Glimmer of Hope

A thick blanket of gray clouds darkened the sky when Haruto finally reached the outskirts of the city of Tunaust. He was out of breath, covered in dust, and his tired muscles protested at the slightest movement.

“I’ve finally reached my destination, and no one seems to have followed me,” he said with relief as he slowed down.

Even from this distance, the young engineer struggled to see the entire extent of the town. Small columns of white smoke rose from numerous buildings of varying sizes and shapes. He could make out cottages, multi-story stone structures, and even an imposing bell tower standing in the center of the town. Strangely, there were no walls or ramparts surrounding the town, but three pairs of watchtowers were visible on the horizon.

“Those guard posts must allow them to control all comings and goings in the area,” Haruto surmised as he approached two of them.

Four soldiers equipped with light armor and armed with pikes cast suspicious glances around them. Looking up at the top of the tower on his left, the young man immediately noticed two additional fighters, this time holding bows. Not wanting to draw any more attention to himself than necessary, Haruto pulled his gray cloak over his head before approaching.

“Halt,” ordered one of the men, blocking the path with his long pike.

He gave a discreet nod to one of his colleagues. The latter approached the engineer cautiously, then asked bluntly:

“Please uncover your face.”

“Why?”

“It’s a simple security measure. We need to make sure you’re not on the list of individuals wanted by the authorities,” he replied mechanically.

“Uh... okay,” replied Haruto, who complied reluctantly and uncovered his face.

The two soldiers examined the young man and finally shrugged, a certain doubt still visible in their expressions.

“I don’t remember ever seeing him here before.”

“Me neither; he doesn’t look like any of them.”

Haruto was about to breathe a sigh of relief when one of the guards came back with another question.

“If I may say so, you don’t seem to be carrying a sword with you. So what are you doing outside the city?”

“Ouch! I have to come up with a credible answer fast,” thought Haruto, who was caught off guard.

“Well,” he stammered, trying to buy a few precious seconds.

An idea flashed through his mind like a stroke of genius. He wasn’t sure it would work, but it was his only option, short of running away.

“My... My master sent me on an errand to Nerauskei,” lied the engineer, crossing his fingers mentally.

“Nerauskei, damn it! That’s a hell of a long way to go shopping when we already have tons of stores here,” the soldier replied casually, pointing to the city behind him.

“And what the hell can you find there? Certainly not a wife,” said the second guard, equally amused.

Taking advantage of the momentary relaxation of the two men, Haruto then removed his backpack to take out the bottle containing the saltpeter.

“Actually, it was for this,” said the young man, opening the container close to their faces.

The powerful smell of ammonia stunned the guards, who reflexively covered their noses, dropping their spears with a clatter on the ground.

“Wow! This stuff stinks like shit!”

“Okay, that’s enough. Let’s get out of here before our armor gets impregnated with this horrible smell.”

With a slight smirk, Haruto put the saltpeter back in his bag. He pulled his gray hood back over his head, then crossed the checkpoint toward the city.

Inside, Haruto noticed that Tunaust was buzzing with an almost supernatural level of activity. Horses, carts, and other vehicles occupied much of the available space for traffic, in addition to the stalls lining the road leading to the central crossroads. Haruto moved at a snail’s pace, mostly having to weave his way between merchants and onlookers. The inhabitants were talking, haggling, and shouting at each other. This cacophony of noise, mixed with air saturated with all kinds of smells, inspired a mixture of fascination and fear in the engineer.

“Damn it! This place is a real oppressive mess,” he muttered under his breath.

Wanting to leave the street he was on without delay, Haruto then rushed into a less crowded alleyway. As he passed by, he saw a wooden sign with portraits of people identified as criminals by the kingdom pinned to it.

Covered in sweat, the engineer placed his hands on his knees to catch his breath.

“No doubt about it, this city should allow me to blend in with the crowd. That said, will I be able to achieve my goals and also find answers?”

