Capítulo 57: All The Same
We stayed at Madam Chiester's place for long enough that the tea, her maid Barbara prepared for us, became lukewarm. The rest of the time was spent in lamenting her cat, with most of the talk being led by Faust and from time to time Riaz, although the latter was mostly concerned about her well-being in the face of her old age. I did not share universal concern, as my mind was still under pressure of the image I was in the attic of that abandoned building. Only I was able to observe her pitiful state, an outsider who knew nothing of Missy's life as well as her last minutes before passing away.
If I was in the cat's fur, I would never forgive that old woman, just like I would never forgive my parents, even if they came back to me begging to be left by the orphanage. Alas, my silent sentiment was not shared by anyone, even Nila only glared at Faust with a hint of admiration. There was something in her eyes that I never saw ever since we began travelling together. And this realisation of the unknown irritated me to no end.
Once it was time to tell our farewells to the old woman, she gave us the reward with a deep bow. Faust at first tried to push it away, but Nila's nudge with her elbow to his side made him change his mind.
"It's only fair for you to have a reward for your hard labour." Said the old woman, to which Nila nodded, "Funerals are never held for free."
The old woman laughed sourly, but Faust narrowed his brows, "You really lack sense of tact."
"Blame Schöltum for teaching me the value of fair trade and missing the convenience of money. How about we move on to the next spirited away pet?"
Faust sighed, but in the end nodded with eagerness, his lead was followed by Riaz who said, "Let's put our minds at ease now."
As a result, I had no choice but to continue with the ordeal, I was in the minority of the ones who wanted to call it a day. I simply did not want to witness the unfairness towards those below people once again. I would rather pickpocket some flamboyant moneybags than make it easier for people to forgive their own irresponsibility.
Despite my thoughts being secluded within my mind, the sour expression on my face gave off some of the irritation I had, thus Riaz walked closer to me and asked, "Are you feeling well, Dusk?"
I cast my gaze at him, then immediately looked away, "I am fine."
"Is that so?" said Riaz and continued walking besides me, even though he should have led the way alongside Nila. But it worked out just fine, whenever this elf diverged from the path, Riaz called out to her until she followed the spell once again as if nothing ever happened. After a while of silence which was enhanced by Faust's story about their adventures outside of Wohr, Riaz spoke to me once again, "Faust is really good at improving the mood, isn't he?"
A smile was lingering on his face, however, I met it with a frown and said bitterly, "It matters only for the weak."
"Either way, it's quite frustrating isn't it?" laughed Riaz, to which I raised my brow, "What do you mean?"
"Well." he crossed his hands and jerked his chin to face the sky, "As a priest, my job is to reassure people around me, yet all I can do is change the direction of their sorrow. I always try to set the thoughts of those who seek guidance to another path without resolving the issue they want to be advised about… Faust is often impulsive, but he is able to find the right words on a whim. And it makes me jealous."
I was baffled by his admission, not only he was a man of faith that indulged in the deadly sin, but he also directed it at his friend. Those were bold words, definitely not something one would say to any person. What was he planning? Why would he tell me this without a hint of shame?
"This sounds quite corrupt of you." I whispered, to which Riaz giggled once again and showed me a smile, "Then I have no choice but to pray harder at the church service. By the way, would you like to come with us?"
"You are better off asking Nila, I do not believe in God."
Riaz whistled to my admission that was likely as bold as his own, but then he frowned and rubbed his chin in thought, "Is Nila of Farhen's faith?"
I nodded at his question, even though I was not so sure ever since she agreed to help me with my endeavour of slaying the goddess. She mostly lacked faith in my strengths, just like I did, but it was a questionable decision regardless. After giving my approval, Riaz quickened his pace until he reached Nila. Once he tapped on her shoulder, the man told her something, to which she gave off a nod with her nonchalant expression.
Faust giggled at their exchange, then Nila turned to me and stated, "You are going to the church with us, Dusk."
"Who decided that?" I crossed my hands in offence, to which Nila tilted her head and said, "If you do, I will teach you how to cast Sham."
"Are you bargaining with magic abilities now!?" I huffed at her approach to control me. She should have been perfectly aware of my dislike of places like that, yet she kept pushing me… but I really could not deny my wish to know more about magic. This feeling when I first cast Polaris to brighten up the dark room was majestic, as if I managed to accomplish something.
"Fine, I will go, but let's find more of those stupid cats first."
"Naturally, although so far this does not feel like a great way of earning money." said Nila and turned her attention to Riaz, who only shrugged with an innocent expression. To his defence came Faust, who said, "All we need is to quicken our search, with this pace we might be able to complete 5 of these quests until evening service. Now let us go!"
Faust pointed forward, but did not move an inch, only after Nila and Riaz overtook his lead he actually dashed forward, not forgetting to turn around and gesture for me to follow them. So I did, with my expression stern, but with a softness on my mind that slightly nursed the bitterness from the unfair treatment of Missy, whose tragedy was overshadowed by her owner's grief.
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