Nocturne of the Sleepless Black Magician

Safi, who had entered this fortress city through the east gate, couldn't believe her eyes at the transformed scenery. Unlike the east side where ordinary private houses stood in rows, the depths of the west district where the restaurant was located turned out to be slums. With just one road between them, the construction and atmosphere of the houses changed dramatically.

There seemed to be many residents, as voices could be heard from here and there, but lighting was scarce and there was no foot traffic. It was a space completely unrelated to the gorgeous Carnival. Even though it was right nearby, it was as if she had wandered into a different town.

"They said the crematorium was a landmark, but it's too dark to tell."

She had heard there was a cemetery at the end of the west district. In its center supposedly towered the "Tower of Heroes," which housed the skulls of soldiers who died in the war.

"Whether you're a traveler or anyone else, I'd be grateful if you could offer even a single flower."

The restaurant owner had said this. She wasn't particularly interested, but when Safi left the shop after filling her stomach, a white flower blooming by the roadside caught her eye. She could have overlooked it, but it didn't seem like mere coincidence, so she plucked the flower.

It was still too early to sleep, and she had nothing to do even if she returned to the inn. It wasn't hard to imagine she'd be restless in bed. It was a whim. A perfect nighttime stroll to kill time. She didn't have any special feelings of mourning—she simply carried a single flower and walked west.

Slums weren't necessarily dangerous places. Often it was the opposite. Residents lived closely together, and if you were bothered by suspicious characters, you only had to shout once and many people would gather. It wasn't kindness, nor were they particularly helpful. Idle people loved interesting or unusual events and wouldn't miss them for the world.

Conversely, she sometimes felt that quiet upscale residential areas were more dangerous. Rich people were usually indifferent to incidents—whether fights started on the street or robbers fled, they pretended not to see or know, avoiding getting involved in troubles at all costs.

However, Safi wasn't intimidated by any place. Even if surrounded by a dangerous group or encountering ferocious carnivorous beasts, she could dodge with black magic or simply fly away.

The adults she met while traveling all worried in unison when they learned that a young girl was traveling alone, but that was absurd. She had hardly ever encountered dangerous situations, and even if she fell into dire straits, she was confident she could get through them. Don't underestimate a small black magician.

"I heard there was a big crematorium, but I guess I didn't notice it at all."

It seemed she had passed by the crematorium without realizing it. There was a gate with rusted iron fencing, and beyond it spread a cemetery. She had been told it was cramped, but the grounds were vast, with graves clustering and forming groups all the way to the distant castle walls.

They were unremarkable tombstones of a shape she often saw. The towns and villages she had passed through before also had cemeteries. Those were generally located on the outskirts of settlements or on nearby hills, and this fortress city was the same—positioned in the farthest corner. Whether they had neglected to level the ground or reused ancient burial mounds, graves were built on terrain rich with undulations.

At the very back, near the castle walls, she could see a towering structure. The Tower of Heroes.

It was originally supposed to have been a shrine to honor unknown soldiers and war dead from destroyed villages. She had also heard that countless skulls were housed inside the tower. Even if it was a local custom, it was somewhat unsavory and eerie.

After offering the single flower, when Safi casually went around to the back of the tower, there was a partially glazed section where she made eye contact with multiple skulls. The smaller skulls—were they from women or children? Those with detached lower jaws seemed to be speaking to the living. If they were soldiers who died in war, their words would be heartbreaking and melancholy in any case.

Safi danced to the top of the tower and climbed onto the castle wall. This was one of the places where fireworks had been launched earlier. There were no traces of the fireworks masters, such as burn marks. They appeared to be users of flame-type magic, but they had probably used their magical power lavishly and were exhausted.

Standing in the corridor atop the castle wall, she gazed at the scenery spreading to the west. This was the direction Safi would travel next. There were no mountains or rivers nearby, and grasslands with occasional bare patches seemed to continue endlessly.

"I wonder where the next settlement is... maybe I should eat plenty of warm food and rare fruits here."

While descending from the corridor, an unnatural light entered her field of vision. A corner of the cemetery. In just one spot, there was a small hill covered with low trees. It had an atmosphere like a sacred grove, and whether it was a monument separate from the Tower of Heroes, a shrine stood in the center. That was the light source. A faint, flickering fragile light that seemed about to disappear at any moment.

The shrine was about the size of a hut, with part of the roof broken. Light was leaking from there. A mysterious light that was neither green nor blue wavered in the depths of darkness.

When Safi approached, the light source became stronger and began shining brightly. Then a human figure emerged. She realized that someone was holding a luminous object inside the shrine.

"Hey, what the heck is this?"

It was an absurd female voice. Safi floated in the air and peered into the broken shrine. A young woman—a girl.

What possessed her to settle in a cemetery?

A pitiful orphan, or perhaps a pervert.

"Intruder!"

She suddenly attacked. It was a close call. It happened in an instant, and if the activation of her black magic defensive barrier had been even slightly delayed, there would have been no way to defend against it.

It was an attack she had never seen before—dozens of sharp blades swarmed toward her simultaneously. The broken part of the ceiling was small, and it was physically impossible for a large quantity of blades to slip through there. It was clearly magic. Moreover, advanced magic.

"Damn, you dodged it..."

The girl in the shrine shouted and took a stance. She was preparing to activate new magic.

❁❁❁ From the Author ❁❁❁

The stage is a nighttime cemetery. She met a peculiar lone girl. Just when you think a battle is about to begin...

The "Tower of Heroes" is modeled after a real memorial monument in a certain Southeast Asian country, and the author's experiences and observations occasionally mix into the work.