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Join the ServerA woman about to step into the Flodes’ restaurant spotted Kisen and moved to walk beside him.
She had dark skin and heavily curled hair, and she was Mikinsa, an administrative staff member of the Kranche mercenary company.
“Commander, you’re already done eating? Heading back to the inn?”
Kisen pulled his hood low and turned his head slightly toward her.
“Walk on my left.”
“Oh, right. Sorry. I keep forgetting.”
Mikinsa gave an awkward laugh, moved to Kisen’s left, and tilted her head.
“You don’t look too pleased. Was the food that bad?”
“Terrible. More importantly, Mikinsa, there’s something I need you to do.”
“Oh, you don’t know where the inn is? Want me to show you?”
“Hay Styles is in Peschel. Find out where he’s staying. Quietly.”
“Mr. Styles? Wow, it’s been ages.”
Mikinsa beamed, then frowned as if she had noticed something odd.
“Wait, but why do we need to find out quietly?”
“It looks like he was attacked. A well-known crime organization in this city seems to be involved, so there’s no harm in being careful.”
“I understand. I just need to find out where Mr. Styles is staying, right?”
Kisen nodded. Mikinsa put on a solemn face like a loyal right hand.
“I’ll find out soon and contact you.”
She pulled her hood over her head, left Kisen’s side, and disappeared into the crowd. Kisen looked around for a moment, then moved on.
****
The place they arrived at, following Isanil, was an old general store near the central shopping district.
He strode inside and waved to the shopkeeper sitting at the counter.
“Hey, Uncle. Anything going on?”
But the shopkeeper ignored Isanil completely.
Isanil, as if used to that, didn’t pay it any mind and opened the door behind the counter and went in.
When Hay hesitated in front of the counter, Isanil opened his eyes wide and gestured to Hay.
“What are you doing? Why aren’t you coming in?”
“Is it okay to just barge in like this?”
“It’s fine. He doesn’t care. Right, Uncle?”
The sour-faced shopkeeper just glared back and forth between Isanil and Hay, saying nothing.
“See! Hurry up and come in.”
Hay had no choice but to follow Isanil.
Beyond the door was a storage room, and there was a back door leading outside.
Isanil tapped Neurra, who had somehow turned back into an earring.
“Go check outside.”
“Why outside?” Hay asked.
“That wasn’t for you.”
“I know.”
Neurra, now in the form of a dragonfly, slipped out through the gap between the floor and the door.
Isanil lifted the wooden cover over the window and peered outside.
“We’ve got a tail. You didn’t notice?”
Of course he had.
“We’re going to shake him off. They can’t know where we’re heading from now on.”
“How do we lose him?”
“There’s a way.”
Neurra came back.
Isanil stared at Neurra for a moment, then raised an eyebrow and nodded.
“There’s just one at the front door. Good.”
“How do you two communicate?” Hay asked.
Isanil glanced at Neurra and shrugged.
“Supposedly it’s similar to how spirits communicate with their contractors.”
“So you talk into its head. And? What’s the plan?”
“Neurra will cast an invisibility spell on us. We’ll go to the hideout like that. But…”
Hay crossed his arms and listened.
Isanil stopped mid-sentence, as if he had suddenly forgotten what he was going to say.
The silence stretched. Just as Hay was about to speak, Isanil spoke first.
“But there’s a problem. For the invisibility spell to work, you have to be in contact with Neurra.”
“Then it can only be cast on one person?”
“So we have to hold hands while walking.”
“Hold hands?”
Isanil nodded and rolled his eyes.
“Yeah. I know we’re still pretty awkward with each other, but it can’t be helped. We can’t split Neurra in two, can we?”
“What did you think I’d say?”
Hay snorted and held out his hand. But then Isanil hesitated.
“What are you doing? Aren’t you taking it?”
“Honestly, I really hate touching other people.”
He looked at Hay’s hand as if it were a disgusting insect. Hay was dumbfounded.
Isanil finally took Hay’s hand, hunching his shoulders.
“Alright. I can bear it. It feels like hives are breaking out all over my body, but I can bear it.”
“Shut up and hurry.”
“You’ve got a foul mouth, huh? In Nudan, you were always polite and well-behaved with the Pilsman kids.”
“You seem a lot dumber than I thought.”
“Calling me dumb, that’s harsh.”
Isanil pouted.
Neurra perched on Isanil’s head.
After a moment, a blue light flowed from Neurra’s body.
That light spread like paint seeping through Isanil’s body and then into Hay.
After a moment, Isanil communicated with Neurra and nodded.
“It’s done. Let’s go.”
Isanil said as he opened the back door. Outside, people were walking around.
Isanil led the way out, and Hay followed, closing the door.
Isanil headed straight for the Red Talon’s hideout.
It was the same address the informant had given Hay.
“Listen carefully. The first floor is a restaurant, and the second floor is a kind of lounge for the members. The third floor is a gambling den. There’s a storage room in the basement. You need to get to that storage room. There’s a secret door in it, and from there Neurra will guide you to the vault.”