Over the next few days, Haruto thought about the next steps in his plan, but also about the order in which he should proceed.

“Unlike my stay in Nerauskei, I still have a few coins left in my purse. If I want to avoid odd jobs and thus remain discreet, I’d better minimize my expenses,” he thought.

With this philosophy in mind, Haruto then choose to explore most of the city’s neighborhoods in search of a place that could serve as a refuge without requiring any expenditure. The road he had initially taken crossed the city from one end to the other on a north-south axis. A second artery joined the other at a right angle, forming the famous commercial crossroads of Tunaust. The wealthier residents, shops, and various guilds were mainly located in the western part of the city. The other half of the town was populated by the working class, where abandoned buildings, poverty, and thugs abounded.

“Hiding among the poorest certainly has its risks, but it’s still better than having to fear the presence of those damn guards,” the engineer finally decided.

The day before, Haruto had been convinced to make this particular choice after witnessing an altercation between an ordinary citizen and the city authorities. Specifically, the young man was walking down one of the streets lined with a few shops. He was mainly looking for metalworking workshops, paying little attention to the passers-by around him. Loud voices and a crowd a little further ahead forced him to pause momentarily in his observation of the shops.

“For the umpteenth time, I’m telling you that you’re on the wrong track,” said a man vehemently.

He was of average height and wore elegant clothes. Like many inhabitants of this world, this guy also had hair of a supernatural color and seemed to have all the makings of an honest merchant. The man held a wanted poster for Tunaust in one hand, which he waved furiously in front of the guards, who remained impassive.

“Use your eyes, you idiot! Even the blindest idiot could easily see that he doesn’t have a single hair on his face compared to mine.”

“And we have orders to follow,” replied one of the four guards in front of the angry merchant.

One of his partners, visibly less conciliatory and at the end of his patience, then spoke up:

“Stop your nonsense and follow us without making a fuss; otherwise...”

Haruto had seen enough to guess what awaited the poor man. That being said, his curious nature had prompted the engineer to locate one of the signs on which the kingdom displayed portraits of wanted criminals. He didn’t even have to walk twenty meters before finding one.

The crude assembly of planks was covered with at least a dozen scrolls depicting menacing-looking criminals. In addition to the crude hand-drawn portraits, each sheet also listed their names, the crimes they had committed, and the reward for their capture. One poster in particular caught the young man’s eye. He took down the piece of parchment and hurried into an adjacent alleyway.

“I obviously expected to find killers, thieves, and other vermin, but what did this girl do to end up with her portrait here?”

Haruto held the portrait in question in his hands to examine it more closely. The image depicted a young woman with delicate features, which contrasted with the hardened brutes of the others. Curiously, there was no name written on it, and no list of crimes was listed. Just a simple illustration with an absurd reward.

“A thousand damn gold coins for this chick?! People go their whole lives without seeing a single coin,” Haruto laughed before regaining his composure.

Making sure there was no one else around, the engineer put his hood back on. This time, he headed toward the working-class neighborhoods to continue his search.

                                                                           ***

The young man’s search paid off, and he managed to find shelter in a ruined building. It was actually an old house whose stone walls, covered with vegetation, had partially collapsed inward. Haruto had initially rejected the building because it had no roof to protect him from the elements, but he changed his mind after a closer inspection revealed a pleasant surprise.

“So, this residence had a basement, but what was it for? Well... It doesn’t matter. It will be perfect for me to stay in, and I think the chances of me being discovered are slim.”

The engineer then spent some time making the place usable, installing a straw mattress, a rudimentary work surface, and a few other amenities. In addition to conserving his already limited resources, these activities also allowed him to familiarize himself with the immediate surroundings of his new home in case he had to flee hastily.

“The area is fairly quiet and, like Pauweik and Nerauskei, there is no street lighting at night. Could this be a peculiarity of this world, even in such a large city?”

