Lost Ones - A False King

Chapter 18 - The Last Memories of a Dead Man

As they gaze at Mister Red, Emmod recalls the damp chill of the morning air and the soft chirping of birds as they set out together at dawn. Novel, too, can almost feel the atmosphere again, for Mister Red's sudden appearance is no coincidence. It was precisely planned.

The first rays of sunlight struggled to pierce the mist that lay thick over the silent streets of Rilgohin. The alleys were deserted, which worked well for Emmod and Novel. Hidden in the treetops of the old trees, Mister Red had been observing the brothers since they'd left their house. His sharp eyes followed their every step as he moved silently from branch to branch, until he positioned himself directly above them.

When they passed beneath him, he smoothly slid down to a low-hanging branch and made his presence known.

"You know... I'm not your personal henchman who comes to grant your wishes every time you snap your fingers."

"And yet, here you are," said Novel with a friendly smile.

"And yet here I am," Mister Red repeated with a resigned sigh, staggering down the branch to land on Novel's shoulder.

"My sincerest condolences on the loss of your uncle. Losing a family member is never easy," he said soberly, causing a brief, somber mood to settle over the two brothers.

"So Lina received the letter," Emmod said, lifting the mood as they began walking again.

"Of course," Mister Red replied.

"Did anyone else read it?" Emmod asked further.

"Before Lina got it, it was only checked by the house butler," Mister Red answered. "But he didn't seem to give it too much thought. The rest of the letter was too obscure for that. Even the mention of your uncle's death left him oddly unfazed, as did the fact that you requested a meeting with me," he explained.

"So, my question is: why did you want to meet me instead of Lina?"

"To be honest, we do want to meet with her," Emmod replied.

"She just doesn't know about it yet," Novel added, somewhat sheepishly.

"Then why not arrange it as before and let everyone know about the meeting?"

"That was more or less just a goodwill gesture," Novel said. "Besides, it's not the same with her guards always present."

"If I may ask—how exactly were you planning to do this?"

"Apparently, there are certain passages..."
"...that almost no one knows about..."
"...by which one can enter or leave the castle unseen," they said cautiously and in low voices.

Meanwhile, Mister Red stroked his chin thoughtfully.

"We had thought you could meet us in the castle, and when we know where we'll emerge, you can inform Lina and bring her to us."

But Mister Red's thoughts were not quite there yet.

"You mean the secret underground passages, don't you?" he asked, his eyes widening in surprise.
"What!?" shouted Novel, "How do you know about the secret underground passages?"
Before he knew it, Emmod's elbow was pressing into his ribs.
"Stop shouting, you fool," hissed Emmod, while Novel gasped for breath and clutched his ribs.
"But I'd like to know that too," Emmod continued. "How do you know about the secret passages?"

"Because in my previous life, I witnessed their construction," Mister Red answered coolly, leaving Emmod and Novel with their jaws practically on the floor.
"And if all goes as it should, the secret passage should lead you directly to the castle's storage room," he added.
Emmod and Novel didn't know where to start with their questions.
"Storage room? You mean that same storage room from back then?"
"Exactly."
"And you're feeling better now?"
"Was I feeling unwell?" Mister Red replied.
"Well, last time you just disappeared," Novel said as tactfully as possible.
"And you said you'd remembered your family," he added.