Layana, the historic city center, a laid-back area where people truly enjoy life. That Tuesday morning was overcast, shrouded in the constant plumes of factory smoke, while sunlight struggled to pierce the thick haze filling the sky.
Even though pollution was everywhere, the city's air was nowhere near as suffocating as that of the capital, Sanerva, where several massive factories were located.
Birds perched on tree branches, singing sweetly as people sat in quiet spots chatting with friends, enjoying the cool open air beneath the shade cast by rows of cozy houses.
Inside a telephone booth not far from the leisure district, a man wearing a bowler hat, with a few strands of hair falling along both sides of his face, nodded as he held the receiver to his ear.
The person on the other end was scolding him in the tone of an annoyed mother whose child had secretly left home without saying a word.
"Yes, I'm sorry for leaving without saying goodbye."
The man nodded as the caller continued speaking. When she finally finished, he fell silent for a moment, gathering his thoughts before moving the receiver to his left ear.
"Don't worry. I won't leave you, although I suppose that sounds like a cheap pickup line."
The woman on the other end chuckled, amused by a joke like that after so long without hearing one.
"So... does Moriarty want to meet me?" she asked, hoping for a positive answer.
James Moriarty, who was none other than Zavi, fell silent for a moment after realizing the potentially fatal consequences before saying, "Meet me in Vinohoshi if you want to see me."
Without waiting for her reply, he added,
"Use the auction money, use the identity I gave you back then, and bring someone you trust."
'I know bringing a woman like her along will only add to my responsibilities. But still... after that battle, who exactly is Loki Wesborn? Is he part of an organization or an order? Or is he just a lone supernatural? No, that's not quite right. Aaron said he brought companions, appeared out of nowhere while floating in the air, and spoke a single sentence. What was that sentence again? If I remember correctly, Loki said... Oh, I remember. He came there looking for the one who performed the ascension ritual, and that person was me!'
Lost in his own thoughts, Zavi failed to notice that Evelina had asked him several questions. He hadn't heard a single word, let alone responded.
The call had already been disconnected a few seconds earlier. Feeling ignored, a woman like her would naturally hang up immediately and stop caring about anything afterward.
"Hello? ...Huh? Did she already hang up?"
Scratching his cheek, Zavi carefully placed the public telephone receiver back on its hook. He turned around, stepped out of the phone booth beside the walkway, then blended into the flow of passing pedestrians.
He adjusted his bowler hat, pulling it lower to cover part of his face. It was the only way to avoid drawing attention.
....
In the city of Semilir, Ource, inside a grand mansion occupied by a single family along with several servants, including housekeepers and gardeners.
A woman sat in an elegant chair inside one of the rooms, puffing out her cheeks as she glared at her own reflection in the wardrobe mirror beside her.
'Why did he seem so calm after I told him everything? Luis... he mentioned that someone unknown was searching for James Moriarty. Nuken, a fallen noble from the Monelli family who lives with him, told me the same thing. The situation is becoming more difficult. A week has already passed since that incident, and now the truth is beginning to surface.'
Burdened by the headache brought on by those thoughts, Evelina leaned back against the high-backed armchair and rested her feet on the table, fully aware that such behavior was improper for a noblewoman like herself.
Seeing this, her maid asked with a worried expression,
"Would you like me to call Master Luifis, Miss? Or is there anything else I can do to help you?"
"Thank you. Please call him, and have Vira come here as well."
Evelina closed her eyes. Without another word, the maid hurried out of the room to carry out her mistress's orders.
Leaning slightly forward in the dark blue cushioned chair, Evelina picked up a framed photograph from the table, staring at the family portrait while lamenting her current situation.
'What should I do? I can't let this continue. Should I really get involved and trust him, considering how strange yet dependable he is?'
Overwhelmed by stress, Evelina ran her fingers through her neatly arranged black hair until it became a tangled mess resembling a bundle of sewing thread.
A few minutes later, the maid walked down the brightly lit corridor while doubt continued to trouble her mind.
For a moment, she reflected on the words she had just spoken to her mistress.
Her measured footsteps eventually brought her before a tall door. After standing there in silence for quite some time, she turned the doorknob, pushed it open, and stepped into the spacious room.
As the door sealed shut behind her with the help of steam, her gaze settled on someone she recognized, a person standing there engaged in conversation.
Evelina heard the hiss of the steam door and noticed a shadow moving to her right before the maid came into view, her face filled with regret as she looked hesitantly into her mistress's eyes.
The conversation came to a halt, and the woman standing beside the large table took two steps back.
"My apologies, Miss Evelina. I..."
Before the maid could finish speaking, Evelina raised an eyebrow and interrupted calmly,
"You couldn't find Luis, could you?" she muttered, sounding somewhat indifferent.
'I forgot to tell her that Luis is still in Kuranda with that bespectacled man.'
