The shopkeeper backed away in fear, while I remained standing still, staring at him. Then I lowered my hood and said with a faint smile behind the mask:

"It's been a long time, Corvin."

He swallowed hard.

"Yes… it's been a long time."

So it really was Corvin the Rusted. Only now did I understand why they called him that had he dyed his hair this dull copper color? But what intrigued me more was why he seemed so terrified. Does everyone I meet have to know me from before?

I said, narrowing my eyes behind the mask:

"I want to talk to you in private."

He straightened up quickly and gestured toward the back room:

"Of course, please, go ahead."

I nodded, and as soon as he saw the nod, he snatched the card lying on the counter and hurried toward the back room, while I followed him. We stepped inside, where swords and shields were strewn on the floor carelessly as if the place were a junk storeroom rather than a weapons shop.

Corvin shut the door behind him, then turned to me:

"I'm sorry… sorry about what I did just now, about trying to pick up the sword… please, don't kill me. I can make it up to you… I have plenty of money."

He looked about to burst into tears any second. I raised an eyebrow mockingly. All this panic just for trying to pick up a sword at me not even raising it?

I said, trying to reassure him:

"I don't care about such trivialities."

But it seemed he took my words the wrong way. He dropped to his knees and raised his hands:

"Please… spare my life, I won't make that mistake again."

I sighed deeply and waved a hand:

"Enough, I came to meet you because I want your help to leave the Lower District."

He lifted his pale face toward me:

"I'm sorry, I can't."

"And why not?"

He shook his head:

"It's not that I don't want to, but… it's impossible right now. The recent gang wars have closed every passage to the Middle District."

"When will they open?"

"No way to know… maybe after the current war ends. It could take years."

"What's the story with this war, then?"

"You haven't heard? Strange… someone like you doesn't know?"

"Stop rambling and talk."

"About a week and a half ago, the Claw Gang attacked the Bloody Fang Gang and almost wiped them out… they took over their entire territory."

"I already know that part. What does it have to do with the current war?"

"There were treaties between the gangs keeping a fragile peace between them, but the Claw broke it by attacking the Bloody Fang. The other gangs feared their expansion and formed an alliance to destroy them."

"Great, but shouldn't that be an easy war for them? The Claw were exhausted from fighting the Bloody Fang already."

"That's what was supposed to happen, but an internal split occurred. The Skull Gang betrayed the Night Wolves and attacked them."

"Genius."

He didn't comment.

And now all my plans were ruined, as usual. Even so, I didn't feel anything. I mean, up to now, none of my plans ever went as I wanted anyway.

Corvin interrupted my thoughts:

"Where did you get this card?"

He pulled the card from his pocket and held it up before me.

"A friend gave it to me… before he died."

Vensen clenched his teeth at my answer:

"Don't tell me… you killed Iris?"

"Kill her? Man, what kind of scum do you think I am?"

"Then where did you get it?"

"She gave it to me herself."

"You're serious?"

"Do I look like I'm joking?"

A strange mix of sadness and relief crossed his face.

"At least I got to meet you."

"Meet me?"

He gave a faint smile:

"I've been looking for you for years, you know?"

"I know."

He stood up from the floor and brushed the dust off his clothes.

"It's comforting to hear that."

I knew Iris knew Korven she had mentioned him in her notes. And apparently he didn't know about her death.

"Iris is dead already, did you know?"

His features trembled, and his face grew darker.

"I know."

I hadn't expected him to know. According to what Jevan said about the Investigation Bureau, they should have hidden the details of the case by now. But apparently Korven thought she died during the gang wars.

"Do you know how she died?"

He slowly shook his head:

"No, but a few days ago men from the Bureau came and handed me her body along with the body of another man."

"And why in heaven's name would they give her body to you?"

He turned his back to hide his unease and began examining the weapons scattered around the storeroom with his hand. He spoke in a low voice as he wiped dust off the hilt of a short silver sword:

"You don't seem surprised that Bureau men were the ones who gave me the body? But anyway, Iris had no relatives, and the Bloody Fang members were nearly wiped out; there was no one else to receive her."

He turned back to me, his fist clenched around the sword hilt.

"Now tell me, do you know how she died?"

His hand trembled as he aimed the sword at me. I knew I could drop him easily, even if that sword was a system piece, but I didn't.

"Iris died during a fight with someone named Valentine Crow."

The sword slipped from his hand and clattered on the floor.

"I didn't think she would actually try to face him."

"Wait, you knew she would face him? Do you even know who Valentine is?"

"Yes, I know. And I also know who that lunatic is who wiped out the Guardians all by himself."

Wiped out the Guardians by himself? Impossible. There's no way he could have done that in one day, no matter how powerful he was. If he were that strong, Iris wouldn't have beaten him.

"Who did the other body belong to?"

"I don't know, they didn't tell me."

"Describe him to me."

"Black hair, brown eyes. Looked like he was in his early twenties."

I barely managed to keep my composure.

"And what did you do with their bodies?"

"I buried them."

I took a deep breath.

"Then can you tell me where you buried them?"

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