There wasn’t much of a difference between today and the previous day. Besides the sense of urgency that lingered in the air, everything was pretty much the same. Everyone moved out in order to figure out some information about the situation.
Given that I had interrogated everyone of interest, there was no need for them to interrogate anyone else. They simply tried to look for more clues regarding the ’convention’.
I checked the time.
Tik. Tik—!
It was [12:08 P.M]
"What do you think...?"
I looked at the tall and lanky figure that stood before me. At the same time I did, I retrieved the compass.
It pointed towards a certain direction.
"I’ve got an idea of where to go. Should I go...? From the looks of things, this seems to be something done by some sort of low-tiered cultist. I should be able to handle this entire situation by myself. Since the compass can direct me to the right location, I think that I can just go there and take care of everyone."
"...And how are you certain that the compass isn’t going to fail you?"
"Because I also can sense that something is happening in the direction it’s pointing at. From the way I see things, the ’convention’ is somewhere around the shard."
The shard was one of the more ’significant’ buildings that had once belonged to this place.
’Now that I think about it, there was one in London too, back in my old world. But none of the architecture here looks British. Maybe they’ve reconstructed everything from scratch.’
Not that it mattered anymore.
"I’m thinking of going right now and ambushing the cultist. With your aid, I should be able to take care of the situation quickly."
"...."
The Conductor remained silent whilst listening to my words. It just stared at me in amusement, its lips pulling further and further the more I spoke, until eventually, the strings snapped as his mouth shaped into a large smile.
I grew curious while staring at him.
"Do you sew your strings back on yourself while I’m not watching, or—"
"You should wait."
The Conductor’s voice made me pause as I frowned.
"Wait? What do you mean, wait?"
"I mean what I mean. You should wait."
"Why?"
"Because the cultist or organization is preparing something. Wouldn’t you want to see what they’re preparing?"
"Ah...?"
"It could be related to whatever you’re looking for. I’m also of the opinion that there’s a good chance that you might be able to figure something out if you wait."
"But that would make things more dangerous for me."
"And...?"
The Conductor tilted its head.
"What if things become harder? Isn’t it more enjoyable that way?"
Is it...?
I thought for a moment before eventually smiling.
"Well, I guess you have a point."
I checked my watch again.
Tik. Tik—!
It was [12:11 P.M]
My smile faded.
"...Fun. It’s going to be very fun."
***
Cedrick spent the entire day with his group, going around the Western District and checking out different areas while asking around about a certain ’convention’. This time, they went by themselves, without a certain someone.
The group felt like they could finally breathe again.
"Honestly, yesterday... was a lot to take. It feels much better to do things like this. It almost felt as though I was walking on thin ice."
Someone in the group suddenly said as Olive stopped and looked back.
He scratched the side of his cheek.
"You’re not wrong. But it wasn’t really because I felt pressured or anything like that, but mainly because it felt like we weren’t really needed. He did everything while we just watched, guiding him around. I... didn’t really like that."
In a way, Oliver had his own pride. They were all elite members of one of the best guilds on the island. A King-Grade Guild. Even though none of them were rankers, they still had their own pride. For them to literally do nothing and act as guides...
"...But I can’t help but admit that he was really skilled."
Olive sighed while looking at the familiar compound in the distance. Wiping some of the sweat that had accumulated on his forehead, he walked towards the compound with the group.
"Today, we spent the entire day trying to learn any clue regarding this strange ’convention,’ but we’ve yet to find anything noteworthy. Honestly, it kind of felt like we’ve wasted our entire day, and it just made me think..." Oliver paused while adding, "had he been with us like before, would we have found out?"
His words were met with silence as none of them replied.
In a way, the silence was like a sort of affirmation. Nobody said a thing, but they all felt the same way.
Cedrick was no different as he followed the group in silence. But as he walked, he couldn’t help but stop as his eyes squinted and he turned to face a certain direction, feeling something like a ’gaze’ directed his way.
His eyes focused on a certain building. Towards a particular window, its surface cracked.
Cedrick’s gaze lingered in that direction, but with the sun slowly starting to fade, it became hard for him to get a proper look.
He only stopped as the Squad Leader’s voice echoed.
"We’re here. Let’s all get some rest. We’ve spent the entire day out. Get some dinner and sleep early. I’ll talk with the Team Leader about the situation and what we’ve found."
"Roger."
"...Alright."
The group separated, everyone moving back into the compound.
Cedrick was the last to enter, his head turning once more toward the building, only leaving when he still saw nothing. He went in silence back to his own room, a small one-bedroom apartment. The place wasn’t anything fancy, but the moment he entered, he couldn’t help but pause.
A cold wind crept into the room, raising a faint chill along his skin as he stared at the billowing curtains, the window left wide open. By now, the sun had fully set, and an unnatural darkness lingered beyond the curtains as Cedrick stood by the door.
’I don’t remember leaving the window open. Room cleaning...?’
Cedrick approached the window and closed it. He turned back a moment later, expecting to head to bed, but just as he was about to move, he stopped, his head snapping back.
"....."
He was greeted by the sight of a wall.
His brows furrowed.
"What’s going on with me? Am I tired?"
"Nope."
A voice brushed against his ear a moment later, his brows jolting upward as he turned sharply, but it was already too late. The room seemed to swallow itself in darkness, and his body crumpled onto the floor.
Thump!
*
"Haa. Haa."
The uneven, unsteady sound of breathing.
Each breath felt heavier than the last, the air feeling extremely dry.
A heavy sense of suffocation spread through the air.
The more he breathed, the heavier the feeling grew.
And soon—
"Huaa!"
His eyes snapped open, the darkness receding as he was met by the dim glow of candles, a faint orange light spreading in all directions as Cedrick slowly raised his head to look around. He appeared to be in some kind of room, candles set all around him, with a strange symbol engraved into the floor.
"W-where..."
Step. Step—!
The uneven sound of steps followed, Cedrick’s gaze turning as the wooden door in the distance opened, and a figure entered.
The moment the figure entered, Cedrick held his breath.
"...Not quite ready, but I guess it’ll do. Since he’s coming tomorrow, I’ve got to do my best to present him with the best of greetings."
Suddenly pausing, the figure paused as Cedrick’s eyes widened.
"W-what... H-how..? How could it be you...?"