Chapter 489 - 488 - Friend or Foe?
The quiet night continued to embrace the little town with a peaceful stillness that stood in sharp contrast to the dangers hidden beneath its ordinary appearance. Warm lanterns flickered gently outside scattered homes, their amber light dancing lazily across the narrow streets while the cheerful conversations from the distant tavern had gradually softened into little more than indistinct murmurs carried by the cool evening breeze. Somewhere nearby, a dog barked once before falling silent again, and the rhythmic chirping of insects quietly filled the spaces between every sound, making the entire neighbourhood appear perfectly calm to anyone passing through.
Standing before the modest wooden hut...
Luca slowly lowered his hand after knocking upon the weathered door.
The sound itself had been gentle.
Three measured knocks.
Neither hurried nor forceful.
Then...
Silence.
Luca waited patiently.
His crimson eyes remained fixed upon the simple wooden entrance while the cool night breeze gently stirred the strands of his dark violet hair. His expression remained composed, betraying neither impatience nor curiosity, as though he possessed all the time in the world.
Then—
Everything changed.
The transformation was so sudden that an ordinary person would never have noticed it.
Luca did.
Without the slightest warning...
He felt them.
One...
Then another...
Then several more.
Invisible presences silently converged upon him from every direction.
Their mana remained perfectly concealed, hidden with remarkable discipline, yet the faint killing intent accompanying those watchful gazes was enough for someone with Luca’s senses to recognise immediately.
Multiple auras...
Had locked onto him.
One from directly beyond the door.
Another somewhere above.
Several more positioned around the neighbouring buildings.
Each one hidden carefully enough that even experienced adventurers might have walked into the trap without ever realizing they had been surrounded.
Luca’s eyes sharpened almost imperceptibly.
His instincts immediately began calculating.
Distance.
Numbers.
Possible escape routes.
Blind spots.
The angle from which each concealed observer could attack.
His mind completed the entire assessment within the span of a single heartbeat.
Not particularly overwhelming...
His gaze remained calm.
Each individual presence is reasonably trained.
Disciplined.
Experienced.
But...
He quietly reached his conclusion.
"None of them are significantly stronger than I am."
The thought passed through his mind without arrogance.
It was simply an observation.
Even so...
Luca made no attempt to draw a weapon.
Nor did he release his own mana.
Instead...
Very slowly...
He raised both hands until they rested openly before him, his palms clearly visible beneath the lantern’s warm light.
The gesture carried only one meaning.
He had no intention of attacking.
Luca released a slow breath before quietly muttering beneath it.
"There is no point creating unnecessary trouble..."
His voice was barely louder than the whisper of the wind.
"...before knowing whether the people hiding around me are enemies..."
A brief pause followed naturally.
"...or allies."
The words drifted calmly into the night.
Almost immediately...
The invisible tension surrounding him subtly changed.
The unseen presences did not disappear.
They remained vigilant.
Every watcher continued observing him from their concealed positions.
Yet...
The invisible pressure pinning itself upon him noticeably eased.
Not completely.
But enough to acknowledge his gesture.
Luca noticed the change immediately.
Good.
At least they’re willing to observe before acting.
Another few quiet moments passed.
Then...
A faint sound came from within the hut.
The wooden latch shifted.
The old hinges creaked softly.
Slowly...
The door opened.
Warm light spilled out onto the porch, illuminating the modest interior of the small dwelling.
The room beyond was remarkably simple.
A sturdy wooden table occupied the centre of the hut, surrounded by several mismatched chairs whose years of use were plainly visible upon their worn surfaces. A stone fireplace rested against one wall, its gentle flames casting a comforting glow across the room, while neatly folded blankets and travelling supplies had been carefully arranged in one corner. Nothing within the hut suggested wealth or nobility.
It looked exactly like the temporary residence of ordinary travellers.
And yet...
Luca’s eyes immediately noticed what the casual observer might overlook.
A simple cloth partition had been erected toward the rear of the room, separating the back portion of the hut from the entrance.
The warm light behind that partition revealed only the faint outline of a single figure.
A woman’s silhouette.
Nothing more.
Her features remained completely hidden.
Only her quiet presence could be sensed beyond the fabric.
Standing between the entrance and that concealed partition...
Were two men dressed in the practical attire of veteran mercenaries.
Their armour was intentionally plain, showing neither noble insignias nor military emblems, while their weathered cloaks concealed the quality of the weapons resting comfortably at their waists. Both possessed the alert posture of men accustomed to protecting lives rather than merely fighting battles, and although their expressions remained calm, neither allowed even the slightest opening in their vigilance.
The older of the two slowly stepped forward.
His sharp eyes travelled methodically over Luca from head to toe, examining every detail without the slightest hint of courtesy. He lingered briefly upon the young man’s academy uniform before returning his gaze to Luca’s face.
Only after completing his silent inspection did he finally speak.
His voice was steady, carrying the roughness of someone who had spent years travelling dangerous roads.
"So..."
A faint crease appeared between his brows.
"...what do you need, kid?"
