Case 105: Upon a certain wandering girl.

*****

''Let's see... oh, there's the checkpoint.''

[Are you gonna use your noble status to get through?]

''Hm? No.''

The woman, whose face was mostly hidden by the large floppy hat, responded nonchalantly. She moved through the streets with elegant steps, the pure white dress and thin canopy the color of her sky blue hair swaying. That, and the little bobbing of the hat's ribbon, caught people's attention.

Even though her eyes were hardly seen, just the lower half of her face was enough to convince passersby of her beauty.

With a lingering mellow smile and a scrawny, delicate figure, she seemed like the kind of naive rich lady on vacation. Easy to approach, easy to deceive, and overall, an easy target.

Yet, no one found the courage to approach her. It was something instinctual—the moment those thoughts emerged, they would quickly be dispelled by an invisible force. Even memories of her appearance remained hazy.

The woman sat down on an empty bench nearby, unpacking her suitcase.

''Where did I put it...'' Cecilia mumbled as she sorted through the artifacts she had brought. ''Oh, here it is.''

[Concealment?]

''Yeah. This is the fastest and safest.''

[If it's that, then you just need to use your ability...]

''Gotta save that for more important stuff, you know?''

Humming a tune gently, Cecilia gingerly put on the artifact, which was disguised as an unremarkable ring. To test out its effectiveness, she stood up and waved right in front of a couple sitting nearby. Thankfully, they never seemed to notice Cecilia.

''Good to go...''

Picking up her suitcase, Cecilia made her way through the border checkpoint. As she stepped past the inspection and entered the land beyond, she couldn't help but gasp at the stark contrast to Libre.

From this point onward, it was the Visette Kingdom.

Known for its militaristic and industrial sides, the kingdom possessed highly potent weapons and a robust military. Perhaps that was why it still thrived bordering the unknown lands.

Looking at the distant columns of smoke billowing from factories, Cecilia somewhat understood why they could defend themselves against those demons.

'I guess it's the other way around now.'

Indeed, aside from weirdly steampunk-like architecture and the air heavy with smoke, Visette was one of the popular hubs for ambitious adventurers who aspired to conquer the land of evil.

Either way, Cecilia would have to travel through this country to arrive at her destination.

Upon entering a nearby town, she chose not to take a rest and immediately called a cab. She might have wanted to enjoy this place as a tourist if time weren't tight, but for now, she needed to keep going.

The old driver was briefly stunned as he caught glimpses of the woman through the front mirror. Her appearance screamed 'high noble'... better not mess anything up.

''...Where to, m'lady?'' He spoke, his voice naturally gruff. ''I can take you anywhere in this country.''

''Is that so? It seems I am in luck, then.'' Cecilia replied with a graceful smile. ''How about to the capital?''

''That's... far.''

He just boasted that habitually, but from this place to Visette Kingdom's capital... it was an eight-hour drive. Still, years of experience told him he shouldn't disobey nobles. Besides, this woman seemed nice, and her financial prowess shouldn't be weak, anyway.

So, the car's engine roared to life, and it took off toward Visette's capital—Visette City.

''...''

There wasn't much to do during the drive, so Cecilia eagerly dozed off for a few hours. When she woke up, it was already late afternoon.

'I guess we'll arrive tonight.'

Switching the light on, Cecilia played with her phone a bit. What surprised her was that the internet still worked even in another country. It made her somewhat emotional, knowing that the clumsy Quasar's technology had spread this far.

But... by this time, she would have been waiting for Lyra to come back from school. Yesterday was the same—Lyra rushed straight back to home and tightly hugged Cecilia.

'What is she doing now...'

Realizing there was no use pondering such things, Cecilia snapped out of it and focused on something else.

''Mister, by any chance, are you familiar with the capital?'' She asked the old driver, whose eyes were still stuck on the road.

''Sure.'' He replied. ''Used to work there a lot. My daughter and her family also live there now. I try to visit them once in a while, you know?''

''Is that so... then, do you know if the airships are still flying at night?''

''Airships? Uh... some commercials still fly at night, I guess, but the ones for adventurers always fly.''

''Huh...''

''Are you going somewhere, m'lady?''

''Ah, no, I'm just—''

When the sun completely sank, Cecilia arrived at the city of Visette.

Aesthetically, it perfectly matched the previous towns she had been through, but it definitely felt more glamorous. Tall, messy clumps of buildings meshed together, ridden with copper pipes and moving gears, yet somehow cohesive... Cecilia thought she had fallen into a movie.

''Now then, which way is the airport...''

Here at Visette Kingdom, the most popular medium of transportation was through airships instead of trains, like the Libre Empire. Although it was still somewhat limited to the capital city and its satellite towns, it was a booming industry.

And they even had ones dedicated to bringing adventurers to the border, which she would be riding on.

'Expensive, but still.'

Clutching her suitcase and lowering her hat, Cecilia glanced around to find someone she could ask. She shouldn't stop here.

[Wait! Grab something first! I'm hungry!]

''Ah, okay. What do you want to eat?''

[Sandwich! Meat sandwich!]

''Okay, okay... I guess we can ask the shop.''

After grabbing two sandwiches, one for Lucy, she enjoyed the food while moving toward the airport, following the stall owner's directions. Visette's streets were somewhat complicated, filled with unknown alleyways and confusing roads, but through sheer willpower, Cecilia arrived in only half an hour.

''Phew... I think I know why people want to fly now. With this kind of urban planning...''

But now was the time to get serious.

If Cecilia wanted to board the adventurers' airships, she needed to be... an adventurer. Unfortunately, she wasn't one, and she didn't have time to wait for the lengthy registration process either.

So, she had to use her ability.

''An adventurer pass... yes, I've indeed confirmed it.''

''Thank you.''

''Yes. This way, please...''

The dazed attendant led Cecilia, who clearly looked out of place, to a perching airship among others. It was about to take off. She briefly admired the armed airship's majestic metal glints, which were perhaps what Earth's airships could have been without those infamous disasters.

''My lady, your luggage...''

''I can take care of it myself. Thank you.''

Nonetheless, she quietly boarded the ship.

Being for adventurers, this kind of ship didn't have grades for tickets or other privileges to buy, so Cecilia had to settle for being roommates with someone else for the flight. That much was fine, but...

''Huh?''

''...''

Immediately upon entering her designated room, Cecilia saw a face she didn't think she would ever see in this life.

Soaked in the bright moonlight, the woman's gleaming white hair fluttered as she shifted her position. Her heterochromatic eyes, one orange, one green, fell onto Cecilia, their pupils contracting into slits.

Besides her shocking beauty, there were some things that stood out: A waving tail... and a pair of cat ears.

This was Yuria Visette, princess of Visette Kingdom... and a sub-love interest.