A stream of blood flowed from the corner of his mouth, soaking his collar. The area around his eyes was clearly stained blue, indicating he had been poisoned.
The reason he didn't move for a while was that he was dead.
Rosentine bit her lip. She hadn't expected to be dealt with so quickly in a meeting like this. She'd thought they'd wait a little longer.
"He's a quick-tempered guy, even more so than he looks. He's also quite timid."
So, as soon as he finished saying that he had done his job, he killed him. Shartus realized that the bastard had already decided to kill Nord when they met.
Shartus led her. They left the tavern unnoticed and looked outside. The shabby back alley was devoid of the usual thugs and drunkards. There were no witnesses.
***
Rosentine instinctively knew that the man who had met Nord had planned this entire escape and had made contact. He was a thorough man, after all.
“Did I miss it?”
The back alleys were like a maze. There were so many secret passages, known only to those in the know. They were filled with houses made of planks on all sides.
If there had been only one escape route, she might have been able to catch it at Shartus' speed, but now she had missed all the caught fish.
It was like missing out.
Rosentine bit his lip.
"Please wait.”
I'm sorry, but I can't live without it, Rosentine asked thoughtfully. She had a lot of experience seeing the dead, but seeing a freshly dead corpse was a different experience.
She took a few deep breaths to calm her rumbling stomach.
Broken clues and a dead end. It cut off its tail like a lizard again and ran away.
There were no witnesses, and there was no trace of continuing the clues.
'But that's the story of the living.'
Her blue eyes shone coldly. Within Rosentine's eyes, which saw the other side of reality, were the ghosts of sorrow.
Even if people are eliminated, they will not be able to remove the dead. He chose the wrong opponent.
Now it was her turn to bring out her specialty.
***
'There are many evil spirits.'
As expected, many people lived difficult lives in the slums and died, possessed by evil. Rosentine stood there, looking around.
There were roughly three paths leading from the tavern. So, first, she had to figure out exactly where the guy had gone and what he had done.
He dared to cut off his tail and throw it away. It was unacceptable. He soon realized that everything around him was a spider's web.
On the wall leading into one of the alleyways, there was a ghost with half its face gone. The sight of its eyes rolling through the remaining blackened face was quite grotesque.
Unless the demons were truly evil, they couldn't speak properly. Those who had lost their sense of self couldn't be sure whether they would be of any help in obtaining information.
Whether it's a demon or not, that will be the main factor now.
Rosentine, about to speak to the ghost, paused. Behind her, Rosentine's every move was being watched.
There was a Shartus who was watching.
Rosentine looked at Shartus. He stood tall in the middle of the narrow alley, his hand resting on the sword at his waist as if he were protecting her.
Even a simple gesture from the black Shartus hidden under the hood will brighten up a chilly day.
Rosentine was surprised to see more protection than suspicion in his eyes.
"I'll just look around by myself for a moment."
"Around here? Do you think I'd just leave you like that?"
"...I don't think it'll be very dangerous."
Rosentine quietly hid her embarrassed expression.
Her investigative work involved encountering ghosts. However, she had never shown this ability to Shartus before. If he were to consider the informational value of this ability dangerous and eliminate her, it would be a disaster.
Rosentine looked at Shartus. His gaze was more intense than usual.
'Usually, at times like this, I'd be more interested in what abilities to use.'
But Shartus was approaching her, looking around. Of course, there was someone everywhere.
There were countless opportunities to attack them.
However, it was safe to say that few could successfully launch a surprise attack while the undefeated prosecutor was on guard.
He was carefully scanning all the areas where the attack would come in.
The sturdy body, which had been straightened in his original posture, exuded the air of a king even though he was covered in dust.
Rosentine laughed at that.
“It would be a big deal if we just left it.”
Is it just my imagination that makes me feel more at risk of Shartus being discovered than of myself?
Of course, given his physical abilities, he could have escaped before anyone discovered him. But that wasn't the point.
Rosentine glanced at the demon behind him. A black aura spread to the white of its one remaining eye.
It was a demon. Rosentine knew it instinctively.
"Your Highness, how capable are you as a knight when you have no hearing?"
"Hearing ability?"
"I will use my powers. However, if you listen to the sorcerer's language, you will be cursed."
“Is it true?”
Even amidst this, Shartus raised the corners of his mouth toward Rosentine, as if he'd just heard something interesting. Perhaps because of the tense situation, his face was even more captivating.
Rosentine shamelessly nodded. Of course, that was highly unlikely, but she was the sorcerer here. Even if sorcerers claimed they didn't even use the bathroom, there was no way Shartus would know the truth.
"I can't afford to kill a customer who worked so hard to save me because of my mistake."
"You're so confident. If you had that kind of ability, you wouldn't have had to live in hiding."
"You can't be beaten by hand."
It was a term referring to the entire empire. Of course, it wasn't the entire empire, but even with a couple of soldiers, she would have fallen.
It was clear, though.
Rosentine, who started out as a conman, decided to commit fraud here as well. That was her resolve.
