When Shade realized he had appeared inside the inn, he did not hear anyone say hello to him first. Instead, he heard a rumbling roar.
Elements and spirits collided, and the light of thaumaturgy flashed outside the inn. Looking around from beside the bonfire on the 1st Floor, he saw a small number of injured young ladies sitting by the fire and treating themselves. Tifa, Hailey, and Miss Decter were not indoors. Dorothy and Leisha stood at the entrance, with five-ring Destiny Rings floating behind them.
Only Angelina, holding the cat, walked toward Shade. Though she was taking "refuge" here tonight, she had still been dressed quite splendidly—at least, she had been the last time Shade left.
But now, the outer layer of the little princess's double-layered skirt had been torn away. Over her dress, she wore a somewhat long but dirt-resistant and close-fitting brown coat. Her red hair was completely tied up behind her head, and both hands wore the standard Fire and Corrosion Resistant Leather Gloves used by Ring Arcanists when preparing potions. One hand held the cat, while the other carried a basket of empty potion bottles.
Shade had never seen Angelina dressed like this. Though he had never said so, in his mind, Angelina—who was not very tall and whose figure was not as striking as her elder sister's or grand-aunt's—had always seemed more like a carefree princess living in a fairy tale. Before this, he could never have imagined her dressed differently and collecting potion bottles on the 1st Floor.
If she had smeared a few streaks of bottom ash across her face, Angelina would have looked even more interesting.
But her attire also meant that the inn's situation was quite dire. Even Angelina had been asked to help with something.
"Shade!"
She called out