"No, ma'am," Rose interrupted, finishing my sentence firmly. "He was murdered. And his daughter is also missing. Just terrible, all at once."

Miss Shio's eyes lifted slowly. There was no gasp, no trembling just a soft blink.

"Oh… my goodness," she murmured, voice calm and oddly measured. "How… unfortunate."

She pressed a hand to her chest in a polite gesture of sympathy, but her eyes were somewhere else glancing around the shop, scanning the shelves, the counter, as if searching for something she suddenly remembered.

"He was such a kind man. Well… most of the time," she added with a sigh. "Who would do something so cruel? And his daughter oh, dear Anna… especially when her mother went missing so long ago…"

"Well, the royal from Manyblood seems to have a strong lead," I said.

At that, Miss Shio's brows rose with genuine intrigue. "Really? And who does he suspect?"

"For now," Rose replied, "the number one suspect is the town's butcher."

Her tone made it clear even she didn't fully believe it, but it was what Greyjoy implied.

Miss Shio's hand froze in the middle of wiping her counter.

"Farda?" she echoed, voice sharp with disbelief. "No, no, he couldn't be. He's a kindhearted man… What makes him think that?"

Rose opened her mouth, but no explanation came.

So I stepped in. "Because of how Mr. Arcsaw was found. His heart was removed and placed on his hands. Truly horrific."

Miss Shio didn't gasp. She didn't even look disturbed.

Instead, she narrowed her eyes thoughtfully.

"I see… The amount of tools and skill required would mean…"

Her voice drifted, as though calculating.

"Yes," I said. "Exactly that."

Then a thought struck me I nudged Rose. "Remember that man we ran into last night?"

Rose blinked, trying to recall. "The man who wanted to return Anna's locket?"

Miss Shio leaned in immediately, her interest razor-sharp.

"This man," she said, "did you happen to see his face?"

"No… not really," I admitted.

A flicker of irritation crossed her expression quickly.

"Hm." She straightened. "I have a feeling that's the killer," she said firmly. "You must tell Greyjoy."

Rose hesitated. "He did look strange… and he had minor injuries on his arm."

Miss Shio's voice grew more confident.

"In fact, I'm even more convinced he's the killer. Being the last person you all saw was heading there You should report it immediately. Arcsaw did bear the non-believer sign someone like that strange man might have targeted him for it."

As she spoke, she ducked beneath the counter, rummaging through drawers with speed and purpose, as though searching for something important she'd misplaced.

Rose cleared her throat. "We'll definitely send the message to Greyjoy. But for now… could you get us the items on this list?"

Miss Shio straightened, took the list, and scanned it with a long hum.

"Hm… I see. Let me check what I have in the back."

She disappeared into the storage room. Merhh, the goat, rubbed affectionately against Rose's legs, breaking the tension for a moment.

Rose let out a shaky breath. "How did we just… allow the killer to walk past us? It's our fault."

"Let's not think like that," I said gently. "It's only suspicion. Nothing's confirmed yet."

But deep down, I wasn't sure anymore. And what had Miss Shio been looking for behind the shelves while we were talking?

Miss Shio returned from the back carrying the items on our list neatly arranged in a small woven basket.

The way she handled them caught my eye precise, steady, practiced. She used a small pruning knife to trim a root before placing it in the basket, and the blade moved with unnerving accuracy, slicing through fibrous stem as if it were paper.

Her hands didn't tremble.

Not once.

Not even after hearing about a man whose heart was removed.

"Here you go," she said warmly. "Everything you need."

Before we could respond, the bell above the door chimed.

And everything I had been thinking flew straight out the window because the moment I turned, my life flashed before my eyes. Rose's did too; I could feel her grip tighten on my sleeve.

There he was.

The tall, cloaked man the one we'd suspected the killer.

He stepped toward the counter. "Afternoon," he said, voice rough and low. Rose drew closer, her heartbeat hammering .

Miss Shio, strangely, was calm. "Hello there," she greeted him with a soft smile. "What brings you to my store today, good sir?"

He placed his hands on the counter more wounds, more blood stains. "I hear you sell herbs. The whole town sings your praises. Got anything for cuts?" He turned his palms upward. They were the roughest hands I had ever seen, skin like worn leather almost like an elephant's hide.

The atmosphere shifted. Heavy. Suffocating.

If he really was the killer… we were done.

My body locked in place. Rose was no better frozen, breath shallow.

And Miss Shio?

She didn't flinch.

