On his side, Darlius discreetly scouted the outskirts of the town to gather more information.
Seriously, if I get caught, I'll have to put on an act. Plus, I can't see anything because of these high walls. I'd need to enter the town… but no way I'm going in alone.
As he continued walking, he came across a group of children playing near the forest.
They might give me some info, but if they find me suspicious… Alright, let's stay calm and gentle, he thought, approaching the group.
Seeing him come closer, the children stopped playing and stared at Darlius with fear in their eyes.
"Excuse me, kids…" Darlius paused abruptly when he noticed the fear in their gazes.
"Are you… going to hurt us, sir?" asked one child, voice trembling.
Surprised by their fear, Darlius decided to brush it off for now.
"Listen, I mean you no harm. I just want to know: what kind of clothes do people in the town usually wear?"
The children exchanged looks, completely stunned by the question.
"Are you serious, sir?" one of them asked.
"Why wouldn't I be?"
"Well…" The child hesitated, then answered, "In the town, as you can see, people living in the small houses wear either black or gray pants with a beige or black top. Then there are the guards: they wear martial outfits in any color. And their leaders wear robes."
"Wait, their leaders are women, I hope?" Darlius asked.
"No, but out of the five leaders, I think two are women."
"So, the men wear robes?"
"Yes, but not the kind of robes you're thinking of, sir. They're designed for men, covering from the neck to the feet," the child explained.
"Oh, I see. And my clothes—are they weird?" Darlius asked.
"…I'd say yes. They almost look like armor. But I think you could enter the town. Just change your clothes and try not to stand out, sir."
"I see. Tell me, why aren't you afraid of me like the others hiding behind you?"
"Hmm… I'd say there's no point in being scared. Besides, you don't look like those crazies."
"Crazies? Who's got you all so traumatized?"
Another child behind him clamped a hand over the first one's mouth. "Are you nuts? You want to die? We can't talk about him, or he'll start again!"
The child in front pushed the hand away. "You're right. Sir, a piece of advice: avoid the northern part of the town. But if you go there, be very careful."
The child who spoke walked away, followed by the others.
"Tell me, kid, I'd like to know who I'm talking to," Darlius called out.
"…Kelvin, sir. Kelvin," the child replied as he headed back toward the town.
"Thanks, Kelvin, for all the info," Darlius said, returning to his group.
"He's got to wake up eventually, right?" Aconé grumbled.
"Calm down," Hikiri replied. "Yelling won't make him open his eyes."
When Tony finally opened his eyes, he stayed silent, not alerting anyone.
Seriously, even in the real world, this feeling follows me, he thought, feeling phantom pains from his spiritual body.
He felt completely drained, as if he'd been running nonstop for two weeks.
Hikiri, perched in a tree, noticed Tony had opened his eyes. But he did nothing, seeing Tony's body trembling and his eyes a dark red.
Asti, who was tending to crops nearby, sensed something strange in the ether—not too close, but not far either. An instability in the surrounding energy.
Getting up to investigate the source, he was stopped by Lucien.
"Asti, Darlius is back. You need to come," Lucien said.
Asti followed him, setting the mystery aside for now.