Even though he was unlikely to find the answer to this question anytime soon, Haruto decided it was best to take advantage of this reality. To this end, the darkness allowed him to move around anonymously, making it easier for the young engineer to prowl the deserted streets, which were almost completely devoid of surveillance. He thus completed his search for shops that might be useful for his purposes.

In the end, nearly a week had passed since Haruto had reached Tunaust. He was now ready to move forward and put his plans into action. Scrolls, sketches, and memos were already spread out on the table, and he had cut short his short periods of rest in order to finalize the last details of his weapon’s design.

“Basically, my project is an amalgamation of a few main components. There’s the stock, the barrel, and the firing mechanism,” he said to himself, checking the list he had prepared the day before.

For the sake of efficiency, Haruto opted to use wood for the stock. As one of the main resources in a medieval world, it was very easy to obtain, but also easy to carve to suit his needs.

“Once again, it’s the metal that’s going to be a problem. It reminds me of the barter I had to do with Bhelgor... that week was not easy,” Haruto recalled.

Pushing this memory to the back of his mind, the young man grabbed his leather purse and left the cellar. He then walked quickly toward the merchant district in the heart of the city. Haruto already had a shop in mind and now hoped he would be able to obtain the necessary materials.

As he approached his destination, Haruto happened to cross paths with two men who were talking to each other. He pulled his hood down further to hide his face and made a conscious effort to avoid meeting their gaze. Despite this, the young engineer overheard snippets of their conversation.

“That girl... with platinum-white hair... the evening would have been memorable if she hadn’t wet herself and refused my offer,” began the first.

“In your dreams! There’s no way a beauty like that would agree to share a bed with a lowlife like you.”

“Fuck you!”

The two companions continued on their way, exchanging jokes and nudges. Haruto, for his part, had continued on his way, deciding that the conversation was of no interest to him.

A few minutes later, the engineer arrived in front of the shop. At first glance, the stone building appeared to have only one floor, and a huge chimney protruded from the roof, spewing thick smoke. Many other similarities with Bhelgor’s shop were apparent.

“It’s still a forge... There aren’t a hundred ways to build them, hence the similarities,” Haruto thought to himself as he nervously reached for the door handle.

Cursing his hesitation and summoning up his courage, the engineer entered. The oppressive heat, the infernal noise, and the characteristic aromas of sweat and overheated metal assaulted Haruto’s senses.

“Wait at the entrance, I’ll be with ya in a sec,” bellowed a half-muffled voice.

The young man looked around and spotted a person, or rather their legs sticking out from under an imposing pile of scrap metal.

“What a mess,” thought Haruto.

In fact, the furnace, anvil, and metalworking tools occupied only a small space in one corner of the shop. The rest of the room seemed to be filled with mountains of odds and ends and other metal items.

While the engineer hesitated about the merits of staying in such a place, the blacksmith finally emerged from the pile he had been rummaging through. The man was middle-aged, with a prominent jaw framed by a short gray beard. He wore a thick, dirty leather apron and an eye patch over the left side of his face.

“I’m Eksmid, welcome to my forge,” he said, extending his hand to Haruto.

“Tanis,” replied the engineer.

The craftsman’s palms were covered in calluses, and his grip was so strong that the engineer had to force himself not to wince in pain.

“So, what can I do for ya, Tanis?”

Haruto didn’t answer right away, his gaze fixed on the man’s face.

“That thing catches ya eye, huh? Look,” Eksmid added, lifting his eye patch to reveal a large scar, which caused the engineer to recoil involuntarily.

“What happened to you?”

“Hahaha, a little accident in the forge,” he explained, mimicking the hammering of a piece of metal, then the projection of a splinter into his eye.

“I see...”

This simple fact was yet another stark reminder of the precarious conditions of this cruel and backward universe. Haruto refused to let himself be distracted any longer and cleared his throat before continuing:

“Actually, I need your services to craft some metal components. Here are some sketches of what I’m looking to get.”

“Hmm...”

