were starting to become visible, and with them, the dark green of the woods.

"Roads" was perhaps too flattering of a term; they had been mostly traveling on an unmarked pathway that simply had slightly less vegetation than its surroundings. That too, however, was now changing as Noel and Flare made their way to the nearest village. The dirt path through the greenery hadn't quite turned to stone yet, as it did anywhere close to big cities, but footprints and hoof marks showed people had passed through it at least semi-recently.
"Do you think we'll make it to a village before nighttime?" asked Flare.

"We should…" Noel knew there was no point consulting the map the knights had given her, for it highlighted only the most important cities. "The elder said we'd arrive just before sundown if we rushed."

"I can't wait to get there!" Flare beamed, her voice filled with joy. "I wonder how different it is from our village."

For a moment, Noel felt a tinge of guilt for not enjoying herself as much as Flare was. It hardly could be helped, however. What she was doing was, after all, a crime. If it was found out that she was evading conscription, not only she but also the people of the village would suffer consequences. Still, the decision was already made, and she would not go back on it.

I should just think about what to do from now on. I'll need to buy new clothes when we arrive… This armor will be far too conspicuous once we get to bigger towns. Hopefully they'll sell some casual outfits here… We have no idea of the size of this village. Or how long it will take to get there. My butt hurts… It's been years since I rode a horse for this long.

"Noel? Are you okay?" Flare's sudden question awoke the knight from her thoughts.

"Ah… I'm sorry. I was just caught up in thinking."

"I see…"

As the path led them deeper into the woods, they found themselves completely surrounded by lush greenery. Rays of yellow sunlight filtered through the leaves, and songbirds chirped away happily. Around them, bees and butterflies fluttered busily from flower to flower, and the wind brought in a pleasant cool. Despite their situation, Noel found herself involuntarily smiling. This picturesque scenario reminded her of her many escapades with Flare in the forest adjacent to the village. She must not have been the only one, for she suddenly felt the half-elf hugging her from behind.

"Flare?"

"I know this is risky. And I wish we hadn't needed to leave the village." She spoke almost in a whisper, head resting on Noel's shoulder. "But I'm glad to be here with you. And I hope you feel the same."

Noel felt her face heating up. She silently admonished herself for making Flare worry over her.

"Flare… Of course I do! I was just a bit melancholic, that's all. And don't worry - this next village can't be all that different from ours. You won't experience culture shock or anything. Probably."

"I think I'll be fine as long as I am with you." Flare smiled, and Noel turned her face away, hoping she hadn't noticed her reddened cheeks.

Although its trot showed no signs of slowing down, the horse was slowly but surely becoming tired after the many hours of riding. Just as Noel was worrying they'd have to sleep outside, she spotted the columns of smoke that indicated the presence of human life. Relieved, she heaved a large sigh.

"Flare, look! We're almost there… Huh?"

The elf, arms wrapped around Noel's waist and head on her back, had her eyes closed.

"How did you fall asleep like this…" Noel chuckled silently.

They had woken up early, true, but she had never seen anyone sleeping on horseback before.

"Just a bit more, okay? You must be tired too." Noel spoke to the animal, gently caressing its neck.

As they approached their destination, Noel took the time to take a good look at the village they were about to enter. It was of modest size by the kingdom's standards, but still many times bigger than the one they had come from. Unlike it, this town had not just one, but several roads that connected to it, and an equal number of entrances in its round wooden palisade. In some, Noel could see caravans or individuals on foot lining up to enter. Perhaps unsurprisingly though, the entrance connected to the road they were traveling on showed no signs of activity. Inside, she could see dozens of buildings lined up against each other and in the distance, a stone-built palace that towered over the town.

If this place is large enough to have a lord's mansion, then I guess my fears were unfounded. We won't have problems finding somewhere to sleep or shop. Noel thought.

"Flare? Wake up. We've arrived." Noel gently shook Flare until her eyes opened.

"Hmm?" the elf blinked slowly. "Oh. Woah…"

A sleepy Flare gaped at the sight of the large town walls they were now approaching.

"That's where we're staying?" she questioned.

"Mhm. Could you get our papers?"

In most towns, those attempting to enter needed some sort of identification confirming their identity before they were allowed to do so. These could theoretically be given by anyone with enough political power, but usually one needed to get them from those who governed or were otherwise responsible for a village or town. In the case of Noel and Flare, their papers had been made and stamped by the village chief, who had used a special seal passed down from his ancestors to prove their authenticity. Flare promptly took them out of their bag just as they arrived at the entrance.

