The dance continued for a moment after that. When the final drumbeats faded and the decrescendo ended, the villagers clapped for the two spies.

  “Now it’s official,” Yvlaine said to the crowd. “Please welcome your new fellow villagers, Aline and Vierna.”

  The villagers clapped for both of the girls.

  "Thank you, Yvlaine," both girls said, panting.

  Yvlaine smiled. "All right, there's still food left. Don't leave anything behind. Tomorrow you'll all go back to your routines with Loran'del boring you to death, so enjoy tonight."

  The villagers cheered as Yvlaine returned to her seat, already speaking with another pair of youths, humans this time.

  "I'll go back and talk with Fenric," Vierna said. "It's better if we mingle with the villagers."

  "Okay, Vierna. I haven't had a chance to actually talk with Yvlaine. She's always surrounded by people."

  Vierna glanced toward Yvlaine. "It's all right. For this night, lets just enjoy ourself for a while.”

  “Are you sure? I mean this is a very good opportunity.”

  “It’s fine. We’ve only just arrived. It would be weird if we suddenly talked like we already belong.” Vierna gave a tired smile. “Besides, when will we ever be able to enjoy a celebration like this? Once we’re done with our mission, we’ll go back to the facility, and I doubt they’re going to throw a party anytime soon.”

  “If you say so.”

  Both Lina and Vierna returned to their respective tables. Lina went back to chatting with a group of youths, occasionally glancing toward Yvlaine. Vierna, meanwhile, returned to Fenric, who greeted her with a smile.

  "Just a friend, huh?" Fenric snickered.

  "Haha... yes, just a friend. A very close one at that."

  "Hmm... are you sure about that?"

  "Haha, don't worry, Fenric. You still have a chance. Or would you prefer Aline instead?" Vierna grinned.

  "No, thank you. I've learned from you that all girls from town are trouble."

  "I'm trouble for you, Fenric?" Vierna widened her eyes and pulled her signature crocodile-tear act. "I'm sorry, Fenric... I'll go away. Sorry for bothering you."

  "Oh no, that trick won't work on me a third time." Fenric laughed.

  Yet Vierna sharply turned her face away, refusing to let up the act. Whether it was an escape from her stress or simply another way to tease him, perhaps both, she grabbed a mug of beer, downed it in one go, and gave Fenric the cold shoulder.

  "Hey..."

  "Lalalala, I can't hear you," she said, covering her ears.

  "Come on, don't pout like that."

  Vierna didn't reply. She just buried her head in her arms, pretending to cry.

  "All right, all right, what do you want?"

  Vierna grinned beneath her hands and snickered. "Tell me I'm pretty."

  "What?"

  "Come on, or I won't be your friend."

  "All right! You're pretty. Happy now?"

  "The prettiest?"

  "The prettiest on the whole continent."

  "Haha... you're too easy, Fenric." Vierna laughed, triumphant once again, while Fenric just looked at her with a flat expression.

  They spent their time chatting about light things. Vierna sometimes glanced towards Yvlaine who was talking with some of the elf youths. Occasionally, some younger beastkin also come to her to talk but never for too long, it seems that what Fenric said about herbivores being uneasy about Yvlaine was true.

  She tried to guess what this alleged revolutionary was thinking. Was Yvlaine really here to check on her and Lina, or was it just a coincidence?

  Eventually, she gave up guessing. With little evidence, its unwise to come to any conclusion. If Yvlaine wanted her to join her group, she would have approached her. But the whole time Vierna observed her, Yvlaine was just talking with people. So she just let it be. Besides, the exhaustion from the fight, combined with the uncertainty of whether she was a traitor or not, wore her mind down and she need a break from thinking.

  The party went on for a while after that. Before long, villagers started leaving the hall one by one. Most of them said goodbye to Vierna, and for a moment she felt like she was already a longtime resident here, saying farewell to neighbors she would see again tomorrow.

  Fenric left too, saying his headache was getting worse. Vierna drank her beer, taking the opportunity since, if she were back in her real body, there was no way anyone would let her drink. She scanned the room for Yvlaine, yet she was nowhere to be seen.

  After a while, Lina joined her. The hall was not completely empty yet.

  "Hey, stranger," Vierna said.

  "Hey, drunkard."

  "Did you see Yvlaine?"

  Lina shook her head. “No, I don’t. I was enjoying myself too much, it seems.” She snickered.

