Chapter XXXVI (36)

  Mitsuko didn’t have Holly’s illusions to make herself invisible or divination spells to completely remove any chance of detection, but she still knew how to tail an enemy. It was a skill that had taken years to acquire but was absolutely necessary in service to the Hon Empire. Especially as a non-mage.

  “Ugh. This end of the city is dreadful,” Sterling commented as he circled around a muddy purple puddle. “I see that poverty has not been resolved in the last millennium. You all continue to disappoint me. When will I discover the marvels of the modern era?”

  Mitsuko said nothing. Sterling couldn’t be heard by those around them, but her replies would be verbal and therefore risked destroying her tailing efforts.

  Gina had led them out of the central end of the city and to the edges by the ocean. It seemed the slums of the city had been built in this direction. People here were more resigned than shocked by the Prismatic Spiral’s appearance. If life had been interrupted by the dome’s arrival, the residents here had already gotten over it.

  If not for Gina constantly stopping and looking around herself conspicuously, Mitsuko might have assumed the woman was just staggering home for the day after drinking a few too many whiskeys. She finally arrived at an inn. Thankfully, it was not the one she’d mentioned Fuku had been staying in. Of course, that may have been a lie. Mitsuko decided to proceed with great caution.

  Instead of directly following through the front door, Mitsuko snatched up a rock from the ground. She rolled it in her fingers, debating her next best move. Well…perhaps not the best move, but the most interesting. This was a low stakes endeavor that she was pursuing out of curiosity and to distract herself from the real issue on hand. Even in the worst case scenario, if she was locked up by the city guards, she could find a way to make use of that. She wouldn’t mind chatting with that prisoner again that she met in her first loop. Getting information from someone in a cell next door tended to be easier than interrogating them directly.

  But that was besides the point. She had no intention of getting caught. She carefully examined each of the buildings nearby. She wanted one out of sight. And the street that was still close enough to be heard and within her spell’s aura.

  She lobbed the stone at a window. It left a fist sized hole as the glass tinkled to the surrounding ground. But, before anyone could investigate, she cast Mend on the shattered glass. It sealed itself back into place without an issue, leaving behind only a rock inside the now undamaged building.

  As she expected, people meandered over towards the direction of the noise. And a pair of street boys tossing a ball bolted away, clearly not wanting to be blamed for any damage.

  It moved the majority of the attention nearby over to that end of the street and let Mitsuko slip into an alley behind the inn with ease. A flick of her wrist and a blade of ice appeared.

  This time, instead of breaking a window out right, she wedged her sword between the sill and frame, then pried it open. The latch popped, breaking with significantly less fanfare than shattered glass. Mitsuko slipped in, followed by Sterling, then Mended the latch. It was as if she’d never touched it.

  “I can’t say I ever bothered pursuing this use of my incredibly rare and powerful spell,” Sterling said as he prowled about the dark laundry room. Sheets were set up to dry and there was a slight breeze in the air, likely from a cheap enchantment to help dry wet cloth.

  “Interesting that you never bothered to fix things,” Mitsuko said quietly. “It seems like a pretty obvious use of the spell.”

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  “Don’t be obtuse. I meant breaking and entering domiciles I have not been invited into.”

  “No. I suppose you work in the opposite direction. Trapping people inside places. I don’t recall being invited into this whole arrangement with your spiraling loop.”

  “You are incredibly ungrateful. After this is all over you may very well be the most powerful being in the world.” He paused and mulled over his statement before amending it. “Save for perhaps the Labyrinth Sekai. But he barely counts as a being.”

  Mitsuko was tempted to use her question to ask about the labyrinth. But no. That was a problem taken care of. Not something she needed to pry into.

  “I hardly think fixing glass puts me on the same level as near godhood.”

  Sterling mumbled a slew of archaic profanities but didn’t rise to her bait and offer up any free information. He was unfortunately getting better at that. She’d need to be more tactful in the future.

  Mitsuko navigated her way through the halls and passed into the kitchen. She could hear the noise from the patrons in the next room over. It was just a matter of getting in without drawing attention and locating Gina.

  “Who are you?”

  Mitsuko bit her lip, resisting a sigh. Then turned to face the speaker, a bashful smile now on her face.

  A girl, barely old enough to be hired on as a barmaid, met her gaze with wide eyes. She looked uncomfortable, fidgeting and looking over her shoulder. Mitsuko regretted her current posture. This girl could have been lied to more effectively if she’d taken a more confident stance. A story about being a maintenance worker or a messenger would likely have opened more avenues for further snooping. Still, she followed through with her original lie.

  “Sorry. My cat escaped,” Mitsuko said, scooping up Sterling just as he attempted to leap away. “I chased him in here.”

  “Ma doesn’t allow pets inside. Especially not the kitchen. I wanted a dog and she refused.”

  An innkeeper’s daughter. Mitsuko felt a nostalgic pang pierce her heart and a small bond of kinship with the girl. She hadn’t thought about her family’s inn in years. But there would be time for reminiscing later.

  “I understand. He’s a bit of an asshole that doesn’t follow rules. Promise I won’t let him inside again after this.”

  “Ma says animals take after their owners.”

  “You are more akin to a pet of mine than the other way around,” Sterling said, offended. “I will not stand by this slander that I am acquiring any of your attributes when you are quite literally exploiting my advanced years of skill to leech talent off of me.”

  Mitsuko ignored the cat. “Can you point me in the direction of the exit? I kind of got all turned around.”

  The girl pointed at a door into the dining area. Sterling continued to complain, only audible to Mitsuko.

  “Do you have like a sack I could put him in?” Mitsuko asked. “I don’t want to get your inn in any trouble.”

  “I will not be going into a sack like a moldy turnip!” Sterling squirmed about in her arms but she held firm. He took out his claws and attempted to scratch his way to freedom. But Mitsuko simply Mended the minor wounds, much to the sage’s extreme frustration.

  The innkeeper’s daughter handed over a burlap sack and Mitsuko dumped him inside. Then she let the girl escort her over to the exit.

  Mitsuko pushed open the door and immediately scanned the dining hall for Gina. Sure enough, the gossip sat with her back to the kitchen, instead facing the front door. Mitsuko debated figuring out how to take a seat nearby. Then the man sitting across from Gina turned his head slightly. He had a chiseled jaw peppered in stubble and hair tied up a clean bun. His face was handsome. At least, Mitsuko had thought so nearly a decade ago when she’d first begun dating him.

  Somehow, after five years apart, Akuto had tracked her across the ocean and found her in the Prismatic Archipelago. Her ex-fiancé once again had gone out of his way to reinsert himself into her life.

  “Well, shit.”

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