Chapter 190 - What Happened Overnight

The communication was cut off. Azriel absentmindedly looked down at the streets beneath her feet. There, a peaceful morning had begun. The target she saved last night was standing at the doorstep as if he was getting ready to go to work. He kissed his wife’s cheek, stroked his children’s heads, and walked out of the house.

“Master?” Marthi called.

“…”

“Master? Are you all right?” he asked.

“It’s Rhema,” she said.

“Pardon?” he asked.

“It’s not the Talasins. Dozens of people disappeared over one night. If it was the Talasins, there’s no way I didn’t get a single signal. This is Rhema’s doing,” Azriel murmured to herself and staggeringly got up. Then, she got on Marthi’s back. “To the castle… Let’s go to the Brownie Castle, Marthi.”

Without asking why, the familiar obeyed her command.

*

When Azriel entered the castle all of a sudden, everyone was surprised. However, she did not talk for long with anybody.

“I’m sorry. Please, let me be alone for some time,” Azriel said.

Leaving even Marthi, she went up the stairs of the castle. She headed to Rhema’s bedroom, which was on the same floor as hers. She knocked. There was no response. Azriel just opened the door. The room was luxurious, but like a still-life painting, there was no liveliness. The room was lifelessly decorated. Walking across the room, she took off her robe. The black robe that Rhema gifted her rolled down and fell on the floor randomly.

Now, in lighter clothes, she perched on the bed. She touched the center of the bed. It was cold as if it had been empty for a long time. Where would he be? She could not dare to communicate with him. She wanted to go to Rhema’s house in the Tail Mountain Range and see if he was there, but she did not learn long-distance teleportation magic because it was dragon eye magic. Azriel drew up her knees and buried her face in between them. How long had it been? She heard the door open. She did not move. The footsteps grew near and stopped as if that person had found something. She heard a cloth brushing against something. It seemed that they picked up the robe. Then, there was the sound of swallowing.

“…Azriel?” Rhema asked.

It was the low and soft voice that she liked. Only then did she lift her chin. Rhema Rheshith vacantly looked at her as she sat on his bed blankly.

“Where have you been, Rhema?”

“Why are you sitting here like that?”

The two asked their questions at the same time. Azriel replied first, “I was waiting for you, Rhema.”

“Here?” he asked.

“I hoped that you’d been asleep here, not coming back from somewhere,” she said.

His face turned strange.

“I don’t know what you mean, Azriel,” he said.

“Where have you been?” she asked.

Rhema closed his mouth. He competently began folding the robe she had taken off.

“Rhema, I want you to be honest. Is it something that you can’t say?” she asked again.

He put down the neatly folded robe on the table. Only after that did he speak. “I saw many well-made relics. I hoped that they were newly excavated but…” he trailed off. Their eyes met. Rhema answered with a still face, “I came back from fulfilling my duty.”

“I see. I waited here because I wanted to ask that.” Azriel got up.

Rhema added quickly, “The girl you wanted to save is still safe.”

“…That’s great. Thank you, Rhema, for answering me honestly and keeping the promise.” She put on a forced smile. Avoiding eyes soon, she added, “I will come back after finishing the second test you gave me. Take care, Rhema.”

Azriel was going to leave the room right away. However, after she took only a few steps, he called, “Azriel.”

His voice was low. The gray eyes directed at her looked like stagnant mercury—which was heavy, cold, and metal-like—but would melt and drop when touched.