The silence that followed Tharion's story stretched, as everyone sat contemplating all the incidents. Amukelo leaned forward slightly, elbows on his knees, as if trying to sift through the thoughts quickly swimming through his mind.
Jinrai exhaled through his nose and finally said, "That's why we suspect someone who might have an interest in slowing down the road might be responsible for all of it."
He crossed his arms. His voice turned quiet, but serious. "So the only person who knows the entire story, besides the two of us, is the merchant. So don't tell anyone about this. Not even the guards. Not even if the town's chief himself asks you. Keep this to to yourselves unless you are certain that revealing these information will help with the investigation."
Bral nodded slowly, then crossed his arms. "So? What are you planning to do from now on?"
Jinrai's face tensed. His lips tightened. And then he said plainly, "That's the problem. We have no leads. No clues. Nothing."
There was a brief silence. Then Amukelo said, with a certain confidence, "We should find the person responsible for it."
It sounded obvious. Maybe too obvious. The room blinked in confusion for a moment, unsure if he was joking or not.
Pao stifled a giggle behind her palm.
Tharion slowly turned his head to look at Amukelo. His brow arched as if trying to process what he just heard. Then, flatly, he said, "Damn it. Why haven't I thought of that."
His voice was dry. Not exactly mocking, but toeing that edge. Amukelo's eyes narrowed slightly from annoyance. "I mean… Why don't we just ask around? Start with the people who might know about the merchant's travels. It's not like the entire town knew when he was coming. But someone had to. Someone involved in the trade, or with the town's schedule."
Tharion blinked again. Less judgment this time. More stillness. Jinrai, seeing it, leaned back in his chair and smiled. He nudged Tharion in the arm, clearly enjoying the moment.
Tharion cleared his throat, clearly flustered but trying to maintain composure. "Ekhem… that's actually not a bad idea. But—" he added quickly, like trying to salvage his pride, "—that only helps if the person behind this is from this town."
Bao, who had been watching him with steadily narrowing eyes, let out a sharp breath through her nose and crossed her arms. "Any better ideas?" she asked coolly.
Tharion hesitated. Looked down for a second. Grit his teeth. "No… not really."
Jinrai laughed, clapping his companion on the shoulder. "You brought it on yourself," he said with a wide grin, relishing the moment.
Tharion puffed up slightly in frustration, like a cat too proud to admit it fell off a windowsill. Bral grinned openly now, watching the scene unfold with amusement.
Idin, however, ran a hand through his hair and gave a long sigh. "Come on," he said, "We're here to work together, not throw petty jabs. Let's stay on track. If we're going to ask around, where do we start? We're new in this town. We don't know anyone."
Everyone turned toward Jinrai and Tharion again. There was a brief pause as Tharion seemed to recenter himself. He scratched his chin and said, "Well… guards most likely wouldn't know. They're not involved in trade management."
He glanced over at Jinrai, who was still grinning like he was enjoying watching his student squirm.
Tharion frowned. "Thought you'd figured it out," Jinrai said with a teasing tone.
Tharion shot him a tired look. "Then who?" he asked, tone sharper than it needed to be. "Who would know about the mearchant?"
Jinrai shrugged, like it was the most obvious thing in the world, and said casually, "Well, I don't know."
Tharion's face went dead flat. He inhaled slowly, obviously preparing to tell him off, but before he could get a word out—
"But," Jinrai added, with a slight raise of his finger, "I do know someone who should know everyone who could know about the merchant."
Tharion's frustration gave way to curiosity. His brow furrowed slightly. "So who is that?"
Jinrai gave him a smile like a magician about to reveal the final card. "The town's chief."
Tharion just stared at him for a moment. Then sighed. "Of course," he muttered. "But the last time he wouldn't speak to us."
Amukelo leaned back in his seat. Pao glanced toward him and smiled again, clearly still proud of how he'd shut down Tharion's stubbornness. Bao, though still annoyed, seemed content that her silent protest had been noticed.
Bral let out a low whistle. "Well. Guess we've got our next step then. Are we going now?"
"Well," Jinrai said, glancing at the darkening window, "that will have to wait until tomorrow. The chief won't be taking visitors this late, that much I can promise."
Tharion turned on his heel sharply. "We can't wait." His voice carried a sharp edge.
