"Haaa..."
"Why did the prices of goods become expensive, huh?..." Muttered Sylzee who had just finished shopping.
Her steps stopped, "What's that commotion?" Asked Sylzee in her heart, she saw a crowd on the street.
She quickly asked someone in front of her. "Excuse me..."
"What's going on up there?" Asked Sylzee.
The person being asked turned around, "Oh, that."
"Many corpses were found inside Courter Ashley's shop." Answered that person.
"Corpses?" Sylzee's face was very shocked, "Whose corpses?"
The woman who was asked shook her head, "Don't know." She replied, "They say it's not the employees of that shop." Added the woman.
With a stiff smile, Sylzee replied to the woman's words, "R-Right..." Slightly bowing her head, "Thank you." She walked away, passing through the crowd blocking the road.
The woman only responded to Sylzee with a slight nod.
As Sylzee walked, she tried to think, "Courter Ashley..." Moving her shopping goods to her left hand, her right hand holding her chin, "The head of the shop is Fiblio... Asteion..." She muttered in her heart.
"That man's name is Reigh Asteion..." Staring far ahead, "Are all of those things connected?..."
"What the heck..." She started scratching her head, "Lately every time I'm in a city,"
"There's always some murder happening at important people's places!" She grumbled angrily in her heart.
"And for the past 5 days, I haven't seen him at all in this city." Looking up at the sky, "Is he doing okay?..."
Along the way, she heard whispers from the citizens talking, "The employees fainted, who could've killed those people?" Bringing her hand closer to her mouth, whispering.
"That shop hasn't opened for 5 days," Whispered the woman beside her, "This morning someone saw a kid coming out of the shop..."
Sylzee sped up her steps, pretending not to hear but her ears still caught the whisper, "A kid?" She asked in her heart.
"Then that person thought the shop was open, and went inside." Added the woman.
"And the first thing that person saw were the fainted employees, right?" Asked the woman next to her.
"Yes. And Fiblio was also found in a crazed state." Replied the woman next to her, "They say a magician wants to see inside his memories."
"Eh?! Really?!" The woman beside her was shocked. "Is it The Mind Show?!"
Sylzee lowered her hand, slightly bowing. "The Mind Show, huh." She muttered in her heart while still walking toward the inn with slowing steps.
'The Mind Show' was an organization under the Adventurer Guild stationed in several cities in the Outer Slums. And there was only one group in each city throughout the Outer Slums.
They were people who had magic abilities to see the memories of a target.
It was true that magicians in the Outer Slums were very few compared to ordinary people.
But that didn't mean there were none at all, the population of humans who could use magic was 1 out of 500 people. And among those magicians, some specialized in helping maintain peace.
Their purpose was to assist investigations of unsolved murder cases or ones shrouded in mystery.
Even during Fiblio's betrayal incident 10 years ago, they also wanted to see Fiblio's memories. But unfortunately, Fiblio strongly refused to let them see his memories.
Right now, they wanted to see Fiblio's memories because they assumed he went insane from witnessing the murder, or that he was already insane and committed the murder.
But clearly, Fiblio was the only key witness still alive in that room.
Sylzee, who kept thinking, unconsciously had arrived in front of the inn.
Looking up, "Ah whatever." She chose not to get involved in that matter and continued walking toward her room.
A moment later, she stopped in front of her room. "What's that?"
She saw something below the front of her room door, "A letter?" Looking right, left, back, front. "From who?"
Bending slightly, picking up the letter from the floor. "Who is this?..."
Reading what was written on the front of the letter, "For..." Tilting her head, "Sylzee?" She asked in her heart. "Has my location been found out?!" Her face immediately panicked, "I came to this city to rest, you know!" She grumbled in her heart.
Quickly, she banged on the next room's door, *BRAK. BRAK. BRAK. "Brother! Open your door!" Shouted Sylzee, calling Zert who was inside her room.
"HUH?!" Zert woke up from her deep sleep, "W-What is it, you're so annoying!"
