"Don’t look so disappointed. I’m sure there are plenty of other ways to spend your money."
"That’s exactly what I’m worried about."
Evelyne laughed.
The two continued down the street, weaving through the crowd. Despite their different backgrounds, they made a rather unusual pair. Mira, a girl born into a commoner’s family in a relatively low realm, possessed a natural curiosity that made even the smallest discoveries exciting. Evelyne, on the other hand, carried herself with the quiet composure of someone raised among nobility.
She was not arrogant. Far from it.
She simply had a certain refinement that could not easily be imitated. Her posture was always graceful, her movements measured, and even when she joked, there was an effortless elegance about her. She had seen too much of the wider world to be overwhelmed by every unfamiliar sight.
Mira, meanwhile, seemed capable of finding something interesting in practically anything.
It was one of the things Evelyne liked about her.
It was also one of the things that occasionally made walking beside her rather exhausting.
After a while, however, Mira’s excitement began to fade. Her gaze dropped from the colorful shops to the road ahead, and the cheerful expression on her face gradually gave way to something more troubled.
"Evelyne?"
"Hmm?"
Mira hesitated before speaking.
"Do you think that letter was telling the truth?"
Evelyne’s expression changed slightly.
She had almost forgotten about the bustling streets around them when Mira brought it up. Almost.
The letter.
Mira had told her about it just yesterday, after spending an entire day trying to decide whether she should reveal its existence at all.
It had arrived on Tuesday, seemingly out of nowhere. There had been no proper explanation, no name attached to it, and certainly no indication of how it had found its way to Mira.
What made the letter particularly strange was its contents.
Hidden within its message was a secret code.
Not just any code, either. It was one that only Mira and a handful of her friends knew.
That alone was enough to make the matter suspicious.
The fact that she had received it so far from home made it even stranger.
Mira had initially considered the possibility that someone was playing a prank on her. Perhaps one of her friends had somehow discovered a way to send the letter. Perhaps someone had overheard them discussing the code.
Or perhaps there was something far more serious behind it.
That last possibility was precisely what had brought her to Kragdeep City.
And, unfortunately for Evelyne, it had also brought Evelyne along with her.
Evelyne’s playful expression disappeared as she considered the question.
"Well," she began slowly, "if the code really is one that only you and a few of your friends know, then I don’t think we can simply dismiss it as a coincidence."
Mira looked at her anxiously.
"So you think it’s real?"
"I think it’s suspicious."
"That’s not the same thing."
"No, it isn’t."
"Evelyne!"
"What? You asked for my opinion, not a comforting lie."
Mira gave her a reproachful look.
Evelyne sighed, though the corners of her lips twitched faintly.
"All right, all right. Let me finish." She glanced at the passing crowd before continuing. "You said you suspected the headmaster might be involved, didn’t you?"
Mira nodded.
"Then I suppose it’s possible. The headmaster has always been rather mysterious, and from what you’ve told me, she possesses the ability to perceive fragments of a person’s past and future. If she saw something concerning you, she might have decided to give you a hand."
"That’s what I thought."
"But don’t get too excited. I said it was possible, not certain."
Mira’s shoulders drooped.
"You could at least pretend to be more reassuring."
"I could." Evelyne smiled sweetly. "But then you might start expecting it."
Mira stared at her for a moment before letting out a helpless sigh.
There really was no winning an argument with this woman.
Still, Evelyne’s suggestion made a certain amount of sense. The headmaster of Aethryndian Academy was hardly an ordinary person. If anyone could uncover a secret without explaining how they had discovered it, she was a reasonable candidate.
And yet, Evelyne was not entirely convinced herself.
The headmaster might be capable of perceiving the past and glimpses of the future, but that did not mean every mysterious event was somehow connected to her.
More importantly, why would anyone target Mira?
She was a commoner from a low realm. She had no powerful family backing her, no prestigious bloodline that anyone knew of, and no obvious political influence.
As far as Evelyne could tell, Mira was precisely the sort of person most people would overlook.
Of course, that did not mean she was insignificant. Evelyne knew better than to judge someone solely by their birth.
But it did make the situation all the more puzzling.
Whoever had sent the letter had gone to considerable trouble to reach Mira.
For what purpose?
Neither of them had an answer.
Evelyne was about to say something more when her eyes suddenly drifted downward.
Specifically, toward the enormous bag hanging from Mira’s back.
She stopped walking.
"Mira."
"Hmm?"
"Why are you carrying that?"
Mira glanced over her shoulder.
"Oh, this?"
"No, the invisible bag behind you. Yes, that one."
Mira blinked, then looked at Evelyne with an expression that suggested she was genuinely considering whether her friend had lost her mind.
Evelyne pointed at the bag. Actually, she already knew all along, since the money to buy it came from her secret stash; she was just having a bit of fun
"That enormous thing. The one that looks as though you’ve packed enough supplies to survive a siege."
"Oh, it’s not that bad."
"Not that bad?"
Evelyne stared at her.
The bag was nearly half Mira’s height. It bulged at the sides, its straps were stretched tight, and judging by the way Mira’s shoulders occasionally shifted beneath its weight, whatever was inside was certainly not made of feathers.
"What’s in it?" Evelyne asked, already thinking what funny reply her cute bestie would give.
"Stinky Boom."