The night air just before dawn was chilly. But after a hot bath, Armand found it quite refreshing.
Leaning against the balcony railing with a glass of wine in hand, he found himself musing on the past events.
His companions had grown from one to three. He obtained clues on the whereabouts of the Apostle - although whether this information was credible or not was yet to be seen. He was somehow involved in resolving a case of children's kidnapping in Dohara, which led them to being attacked by a mysterious, dangerous group with ties to the Order of Exiles. There, they encountered two enigmatic figures whose strength easily surpassed most mages and sword masters.
Talking about enigmatic, Armand was certain that Seraphine knew more than she let on. But he was in no hurry to find out. His experience of dealing with nobles and the Temple's higher-ups had taught him that sometimes ignorance was bliss. He was not even sure if all of these were connected to the Apostle. Therefore, unless it involved endangerment of civilians, he had no intention of prying further into her business. But it would be nice if she confided in him more.
Stunned, Armand wondered why he thought about the last part. Before he could mull over it further, he sensed a presence that had become somewhat familiar to him.
"..Seraphine. How come you are still awake?"
"Same question to you." She answered leisurely as she walked towards him. Just like him, she seemed to have just come out from the bathhouse. Her long, dark hair was still damp, leaving some wet patches on her dress that turned it slightly transparent. Armand thought she emitted a subtle floral fragrance, like a fresh garden note after the summer rain.
He cleared his throat. "Your hair's still damp. You're going to catch a cold that way."
Seraphine looked a bit taken aback. Then, awkwardly, she combed her hair, running the strands through her hand in an effort to air-dry it. "...I'll be fine."
Armand forced himself to shift his gaze towards the first break of dawn on the horizon. "To answer your question, there isn't much time until the meeting with the Archon and the Magistrate. I thought watching the sunrise would be better than oversleeping. I did tell Flint and Darryl they can go ahead and sleep as much as they want."
"I see. As for me....I'm just not sleepy yet, I guess."
He glanced at her, who had just poured herself a glass of wine from the small table and leaned against the railing. He then asked, "Will you be coming along to see the Archon?"
"No."
"I thought so." Armand chuckled.
For some time, neither of them spoke, but it was not an uncomfortable silence. Armand looked up as the starry sky faded into soft blue, then into shades of pink and amber as the dawn broke.
In the end, he could not resist his curiosity. Glancing at her, he called out.
"Seraphine."
"Hmm?"
"That mage, Freya, called you a traitor. Does it mean something to you?"
The moment he said it, he saw her face fall. He immediately almost regretted asking the question. However, if she actually had ties to the Order of Exiles, he would like to know.
She did not answer for a long time. Armand also had no intention of breaking the silence. Finally, when the sun rose, she spoke up, not looking at him.
"It's true. I did betray that person. In a sense, it's reasonable to label me as a traitor."
Armand twirled the empty wine glass in his hand. "That person?"
"Yes." She looked up. "My former childhood friend and senior, Sephiroth. He's most likely the one behind the kidnapping case, and the figure behind the Order of Exiles."
She wanted to elaborate, but did not know where to start. Armand waited patiently, not wanting to interject. Finally, Seraphine sighed and sat down on one of the lounge chairs. He followed suit.
"We used to serve under the same master, Asteria. She was one of the strongest, most beautiful, greatest mages to ever exist."
Armand silently frowned. That name, Asteria, sounded very familiar to him.
"Are you talking about the deceased Mage of the Abyss, former Archmage of the Onyx Tower, Asteria Noctis?"
"Yes."
"...!"
Not wanting to interrupt, Armand let her continue her story.
"Mistress Asteria picked me up, who was abandoned by my parents, when I was around five. I have no memory before that age. Then she took Sephiroth under her wing. We grew up together like siblings, although he was almost 8 years older than me."
Seraphine took a sip from her wine glass and leaned back. "Sephiroth...was a genius. He was supposed to inherit Mizan from Mistress Asteria."
"Mizan? Was Asteria Noctis the previous owner of Mizan?"
"That's right. But I inherited it instead." Seraphine downed her wine, her cheeks now slightly flushed from the alcohol.
"I hardly see how it can be counted as a betrayal."
"..it's a story for another day."
Armand did not push it further, as Seraphine had been more open than she had been. However, there was still one problem that bothered him.
"Seraphine....I'm not doubting you, but the last record of Asteria Noctis being seen alive was more than 100 years ago. Are we talking about the same Asteria?"
Under the brightening sky, her cherry-blossom-shaped eyes met his.
"Yes."
Armand became speechless.
"That's impossible. That'd mean you're at least 100..120 years old?"
"Why are you so surprised? Most mages live up to 150 anyway, some even to 200. They just use some kind of age-reversing magic to appear young, like that crazy woman, Freya. But no, I'm not 120 years old." Seraphine huffed in annoyance.
"As Mizan, whenever there's no guest, I will just fall asleep. Time works differently in that space. If we total all the years before I inherited the shop and when I was awake, I guess I'm around...28...29 years old?"
"You fall asleep when there is no guest? Was that the same with Asteria Noctis, too?" Armand could not remember any record that described Archmage Asteria suffering from that kind of affliction.
Seraphine looked downcast again. "...no. That's only because my power is incomplete." She gripped the stem of her empty wine glass, then gracefully stood up.
"Anyway, it's morning. I'll try to catch a couple of hours of sleep. I'll see you at breakfast...or lunch." Hesitantly, she turned towards Armand before leaving. "...good night, Armand."
"Good night, Seraphine."