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Chapter 49

Raine and Nikolay headed to Lysandra’s house as soon as it was politely possible. This informant of hers was the first real lead they’d gotten in a long while. Even if their reliability still had to be proved, it would at least be a small crumb of information in the otherwise empty plate that was Marque.

To be frank, Lysandra’s house was more like a brick cube with square windows. It certainly wasn’t anything grand like Irideis’ place, but that was hardly a valid comparison when they were almost certainly using their connections to get such an extravagant house.

Knocking on the door sent a flurry of sawdust flying down from the wooden frame. Nikolay and Raine reactively stepped back, coughing from the sudden onslaught.

“This is Marque architecture, alright,” Raine commented from behind a sleeve.

The door opened shortly after. Lysandra smiled at them through the remnants of the sawdust storm, completely unaffected by the respiratory hazard.

“It’s nice to see you without all the fancy clothes and masquerade masks,” Lysandra remarked, then her eyes caught on the matching bands on their wrists. “Oh, congratulations, by the way. I mean, you know what the cuffs signify, right?”

Raine and Nikolay looked at each other with sceptical expressions.

“No,” Raine replied slowly. “We didn’t know there was a deeper meaning behind them.”

“Yeesh, this is awkward. Uh, do you want me to tell you? Or…”

“It can’t possibly be that bad,” Nikolay insisted.

“There’s actually a whole fable behind wearing matching wrist cuffs, especially gold and silver ones. You know, as any tradition does… Ahaha, I’m stalling too long. So basically, you get them if you’re married or engaged,” Lysandra quickly said, getting the words out before she could regret them.

In wild contrast to her expectations, there was not much of an outward response. The two men looked shocked, for sure, but nothing came out of their mouths for a good while.

“Oh,” was all that Raine said.

She waited for them to take the bracelets off now that they knew, but nothing of the sort happened. Lysandra wasn’t keen on putting herself into a sticky situation, though, so she decided to ignore it.

“But anyway, come in!” she said in a forced, cheerful tone. “I…”

She scoured her mind for a potential distraction to change the current atmosphere.

“I have a cool thing to show you two!” she settled on lamely.

Wow, she was seriously not cut out to be a negotiator. What sort of person says that?

Despite cringing at her own words, Raine and Nikolay had no problems following her inside. Maybe they were still trying to process the bombshell that Lysandra had just dropped on them, or they were secretly judging her from within their own minds.

Either way, there was no chance to take back what she said. So, she led everyone down to a particular nondescript wooden drawer.

Before she went any further, Lysandra told them, “I don’t show this to anyone, you know. I’m only doing this to show that you can trust me.”

“Go ahead,” Nikolay cooly replied. “We’re watching.”

As she opened the drawer and pulled out the item, Lysandra continued to monologue. “The name of this sword is a hot topic for debate, since its original name is in a language that’s a predecessor to modern-day French. I still can’t settle on a good name for it, so I just avoid calling it anything for now. It’s rumoured that an undefeated mercenary wielded nothing but this sword, and felled many important political figures.”

She pulled out an arm-length sword, still in its scabbard. The handle looked worn, but otherwise well-taken care of. Tanned leather made up the scabbard, along with beautiful gold engravings in the shape of thorny vines. Although some of the gold had rubbed off, it only added to the rustic charm of the sword.

Lysandra proudly held the sword out for display in both hands, as Raine gushed in awe over the design.

On the other hand, though, Nikolay seemed to be confused by her pride and joy.

“Wha… That’s mine,” he pointed at the sword.

Lysandra just stopped and looked at him with an equally confused face. “What the hell do you mean?”

“That belonged to a woman named Marie Clérisseau, didn’t it?”

She fiercely crossed her arms. “So what if you know whose corpse I robbed this from? Doesn’t mean I’ll give it to you!”

“That corpse was me! Wait- you robbed it off her grave?”

“Metaphorically…” Lysandra hastily stepped back to avoid being in close range of Nikolay. “No way I’m travelling all the way to goddamn France with my measly funds. It just made its way here through backwater trades.”

She clutched the scabbard closer to her chest. “Anyway, I’m not giving you my prized possession! It almost cost me an arm and a leg. And I mean it literally! That stupid mafioso really wanted this thing for some reason. I didn’t think he’d actually try to cut my limbs off.”

“Why did you risk all that for a sword?” Raine asked. “I get that it’s a nice sword, but was it really worth being chased?”

“I heard rumours that it could kill even immortals. Since Guthasar is an immortal, I figured this would come in handy. But,” Lysandra sighed. “Turns out it all went to shit anyway, because when I got to the Order of Truth headquarters, he’d already escaped. The only thing I found was you two.”

“Just as you suspected, it can slay immortals,” Nikolay replied. “I attempted to use it against Guthasar too, a few hundred years ago. Unfortunately…”

He trailed off, drawing his lips into a tight line.

