Chapter 69: Whispers in the Dark

Gurgle—

Gurgle.

In the dead of night, the incessant cries of wild birds echoed from who-knows-where, stirring unrest in my heart.

I tossed and turned, my gaze sweeping past the window lattice, dim.

Nolan slept soundly on his pallet on the floor— fortunately, he didn’t snore; the room held only his even, faint breaths, like night wind brushing grass blades.

Checking into this waystation had been surprisingly smooth.

Though there’d once been some dusty old rule mandating officials receive only official business.

But these days, no one mentioned such ancient matters anymore, as if they’d vanished with the post road’s dust.

The only hiccup came when the stationmaster eyed Nolan and Kritiya’s ages with sidelong doubt.

His rough fingers hovered over the registry, hesitant.

Yet when Nolan unhurriedly drew a few gleaming silver coins from his belt pouch and slid them lightly across the counter, that last trace of reluctance evaporated.

The soft clink of money cut sharp through the quiet station hall.

The two settled into the prepared guest room; Nolan took the floor pallet, while Kritiya slept on the small bed.

I rose quietly, feet light, perching on the bed’s edge; the cool wood seeped chill through my thin nightclothes.

Through the window cracks, I could glimpse the unnamed massive tree in the yard; under moonlight, its bare, twisted branches coiled like giant ghost claws, eerily reaching toward the pane.

No doubt, this was a second-floor guest room.

Adventurers’ Guild…… why leave a mark here?

I frowned, recalling that inadvertent glimpse upon entry— a clear triangle enclosing a crescent moon.

That couldn’t possibly be the Adventurers’ Guild openly basing in an imperial post station.

The mark was fresh, edges sharp, so the answer was likely singular:

An adventurer from the Guild was here on some task.

This was just their scouting sign.

Given our “luck” so far, it took no brainpower to conclude we’d once more teetered on trouble’s brink.

If it were up to me, we’d never have stayed the night.

Even marching through darkness beat entanglement in unknown perils.

My gaze drifted back to Nolan involuntarily.

A night’s weary trek had clearly worn him out; in sleep, he carried that boyish, unguarded peace.

Fine, I had to admit— people always learned from experience.

To date, few of my meticulous schemes had gone off without a hitch……

Of course, most deviations stemmed from varying degrees of force majeure, like invisible tides shoving events off expected rails.

But as the old saying goes: look to oneself first.

I couldn’t control the unpredictable future, but my strategies thus far did seem overdue for adjustment.

“Wake up…… Quick, wake up!”

I crept silently to the pallet, crouching, gently shaking Nolan’s shoulder, leaning close to whisper by his ear.

My fingertips traced the outline of his scapula, lean yet firm.

“Mmngh…… What’s up?”

Nolan mumbled fuzzily, rolling over in a daze, lashes fluttering before he pried open heavy-lidded eyes, as if still mired in deep dream.

“Tiya? What happened?”

He seemed unsure if he dreamed still, blinking hard, asking again for confirmation, voice thick with sleep.

“I said…… let’s leave here? Right now.”

I tried keeping my tone steady, yet a faint urgency slipped through.

“……Leave?”

Nolan echoed dreamily, clearly not yet grasping the situation.

“Yes— how many times do I need to repeat?”

I couldn’t help lowering my voice further.

“Listen, I saw a dangerous mark at the door—”

“Dangerous?”

Nolan drew a sharp breath, sleepiness scattering in a flash.

“Right, a triangle with a crescent inside, carved in an inconspicuous doorframe corner…… That’s the Adventurers’ Guild emblem?”

Before I finished, Nolan picked up the latter half, tone snapping alert.

This caught me off guard.

“Er…… Exactly.”

I paused, surprised at his familiarity.

“But leaving now, where do we go?”

Nolan propped up, leaning against the wall, murmuring low, brows knitting.

“I asked the stationmaster earlier— it’s over seven hundred land miles to the capital from here. Are we walking the whole way? Besides, at midnight, outside……”

His worries held merit, I thought, then proposed:

“Then…… shall we head to a nearby town to settle?”