  “Haha… oh well. With our stunt with Korrn yesterday, I’m sure we at least caught his interest.”

  Vierna slid Lina a mug of beer, which she accepted and drank.

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  "Whoa, I didn't realize you two were such heavy drinkers."

  Both Lina and Vierna turned toward the voice. It was Yvlaine, who appeared in front of them as if she had just blinked into existence. Vierna’s mind screamed. Did Yvlaine hear them earlier? Was she suspicious now?

  "So, how does Rolbart treat you two so far?" Yvlaine asked.

  "Uh… we—" Vierna stuttered. Yvlaine’s sudden question caught her off guard.

  "It's really good, Yvlaine. I didn’t expect that we’d be welcomed with such hospitality," Lina said clearly. "Forgive Vierna here—she drank a lot of beer, haha. She’s always like that, even back home."

  "Haha… I see."

  "Aline… I’m not drunk, I just choked a bit on that beer!" Vierna pretended to pout, trying to lighten the mood so they could speak more freely.

  "Uh… thanks for defending me during the trial, Yvlaine," she added.

  Yvlaine smiled. "Don’t mention it. Loran’del was a stubborn old goat, but he really did love this village. I should be thanking you for saving him from himself back then."

  Yvlaine conjured her storage rune. From it, she pulled out a bottle of wine and three glass cups. She uncorked the bottle, and the faint aroma of spiced wine rose between them—warm, sweet, and sharp—cutting through the lingering scent of smoke and roasted meat in the hall.

  She placed two cups in front of Vierna and Lina, pouring the wine into them. Then she filled her own and took a sip.

  "So, Vierna used a fake name earlier. Why is that?"

  Vierna took the glass, swirled it a little, and drank. "Ah, Korrn told me he hated my real name and that I should call myself Crysta. He was even going to change it legally. I’m glad that didn’t happen." She gathered herself to lie.

  Yvlaine’s grip tightened around her mug, her eyes flashing with hate. "He’s a piece of shit, huh?"

  "He is," Lina answered. "Even when we were sent here as punishment and basically have a debt that’ll probably take our whole lives to settle, I’m still glad I don’t have to see his pig face tomorrow."

  She lifted her glass and took a slow sip. The warmth of the spiced wine filled the air, softening the sharp tension that had hung between them moments before.

  "Well, this place wasn’t like this back then," Yvlaine said, glancing around the hall. "There were many of us—exiles from all over. The old baron was kind enough to let us stay here. But the new one? He couldn’t help themselves. That stupid new count also the same, they bled us dry with taxes. At first, we managed to handle it since the beastkin here were able to produce high-quality mana plants to sell.

  Then, when the Arachsindite ran dry, they didn’t even sanction us to find a new source."

  Vierna tilted her head. "Arachsindite?"

  Yvlaine took another drink from her glass. "Ah, think of it like a special fertilizer in human agriculture. Only beastkin can harness Arachsindite properly, and only our eyes can locate its source."

  "Hmm… if the mana plants were that valuable, shouldn’t the baron or the count have allowed people here to search for another source?" Lina asked, trying to stay engaged in Yvlaine’s story.

  “That just shows how idiotic the baron and the count are. With Arachsindite, we could yield far more than we do now. Without it, the harvest is only enough for the villagers’ needs and the tax. Despite our mana plants being among the best in the Reuncaste Princedom—hell, I’d even say we’re better than those in the Tirnalthir Princedom right now.

  But still, the count and the baron choose not to care. Fuck them.” Yvlaine said as she drank her wine.

  Yvlaine looked at her band, then turned back to the girls. “They only care if we non-humans suffer. And the duke is no better — he should have noticed that the mana plant yield is decreasing.”

  Vierna forced herself to nod. She wanted to argue with Yvlaine to defend Leopold, but it would have been foolish to debate someone whose trust she was still trying to earn—or so she told herself.

  “The Reich has many flaws,” Yvlaine continued. “They claim meritocracy, yet they let corruption run rampant. Hypocrites, all of them.”

  “I know…” Vierna looked away, as if searching for words. “If only there were someone who would stand up against this flawed meritocracy…”

  “Oh? And if there were such a group, what would you do, Fr?ulein?”

  “Haha… I don’t know… I’m sorry, maybe—”

  “There is a group like that,” Yvlaine said with a smile.

  Vierna’s eyes widened. She hadn’t expected Yvlaine to take the bait.

