After the feast ended, the crowd slowly thinned.Pramit leaned against a pillar, yawning. "Finally… peace."
"Not yet," came a calm voice.
He turned — the mayor, a round old man with sharp eyes, was walking toward him. Beside him stood the guild master, arms crossed.
"Pramit, was it?" the mayor asked politely. "Would you mind joining us inside? We just want a short talk."
Pramit blinked. "Talk? Can it be short enough for me to sleep after?"
The guild master sighed. "Just come."
Inside the mayor's office, a quiet tension hung in the air. The two men sat across from Pramit, who had already made himself comfortable on the couch.
The mayor spoke first. "You're new to Pegora Town, right?""Mm-hm.""Where did you come from?""Far away."
The guild master frowned. "Far away where?"Pramit thought for a moment, then shrugged. "Somewhere… far."
Both men looked at each other.
The mayor coughed. "We noticed your family name — Chakma. That clan belongs to the central city, known for its warriors. Quite far from here."
"Ah, yeah," Pramit said, already half-dozing. "Good people. Haven't met them though."
The guild master slammed the table. "Then how did you get here? The teleport gate's been down for weeks!"
Pramit opened one eye. "Walked?"
The mayor rubbed his forehead. "You walked through monster territory… alone… with no escort?"
"Yeah," Pramit said, stretching. "But the monsters were nice. They didn't wake me up."
The two officials froze.
The mayor whispered, "...Is he serious?"The guild master replied quietly, "I can't tell if he's lying or just insane."
Pramit yawned again. "So, are we done? I want to sleep before dinner."
The mayor forced a smile. "...Right. You're free to go."
As Pramit left, the guild master leaned in close. "Something's off about that boy."The mayor nodded slowly. "Yes. Either he's hiding something… or the gods themselves enjoy mocking us."
Outside, Pramit muttered to himself, "So noisy… even their questions are loud," and walked off toward his rented room.
Lyria lingered outside the mayor's office, pretending to look over a quest board.Through the slightly open door, she could hear muffled voices — the mayor, the guild master… and Pramit.
"Walked here through monster territory," the guild master said."Alone?" the mayor asked in disbelief."Mm-hm," came Pramit's lazy voice. "They were quiet monsters. Good for sleeping."
Lyria almost choked on air.Quiet monsters? What kind of answer was that?!
She pressed closer to the door, trying not to laugh.
The conversation went on — questions, confusion, and Pramit's half-sleepy replies that made no sense to anyone but himself. Finally, the mayor sighed and let him go.
Lyria quickly stepped aside as Pramit walked out, yawning. He passed by her without even noticing she was there.
When he disappeared down the corridor, Lyria crossed her arms and frowned slightly."That guy… something's off about him."
She remembered all the strange things that had happened since meeting him — the mysterious fire that saved her, the healing water, the cave that looked ordinary outside but luxurious inside, and now this ridiculous story about walking through monster lands unharmed.
It didn't add up.Either he was an idiot… or something far more dangerous.
Still, when she pictured his half-asleep face and calm, clueless tone, she sighed."No… he's definitely an idiot," she muttered, shaking her head.
But even as she walked away, part of her couldn't stop wondering — what if he really was something more?