Walking groggily toward the very noisy door, *Brak. Brak. Brak. "Yeah, yeah..." Replied Zert.
*Kerttttt. The door opened, "What is—"
Sylzee immediately barged in, "Brother, THIS IS BAD! Suddenly there's a letter in front of my room!" Shouted Sylzee loudly, showing the letter to Zert who was still sleepy.
"Be quiet." He rubbed her eyes, "You're so noisy!" Scratching her stomach with her left hand.
Her blurry eyes slowly focused on the letter in front of her face. He blinked repeatedly to clear her sight, "This is written by that kid." Zert said quietly, starting to yawn, "Hoaaammm..." Covering her mouth.
"That kid? What do you mean?" Asked Sylzee.
Zert replied with a tired face, "You know, the one you said was named Reigh."
Sylzee looked at the letter again carefully. "Oh, right." She only felt relieved when she saw Reigh's name written on the letter.
Zert walked to her bed while grumbling. "So bothersome." He let herself fall onto the bed, "Go away." He dismissed Sylzee in a quiet voice.
But at the same moment, Sylzee, who felt relieved, suddenly realized, "Eh, wait a minute."
Narrowing her eyes, "Since when did he know my lodging and room?!"
"I haven't told him yet." She muttered with her brain trying to think harder.
Suddenly, she screamed, "H-HE... WAS STALKING ME?!..." Holding her face which slowly turned red.
Zert's eyes, which had been closed hoping to continue sleeping, now snapped wide open. "NOOOOISYYYY! LET ME SLEEEEP!" He immediately shouted angrily.
Sylzee hurriedly left Zert's room, "It's almost noon! Wake up!" She shouted, quickly closing Zert's door. "Later." Replied Zert, unheard by Sylzee.
Sylzee quickly entered her own room, "What's inside?!" She couldn't wait to open and read the letter given by Reigh, completely forgetting whether Reigh had really stalked her or not.
She sat at the edge of the bed, "Let me see." She said quietly, beginning to open the letter.
*Scres. Scres. She started to see what was written.
She began reading the contents of the letter in a soft voice. "For Sylzee."
"Thank you for your help all this time."
Sylzee felt confused, "For what, exactly?" She continued reading.
"And I give my deepest apologies for hiding my identity from you, my savior."
She continued reading further without any comment, "My name is indeed Reigh Asteion."
"And as you have suspected before about the similarity of my name with Fiblio Asteion."
"I am the only child of the head of the trading company Courter Ashley."
Sylzee's face grew very serious as she slowly read the letter.
"We and he have no blood relation whatsoever, and at first he worked at the shop as an apprentice employee."
"He kept working well. But ten years ago,"
"Our family was betrayed by Fiblio, and he mercilessly killed both my parents."
Her hands trembled as she held the letter.
Without realizing, Sylzee's tears slowly fell. With teary eyes, she continued reading, "And exactly 5 days ago," *Sniff. Sniff.
"He began to consider himself part of the Asteion family since then, began taking everything that belonged to us from the start."
*Sniff... Sniff... Sylzee held her tears.
"The reason I came to the city of Cierliu, which is my birthplace,"
Wiping her tears gently, her voice gradually weakening as she read.
"Is to make him pay for everything he has taken from us all this time."
"You are free to react or act toward me from now on."
"But clearly, I apologize for hiding something so important from my savior."
Closing the letter, already knowing what the rest said even though she didn't read it aloud.
The last part was written, "And someday, I hope we can meet again."
"Not as giver and receiver."
"But as two people who are equal."
With the sender's signature in the corner of the letter, "Reigh Asteion."
Sylzee remained silent for a few seconds, her breath gradually stabilizing.
She smiled faintly, "I see..."
Her smile slowly widened, "See you again..."
Placing the letter beside her.
Stretching both her hands forward as if ready to welcome, her face still smiling brightly, her eyes looking ahead with full excitement.
"Reigh O Sweetie."