Jinrai didn't budge. He spoke more softly now, trying to anchor the conversation back down. "Tharion. Calm doen. You remember the last time we tried to talk to him? He barely gave us the time of day, and that was in the middle of the day. If we show up now, he'll either turn us away or ignore us completely."
Tharion's jaw flexed. He didn't answer.
Jinrai pushed off his seat and stretched his arms overhead. "If we go tomorrow morning, we'll have the whole day to nag them into letting us through the doors. Believe me, sometimes it's just a matter of wearing them down."
Bral gave a long, exhausted sigh and rolled his shoulders. "Better for us. I'm still half-dead from walking through that monster-infested wasteland of a region."
Idin was already halfway through the door. "Suprisingly, I'm with him. I need a bed, and I need it now."
As the rest of the group began filing out of the room to head down the corridor and arrange their own accommodations, Jinrai lingered behind. Once they were in the hallway, he quietly stepped up beside them.
"Hey," he said, low enough that only their group would hear. His tone wasn't casual anymore. It was softer. More honest. "Don't hold a grudge against him."
They all turned to look at him.
"Tharion. He's still a kid, you know," Jinrai continued. "I know he comes off... stiff. Cold, sometimes. But he takes things personally. Way too personally. When people suffer and he can't do anything, it gets to him. He doesn't know how to let it go. He tries to fix everything at once and it eats him up when he can't."
Amukelo looked at the floor, then back at Jinrai. "I get it," he said, a bit reluctantly. "I kind of understand him... I guess."
Pao nodded beside him, her voice gentle. "Yeah, I don't mind. He's trying his best."
Bao folded her arms and didn't say anything at first. Then she gave a huff. "Fine. Just don't expect me to smile about it."
Jinrai gave her a small grin. "That's fair."
He stepped back a little, giving them all a quick nod. "Thanks. I hope this cooperation goes well."
The next morning, the mist still clung to the air when they approached the town chief's mansion.
Calling it a mansion might have been generous. The structure was big, sure, with stone walls and arched windows that might've once been ornate. But now, there were signs of wear everywhere. Moss grew between the cracks of the stone, shutters hung slightly crooked, and the gate's ironwork was speckled with rust. The building wasn't falling apart, but it definitely hadn't seen regular maintenance in a while. It gave off a quiet eeriness—not because of any design, but just because it felt a little too empty for its size.
Amukelo looked up at it with a furrowed brow. "This place gives me the creeps," he murmured.
Idin added, "Well, in this region, just surviving probably eats through most of their resources. Not everyone can afford gardeners and maids."
As they reached the iron gate, two soldiers stepped forward, both wearing worn but well-kept armor. One of them pointed his crossbow casually in their direction, more out of habit than aggression. "Hey, you lot. What's your business here?"
Jinrai stepped forward without hesitation and raised a hand in greeting. "We're adventurers. Here regarding the road construction quest."
The soldier's grip on the crossbow relaxed slightly, but his tone stayed firm. "You know the chief's not seeing anyone. He's very busy."
Jinrai stretched his arms behind his head, as if this were just another walk in the park. "Ah, that's a shame," he said casually. "What could he be doing that's more important than this? Doesn't want to talk to adventurers helping his town?"
Then his tone shifted just slightly. Less joking. More pointed. "Is he hiding something?"
That landed hard. The first guard stepped forward immediately, jaw tightening. "Are you suggesting—!"
But before it could escalate, the second guard raised a hand and gently pushed his comrade back.
"Relax," he said. Then to Jinrai, "Look, I don't blame you for being suspicious. But the chief isn't that kind of man. If it weren't for him, this town wouldn't be standing. You're right to press us. I'll see what I can do. But keep it civil."
Jinrai gave a small, polite bow of his head. "Of course. Just ten minutes of his time. That's all we're asking."
The second guard nodded and glanced at the first, who was still bristling. "Come on. Let's just explain the situation. Ask politely."
The first guard muttered something under his breath but followed him as they disappeared into the mansion.
As the gates closed again behind them, Bral leaned toward Jinrai and smirked. "Damn. You know how to mess with people."
Jinrai shrugged, feigning modesty. "People in this town see the chief as some kind of savior. Untouchable. But even untouchables answer to public pressure... eventually."
He looked back at the heavy door.
"Still," he said with a quieter voice, "I understand why they're protective. He built this town up from almost nothing in a part of Elandria no one dares to travel. But if there's something going wrong under his nose, even if he doesn't know it, it needs to come to light."