The blacksmith carefully examined the parchment handed to him by the young engineer, a spark of interest glinting in his good eye. He couldn’t help but turn the documents over in his hands, muttering unintelligibly.

“I accept,” Eksmid finally said.

“Great, I...”

“On one condition,” he said, cutting Haruto off.

“What is it? I don’t have much to offer you,” the young man replied anxiously.

The craftsman spat on the ground before returning the scrolls.

“Bullshit! Ya drawin’s show that ya’re unique, a bit like me. No, what I really want is for ya to teach me somethin’ unique about forgin’ that I don’t know.”

Haruto stood there speechless, not knowing how to respond to this eccentric request.

“What could I teach him? A blacksmithing technique, but which one? And I absolutely must not let anyone link this man to me,” he thought, his gaze wandering around the room.

The engineer lingered over one of the piles of scrap metal and saw countless blades and pieces of armor. Several rusty swords protruded from the pile, curiously aligned with each other, which sparked a thought in his mind. Although he had never put the methodology into practice, Haruto was confident in his metallurgical knowledge and could finally put the technique he was about to teach to good use.

“All right, I’ll show you how to produce steel that is not only highly resistant but also unmatched in beauty,” he said confidently.

“Glad to hear it, Tanis.”

Eksmid approached the young man with a smile and gave him a hearty pat on the back.

Over the next two days, Haruto and the blacksmith spent most of their time around the furnace hammering and bending metal. The pair attempted to reproduce what Haruto had called Damascus steel. Unfortunately for them, a new mountain of scrap metal was forming next to the forge, demonstrating the level of skill required to achieve an acceptable result.

Holding a pair of heavy tongs, Haruto was just pulling a piece of red-hot steel out of the furnace to place it on the anvil.

“Don’t forget to hit it as hard as you can once the piece is folded,” ordered the young man.

“Yes, yes... Until my arms fall off,” replied Eksmid, who was hammering away enthusiastically.

After what seemed like an eternity, the engineer rotated the forged piece ninety degrees, then leaned over to examine it more closely.

“The welds seem to be holding up this time. I was starting to lose faith,” sighed Haruto.

“Go get some rest, I’ll finish shapin’ it.”

The young engineer nodded without a word and went to rest in his hiding place. He returned to the workshop several hours later, eager to see the finished product.

“I’m back,” he announced, closing the door behind him.

Eksmid was sitting on a wooden stool, busy wiping the sweat that was still dripping from his head and arms. As soon as he was done, he gestured to Haruto to come to the forge.

“What do ya think?”

The engineer approached and discovered a magnificent blade resting on the anvil. It was about eight inches long, and the appearance of the steel was breathtaking.

“It almost looks like moving water. It’s... it’s breathtaking,” admitted the young man.

He turned to the old craftsman, curious to know what he thought.

“And you? Are you satisfied with the result?”

In response, Eksmid slowly stood up and stood in front of Haruto with an impassive expression. He then held out his hand before saying seriously:

“Ya kept your word, Tanis. Now it’s my turn to keep mine. Come back later and your things will be ready.”

Once the heavy door of the forge closed behind him, Haruto stood motionless for a moment. His fingers were still trembling from the hammer blows, while his ears were ringing from the infernal clanging of the last few hours. His daring firearm project would soon be completed, but there was still so much to do, such as gathering information about this mysterious woman. He knew it would not be easy to find information, since he knew absolutely nothing about her, especially in a city like Tunaust. However, the fact that this person had felt it necessary to steal an object from the ruins of Pauweik was as intriguing as it was troubling. Moreover, a slight concern clouded his judgment before he even began.

“Where should I start my investigation? Which place would be most likely to yield results? I’d like to avoid wandering around town at random, hoping to overhear snippets of conversation.”

Haruto closed his eyes to focus his thoughts. He tried to remember the countless games he had played during his life, as well as all the books and websites he had consulted. Any clue that might point him in the right direction was worth considering. Ironically, the answer came not from his mind, but from his rumbling stomach.

