Port City Ark
A cloudless, clear sky stretched above.
In stark contrast, thick fog clung between the buildings, almost as if mocking the brilliant heavens.
It was such an unusual sight that the people had even given it a nickname—”The Ridge of the God’s Nose.”
Now, I understood why Abel had warned me to be so careful.
“Miss, please be careful,” Evan said, grabbing my arm and pulling me back just as the sound of hooves approached. A carriage rushed past right beside me.
I shivered for a moment, realizing how close I had come to being hit head-on. Was it because the thick fog had obscured my view, or were the carriages in this city simply reckless?
Perhaps both.
“Thank you, Evan.”
“It’s nothing, Miss.”
With a somewhat bashful expression, Evan scratched his head. Standing beside him was Lily, looking rather uneasy.
She had her arms crossed and was cautiously glancing around.
“Lily, is something wrong?”
“Well… it just feels a bit ominous.”
Indeed, her words resonated with me. Was it because of the perpetual fog that clung to the city year-round, or because of Abel’s warning that Ark was a breeding ground for crime?
“Probably just a feeling,” Lily said with an awkward smile, trying to change the subject. Despite her attempt, it was clear she was hiding something, but I didn’t press the matter.
If Lily wasn’t ready to confide in me, I saw no reason to push her.
We continued walking in silence for a while until Evan spoke up.
“Here we are.”
The alley was tucked away in a secluded corner of the city. It wasn’t overly narrow, but it wasn’t wide enough for two carriages to pass side by side. The fog here seemed even thicker than in other areas, making me reluctant to step inside.
Hesitantly, I followed Evan into the alley. Lily, already visibly uneasy, began trembling harder. Seeing her shiver even as her eyes welled with fear, I couldn’t bear to leave her like that.
“Lily,” I said, taking her hand. It was as cold as ice. Startled by the sudden gesture, she flinched but didn’t pull away.
“It’s alright,” I reassured her.
As time passed, her trembling began to subside, and her icy hand slowly warmed up.
“Thank you, Lady Adelle,” she whispered.
“I’m glad you feel better. Let’s go.”
“Yes.”
As we ventured deeper into the alley, the situation grew more serious. Was this what they called a “back alley”? Here and there, ragged children with torn clothes and dirt-streaked faces were visible. Some of them glared at us from beneath makeshift blankets. Of course, they fled as soon as their eyes met Evan’s.
It was clear what they had been up to. Without Evan, I might have fallen victim to their thievery.
An unbearable stench filled the air—a mixture of rot and grime that was far worse than I’d imagined. Turning my head slightly, I saw Lily wincing in discomfort.
Just then, Evan, who had been walking ahead, stopped suddenly. Lily, who had been walking with her eyes half-closed, bumped into his back. Surprised, she quickly stepped back and moved closer to me.
“Evan? Is something wrong?”
“Wait a moment,” he replied briefly, reaching into his coat.
The sound of a clear metallic ring resonated through the air as he drew his sharp blade.
Before I could react, a loud voice came from the alley.
“Tch, he’s onto us! Run!”
“Damn it, who blew our cover?!”
“You’ve got guts!”
A faint blue aura surrounded Evan’s sword. Without uttering a single battle cry, he swung it lightly.
In a flash, a glowing blue sword strike cleaved through the air, severing the arms of those who had been attempting to ambush us from behind.
A scream of pain echoed as fountains of blood erupted.
I hadn’t expected that three swift cuts would incapacitate most of our adversaries. Although I wasn’t nearly as skilled as Abel, Evan was clearly a formidable fighter.
Still, I wondered if it was really necessary for him to use such a technique against a group of alleyway ruffians.
“Ah, no, that wasn’t the reason,” I thought to myself as I noticed several shadows slipping through the foggy alley. There were easily a dozen of them; judging by the number visible at a distance, many more likely lurked in the fog.
Evan’s blade had served as a warning. It was clear the message had been received because most of the shadows retreated into the fog.
“Ah, so that’s what he meant by ‘a breeding ground for crime.’”
Only now did I fully grasp what Abel had warned me about. Criminals hiding in this dense fog, their actions far more organized than I had anticipated.
