Now Helena and I had come out of Kaizen's house-cum-shop. Our minds were focused on just one target now—according to the information given by Kaizen, we had to go to the "Blue Moon Bar" in Patalpur and meet a man named Marlo. From Kaizen's words, it was clear that if anyone knew the truth behind all these things, then it was Marlo.
We were walking back toward our carriage through the same narrow and dark alley. There was silence all around, except for the sound of our footsteps. Helena was walking a little ahead of me. While walking, her voice suddenly echoed.
"Jona, can I ask you a question?" Helena said.
I replied casually, "Yes, of course." I thought she might ask about the gun or about Misty.
But then Helena slowed her pace slightly and asked in an extremely calm and soft voice,
"Jona… are you also a Paragon?"
Hearing this, the ground slipped from under my feet. A huge wave of panic rose inside me. A storm of thoughts erupted in my mind—
"How does she know? I haven't even used my nature or Aurum energy! And most importantly, how does she even know about Paragons? She's just a girl from a noble family!"
But the most frightening thing was the way she asked the question.
She asked— "Are you also a Paragon?"
Which meant… was Helena herself a Paragon too?
In that dark alley of Patalpur, Helena's back was facing me, and I couldn't see her expression, but a strange tension spread through the air.
While I was badly stuck in these thoughts, Helena's playful and carefree laughter suddenly echoed through the silence. She slowed her steps even more and laughed as she said,
"Looks like you're getting nervous, Jona! What did you think, I wouldn't notice anything?"
She turned toward me and looked straight at me with her eyes.
"You probably don't realize this, Jona, but when we were standing near Kaizen's door and you stepped a few steps back and quietly started chanting a spell… I heard that faint and unclear sound. At that moment, I realized that you might not be an ordinary human, but a Paragon."
She continued,
"And my suspicion became completely confirmed when Kaizen started talking to you in such depth about 'Aurum' and 'nature attributes.' At that time, there was no surprise in your eyes. Instead, you were reacting as if you already knew all these things. An ordinary person would be stunned just by hearing the names of Aurum-powered weapons."
I was completely stunned from the inside. I started wondering how this was even possible. I had recited Heater's summoning spell so quietly that even I could barely hear my own voice. And why didn't I notice that when Kaizen was talking to me about the sniper and thunder nature, Helena was standing right there, listening to everything?
If she were an ordinary girl, she would have asked Kaizen what these "nature attributes" even were. But she didn't ask anything. She remained completely calm. That meant only one thing—she was already familiar with all these secrets.
Helena, without looking at me, gazed at the dirt scattered on the road and said,
"You don't need to be scared, Jona. I know a lot of questions must be arising in your mind—how do I know about these things? And whether I am also a Paragon. If you're thinking that, then the answer to your question is 'yes.'"
I was shocked! The question that had been spinning in my mind like an unsolved puzzle just a moment ago, Helena answered it so casually.
That wasn't all. Helena went on to reveal another truth. She said,
"I haven't been a Paragon for very long, but I've adapted my sequence 1 'Fire Nature' quite well now."
As soon as she said that, she extended one finger and cast a small spell—
"Tiny Flame."
The moment the spell was cast, a tiny fireball-like energy appeared above her finger. In that dark and filthy alley, a golden light suddenly spread everywhere. She leaned toward me excitedly, her eyes sparkling, and said,
"Isn't this amazing?"
Then Helena added,
"But I don't think you'll be surprised by seeing this."
But what Helena didn't know was how shocked and terrified I was inside. Just then, however, Helena gave a reasoning that forced me to understand my situation.
She said seriously,
"You won't be surprised, Jona, because when I heard you chanting that spell, it was so long and complex that I think you're a Sequence 2 Paragon—or even higher."
A thought flashed through my mind—Do I really look that powerful to Helena?
But her thinking was justified, because Paragons below Sequence 2 usually don't have the capacity to cast such long spells. And it's extremely rare for a Sequence 2 Paragon to have their own summoning spirit or creature.
Sometimes, when someone overestimates your power, it's better to let it remain that way. Helena's reasoning had given me the image of a "powerful Paragon," and I decided it was best to maintain this mystery.
But then Helena's voice suddenly changed. Without looking at me, in a low and mysterious tone, she said,
"To be honest, Jona… I don't think you're as strong as I believe you are. And if you turn out to be weaker than my expectations, I could do anything to you."
Her words sent a chill through my body.
"What did she just say?"
I froze in fear.
But the very next moment, Helena laughed lightly and said,
"I was joking! You got scared again."
She then changed the topic and asked about my nature again, but I decided it was better to stay silent. Helena sensed my silence and understood that I wasn't ready to share my secrets. She simply said,
"Fine, don't tell me. But remember, the things we talked about should not reach anyone else."
I nodded in agreement, and we left the dark alley behind and headed toward our carriage.
Outside the alley, Misty was waiting for us anxiously. As soon as we climbed into the carriage, she asked with worried eyes,
"Master Jona, Madam Helena… are you both alright? I was really scared when you went alone into that alley."
Helena smiled and replied,
"Why be scared, Misty? Nothing was going to happen to us. In fact, Jona and I had a lot of fun there!"
She mischievously looked at me and said,
"Right, Jona? I'm correct, aren't I?"
Now Misty's eyes were on me as well. I panicked badly, afraid she might misunderstand something, but I had no option other than staying silent.
Our carriage was now passing through those crossroads of Patalpur where nights are colorful and dangerous. Taking a left turn from one intersection, our carriage stopped in front of a famous place—the "Blue Moon Bar."
Then Helena and I went inside the bar.
The moment we stepped inside, smoke and noise crashed into our ears. The place was completely filled with gang members. Some were sitting in corners drinking alcohol, while others were gambling at tables. We went straight to the bartender and asked about Marlo. Without asking any questions, he pointed toward a corner.
"Go in that direction. You'll see a room there—that's Marlo's office."
As we moved toward that room, the noise gradually faded and silence deepened. That room belonged to Marlo, a place where not everyone was allowed to enter. In my hand was a letter given by Kaizen. Kaizen had clearly warned us not to try opening or reading it, or it would become useless.
We knew Kaizen's words weren't to be ignored. Reaching the door, Helena knocked three times as instructed by Kaizen.
As soon as we knocked, a small window opened at the upper part of the door. The opening was so small that only a letter could pass through it. If an unfamiliar person were here, they would simply slide the letter through that opening and wait for the door to open. But Kaizen's information was our true shield.
Kaizen had said that even after the window opened, we must not insert the paper from there. I immediately bent down and slid the letter inside through the thin gap beneath the door.
There was silence inside for a moment, as if someone was examining the letter. Then suddenly, the sound of the door unlocking echoed.
The door slowly began to open…