Brunaulf POV:

I examined the dark brown coat with black fur around the top. The material was of a high quality and its colour matched the tight jeans and heavy black boots I was wearing.

A light black vest exposed my collarbone, and two dark red, almost black, fingerless gloves sat snuggly over my hands.

“...Do I have to wear this?”

Beatrix looked at me with satisfied eyes. She had arranged for a change of clothes to help me assimilate into Inner Astril's culture, and I knew she had chosen certain elements that were similar with Outer Astril, but it still felt uncomfortable.

“You look great.”

I sighed inwardly and turned my attention to the task at hand. My lips parted, but Beatrix spoke first.

“Not yet. Let’s spend some time in the city first. There’s a lot you still don’t understand about Inner Astril.”

It was a fair point. Gathering information was at the top of my priorities and since the District Leader would rule the South one day, now was a good time to plant some seeds for the future.

She fixed her hair and applied lipstick to her alluring lips as her hand rested against the rose eye patch for an unusually long amount of time.

I had already reached the conclusion that her eye was somehow related to her ability—that narrowed down the possibilities of what it could be to a significant degree.

Abilities that are tied to a body part usually reflected some of its characteristics. For example, her eye could potentially reflect or copy certain attacks. It’s also possible it could be something more simple, like being able to see very far, but she didn’t come across as the kind of person who would create such a pointless ability.

It’s true that my theory was still rather flimsy, but the fact that when she confronted me, she revealed her eye; led me to think along these lines. Again, it could have been a bluff. I’d have to wait and see for now.

“I agree, but I want to make one thing clear. This isn’t a date, Beatrix.”

She stopped adjusting her clothes and smiled at me seductively.

“I’m not so shameless to try and steal another woman’s man. However, the option is always ther—”

“You’re intriguing. You probe me with flirts while examining my body language and my words. You send me a card containing tasks to assess my decision making and rationality. You purposefully create situations to make me feel uncomfortable in order to see how I will react."

She placed a hand on her hip while her cheeks flushed slightly.

"However, don’t get ahead of yourself, Beatrix.”

I walked past her and headed towards the door.

“Careful. I am not a woman you should insult.”

“And I’m not a man you should play with, but I suppose you already know all about the ‘Mad Wolf,’ right?”

I was bluffing. I had no intentions of returning to those days, but I didn’t want to spend too much time on this side.

A sigh escaped her lips, followed by a soft chuckle as I opened the door.

“Fufu... You really are good. Then let's be on our way.”

She walked out the door while glancing back at me out of the corner of her eye. There was no fear, just a deep sense of curiosity that oozed out of her. I started to wonder if she truly cared about those documents the Baron had.

“I’m not convinced yet.”

The light-hearted tone in her voice vanished as she turned her head forward and walked down the corridor.

‘...’

I wasn’t here to convince her of anything, but she held the upper hand in terms of negotiation.

I followed after her as we left the house.

***

Even though my attire had become more integrated into the culture here, it was hard not to notice people staring at me with both awe and disapproval as I walked next to Beatrix in silence.

She hadn’t said a word since we left the house, but I would often see her eye dart around, keeping track of the various people passing by. At one point, I was concerned that I had offended her, but I didn’t want to send anyone mixed signals.

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“The people here think you’re either a Mercenary or Monster Hunter. Both are popular occupations, but I’m sure you can tell which one is held in high regard.”

She spoke solemnly while another batch of kids stopped across the street, gazing and pointing at me with sparkling eyes.

‘Monster Hunter. That would explain the strange texture of this fur.’

I examined the fur attached to the collar of the coat. It was thick. Thick enough that it could probably reduce the damage received from a blunt blow. In other words, it was harvested from a monster, not an animal.

As for Monster Hunters, it was an occupation non-existent in Outer Astril, but it was obvious what the job entailed. Both occupations indicated personal strength or capability, yet she specifically chose this attire.

‘...’

I watched Beatrix wave towards the children; her smile so soft it was hard not to appreciate it. I lost track of how many men walked into objects while being charmed by her beauty.

“This city is called Losa. While it is neither a big or small city, its value is quite high. This is because Losa is one of the many trade hubs in Inner Astril.”

That explained why there was such a long line of merchants outside the city gates. Based on how worn the ground of those trade routes were, it was safe to say that their trading commerce was fairly active.

“Losa is under the jurisdiction of Baron Oswald.”

“!”

I was slightly surprised that a Baron had power over such a valuable city. If a Baron, the lowest rank of nobility, could manage trade hubs, then that showed that Inner Astril also had great economic strength. However, something else bothered me.

