Chapter 108……………………………..
The Clue
Leaving behind the bustling streets of the capital and heading toward its outskirts, one would find themselves in a district filled with haphazardly built structures.
After the abolition of slavery, former slaves and peasants, chasing new hopes, flooded into the city. In response, buildings of all kinds began to spring up along its edges. Yet, compared to the grander structures within the capital, these were cramped and poorly built — naturally becoming home to the impoverished.
The buildings, piled up without any plan or order, turned the area into a bewildering maze. Even locals sometimes lost their way in the tangled alleys, so some began calling this outer district Riva — meaning “labyrinth.”
It was into one of Riva’s dim alleys that two hooded figures stepped. The one in the brown robe had the soles of his boots dusted with the gray snow that had fallen and been trampled the night before.
“Is this the place?”
The man in the black robe gave a silent nod. Rines lifted her brown hood slightly, grumbling as she did.
“Are you sure the person we’re looking for is really here?”
The scroll Benjamin had given them contained eyewitness reports of strange, unidentified people who appeared occasionally around the capital — mysterious tales so odd they bordered on myth.
But what intrigued them most was how these rumors seemed tied to the very essence of magic itself.
After ten days of investigation, they had managed to narrow down the countless cases to a few common threads.
A blind child who ate a fruit from a stranger and suddenly regained sight in one eye.
A young apprentice who accidentally broke an item in his workshop, only for it to be fully restored overnight.
A poor girl who received a shabby thimble as a gift after helping a stranger, and every time she sewed with it, she produced clothes so fine that she was able to sell them and buy medicine for her sick brother.
The two now found themselves chasing the mysterious figure that appeared in every one of those tales. Passing heaps of trash, the stench of rot, and weary people slumped against walls, they pressed deeper into the alley.
“If you wanted to hide, there’s no better place than this…”
“You sound like you know this area well.”
“I used to live here, remember?”
Rines replied casually, checking the arrows and markings scrawled on the walls. They were arranged like secret codes — symbols that only Riva’s residents could understand.
For outsiders, getting lost here was inevitable — which made it an ideal hideout for those with something to hide. No better place to lose pursuing soldiers.
After walking for some time, they came upon a three-story building with a faded signboard. Considering most of Riva’s buildings easily exceeded five stories, it was on the shorter side.
The two exchanged glances and silently opened the closed door. But as they stepped forward, a strange sensation brushed against them — as if they’d touched an invisible barrier.
Magic.
The whole building was under a warding spell.
With a flick of the wrist, they tore through the barrier and entered. The interior, contrary to its modest exterior, was surprisingly spacious. Remaining on guard, they scanned their surroundings — and soon spotted a man sitting in the corner, a cloth cap pulled low over his face.
The man seemed to recognize them as well.
“What’s this about?”
Rines’ companion, Silekion, spoke softly in reply.
“Is this the ‘Blue Star’?”
‘That old lady? I don’t really know. She just vanished overnight.’
That was what the girl with the thimble had told them when they came asking about her benefactor.
‘Actually, I did wake up for a moment before she left,’ she had said brightly. ‘I asked where she was going, and she told me she was heading for the Blue Star in the maze.’
Unlike the girl or Silekion, Rines immediately understood the riddle.
Riva — the city’s labyrinthine outskirts.
Having grown up in the capital’s slums, she knew how things worked here. Many buildings in Riva were referred to by short nicknames, usually combining a color with an object. Though the meanings of the objects varied, the colors carried consistent symbolism.
Blue — the rarest of all colors, representing the rarest of talents in this kingdom.
Magic.
“So you know the name and how to get in. That means you know the rules,” the man said.
“We’re looking for someone,” Silekion replied.
“Anyone who comes through here has their identity protected. That’s the rule. You know that, don’t you?”
“I do,” Silekion said coolly. “But this situation’s urgent.”
At his feet, his shadow began to ripple — and stretch toward the staircase.
“Wait—what are you—argh!”
The man’s hat whipped up on its own and clamped over his face, lifting him off the ground. He struggled for a moment, muffled screams escaping, before falling limp.
Rines sighed, pressing her fingers to her temple.
“Could you at least talk before you do things like that?”
“Weren’t you the quick-thinking one?”
“Shut up before I throttle you.”
Ignoring her glare, Silekion noticed one of his shadows tighten — as though gripping something unseen.
“Let’s go.”
Without another word, they followed the shadow upstairs. They reached a door on the third floor — and burst it open.
There, a figure in a tattered cloak was just stepping onto the windowsill.
“Then? What happened? Did you catch them?”
Cordelia’s eager voice broke through as Rines stopped mid-story. Her eyes sparkled with anticipation, but Rines only shook her head firmly.
“If we had, I’d have called you both right away.”
With a faint smirk, she continued. The masked figure had leapt out the window, vanishing into the night before they could even see their face.
Silekion had pulled hard on the shadow connecting them — but it snapped apart, fraying like a severed thread.
“Their magic’s impressive,” Silekion said quietly. “But their instinct for danger is even sharper. Like someone who’s been hunted for a long time.”
“Are you certain it was the same person?” Cordelia asked.
“Yes. The magic felt identical to the one we traced from the threads.”
Cordelia narrowed her eyes slightly. During the confrontation in Rité, when he’d brushed his hand near hers — he must have been checking for traces of magic back then too.
“Could they be a foreign magician?”
“Highly likely. It’s a shame we didn’t manage to recover even a strand of hair.”
“You don’t think they’ll leave the capital because of this, do you?”
Rines shook her head confidently.
“No. If they were planning to run, they’d have done it already. They’ve probably just found another hideout. The real problem is that if we stir up Riva too much, we’ll risk drawing attention from the Temple.”
Noah, who had been listening quietly, raised his right hand hesitantly.
“From the stories you mentioned, this person doesn’t sound like a bad one… So why leave something like this to me?”
“Who knows?” Rines said dryly. “Are you sure you didn’t know them before?”
“Of course not.”
He shook his head firmly. Back when he was still a prince, he’d been disguised — and besides, if he hadn’t handed over that loaf of bread, he never would’ve gotten involved at all.
“Most magicians,” Rines continued, “are a little unhinged in their own way. What looks like kindness isn’t always born of goodwill.”
She shot a pointed look at Silekion as she said it.
Despite his youthful face, there was a sharp, cold glint in his eyes — one that made her certain he was far older than he looked.
Every magician possessed a unique trait — something they could manifest instinctively, without drawing a magic circle. Research papers often claimed that a magician’s unique ability reflected their personality.
Judging from his instantaneous spell and the way his shadow moved, Silekion’s trait was clearly tied to darkness — or more precisely, curses.
Why had Lady Cordelia brought such a suspicious man into their ranks?
When Rines had asked her once, Cordelia had merely shrugged.
“Well, he’s obviously the most capable magician under the Duke’s employ. That’s why he keeps him close — even abroad. If our goal is to solve this case, we might as well work with the best. Picking anyone else would just make me look foolish.”
A frustratingly reasonable answer.
“Or,” Cordelia had teased, “are you saying you’re afraid of him?”
“Afraid? Of that guy? Hardly!”
Rines had refused to admit defeat, though she did silently concede that his abilities were formidable. Still, she had decided against mentioning that her telekinetic strength was among the strongest in the entire Temple.
Now, shaking herself from her thoughts, Rines crossed her arms with a weary sigh.
“As long as they’re hiding in Riva, catching them won’t be easy. If we push too hard, they might really flee the capital.”
After a pause, Silekion finally spoke again.
“Then perhaps… we should set a trap.”
