"Arienne…" Arsh whispered without realizing it, as he looked at the man in front of him.
"What?"
"Oh, sorry… it's just… up close, you look like the depiction of the goddess Arinne," Arsh said.
Ezra paused for a moment.
"Are you kidding me? You could've at least compared me to Vurdar. Do I look like a woman to you? I shouldn't have shown my face," he sounded more shocked than angry.
Arsh couldn't understand why he reacted like that to being compared to a goddess. It meant simply he is looking good, after all.
"No... no. It's just because of your hair; you look like a sun goddess. There's no need to take offense."
Unlike in the dark room, his curls looked like gold in the late afternoon sun. Arsh thought it was ridiculous for a man to have such beautiful hair. That filthy thief was just too handsome.
Obviously Arsh wasn't the only person thinking like that. Unlike before other people were beginning to see the man sitting next to him. Women passing by them were were turning their gazes toward Ezra and giggling. Ezra was aware of the situation, too. Arsh could see that he frowned.
"I think it would be better if you used your siuni again. I've seen enough of your face," Arsh said. He wondered if he would still forget the man's face after seeing it so clearly once he used his siuni again. Before long, Arsh felt the presence of the man before his eyes fade once more, though not entirely.
"What's your plan for afterwards?" Arsh asked after a while.
"I don't know. Maybe I'll travel around the neighboring cities... Don't worry, I don't need money for now, so I won't be robbing anyone. I no longer have anyone left to look after," Ezra replied.
"They said it would be a good idea for you to stay away from the city for a while," Arsh said, remembering what Herman had told him.
When there was nothing left to talk about, they just sat in silence and watched other people. Because of the silence, Arsh again almost forgot about the man sitting next to him. After a while, Ezra stood up and came to in front of Arsh.
"It might take some time for me to steal the translations you mentioned. How should I reach you when I return?"
Arsh pulled a piece of paper from his pocket and handed it to Ezra.
"You can send a telegram here," Arsh said.
"Then we have a deal," Ezra said, taking the paper from Arsh's hand. He raised a hand in a final gesture of farewell, then disappeared into the crowd in the park.
…
When Arsh returned, he found no one at home. According to the note Eleni handed to him, Bera had taken Walter and gone out. Mes, Professor Reiner, and Madam Hilda were at the orphanage, looking after the children.
With nothing else to do, Arsh retreated to his room and lay down for a while, trying to savor the silence and stillness. Even that voice in his head was unusually quiet.
However, it didn't take long for this silence to start feeling strange. He realized that for the first time since coming to Tirsit, he was completely alone with nothing to do. It had already been a month since he arrived. He had adapted to this different life quite easily.
Working with Mes and Bera, chatting with the others throughout the day, and learning new things had become the daily routine of his current life. But a feeling arose within him that this new routine was about to change soon. He was aware that being alone for the first time had triggered this feelings.
Still, he felt that the time had come for this routine to be broken.
What he had learned from Bera over the past month, along with the three siuti Professor Reiner had given him, had allowed him to move faster and possess a stronger body. Now, he could hold the golden threads for longer periods without getting tired. Beyond that, however, he couldn't say he had grown much stronger.
At that point, he knew that the change he sensed coming had nothing to do with his own physical improvement, but rather with the news he expected from Ezra. Although Bera hadn't been hopeful about Arsh's choice when giving him information about the research center in Hals, Arsh was certain that this thief was much better suited for the task than Walter. Ezra could maintain his siuni for long periods without exhaustion. As long as he didn't run into someone exceptionally powerful, as he had warned, everything could proceed smoothly.
He couldn't stand lying in bed alone with his thoughts any longer. Thinking he could at least read something until someone came home, he shut himself in the library. He spent a long time hopping from book to book and legend to legend, losing all track of the passage of time.
Only a clicking sound within the silent library broke his concentration. When he stood up to find the source of the noise, he saw the telegraph in its corner. Normally, Mes would be the one to handle incoming telegrams. But since he was now an official member of the FFSD, and knowing that a very private message wouldn't be sent to a place where anyone could easily walk in and out, he approached the telegraph and began to read the message.
"The necessary evidence of the alliance between the Minister of Colonies, Hulston, and General Debraz is located at the General's family estate in Negral. Our mission will be complete once you have obtained it. I await your response regarding the plan.—Juan"
Arsh read the note once more. 'The relationship between Minister Hulston and General Debraz...' The connection between Millway and Minister Hulston. It all led to the same door. Professor Reiner and Juan had already told him that there might be different reasons behind the massacre in his own town. Even Bera, when they first saw Minister , had said that this matter might not be as simple as they thought.
"So, those who provide funds for the research of siunies, and those who kidnap children to conduct experiments... it all ties back to the Ministry of Colonies, to Minister Hulston. What can I say? Perhaps it was to be expected," Arsh said to himself. The reason the others had warned him to be careful was that they had seen these connections all along. Or at least, they had considered the possibility.
He thought that the reason they couldn't find any records of Millway's entries and exits in Thage from the very beginning must have been his connection with General Debraz. Perhaps knowing he had the backing of an army stationed in the city had made him act so recklessly. No... it hadn't just made him reckless. It had left him free to do whatever he wanted, with no restrictions.
But what exactly did Juan mean by 'evidence'? If they managed to secure it, what would be the next move? Would they actually expose it to the world? There were too many questions in Arsh's mind. Yet, the feeling he had experienced just a few hours ago while lying in his room—that something was about to change—was now much stronger.
Arsh took the telegram and went upstairs from the library. He found Eleni in the kitchen, preparing dinner.
"Eleni, when are they coming?"
Eleni made the sign for eight with her fingers.
It was nearly eight o'clock. "Let me help you," Arsh said, rolling up his shirt sleeves.
Eleni nodded her head in agreement. Arsh tucked the paper into his pocket and began to help her. As they finished preparing the meal and setting the table together, they heard noises coming from outside. Soon, Professor Reiner, Madam Hilda, and Mes entered one by one. All three of them looked exhausted and worn out.
"Arsh... are you here? Were you able to meet with 'The Ghost'?"
"Yes, we met today. How are the children?"
"Ah, how can I put it… some of them are in bad shape. But they've managed well despite that. Even though the treatment they received was inadequate, it kept them alive. I've done everything I can for now. There are two other healers in the orphanage looking after them. The other children are in good health; they've been well-fed and cared for, considering where they came from," Reiner said tiredly, collapsed into the chair at the head of the dining table.
"A telegram arrived from Juan today," Arsh said. He pulled the paper from his pocket and handed it to Professor Reiner.
Reiner read the paper and let out a long, heavy sigh.
"Hasn't Bera returned yet?"
"No."
"Mes, get in touch with Herman. Have him come here. Immediately, this evening."