“The Cotis Empire.”

The Empire was still relatively new, yet there were no signs of their presence here. Wasn’t it normal to want to keep an eye on trade routes, imports and exports—those kinds of economic resources?

I glanced at Beatrix as she raised an eyebrow slightly.

“Inner Astril is part of the Empire, but the Empire isn’t one large country. The Emperor did not want to use force to take over Astril, as a result, the King agreed to some rules and conditions in order to join the Empire.”

“Why didn’t the Emperor use force? It would have amounted to the greater good in the end.”

The situation between the two sides of Astril would have been resolved a decade ago. Therefore, I would have never encountered the organization, and I never would have sold my sister off...

‘I did it.’

Even if I wanted to come up with logical reasons for the loss of my sanity and for the crimes I committed—it was pointless. Naive thinking like that would only hamper the progress I was actively trying to make day by day. Deflecting and shifting the blame would make me the victim when, in fact, I was the perpetrator, and I hated it.

“Perhaps so. I hear the Emperor did not want to shed anymore blood. That aside, there have been frequent skirmishes happening with the Kingdom of Vidris, in other words, I believe the status quo here will not change anytime soon.”

I sighed inwardly at her response. Beatrix knew much more about the situation than I did, so her assertions held more weight than my own.

We passed by another market square, and Beatrix offered me an apple. I thanked her for it as our conversation grew deeper.

“Organizations like Enigma and Chaos have started making bolder moves here. Choosing to create their own networks rather than working with the Underground, which in turn has led to a slight weakening of the Underground's influence.”

She placed her hand over the rose eye patch for a few seconds before moving it away.

“Astril is the perfect place for them to start because the country is already fragmented.”

I agreed. It was much harder to get your foot into a door when it’s tightly shut, but what about if it’s slightly ajar? It also explained how the Ruler was able to make contact with a secretive organization like Enigma.

“U-Umm... Excuse me!”

A man wearing plain clothes walked up to Beatrix and called out to her. His face was a deep shade of red, and his eyes darted around, unable to focus on her. She glanced at him with disinterested eyes while folding her arms.

“P-please... Go out with me!”

He extended one of his arms as he arched his back at a perfect 90-degree angle. Beatrix's body language remained the same, despite a noticeable crowd beginning to form from the man's brave confession. Some jeered at him for trying to get too close to the sun, while others appeared to hope he’d have a chance as a way to encourage themselves.

“I’m sorry, but I am not interested. However, thank you for letting me know how you felt.”

“T-Thank you!”

She gently clasped the man's hand as he raised his head with tears streaming down his smiling face. Whatever the outcome, he had shown bravery and the willingness to go for it even if the chances seemed too small to be worth it. However, her reaction had caught me off guard.

I watched the small crowd clap and cheer at how Beatrix handled such an awkward situation while I recalled the image of Denise waiting outside my office. Whenever I pictured her face, a sharp stabbing pain would pierce through my chest, and my throat would instantly feel dry.

‘I... Should have done better.’

“Is he... Your boyfriend?”

Beatrix had let go of the man's hand as he narrowed his eyes while observing me. After a few seconds of scanning me over, he let out a helpless sigh and smiled instead.

“...No, he is not.”

She cocked her head to the side and smiled. It was a fake smile. However, the man seemed over the moon and quickly went on his way while the rest of the crowd dispersed. We stood there for a few more moments before Beatrix started walking again.

A small arched bridge with crystal clear water running underneath it came into view. Beatrix walked on ahead, stopping midway to lean over the parapet. Her palm rested against her cheek as she gazed at the waterway below.

It was difficult to get a read on her facial expression. She seemed sad and irritated even though she was smiling with a tint of red on her cheeks. I stood a few metres away from her as I rested my arm on the parapet.

“Beatrix, why do you work with the Underground?”

This was my first time meeting a triple gold star member, and as expected, she was tricky to grasp. I wanted to know why she chose to associate herself with that kind of organization.

“I have my reasons, Mad Wolf.”

She cast her eyes down, gazing at the gentle stream below.

“My rank grants me access to valuable information that would be difficult to come across via normal means. I believe change is more effective when it starts from the inside.”

I looked up at the clear, blue sky while she spoke. It was something that was hard to see in Outer Astril, yet so easy to see here. If what Beatrix meant by change was the Underground itself, then that would be a tough goal to accomplish. It could also endanger her life.

“Let us go back for today. There is a lot we need to discuss.”

Beatrix elegantly moved away from the parapet and continued to walk down the other side of the bridge. I closed my eyes for a minute or two before catching up with her. I was now one step closer to achieving my goal here.