Chapter 50: Afroshia is wandering…

“Haven’t you considered one thing?” Mistfeather suddenly asked.

“Hm?”

“Our house is gone! Where are we gonna live?” Mistfeather’s voice was laced with panic, her tiny claws itching to grab Aphrosia’s collar—if only her size allowed it.

“Uh… haha, good question…” The blonde girl laughed awkwardly, her eyes dodging the piercing gazes of the two birds.

Gods, that magic array was something she’d slapped together when she first learned magic, nearly forgotten until today’s chaos blew up the house!

But despite appearances, a relaxed glint flickered in her eyes, impossible to hide.

Thankfully, her valuables were safe in her mother’s spatial ring, and she’d fiercely guarded Blazewing’s coins—minimal losses…

As if! The house was gone—that’s no small loss!

But was this really an accident? Mistfeather found Aphrosia’s preemptive packing suspicious…

She wanted to snap, “Are you an idiot?” but lacked the courage, swallowing the words.

After days together, Mistfeather and Blazewing had a grasp of Aphrosia’s personality. She always pulled bizarre stunts that made her already tight finances worse—spending nine gold coins on clothes, and now blowing up the house!

Was it too late to bail? The birds despaired.

Blazewing was right all along—her instincts were spot-on! She should’ve begged the Fox Princess to take her in, instead of losing her coins and ending up homeless…

“Until we find a new place, we’ll have to make do at an inn…” Aphrosia scratched her cheek, forcing a smile to mask her embarrassment.

Dust swirled in the ruins, making her grin look hollow.

Blazewing slid off the tree, a flattened red fluffball, staring blankly at the rubble that was once “home.”

“Make do? With the coins you stole from me?”

Mistfeather clutched her few silver coins, worried. “And… Aphrosia, are you sure your magic experiments won’t blow up the inn too? Then it’s not just homelessness—we’ll be wanted city-wide…”

“Relax! Relax!” Aphrosia patted her chest, her single wing flapping excitedly, stirring a small gust. “I swear! Absolutely! No untested magic indoors!”

Her eyes darted as she added, “…At least, not until we get a new place.”

Blazewing and Mistfeather exchanged looks, brimming with distrust.

“What’s with those faces? Have some faith in your nominal master!” Aphrosia pouted.

“Pfft, you’ve got some nerve! You forced us into this! And isn’t that Ifrora’s contract still on your leg?” Blazewing grumbled. Mentioning it made her feathers bristle with rage.

“Time magic could undo that contract easily, but good luck breaking my time magic contract~”

“You!”

The girl and bird bickered until Mistfeather’s exasperated voice cut in.

“Alright, Sis, Aphrosia, can we find a place to stay already?”

“Why not crash with Ifrora? She’d totally take you in,” Blazewing huffed, only to yelp as a smack landed on her head. “Ow! Again?!”

“Idiot! Go to the Phoenixes? I’d rather die than face their torment!”

“Fine, let’s go.”

As dusk fell, the trio—carrying Aphrosia’s spatial ring, some gear, and the nearly blood-stained coins—checked into the city’s cheapest inn, looking like a mess.

“Ahem, boss, how much for a night?” Aphrosia asked.

“Three silver coins.”

“Huh? Did I mishear? Three silver coins for three nights?”

“One night, miss!”

“Fine…” Aphrosia reluctantly handed over three coins.

So expensive…

But this was the cheapest place. Other inns were nicer but too pricey.

Sure, she had gold coins, but a place to sleep didn’t need to be fancy…

The room was cramped and dim, with a creaky bed and a wobbly table, reeking of damp mold and stale ale. Blazewing flapped her wings in disgust. “This is worse than a bird’s nest!”

As if…

Unable to stand it, they refunded the room and found a mid-priced inn with decent conditions.

Aphrosia sighed, carefully placing ten silver coins on the counter as a deposit. Staring at their gleam, she picked one up, faint magic glowing at her fingertips, as if pondering how to tweak her “Greedy Fool’s Nightmare” trap.

“Hey! No funny business!” Blazewing hopped to the table’s edge, feathers puffed, glaring. “Blow this place up, and we’re done for!”

“I know, I know.” Aphrosia set the coin down, but her gaze drifted to the window.

The noisy chatter from the inn’s lobby drifted up. Suddenly, a low, raspy voice cut through, clear to Aphrosia’s sharp ears:

“…Yeah, it’s them. A blonde with two bright birds, one red, very noticeable. Checked in this afternoon, seemingly… penniless, but something’s off.”

Aphrosia’s blue eyes narrowed like a wary feline’s. She crept to the door, pressing her ear to the rough wood.

“…Got it, target confirmed. We need that thing. The ring they’re carrying… it’s valuable. Whatever it takes…”

The ring?! Aphrosia’s heart skipped, her hand instinctively covering the ring on her left index finger—her mother’s, her most precious spatial container.

Blazewing and Mistfeather noticed her shift in mood and the heavy atmosphere, halting their squabble to flutter close, alert.

“What’s wrong?” Mistfeather whispered.

“Someone’s… asking about us,” Aphrosia murmured, voice icy. “They’re after the ring.”