Chapter 45: Please, Enlighten Me
Four days passed quickly. During that short time, the dynamic between Soren and Ethea shifted completely. They went from being total strangers to acting more like companions. There was still a long way before they truly understood and accepted each other, but at least they were starting to.
For instance, after that first walk in the garden, they began spending more time together. They watched Soren’s favorite animated movie, ’The Last Dragon Rider’. Fortunately, Ethea liked it a lot and gave it high praise.
The next day, Ethea picked a mystery series about a detective who solved cases using only sound and smell. Soren found it strange at first, but by the third episode, he was as invested as she was.
However, these days were not entirely uneventful. On the second day, Soren was finally contacted by the police regarding the attack on their wedding day. He had actually reached out to them several days ago to follow up, but had only received a dismissive response stating they would contact him when necessary.
When the call finally came, the news was disappointing.
It seemed the police were unable to find any trace of the intruder. Despite the forced entry, the clues, and the clear signs of a struggle, they had judged the incident as a simple attempted burglary by a common thief who got spooked and fled. They officially closed the case for lack of evidence and zero leads on who did it.
Obviously, Soren didn’t buy it for a second.
A regular thief wouldn’t move with that kind of lethal intent or strength. But he didn’t argue with them. If the cops were going to be useless, it was better to have them out of his way anyway. He had anticipated this outcome from the very beginning; he only involved them to make himself look like a normal citizen.
Furthermore, the police’s dismissive attitude only confirmed his suspicions. Either someone with significant influence was pulling strings behind the scenes to bury the incident, or the Kalmira Police Department was far more incompetent than he gave it credit for. He knew the world wasn’t fair, but seeing it play out so predictably was another matter entirely.
He barely had time to process the frustration before a new distraction arrived.
His phone buzzed with another unrecognized number.
Soren tensed, immediately expecting another threat, but the voice on the other end was familiar. It was Nick — the kid whose recklessness had nearly gotten everyone killed back at the Ironclad Gorge Gate.
The boy sounded different. The arrogant, hot-headed edge was gone, replaced by a voice that seemed to have aged years in just a few days.
He apologized profusely, his words stumbling over each other as he expressed his deep gratitude for Soren saving him and his father. It seemed the brush with death had forced him to mature, even if only a little.
Soren listened patiently and then asked about their current situation, inquiring whether Nick and Sir Moro were doing well.
"My father is... he is fine," Nick replied, though his voice trailed off. "He is still sleeping. The doctors say he just needs rest."
But there was a strange tremor in the boy’s tone. He sounded worried, his words measured as if he were hiding something. Soren opened his mouth to press for more details, sensing the hesitation, but Nick cut him off abruptly.
"S-Sorry, I have to go. The nurses are calling for me."
Before Soren could get another word in, the line went dead.
Soren stared at the darkened screen, his brows furrowing. The conversation left him with an uneasy feeling that he couldn’t quite shake. He contemplated the boy’s tone for a moment before deciding to take action. He looked through his contacts and found Nami’s number.
She was Nick’s friend, the level-headed girl he had exchanged numbers with back at the checkpoint. They had agreed to stay in touch in case anything happened later, and regarding the distribution of the gate rewards.
If Nick was hiding something, Nami was the only one likely to know the truth.
However, he was unable to reach her at all. Every time he dialed, the call failed to connect. Either she had given him the wrong number by mistake, or her phone was currently out of service.
He then contacted Rea to see if she knew anything. He thought she might know something, since she had become friends with Nami that day. But it turned out that, aside from receiving her share of the loot from the Bureau, she had not heard any news from Nick, Moro, or Nami.
They exchanged a few more words before bidding each other farewell. Soren stared at his phone for a long moment before sending a final text to Nick.
[Contact me if you need any help.]
He decided to stop overthinking their situation for now. He had his own life to worry about, and he couldn’t let the mysteries of others distract him from his primary goal.
On the third day, Soren went to the Azure Slime Forest Gate for another solo raid. Perhaps he was a Second Circle Awakened or had cleared it a few times before; he handled it with much ease this time. He successfully renewed his savings, ensuring that his and Ethea’s lifestyle wouldn’t be threatened by financial strain any time soon.
As for yesterday, he spent the entire day at home. He used the time to recuperate from the raid and focus solely on caring for Ethea. They shared meals, talked about the mystery show, and enjoyed the quiet comfort of their house. It was a peaceful day of recovery that they both seemed to need.
But today, he was back at the Bureau.
He was here to train his Glacial Edge Spear Arts again.
After the steady progress of the last few days, he could feel it - he was finally on the verge of achieving beginner mastery in both the first and second forms.
His movements flowed together naturally now, and the spear didn’t feel nearly as awkward in his hands. He stood in the center of the hall, facing the white-haired woman across from him.
"Please, enlighten me."
He brought his fist to his palm in a respectful salute, then shifted his grip on the weapon.
The woman didn’t utter a single word in response. Her expression remained blank as she slowly mirrored his posture. They began to circle each other, watching for an opening. Then, without a sound, she lunged, her form blurring as she closed the distance.
As her weapon whistled toward him, she finally spoke.
"Don’t disappoint me."