Luke and Meredith had to walk for a while longer after the wagon driver dropped them in the middle of a dirt road. Together they drove through that long pine forest and also through plains untouched by corruption, to finally reach the area of the small town Hazor had mentioned.
Even from afar they could see the lighthouse, which was the town's reference point for travelers on sea and land.
It was not difficult for the half-beasts to soon notice that this town was different from the others they had visited in the Melki Empire. The huge, rich buildings were not present, and there were no large plantations around the city either, only small houses and a few commercial buildings, all looking very old.
As they approached the town, they noticed that the beams of the houses were made of wood, as were the roofs. Even for a quiet town, this was unusual. Construction had advanced quite a bit, especially in the Melki Empire for some reason, but this town seemed to be an exception to this.
As it was about to get dark, there weren't many people on the city streets. Still, the few people who saw the pair of unknown travelers, Luke and Meredith, were surprised at first, and then smiled receptively. This was something Luke hated about the citizens of Stahurt, they were so passive with strangers that he suspected some of the population didn't even know that Melki and Broteforge were at war.
"Let's find somewhere to spend the night. Even here there must be a hotel, otherwise we'll head back to the plains and set up camp." Luke spoke to Meredith, who nodded immediately afterwards.
"We have to make more camouflage elixirs, everything we had ran out during the trip. If people see our ears and tails they're sure to be scared."
"I know, but we'll have trouble finding boldo leaf."
"People here love boldo tea, we'll probably be able to find it at some store." Affirmed the half-fox, referring to Melkians in general.
Luke tilted his head slightly to the left and nodded twice with a slight smile on his face. "You have mellowed, a little."
The half-fox didn't understand the sudden comment. With frowning eyebrows, she asked, "I've matured? What do you mean by that?"
While looking at a man near a post a few feet in front of them, Luke answered without much pretense. "Before you thought a lot before you said or did something, now you are more confident." He then turned to her and stroked her head. "I feel almost like a big brother~."
The blush that appeared on the half-fox's face as Luke spoke disappeared the moment Luke called himself a big brother. Meredith was angry, very angry to hear this, however, she was not angry at Luke but at herself, because she did not have the courage to tell the half-wolf the true feelings she held for him.
Because of this, she just smiled gracelessly and agreed in a mild voice. "But I think I still have a lot of things to improve..."
Suddenly, Luke grabbed her wrist and pulled her a little closer. Whispering, he said to Meredith, "There is a guard lighting the city poles. Go to him and ask where the nearest hotel or inn is."
Meredith was confused, "Why are you so alert? We're far from the front line, there's no way they can recognize you without your ears."
"There is no way to know if someone recognized me in New Yukiat or Stahurt, so we should be careful. There was no way for demons to act in big cities lest they create a catastrophe in their own territory, but now we are in a small town, if someone or some hidden demon recognizes my face nothing will stop them from acting."
The half-fox thought it over and sighed deeply. "All right, I will go talk to the guard."
Meredith approached the guard in a bluish formal uniform and took off her hood, leaving her beautiful reddish hair showing. "Excuse me, are you an army officer or something?" She asked in her delicate voice.
The man, who was reaching out with his right arm to reach for the oil in the lamp with the match, widened his eyes when he heard the glorious voice of the girl behind his back. As he adjusted his black tie, he turned to greet the stranger with a friendly smile.
"B-good afternoon, miss. W-what can I do for you?" The beauty of the woman in front of the man was even more stunning than her voice, and it made him a little more nervous than usual.
"My... brother and I are looking for a hotel to stay in. Are there any in this town?" Meredith asked, with a slight hesitation as she called Luke her brother.
The guard looked at the hooded man standing a little ways away, but didn't seem to mind his presence so much. "Um... There are two hotels in town, but one of them is under renovation. In case you were alone, I could give you a room in my house, which would leave my ex-wife gnashing her teeth, you know, our divorce wasn't very nice... Oh, I'm sorry, I suddenly started talking too much."
Since Meredith had long known the art of smiling and nodding to support people who talk too much, she didn't even mind hearing about the man's life. "Don't worry about it. I hope your family recovers, there is nothing sadder than a family separated. Can you show us where the available hotel is?"
The empathy Meredith showed made the guard's heart flutter at that moment, but he restrained himself, even though her sweet smell was so tempting to him. "It's getting dark and I still have to light the lamps for a few blocks, so I won't be able to accompany you and your brother. But there's no way to go wrong, just follow that street to the end and turn right, there will be a big house with a pointed roof, that's the hotel there."
The half-beast duo followed the directions of the city guard and managed to find the aforementioned manor house. However, the place looked nothing like the hotels they were used to, and this was due to the facts that protecting the manor were large stone walls, and that through the gate one could notice several graves in the entrance garden.
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