In Search of Kasena (ONC 2024) | ✓

Chapter 6

In his many years of traveling around Nurea, Niel has seen many different places, but none of them compared to the current state of Villart. A large area in the heart of the town—a public square, he presumed—was now transformed into a tournament arena, surrounded by a tall wired fence. People were crowded around the entrance, waiting for a chance to get in, but judging by the equally dense crowd inside, that would take a while.

Some people were there to sign up as participants, but more were likely there only to buy tickets. Either way, that was probably more visitors than Villart has seen in decades. Events like these were rare in their kingdom, so it was no surprise that people from all sides of Nurea would flock here to watch the spectacle.

He's never been in Villart before, so he wasn't familiar with their lodgings, but they were most likely at their full capacity now. They might have trouble finding a place to spend the night, he wanted to tell Alarie, but the words got stuck in his throat at the sight of her expression.

Her blue eyes glinted with excitement as she looked at the venue with pure awe. With a huge grin on her face, she reminded him of a child who just saw a mountain of their favorite toys and candies. He caught himself smiling too. So adorable.

Once their initial excitement wore off, they decided to walk around the area and see if any of the people outside saw Kasena, at least until they found a chance to get into the venue. The enthusiasm in the air was contagious, and many people simply brushed them off, completely uninterested in whatever they tried to ask. Those few who were polite enough to hear them out claimed they haven't seen anything that matches their descriptions.

Alright then. Niel reminded himself there was no reason to feel discouraged just yet. People were still signing up, and many others already signed up in the previous few days. Maybe she just wasn't there today. After all, they spent a few days on a wild goose chase around Avisir. Even if she went on foot, she could've reached Villart by the time they left the city, especially if she set out right after selling that jewelry. Besides, it would be very easy to miss someone in a crowd like this. They would find her eventually.

Alarie grabbed her tattered pocket watch and checked the time once they joined the queue. It was noon; no wonder there were so many people here. Once the crowd dispersed, it didn't take them long to get into the venue. They walked around, carefully looking around the area—the makeshift ticket booths, a line of people waiting to sign up, the main stage, still getting its final touches.

"I wish Evan could see this," Alarie said as her gaze traveled across the stage. He didn't miss a hint of melancholy in her voice.

"Who's that?" he asked her.

"My older cousin," she replied. "He's the one who taught me how to sword fight."

Whenever she mentioned something new about her family or her old life, Niel found himself wanting to know more and more. Those details were few and far in between, but he couldn't help but try to piece the mysterious puzzle called Alarie.

"He stopped practicing that much as he got older, though," she continued. "He fell out of shape once he got married and had a child. You know how that goes." She dismissively waved her hand with an amused eye roll. "He's boring now."

They both laughed at her last comment, catching a few curious looks from the other passersby. "Why did you continue practicing, then?" he asked.

"I just liked it." She shrugged and rested her hand on the hilt of her sword. "And besides, a lady must always know how to defend herself. I didn't expect to be traveling alone around the kingdom once I started training, but it's proving to be a really useful skill, you know."

"Hmm, I don't think I've actually seen you in a sword fight," Niel said. He had the chance to witness that the night when they met, but he was too busy fighting off the bandits of his own to pay attention to her.

Alarie smirked. "That might be better for you. You wouldn't want to find yourself on the other side of my blade," she teased him. "Right now, I think I'm as good as I used to be with my old sword, so you shouldn't test your luck."

"Your old sword?"

"Yes. I used to have a different sword before."

Niel eyed her carefully. "What happened to it?"

Maybe his eyes were playing tricks on him, but he thought he saw a hint of red on her porcelain cheeks when she muttered, "Um... I lost it."

Even though she was right next to him, Niel struggled to hear her over the noise in the crowd. "What was that?"

"I lost it. It was right after I started traveling, so I had to get a new one." Now he was convinced he wasn't imagining it—her cheeks turned bright pink as she kept her gaze locked firmly on her feet. That was perhaps the first time he'd ever seen her so embarrassed. "It might not be so bad, after all," she murmured. "I had my old sword for the past eight years, so it was pretty worn out. And I outgrew it, too. I was twelve when I got it, so it was smaller, but I kept it even after I grew up because it still did its job well. I might actually be better with this new sword. I mean, it's nothing special, but it fits me better—"

Her frantic rambling stopped when someone bumped into her. Both of them eyed the tall stranger who wore a shiny silver pin with two crossed swords drawn on it.

"Hey! Watch where you're going!" Alarie yelled out. The man merely gave her a glance before he continued walking like nothing happened. Through a fog, Niel heard her mutter something about a lack of manners as an idea formed in his head.

"Hey, Alarie?" he said. She looked at him with a raised eyebrow. "Why don't you participate in the tournament?"

"What?" She stopped in her tracks

He pointed at the sheathed sword on her hip. "You have a sword. You know how to fight. You could sign up and participate too." But, to his surprise, he was met with a resounding no. "Why not?" he asked in an exasperated tone.

"I'm here to help you investigate, not for my own leisure."

"You're forgetting that this is still my investigation, not yours." When she frowned, he rushed to clarify. "No! Wait, I didn't mean it like that. You've been really helpful to me, and I appreciate your help. I really do. But you don't have to do this. I'm the one who's obligated to investigate here, not you. If you want to participate, no one is going to stop you."

His words comforted her just a little, but she still seemed reluctant. "Don't you need to train a lot for that?" she asked quietly, awkwardly scratching her neck.

"Didn't you brag about your skills just a minute ago?" He raised an eyebrow.

She placed her hands on her hips with an annoyed glare. "That's different. I never specifically prepared myself for the tournament. I never even participated in a proper duel."

"I'm sure you'll do just fine. And you could still help me investigate from the inside. Participants probably won't mingle too much with the audience, so you could investigate behind the scenes and see if Kasena is participating too, while I take on the audience."

This time, it looked like she was seriously thinking about it. He recognized that slight squint of her eyes, paired up with a barely noticeable frown that she had whenever she was mulling something over in her head.

He reached out and placed both hands on her shoulders. "Alarie, you'll be fine. I believe in you." She stared into his eyes, unmoving. "Come on, today is the last day to sign up," he taunted.

He wasn't sure exactly which words did the trick, but after more thinking, she rolled her eyes and said, "Fine," followed with an exaggerated sigh. "Let's go find the registration booth."