The man slowly turned…and his eyes landed on us.

"Oh. Didn't see you there." He frowned lightly. "Hmm. You two look familiar. I can't seem to remember from where. It's killing me I'm terrible with faces." One of his hands disappeared inside his cloak.

My voice died in my throat. His presence was suffocating and draining every bit of reason I had. Pure fear.

"Don't mind them," Miss Shio chuckled lightly. "They're just customers."

"Is that so…" he muttered.

Miss Shio's tone sharpened just slightly. "You two may go. Remember what we discussed how to use the herbs, and who to deliver the information to."

"Y-yes… you're right," Rose stammered. "Come on, Astraga, let's go."

We tried to move tried to walk out and get to Greyjoy as fast as possible but then his voice rumbled behind us, deep, wild, and unmistakably dangerous.

"You two… stay."

We froze.

"Let me see that basket," he said. "There's something I want to check real quick."

Check? Check what?

They were just herbs for tea.

He stepped closer. And it was as if Rose fell under some kind of hypnosis she lifted the basket toward him without thinking. Being the shortest among them, all I could see now was his knee… towering… looming.

He chuckled. "I thought you were taking her famous energy herbs. I heard they're in pretty limited supply. Was afraid you'd grab the last one." His smile didn't reach his eyes. "Didn't want to miss out on the most praised herb in town. They say it gives so much energy, it's almost like all your problems just… disappear. Isn't that right?"

Miss Shio chuckled lightly. "You could say that. It's a family recipe of mine."

Merhh even the goat shuffled nervously behind her.

The man moved closer to Miss Shio now, and Rose immediately stepped in front of me protectively.

He reached for his hood.

And slowly pulled it back.

A rough, unkempt head of spiky black hair came into view. His left eye was hidden behind an eyepatch; the right eye was sharp, calculating. He looked like someone in his early forties worn by life, carved by hardship, with a presence that made the room shrink.

He walked toward the counter again.

This was our chance to leave.

Move. Move!

But my legs refused.

Damn it. I couldn't even free myself from fear. My heart hammered uncontrollably.

He wasn't even confirmed to be the killer but my body didn't care.

Every instinct screamed danger.

And what move was I even going to use? I hadn't mastered Khetemu (KHETEMU OF REVELATION).

I couldn't summon any of the knights, couldn't cast anything meaningful with my web of a chain. My mentality… was totally weak. Even with all the gifts I'd been given, I couldn't build the courage to fight this man.

If only Morad were here… damn it.

Then, out of nowhere, Rose spoke.

"What ever happened to the girl you wanted to give the locket to?"

The question stopped him.

He turned to face her fully, not even acknowledging us anymore. For the first time, he gave someone his complete attention.

"Oh, that girl?" His voice softened strangely. "How do you know about that…? Ah. I see. You must be the ones who directed me yesterday." He sighed. "Well… unfortunately, I was too late."

His hand disappeared into his cloak again but this time he pulled out the locket.

The same one.

Rose's eyes glowed white. She had shaken off her fear completely.

But me?

No.

My body, my mind neither were as strong as I thought.

Wind gathered around Rose's arms.

"What did you do to that family?" she demanded.

Miss Shio still wore her mild, pleasant smile. "Rose… calm down, okay? Everything is going to be fine."

The man laughed.

but this time, there was hurt behind it. Something old. Something festering.

"No. Nothing has been fine in this town since…"

He turned fully toward Miss Shio, his voice lowering into something cold and personal.

"since you showed up."

Miss Shio blinked, tilting her head. Her smile stayed perfectly polite.

"Whatever do you mean? I don't quite understand."

He chuckled again, but the sound was brittle, like cracking bone.

"Oh, what am I saying? Forgive me."

His tone shifted into a mockery of professionalism.

"Allow me to introduce myself properly… on behalf of my client, Mr. Arcsaw Silver."

My stomach dropped.

"as a condottieri," he continued, "I finish the jobs I'm paid for. And I was paid to deal with the people behind the disappearances in this town."

[Mercenaries—elite ones. Men and women who sell their skill to the highest bidder, not bound to any kingdom, just to contracts. Father always said a good condottieri can take down an entire squad of trained mages.]

His eye narrowed, and he raised one finger.

"Two dead."

Another finger.

And then he pointed directly at Miss Shio.

"One more to go."

His voice lowered into a deadly whisper.

"Miss Shio… are you ready to die?"

Next chapter will be updated first on this website. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone!

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.