A black something lurked in between buildings of the night city. The few dim candle lamps were barely lighting the streets, and this black something easily moved from one house to the next, slowly but steadily approaching the inn.

The front door of the inn was long closed, but one of the windows on the second floor was still open. To someone’s upcoming surprise.

With a few swift, well-coordinated movements the wall was climbed, and the black mass lunged inside the room. And it just so happened that I didn’t even wake anybody up.

Moreover, I even climbed into the correct room, with the correct bunch of adventurers.

I threw aside the black cloak and silently slipped under my blanket.

A short nap later, I woke up. But when I opened my eyes I saw a pair of hazel eyes gazing at me, a few centimeters away from myself.

“KYA?!” I kicked in panic, and fell off the bed in the opposite direction. A suppressed groan immediately came from atop the bed.

‘Huuuuuuush…’

The old grey-haired priest approached the bed, and shook his head in disappointment.

“I did warn you.” Wolfgang put his hand on the poor assailant, and muttered some sort of a healing spell. The groans faded, and when I stood up I noticed Jeanne curled up with pained expression.

“Did she…?” I started asking, but I was interrupted by the priest’s grumbling.

“What were you expecting? That when somebody wakes up like this you won’t get hit in panic? Or that Amelia would realize it’s you, before she broke your ribs?” Wolfgang huffed, and continued healing the girl.

“S-sor…”

“She deserved it.” The priest grumbled.

“Let that be a lesson for her. Maybe next time she will listen to the others before doing foolish things.” He continued seething at the wriggling mage.

Luckily I hit her ribcage, or else she might’ve required a resurrection spell.

After I somewhat recovered from the surprising start of the day, I glanced around the room. There were no people aside from us three. I asked the priest where the others were, but he was too busy chanting above the dying idiot.

I stepped out, and went to the dining room.

If the time was correct, I woke up way behind this world’s people’s schedule. The dining room had at best a tenth of its visitors eating, the rest were playing cards or chatting. Both activities were done by three familiar adventurers, one of which was emitting a chilly cold aura. Though it made his handsome face even se…

“Khm… Hey, good morning!” I waved to the guys as I sat down at their table, right by Valerian’s side. Definitely not because he wasn’t stinking like the other two.

“Good morning, Amelia. Where were you yesterday?” Erbrun gazed at me inquisitively.

“Just…” I was about to start spewing some nonsense, when an unexpectedly cheerful mage jogged downstairs. She was followed by an exhausted priest.

Erbrun and Placid gazed at her like they saw a ghost, and only I and Valerian were looking behind her like we saw a holy poltergeist.

Jeanne already ran to the table and was about to chirp something cheerful out, but Placid spoke before the girl’s opened mouth produced a sound.

“I thought you were a goner?” (P)

“But I’m not?” The mage tilted her head in confusion.

‘BAM’

The next moment the old priest’s fist landed on top of the girl’s head.

“Thanks to whom?” He grumbled.

While everyone was joking back and forth, Valerian leaned closer to me, and whispered in low tone, making me skip a few beats of my alien heart.

‘What happened…?’ Soft blows of air caressed my eardrum, and hot breath made my heart stop on the spot. But after he repeated the question a few times and shook me, I finally realized that everyone was looking at us. With apparent curiosity.

“W-what? Got any problem?” I hissed.

But, contrary to my expectations, everyone grinned, in a way one grins when they see two doves in love.

The mood was already swaying in the weird direction, and even the slightly dense beauty by my side started understanding that something was wrong and he started blushing. I was about to comment that it was hot in here, but I stopped myself in time, lest I would be subjected to tease and giggles.

Still, the silent expressions of full understanding were of no help, and me and Valerian were slowly getting pressured more and more by the atmosphere the happy bystanders were thinking of.

I already was like a ripe tomato, and then Jeanne leaned closer with glistening eyes. No doubt she already shipped me and Valerian together. And weirdly enough, I felt like a masculine hand slowly shifted towards my little hand…

“So, where were you yesterday?” And then Placid nonchalantly spewed a phrase that ruined the atmosphere. Totally ruined it.

He chuckled a couple times, but then a shadow emerged above him.

“Hey, Placid… What do you think, what’s faster… you running outside the inn, or me casting second circle spell ‘Fire lance’?” The mage said in cold voice full of suppressed murderous rage.

A heartbeat later two figures flew out of the inn, but the atmosphere was already irrecoverable. Everyone returned to their stuff, and the pleasant tension was already gone.

But the question was not forgotten…

“So, what exactly were you doing in the catacombs, Amelia?” Valerian gazed at me, mesmerizing my weakened mind.