"Excuse me?" Noel called.

A lone, teenage-looking guard sat against the wall, eyes half-closed. He seemed quite surprised at the sudden voice, nearly dropping his halberd in an attempt to quickly get into position.

Noel chuckled silently at the young boy's clumsy demeanor. He must have been a new guard, forced into the least interesting post. She had been in a similar position, not that many years ago.

"Em… Good evening. Your traveling papers, please."

The knight dismounted and handed him the stamped letters.

"Thank you… Please give me a moment."

He disappeared behind the walls, coming back just a minute later.

"Okay, everything's alright. That'll be ten gold, please."

Noel couldn't help but frown. Ten gold was a very high fee to enter what was still quite a remote village. It was almost as much as a merchant would have to pay to get into the capital. Had prices really gone up that much in the few years she had been away?

The boy must have noticed the hesitation on her face, for he suddenly opened his mouth.

"It's because of the war." His voice had an apologetic tone. "There are just too many people fleeing south, and everything's full. I've heard larger towns have had to charge triple their normal amount just to keep the place from overflowing."

"I see… Do you think we'll be able to find lodging?" Noel asked, suddenly worried.

His face contorted.

"It… will probably be difficult. Last I checked, nearly every inn was packed. But maybe you'll get lucky."

The guard stood aside and motioned the two girls to pass. Holding the horse reins in her hand, Noel went in, followed by an excited Flare.

"Wow…" Flare couldn't suppress her surprise. Most buildings were taller and sturdier-looking than anything back home, where it was rare to see a two-storied house. Not to mention the people. With evening approaching, many were either returning to their houses or visiting the local taverns, and there was even a proper carriage not too far away from them. The streets were not packed by any measure, but to Flare, who had never left her small village, the crowd was dizzying.

"How is it?" Noel questioned, somewhat amused at the elf's astonished expression.

"It's…. big. Everything is huge. And there are so many people. I sort of knew already, but… our village really was small, huh? This isn't even considered a large town, right?"

"Well… Not really. But based on what the guard back there said, it's way more crowded than normal here."

Flare suddenly remembered the situation they were in.

"Right! What will we do about the lodging?"

"I don't know… I was thinking of having a look around to see what we could find." admitted Noel.

"I'm not against sleeping in the forest if we have to. I'm still a half-elf, after all!" Flare proclaimed, taking her fist to her chest.

Noel couldn't help but laugh at her eagerness. Nonetheless, as much as camping outside with her would certainly make for an amusing adventure, the knight couldn't help but long for a soft bed and a hearty meal at a tavern. Meat was rare in the village, as although she had gotten used to a more rough lifestyle, she had to admit she missed the luxuries of the larger cities, especially now that they were somewhat within reach.

"I wouldn't mind it either, but I think we should try our luck first."

"No rooms here either…"

This was the fifth establishment they had gone in, and much like the others, it had been completely full. The owner had pitied them but insisted there was nothing he could do. Apparently, even rooms usually reserved for apprentices or employees had been rented out. They had managed a meager victory: a certain stable had enough space to accommodate their large horse for the night, though the price had been high. However, it didn't look like there was any place left for them to sleep, and Noel was almost ready to give up.

"It can't be helped." Noel sighed. "It doesn't look like we'll be able to get a bed tonight."

"Right… I know the guard said this place was crowded, but to think it was this bad…" Flare frowned.

"We have to at least buy supplies. And I need something to wear other than this armor, especially since news of the war has spread this much."

"True." Flare looked around. "How about that shop?"

The half-elf pointed to an old building, built of both stone and wood. It was quite small, with the words "General Store" written on a simple wooden board placed on top of the entrance.

Noel thought it looked a bit decrepit, but with the sun setting and most places starting to close up for the day, they didn't have the luxury to look around for anything better.

"Excuse us…" She murmured as they went in.

The store was nearly empty, save for the clerk and a single customer. Despite the tacky exterior, inside all sorts of wares were neatly organized, and it wasn't long until Noel and Flare were browsing through the available clothes.

"Haah… I still can't believe there's really nowhere to stay." Noel complained. "If this place is so packed, I wonder how the port town will be. Will we actually be able to find a boat?"

"I'm not sure… But there's nothing we can do about it right now." retorted Flare. "We shouldn't worry about that before we get there."

"I guess… It's just stressful." sighed the knight.

"We'll find a solution. What do you think of getting these, by the way?"

Flare was holding up lingerie that would definitely not hide the essentials.