Eventually, he let out a long sigh. “The situation wasn’t in my favour last time. But if we can try again now, we have a much better chance of succeeding. Hand the Link Severer to me, Lysandra. I guarantee it will finally be able to fulfill its purpose in my hands.”

“Oh, so it really was called the Link Severer… Wait, what if this is just an elaborate scam? I mean, it can’t take that long to research the original owner of this sword!”

“You can believe that we’re part of a world-ending prophecy, but you can’t believe that I owned this sword?”

“It- It’s a matter of principle!”

This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

Realising that this would go nowhere, Raine stepped in. “Alright, we understand that the Link Severer is precious to you. Let’s not push this any further. What about your informant?”

“Ah, I almost forgot,” Lysandra hastily puts the sword back into the drawer. “He should be in his usual spot today. I’ll show you the way.”

From the way that Lysandra had framed their meeting spot, it sounded like a dodgy alleyway in the middle of Marque.

To their surprise, it was actually a regular club — nothing about it stood out more than any of the other drinking places in Marque.

Now that Raine thought about it, a normal-seeming area was probably more in line with an informant’s line of work. Hiding in plain sight worked especially well in a town like this.

As they approached the entrance, Lysandra motioned towards the bouncer in front of the doors.

“You see that guy? There’s no way you two are getting in as foreigners. This is a regular club unaffiliated with my informant, so I can’t pull any strings to get you guys in. We’ll have to make do with a couple of well-placed lies.”

“That we can do just fine,” Raine replied.

When they were close enough, the bouncer put up a hand. “Hold on. Before you enter, I need to check your identities.”

Nikolay finally made use of Irideis’ minimal help thus far. “I live in the north-east section of town. You’re familiar with that area?”

“Oh, of course,” the bouncer nodded to himself. “So you’re that kind of person. I don’t need any documents, in that case.”

“She’s my adopted little sister,” he said without hesitation. “And is of age, of course.”

Lysandra instantly jumped up and started protesting. “Excuse me?! I am a strong, independent woman! I-”

The rest of her speech was cut off by Nikolay slapping his hand over her mouth. Although her complaints were muffled right now, he was almost certain that she’d be more than willing to re-voice them again later.

The guard snorted in amusement. “Sounds about right. Does she have her ID on her? Just gotta check the age in case.”

Lysandra shoved Nikolay’s hand off her face and pulled out a small card. “This good enough for ya?”

Somehow, Nikolay wasn’t shocked at all by the fact that she had a fake ID.

“Yes, that’s fine. And who’s your other companion?”

“He’s…”

Nikolay looked at Raine, who had a strange expression on his face. He frowned and pursed his lips.

What was the right answer? Friend? Partner? Boyfriend? Were they even dating? Well, they kissed that one time during the night festival… Shit, did friends kiss each other?

He opened his mouth, only to close it again with a frown. Saying the wrong answer might hurt Raine’s feelings.

The guard glanced at the expressions on Raine and Nikolay’s face, and bellowed a hearty laugh. “I see. No matter, I was asking out of curiosity, anyway. You lot can go right in.”

Once they were inside, Nikolay turned to Lysandra. “Are there any more hoops to jump through?”

“Are you seriously going to ignore what you-” Lysandra ruffled her hair in frustration. “Grrr, whatever. No, there isn’t. Follow me.”

She stalked her way past the bar, weaving between the small crowds of patrons gathering around. They continued walking straight across until Lysandra finally stopped at one of the private booths at the back of the tavern.

“Hey, I’m cashing in that favour you promised me,” Lysandra said to the stranger sitting in the booth. “I have a couple of friends who need your help.”

“What a pleasant surprise,” the mysterious informant replied in a mirthful tone. “I’m always open for new clients.”

Raine and Nikolay peered past Lysandra to get a better look at the infamous informant.

The man’s hair was dyed a light purple, a similar shade to the magic swirling around him. It was clearly an artificial colour, as were the purple eye contacts that he wore. From the unnatural hair and eye colour to the elegant Victorian-style clothing, to the kiseru tobacco pipe in his hand: everything about this man looked like a costume. A fake guise, nothing more than a carefully constructed image.

Nikolay had a suspicion that the bandages covering his right eye were also for a fake injury. Regardless, it was something that he could exploit. When Lysandra gestured for them to sit down, Nikolay purposefully sat down in the man’s blind spot without breaking eye contact.

“Oh my. Lysandra, you’ve brought quite the catch today,” the man drawled. “I do wish that the dark-haired one would stay in my sight so I could take a proper look at him, though.”

Raine whipped his head around, shooting Nikolay a meaningful glare. With a huff, Nikolay scooted himself closer to Raine so that he was visible from the man’s left eye.

“Lysandra, if you’ll excuse us. Are you low on…?” the man trailed off.

