By morning, they were prepared for their tasks. As Naseria gathered her things, she approached Silas.
"Can I have some notes?" Naseria asked.
Without hesitation, Silas went to his room and returned with a generous stack of notes, handing them to her.
"Isn't this too much?" Naseria raised an eyebrow.
"The king ordered it. If you want more, I can give you," Silas replied nonchalantly.
Naseria nodded, briefly pondering how wealthy the king must be, then focused on her mission.
They set out, with Naseria covering the entire region—from the north to the south—searching for any sign of Harrowsouls or the missing bodies. She observed the people, the surroundings, but found nothing.
After two days of relentless searching, Naseria decided to rest at a nearby pub. She sat quietly, eating and pretending to draw, when she overheard a conversation between the pub owner and a man.
"Did you clean up the mess?" the pub owner asked as he placed a beer and chips on the table.
"Yes, it's all taken care of. Good thing we were close by when it happened," the man replied.
"Lower your voice!" the pub owner hissed. "The big boss was furious it got discovered."
Naseria kept her head down, seemingly focused on her food and sketching, but her ears were sharp, taking in every word. Stark, sitting beside her, stared intently at the two men, sniffing the air as if sensing something off.
Suddenly, the pub owner approached her, interrupting her thoughts. "Hello, miss. Here's your order," he said, setting down a fresh plate of food. "Are you new here?"
Naseria smiled politely. "Ah, yes. I just graduated, and I was assigned here."
The pub owner gave her a knowing smile. "Well, this one's on the house," he said, before glancing at Stark, who was hissing at him. "Is that your cat?"
"Oh, no," Naseria said smoothly, "it belongs to my younger sister. I took care of it, since she is away for the mean time."
The pub owner nodded, though he seemed a bit uneasy. As he walked away, Naseria’s mind raced. The conversation she overheard was suspicious, and Stark’s reaction confirmed something was off. She would need to follow up on this lead discreetly.
"Are you sure, Stark?" Naseria asked, her voice low but steady. Stark nodded, his gaze still fixed on the men, his fur bristling. "Let’s not rush," she murmured, gathering her thoughts.
Naseria took a deep breath, standing up. She gathered her courage, feeling a surge of determination, and slowly walked toward the men and the pub owner, who were now speaking quietly. She could feel Stark’s intensity behind her, his silent warning lingering in the air.
"Excuse me," Naseria said as she approached, her voice steady despite her nerves. "I’m sorry to bother you, but does anyone here know where Fallow District is?"
The pub owner looked up from his conversation, eyes narrowing briefly before responding, "It's a few miles away from here, miss. Head north, you’ll find it."
"Thank you," Naseria replied, hoping they would ask more, give away something else.
"You’re not assigned in this district," the pub owner remarked, eyeing her curiously.
"Oh, I’m not," Naseria admitted smoothly. "My sister is from here. I used to live here before moving up to Faldris District. It’s a mess over there, they needed more unit soldiers."