“You’re talking like you’re not coming.”
“Uh? I’m not.”
“What do you mean? You have to go too.”
“You want us to go in there holding hands, side by side, into a place that’s hard to get into even alone? Uncomfortably?”
“I still don’t trust you. If I go in alone with Neurra and it runs off, I’ll be trapped in the middle of those Red Talon bastards. For all I know, you talked me into this just to throw me into their nest.”
“I understand you don’t trust me, but does it really change anything if I go in with you?”
“It does. If you betray me, I’ll cut your throat first.”
Isanil, as if creeped out, touched his own neck.
“Scary guy.”
“Are you coming or not?”
“Fine! I’m coming, I’m coming!”
Isanil grumbled, looked up at the sign that read “Krombelle,” and steadied his breath.
“If you let go of my hand, the invisibility spell on you, who’s not in contact with Neurra, will break. If it breaks, you’ll be found. Don’t blame me if something goes wrong.”
“I will blame you.”
At Hay’s firm words, Isanil glared at him, then sighed and walked toward the front door.
The two went inside through the entrance. The first-floor restaurant was quiet.
“Most of the people who use this place are Red Talon members or gambling customers.”
Isanil whispered so only Hay could hear.
Looking at the people, he couldn’t tell who was a criminal or a gambler.
The stairs to the basement storage were at the back of the kitchen. They went down the stairs, muffling their footsteps.
They made it to the cluttered basement storage without any trouble.
But the secret door Isanil had mentioned wasn’t visible anywhere in the storage room.
Isanil felt along the wall behind the shelves, looking for the door. Beyond it, there was a passage where air flowed.
He could feel a breeze coming from below, as if there were stairs leading further down.
A presence could be felt inside.
“Where was it around here.”
Isanil struggled to find the mechanism to open the door. Hay grabbed his shoulder.
“Wait. Someone’s coming.”
As soon as he finished speaking, a clunking sound came from the wall Isanil had been fumbling at. Then the shelf, still attached to the wall, slid forward smoothly.
Hay and Isanil stepped back, keeping their mouths shut.
A fairly large man walked out from inside.
The man scanned the storage room. Hay tensed up, freezing.
Fortunately, thanks to the invisibility spell, the man didn’t spot them.
When the man tried to close the door, Isanil moved suddenly.
His sudden movement made Hay’s footsteps sound.
Hearing the noise, the man paused mid-close and glanced around.
By then, the two were already through the wall.
Finding nothing, the man tilted his head and closed the door completely.
Once the wall shut, Isanil let out a relieved breath and looked down the dark stairs.
Only two candles on wall sconces lit the stairway.
The stairs were narrow enough for only one person.
If someone came from above or below while they were descending, they’d be trapped for sure.
“Let’s hurry before someone comes up. Hands are inconvenient, so grab my shoulder.”
Isanil said. Hay thought the same.
They let go of hands and held onto shoulders, and Isanil led the way down. The stairs weren’t long.
But just as they reached the bottom, someone stepped onto the stairs.
Hay reflexively used
“What? Did a door upstairs open? There’s wind coming in.”
The young woman stepping into the stairwell frowned and looked up.
Isanil was being held by the scruff of his neck by Hay, with his feet pulled up as high as possible.
Hay, whose skill at making others fly was still shaky, clenched his teeth and gripped Isanil tightly.
“Shiina, when you go up, keep an eye on that ponytail guy. I think he’s up to tricks.”
“Alright, alright. Just let him get caught by me! I’ll cut his hand off.”
The woman called Shiina grumbled as she went up.
Isanil’s heel almost touched the woman’s head, but it just barely grazed her hair.
Because of that, the woman, as if her head itched, scratched it and went up.
Only after the woman left did Hay slowly descend.
Isanil, who had come down first, let out a long breath with a look that said “I’ve aged ten years.”
“I thought we were caught.”
“Shh!”
Isanil’s voice was a bit loud, so Hay jabbed his side with his elbow.
Isanil barely suppressed a groan and glared at Hay.
Hay ignored him and jerked his chin, telling him to lead the way. Isanil entered the corridor first.
The corridor stretched out on both sides, with several doors.
The room directly in front of the stairs had its door wide open. It looked like a lounge, and three men sat around a table playing cards.
From the end of the left corridor, thumping sounds and shouts could be heard faintly.
As Hay stared toward the sound, Isanil pulled his arm and nodded toward the right corridor.
The place Isanil took Hay to was the second room from the end of the right corridor.
It looked like an office.
A man with brown hair and a scarred, intimidating face sat in a chair.
“He’s the Red Talon’s middle manager.”
Isanil whispered quietly. In other words, a middle boss.
The man wasn’t alone. There were two men in guard uniforms with him.
One of them was a face Hay recognized.
When Hay was attacked, this was the subordinate who had come with the guard named Gadot.
The man who had examined the bodies and confirmed they were Red Talon.
He was receiving a pouch of money from the Red Talon.
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