Another Life in The Grand Library

Chapter 22. Where could he be?

Yes. The coffin was not empty but....

"W..what? Who is that?!" Haze exclaimed.

"This is not Alexey. Haze, are you sure we dug the right grave?" Dryad asked him.

"Of course! I am sure of it! Just look!" He pointed to the name engraved on the tombstone. A specific insignia was also carved there that Haze recognized at once.
"That is our merc's coat of arms. No one buried here with this crest on their tombs except for Alexey." Hazard stopped for a moment and stared at the person inside. His face became pale. Not sure what to do. "What a joke! This... this can't be right!"

"You don't know?"

Haze shook his head. He seemed to be in deep thought. "No, I don't know this person at all!"

"Well, that is what will happen if you just bury a coffin without checking first who's lying inside," Dryad murmured.

Haze swallowed hard ",y..you had a point." he chuckled bitterly. "This can't be right! Is it possible that the mercs sent the wrong body?"

"I don't think so, Haze. Now my theory is proven right. This is just what I thought.." Dryad said quietly. "I have something in mind,"

"Pray tell," Haze said and looked up at her.

"Not here. First of all, let's close that coffin again and clean up the mess. It smells awful! I'll tell you once we go back to the shop. Besides, this is no place to chit-chat, don't you agree?"

"Right." Haze nodded. He jumped out from the hole after closing the coffin. Dryad placed the lantern aside then helped him cover the hole again with soil. Once done, they cleaned up as if there was no trace of anyone who had ever been there, they picked up the shovels and crowbar, and walked through the cemetery to the main street again.

"We better hurry before my sis wakes up and notices we've gone missing," Haze stated.

Dryad nodded. Together, they hurried down the path through the town and reached the shop a little before dawn.
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After a quick shower to clean herself from the dirt, Dryad came back to the kitchen alone. It's 5.15 a.m now.
She sat down quietly. Her chin rested on her fist, looking into space.

She didn't notice when someone stood next to her. It's only when Haze lightly laid his hand onto her head and ruffled her hair that she looked up.
She smiled faintly when she saw him. He looked much better after cleaning himself.

"Hey," he said. "Now, to the point. Tell me what's on your mind," he pulled a stool and sat down next to her. His expression was way too serious. Not like usual.

"You shouldn't feel too bad, now, knowing that the grave we disturbed was not Alexey's," Dryad said with a faint smile.

Hazard looked down and smiled bitterly, "Yeah. I guess you're right." He paused for a moment, "I don't get it... why did the mercs send the wrong coffin? But, what if the mercs just really messed up and sent us the wrong person to be buried? And Alexey's remains maybe... just buried somewhere else?" Haze argued.

"If Alexey simply had been buried in another place, we could never see him wandering as Brilliant." Dryad replied. "Haze, I think... The mercs didn't send the wrong coffin. Listen...." Dryad paused for a moment, thinking of the right words to make it easier to understand, then she began to explain everything to him.

Time passed as she spoke, Haze frowned and looked at Dryad in disbelief. He felt like he just found out a new piece of information that was too shocking to be true.

"So you think.. the mercs took Alexey somewhere else? Purposely sent us false coffin then faked Alexey's death? But why? What do they want?" he asked.

"Well, for that reason... I don't know for sure. Maybe you understand the possible reason because you are one of the mercs?" Dryad questioned.

"No... I have no idea." Haze shook his head.

Haze stopped and ruffled his own hair, frowned in deep thought. He felt both relieved and confused at the same time. He was relieved that his brother was still alive, that there was still a hope for them to reunite. But he was also very confused about this whole situation. There's a mix of joy and sadness all together at heart that was hard to explain by words. He started to realize that perhaps Dryad was right. He just couldn't believe why the mercs lied all this whole time? The reason behind that is still not answered yet.

"I know, this whole fact is confusing and even there are still many questions nagging my mind," Dryad said.

He wiped his face. "Where could he be then? We have to find Alexey," he murmured.