To avoid being seen, Hikari and I chose a corner slightly closer to the door. Since it was conveniently hidden by the inward-opening door, this was usually a blind spot for people and a secluded place to escape.
The sound came from near the doorway, which happened to be in our blind spot.
Judging from the conversation, it seems that several adult men are surrounding someone, constantly fawning over them while subtly threatening them in their words.
But this is no problem for me.
I glanced at the girl opposite me who was deep in thought, and then looked around to make sure no one was paying attention. I pretended to be thinking as well, propped my chin up, lowered my head slightly, and let the shadow cast by the brim of my cloak cover the upper half of my face. Then I closed my eyes and carefully released the senses that I had been keeping under control.
The world has never been so clear.
It's like dropping a drop of water onto a calm lake. As the invisible ripples spread, it's as if I've truly opened my eyes, or rather, everything around me has become an extension of my five senses.
The azure lines pierce through the material in an instant, running through the skeleton of the hotel, outlining every secluded corner, and discerning the subtle movements and micro-expressions of everyone nearby.
I once again delved into my existing perceptions.
See through the simple appearances, and then look straight to the essence.
By eliminating the influence of the drifting magic in the air, ignoring the colors and shapes that would cloud perception, the aroma of food and the sweat on people's bodies were automatically filtered out. Taking advantage of the occasional gentle breeze sweeping through the dining hall, the light outlined pale white human figures. Slow, shimmering light, like breath, was distributed among those outlines—the very traces of magic.
Among them, the most prominent objects of reaction were one that appeared opposite me, and the other that happened to be surrounded by a large number of human figures outside the door.
I couldn't help but pay more attention to that spot out of curiosity.
Hikari, sitting opposite, seemed to sense something. She looked up and around in a daze, but could only see the mercenaries talking loudly and eating heartily. She didn't really notice that it was my senses that swept over her and that I casually patted her head.
Standing outside the door was a tall woman.
I made my judgment based on the man's heaving chest.
Within her body, a condensed light cluster, unlike the scattered clusters of light around her, steadily radiated its brilliance, like a polished pearl, yet with wisps of mist swirling around it, revealing a chilling and sharp aura.
Like a razor-sharpened blade, even when sheathed, it remains sharp and elegant.
I subconsciously compared her to people I knew, and quickly came to the conclusion that perhaps even Hiro wasn't as good as her.
This might be a misjudgment, since I don't really understand the difference between good and bad knives. But compared to using a series of beast-like attacks to suppress the opponent and wait for an intuitive understanding to lead to a counterattack, this kind of momentum that seems more inclined to kill with one blow is obviously more difficult to resist in the first encounter and when you have the first move.
The woman was probably being harassed by the people around her, but she remained unmoved and her breathing remained steady. This gave those small fry, who thought they outnumbered her, the illusion that "she might be afraid of us," and they then tried to take further action.
Should I offer my help?
I thought for a second and came to a negative conclusion.
No, I have never met this woman before, and she can obviously handle it herself.
All I need to do is continue to remain an observer.
Thinking of this, I slightly reduced the senses I had released and turned my gaze to the opposite side, only to be surprised to find that Hikari, that idiot, had disappeared without a trace.
Turning her head, she saw the child had darted to two tables away, seemingly engaged in a serious conversation with the two mercenaries who had been talking loudly since earlier. She nodded earnestly from time to time, asked questions again, and after receiving several replies, bowed to express her gratitude. Amidst the two mercenaries' obviously embarrassed and sheepish smiles, she skipped and hopped back.
"Did you find out anything?"
As I asked the question, I picked up the half-finished cup of iced tea next to me to cover up my distraction.
“I went to ask them for some inside information,” Hikari said, counting on her fingers. “For example, one of the most notorious monsters to be hunted in the area recently is a flower fairy. The strongest mercenary group stationed in the city accepted the mission and set off a week ago. The lone traveler who came a few days ago is said to be a woman, and she has already defeated most of the self-proclaimed strong mercenaries in the city…”
"Oh! Also, it's said that not long ago a man claiming to be a hunter passed through here, spreading some dangerous rumors. However, because the city lord thought he would disturb the atmosphere of the city, he sent people to drive him away. It's said that he went west."
"Westward? That main road leads directly to the Sacred Tree Fortress, doesn't it?"
“Yes, yes, I have a feeling we might run into each other.” Hikari nodded in agreement. “But he might go to another city, after all, there’s more than one road there. I heard that his hometown is in a small town in that direction? Hmm, I’m not too sure about that.”
A hunter spreading dangerous rumors...
I don't know if it was the vague task assigned by my supervisor that made me subconsciously on edge, but I always felt that there was some deeper secret hidden behind this message.
Is it hinting at something? Or do I need to find that hunter immediately to confirm?
No, maybe I'm just too nervous and overthinking things.
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