“Phew, maybe I should go get something to eat,” he began mechanically, before realizing something:

“A restaurant, or rather... a tavern. Yes, of course... People drink and talk there without worrying too much about who might be listening.”

Satisfied, Haruto tightened the folds of his gray cape around him before heading toward the crossroads.

As the cool of the evening began to settle over the city, the young engineer frantically scanned the streets for a tavern sign. He spotted one flapping lazily in the light evening breeze. Even though the sign was faded and almost illegible, Haruto could still make out the name of the establishment: The Roasted Boar.

“A name like that makes me even hungrier. I hope they serve it, at least,” he thought.

Haruto stood still, taking advantage of the moment to examine the exterior of the building. The structure consisted of a single story with exposed dark wooden beams. The assembly of the various beams formed numerous spaces, the shapes of which seemed to be filled with a kind of dirty white plaster. The roof was made of blackened cedar shingles on which lichen grew, despite the steep slope.

“It looks like an old European pub...”

As he approached the doorway, the engineer saw that the facade had two windows through which faint lights could be seen shining from inside. The muffled sounds of cheerful voices, clinking mugs, and chairs scraping against the stone floor could be heard through the solid wooden door, which the young man opened cautiously.

Once inside, Haruto immediately felt the warmth of the place on his skin. Flames crackled inside a large stone fireplace in the corner of the room. The air was humid and saturated with a mixture of smells, such as smoke, alcohol, sweat, and the aroma of various dishes. There were about fifteen tables, most of which were occupied by locals, their cacophony of voices making the young man’s ears buzz.

Haruto scanned the room for a moment before spotting a free table in a secluded, darker corner, leaning against one of the walls. He then went to sit down and was pleasantly surprised by the perspective from this spot. From here, the young man now had a view of the entire room.

He had barely sat down when a waiter approached. The guy was unshaven and, without a word, placed a mug of beer and a piece of dry bread on the table before leaving immediately. The amber beer was not cold at all, and the bread did not look appetizing.

“This stuff... It seems so hard I might break a tooth on it, but I’m too hungry and don’t have enough money to be picky,” Haruto thought with a sigh.

The engineer forced himself to eat a few pieces to avoid disapproving and suspicious looks, while he carefully observed the tavern. He then took a tiny sip of alcohol, but the foul, bitter taste of the liquid made him grimace.

“Yuck! Even the worst modern beer is better than this,” he grumbled before turning his gaze back to the people sitting near him.

Seated to his left, three craftsmen were discussing the price of resources. They complained in particular about the incessant price increases, which they believed were caused by attacks from bandits, but also by the number of checks carried out by the authorities. On the right, two men were comparing the size of the scars they had acquired during their last mission in the south. From the center of the room, one voice in particular caught Haruto’s attention.

“I swear I saw that white-haired chick! You should have seen the look on her face when I dared to speak to her... it was as if I were nothing but trash in her eyes.”

Haruto sat up slightly, avoiding the man’s gaze. At first glance, the man appeared to be in his thirties and was drinking with another guy, older and with a red nose. After a short pause, he continued his complaint:

“And she’s not traveling alone either, huh. There’s also this guy who’s always hanging around behind her. A real lapdog, I tell you.”

The old man laughed loudly before taking another sip of his beer.

“You must have run into that mercenary girl from the guild. All the guys who tried to hit on her were rejected, so they now call her the Ice Queen.”

The first man lowered his head, muttering something to his companion, but Haruto couldn’t hear what he said. He then looked up.

“And do you know what the hell they’re doing in this town?”

The guy with the red nose shook his head.

“No, but there’s a rumor going around,” he said.

“What is it?”

“According to some, they’ve visited most of the shops around the guild. They’re looking for information about an object...”

Haruto frowned, puzzled. He then raised his mug to his lips and pretended to drink, his eyes still fixed on the two men. The older of the pair then spoke again.