I ventured hesitantly, knowing it wasn’t foolproof, but better than lingering in this hotbed of trouble— safer than staying put.

“But…… but……”

Nolan didn’t deliberate long before deciding:

“If you say so, then let’s go— follow the road, maybe hit a roadside village.”

I blinked, stunned at the easy persuasion.

Fine, perhaps I should thank whoever introduced the Adventurers’ Guild to Nolan beforehand.

No need to guess— who else but Leyak?

Nolan’s actions outpaced his words in decisiveness; no sooner said, he rose briskly, gathering his scant belongings— really just straightening his clothes.

“Oof—”

With a sound, the boy pushed open the wooden door.

We slipped out one after the other, silent as mice skulking in the dark.

Down the stairs, through the station’s main doors.

The ground-floor hall lay deserted and still.

Only a night-watch elder huddled behind the counter, a lone lamp his companion through the long night.

Spotting us descend, he stirred not, merely hacking a phlegmy grunt from deep in his throat.

Nolan glanced over, then away, feet unpausing as he shoved the door open—

My chest tightened inexplicably, a gust of night wind rushing in, stirring my heart.

Instinctive wariness surged.

Yet until we’d fully exited the station onto the outer road, nothing stirred.

“Let’s go.”

“Right……”

I clutched my cloak’s collar by reflex, foot lifting to follow, when Nolan ahead halted abruptly; I braked too late, nose nearly bumping his back.

“Tiya.”

His voice sank low.

“That Adventurers’ Guild person you mentioned— is that the guy?”

“Is it?”

His back fully blocked my view.

I craned sideways from his flank to peer; at the street mouth’s shadow stood a lone figure, still.

One glance, and I knew why Nolan was so certain—

The man wore russet leather armor, short sword at his waist, gear a patchwork of odds and ends— neither uniform nor shoddy, yet clearly restricted weapons.

It screamed adventurer, etched plain on his forehead.

“You two brats, come with me.”

He leveled an arm, tone laced with haughty command.

“What’d we do wrong?”

Nolan stepped sideways to shield the front, speaking first.

“No one’s allowed in or out anymore, So I’d advise you best behave—”

Before he finished, his whole body jolted like electrocuted.

His waist sword was gone, somehow.

A chill, as if steeped in dark blood, seeped eerily into ears:

“Now…… my turn to ask questions.”

In the instant Nolan drew his focus, I’d circled behind unseen.

Left hand drew the longsword free lightly; meanwhile, right fingertips coalesced crimson in the shadow, elongating into razor fox-claw spurs, piercing precisely through armor seams to press the gap between his ribs.

“I— I’ll confess! Don’t move!”

He yelped, hand crossbow clattering to the ground.

“You—”

I tossed the seized sword to Nolan, exhaling only when the boy caught it firm.

“This ‘no entry, no exit’— what does it mean?”

I pressed on; his swift surrender only deepened my suspicion.

From birth, I heard the guy say:

“Th-Those were all bluffs! Just to scare you……”

“Then how do I know you’re not bluffing now?”

“N-No way, no way! I wouldn’t dare lie again!”

He waved hands frantically; this fellow, arrogant moments ago, now flipped faces faster than a chameleon.

I nearly believed his “job” was just watching this area’s peace……

“Fine, fine— chalk it up to my bad luck; I saw nothing tonight— go if you want to go…… Twenty silver coins aren’t worth dying for.”

“Don’t play dumb— who hired you for this? What’s happening here?”

“Wait! Stop, hold!”

I eased pressure subtly, pricking inward; as blood beaded from my fingertip, his tone finally cracked with real panic:

“I’ll talk— because……

Saint’s Day approaches soon; the dukes sealed across the kingdom, by custom, all head to the capital for homage— at least, send envoys with gifts……”

“So? How’s that tie to what you said?”

I queried skeptically.

“How not? My task mentioned a northern grand duke’s delegation to the capital, passing south through here soon— so they had me watch, report any stir……”

“Grand duke?”

The title made my heart lurch; then, the answer pierced my expectation true.

“Yeah…… Something like Airandil Duke, I think?”

The adventurer raised hands high, speaking slow.