By the time Shade finally pushed open the door and entered the warm Bountiful Earth Inn in the city center that evening, it was already nearly five o'clock. Today was monday, and he still had to meet Emilia, the elf girl from Saint Byron's, so he did not head straight to the Wilde Opera House.
Luvia had not yet gotten off work. Shade hurried to the counter for a cup of hot tea after entering the inn's 1st Floor through the snow. Since he had skipped lunch, he also ordered vegetable soup and a grilled steak before sitting against the wall, listening to the bard sing and finally truly relaxing.
There was still about an hour before dinner, so the inn's 1st Floor was not too crowded. But when Luvia entered the inn, the snow-covered streets outside were already packed with pedestrians, and the Bountiful Earth Inn was bustling with voices as well.
The Girl with Purple Eyes spotted Shade reading the newspaper at once. As she sat across from him with her little handbag, she curiously asked what he was reading.
"Randall Flower Evening News, fifth-page gossip."
As he handed the newspaper to Luvia, she laughed at the photograph on that page. It showed Miss Benanis and the disguised Shade in profile, apparently in a corridor of the Wilde Opera House. They were holding hands, looking as though they were on a secret rendezvous, very intimate indeed:
"I didn't expect it to actually make the papers. That lady really is bored."
She offered no opinion on the matter. After setting down her teacup, she looked at Shade.
"How were today's gains? Your trip to Wosente Manor wasn't wasting time, was it?"
"Of course not. I was quite lucky and gained a great deal. I even encountered that Demon's main