Is it just my perception changing, or does the street appear to have significantly fewer people walking around? There appears to be an issue with the individuals themselves.

I stopped and looked around.

People are strolling on the street as a few carriages are parked on the sides, it looks normal. At least, that's what I initially thought, until my gaze eventually shifted to their faces.

Expressions of sorrow, hate, disappointment, and bewilderment painted the faces of the people, some seem directed towards someone else, but most of them are into the environment itself.

They are also acting fidgety and anxious, it seems like the circumstances they are used to have changed.

However, there is an inconsistency in those expressions. It’s unnatural. Especially the hate part.

Considering the incidents that have occurred over the past few days and my personal experience in handling similar tasks, I have formed a few hypotheses in my mind.

I continued my walk, pretending not to care for the abnormal situation.

My head throbbed in pain, it seemed my return to my original world would be delayed once more.

Glancing at my bag, an alternative plan comes to mind. Perhaps I could return for a brief period and ask for some reinforcement to this world? By now, my team should be waiting on where I had gone and clashing with the Safe Company Staff.

If I am quick enough, I could also either pull Sister Yuri or Adal team who are free for additional help. They owed me so many favours that asking for repayment for some of them right now shouldn't affect the plan.

Hmm.

No, it will take a bit longer than expected. That guy should still be watching the spot where I left off, ready to intercept my return, which would be extremely troublesome. Additionally, I need to hand over the Miracle Camera when I return.

More importantly, I look far towards where Jacob is roguely imprisoned. The Central district.

I can’t risk it.

This abnormal situation is happening right now, there is no telling when the current situation will explode out of control. Maybe today, this evening, or tomorrow.

It could be that nothing will happen because law enforcement officials, such as the Duchess and her forces, will deal with the situation preventively.

“They have the ability, the real question is whether they have enough personnel.”

I picked up my pace, and in the meantime, I kept observing the pedestrian covertly. Everyone I see has the same expression.

Was it a coincidence or not, I passed the shop where the so-called Old Man Yarn shop is located. Small traces of battles and chaos still linger from the outside. A particular man in armour is guarding the shop entrance.

He should be a broker and underground merchant, yet why is there a guard standing in front of his shop?

Turning my head like a normal curious person, I give myself a better view of the shop inside. The front door is open for an unknown reason. I remember the wood floor inside the shop wasn’t that black, and there was no carpet at all.

A wind flows from the shop's direction, and with it comes a very faint yet distinct smell.

If not for my sensitive nose, I probably wouldn’t recognise the smell at all.

The smell of blood.

“Did he die?”

Giving my last glance at the guard's face, which is a vaguely familiar face, I turn my head back to the road, and move further away from the shop.

"Jacob paid his debt to the old man, and Jacob owed his debt to the Wild Boys."

The old man's connection with the Wild Boys must be deep enough for the old man to be hunted by the Duchess and have his shop guarded by her force.

He was one of the five people who tried to block the back door in the library.

The person is a bit interesting.

Why? Simple.

“That person can resist the unnaturalness…”

Unlike the rest of the people I had seen, was he a special case or was there a hidden requirement.

Kunti and I are resistant to it too. The common point between the three of us is our hostility against the Wild Boys and Demons…

I need more proof first before coming to a conclusion. There should be more people who work in the Castle who can resist.

In fact, there is one more person who is hostile to the Demons but has affection for the Wild Boys.

This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

"That flowerist uncle."

I changed my course and went to his house. It's a few minute detour, but I think it's worth the effort. If he isn’t at his house, then I could just go to where he sells the flowers, which is in the same direction as the Central district.

In no time, I arrived at his home because it was close to Kunti house.

Walking closer to the door, my nose once again picked up the scent of something intolerable. Not blood but, equivalently, the scent of decay.

The neighborhood is empty when I look around. That should explain why the common people haven't noticed the scent of decay.

The door is jammed, likely locked, or possibly broken. I bring out a key from my pocket.

I opened the door with the Irregular Item Passage Key, which forcefully changed all kinds of physical walls or locked doors to be openable doors.

After confirming that there was no sound inside the house, I slowly opened the door and scrutinized the interior, especially a particular white item.

Its skeleton has relatively intact clothes fitted on it. I expected a rotting corpse, not a full blown skeleton.

Beside the clothes, sticks surround the skeleton. The skeleton bones still contain some of the sticks.

They appear to be the same sticks that were used by the Demon named Susan Gemoy? Or was it Gremoy?

Regardless, I close the door and quickly run to the Central district.

This district is dangerous for me.

I don’t know when the flower guy died, if he died after I met Susan, then it means she is still alive somewhere and currently wandering around this district. Looking for me and Kunti.

It's pretty clear to me that Kunti and I are her targets for the title Kunti holds, which I don't fully understand.

Kunti should have known about it already, and the fact that I accidentally led Susan to her indicates that she has strong anti-stalking abilities. Even after two days, Kunti's houses remain unfound.