“Smokes?” Lysandra replied bluntly. “Nah, I’m fine. I’ll leave you to it.”

She turned away and walked down a separate corridor, leaving them alone with the stranger.

The man pulled his attention back onto Nikolay and Raine. “Lysandra did not forewarn me of your arrival. May I know the reason behind this consult?”

“We want to know more about the group terrorising Marque,” Raine spoke up.

“You’ll have to be more specific than that,” the man teased. “You cannot simply walk up to a zoology professor and ask him to tell you about every animal.”

Nikolay shot the man a dark glare, but it seemed to only add to his enjoyment. “If you’re going to be so roundabout, maybe we’d be better off doing a negotiation as opposed to a ‘consultation’.”

“Dear sir, please lower your hackles. I’m simply narrowing down the information you wish to know. I’d never think of insulting those chosen by the prophecy, after all.”

Raine felt a ping of danger and ducked immediately. He just barely got out of Nikolay’s way, who leaned over and roughly grabbed their informant’s shirt. Unfazed, the man serenely set down his pipe on the table with a calm expression.

“Did you expect me to not know? Don’t tell me that the stories are inflated about you, Nikolay. I thought that you wouldn’t be as naïve as this.”

“You fucking purple-haired prick,” Nikolay growled, his hand pulling harder on the other man’s shirt.

“Oh, please, call me Lavender. Now, I’m afraid that my shirt will become wrinkled if you continue clutching it this tightly. Would you mind letting me go so that I can give you the information you seek?”

Raine coughed delicately. “Provoking your guests isn’t as genial as you might think, Lavender. If we could please continue with our previous conversation?”

“Of course, of course. You wanted information about the recent attacks in Marque? Ah, but it seems like my memory has gotten foggy… I might need something to parch my thirst, to restore clarity to my mind.”

Nikolay looked as though he was about to commit a murder right here and now.

“What drink would you like?” Raine sighed in defeat. “I’ll pay.”

Lavender held out a pre-prepared slip of paper. “Simply hand it to the bartender. They’ll know what to do.”

Raine grabbed the paper with not nearly as much elegance as Lavender, then slid out of the booth to walk towards the bar.

That just left Nikolay and Lavender in the booth.

Nikolay couldn’t hold back his glare any longer. “Cut to the chase. I know you’re not actually thirsty. Why did you send Raine away?”

“I’m familiar with your tendency for scepticism, so this small tidbit of advice might just end up more useful in your hands,” Irideis casually twirled his pipe in one hand. “It’s about your own ‘informant’.”

“Go on.”

“That white-haired fox doesn’t belong in Marque. They belong back in Veritas, where everybody puts on an innocent façade to look pretty. Here? We don’t bother hiding the ugly truth. But this makes me wonder,” Lavender regarded Nikolay with his singular eye. “Which city do you belong to?”

“I don’t belong here,” Nikolay narrowed his eyes. “In fact, I don’t belong anywhere. I should’ve been dead several decades ago.”

“What a strange view of things. Does this mean you don’t belong in the prophecy?”

“If not for the gods’ interference, I wouldn’t be here right now.”

“But in that case, you wouldn’t have met Raine, correct?”

Nikolay’s head jerked sharply towards Lavender. “What do you mean by that?”

“Oh, calm down. I’m not threatening your lover.”

“We’re not-”

A drink slammed on the wooden table, the contents dangerously threatening to spill over.

“Nikolay, can you please control yourself when I’m not around?” Raine sighed, sitting back down. “I barely left for a minute.”

Lavender takes up the drink. “Now, now, let’s not ruin this cordial atmosphere. We still have yet to discuss the main matter at hand, no?”

He took a cautious first sip of the order Raine brought back, then nodded to himself.

“Yes, this will do. Lysandra knows a lot more about their plans than she thinks. The factor behind the attacks is indeed the raw number of people, rather than who these people are. As for this group’s motives… Well, I’m not acquaintances with the gods, but even I have a feeling that this is stretching their laws a little far.”

Raine just looked at Lavender blankly. “What does that mean?”

“I fear that any further elaboration is otiose. The time will come when you will realise the deeper meaning.”

“Using the word itself is otiose. You’re not impressing anybody with your gaudy language,” Nikolay replied with gritted teeth.

“Scared that I might charm your beloved?”

“We’re not belo-”

“Yes, yes, I heard you the first time.”

Lavender emptied his drink in one motion, then placed it delicately back on the table.

“Well, it looks like your time here is up. I’m afraid we’ll have to wait until our next encounter… If there is one.”

Just as they were about to complain about the shortness of their meeting, Lysandra popped out from elsewhere in the bar.

“Are you guys almost done? It looks like there’s something going on outside, and it doesn’t look good,” she said, darting her eyes to the bar entrance.

Raine and Nikolay immediately bolted up from their seats.

“Lead the way,” Raine said, already moving out of the booth.