Stone Town District.
The sky above Stone Town was turning orange. The afternoon air felt warm on the skin. Below, on the neat stone streets, several merchants began packing up their wares, preparing for the night.
Illya, Zaefal, and Rasie walked out of the large door of Lord Emeric’s office. Their first alliance meeting was over. After hearing Zaefal’s theory, Illya had calmed down and managed to lead the meeting.
"Huaaa, we did it," Rasie muttered, stretching her stiff neck.
Illya stopped for a moment, looking ahead. The vast ocean spread out in the distance, reflecting the orange color of the clouds. A soft afternoon wind brushed against her face.
"What’s wrong, Illya? You’ve been quiet," Zaefal asked.
Illya snapped out of her thoughts and shook her head slowly. "Hmm, no. I’m just grateful today’s meeting went smoothly."
"I see," Zaefal said. "For now, we must reply to Fy..."
CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!
Zaefal’s words were cut off. The sound of the city’s emergency alarm suddenly rang out loudly, echoing from several watchtowers at once.
Civilians on the street, who had been walking calmly, now stopped. Their faces showed confusion and fear.
"Th-this...?" Illya asked, her hand unconsciously gripping her bag tightly.
Zaefal and Rasie moved immediately, standing on Illya’s left and right sides, scanning their surroundings.
"Something big has happened," Zaefal said, his eyes narrowing.
Suddenly, from the direction of the main barracks, came the sound of heavy, rhythmic footsteps on the stone. A large group, perhaps a hundred men, City Guards in full blue armor, ran in combat formation. They were running toward the gate to the Dark Town District.
"They’re going to Dark Town?" Zaefal muttered.
"Fyar... I wonder if he’s out of Dark Town yet..." Illya said, her face looking slightly worried.
"What is this?" Rasie said, her hand now on her sword hilt.
Behind the guards, another group followed. They wore neat, all white clothes with white cloaks.
"Martis’s forces," Zaefal whispered. "They’re moving with the guards. This is bad."
People began to run in panic on the streets. Zaefal stopped a merchant who was running past him. "What’s wrong? What happened?"
The merchant stared at Zaefal with wide eyes, his face pale. "You don’t know?! The Association! The Adventurers Association was attacked!"
Illya, Zaefal, and Rasie froze.
"Huh?! Attacked by who?!" Rasie asked loudly.
"Who else?!" the merchant shouted. "By ’Starfall’! He’s rampaging! He slaughtered the Wild Dogs Gang, and then he... he attacked the Association! They said... he slaughtered everyone in the lobby! Not just that! He also slaughtered everyone who passed by him!"
"Dark Town is a massacre site right now!"
The merchant pulled his hand from Zaefal’s grip and ran.
The three team members stood frozen in the middle of the increasingly chaotic street. They looked at each other.
"S-Starfall?!" Rasie hissed. "Didn’t he send a message that he was leaving the city?! What is actually happening! Aghhh!"
"Zaefal..." Illya looked at her leader, her voice trembling. "What is really going on?"
Zaefal stared toward Dark Town. Thin smoke was visible in the distance. "I don’t know. This is unexpected."
"Fyar just sent a message this afternoon saying he was going out of town. he even sent me his coordinates to meet."
Zaefal massaged his temples. "This is beyond my expectations."
Was that Fyar? No. Fyar isn’t strong enough to commit a massacre like that. Is it a killer using Fyar’s name? If so, what’s their goal? Martis again?
No, that would just bait the Guardians into coming to the city. Then who? Whitening? For what? 000? I don’t think so. What’s the motive?
He killed two gangs... committed a massacre, and attacked the Association? This is insane. This situation is enough reason for the Prince to make the Guardians come out of hiding.
This might be slightly advantageous. But the problem is, whose side is this person using Starfall’s name on?
My theory... he’s using the name Starfall as his mask. But for what? Who is he? What is his goal? An enemy of Martis? Or our enemy? Zaefal’s brow furrowed as he tried to find a logical reason for the current situation.
"Zaefal?" Illya asked.
"I’m fine," Zaefal answered curtly. He then looked at Rasie and Illya in turn. "I think you’ve both realized this isn’t Fyar."
Rasie and Illya nodded.
"Yeah. The purple-haired guy couldn’t possibly be that strong."
"Fyar wouldn’t do something so stupid. He’s not that cruel," Illya added.
"So, Zaefal... what should we do?! Should we go to Dark Town?" Rasie said. Her eyes darted around. Some citizens were starting to enter their inns and some merchants were forcefully closing their stalls.