And she grabbed Shartus' clothes and started running.
"Hearing must be completely blocked to avoid any danger."
“Remember that.”
Not over there. Rosentine ran, her eyes scanning every alley for crouching ghosts.
Damn, most of them were demons. Not just most, but every ghost she encountered along the way.
Shartus followed her without saying another word.
Their hair swayed as if it were being blown by the wind.
***
One, two, and then the last one. By the time she'd turned all three alleys, Rosentine's face was stiff. Small beads of sweat had formed on his forehead from running.
There were no ghosts worth using. There were no ghosts with whom she could converse in her right mind. She didn't know the names of any of the ghosts here, so she couldn't awaken their demonic selves.
Ranon's presence was desperately needed. But his absence didn't mean she could do nothing.
Rosentine raised her head, which had been bowed. She realized that she was unconsciously holding onto the hem of Shartus's robe.
At some point, they started running, and the hem of his clothes was tangled ruthlessly. Didn't this man even stop her from doing this? And just as she was about to apologize, Rosentine's eyes narrowed.
It was so delicate. It was so white and transparent that it was no wonder she hadn't noticed it. Something was crouching in that narrow gap between the alley and the tavern that was the meeting point.
A presence so intense that one could not even mistake it for a living person, Rosentine slowly walked towards the light.
“Please cover your ears.”
The voice was so clear that it could almost be called a sorcerer's spell.
Shartus brought his hand to his ear, drawn not only by the promise but also by the voice. It was easy to make a slight sound.
But he looked at Rosentine in complete silence, as he had nodded.
Sweat-soaked hair was visible through the gap in her hood, which had been removed. The urge to sweep her away was overwhelming.
Instead of taking action, Shartus stared into her blazing eyes. He couldn't believe all the threats, whether curses or anything else.
For generations, the royal family has been sensitive to sorcery. The founding myth has been passed down to this day.
At that thought, Shartus slowly raised the corners of his lips. He moved with the sole intention of doing what she wanted. The flame, which didn't go out even in the rain, was too eye-catching.
Wouldn't it be the icing on the cake if that spell succeeded and brought out the power behind it?
“Have you been here the whole time?”
Rosentine walked as if on water. The momentary surreal presence caught Shartus's attention, and he stared at her without even closing his eyes. What Rosentine discovered was the small, young ghost of a boy.
The child, perhaps ten years old, was weeping terribly, wearing the same dirty clothes as when he was alive. He was a ghost, a sight that left a lasting impression. If he stayed here like this, he would surely become a demon.
"Shh, don't cry."
Rosentine, who had come up next to him, called out to him in a firm tone.
The boy seemed to have noticed Rosentine's presence from the moment she spoke to him. He knew Rosentine, too.
Rosentine, no, Yun Seol-woo, has been noticing all the ghostly signs directed at her for a long time.
The boy's pale shoulders gradually relaxed. His ghostly, dry face, weeping but not shedding tears, turned to face her. His eyes were innocent.
- ...Who... is this?
"The living."
At those words, the little ghost's eyes widened. He looked as if he couldn't be more surprised.
- Don't tease me! How dare you talk to me!
Rosentine squatted down and made eye contact with the ghost. At this level, even Shartus, who is looking at her from behind, will not feel strange just by looking at her.
"I do."
- ... I hate it
"What?"
- I hate everything... I'm cold, hungry, and tired. I miss my mom.
The sadness of a ghost is often like this: the clear purpose is gradually forgotten, and only the instinctive hunger remains.
Rosentine looked at the boy. His face, dirty but already transparent and glowing with heat, reminded her of Corte.
Rosentine's tone softened slightly. If any of them hadn't become demons, they'd probably been dead for only a short time.
“Do you miss Mom?”
- Yes
"Call me Roan."
- Roan, do you know where Mom is?
Even though there were no tears, his eyes seemed to be moist.
Rosentine thought the child's face looked very lonely. Then, Rosentine suddenly realized the reason for her current emotion.
A ghost boy and a neglected figure searching for their mother. There was not only Corte, but also a young Yun Seol-woo, and a figure reminiscent of her.
Rosentine blinked several times. It had been so long since she'd forgotten. Or perhaps she'd thought she'd forgotten.
“What’s your name?”
- Harun
"Harun. Harun, do you know? Where is your mother?"
- I don't know... but my dad said that my mom went far away...
The 'mothers who have gone far away' that his father talks about are generally of two types. One type is those who have really gone far away, or are dead.
Since he was a resident of the slums, both stories were possible.
If it's the former, she doesn't know, but if it's the latter, maybe she can help him.
"If you help me, I'll help you find Mom."
- Really? What is it?
"Did you see the man coming out of here a while ago? He's wearing black. It's the one who came out before me."
Harun looked at her intently. Soon, the boy smiled brightly.
- Yes!
It was the right answer. Rosentine cheered inwardly. The sole testimony of the sole remaining witness.
It is said that when Nord became a ghost and appeared in this place, making a fuss, the boy closest to the tavern saw him.
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