“But watch your back. That woman reeks of trouble. In fact, my niece claims to have recognized her. She could be a noblewoman or worse.”

“Worse? How so?”

“A fugitive...”

The young engineer looked down at the beer mug he had barely touched. The noise of the tavern seemed increasingly distant, like a dream.

“So, this white-haired mercenary woman is the one I’m looking for? The hypothesis makes sense if we believe what these poor fellows say, especially if she is constantly accompanied,” thought Haruto.

He hesitated internally for a long time, at least until the waiter came to disturb him, asking if he wanted another beer. Having made his choice, Haruto rose silently, placed a few coins on the table, and finally left the establishment.

Outside, the cold and darkness of night had already set in.

“There’s no point in trying to follow anyone in this cold and darkness. I might as well leave it until tomorrow,” he decided.

Haruto was awakened the next morning by the crowing of a rooster. He wasted no time, putting on his cape before leaving his hiding place and heading for the mercenary guild. Once he reached the central crossroads of Tunaust, the engineer asked passers-by if they could point him in the right direction. They kindly pointed to a stone mansion with a metal roof covered in greenish corrosion.

“Hard to miss with a color like that,” thought Haruto as he approached the building.

The young man stopped about twenty meters from the entrance and scanned the surroundings. He was looking for a dark alley that would also give him a view of the comings and goings of the guild members. After a short while, he spotted one and, delighted, rushed into it.

During the first two hours of observation, nothing unusual happened. Of course, there were a few individuals who entered the building and then left a little later, but none of them matched the description of the woman Haruto was looking for. He was losing hope at the same rate as the frequency of his hungry stomach growling was increasing.

“It was all too good to be true. What a waste of time,” he grumbled.

Just as the engineer was about to leave his post to grab a bite to eat, a young woman came out of the guild door, followed by an imposing man.

“Wait, don’t tell me...”

Haruto froze, then narrowed his eyes as he focused on the girl. She had short platinum hair and captivating blue eyes. The mercenary also wore pieces of armor, such as a breastplate and shoulder pads over a pale shirt. A sword hung at her left hip.

“There’s no doubt about it; it’s definitely her,” thought the young man, stunned.

He hesitated, uncomfortable, before finally admitting in a whisper:

“It’s been a long time since I’ve seen a woman so... intriguing. On the other hand, I have the strange feeling that I’ve seen her somewhere before, but where?”

The engineer shook his head, as if to dispel these futile thoughts. He then focused on the man accompanying the young woman. The latter appeared to be at least in his forties. Rather stocky and wearing heavy, dull armor, the blond man had short-cropped hair and a piercing gaze.

“Yeah... I don’t like the look of this guy, so I’d rather follow them, but from a distance,” concluded Haruto.

Taking up the trail of the pair of mercenaries, the young man followed them while making sure to be as discreet as possible. He therefore took frequent breaks and sometimes pretended to be interested in merchant stalls along the road. This little game continued for nearly thirty minutes before the woman and her companion entered an old inn.

“The Wandering Cat? What a strange name,” he said, reading the sign above the entrance.

Ironically, Haruto had not yet come up with a plan for how to proceed with his pursuit. First, there was the option of staying where he was and waiting for them. This would give him some peace of mind, as he wouldn’t run into them unexpectedly. On the other hand, going inside would allow him to find out for sure if the pair were staying there.

“No, I need to know,” he finally decided.

The engineer entered the inn and noticed a staircase leading upstairs on his left. He then glanced quickly around the large room and saw neither the woman nor the man. Haruto decided to approach an employee who was busy behind the bar at the back of the room.

“Hello. Would it be possible to rent a room for a few nights?”

“Yes, of course. The cost is six silver coins for the week. Is that acceptable to you, sir?

“No problem,” replied Haruto with a smile, taking the money out of his purse.

