After their long conversation earlier that day, Ren found himself waiting in a rundown alley north of Kenotalle as dusk approached.
At first, he had doubted the location, especially since the hired agents arrived well past the agreed time.
It was now 5:50 p.m. on Wednesday the 2rd, April, Year 1544 according to the Star Calendar.
To ease the anxiety of waiting, Ren frequently glanced at the beggars and delinquent youths scavenging for food.
Meanwhile, strong winds carried old and new newspapers through the alley, revealing at least ten different snippets of information to him every minute.
Watching the conditions in which the people there lived, Ren shook his head slightly. Unable to offer them any real help, he could only hope the Goddess would bless them.
While waiting, he overheard a blasphemous remark muttered by a homeless man from the Xado slums.
'Damn the gods and goddesses, huh?'
He did not agree, yet a faint shiver still ran through his body as he repeated those words in his mind.
Ren raised one hand to his waist and glanced toward two familiar figures walking along the bleak sidewalk, moving through the stifling air.
Seeing that their client had arrived and was waiting, the two men hurried over to him.
"...Sorry I'm late," said a well-built man, the muscles beneath his long-sleeved shirt clearly defined.
Ren stared at him for a long moment.
'His appearance can change this quickly?'
"As agreed this afternoon," Ren said calmly.
One of them, a man with fairly long black hair and green eyes, asked to confirm, "Thirty Pace, right?"
Ren nodded, then gestured for them to move.
Pressed for time, Ren did not wish to linger there. The two men tipped their fedoras back onto their heads before taking the lead, with Ren following behind, carrying a brown suitcase.
As the crescent moon hung high in the sky, the investigation grew more intense while the three of them stood by the river railing atop a bridge, contemplating the same issue.
Although vigilance gripped their minds, the calm river flowing beneath them left all three briefly lost in thought.
Gathering information was never an easy task, especially when it involved underground factions and the possibility of cathedral involvement, just as Ren had hypothesized that afternoon.
Ren glanced at the man beside him and asked, "Your name is Nowel, right? How long have you been doing this kind of work?"
There was a brief pause before the answer came. They watched the people crossing the bridge behind them, listening to their conversations for a moment.
Once the passersby had gone, Nowel answered calmly, "Well, I honestly don't remember that well."
His companion, Yaka, who stood to his right, replied, "Three years. It'll be four years and four months after that."
Ren stroked his chin, sensing something odd.
"Is that so?"
'No wonder they operate under the same underground group and are split into two people who complement each other. Judging from their physiques...'
He glanced at Nowel. The man's sturdy build and remarkable endurance allowed him to walk back and forth without transportation, yet he showed not the slightest sign of fatigue.
"..."
However, something unexpected startled Yaka and Nowel for several seconds when Ren reached into the pocket of his coat.
"...Take this," Ren said, holding out the money they had agreed upon.
Yaka had no idea how to react. He knew the job had failed and felt he did not deserve to accept the payment.
Nowel, being an honest man, questioned why Ren was giving them the money.
"Isn't this job still unfinished?" he asked in surprise. "If that's the case, then I can't accept it."
Naturally, neither of them could believe Ren's actions. It was the first time they had met a client like him, and both instinctively drew their right hands behind their backs.
"..."
Ren nodded, and Yaka stepped forward to accept the money with gratitude. He handed half of it to Nowel and slipped the remaining half into the pocket of his suit.
As his gaze returned to the river flowing below, Ren drew a deep breath and slowly let it out.
Several seconds later, he turned toward the two of them and quietly asked, "James Moriarty. Do either of you know who that man is?"
The two of them suddenly turned toward Ren and stared at him for several seconds, their pupils widening.
Standing beside Nowel, Yaka thought for a moment before saying, "James Moriarty... you mean the Relaxed Criminal?"
'The Relaxed Criminal?'
After a brief moment of confusion, Ren looked at him for two seconds and asked, "What do you mean by 'the Relaxed Criminal'?"
Yaka blinked.
"They say the guy is way too relaxed whenever he's fighting people," Nowel answered rather apathetically.
Yaka immediately added to the explanation.
"Yeah, they say he casually wiped out several people in Ource."
News of the criminal Chavez never spread to Minehold or the other cities. However, in Semilir, reports of that criminal reached several cities, though not all of them, due to strict restrictions ordered by Zavi Actitus himself.
Claude Diston truly carried out his duties flawlessly!
Zavi knew this, but he was never entirely sure how Claude Diston had managed it. He even praised him while asking about the situation.
Communication was extremely limited, and Claude Diston had wanted to introduce James Moriarty's influence to his colleagues, but Zavi himself rejected the idea at the time.
He chose to think carefully and contact him at the right moment. Claude Diston simply nodded over the telephone, ready to welcome his arrival.