"I will go contact the Guardian and explain that this wasn’t Fyar. And if I can, I will find Fyar," Zaefal replied.
Rasie scratched her head. "Isn’t it dangerous to meet Fyar right now?"
Zaefal was silent for a few seconds before answering. "I don’t want to admit it, but..."
"But?"
Zaefal continued, "This situation might be advantageous for... us."
Illya tilted her head. "What are you talking about, Zaefal? Fyar’s name is being used by someone else for murder. How is that an advantage?"
Rasie nodded. "Yeah, Zaefal. Are you going crazy? This just makes the purple-haired guy’s name even more of a mess."
"The Prince has a valid reason to make the Guardians come out of hiding," Zaefal said. "Right now, the situation in Dark Town is extremely chaotic. He will have no choice but to send the Guardians here to go to Dark Town and capture the culprit. Plus, Martis is probably panicking about the situation."
"The arrival of the Guardians, the massacre of adventurers, and the attack on the Association... all of it is enough to make his clients panic and leave here for a while."
"In other words, Martis is vulnerable right now. He’s not focused. We can move more freely, faster. I know. This is cruel. Perhaps very cruel given what’s happening. However, we can only do what we can do right now."
Illya and Rasie flinched slightly at what Zaefal said. Deep down, they felt a little guilty about using this chaotic situation for their own plan. But what Zaefal said was not wrong. This was beyond their control, and all they could do was take advantage of it.
"You... might be right," Illya muttered softly.
Zaefal nodded to himself. He then said, "You two go back to the inn. Don’t go out until I return."
Zaefal turned to Rasie. "Protect Illya, Rasie."
Rasie nodded in understanding. "Yeah."
At the same time.
Fyar, now with jet-black hair and a commoner’s brown tunic, stepped out of a narrow alley behind a clothing shop. The air here felt fresh, no longer carrying the musty smell of the underground tunnels. The scent of grilled fish and sweet apples from the street vendors nearby was immediately noticeable. He had successfully escaped Dark Town.
It’s safe for now. I just need to find an inn and execute my next contingency plan and meet zaefal, he muttered inwardly.
He walked calmly onto the main street. The crowd here was different. The citizens of Old Town looked cleaner; their clothes were not worn out like in Dark Town. There were merchants laughing, and some people chatting on the cleaner stone streets. It was a normal sight he hadn’t seen in a long time. He pulled the hood of his cloak a little lower, trying to blend in. His current goal was to find a modest inn.
Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!
Suddenly, the same bell sound rang out loudly in the street.
What is this? Is there a war?
Fyar watched as the laughter and chatter on the street instantly stopped. Confused citizens moved to the side of the road, their faces tense. Then he saw a squad of City Guards run past him. Their blue armor looked better maintained and shinier than the guards in Dark Town. Their faces were serious, and they ran in a neat formation.
what’s happening? They’re heading to Dark Town? Did something insane happen after I left?!
He then saw a tavern across the street, "The Smoking Teapot." The sound of loud chatter that had been coming from inside now dimmed because of the alarm. Maybe the idle people in there know something. Fyar pulled his hood even lower, covering his new black hair, and entered the tavern.
As he entered, Fyar was immediately greeted by warm air and the smell of ale. But the normal atmosphere had been broken. Everyone inside was now standing, no longer in their seats. They were gathered in small groups, discussing the alarm in panicked voices.
Fyar ordered a beer and a chocolate bun, then sat in an empty chair in the corner, near the group of people talking the loudest.
"...crazy, absolutely crazy! I heard ’Starfall’ slaughtered the Iron Fangs and the Wild Dogs gangs..."
Huh? Slaughtered? What the fuck he talking about? Fyar raised his eyebrows slightly when he heard that.
"...that’s not all! My friend said he just attacked the Adventurers Association! Killed everyone in the lobby! He used horrifying shadow magic!"
"Shadow magic? I thought he was a sword fighter?"
Fyar almost spat out his beer when he heard that. Fortunately, he managed to hold it in and swallow his drink normally.
Whoa, whoa... what are they talking about? Attacking the Association? Shadow magic? budy, I just got here and another bullshit happened in Dark Town?!
His gaze fell on one of the tavern walls. There, hanging, was a newly updated bounty poster. The sketch of his white mask was the same. But underneath it, an addition was scrawled in blood-red handwriting:
"MASS MURDERER TERRORIST. BOUNTY INCREASED TO 5000 GOLD COINS. WANTED BY THE KINGDOM."