Fortunately, that did not seem to be the case.

The fishing village of Miloneil sat beside a lake at the base of a large mountain. The journey had cost Mako a few hours, certainly, but there did not seem to be any sort of enemy occupation. The flags of Alexisa’s enemies did not fly in Miloneil.

There was a lack of soldiers, though, that much was clear. Save for a few farmers strapped with a shortbow or a hunting spear, there didn’t seem to be much of a garrison. Perhaps, it made sense but if she was hoping for survivors of the battle it didn’t seem to be likely. A double-edged sword. No survivors meant she would not run into any enemies but also friends as well. What were Alexisa’s friends like? A few journal entries spoke of her comrades, but little about anything back home in the city that bore her family’s name.

Unsurprisingly, the toil of fatigue was even felt in Alexisa’s body, though not as much as it had been Mako’s own. Alexisa, despite her similar frame and build, had endured a lot more than she had in her life. It would be time to find rest soon and the setting sun seemed to remind Mako of that fact even moreso than the fatigue and hunger. Her eyes would be able to find a solution to her exhaustion in that of a tavern of sorts standing at the center of the town alongside two other buildings of note–a smith and an item shop. Basic amenities for a town in the equivalent of the middle ages.

The smell of cooked fish was carried by the wind, almost reminding her of shioyaki back home. Her stomach rumbled.

Civilization.

Mako was beyond relieved to finally see actual people after hours of walking. Finally, a chance to properly rest without having to worry about wild animals snatching her from the sky. The village seemed to be somewhat peaceful aside from a few villagers who possessed some form of weaponry. Though it looked more like hunting equipment than proper, army-grade weapons. Not that Mako would know anything about what a proper weapon was.

That wasn't something she should be worried about right now. She was more concerned about the heaviness of her feet and how she would likely pass out as soon as she hit the bed. There was a tavern of sorts in the middle of the town and Alexisa was just thankful that none of the villagers seemed to pay her any mind— or if they did, they didn't immediately approach and talk to her. She wasn't sure how to carry a casual conversation yet. She hoped that the tavern owner wasn't much of a chatterbox. Spare her for the day.

The smell of fish reminded her of her mostly empty stomach. Sure, she had grabbed a few of the dried meat but Mako couldn't quite convince herself to be desperate enough to eat such rations. She was sure Alexisa's stomach could handle it but Mako's mind thought differently. Alright, eat first then pass out on the nearest bed and maybe wake up somewhere better. If not, well, she'd burn that bridge when she got there. Her feet dragged her to the tavern, pushing open the door and making a beeline straight for the counter.

"Hello, excuse me. Can I get a meal? Some fish? And water." She said once she caught the attention of anyone who looked like they worked there. With the tiredness and hunger, Mako could only spare some of her original politeness in favor of being straightforward.

The Swimming Sage was a moderately sized tavern and innhouse for a fishing village on the outskirts of the Addan province.

For those traveling from Githameire to Keldane it was about the midway point with only a few towns and villages left in the vale. It had four bedrooms above its sturdy bar room and hosted very few travelers on the average day save for the patrols from the local garrison at Fort Galla in the Eeleise Mountains. From what Mako could tell there were only a handful of men and women taking up gossip and food when she entered. They were likely all locals.

As she sat waiting for her food, two children looked at her from across the room with wonderment, though they were too shy to approach.

“Another one.” She could hear whispers of. “Another soldier.”

“That’s no soldier, that’s a warden.”

These words were hushed by the adults eventually, though the children’s gaze remained. Soon enough such distractions were removed from sight and mind with the sound and smell of a plate of food being plopped in front of her. Fried fish with some arrangement of herbs and spices. A mash of some grain (potatoes? Maize?), an assortment of vegetables, and a pitcher of water with a tankard. The bar matron quickly poured the water in and gave them good manners.

“W-we thought everyone to be–” She paused, “–ahem, ah, I’m sorry m’lady. It’s just we have seen so few survivors. We thought the worst. If you need anything else, let me know.”

For the most part, Mako got what she wanted. She was left alone by the people inside the tavern. She wondered what kind of status the armor she wore. What did it mean to be a warden? She let out a breath, placing her head against the back of her hand. She closed her eyes and let herself rest for the moment.

She could hear what sounded to be a couple of children talking about a soldier. Probably her. Before being corrected, Alexisa was a warden. A higher position than most soldiers. She supposed a noble wouldn't have settled for a lower position. However, the children were soon silenced by other people.

