Cassie smiled, but then suddenly frowned and asked:
“But, Sunny… how do we find her?”
He thought for a few seconds, then shrugged.
“I’m not sure. Follow the sounds of mayhem? This place is not that big. I’m sure we’ll manage.”
They descended the stairs and entered the slum, with Sunny looking around in search of the distinct tall figure. There weren’t that many Sleepers in the outer settlement who possessed an armor-type Memory, so he was sure of his ability to notice Changing Star in the crowd.
Soon, they were surrounded by makeshift hovels and people that had empty, bleak eyes. Some of them stared at them with pity, realizing that the two had just been sent away from the castle, others openly gloated. Sunny paid them no attention.
Once again, he was surprised by the sharp contrast between the castle and the outer settlement. No matter how vile the underside of the ancient stronghold was, people were actually living there, walking around with mostly mundane human worries written on their faces.
Here in the slum, people were merely existing, and barely at that. In their eyes, there was a more dire need and a more consummate fear: the need to find food for the day, the fear of being devoured by some unseen monster in the night. They were all gaunt, cold, and listless.
The only time hope appeared on their faces was when their gazes accidentally fell on the Bright Castle.
‘Hope will get you killed, fools. You have it better here than those poor souls in the fortress.’
All in all, it was not so different from the outskirts, with the added terror of Nightmare Creatures waiting somewhere in the shadows.
But then, there were monsters in the real world as well. They just wore human skin.
Sunny was once again reminded of how surprisingly well prepared he was for the trials of the Nightmare Spell, his lack of education not included.
Surprisingly, the was no sign of Nephis anywhere. They walked through the entire settlement before finally catching the glimpse of her.
At the very edge of the slum, perched precariously above the vertical fall from the stone platform, stood an uncharacteristically spacious dwelling. It was crudely put together out of slabs of stone that had been unceremoniously scavenged from the ruins, with many of them still bearing the intricate carvings left behind by the original inhabitants of the Dark City.
This barbarous atrocity was the closest to the road of white stone out of the entire outer settlement. Perhaps that was why it seemed to be a bit sturdier than the rest of the hovels. The lodge even had a small addition built on top of it, somewhat resembling a second storey.
Changing Star was sitting on its roof with her legs crossed, gazing at the rising sun and the cursed city below. In the pale light of dawn, her ivory skin and silver hair looked beautiful and eerie.
She had dismissed her armor and was wearing a crude tunic, with a piece of rope tied around her waist. Sensing their approach, Nephis turned her head and glanced in their direction.
Then, she stood up and jumped down, landing lightly on the stone surface of the vast platform.
Sunny grinned.
“Hey, Neph. Long time no see!”
***
Nephis led them inside the stone lodge, which had turned out to be her new residence. The interior was spartan and austere, with pieces of broken furniture lying here and there and cold winds sweeping freely through the spacious hall of the first floor.
Despite its larger size and superior craftsmanship, the lodge had been empty when she found it. No one wanted to live this close to both the edge of the platform at the threshold of the road, where the risk of being attacked by Nightmare Creatures was the highest. But Changing Star didn’t mind.
Looking around, Sunny scoffed.
“Gee. This place surely needs some work.”
Well, they did spend the past two months sleeping on nothing but rocks and dirt, so in a sense, even this ramshackle mess was an enormous improvement. With some improvements, it could even become somewhat of a decent place.
Suddenly, Sunny felt a little guilty about all the comfort and warmth he had experienced in the castle. He was even fed delicious fresh food twice a day.
Speaking of food…
Cassie smiled and handed Neph a small bundle. Concerned about her friend, she had not eaten her supper the previous evening, choosing to save it for this moment.
“Here, Neph. I brought you something to eat!”
Changing Star received the bundle with a faint smile and lingered a little before saying:
“Thank you. Uh… do you guys want breakfast?”
With that, she walked over to a flimsy wooden table that stood near one of the walls and removed a piece of cloth from it. Beneath, there was a pile of juicy roasted meat.
It was sizable enough to feed ten people in the castle for a day or two.
Sunny stared at the meat blankly, then moved his eyes to stare at Nephis.
“…Where the hell did you get all this meat? We thought you would be starving here in the outer settlement!”
She touched her hair in embarrassment.
“Oh… a few nights ago, a big monster came from the road. I and a few other people managed to kill it. This is my share of the spoils.”
Cassie opened her eyes wide.
“But I thought that Gunlaug’s men were supposed to fight off Nightmare Creatures!”
Changing Star remained silent for a few seconds.
“They do if the castle is attacked, either from the slopes of the hill or from the sky. If the monsters come from the road, they usually don’t bother to do anything.”
…So that’s why all the nearby hovels were empty. Who would want to live in the direct path of attacking Nightmare Creatures, especially since people who were supposed to fight them weren’t going to move a finger to help?
Sunny smiled darkly.
‘That’s the glorious Castle Guard for you. Wait…’
He blinked, then glared at Nephis.
“If that is true, then why on Earth… uh, Dream Realm… would you choose to live in this pit, of all places?!”
She stared at him for a while, then said in a flat tone:
“It’s quiet here.”
Then, a small smile appeared on Neph’s lips. Turning to a window, she added:
“I like it.”