Had I been alone in such a place…
I involuntarily shivered and rubbed my arms.
“Let’s go, Miss,” Evan prompted, nodding.
I nodded in agreement and followed him. Lily, seemingly reassured by Evan’s display of strength, no longer trembled. Still, she didn’t return to her usual chatter. She must have had some unpleasant memories of such back alleys.
I considered asking, but quickly decided against it. I was well aware that rushing into personal matters typically yielded no benefits.
Walking onward, we eventually came across a worn-down inn. Lacking a sign, the wooden building exuded an eerie atmosphere, exacerbated by the strange, dim light flickering inside.
Evan approached the entrance.
“This is it,” I thought, recalling the information Abel had given us about the Guild’s location.
It looked like an abandoned building, hardly the type of place one would expect to find a guild operating from. As I was musing over this, Evan knocked on the door.
“Knock-knock-knock-knock.”
A soft voice answered from the other side.
“A hawk that soars across the moon.”
“Can it soar across the sun?”
After a moment of silence, the door creaked open.
“Please come in,” said a man wearing a black mask, stepping aside.
As we entered, a warm and inviting atmosphere greeted us. The man bowed slightly before speaking in a rough voice.
“Welcome to the Information Guild, Ark branch.”
He paused briefly before disappearing behind the bar. I wondered if this place doubled as a tavern, but upon closer inspection, there appeared to be no other customers in sight.
Perhaps it was still too early in the day? While I was contemplating this, the man returned, holding some items in his hand.
“What is this?”
“A simple form for the information you seek.”
In his hand were a small notepad and a pen. Cautiously, I picked up the pen and began to write.
When the ink didn’t flow immediately, I was briefly confused and retraced the letters a few times. Soon, a faint mana glow emanated from the pen.
“So, it’s invisible ink,” I realized.
It used mana to write, making the contents unreadable by anyone who wasn’t attuned to detecting mana. This was certainly a method suitable for an organization like the Information Guild, which dealt with sensitive data.
“The Emperor’s birthplace—its exact location,” I wrote before handing over the slip.
As the man scanned it, he hesitated for a moment.
“Please follow me.”
His eyes flicked toward me from behind his mask, giving me an uneasy feeling.
Though apprehensive, I followed him, with Lily and Evan trailing behind.
However, the man raised a hand to halt them.
“Please wait here,” he said firmly.
“I’m afraid that won’t do,” Evan responded, resting his hand on his sword. In response, the man stepped closer and whispered something into Evan’s ear.
Evan’s expression darkened momentarily before he sighed in resignation.
“Very well. I hope you make a wise decision.”
With that, the man turned back to me.
“Follow me, please.”
“Alright, let’s go.”
I wondered what he had said to Evan to convince him so easily. Though not as obstinate as Abel, Evan was still a stubborn individual.
Curious though I was, I refrained from questioning. On one hand, I didn’t particularly enjoy engaging with the man, and on the other, I trusted Evan’s judgment.
We walked down a dark corridor for quite some time. The walls were engraved with strange runes and magical symbols that were beyond my comprehension, as I had very little knowledge of magic.
Finally, we arrived at a door made of walnut wood—not an ordinary door, as I could sense through mana, that it was laden with countless spells. Reflective spells, fire spells, electrical spells, wind spells… and even a dimension-warping teleportation spell?
What could possibly justify such heavy enchantments on a door?
As I pondered this, the man stepped up and knocked four times.
“A distinguished guest has arrived.”
“Let them enter.”
The voice of a young girl came from the other side, prompting the door to swing open. The man bowed slightly.
“Our Master awaits.”
As I stepped through, the atmosphere changed instantly.
It was literal—like stepping into an entirely different space. So, this was the purpose of the teleportation spell?
Lost in thought, a voice snapped me back to reality.
“What are you waiting for? Come in already!”
Hesitating briefly, I cautiously took a step into the room.
Among the old furnishings stood a girl.
She had platinum-blond hair, sea-blue eyes… and pointed ears like an elf.
An elf?
Does such a race exist in this world?
