Chapter 109: The Sister’s News and the Lost Way in the Night

“The situation is bad?”

Faced with my question, Claire showed a hesitant expression.

“That girl named Diya… is a student at the Preparatory Knight Academy.”

“Even though we are both in the Royal Capital, the Knight Academy has very little interaction with us.”

“It’s just that occasionally we hold some joint events like social dances.”

“I happened to hear some rumors by chance during a joint event between our two academies…”

“It seems the trouble she got into is related to her mentor—Grand Knight Kaswin.”

“Anyway, her situation doesn’t sound very good.”

“Kaswin?”

I silently repeated this familiar name; my memory was instantly pulled back to many years ago—this was exactly the person who took Diya away.

What did he do?

“Oh well, isn’t it just those power games between big shots? How could I possibly understand it?”

Claire suddenly pouted, her tone carrying a hint of dissatisfaction.

“But Sister, we finally get to see each other after so long, why are you circling around other people? What exactly is your relationship with that Diya…?”

“This… this is a matter between adults; children shouldn’t ask blindly.”

It seemed I couldn’t get any deeper information from Claire either. I casually brushed her off and memorized the clue about Kaswin in my heart.

“Liar! You aren’t that much older yourself, Sister,” Claire tugged dissatisfiedly at the hem of her nightgown and muttered softly.

She quietly raised her eyes to appraise me, a probing light in her gaze.

“Moreover… today, Sister, you feel somewhat different from usual—is it also because of that girl?”

“What are you pondering in that little head of yours all day long?”

I felt this child was becoming increasingly difficult to deal with, and I hastily stood up.

“Alright, let’s leave it at this for today. I’m leaving.”

With that, I walked toward the window, intending to leave as quietly as I had come.

But just then, a small hand gently tugged at the hem of my cloak.

“Sis…”

I looked back and saw Claire sitting obediently by the edge of the bed, holding onto me with both hands, deliberately putting on an obedient and docile appearance.

“What…”

“It’s so late, and it’s dark outside. Do you want to wait until daytime to leave? Just stay for tonight…”

“No! I categorically refuse,” I said. “During the daytime, there are many people and many eyes; it’s easier to be discovered.”

Furthermore—I sighed inwardly—it’s best not to cause any extra trouble for Tiya.

The sisters should have a more formal meeting, which was also why I didn’t bring along the gifts prepared by her two brothers.

“Don’t worry, I am in the Royal Capital; I won’t disappear.”

“Next time I will come see you openly and bring you gifts; it will be much better than sneaking around like this.”

I gently brushed her hands away, rubbed the top of her soft hair, then turned and vaulted onto the windowsill.

***

“…”

‘Not causing extra trouble for Kritiya…’

Although I made such a solemn vow and spoke such grand words, by the time I snapped back to reality, I found myself already trapped in a certain predicament.

When I came, I took a carriage, and the journey was smooth.

But when I left the academy and wanted to follow the original route back, I realized in shock that I had long forgotten the direction I came from.

No wonder; when sitting in the carriage, the entire journey was controlled by the driver who handled the reins and the route.

Naturally, I hadn’t paid attention to the street scenes and turns along the way.

Walking for a long while based on vague impressions, I stopped in my tracks and looked at the completely unfamiliar streets before me, a trace of bewilderment flashing across my eyes.

The Royal Capital was naturally the Empire’s most magnificent and prosperous mega-city; after nightfall, every street and alley looked so similar under the dim light, making it difficult to distinguish them.

‘Calm down, I must calm down… since that’s the case, wouldn’t it be fine to just hail another carriage?’

That’s right—this thought almost made me applaud my own adaptability.

I hastily looked around but my heart sank:

It turned out that, without realizing it, I had strayed from the brightly lit main roads and turned deep into a dark, obscure residential area—

Where was there any sign of a carriage?

“This is bad…”

However, walking toward the light couldn’t be wrong.

I steadied my mind and groped my way forward toward that relatively brighter area in the distance.

