Nocturne of the Sleepless Black Magician

Late last night, Safi had wandered into this fortress city without knowing that Carnival was taking place. It was almost on a whim. She had simply thought to stay at an inn for the first time in a while and enjoy some good food. She had spent the night without worry, and when she went out for a walk past noon, she was surrounded by guards.

"You there, girl. You must be the culprit."

Saying this out of the blue, they began touching her body with lecherous hands. She was considering flying away just before they touched her vital parts, but was disappointed. The middle-aged guard seemed to be a serious worker, and as soon as he realized there was nothing inside her robe, he immediately stopped the body search. Why did she feel a little disappointed about this...

On the other hand, the young guard was stubborn. This might also have been just work enthusiasm, but he kept repeating "suspicious, suspicious" and wouldn't easily release her. The black magician's peculiar clothing seemed to be unfamiliar in this region, and he muttered things like "truly suspicious."

"For now, we'd like you to come to the castle."

What part of this was "for now"...

Without picking a fight or getting confrontational, Safi obediently complied. She was interested in the strangely shaped castle. It was an innovative and bizarre architectural style, like a snake coiled up.

Safi had seen large castles in other towns, but she understood this was an exception among exceptions. Some guy with loose screws must have built it, and there must be a mad castle lord living there. If it was a sightseeing tour, she'd be delighted. Even if rough villains with bad faces were lurking about, escaping would be easy using magic.

The guards escorting her were the complete opposite of heinous criminals, appearing to be simple country folk who wouldn't steal castle furnishings or embezzle. Really bad guys have terrifying faces, scars on their cheeks, and take advantage of the confusion to touch various places.

"We're going in through the back entrance..."

She couldn't examine the avant-garde internal structure or admire the golden furnishings. After all, she was a prisoner.

From a dirty service entrance at the back of the castle, they went through corridor-like underground passages and threw her into the prison.

Intending to take a nap, she dozed off and ended up sleeping in earnest. Safi's insomnia had been getting worse lately, and she couldn't sleep well even at the inn. Strangely, the hard bed in the prison was cool and comfortable, immediately luring her into the world of dreams. When she woke up, broke out of the cell and went outside, it was night.

What a surprise.

She had learned it was Carnival while in prison. The guard sentries had been talking about it. A troublesome incident had occurred while everyone was excited about the festival... The culprit seemed to be a single girl... she could hear their murmured voices.

And now, having accomplished her jailbreak, she knew it was a big city-wide festival. The depths of the back alleys were quiet, but as she approached the square in front of the castle, darkness was driven away by light, people's clamor increased, and the sound of musical instruments thundered.

Carnival was different from simple village festivals—it was gorgeous, grandiose, and on a completely different scale. However, there wasn't a big stage around the brilliant lighting where crowds watched, just masked men and women holding hands and dancing. It wasn't an entertaining event where singers or dancers performed their arts.

Instead, food stalls lined the corners of the square, and the townspeople were cheerfully drinking and merry. It was a feast for gluttons and drinkers. Safi followed suit, taking position at one stall and gulping down a drink full of fruit juice in one go.

"Young lady, I don't recognize that outfit, are you a traveler?"

The female stall owner said while refilling her drink. It was a line she heard again and again, everywhere. People in the towns and villages she visited usually approached her saying this. It was a bit of small talk that sometimes ended there, and sometimes led to lively conversation. Distinctive clothing wasn't bad equipment for solo travel.

"Well, something like that. This is my first time in this town."

Depending on the person, she often had opportunities to talk with restaurant owners. Meal times were limited, so conversations didn't drag on and could be cut short at the customer's convenience. Inn owners were often talkative too, but those could hold you captive for long periods and sometimes cause suffering. It was troublesome enough when they just complained, but some owners would pry into travelers' personal information down to the last detail.

"There's something I'd like you to tell me about."

This time was different. Safi was the one asking detailed questions. The atmosphere of the fortress city was strange. While Carnival was brilliant and the square bustled with utterly cheerful townspeople, guards prowled the back alleys and continued searching people's belongings. Moreover, their targets were innocent young girls.

"I just arrived in this town yesterday, but there are so many soldier-like people around, I was wondering if something happened at the castle."

"No, I don't know anything about that."

That was all. The townspeople gathered in the square looked happy, and there was no sign of security forces. Something serious had definitely happened and searches continued within the castle walls, but it didn't seem to be public knowledge.

More fireworks were launched. Even the dancing men and women stopped moving to look up. The climax was drawn out with no sign of ending.

"What kind of festival is this?"

Safi switched to a harmless topic. If search activities were being conducted in secret, they wouldn't reach the stall owner's ears.

"Oh, you came without knowing? It's a victory celebration festival."

"Victory?"

"You don't know that either? It's a festival fifty days after winning the war. The soldiers who went far away have returned, and this is a celebration festival for that."

While looking up at the fireworks, the female owner spoke with an enchanted expression. There had been a war, and they had achieved victory in it. She said it was a big conflict that had continued for a long time, but Safi didn't know about it. She didn't remember hearing about it in the towns and villages she had visited before either.

"Oh, I wonder what happened."

The female owner suddenly frowned. Looking in the direction she was gazing, a strangely dressed group was running at full speed. They were men in white robes wearing what looked like long skirts. Illuminated by the launching fireworks, their white clothes were dyed red and yellow.

According to the female owner, the group in white robes were priest and their disciples, who normally would never run. Apparently they weren't allowed to run due to religious precepts or such customs. They appeared to be disciples bound by complicated doctrines.

"Maybe I'll go to the chapel after I close the shop."

Perhaps sensing an ominous atmosphere, she clouded her expression and gazed toward where the white-robed group was running.

❁❁❁ From the Author ❁❁❁

I'm moved that you're reading the second episode too. I thought it was some kind of celebratory gesture. I'm trying to keep chronological changes like inserting flashbacks to an absolute minimum.

Next time, the reason why Safi (the protagonist) was imprisoned will be revealed.