At midnight, as the deal concluded, Samael bid farewell to his new partner and searched the town for an inn, intending to stay the night nearby.
He had remained here partly to guide unrelated personnel in evacuating, and partly because he had sensed the stirrings of what seemed to be a Holy Grail convergence.
But perhaps because it was too late, Samael had to circle around for quite a while before finally finding the town's only inn still lit and open for guests.
However, when he pushed open the half-closed door and entered the lobby, the familiar figure also standing at the counter to check in made the Ancient Serpent pause slightly.
"Letizia?"
"It's you!"
The braided girl carrying a backpack turned around. Their eyes met, and she too froze in astonishment.
That was right. The person before him was Joan of Arc. However, since they were traveling, Samael naturally addressed her by her current real name to avoid unnecessary trouble.
The middle-aged woman behind the counter had been dozing off, but the commotion immediately roused her. Her eyes repeatedly swept over the handsome man and beautiful woman checking in.
"You know each other?"
"Ahem, you could... say that."
Joan of Arc gave a small cough and turned her head aside. Whatever she had thought of made an unnatural flush rise to her cheeks.
Seeing that, the middle-aged woman's eyes flickered thoughtfully. Propping up her chin, she casually tossed a keycard onto the counter.
"Sorry, there's only one king room left. Why don't you two make do together tonight?"
"Forget it. First come, first served. Why don't you take it? I'll just find somewhere outside to squat for the night."
Samael yawned and waved dismissively. He then turned as if to leave the inn, though he walked rather slowly.
Joan