"Arthur."
A stern look settled on Bora's face, immediately drawing my full attention.
"We meet tomorrow evening. Location is Daylight Inn, outskirts of the city."
Although I had never heard of the place before, I simply nodded in agreement.
Bora continued looking at me through the communication artifact for several moments before speaking once more.
"Don't come late."
"Yes."
After receiving my response, Bora gave a brief nod.
The communication ended shortly afterward.
The image within the mirror gradually distorted as ripples spread across its surface once more. Bora's figure slowly faded away until it disappeared completely, leaving behind nothing but shimmering waves. A few moments later, even those vanished, and the artifact returned to its ordinary state, my own reflection appeared on the smooth surface once again before I placed the artifact back on the table.
The remainder of the morning passed peacefully.
For a while, I occupied myself by playing with Camose. The little serpent seemed unusually energetic today, constantly moving from one place to another. One moment it would be coiled around my shoulder, and the next it would be slithering down my arm before quickly climbing back up again. Every now and then, it would activate its camouflage ability and blend into a nearby object. After remaining hidden for a short while, it would reveal itself again as though proudly showing off its success.
Whether it actually understood what it was doing or simply acted on instinct, I couldn't tell.
Eventually, Camose settled down, and I returned to cultivation, sitting cross-legged on the floor and guiding nature energy into my body. Time passed unnoticed while I remained immersed in cultivation.
By the time I finally opened my eyes again, few hours had passed and the afternoon had already arrived.
Not long afterward, Charlie returned home from his shift at the inn. I informed him about the location Bora had provided for tomorrow's meeting, and after exchanging a few more words, I prepared to leave for work myself.
Before long, I arrived at the inn. The moment I stepped inside, the familiar atmosphere greeted me. Conversations filled the air from every direction while the constant clatter of dishes and utensils echoed throughout the dining area. Customers occupied many of the tables, creating the usual lively environment that had become a daily part of my life since arriving in Astravia.
The owner was seated behind the counter as usual. One hand rested on an open ledger while the other occasionally moved coins across the wooden surface. Every now and then, he would glance around the inn before shouting instructions toward the staff whenever something needed attention.
"Good afternoon, Sir Owner."
The owner briefly looked up from his work.
"Hm." That was the entirety of his response, as expected. A faint smile appeared on my face before I headed off to begin my shift.
The inn remained as busy as ever, and I quickly settled into work. Before long, a customer placed an order, and after writing it down, I headed toward the kitchen to collect the food.
The moment I stepped into the kitchen, I immediately spotted Miguel.
The chubby young man was carrying a basket of ingredients toward one of the preparation tables when his eyes suddenly landed on me. The instant he recognized me, his entire face brightened as though he had just discovered a long-lost treasure.
"Arthur! My brother! My best friend!"
Before I could even begin to process what he was saying, Miguel abandoned whatever he had been doing and charged toward me at alarming speed.
A moment later, his arms wrapped around me in a crushing hug, the force nearly lifted me off the ground.
I stared at him in complete disbelief, wondering if he had somehow suffered a head injury since yesterday.
"What the hell happened to you? Did you hurt your head?"
Miguel immediately released me and took a dramatic step backward. Placing a hand over his chest, he looked at me with an expression of exaggerated heartbreak.
"Arthur, you're hurting my feelings."
A strange sense of discomfort instantly crawled up my spine. Without hesitation, I pushed him farther away before he could try anything else.
"Stay away from me, you pig."
Miguel staggered backward before dramatically wiping away imaginary tears. His expression was so exaggerated that it looked as though he had just suffered some great betrayal.
"Arthur, don't hurt this innocent pi-, soul feelings."
He quickly corrected himself before placing a hand over his chest and pointing at himself with the other.
"Am I not your best friend?"
The strange feeling crawling up my spine immediately became stronger. I raised a hand and stopped him before he could continue.
"Stop this nonsense, you bastard."
Miguel looked deeply offended by the accusation, though the grin threatening to appear on his face ruined the performance entirely. Deciding that allowing him to continue would only make the situation worse, I quickly changed the subject.