  “But that’s a topic for another day. You’ve been through enough, and I need to return to the forest.” Yvlaine rose from her seat. “Help Rolbart in its struggle, and perhaps one day we can talk more about such a dream.”

  “Bu—” Vierna’s protest was cut short when Lina placed a hand over her mouth.

  Yvlaine left the hall, followed by several of the youths. Probably the one she invited tonight.

  The hall soon emptied, stripped of the celebration and noise from earlier, leaving the two spies alone beneath the dim light of torches and runic lamps. Lina checked the surroundings for any sign of movement. She removed her hand from Vierna’s mouth, then traced a glowing sigil in the air.

  “Aufdecken,” she whispered.

  A yellowish aura rippled from the rune, sweeping through the room as if searching for something hidden. Lina closed her eyes in concentration. After a few seconds, the glow faded.

  “Vierna,” she said, “she basically told us how to join her.”

  “How?”

  “By helping Rolbart in its struggle.”

  Vierna tilted her head, confusion taking root. “I don’t understand. Why didn’t she just invite us directly? The conversation was going well.”

  “That means she doesn’t fully trust us yet. But that’s fine—the fact that she approached us means she doesn’t see us as a threat.”

  Vierna’s knuckles tightened, her eyes trembling with frustration. “So stupid. How could I miss that?”

  “Hey, take it easy,” Lina said, half laughing. “You basically went through hell today—and drank a lot, lady. Honestly, I’m surprised you can still stand and talk.”

  Vierna reached over and brushed Lina’s hair with gentle affection. “How can you be so pretty, so smart, and so understanding?”

  Lina’s serious expression melted into a sheepish smile, a hint of color rising in her cheeks. “Hehe… I need to pull my weight somehow.”

  “Oh and I don’t want my girlfriend turning into a drunk, okay?” Lina scolded, pointing a finger. “We’re going to talk about how much alcohol you can drink each day.”

  Vierna took Lina’s hands and widened her eyes dramatically. “Buuuut they’re so tasty! It’s like drinking pure bliss you now? hehe.”

  “No way, young lady. I’m not that deer fella you pranked earlier—you’re not getting away with those puppy eyes.”

  “Please Lina… Let me drink a loooot hehe.”

  “Nope, you are going dry starting tomorrow.”

  “Hehe… aw, it was worth a shot,” Vierna said, stretching her arms and rolling her shoulders. “Come on, help me clean this mess up.”

  “What? Can’t we do it tomorrow? I’m really tired, you know.”

  Vierna chuckled at how easily she could take the reins from Lina. She smiled. “No excuses. I like my place spotless, so you’d better get used to it when we live together.”

  Lina’s face turned crimson. The beer and wine had done nothing to her, but that sentence made her flush like a boiled crab. “L–live together?! You’re planning that far ahead?”

  “Well, we’re already sleeping in the same room, so why are you so surprised?”

  “Oh… right. I thought you meant something else.”

  “Haha, just kidding, Lina. I meant when the Reich finally brings peace to the continent.”

  Lina smiled, her heart skipping a beat. She should have known—being with Vierna meant thinking long-term. It wasn’t just a fleeting teenage romance. It was something purer, deeper. Seeing that earnest innocence, Lina felt a warmth bloom in her chest, like a hearth just being lit.

  They spent the next hour cleaning what remained of the celebration. The air still carried the faint scent of wine and roasted moonroot. Half-burnt candles dripped wax across the tables, and crumbs of bread and stew bowls littered the benches.

  Vierna moved methodically, stacking plates and gathering mugs into a neat pile, while Lina trailed behind her, slower, humming the same tune that had filled the hall earlier. Every now and then, their hands brushed when they reached for the same cup, earning quiet laughter from both.

  At one point Lina tried balancing two trays at once, nearly dropping them before Vierna steadied her with a quick hand at the waist. “Careful,” Vierna murmured, smiling. “You’re not supposed to sabotage my spotless plan.”

  Lina stuck out her tongue in mock protest and went back to sweeping. The rhythmic scrape of broom against wood and the faint clatter of pottery became their music now, gentle and domestic after the storm of celebration.

  When they finally finished, the hall was quiet again—empty except for the soft flicker of the last torches. Vierna leaned against a table, wiping her hands on a cloth, while Lina sat on the edge of the stage, legs swinging.

  “Hey Vierna… I need to ask you something, it’s been bothering me for a while.”

  “Sure, what is it?”

  “What is that violet smoke coming from your pocket.”