They spent almost half an hour inside before coming out with happy smiles on their faces.

»And did everything work out alright?«, Vern asked, even though he didn't really need to.

»Yep«, Garet replied and handed him a leather pouch. »Especially the stoats fetched a lot of money.«

The pouch was much heavier than Vern had expected, and he smiled back as he pocketed it.

»So … we were wondering if you want to celebrate with us at the inn«, Garet asked hesitantly. »Of course, it's totally up to you, and it would be our treat.«

»Well, in that case, I don't mind tagging along«, Vern replied. »What about the cart, though? Don't you have to bring it back first?«

»No, I'll take care of that tomorrow. So we can head back immediately.«

As they walked to their lodgings, Vern noticed that Joyce was unusually quiet and had a grim expression on her face, so she must have been reprimanded quite a bit.

When they arrived at the inn, it was already late in the afternoon since their traveling had eaten up a significant amount of time. Consequently, the interior was very lively, and they were lucky to find a free table in a corner.

»Hmm, I really want to change before we dig in«, Dilan voiced as he looked at the heavy armor he wore. »Do you mind securing this table in the meantime?«, Garet asked Vern and nodded at his brother, who was in a similar outfit.

»No, not at all. Go ahead.«

The two men vanished into the crowd, leaving Vern and Joyce behind on opposite ends of the table. Vern had expected Joyce to pester him the moment they had left, but she seemed deeply engrossed in thought.

»Were you brothers that hard on you?«, Vern asked.

»Hmm? What do you mean?« Joyce blinked and looked at him.

»When you bumped into that person while being inattentive.«

»Oh, yes. That happened. No … that's not it. She was just so breathtakingly beautiful … much more than me.«

»Who?«, Vern asked and took out his pocket bottle to empty it before getting it refilled.

»The woman in the coat I bumped into. She was hiding her face and looking down … so when I fell to the ground, I got a good look at her. So perfect …«

»Oh?« Vern raised the bottle to his mouth. »I thought you had more confidence in your appearance, considering the way you act and all.«

»Ah, I have«, she replied in a dreamy voice. »But you don't understand … she was just on an entirely different level … beyond what I have ever seen. Her perfectly smooth skin, eyes … blue and cold as ice … her hair white like snow. Her featur–«

Vern interrupted her by spitting out the sip he had just taken. »What did you say?«, Vern exclaimed. His eyes narrowed, and he looked at her suspiciously. »Are you serious, or are you just pulling my leg here?«

»What do you mean?« She moved a little backward, shocked by his firm reaction. »I … I just described it as I saw it.«

»But you told me you were at the mayor's, yes?«, Vern inquired after calming himself. »So you do know exactly what he told me.«

»Err, I don't understand what that has to do with anything. But well … I didn't ask for the details then. Don't really have any interest in the history of this region.«

Vern buried his hands and sighed.

›Do you think she is pretending not to know and is playing me for a fool?‹, he asked Velvet.

›Possible, considering it's her. But it doesn't look like it to me.‹

›Damn! That can't be real. Do you remember in which direction that person went?‹

›No idea … didn't pay any attention to it.‹

Vern shook his head and stood up. Joyce watched him in confusion.

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»I just remembered I have an errand to run, so I got to go«, Vern said, forcing a smile onto his face and leaving the table right after.

›Why don't you remember? That's your job, after all. Keeping tabs on my surroundings …‹ Vern pushed himself through the crowd out of the inn.

›Hmph, it's not like you paid any attention either. If you want, I can have a look at your memories, but I severely doubt it will help us find her.‹

Breathing in the cold air outside, Vern's mind finally calmed down enough to reason.

›Yeah, sorry … guess you're right. Let's head to the merchant first and see what we can find out.‹

He walked back the way he came at a hurried pace since the sky became darker by the minute. Velvet had appeared next to him and ran through the houses he passed, gambling on the slim chance of accidentally finding their target there.

They quickly reached their destination that hadn't closed down yet.

»Hmm?« A chubby man wearing fine-looking silk clothes turned around as the door opened. »I am already closed for the day. I am just finishing off today's goods, so you have to come back tomor–«

But before he could complete his sentence, Vern had already rushed inside.

