"What now?" Hibiki looked to Ichiya.
"We head to West Hill," Ichiya made the call.
The group exited the apothecary. To reach West Hill, they first had to cross the town center.
But the center was eerily quiet—only a few street vendors were out, and the foot traffic was unusually sparse. The streets felt almost deserted.
"I haven't had a chance to explore the town center yet. Who knows, maybe there are still some beautiful ladies around," Eve said with a refined tone.
"I'm looking forward to that," Ren chimed in.
"Where are all the beautiful women?" Ichiya looked around eagerly.
Noel couldn't help but internally sigh. These guys really are professional hosts. But, he had to admit—they were ridiculously handsome.
"It's been a while since I last visited Border Town… this brings back memories," Noel muttered.
When he'd last been here, it hadn't looked like this. The streets had been bustling with vendors and crowds. The current desolation was jarring. Could something be seriously wrong?
Something was definitely off about this town.
"Be careful," Noel warned.
The Blue Pegasus members looked confused. "Did something happen?"
"Border Town is known for being a trade hub. But now? There's no trade activity on the streets. That's highly suspicious," Noel explained calmly.
"Something must've happened in town to cause such an economic downturn. It's best we stay alert," he added.
"That does make sense… I've felt something was off too," Eve said thoughtfully.
"So, where do we gather intel from?" Ren asked.
"How about a nightclub?" Ichiya proposed suddenly. "There's usually a good flow of people there. We might be able to pick up useful information."
"As expected of Master Ichiya—such a brilliant idea!" Hibiki clapped.
"No one but Master Ichiya could come up with such a move!" Eve echoed.
To be fair, it was a decent idea. Nightclubs had high customer traffic, and with looks like theirs (Ichiya excluded), they'd surely attract attention. Extracting information from chatty customers wouldn't be too difficult.
And really—who'd expect that a bunch of handsome host-club workers were actually Blue Pegasus wizards on a covert mission?
Still, Noel had a better idea. Any dealings involving the Flower of the Underworld were bound to be shady—definitely not the kind of thing done in public. Such transactions would likely happen in the shadows.
Places like the slums or back alleys were far more likely to yield clues.
As Noel was lost in thought, the Blue Pegasus group noticed.
"Did you think of something?" Hibiki asked.
"I've got a better idea," Noel said, motioning for them to climb onto a rooftop.
The group crouched on the roof, peering down into the alleyway below. Based on Noel's earlier observations, this was the largest back alley in the entire town. If anything shady was going on, this was the place to catch it.
"What's the point of staking out a place like this?" Ren asked, puzzled.
"Sometimes places like this work better," Noel explained.
"A nightclub, for all its secrets, is still a legal business. Sure, you might hear gossip, but people rarely mention anything truly illegal. And let's be honest—your customers are mostly women. How many of them are involved in black-market dealings?"
"But back alleys are different. They're breeding grounds for darkness. The deeper in you go, the darker it gets. Illegal trades often happen right here." Noel laid out his reasoning.
The Blue Pegasus members looked at him strangely.
Isn't he an alchemist? Aren't they supposed to be noble professionals who get rich quietly behind closed doors?
Why does he seem to know so much about the black market?
Could he be… involved?
But given that they were partners on this mission, they kept their thoughts to themselves. Everyone has a past—it wasn't their place to pry.
As they continued their rooftop stakeout, two shadowy figures appeared in the alley. They seemed to be negotiating something.
"You got the stuff?"
"You got the money?"
"Of course I got the money. But where's the product?"
One of them took out a crimson flower. "This is a sample. Have a look first."
"It's the Flower of the Underworld!" Hibiki gasped, eyes wide.
"Man~!" Ichiya sighed dramatically. Then, pulling out a vial of perfume, he inhaled its scent—and suddenly, his clothes exploded off.
With a massive "Mountain Press" attack, he slammed down on the two figures, knocking them both unconscious.
Ichiya snatched the crimson flower from their hands. This was vital evidence.
The rest of the group quickly climbed down. Noel hadn't expected Ichiya to make such a flashy entrance—he was planning to float down with wind magic and quietly knock the targets out.
But Ichiya's brute force worked just fine.
Noel tied up the two men with rope. A few minutes later, the men regained consciousness.
"Who the hell are you?! Why'd you ambush us?" one of them demanded.
"Doesn't matter who we are," Noel said coldly. "Just answer my questions… or else."
His voice sent a chill down their spines. The two men started trembling.
"Where did this flower come from?" Noel asked, holding up the vivid red blossom.
"I-I grew it myself," one of them stammered.
"You grew it?" Noel frowned. "Where'd you get the seeds?"
"A man in black gave them to me. His face was covered. He promised a huge reward… so I secretly planted them," the man explained.
"And you?" Noel turned to the other.
"I don't really know anything… I was just hired to complete the deal. The guy promised me a huge payout afterward, and… I gave in."
"Did you see his face?"
"No," the second man shook his head.
"Looks like we'll have to check out West Hill after all," Noel muttered.
"Wait—West Hill! That's where I met the guy!" the first man blurted.
"Same here! I met him there too!" the second man added.
"So it all comes back to West Hill…" Noel murmured.
"What should we do with these two?" Hibiki asked.
"What else? Let them go." Noel shrugged, untying the ropes.
The two men rubbed their arms briefly—then bolted out of the alley without looking back.
Now that they had a lead, the group had a clear destination.
But Noel still couldn't shake one question: Why West Hill? Why did everything seem to point there?
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