The smell of food overpowered everything else and she looked up, opening her eyes, to see that the matron had served her the meal. She spoke about there only being very few survivors. So there were some? They likely already moved on from this tavern. She gave a small, grateful smile to the matron. "Yes, it was an unfortunate... battle. And thank you for the offer. I wanted to ask if I may rent a room for the night. I'll... I'll follow up tomorrow."

After the matron's response, Mako finally set her gaze on the food once again and her stomach growled. Aside from the fish, she wasn't exactly quite sure what the meal before her was but at this point, she didn't really care. It took every single bit of her dwindling willpower to not just wolf it down. Some part of her reminded her of manners and a rational part of her brain reminded her that Alexisa was a noble and should act like one.

It might have been her hunger or it might actually be the cooking, but by all the gods of this world, this meal was by far one of the best she had had.

“Ah. A room would make sense. You must be exhausted.”

Alexisa’s body was spent. Even if it had been conditioned by battle and restored by Sigridelle it had still been a very long day. A trek on the rough backroads in padded armor with the sun on high was still a trek nonetheless. The matron obviously picked up on the weariness–the fatigue. It was probably easy to see.

“We have three rooms upstairs. Two are available.” She raised her hand to her lips, thinking on the thought, “Room 2 or 3. Take your pick.”

"Room 3 would be nice. Thank you." She figured it would be the one room that was at least the most isolated. She wasn't sure how well Alexisa's body took fatigue but Mako wanted to give as much time as she could for the body to rest. If that meant she needed peace and quiet and sleep all the way to noon, then so be it.

After a few bites in, she looked back up— a little bit of clarity in her eyes. "Oh, how much will it be for the room and food? I have some sparse amount of coins that I've brought with me and I hope it's enough to cover it." Well, she didn't exactly know how much she had.

A look of hesitation on the woman’s face, albeit only for a mere second.

“There’s no need. We are honored to serve House Githameire.”

Was the matron’s hesitation to take coin by tradition toward soldiers or was it due to the matron noticing the signet ring or something else about Alexisa? It was a hard thing to say, but for the time being Mako could insist on Alexisa’s behalf or accept the matron’s polite refusal of payment for her services.

Mako looked at her, trying to fight back the look of surprise and shock. She cleared her throat and nodded. "Thank you for your kind service." She gave the matron a nod before returning to her food. Whether it was because she was a warrior or it was because this person somehow recognized Alexisa as a Githameire, Mako didn't really want to think too much about it right then and there.

When she finished partaking in the meal, she tidied up the plates and made sure the plates were on top of each other. With that, Mako stood up and approached the matron when she saw that there was a lull in the activity. "Ah, I've finished. Might I have the key to the room?" Surely, they had keys in this time. Or something along those lines.

“Not a problem at all.”

After moving upstairs Mako would find the three rooms all with the number they represented on each individual door. As someone who picked room three, it was naturally the room furthest in the back, away from the stairwell.

A singular bed, cabinet, and table would occupy the room inside with a curtained window sitting parallel to the door itself. Through the windowpane one could see the bulk of the small town, though as late it was getting making out much would prove to be difficult. In a world without electricity the only thing that illuminated was the glow of a lantern or the stars themselves. It would take getting used to, especially for someone who was used to the amenities of a city. The sights of Tokyo would forever be etched in memory. As she attempted to settle in for the night then came a voice out of nowhere, like a gunshot.

“You're still alive. That's good.”

Mako reached her room and let out a sigh. It would be good to get out of the armor, she thought to herself as she began to disarm herself. She would have been fumbling around had it been just her but the body itself seemed to know what to do by instinct and Mako just followed whatever Alexisa's body told her to do. As she laid down the armor to the side, she gazed outside the window. It was beautiful. She would never see a sight like this back in the city with light pollution dimming the night sky.

But even then, the payment to see this was quite heavy. She would miss the comfort that Tokyo brought her. Even though she had led a dull life that likely led to a decline, having to sleep and rest without the hum of electricity in her ears would prove to be a little difficult. Just knowing that she had to pretend to be someone else for the rest of her life would likely also keep her up at night.

She moved for the bed, her body far too tired to even think about bathing for the night, when a voice piped up.

Mako's hand instinctively went to the sword resting by the bedside table as she turned to face the order of the voice that was sounding more and more familiar with every passing second. "Sigridelle. It's just you." She breathed out in relief, feeling more at ease knowing that someone who knew her was around. Her grip around the sword's handle slackened as she sat down on the bed. "How was... business I guess? Handled everything?"