»Please«, the merchant babbled and flinched. »I don't have much here …«

»I don't want to rob you«, Vern said, coming to a halt right in front of him. »I just want information.«

»Oh, is that so?« Hearing these words, the merchant's demeanor changed instantaneously. »I don't give these kind of things out for free … have to make a living, after all.«

Vern looked down on him grimly, but this time, the man didn't wimp out.

»I want information on one of today's customers «, Vern said. »They were here right before–«

»Unfortunately, I can't give out that kind of information«, the merchant cut him off. »After all, I guarantee anonymity in all my business transactions.«

Vern grimaced. »You sure that your lips remain sealed no matter what?«

»Well« The man looked around the shop, making sure they were alone. »Depends, I guess … on the price and if it will get me in trouble.«

»I see«, Vern replied, taking out the pouch he had just received today. »Will this be sufficient?« He dropped it into the merchant's open hand.

»Hah, how strange«, he said after weighing it in his hand. »Looks like one I've given out just today. In that case, it should probably suffice. What do you want to know?«

He walked around the counter where he stored his documents.

»Do you remember the person that came in before the cart filled with monsters about an hour ago? What were they here for?«

The merchant's hand that was preemptively reaching for his folders stopped.

»Hmm, yes, I remember. They sold me some monsters, good quality actually, but didn't talk at all and hid their face, so I don't know anything.«

»But do they come here often? Were they here before?«

»Well … certainly not a regular customer … I can't say for sure if they were here before.« The merchant scratched his chin. »A lot of strange people come by just a few times as they continue traveling, and I also have staff handling these things from time to time for me. So if I had to guess, I'd assume they are a traveler and will not show up here again.«

»I see«, Vern replied, disappointed by the answer. »Anything else you remember interacting with them?«

»No, nothing noteworthy … but if I go into details … they inspected the coins I gave them closely. It looked like they were suspecting them to be counterfeits, which was a little upsetting …«

»Hmm … alright, thanks, I guess.« Vern turned around and considered his next cause of action.

»Wait!«, the merchant called him and tossed the pouch back at him. »Take this with you.«

»Why?«, Vern asked perplexedly as he caught the pouch. He hadn't expected this man to be so generous.

»Well, I couldn't really provide you with any information … and besides … I can't afford to scare away one of my best customers.« He winked.

Vern narrowed his eyes. »Don't know what you're talking about.« He pocketed the money and left the building.

With only a hint of sunlight left, it was much colder, and the wind had picked up as well. Vern put on his hood and pushed himself forward, back into the more lively areas of the village.

›Guess we have to check every inn and hope she hasn't left yet. Velvet, could you please help me with that? Even if there might be a lot of people around?‹

Velvet, who was strolling ahead of him effortlessly, turned around.

›If you ask that nicely, I guess I can't decline.‹

In the following two hours, Vern entered inn after inn and had Velvet meticulously check everyone. However, it didn't yield anything.

Now, he fought his way through the ensuing storm to the last place he hadn't been to – the inn he stayed at himself. As the wind constantly wooshed passed his ears, he only noticed the voices when they sounded loud and clear in his mind.

He grabbed his head with one hand while his other reached into his coat, but the bottle he retrieved was empty.

Have you already forgotten? Don't you remember how it felt like?

Vern vehemently shook his head, not trying to listen to what they were saying, and quickened his pace. But after just a few meters, he noticed the blood that was dripping from his hands onto the white snow. No, it wasn't real – it couldn't be.

He staggered forward, his limbs feeling heavy like he was losing control over them, making him crash into the wall of the building next to him. Now that he had stopped moving forward, Velvet, who was far ahead, noticed something was amiss.

Vern's vision had gone dark, but he still remained conscious. The voices surrounded him on all sides, shouting at him, trying to make him yield to their will.

Let's level this village and grow stronger. Follow us, and you will truly become immortal. Kill. Them. All.

He tried to move – run away, cover his ears, but he was just there, bodiless and defenseless. His mind started to become numb from the voices' constant barrages, and all he wanted was to not hear anything, to not think anything, to not be anything.

Suddenly, a white light flashed up in his field of view, and as it closed in, he recognized Velvet's figure.

›Please … please help me …‹, Vern pleaded. ›I can't endure this any longer …‹

›You're not alone, so don't worry‹, Velvet replied. ›We'll endure it together.‹

As he felt Velvet's presence merging with his, the voices around distorted and eventually subsided after a while before a wave of darkness swept across him and made him lose consciousness.