"Did you sleep well yesterday?"
Miguel then dropped the act and was about to answer when a loud clatter suddenly echoed through the kitchen. The unexpected sound immediately drew both of our attention.
The middle-aged cook standing nearby had dropped the spoon she was holding. When I turned toward her, I found her staring at us with wide eyes. For a moment, she simply stood there looking between the two of us, and then, seeing the strange expression on her face, realization suddenly struck me.
My expression immediately changed.
"M-Madam, it's not what you think."
The cook quickly waved a dismissive hand and smiled. "Don't worry. I won't judge."
My eye twitched. Somehow, the situation had become even worse.
"No, no. It's really not like that."
Unfortunately, my explanation seemed to have the exact opposite effect. The smile on the cook's face only widened, and the amused look in her eyes made it painfully obvious that she had already misunderstood the situation completely.
I opened my mouth, intending to explain myself again, but the words never came out. After a few seconds, I simply gave up and rubbed my forehead in defeat.
"Arghhh..." A helpless sigh escaped my mouth.
Meanwhile, the cook looked thoroughly entertained by the entire situation, while Miguel stood beside me with a confused expression, completely unaware of what had just happened or why I suddenly looked so exhausted.
Deciding that there was no point trying to explain the situation any further, I quickly changed the subject before the cook could misunderstand things even more.
"How is Hana doing?"
Miguel's attention immediately shifted.
"Oh, she's doing fine. She fell asleep almost as soon as we got home yesterday."
A small sense of relief settled over me upon hearing that. After everything that had happened during the festival, I had been somewhat concerned about how the experience might affect her. Hana was still young, and being threatened by a group of strangers wasn't something most children would easily forget.
Miguel, however, seemed completely unconcerned.
"Actually, she's been talking about you since this morning. She's also been pestering me to take her to meet you."
A faint smile appeared on my face.
If she was already talking about me and pestering Miguel to bring her here, then she had likely put yesterday's incident behind her. That brought a small sense of relief. The last thing I wanted was for an unpleasant experience like that to leave a lasting shadow on a child.
Then I remembered something else. Stepping a little closer, I lowered my voice to ensure nobody else overheard the conversation.
"Do you know where Daylight Inn is located?"
Miguel immediately furrowed his brows and fell into thought. While waiting for his answer, I casually glanced around the kitchen. Unfortunately, that turned out to be a mistake.
The cook was staring at us again. She wasn't even trying to hide it. A suspiciously amused smile lingered on her face as she watched the two of us standing together and whispering.
For several seconds, our eyes met. I had absolutely no idea what conclusions she had reached, nor did I want to know. Eventually, I let out a quiet sigh and chose to ignore her.
A few moments later, Miguel finally spoke.
"I think it's somewhere on the outskirts of the city."
"I know that."
I lowered my voice even further. "But where exactly?"
Miguel scratched his head while trying to recall the details.
"If I remember correctly, it's on the western outskirts. About two miles before Astravia Academy."
Miguel thought for another moment before eventually nodding, seemingly becoming more confident in his answer.
"Yeah, I'm pretty sure that's the place. There aren't many inns in that area, so it should be easy to find."
I nodded in understanding. Then, without warning, a grin suddenly spread across Miguel's face.
"Why?"
He leaned forward slightly, and the look in his eyes immediately made me suspicious.
"Are you planning to leave this inn and work there instead?"
I stared at him for several seconds. "No."
Miguel blinked.
"Then why are you asking about it?"
"I was just curious."
The answer seemed to satisfy him, though only partially. Judging from his expression, he was already preparing another ridiculous question. Not wanting the conversation to spiral into nonsense again, I quickly picked up the plates of food waiting nearby.
"Come on. Customers are waiting."
Miguel glanced toward the dining area before reluctantly nodding.
"Right."
Without giving him an opportunity to continue the discussion, I turned around and left the kitchen. The sounds of conversation from the dining hall gradually grew louder as I returned to work, leaving Miguel behind before he could come up with another bizarre theory.