The quiet atmosphere inside the modest wooden hut stood in stark contrast to the tension that had silently gathered within its walls. The warm glow of the fireplace spread gently across the room, illuminating the rough timber walls and the simple furnishings that gave the dwelling the appearance of an ordinary traveler’s shelter. Shadows danced lazily across the wooden floor as the fire crackled softly within the stone hearth, while the faint scent of burning wood mixed naturally with the aroma of freshly brewed herbal tea lingering somewhere deeper inside the room.
To an outsider...
There was nothing remarkable about the place.
Yet to Luca...
Almost nothing inside the hut appeared ordinary.
His crimson eyes calmly swept across the room without lingering upon any one detail for too long. The sturdy wooden table near the centre of the room had been positioned in such a way that it could easily become an obstacle should fighting break out. The chairs had been arranged with enough space between them for weapons to be drawn without restriction, while the fireplace itself created a natural barrier preventing anyone from approaching one side of the room unnoticed.
Even the windows...
Appeared carelessly left uncovered.
Yet Luca immediately noticed the subtle gaps that allowed those outside to observe the interior while remaining almost impossible to see from within.
Prepared...
His gaze shifted almost imperceptibly toward the two men standing before him.
Disciplined...
Neither mercenary appeared relaxed despite their casual appearance. Their feet remained positioned for immediate movement, their hands rested naturally within reach of their weapons, and their eyes never once wandered from Luca, carefully measuring every breath and every subtle shift in his posture.
These were not wandering adventurers hired at the last moment.
They were professionals.
People who had spent years protecting someone whose life could never be placed at risk.
Then...
Luca’s attention drifted toward the cloth partition standing quietly at the rear of the hut.
The gentle light from the fireplace revealed only the faint silhouette of a woman seated behind the thin fabric.
Nothing more.
Her face remained hidden.
Her figure indistinct.
And yet...
For reasons Luca himself could not explain...
A strange feeling quietly stirred within his heart.
His brows narrowed almost imperceptibly.
Why...
His eyes lingered upon the unmoving silhouette for only a heartbeat longer.
Why does this presence feel... familiar?
It wasn’t recognition.
Nor memory.
It was something far subtler.
Like hearing the melody of a song he couldn’t quite remember.
Or catching the fragrance of a flower whose name had long since been forgotten.
No matter how deeply he searched his memories...
Nothing surfaced.
The feeling remained.
Quiet.
Persistent.
Almost nostalgic.
Before Luca could dwell upon it any further...
He remembered the Vice Dean’s final instruction before leaving the academy.
"When you arrive..."
The silver-haired man had smiled gently.
"...do not waste time explaining who you are."
He had handed Luca a folded slip of paper before continuing.
"Simply say these words."
"Those waiting inside will understand."
Returning to the present, Luca calmly shifted his attention back toward the two mercenaries standing before him.
Without changing his expression...
He quietly spoke the phrase exactly as he had memorised it.
"When the moon hides behind silent clouds..."
His voice remained calm.
"...the dawn must borrow the light of unseen stars."
The words settled naturally within the room.
For the briefest instant...
Nothing happened.
Then—
Both mercenaries changed.
Not dramatically.
Not obviously.
Yet the transformation was unmistakable.
The suspicion within their eyes disappeared almost immediately.
In its place...
Appeared careful evaluation.
The older mercenary no longer looked at Luca as though examining a suspicious stranger.
Now...
He observed him as though measuring whether the young man standing before him truly deserved to continue any further.
Luca noticed the change immediately.
So that phrase was genuine.
Before another thought could form—
The older mercenary moved.
Without warning.
Without declaration.
Without even a change in expression.
His body exploded forward with astonishing speed as his hand drew the sword at his waist in one perfectly practised motion. The blade cut cleanly through the air toward Luca’s shoulder, its trajectory precise enough to test his reactions while avoiding any immediately fatal angle.
The attack was swift.
Fast enough that an ordinary student would never have reacted.
Luca did.
The instant steel flashed before his eyes...
His body moved almost instinctively.
Space rippled faintly around both of his hands.
Twin blades emerged from shimmering distortions in the air as though reality itself had momentarily opened to place the weapons into his grasp.
Clang!
The sharp collision of steel echoed throughout the small hut.
The mercenary’s sword came to an abrupt halt, caught cleanly between Luca’s twin blades before it could advance another inch.
Neither side yielded.
For one brief heartbeat...
The two remained locked together.
The older mercenary’s eyes widened almost imperceptibly.
He had expected skill.
He had not expected such effortless precision.
Luca’s expression remained completely calm.
With a controlled twist of both wrists, he redirected the incoming force before stepping forward.
The movement contained no wasted motion.
No unnecessary flourish.
Only perfect efficiency.
The mercenary found his balance broken almost instantly as Luca used the man’s own momentum against him, forcing him several steps backward before he regained his footing.
Silence descended once more.
The second mercenary had already reached for his own weapon.
The concealed woman behind the partition remained completely still.
Luca slowly lowered the tips of his twin blades until they rested diagonally before him.
His crimson eyes calmly swept across everyone inside the room.
When he finally spoke...
His voice carried neither anger nor hostility.
Only quiet certainty.
"I will ask only once."
His gaze settled firmly upon the two mercenaries.
"Are you..."
A brief silence naturally followed.
"...friend or foe?"