Chapter 515

Chapter 138 Stalemate

In the flickering light of the stone chamber, people ran back and forth between the bright lights and shadows. Occasionally, there were whispers. The shadows of the stone pillars, mahogany tables, and chairs by the walls were elongated, and the sound of footsteps echoed clearly in my ears. A black raven flew above, its hoarse cry attracting the attention of many.

Turning a corner along the wall, leaving what seemed like a grand hall, I entered another smaller stone room. Behind me, Carlos and Olivia were whispering quietly. Beside me, a plain-looking man named Daniel gave me a calm look.

“Miss Mace, ever since we came here and discovered her, we have been observing her, tracking her, trying to get closer to her. However, she acts very cautiously. During the day within the troupe, she almost never interacts with outsiders or the public. Unless necessary for performances, she barely speaks to anyone in the troupe. Even during practice, she usually trains alone. At first glance, she truly seems like an ordinary, reclusive dancer…”

And that dancer…

She is from the Gate of Truth…

I bit my fingernails, making a clacking sound as I put my thumb in my mouth. As I walked, I lowered my head in thought, listening to the plain man’s words.

“After days of observation, we found out that Miss Mace is an excellent dancer. Although she doesn’t like talking much on a daily basis, she puts great effort into her performances. Her skills in snake dance and sword dance are so high that even with my shallow appreciation, I can tell they surpass Silgaya… No, they surpass the level of most famous dancers in West Continent…”

That is indeed…

The pinnacle of skill…

Hearing Daniel’s words, a vivid scene from May Day night flashed through my mind. The cheers of the crowd, Sarah beside me jumping with excitement, the simple stage lights gathering in front of us, the cold, sword-wielding figure standing proudly among the clamor, white hair fluttering, eyes like the blue sky piercing directly at me—

I suddenly felt a chill.

“Daniel…”

“What is it, Miss Sylviega?” The plain man asked with some confusion, stopping his words.

“I might… have seen her before… when I was in the royal city…”

My mind was in chaos, emotions mixed and unsettled. For a moment, I didn’t know what to say.

I thought of those eyes, the kind of eyes that held a state of mind beyond the ordinary… Those eyes, with the vastness of the ocean and the aspirations of a swan, were unforgettable.

At that time, I wondered what kind of person could possess such eyes…

Carlos…

Or Teresa…

No.

Those eyes surpassed them both.

This was indeed a vague judgment, identifying someone based solely on their eyes. It was something straight out of a fantasy novel. Yet, I remembered how I felt, remembered very clearly, the instant I met those eyes, the emotions I felt at that moment.

I felt that she was a woman with a strong belief, one who would not be content as just an ordinary dancer. Or perhaps, she chose to become a dancer out of necessity. This feeling wasn’t just from her eyes, but also from her fluid movements and her sword.

She must be a powerful woman.

Such power went beyond mere physical strength.

After May Day ended, I got drunk, and the next morning, I chatted with Sarah and the others. Gradually, I stopped thinking about the previous night, and my impression of her remained in that moment of eye contact. I wouldn’t delve deeper, and likely, there wouldn’t be any further interaction.

However…

I had never once connected that dancer with the Gate of Truth.

Because in those eyes, I saw something called “integrity”—a person with such eyes would never compromise with evil.

There are always remarkable individuals whose first impression on strangers is such a feeling.

That dancer possessed this aura.

Such a person should not be…

“…Miss Sylviega?”

My confused mind was pulled back by Daniel’s call. I turned to look at him, still somewhat bewildered, and asked, “How can you be sure of her identity…”

“…”

The plain man’s eyes flickered with suspicion for a brief moment before he returned to his calm demeanor. “Why? Miss, do you know her?”

“No.” I immediately shook my head. “Perhaps… I’ve only seen her perform.”

“Perhaps?”

“I can’t confirm whether we’re talking about the same person.”

Yes…

Maybe it’s not the same person.

“I’m sorry, please continue.”

I sighed lightly and looked up.

Ahead, amidst the numerous torches on the stone walls, I could vaguely see the moss growing in the cracks and the damage and cracks accumulated over time.

The air was damp. After just a few steps, a layer of fine water droplets formed on my skin, making it sticky. In the distance, I heard indistinct shouts and laughter. Ten meters ahead, several paths led to unknown destinations.

“Follow this way.”

The plain man made a gesture of invitation, leading me to a slightly left path. After entering the passage, the surrounding light dimmed noticeably, and the sounds of people faded away.

“The I’ll continue then… Sorry, please don’t think I’m being redundant. For someone like us, understanding her is absolutely essential before facing an enemy.”

The clear sound of footsteps echoed in the dark, narrow passage. Plain man Daniel quickened his pace.