After thinking for a moment and carefully studying the maid, Evelina knew what she had to do. She rose from her seat, determination burning within her chest.
"Vira," Evelina said as she walked closer.
"Yes, Miss? Is there anything I can do for you?" Vira stood upright like a trusted adviser before her mistress.
"I'm going to Kuranda," she said calmly. "The two of you are not to mention this to Father or anyone else."
As she spoke, Evelina focused on the wardrobe where her belongings were stored. With dresses and other luxurious clothing hanging inside, finding what she needed was no easy task.
However, her efforts paid off. Her hand grasped the object, and she quickly slipped it into the folds of the red dress she was wearing.
"I'm leaving now. Remember what I told you!" Evelina closed the door, glanced briefly at the two women as they nodded, then hurried out of the room.
The two women exchanged glances before Vira asked, "Has the young miss been traveling a lot lately, staying away from the mansion for days at a time?"
The maid nodded and replied, "Quite often, although I can't say exactly how many times she's left."
"Oh?"
Vira fell silent for a moment before deciding to leave the room. Meanwhile, the maid stared at the wardrobe for a long while before finally leaving as well. She still had work to do and feared the other servants would scold her for being late.
In the city of Semilir, on Jikusuma Main Street, House Number 50 stood inside a quiet alley, far from both pedestrians and passing vehicles.
Inside, two women sat lost in thought in the dimly lit living room.
After the foolish thing they had done earlier, they could no longer leave the house as freely as before.
"That man... I seriously want to tear him apart," Devi muttered, clenching her fists to suppress a growl.
"That's strange," Lalita said softly.
"What's strange?" Devi murmured, asking for an explanation.
"How did you find out that information?" Lalita asked, glancing faintly at her friend's face.
Devi let out a sigh and replied, "From that man, of course. He called me this morning."
"From what number? Where did he call from? Wait, since when did you have a telephone?"
Devi tried to dodge the question, but Lalita stared at her so intensely that she could only let out a long sigh.
"Alright, alright. As you know, I used to belong to an underground organization."
"Underground? You mean literally underground?" Lalita exclaimed innocently.
Devi slapped her forehead and slowly shook her head.
"Not like that. How should I explain this... Oh, like this. The underground world doesn't mean beneath the ground. It's simply a phrase used to describe people or groups that operate in secret without outsiders knowing. In simple terms, those people have another identity that isn't registered with the Vitas Civil, making it difficult for the authorities and their enemies to track them down. Like that group you know."
"Oh, that."
The group they meant was Black Cage. The incident two years ago could not be underestimated after the kingdom's internal order nearly collapsed within a matter of weeks.
"Aren't you surprised that your school friend is actually a criminal?" Devi asked sarcastically.
Lalita adjusted her sitting position before replying in a voice that was almost raised, "There isn't anyone who's truly good in this world, at least not anyone I know. I'm not surprised. I even consider myself a bad person because I've deceived several people."
Devi raised an eyebrow.
"Because of your job?"
Lalita nodded.
"Yes," she answered quietly.
Only a few seconds later did she realize that their conversation had suddenly drifted off topic.
"So, why are you here? I mean, aren't we unable to go outside as freely as before?"
Lalita recalled how she had deceived her coworker, Fisgor, into thinking she wouldn't be coming to work because she wanted to visit her parents.
After considering whether that story had been true or merely fabricated, Devi decided to explore the matter further.
"I'm not entirely sure myself, but that man named Luis wasn't entirely wrong."
Devi motioned for Lalita to sit still while she herself rose from the armchair and hurried over to the shelf on the left side of the living room where several wooden chairs stood.
She picked up a folded newspaper, brought it back, then spread it wide open to reveal an article about a recent case.
"Look at this. A man who worked at a circus was killed after 'he' learned information about James Moriarty."
Lalita frowned as her eyes struggled to read the newspaper in the dimly lit room.
"Could you turn on that light for a moment?" Lalita asked as she lifted the newspaper and read it carefully.
Devi gladly obliged. She walked to the right, and the living room light came on with a single touch.
As soon as the light illuminated the room, one illustration caught her attention, revealing Lalita's tightly clenched teeth.
"Lalita...?" Devi murmured, holding her breath.
Lalita lowered the newspaper, her deep gaze fixed sharply on her friend.
"He... he's my coworker's friend!" she muttered with certainty as she lowered the newspaper from her face.
Devi's mouth fell open. With a quick motion, she grabbed the newspaper back and held it directly in front of her own face.
"Huh, this tall guy?" She pointed at the illustration of the victim's face while he was still alive, printed above the image of his corpse lying in the middle of a pool of blood.
Lalita held her breath as she covered her face with both trembling hands.
"Yes. That man's name was Kosiki. He was Fisgor's friend, or rather, Fisgor's coworker on the night shift at a circus on the main street," Lalita answered weakly, her body unable to stop trembling from the very real fear gripping her.