Still focused on the flowing river, Ren immersed himself in the information they had given him.
'If I uncover the truth behind Zavi's death, and the rumors about that criminal, what will I do afterward?'
After a brief silence, countless thoughts swirled through his mind as he half turned to look toward the road.
Nowel and Yaka stared at him in confusion, following his movement.
'Why is he suddenly looking over there?'
Nowel, who tended to think negatively, instinctively rested a hand on his waist.
Ren noticed the movement and immediately explained his intentions. "If I wanted to, I could have killed both of you long ago. But I'm here solely to find that information. Nothing more."
Although Ren's expression remained unchanged from the moment he had begun talking with them, Yaka and Nowel felt something thin and invisible tighten around their necks, along with a piercing sensation so intense that even their brains could not process the pain.
Ren turned back toward the river below, and the two men instinctively drew a breath.
'He's not an ordinary person!'
Yaka thought.
'My neck feels like it's burning... and he was completely serious about what he said.'
Nowel thought as he wiped the sweat from his forehead.
"Don't let your imagination run wild," Ren said without turning around. "Go... thank you for accepting this job."
Yaka swallowed hard.
"You're welcome," he replied nervously.
"Can we leave now?" Nowel asked quietly.
Ren gave a silent signal with a gloomy expression before shifting his attention back to the river below.
As darkness swallowed the two men, Ren lightly tapped his forehead.
'It can't be helped.'
After spending several more minutes in the same place, he finally decided to leave. Not for home, but to visit an acquaintance who was currently living in Minehold.
That person was clearly no ordinary individual. He was the one who had helped Ren survive the supernatural threats lurking beyond.
....
On Jikusuma Street, inside a modest two-story house.
In one of the bedrooms, Zavi and Evelina sat side by side. It was not a romantic late-night meeting, but a brief conversation concerning the identity of Zavi Actitus.
Evelina knew nothing about James Moriarty, and as for Arsène Lupin, that name had yet to attain the same legendary status as Zavi's other alias.
Evelina had not come here because Zavi had asked her to. She had come of her own accord.
Besides, she was not Zavi's type, although if she wore glasses, Zavi might actually consider it.
There was one more thing. Zavi, or rather Liam, had never even held a woman's hand.
How could he? His school days had consisted of sleeping, eating, playing games, staying up all night with the boy who lived next door, and then repeating that cycle until he eventually ended up in prison.
Zavi suppressed a growl as he vaguely noticed Evelina glancing at him with mischievous intent, betrayed by the smile on her face.
The two sat awkwardly, unsure of what to say as they occupied the mahogany chairs beside the bed.
The window beside Evelina stood open, allowing the cool night air to drift into the room, as though trying to sweep away the unpleasant events that had just occurred.
"I'll think about it," Evelina suddenly said.
Instead of answering, Zavi asked without turning his head, "That operation? How much do you know about it?"
Evelina looked at him for a moment.
"...The Chalog Massacre left the deepest impression," she replied quietly, as though she did not want anyone else to hear.
Zavi glanced at her with his left eye slightly narrowed.
Evelina sighed before adding, "The murders and riots in Tapaks rank first."
Zavi fell silent, lost in thought.
'Do I need to contact that man and question him further?'
After giving it some thought, he considered contacting Claude Diston in the early middle of the month. However, because he was under pressure to search for a certain chain, Zavi decided to contact him toward the end of the month instead.
Moreover, his business card was still at the inn in Schoutzin, forcing Zavi to retrieve it sooner or later.
That was not a major problem, especially since he had no idea what the three of them had been doing during his absence.
Zavi had also failed to uncover any useful information despite searching throughout the city, forcing him to postpone a promise that should have been fulfilled two weeks ago.
Thinking about all of that, Zavi let out a long sigh.
Evelina glanced at him as though they were both carrying the same burden.
"Is something wrong?" Evelina asked.
"Yes," Zavi replied quietly.
Evelina raised an eyebrow.
"What is it?" she asked.
Zavi looked at her for several seconds before saying, "Leaving this place and returning to where I came from."
"Where exactly is your hometown?" Evelina tried to pry further.
"..."
Zavi rose from his seat, took a few steps forward, and opened the door.
He smiled politely as he waved toward the left.
Evelina frowned, then reluctantly stood up and left his room.
As she walked past Zavi and took several steps to the left, she stopped when a calm, cold voice came from behind her.
"Thank you for all your help."
The door closed. Evelina forced a bitter smile, and with that, their casual interaction came to an end as Zavi decided that tomorrow he would leave the house and return to his homeland.
As for the bounty hunters and the evil factions that would pursue him, he was fully prepared to face them, armed with the power of the three artifacts in his possession.