After arriving in the center of the city of Vasconcelos, which managed the feat of being increasingly busy as the days went by, the Elf and the half-wolf looked for some time for the address marked on the paper and finally found it.
At the number indicated, number 239, there was a building as luxurious and attractive as the Guild's; for this reason, it stood out from the others. On Alameda Street, all the buildings were commercial buildings, and this one was no exception.
With imposing plaster beams at the entrance, the Hotel 'Flor de Lis' made a noble impression on those who looked at it from afar, and one message was clear to all: this place is very expensive.
As soon as they entered the glass door, which swung open when touched by Luke, the pair of E-Class Adventurers attracted attention. This was not because the half-wolf was not hiding his ears, but because all the employees rested their eyes on the beautiful Elf who had just entered the premises.
As Luke approached the reception desk, still a little uncomfortable with the luxurious place, he questioned the attendant:
"Do you have anyone called Vye Agra staying here?"
"Sorry, we can't give out that kind of information to strangers."
Nathalia huffed in stress and stepped in front of Luke, "Hi, good morning! We're looking for someone, can you help us? We believe she is staying at this hotel."
"Sure! What's the person's name?"
The half-wolf and the Elf exchanged looks of disappointment as it seemed that the attendant didn't even hear what he inquired.
"Vye Agra." Luke spoke with an irritated tone.
The attendant arched her eyebrows in surprise, tilted her head a little to the right, and in disbelief, began to look up the strange name in the book that listed the guest information.
She flipped through several pages, but as soon as she got to the data dated at the beginning of winter, which had already passed, she realized that it would be useless to keep looking because there was no guest who had stayed that long in the hotel.
"I'm sorry, ma'am. There is no guest by that name here." The woman spoke and sent her lips to the right as a bodily sign of her disappointment.
"Are you sure? You know she's got pretty red hair and..."
"Horns." Luke complimented Nathalia's explanation.
"AH! You could've said that first! I knew who she is." Exposing a smile, all frustration vanished from the attendant's face. "Ann... According to my list, guest 6969 is in the 10th room."
"Where is that?" From the outside, the hotel appeared to be at least five stories high.
"On the second floor, to the left of the fire escape."
In front of the reception counter, there was a long corridor and at the end of it, a large staircase, to which the second attendant pointed.
As soon as the pair left the main counter, they spontaneously went to the indicated staircase. The entire space was lined with quartz, and the number of crystals and artwork everywhere was a reminder of how exquisite the hotel was.
'What the hell is a fire escape? Do I have to avoid it if there is a fire? Or is it more... flammable?' The half-wolf was confused about the experienced receptionist's last sentence. 'By the way, wasn't that too easy?'
However, like a curse, after thinking about the ease of the situation, a problem arose.
"It was a pleasure, Miss Strogueher!" The attendant called out to Nathalia as she nodded contentedly.
The Elf bent back and waved back, grateful. As they walked to the stairs, Luke inquired:
"Do you know her?"
"No, but she knows me."
"How?"
"I think it's best to count everything with the help of the woman who helped us."
Luke clenched his eyes and didn't understand what the mystery was about, but he had to agree.
Meeting someone for the first time, and the person already knowing you is not something very unusual, especially in the Adventurer's business, where rumors spread like autumn leaves; however, for some reason, Nathalia was raised away from the spotlight of the nobles, so it was particularly strange for someone to call her by her last name in public the way it occurred.
In silence, they climbed the steps of the staircase leading to the second floor, and just to the left, they saw the number ten painted in beautiful calligraphy on a eucalyptus door.
Without wasting any more time, Luke knocked just once on the door. Knock! They waited for at least two minutes, and no one answered.
"Do you think she might have left to go to the grocery store?" Luke inquired. The smell of the half-dragon was strong in the hallway, so he knew it wasn't false information and that she really was there.
"I think it was because you hit it just once."
"And what does that have to do with anything?"
"Everything! Sigh... I don't know how my mother didn't get stressed out by this mania of yours."
The half-beast was at a loss to understand what she meant. The Elf pushed him back and gave three quick taps on the door. Knocknocknock!
Not even moments passed before Luke heard a rustling of objects and fabrics inside the room, as if there was someone looking for something.
"We're Nathalia and Luke... You helped us yesterday!" Nathalia shouted, also hearing the low noises. The sounds stopped soon after.
The half-wolf could not contain himself and, even though considerably injured, raised his right leg and broke the door in half, fearing there was some intruder. In his mind, nothing could take away his concentration on the <Vind> skill, which he would use to subdue or hinder anyone's escape.
As soon as the loud bang of the door breaking open reverberated throughout the floor, Luke and Nathalia, upon breaking into the room, saw a small creature under a bed all messed up. Resembling a bird with its long feathers and thin legs, the little creature was less than twenty centimeters long and one of the cutest things Nathalia had ever seen.
Displaying a dark green tint to much of its body, the strange bird didn't really look like a bird because it didn't have wings, but it still retained the appearance of one by the very physiognomy of its body and because it had a black beak.
"What a cute little thing!" Nathalia exclaimed.
"What a strange creature..." Luke grumbled.
"BY THE TESSEU BEARDS, WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO MY DOOR!!!?" The half-dragon questioned, dropping a bunch of paper bags on the floor, totally perplexed.
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Discord for illustrations of the characters:
https://discord.gg/qz2vDAn7Kb
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