Those Eyes, What Eyes?

They ate the dinner Azu had bought, spent the evening as they pleased, and all four turned in for the night.

The employees had gone home.

A stretch of quiet hours passed, and then Azu's eyes snapped open.

Her throat was dry, so she rose as quietly as she could.

Elza and Alexia were both fast asleep.

She crept through the dark room.

She lit a candle and made her way to the water pitcher.

Azu poured herself a cup and drained it slowly.

The cold water slid down her throat.

Azu exhaled.

She was about to snuff the candle and go back to bed when she heard a faint noise from outside.

Something walking.

Should you be hearing something like that in the dead of night, this deep into town?

Azu frowned and moved to the window.

She pulled the curtain aside with her left hand and peered out.

Nothing but darkness.

The streetlamps had been extinguished; she could barely see a thing.

The sound had stopped at some point.

Had she imagined it?

Just as Azu decided it was nothing and started to turn from the window, a monster's face with blue eyes appeared at the glass.

Azu's heart lurched. She threw herself back from the window, hand going to her hip.

No sword. She wasn't wearing it.

She fumbled in the dark for a moment before finding the blade. Grabbing it in its scabbard with her left hand, she checked the window again.

Nothing there.

The commotion had woken Elza. She sat up.

"What?"

At times like these, Elza was actually a bit irritable.

The contrast with her usual composure was stark.

But Azu was in no state to be fazed by that.

"There's something outside the window."

"At this hour?"

Elza conjured a light on her fingertip that flooded the room.

Bright as noon.

Unlike a regular light spell, this one couldn't be moved.

Less convenient, but brighter than a standard light spell.

The two of them looked out the window. Nothing but an empty, dark street.

"I don't see anything."

"I know I saw something."

Elza didn't doubt Azu's word, but she couldn't sense anything either.

The brightness roused Alexia as well.

"What's going on?"

"Something was outside the window… but it's gone now."

Alexia hid a yawn behind her hand.

"Outside? I can't see a thing in this dark."

Alexia peered out with sleep-heavy eyes.

"Azu-chan. Let's put the sword away for now."

"Oh, right."

Azu returned the sword to its place.

After that, not a sound.

She couldn't go outside without Master's permission, and waking him in the middle of the night felt wrong.

If something were actually there, she wouldn't have hesitated. But looking again now, there was nothing.

Maybe she had been mistaken, Azu started to think.

"You were half-asleep."

Elza declared the matter settled and burrowed into her blanket.

Alexia had already gone back to sleep.

The light Elza had conjured slowly faded.

Darkness swallowed the room again.

That was when Azu finally noticed.

No insects chirping. No animal calls. Nothing.

In the eerie silence, Azu stared at the curtained window.

She sighed and went back to bed.

The next morning, while spreading butter on her breakfast bread, Azu told Master about the night before.

Even she felt the explanation came out poorly, but she thought he should know.

Master had been eating his omelet but set down his wooden spoon.

Maybe this wasn't the best topic for mealtime, Azu thought with a pang of regret.

She braced herself for a scolding, but instead Master produced a sheet of paper.

"This is actually related to what you just said."

With that preamble, he briefly explained the contents to all three slaves.

It was a quest.

The client was a merchants' council, a group of stall owners and small shopkeepers, Master included.

The job: evening and nighttime patrols.

The pay was low. However, the notice stated that a proper reward would be given if the matter was resolved.

"What is this?" Alexia asked, wiping sauce from her plate with a torn piece of bread.

"There've been some incidents in town. Animals that wandered in are being killed."

"Animals?"

"Yeah. It's got people spooked. Shops are closing, rumors are spreading, and fewer merchants are coming to town. The guard won't take it seriously, so the merchants pooled funds to hire adventurers. Which means you three will be patrolling this area."

"I see. And since we're yours, it doesn't cost you a thing."

"Exactly. I'll run it through the Adventurer's Guild as a formality, though."

Master's money would go out and come right back. Minus the handling fee.

He had another sheet of paper in his hand.

"Is that a quest too?"

"This? … Not relevant right now."

He tucked it away.

"Starting today. You'll be working nights, so you can sleep during the day if you want."

"Telling me I can sleep doesn't make it easy."

"Now, now. I can use purification to banish drowsiness."

"I'll do my best."

Night duty is something I'd rather reserve for ambushing bandits, Alexia added.

Elza seemed neither enthused nor opposed.

Once again, only Azu had any real motivation, but when push came to shove, the others would step up. Master was sure of that.

"If something happens, use this."

Master handed Azu a red stick.

"What is it?"

"Pull the string at the tip and it'll give off light and sound. The light shoots from the end, so point it up. If anyone else sees it, that's the signal to converge."

"Got it."

Azu took the stick and stowed it in her gear pouch.

That evening, the three set out on their first patrol.