Chapter 59
The half-open wooden bar door swung wider as he stepped out completely. The early dawn air hit his face immediately, colder than the suffocating air inside, sending a chill down beneath his coat.
He walked along the roadside, still occupied by a few people, either returning home or just starting their day.
"Huh, should I just check it myself," he thought hesitantly.
His steps suddenly halted. His body froze at the edge of the road as fragments of vision from the eagle abruptly slipped into his mind, flashes of a high vantage point, wooden rooftops, and the shadow of someone moving quickly before disappearing.
'Looks like the eagle found the target... But he managed to escape.'
His brows furrowed.
'Who exactly is observing that?'
He did not have time to think further.
"Sir," the voice was restrained, clearly feminine. "You overpaid."
Zavi immediately turned his head. A woman wearing a white shirt with a gray suit jacket draped over her shoulders stood a few steps away from him. Her brown eyes stared straight at him, intensely, as if it was not just the money she intended to return.
"Thank you," Zavi said briefly, then quickly resumed walking.
'Eh, was that not extra money?'
After only a few steps, he was startled.
"Wait a moment!" the woman said with a flat expression.
Zavi glanced back without turning his head.
The woman stepped forward, briefly glancing at a man behind her who was walking toward them, then quickly added, "Are you the person those two mentioned?"
'Those two? Who is she referring to?' Zavi thought with a tense expression as he turned around fully.
"Who?" he asked to confirm.
A well-built man with deep gray eyes stood right behind the woman. His appearance was striking and charismatic due to his height and the way he dressed, wearing a knee-length black coat with gray and blue lines along both sides.
"That is not important," he replied in a restrained voice.
In a flash, the man appeared directly behind Zavi, pointing a silver dagger that reflected a faint orange glow from the gas lamps just inches from his neck, leaving him unable to move.
'So fast,' Zavi thought in panic, swallowing hard.
But...
"Thank you for attacking me." He gave a faint smile before his body vanished like dust swept away by the wind, returning to a place far from where he had been.
On a cobblestone street, damp with mud from the rain, with people passing under flickering street lamps that seemed long neglected.
Zavi realized he was somewhere completely unfamiliar, and not as he had imagined. This was the Hava district in the southwest, on Street No. 8, Looker.
He stood still under the light rain, sheltered by the shop's roof. At the entrance, two figures with expressions difficult to describe stood silently, staring at him intensely.
"How did you end up here?" Zuhen asked in confusion, stepping out completely from the shop and observing both sides of the street.
Zavi frowned.
'Cih... How did I place that anchor on them?'
He cleared his throat twice. "Ahh, I... was just being chased by something," he said hesitantly, letting out a small laugh.
Felina stepped down the small stairs of the shop, moved to the right, and pulled a wooden chair with a thin cushioned backrest.
"That... is impossible," she said as she sat down, smiling before continuing, "you must have been running from someone, right?"
As Zavi was about to deny it, Miss Felina glanced at Zuhen, who had been standing silently, and quickly added, "How foolish, going to that village. Luckily, that serrated glowing dagger was taken by Mr. Zuhen, so you ended up here, is that not right?"
She looked at Zuhen, then quickly shifted her gaze to the right, where Zavi stood near the wooden pillar sheltering them from the drizzle.
'Serrated dagger? I never placed any anchor on that... and should it not be at that place?'
The place he meant was the abandoned area on Capa Street, near the border of the square, several hundred meters before the invisible barrier protecting several districts.
Zuhen let out a short sigh, walked to the left, pulled a chair with a round table in front of it, and sat down. His gaze swept across the street ahead, uninterested in the conversation as he was in a bad mood after losing a considerable amount of money.
'Ahh, this is embarrassing. I wanted to eat something early in the morning but failed, and that male waiter even laughed at me.'
Zuhen clicked his tongue.
He fell silent for a moment, thinking about his future. His gaze shifted to the right, observing the two who were talking while looking at each other.
Something strange suddenly crossed his mind.
The corner of his lips lifted into a cynical smile he could not hide. He immediately stood up and walked toward them.
He tried to display a friendly smile, even though his thoughts were in disarray.
"What are you two talking about?" he asked casually, as if he had no burden. "Ah, why did you not invite me? I want to join too... my stomach has been wanting to join the conversation for a while."
Felina's eyes widened. Her mouth slightly parted as she realized the hidden meaning behind his words.
'Sir, I understand. Do you want to ask that man to treat you to the food you wanted earlier?'
She lightly tapped her forehead, then quickly turned to Zavi, trying to read his thoughts.
'He... wants something from me?' Zavi thought, observing both of them alternately.
"Yeah, I get what you mean," Zavi said with a frown. "Just order three, all the same. I will pay for the rest. But in return, I will ask something."
Zuhen nodded, his expression unreadable. Without saying much, he turned and walked into the shop to place the order.
Meanwhile, Zavi stepped forward, pulled a chair in front of him, and sat across from Miss Felina.
'People are starting to target me... But these two, are they the same as the others? And why... did I place that spiritual anchor on that serrated dagger...'
He leaned his head back against the chair, staring at the ceiling at the front of the shop. His mind was filled with inconsistencies that seemed to defy logic.
Previously, he had indeed placed a spiritual anchor, but not on that dagger. It was in the abandoned area on Street No. 12 Capa near the border road.
What confused him...
Why was that serrated dagger the one drawing his attention?
Its shape and design... were the same as Moreira's.
Zavi straightened his gaze. His fingertips tapped lightly on the round table in front of him.
"About that dagger," he said quietly, restraining his tone, "where did you get it?"
Felina stared at him deeply before answering flatly, "I do not know. Mr. Zuhen found it."
She briefly looked away, then took a short breath before adding, this time with a slightly raised tone,
"Besides... how did you follow us?"
'Yes, I know. After that search, Mr. Zuhen did intend to meet this man again,' she thought.
Zavi let out a short breath.
"In that case..." he said slowly, "I do not know either."
"Huh? How can you not know that? That is strange." Felina's tone rose at the end.
"Do you have another intention with us? Want to ask for something? Or help? Or maybe you still hold a grudge from the previous fight?"
'This woman talks too much... this is exactly why I do not like talking to her,' Zavi thought, his brows twitching.
Hearing Felina ramble without pause, Zavi could not hold back his irritation. His jaw tightened, the muscles in his neck tensed, and his ears turned slightly red.
'How long is she going to keep talking? Do not make me be the one to stop it,' Zavi thought, letting out a silent laugh.
On the other side, Zuhen returned with a male waiter wearing a blue apron under a neat black suit paired with a thin white shirt and a red tie around his neck, approaching them.
Zuhen smiled faintly as he pulled another chair and placed it at the round table beside Zavi, then sat down and said with satisfaction, "It is here. Thank you for treating us."
'Ahh, this is because I lost my money while fighting you,' Zuhen thought with a slight frown.
The waiter placed the dishes one by one, including three bottles of soda in front of each of them. After finishing, he turned and walked away to continue his duties.
Zuhen smiled politely. "Please, do not hesitate to enjoy it."
Without hesitation, he raised his hand in gratitude to Goddess Nagreitta for the blessing, offering a short prayer. After that, he picked up the spoon in front of him and cut the roasted meat beside him, placing it into the bowl of soup.
'This is good. It reminds me of the food in Solaria.'
He continued cutting the meat piece by piece with his knife before eating.
Meanwhile, the other two ate normally, showing no exaggerated reaction to the food.
A few minutes passed.
"Oh, I almost forgot," Zuhen said while finishing the last piece of meat. "There was something you wanted to say, Mr... Actitus?" He lifted the glass and drank the soda in one go.