I walked by his side, goat cheese falling onto my shoulder. Behind us were Olivia and Karl, who had shown no interest in joining the conversation. I could faintly feel Karl’s intense gaze, as if he had been staring at me all along… or perhaps he was looking at Captain Gray.

I tried my best to ignore his gaze.

“Miss Messer seems to possess remarkable talent above the aesthetics of form, yet she never forgets hard work. These days, every night before a performance, while other performers have long gone to sleep, she insists on practicing her dance techniques alone until late into the night. Sometimes, she doesn’t return to her accommodation until dawn, pulls down the curtains, sleeps for a little while, and then continues rehearsals with her fellow performers once the sun rises.”

“Such a dedicated dancer naturally captures the audience’s attention during performances more than others. Miss Messer is deeply loved and admired by the local people, not just because of her beauty, but because they have been captivated by her superb performances. Later on, even I couldn’t help but wonder if we had made a mistake…”

Daniel paused slightly here.

“Until… one night recently, when she practiced sword dancing backstage.”

I turned my head and met the plain man’s gaze.

“That night, the person responsible for surveillance happened to be me. I hid myself not far from the rooftop, eating Holger pastries… By the way, those pastries tasted really good. I bought some back to town; Miss Silvija, you should try them later. Once you take a bite, you’ll never forget that taste… Well, I digressed.”

The man smiled and returned to the topic: “It was very late at night, and there were almost no people left on the streets of the small town. While I was eating pastries on the rooftop, I noticed that Miss Messer, who had practiced with a sword, did not return to her accommodation as usual.”

“When I was still thinking, ‘Oh, tonight’s viewing will end like this,’ and reminiscing about her dance moves, Miss Messer put away her sword and headed straight towards the hills behind the town… At that moment, I immediately realized something was wrong and chased after her. Guess what? I lost track of her.”

“…She ran away?” I asked, frowning.

“Not exactly.”

The plain man shook his head: “Miss Silvija, in terms of combat, compared to someone like the Sword Saint, my abilities might be negligible. However, when it comes to stealth and tracking… even the old master, if I so wish, can stay by his side for ten nights under the moonlight without being detected. This is not boasting; it is my professional field.”

“No one, absolutely no one, has ever escaped my sight so easily. This is the first time… I was outmaneuvered by such a dancer.” The plain man spread his hands, “That woman left the town, turned towards the foothills of the hills behind, and when I chased after her, I found no trace of her. No matter how much I searched, I couldn’t find her. It was then that I realized she might have sensed someone was watching her.”

“So, I immediately returned to the town, sneaked into Miss Messer’s accommodation… Ah, please don’t misunderstand, I’m not some pervert. In fact, I respect others’ privacy, especially women’s… But at that moment, the situation was urgent. If someone could escape my pursuit, and if she was just an ordinary dancer, I wouldn’t need to be in the church; I would simply go home and farm… Well, please forgive me for using the word ‘mix.'”

“In any case, I went to her room, rummaged through everything, and found several letters… Damn it, these letters were recent, but almost none of us knew who sent them or when. And the content of the letters, as expected, mentioned the battle situation in the south and… the jester.”

“After reading the contents, I placed the letters back untouched. They contained many details, meticulously recording the movements of the heretics from the Mosri coast to the city of Aretien. Someone there was reporting to her… The most important action was that the jester would soon come to meet with Miss Messer… Do you understand now, Miss Silvija?”

“…Huh—”

I exhaled deeply.

The flickering firelight illuminated half of the plain man’s face. He stared at me intently and said in a solemn voice, “That woman may hold a very high position within the Gate of Truth… or it’s even possible that she orchestrated the heretic invasion of Silgaya herself.”

“I originally thought that upon realizing her identity had been exposed, she would flee and disappear from our sight. But surprisingly, the next day, Miss Messer appeared on stage in the town as usual.”

“…What does that mean?”

“Quite literally, Miss Silvija. We cannot judge what the other party is thinking, but she indeed did not leave, as if nothing had happened. These few days, she continued her performances as if it were her profession, as if it were truly what she wanted to do… This is unreasonable, extremely unreasonable.”

“But that’s the truth. May the gods bless her; she will have another brilliant performance tomorrow, completely disregarding us. To be honest, we discussed later whether we should capture her or simply kill her… But honestly, whether it’s Olivia or Karl, none of us are sure of that.”

“Although we haven’t taken any action, Miss Messer’s status within the Gate of Truth suggests she must be much stronger than we anticipated… Undoubtedly, she is a very dangerous person. Furthermore, we might soon have to deal with both her and the jester. But now, no one dares say that we can eliminate the two of them without destroying the town completely and ensuring that countless people there are not affected. Any slight mishap could turn this place into a hell on earth…”

The man looked at me seriously.

“Miss Silvija, this is the issue we need to consider next.”