I never expected to run into someone like this here.
Taking a deep breath, Miyuki gripped the trembling longsword in her hand once more.
At first, they thought it was just a routine search and combat operation. Also, for the safety of their companions, after discussing it with their teacher, they decided to leave the mage who didn't seem to be able to adapt well to the northern environment. The two of them went to the meeting place together.
When they met in the early morning, only the two of them officially appeared. Even without the mage who could turn into a cat, it wouldn't arouse much suspicion.
The young boy, whose noble inner-city identity was discovered through a few words, was surprisingly naive.
Her clothes were neat and elegant, her messy brown hair was covered by a soft hat with a brim, and her leather boots had only a few fresh mud stains on the soles.
It seemed she had evaded her guards, disguised herself, and secretly escaped from her home to keep the appointment. As she approached, she deliberately lowered the brim of her hat and kept looking back, making it hard for anyone not to notice her. So even without using her newly acquired aura sensing ability, she was recognized immediately.
I was startled twice when I patted my shoulder to greet you and turned to lead you into the alley. My body trembled in my palm like a snow rabbit about to be slaughtered, but I never made a sound.
“We met around midnight,” Shen Xue said bluntly. “Why are you here so early?”
The agreed time was in the evening, but it's probably not even 3 p.m. yet.
The boy's lips twitched, his gaze shifting: "I...I just wanted to confirm this first."
He probably intends to act on his own. I had a hunch about this before, but he only made a promise after being reprimanded, and yet he still went ahead with it secretly. Adding to that his previous trespassing into the church's backyard, I don't know whether to praise his boldness or rebuke his recklessness.
However, there were also some unexpected aspects.
He dared to venture alone into a trap likely teeming with thugs, despite the presence of numerous strong opponents, and his actions were swift and decisive. Had he not lost his bearings, he might have escaped unscathed. It seems he has indeed learned a great deal.
"Huh? You mean the guards left behind?"
However, when asked about this, the little guy blinked blankly and said, "No... although I did run into a night watchman on my way there, he didn't notice me, so I quickly slipped past him. There wasn't any encounter, was there?"
"Oh dear, that's strange~"
The teacher, hands in his pockets, chuckled as he stood guard at the alley entrance: "Could it be that the person killed himself?"
The little guy's face instantly paled.
If it wasn't him who made the move, then the person who left those awkward yet decisive sword marks back then must have been someone else.
In other words, besides the three of them and the boy in front of them, there might have been another person or group of people acting in the dark at that time.
Based on the state of the corpses, it can be deduced that the time between when the other party left the tool shed and when they emerged from the secret passage was not long. In addition, given their concealment techniques, which even he and his teacher failed to detect, they might have been hiding nearby and clearly saw them emerge from behind the door.
I just don't know what the relationship is between the other person and the young boy in front of me.
After pondering this, Shen Xue, using the shadows cast by the dilapidated walls of the alley, secretly glanced around and then sent her aura to probe the surrounding area.
This should be an area where mages excel, but the current situation is special, so only she can try to confirm it.
There was no response.
That makes sense. If it were really that easy to discover, we might have noticed it back then, instead of waiting until now to realize the anomaly.
The teacher at the alley entrance still had a smiling expression, making it impossible to discern his true thoughts.
You still have to rely on yourself.
Miyuki shook her head and refocused her attention on the little guy.
"No, in any case, what should we do now?"
His face was paler than before, and he kept looking around suspiciously at any possible hiding places, rubbing his waist under his coat with his right hand: "Is it still the same as before?"
"We have to go and take a look eventually," Miyuki nodded. "You don't want to give up halfway, do you?"
"...Let's go now."
Without showing excessive resistance, the little guy pondered for a few seconds and regained his normal emotions, his fear mixed with a hint of impulsiveness: "The place I know is not far from here. Let's go take a walk around the area to check the situation. There shouldn't be any major problems."
As he spoke, he lowered his hat brim again and led the way, frequently turning back to make sure that Miyuki and the other person were keeping up. Eventually, Miyuki became a little impatient and warned him not to relax too much. Only then did he gradually recall the purpose of his mission and show some tension.
"Since we haven't arrived yet, why don't we exchange some information?" Alice's suggestion came at just the right time. "How about we start by talking about our identities?"
The little guy hesitated and lowered his head: "This..."
The seemingly kind-hearted but actually malicious guy blinked: "Or you could start by talking about what you know about the other person."
The innocent child immediately breathed a sigh of relief, completely losing his stubbornness from earlier that morning: "Even if I don't say it, I think you'll find out soon enough."
"These days, there's been a group of people who've been working very closely and frequently with the people in the church. They seem to have reached an agreement on some important matters. They use strange and unusual methods, like magicians on the street performing for fun, but much more sophisticated."
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