Chapter 31 — Lunaris
Elior POV
By the time the train had been running for several hours, Cana had finally stopped staring at the window every second.
Erza had gone back to her book, although she still occasionally glanced outside whenever the scenery changed.
Luna had completely accepted the train by now and was sleeping peacefully on my lap.
As for me, I had pulled out the map and was checking our route.
We still had quite a way to go.
The train would make several stops before reaching Lunaris, and the journey would take most of the day.
Cana suddenly leaned across the seats.
"Brother El."
"Hm?"
"Are we close yet?"
I checked the map.
"Nope."
She frowned.
"How long?"
"Several more hours."
Her shoulders dropped.
"That's forever."
I laughed.
"You were excited about the train earlier."
"I still am."
"Then enjoy it."
She turned back toward the window with a small huff.
Erza looked up from her book.
"Cana gets bored easily."
"I don't!"
"You do."
"I don't."
I glanced between them.
"Do I need to separate you two?"
They immediately went quiet.
I nodded.
"Thought so."
The journey continued without any real problems.
At one station, Cana convinced me to buy some snacks.
At another, Erza spotted a traveling merchant selling books and practically dragged me toward the stall.
She spent several minutes examining them before finally choosing one.
I paid for it.
She looked at me with surprise.
"You're buying it?"
"Of course."
"Thank you, Brother."
She hugged my arm before carefully putting the book away.
Cana immediately appeared beside us.
"Can I get something too?"
I laughed.
"Sure."
She picked a small box of sweets.
"These!"
"Good choice."
I paid for hers as well.
Then Luna received a tiny piece of dried fruit.
She sniffed it suspiciously before eating it.
"Kyuu."
"You like it?"
"Kyuu!"
"Good."
By late afternoon, the scenery had changed considerably.
The forests around Magnolia were long behind us.
Now there were wide fields, rocky hills and small settlements scattered throughout the countryside.
The air had also become noticeably cooler.
When the train stopped at another station, Cana wrapped her arms around herself.
"It's cold."
"We're farther north now."
Erza looked out the window.
"I like it."
"You like cold weather?"
She nodded.
"We'll see what you say tomorrow morning."
Eventually, the conductor announced our destination.
"Lunaris. Final stop."
Cana immediately stood up.
"We're here!"
"Don't jump around."
"I'm excited!"
Erza closed her book and put it away.
Luna woke up, stretched and climbed onto my shoulder.
"Kyuu?"
"We're here."
A few minutes later, we stepped off the train.
The first thing I noticed was the temperature.
It wasn't freezing, but it was definitely colder than Magnolia.
Thankfully, we'd brought enough warm clothes.
The second thing I noticed was the city itself.
Lunaris was much larger than I'd expected.
Stone buildings lined broad streets, colorful signs hung above shops and restaurants, and merchants moved through the crowds with carts full of goods.
There were magic shops beside ordinary stores, along with bakeries, weapon shops, bookstores and countless smaller stalls.
Cana slowly turned in place.
"Wow."
Erza looked around with equal fascination.
"It's beautiful."
"Yeah."
Magnolia had always felt lively and chaotic, but Lunaris had a different atmosphere.
It was clearly a major trading city, with travelers constantly coming and going.
Near the station, we found a large city map.
I studied it for a moment.
"Blue Pegasus is on the western side."
Cana leaned closer.
"How far?"
"About twenty minutes from here."
"Then let's go!"
I shook my head.
"Not yet."
She looked confused.
"Why?"
"We've been traveling all day. First, we find an inn and put our things down."
"Oh."
She nodded.
We made our way through the streets until we found a comfortable-looking inn.
It was a three-story building with a wooden sign hanging above the entrance.
I stepped inside.
A middle-aged woman stood behind the counter.
"Welcome."
"Do you have a room available?"
"Yes. How many rooms?"
"One."
She looked at the three of us.
"One?"
"Yep. One room for us."
Before the innkeeper could say anything else, Cana grabbed my sleeve.
"Of course we're staying in one room."
Erza nodded firmly.
"We're staying together."
I looked at both of them.
"I know."
The woman smiled.
"Family?"
"Yep."
I answered without hesitation.
Cana grinned.
Erza smiled.
The innkeeper handed me a key.
"Third floor. Room seven."
"Thank you."
We went upstairs and opened the door.
The room was simple but comfortable.
There were three beds, a small table, a wardrobe and a window overlooking one of the main streets.
Cana immediately claimed the bed beside the window.
"I'm sleeping here."
Erza chose the one next to hers.
"Then I'll sleep here."
I took the remaining bed.
Luna jumped onto mine, turned around twice and curled into a ball.
I stared at her.
"You didn't even ask."
"Kyuu."
"Apparently you don't need permission."
She closed her eyes.
I shook my head and laughed.
After putting our things away, we headed downstairs for dinner.
The inn had a small restaurant, and the menu had several dishes I'd never seen before.
Cana pointed at one.
"What's that?"
"No idea."
She pointed at another.
"And that?"
"No idea."
Another.
"This?"
I looked toward the waiter.
"What would you recommend?"
He suggested a few local dishes.
We ordered them and waited.
Soon, the table was filled with food.
There were roasted mountain vegetables seasoned with herbs, a thick local meat stew, fresh bread and a berry-filled pastry.
Cana immediately dug in.
Erza ordered strawberry pastry as she loves them the most.
I tried the pastry.
My eyes widened.
"Okay…"
Cana looked up.
"What?"
"This is really good."
"Let me try."
She took a bite.
Her expression immediately changed.
"That's really good!"
Erza tried it next.
She nodded.
"I like it."
I looked toward the waiter.
"Could we get a few more to take upstairs?"
"Of course."
We finished dinner and returned to our room.
Cana sat on her bed and began organizing her cards.
Erza settled against the headboard with her new book.
Luna curled up between the girls for a while before eventually returning to my bed.
I walked over to the window.
Night had fallen over Lunaris.
Magic lamps illuminated the streets below, shops were closing one by one, and restaurants were still filled with travelers.
The city looked beautiful from above.
Cana eventually looked over.
"Brother El?"
"Yeah?"
"I like it here."
I turned toward her.
"Already?"
She nodded.
"It's different from Magnolia."
Erza closed her book.
"I like it too."
I smiled.
"Then we'll explore tomorrow."
Cana's eyes brightened.
"Really?"
"Really."
"Where are we going?"
"Wherever you two want."
Cana immediately said, "Candy shop."
Erza answered at almost the exact same time.
"Bookstore."
They looked at each other.
Cana smiled.
"Both?"
"Both."
Erza nodded.
"Good."
Luna lifted her head.
"Kyuu."
"And we'll find something for Luna too."
Her tail began wagging.
Cana laughed.
"She understands everything."
"Most things."
I looked around the room.
It was strange how quickly this little group had started feeling normal.
A few months ago, I had been traveling through this world mostly alone.
Now I was sitting in an unfamiliar city with my sisters and Luna, planning what we'd do the next day.
I liked it.
I stepped away from the window.
"Alright. Everyone needs sleep."
Cana groaned.
"Already?"
"Yes."
Erza closed her book.
"Good night, Brother."
"Good night."
Cana climbed under her blanket.
"Good night, Brother El."
"Good night."
Luna curled up at the foot of my bed.
"Kyuu…"
I smiled.
"Good night, Luna."
The room gradually became quiet.
Outside, Lunaris continued glowing beneath the night sky.
Tomorrow we'd finally visit Blue Pegasus.
And somehow, I had a feeling meeting another guild was going to be interesting.