The small alley I was in was exceptionally dim; the stone slab road beneath my feet was uneven, and a damp, faint smell of earth permeated the air.

I almost thought I had returned to that dilapidated Lower City in Romern.

Compared to the distant, brilliantly illuminated main roads of the Royal Capital, this place felt like another forgotten world.

Perhaps… such dim and ordinary streets and alleys were the common underlying tone of this massive city?

There was a courtyard ahead by the side of the road, emitting a faint light.

Although that was not my destination, light can always guide one’s vision.

So I stopped in front of the courtyard gate and, using the dim yellow light leaking through the cracks, carefully examined the surrounding environment, trying to discern the correct direction.

And so, in that very moment—

My heart gave a violent jolt without any warning.

This unexpected palpitation made me momentarily lose focus, but I immediately understood what had happened.

It was not driven by the hunting impulse, but rather a more primal warning from deep within my heart—

It was the Seed of the Evil God dormant within me; it was trembling and resonating violently.

There were… traces of dark magic nearby!

“No way… such a coincidence? Running into traces of a black mage on my first day in the Royal Capital?”

The palpitation of the Seed of the Evil God was merely a fleeting flash, but it carved a clear mark in my heart—I was certain it was absolutely not an illusion.

Instinctively, I raised my hand to pull my hood down a bit further.

My vigilant gaze swept over the dark corners around me, unwilling to let even the slightest suspicious movement slip by.

I had no doubt that beneath the shadows of this massive city, the heart of the Empire, there must be black mages harboring sinister designs and executing schemes lurking about.

A mix of dragons and snakes was the norm for such cities, but what I couldn’t be certain of was whether I had inadvertently stepped into the line of sight of a lurker.

“But… is the other party coming for me? Am I being followed, or is this merely an unfortunate coincidence?”

As my thoughts raced, my gaze suddenly locked onto something—

On top of the low courtyard wall nearby stood a crow with pitch-black feathers.

It was eerily quiet; its dark red eyes were staring intently, unblinkingly, into the courtyard.

The moment I saw it, I understood—this was the source of the dark magic.

That bird didn’t seem to have noticed me in the shadows, and I breathed a sigh of relief.

Thank goodness. With an imperceptible flick of my finger—a red shadow silently swept across the night sky.

The crow merely twitched its wings before tumbling down from the wall.

I reached out and caught the falling creature; a cold, sinister aura transmitted from my fingertips, further confirming my judgment—

It was precisely the kind of dark magic that manipulates living creatures and turns them into eyes and ears as puppets.

This familiar method reminded me of a certain person.

“Impossible… how could it be such a coincidence? Ross?”

I looked up sharply at that tightly closed door.

Could Ross be behind this door right now?

No, not necessarily; there is more than one black mage in the world…

But the more I tried to deny it, the more turbulently the unease surged and spread in my heart.

Frankly speaking, I truly didn’t want to have even the slightest connection with Ross anymore.

I wished I would never cross paths with them again in this lifetime.

For several years, no trace of black mages had appeared, and I almost thought my sweet dream had already come true.

However, the dark magic-controlled crow before my eyes undoubtedly shattered my illusions.

The shadow of the black mages would only distance itself, not disappear into thin air.

My fate had already been linked to them by that paper contract.

‘Don’t be reckless, remember this place… and then, leave first before doing anything else.’

I thought to myself, slowly backing up two steps, intending to avoid this place of trouble first.

However, fate seemed determined to work against me—

Just as my back foot planted firmly on the ground, the tightly closed door before my eyes suddenly emitted a faint creak, and then slowly opened inward.

I pressed my hand against the hand crossbow beneath my skirt, almost crying out in alarm.

However, the scene that followed made me forcefully control the muscles in my throat and arms at this critical moment.

“Excuse me… are you lost? Or is there something else?”

A hesitant yet gentle voice rang out.

I saw a young girl wearing a faded coarse linen dress, with a yellow braided pigtail draped over her shoulder, timidly poking her head out through the crack in the door.