The silence grew heavy in the room. Anastasia looked Ivan in the eyes with a look of uncertainty and sadness. She had spent enough time with Vlad to feel this way.
The room seemed to distort slightly in Anastasia's vision, though she knew it was all an illusion.
Ivan's face did not budge at all, keeping his calm and collected expression, as he slowly took off his glasses and blew on the lenses.
He undid a single button of his shirt, revealing slightly the body hidden underneath.
As he cleaned his glasses with his shirt, Anastasia observed the large scar that she could not see the end of on Ivan's body.
"I see…" His voice was as calm as the waveless ocean. He took a small break before pursuing. "How long has it been?" He said, still looking downwards.
Anastasia looked at him in a twisted way. She was unable to comprehend how the man who had given Vlad a home to stay at could not even have a change in his expression when learning of his death.
This did not mean that Anastasia was disgusted by Ivan; instead, she saw the ageless man in a new light, one that she was unaware of beforehand.
"I found his body last night in a street not too far from here. The shock was too much for me to have observed the body this much. He could have been dead since the day before, who knows?"
He put his glasses back on his face, placing them neatly.
"Am I the first person to know of this?" He asked right after, with an aura of absolute seriousness.
"You're the first person I told, yes."
This is technically not a lie; Miss Angel saw it directly, and there was no need for me to tell Her.
I do feel bad for playing like this, but can I really tell him I am secretly a prophet with supernatural powers?
Probably not.
"I see. Do not tell this to anybody else; the information must stay between us two." He signaled for Anastasia to close the door behind her.
Hmm.
He probably doesn't want to cause panic in the other members of the shop.
He might be a good person after all… Though he had no expression when I told him Vlad died, maybe he doesn't care about it.
I don't have any idea about Ivan's past. I should take the chance to ask him.
I don't even know how old he is… He could very well be in his forties, but he almost looks the same age as Kiril, how peculiar.
Anastasia nodded to Ivan as he continued to sign documents, as he did when I entered.
"Was his left hand severed? Most likely. Then that means it is no ordinary murder, but instead the work of an organization."
Anastasia was surprised to hear Ivan's claim. She did not expect it to be the work of an organization. What could Vlad possibly have done for him to attract the wrath of a criminal organization?
But Ivan was right about the fact that his left hand was severed; the image of his corpse was unforgettable in her mind. It was a sight that made her want to puke immediately.
She knew Ivan was an expert on criminal organizations and cults. She didn't know much about the long-haired man, but she did know that he had worked as a sort of bounty hunter in the past, not quite in the traditional sense, as he primarily focused on the supernatural.
But he had encountered plenty of organizations dealing with the illegal, from simple kidnapping to murder, humans and mystical creatures alike.
"Then what do we do? Hunt them? That's what you used to do, right?"
Ivan put away the quill as he signed the last document in the pile. Also, carefully putting the paper away from him, on another pile in the corner of the spruce desk.
"Investigate, hide, hunt." Ivan looked at Anastasia in the eyes with utmost confidence, as if he had done that hundreds of times, to the point he was not scared of it anymore.
Anastasia, on the other hand, had a sense of perplexity. It was true that she had a penchant for chaos, but to the point of hunting the members of a dangerous organization? Not really.
"The best way to break something is from the inside out. Most assassination attempts end up as a failure, but what about inner revolution? Those are much more likely to go through. Also, it's not like we know who the people behind the murder of Vlad are."
He is making a point; there is no use in trying to go for the head of an unknown person. I don't know how I would proceed with this plan.
Does Ivan already have an idea?
"Now, based on your reaction, Vlad had his left hand severed. If I am not wrong, this should be the work of Straize. I know a bit about them."
Straize?
Never heard of them.
Well, it's not like I know anything about criminal organizations. I'm just the daughter of a wealthy noble; I don't have any use for such things.
I believe that father has some knowledge about them, but to what extent?
I should probably ask somebody at the coming banquet.
"They are mostly centered on ideologies of revolution and coup d'état. That's all I know about them."
Revolution?
Anastasia smiled visibly.
Hehe! They are surely hiding something. Nobody creates an organization for the sole sake of revolution; you could reveal it to the public if so.
Plus, they saw the need to eliminate Vlad. I'm guessing he "knew too much".
I'll have to investigate from the inside, but how could I join them?
"For now, I suppose our best option is to search for information on them; we may be able to find a way through their defense."
"Understood. Thank you, Ivan." Anastasia made a semi-bow to Ivan before leaving, making sure to close the door behind her.
As she left the room, the grayish-white walls came back into her vision.
She was now closer to the front of the print shop than to the back exit, showing her the multiple people "working" there.
She closed her eyes for a second before continuing to walk forward towards the people at the front.
Maybe he's not so bad after all…
I thought he had an actual heart of stone, but I was wrong.
There is more to Ivan than I thought at first glance.
Behind her, on Ivan's desk, was a single document with a mark of water on it.