Even if they find her, I believe she can easily get away from Susan.

Then there is only one way for Susan to find Kunti again and keep her from escaping, me. That means I might clash with Susan again soon.

She is too powerful for me.

“I don’t bring many tools.”

I really shouldn’t have felt conservative with my use of Irregular during my task.

The only effective combat Irregulars that I can use against Susan are the Grimoire of Desire and the Miracle Camera.

To fully function, the Grimoire of Desire requires a significant quantity of corpses, and the copying of a book remains uncertain, as dozens of corpses suffice only for a middle-tier READ book, thereby restricting their use in combat.

For the camera, I need to take a complete picture of the enemy otherwise, it's basically useless. I'll also reserve it for my final trump card.

“I am quite powerless.”

My heart beat quickened. Blood rushes inside my body.

Unlike that night, my mind is fully lucid right now. Although my mental state is not stable, it is sufficiently clear to understand the significant danger to my life.

While running, I spot a water puddle on the dirt road, which reflects my current expression.

I already know my expression without seeing it, but the confirmation makes me more resolute.

“So I really have a will to live despite being fully conscious.”

That means I still…

~~~~~

One day earlier

“Are you sure the news is true? The king murdered most of his own nobles?”

A man leaning on a ship deck muttered to his team member beside him. A young lady with a bow and arrow quiver on her back is wearing a skimpy rogue outfit. Her light brown, short hair waved in the direction the ship was sailing. She answered the man.

“It should be, the Rowa Eagle species can only be cultivated by my father's men. The stamp on the letter is authentic too.”

“This news… and the recent letter from father-in-law saying the Emperor created a suspicious movement a few weeks ago. Do you think the Demons are planning the same takeover as in the Empire?”

“I believe no, the King of the Heart Kingdom is special. Unlike the Emperor, he will not yield to the Demons' offer.

"Yunli, isn't the relationship between the Heart Kingdom and the Empire of Man already quite strained? Are you implying the Emperor planning to swallow up the whole Kingdom with the Demons help?”

A third person interrupts their conversation. She is a tall woman, almost as tall as the man. Her hair is also brown, but much darker, and flows straight to her hips. Yunli responded to the newly arrived woman.

“Strained is a massive understatement. The last time those two rulers physically interacted, they were at each other's throats. Quite literally.”

The man sandwiched by the two women speaks as he stares at the distant landmass, the island where the Kingdom of Heart located.

“The letter reported there were no foreign Demons sighted, and the kingdom officially claimed to have all but two Demons vanquished in their capital city, The Heart City. Those two Demons are the high-ranking ones who are active in that kingdom.”

He worriedly asked.

“Do you think the situation there is over or is just the beginning?”

“Hero, you still have to ask? It's definitely just the start of something. I can feel it in my skin.”

“If you wear slightly thicker clothes, you won’t feel the cold wind on your skin, which will affect your judgement. I don’t think anything will happen, we should focus on searching for Theresa.”

The tall woman spoke to Yunli as she leaned her head towards the man.

“Oppy, do you have the right to say that? And you just wanted to have more time to be with Hero!”

Yunli points her finger at Oppy, who basically wears nothing but tree leaves and wooden bark. She then hugged the Hero's arm.

"My thick flesh will keep me warm, unlike your thin flesh. Moreover, I remain unaffected by the chill. As for your second part, let me remind you that this is the sea, I need the Hero energy for my sole nourishment. I have sacrificed a significant amount of my own energy to continue our search for Theresa."

“Can you two stop.”

A fourth person suddenly interrupts the banter between Oppy and Yunli. Out of nowhere, hidden by the boxes to their left, a person with a dark blue cloak appeared.

The person removed their hood and revealed they were gothic style women at the same age as the Hero.

“James, I concur with Yunli. With our track record, there is definitely going to be a disaster in that city.”

She casually called the Hero real name, none of the three people in front of her bothered with the disrespect.

“There is no need for all of us to search for Theresa. Her personal knights are sufficient for the rest of the small, scattered islands.”

Everyone directs their gaze towards the ships docked on the nearby small islands, the flag of the ship bears the symbol of the System Church 'I'.

Yunli spoke out, she had a smile on her face from how someone supported her opinion.

“See, Richelle and I are on the same page. We should go now, trying to search for and help Theresa take care of that sea Demon when she probably didn’t need our help at all is such a waste of time.”

Yunli grumbled at the last part. Seeing she get outnumbered, Oppy held the Hero cheeks and said.

“You guys are too hasty when our Hero hasn’t given his decision yet. Hero, keep in mind that we need our super-competent healer to function fully. Especially me, I am your tank!”

The three women were expectantly waiting for their desired answer from the man.

The Hero opens his mouth…

~~~~~

One day after their discussion, Richelle spoke gloomily as they observed people on the city dock.

“It seems something big is really going to happen soon, luckily, we decided to come here.”

They had just arrived in the City of Heart.