Once the payment was collected, the lady told the young man which room would be his. He was satisfied with this outcome, as he now had an excuse to justify his presence near the rooms. Haruto didn’t waste a second and climbed the stairs to the end of a narrow corridor. There were five doors on each side, with a number roughly carved into the wood of each one. The engineer also noticed the presence of the mercenary woman’s companion. He was standing in front of one of the rooms at the end of the hallway and glanced briefly at Haruto.

“He looks like a security guard... That girl must be really important for him to act like that,” thought the young man.

Refusing to be distracted by hasty conclusions, the young man spotted the door to the room he had rented and rushed inside. As soon as he closed the door behind him, Haruto pressed his ear against the wooden panel. He was sweating with nervousness, and in fact, the first thing he heard was his own heart pounding.

“Calm down, damn it! There’s no reason for them to suspect anything fishy,” he whispered, taking deep breaths.

Haruto remained motionless, like a statue, for long, endless minutes. First, he heard the creak of a door being opened, then slammed shut with a dull thud. Next came the sound of two people walking down the hallway. The first person’s footsteps seemed rather light, while the other’s gait was heavy. Finally, Haruto could hear the creaking of the stairs as they descended.

The engineer waited a little longer, but no sound reached his ears. With trembling hands, he opened his bedroom door and glanced anxiously into the hallway.

“Nothing to report,” he said before rushing toward the door that was guarded by the burly man in armor.

Once in front of the panel, the young man looked down at the handle and noticed that it had no lock. Although he found this alarming, he remembered that he hadn’t seen any locks anywhere else since his arrival in this world.

“It’s now or never.”

He activated the mechanism and entered the room. The room was simple and almost empty. The only furniture present was a basic bed, a table, and a chair. A half-open window let in light from outside. Haruto knew that time was against him and that he had to act as quickly as possible. He didn’t waste a second and searched the room methodically. First, he lifted the sheets on the bed, then tapped the walls.

“But there’s nothing in this damn room!”

Disappointed but equally determined, the engineer then focused his attention on the floorboards and repeated the process. His perseverance was finally rewarded by a hollow sound coming from one of the floorboards. He took out a knife and tried to find a gap wide enough to insert the tip. He used it to pry up the board, which gave way with a loud crack. Haruto set down the piece of wood and his knife before taking a look. There was a surprisingly large cavity, and at the bottom of it lay a simple canvas bag.

“Great! That’s exactly what I was looking for,” he said jubilantly.

The young man quickly removed the bag from the hole and hurried to empty it onto the bed. Haruto felt the blood drain from his face and stood frozen, incredulous. Among the four items that had fallen out of the bag were the charred remains of his encyclopedia, but also his cell phone.

“Huh? What the hell are my things doing here?”

Still amazed and hesitant, the engineer first touched the phone with his fingertips, as if he feared it might be an illusion. However, the feel of the cold plastic casing convinced him that he was not dreaming. Haruto grabbed the device and examined it carefully. At first glance, it seemed to be in perfect condition, and even the screen lit up smoothly when he pressed the appropriate button.

“Damn... I can’t believe it’s still intact. But on the other hand, the battery is almost dead, and I still can’t get a signal,” he grumbled.

After turning off the cell phone, Haruto put it safely in his backpack before turning his attention back to the other items on the workbench. There was, of course, the book, but it was now of little value due to the damage it had suffered. The real treasures were undoubtedly the other two items. First, there was a magnificent, ornate signet ring. Even in the eyes of a contemporary individual like Haruto, it was a true work of art. The second item was just as precious. It was a small crest, seemingly made of solid gold, on which the young man could make out a coat of arms.

Haruto was about to examine the golden insignia more closely when someone suddenly knocked on the bedroom door.

“Housekeeping,” announced a voice.

Surprised, the engineer couldn’t help but swear before the lady entered the room. She first looked at Haruto, who was still holding the jewel and the gold badge. The woman then saw the bed sheets lying on the floor and the hole in the floor.

“You’re mistaken... it’s not like that at all,” stammered the young man, getting up.

In response, she dropped her cleaning supplies and let out a bloodcurdling scream.

