A tiny gas lamp, its flame like a candlelight that could go out at any moment.
As the lamplighter turned the valve, the light steadied, its bright whitish glow illuminating an entire stretch of dark street.
Something stirred in Gwen's heart, and she turned around. The entire street had already lit up, while farther away, scattered lights in the buildings and factory workshops resembled a Milky Way spread across the earth.
"How beautiful."
She had looked up at the starry sky countless times, but this was the first time she had stood among such points of light. Though she was in Blood Port at night, all around her was brightness.
People chatted as they walked down the streets. Workers leaving the factories wore weary yet happy smiles. Young people carrying books laughed and roughhoused on their way to night school. Night watchmen in long coats stood quietly at the boundary between light and shadow.
Looking at everything around her, Gwen felt her nose sting.
She had never doubted the meaning of leading the refugees in resistance, yet the sight of Blood Port being so peaceful and beautiful still left her heart unsettled for a long time.
"Lady Nora, can we... can we really live somewhere this wonderful? No freezing winds, no White Calamity, no endless wars..."
Nora nuzzled against Gwen's arms without saying anything.
The two of them simply leaned against each other on the streets of Blood Port, standing there for a very, very long time.
"Castel really is a wonderful place," Gwen sighed.
"...This is Blood Port, not Castel."
"Lady Nora, back in the Northern Territory, even in my most wonderful fantasies, I never imagined I could live in a city like this. To be honest, I still find it hard to believe that I've actually come to