Deep in the Land of Eternal Night, Little Night City.
Lanchi helped Sigrid finish writing the letter.
They had just left the hotel and were preparing to mail the letter in Little Night City before continuing their journey.
As they walked out of the hotel lobby, the brief daylight on the horizon had faded, leaving only the boundless night once again shrouding the city-state.
The streetlamps cast a soft yellow glow onto the damp sidewalks, leaving mottled shadows of snow crisscrossed with light.
The cold wind brought a faint chill as it swept through the slightly disheveled strands of Sigrid's hair beneath her beret. She held the letter she had just finished writing tightly in her hand.
It was the letter she had been most satisfied with so far.
"So learning to write isn't so bad after all."
She looked up at Lanchi, having such a thought for the first time.
"Right?"
Lanchi smiled at her and replied.
"By the way, if someone like you were to teach me something, it would normally cost a lot, wouldn't it?"
Sigrid spoke again.
She now believed what the secretary had told her before they set out.
Her employer's true identity must have been exceedingly noble in the Plant Empire.
If they had not met through this business, he would never have casually humbled himself to teach a wild child like her.
"It has always been free. At your age, you're in the compulsory education stage. It's my responsibility to answer your questions, help you establish a correct outlook on life and values, and so on."
Lanchi looked straight into Sigrid's eyes and said with certainty,
"If only there were no wars. Then I wouldn't have to run myself ragged. I could go teach children to read and draw at a church. I