Yuso Ase

ARC 1 Chapter 14

The city of Ogrod was fundamentally different from other cities they had seen. Very old, very few inns, and a lot of monks. There are many historical monuments here, but almost all of them belong to the Crimson Order, and they don't want visitors. Trade routes don't pass through here, so there are few travelers, which means few inns. In these parts, people call Ogrod the "boring city".

The directions they had from Tanja were essential to finding the right place, but it took them a lot of time to understand them and move from one spot to another. As they were nearing the end of the instructions, a boy, seemingly a bit older than them, approached. He was wearing a crimson cloak.

- I don't mean to disturb you, but could we talk privately for a moment?

- Of course, but why can't we talk here?- Misu preferred the safety of having witnesses around

- To reach the depths of knowledge, one must plunge their hands into darkness.

A convincing enough argument.

- My name is Dedro-  he said as he removed the hood from his head, revealing a black-haired boy with numerous scars on his face- I am one of the monks responsible for keeping an eye on the mages who appear in the city. May I know what brings you here?

- We came to talk to someone-  Yuso took the lead in the conversation this time

- That's an interesting answer. May I ask who?

- We don't know their name.

- You know, I have no ill intentions towards you, but that explanation sounds really suspicious.

- We have instructions on how to reach this person.

He handed the monk a piece of paper with the instructions. Dedro examined it for longer than it would take to read the text.

- Wait here. I'll be back in a few minutes. I need to check something.

He seemed surprised by the turn of events and spoke oddly. He left, and the two young people were left alone.

- Should we run?- Yuso thought it's best to consult the decision.

- Why?- she didn't understand what he was getting at

- Don't you think he went to get reinforcements to pacify us?

- Why would he want to do that?

- Well, maybe the person we're trying to meet is someone who holds forbidden knowledge, and from what we've heard, attempting to acquire knowledge from ancient times is quite dangerous.

- True... but we don't have to run prematurely. We can wait and see what happens, we can always run later. I'm really fast, and so are you. And if by some miracle they're faster than you, I'll handle it.

- If you say so...

About eight minutes later, the boy they had been talking to returned, but this time he was no longer wearing his habit. Instead, he was dressed in shorts and a shirt typical of a moderately well-off townsman.

- I'll take you to the person you wish to meet. Follow me.

Being cautious of potential threats, they followed the newly acquainted boy. After a short walk, they found themselves on the outskirts of the city, in front of a large brick house whose upstairs windows were all covered.

The interior of the house looked like a typical residence of a wealthy merchant—everything was nice, well-made, but without excessive luxury. Following Dedro, they went straight upstairs. Behind the staircase, there was a door that the boy opened with a key, revealing the true part of the house. The upstairs consisted of only one large room and a bathroom. Most of the furnishings were made from what is known as blackwood, bone, and steel.