“Shit, shit, shit...”

Haruto had only a fraction of a second to stuff his finds into the bag as he heard people running up the stairs.

“I have to find a way out quickly,” he thought, feeling his heart racing.

As two armed men jostled behind the woman still standing in the doorway, Haruto managed to remain calm. He grabbed the chair next to the table and threw it with all his might toward the window. The glass shattered, and the young man wasted no time in leaping through the opening.

By sheer luck, a merchant’s cart happened to be parked directly beneath the window and broke the fugitive’s fall. Still reeling from the impact of landing, Haruto quickly checked his condition. His heart was pounding in his chest, and he was covered in sweat and dust.

“There are a few scrapes, but I should be fine,” he said to himself as he crawled out of the rubble.

As soon as he was back on his feet, the engineer saw the effects of the commotion caused by his spectacular escape from the inn. Many people were fleeing, while others were screaming. Despite the chaos, Haruto could still see the city guards trying to make their way toward him.

“The Tunaust authorities on my tail and even more questions than before. What a perfect day,” grumbled the engineer sarcastically.

He took a deep breath, then started running in the opposite direction from the guards. The young man darted into the first alley he found before disappearing.

                                                                            ***

Several hours later, Lena and Hilde were returning to the inn. The pair had spent part of the day trying to find craftsmen who could help them identify the strange object stolen from Skotto.

“I wonder if we’ll ever find out more,” Lena began.

“Maybe, but I keep saying we should be discreet with something like this, especially since the Church is involved,” replied the guard.

“That’s why I’m keeping this weird thing hidden in my room. I wouldn’t want to get caught with it by the authorities.”

The princess and her guard continued on their way for a few minutes until they finally reached the Wandering Cat.

“Something’s happened here,” Hilde said alarmingly, placing a gloved hand on the young woman’s shoulder.

“What are you talking about?”

“Look at that cart and the window above it,” he said, pointing at them one by one.

Lena’s heart raced when she realized that the cart in question was in front of their resting place, which had a broken window.

“Don’t tell me...”

The princess ran toward the building, Hildebrand close behind her. Once she had crossed the threshold, the innkeeper approached them, his face tense and uncomfortable.

“Madam... I regret to inform you that one of our maids surprised a stranger in your room today. Fortunately, no one was hurt in the incident, and we apologize for the inconvenience caused.”

Lena had no time for this man’s apologies. Instead, she rushed to the stairs and climbed them at breakneck speed.

“Wait a minute, Lena,” Hilde barely had time to say before she disappeared.

In the room, panting, the young woman was first greeted by a draft coming through what was left of the window. However, when she blinked, a vision of horror struck her. The bed sheets littered the floor, the chair was gone, there were pieces of glass, but most notably, there was a gaping hole in the floor. The princess approached the hiding place, dreading the truth she was about to discover. She leaned over and saw the empty space. Nothing remained.

“Everything... everything is gone, even my father’s signet ring,” she said, dropping to her knees, her face in her hands.

Hilde arrived in the room a few moments later, visibly out of breath. He took a step toward his mistress, one arm outstretched as if to comfort her, but stopped when a strange tickling sensation ran through his fingers. The guard then felt all the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end.

“Is everything alright...”

“Someone spoke,” Lena interrupted him in a bloodcurdling tone.

The young woman had stood up and turned toward her companion, who instinctively backed away. Her blue irises had turned purple and were sparkling with anger. In addition, a kind of loud buzzing began to be audible when she finally continued:

“Someone dared to speak, and I intend to make them regret their folly!”

On the ground floor, a man with a black beard and a scar on his right cheek was chewing a piece of bread, sitting at a table. He had witnessed the interaction between the mercenary and the owner when he had told him about the intrusion. This observer felt the young woman’s rage in his very bones when a strange vibration shook the establishment. He threw two coins on the table and went out into the street, a faint smile on his lips.

“I think we’ve finally found her.”