"I am NOT wearing that! I don't even need new underwear!" exclaimed a furious Noel to the giggling elf.

In the end, Noel chose a white sweater with a dark top to match. At Flare's suggestion, and despite her initial hesitation, she had also bought a dark checkered skirt, something she hadn't worn since childhood.

"You'll look so cute!" gushed Flare as they exited the store, the city quickly becoming enveloped in darkness as dusk settled in.

"I'm still not sure about this…" She muttered. Though she knew there was no way to know how much money they would need moving forward, it still felt quite unfair to Noel that Flare hadn't gotten to buy any new clothes for herself.

"Hey, you two!"

The two girls turned back. The voice that had called to them belonged to the other customer that had been in the store with them. Noel had only given her a passing glance since she had been focused on her own shopping, but now that she was standing in front of her, she couldn't help but notice…

Her outfit was seriously wild.

It consisted of a top and a dangerously short skirt that matched her scarlet pigtailed hair and left her belly exposed, save for a bodysuit worn beneath. Her footwear was a pair of high heels, and she was also dressed in a coat Noel had only seen ship captains wear and that was far too big on her, hiding her hands under the sleeves. To top it off, the woman donned a strange hat and a black eyepatch with a heart mark.

Ah… She's crazy.

Noel turned around and pulled Flare away. Having lived in a tight-knit community for so long, she couldn't know about the weirdos that popped out in the bigger cities at times.

"...Hey, wait!" The strange woman shouted, which only made Noel quicken her pace.

"See Flare, sometimes people like this show up in more populated places. You should just ignore them." she advised.

"Huh…" replied a confused Flare.

"Please wait! I can help you!" The woman had run after them and was now panting with her hands on her knees.

Ugh, she's persistent… Thought Noel. And how is she out of breath already?!

"What is it?" asked the knight. She hovered her hand above her mace.

"I overheard you two talking. You need a boat right? I have one stationed at the port town. I can help you get wherever you want to go."

Noel widened her eyes. If this was true, it would definitely ease their burden. But…

"Why are you telling us this?" Flare was the one to question her, much to the knight's surprise.

"Well… The ship does need a little bit of cleaning, and I sort of don't have a crew at the moment… But if you two are willing to help me on the trip, I can take you anywhere free of charge." The lady in front of them answered, sounding almost embarrassed.

A ship without a crew sounds far too fishy. It sucks, but I'll just have to say-

"That sounds great!"

"Flare?!" exclaimed Noel. She hadn't expected her to accept an offer from a person they had just met. Even if she had been a sheltered child, she should know better.

The woman's face lit up.

"Really? Thank you so much!"

"No no no, I haven't agreed to anything!" protested Noel.

"Why not? I don't think we'll find a better offer anywhere. You were worrying about not finding a boat, right?" complained the half-elf.

"We can't just trust the first person we see on the street! Much less someone as suspicious-looking as her!"

"I can hear you…"

"If we can get boarding for free, that solves one of our biggest problems, doesn't it? We'll have more funds saved up. And we won't need to sell the horse." argued Flare.

"But still!"

Their bickering continued for a while until the strange woman coughed to get the pair's attention. She hadn't planned on using her trump card today, but these two were her only chance. If she wanted to sail… If she ever wanted to become more than just a farce, she would have to do it.

"Oh! You said you couldn't find lodging tonight, right? Well, if you accept my deal, I guarantee I can find you a room at an inn! You'll have to share it, though."

These words silenced the pair immediately. Noel was the first to respond.

"...Do you mean that?"

"Of course. I never go back on my word."

The knight pondered for a moment. She still thought there was something amiss about this woman, and not only because she had been stealing glances at Flare's chest. But the half-elf seemed convinced of her good intentions, and if she truly could get them a room, they would be in her debt.

"Haah… Fine." sighed Noel. "We'll take you up on your offer. However, I need more details. I don't want to travel with a stranger I know nothing about for days only to find out they've been trying to deceive us all along."

"Yes, of course!" She jumped and vigorously shook Noel's hand. "Thank you so much, miss…?"

"My name is Shirogane Noel."

"And I'm Shiranui Flare. Nice to meet you!"

"I'm the seventeen-year-old beauty, captain of the Houshou Pirates, Houshou Marine! It is my pleasure to meet you, miss Noel, miss Flare."

"Seventeen?"
"Captain? You just said you had no crew. And what do you mean pirates?"

"Follow me! I'll guide you two to the inn!"

"Wow, she just totally ignored us,"

"Will we really be okay with this person…" Noel sighed for what felt like the hundredth time that day.