Chapter 114: Same Print
We continued walking toward the tavern while the first signs of rain began dotting the dirt road.
Ahead of us, a carriage rolled past slowly, its wheels crunching through the mud while the horses snorted heavily in the cold air. I watched it disappear farther down the road, my thoughts immediately turning darker.
"Hmm..."
Ken looked up. "Man, it’s raining."
"It’s gonna get worse. Look at the clouds."
"Let’s pray Martyn doesn’t screw us over like that."
Martyn.
Before I could ask who he meant, I remembered.
The God of Trickery.
Right.
I was actually starting to memorize the gods of this world now. Little by little, I was adapting to this life whether I wanted to or not. Still, every now and then, I found myself missing Earth badly. I missed a world where shadows didn’t hide monsters, where teleportation and murder rituals didn’t exist, and where walking outside at night didn’t make me wonder if something would jump at my throat from the darkness.
We walked toward the tavern while the wind rustled through the trees nearby. Ken reached the entrance first and pushed the wooden door open with his shoulder.
Warm air immediately hit my face.
Honestly, I had only been inside one tavern before, so I didn’t exactly have much to compare this place to, but this one looked much smaller than the other. There were only four wooden tables scattered around the room, each lit by small candle lanterns hanging above them. Eight stools lined the counter, though only two were occupied by tired-looking men quietly drinking from clay mugs.
Behind the counter, an elderly woman slowly wiped a beer glass with a cloth.
The tavern smelled like wet wood, stew, and cheap alcohol.
On the right wall, two small room doors stood open. Both rooms looked nearly identical. A single narrow bed rested against the wall beside a tiny window, while a wooden chest sat at the foot of each bed. They looked more like places desperate travelers rented for a night rather than proper rooms.
"Welcome, boys," the old woman greeted warmly. "What can I get two students this late?"
Ken cleared his throat awkwardly. "Actually, ma’am, we’re just here to ask some questions."
We approached the counter.
"A few days ago," I began carefully, "a student named Jelda was murdered. Have you heard about it?"
The old woman’s expression immediately darkened.
"Yes," she said quietly. "How could I not? May Orenthis welcome her with open arms."
"Yeah." I nodded slowly. "We think she might’ve been somewhere around this area before she died. Do you remember seeing her?"
The woman placed a finger under her chin while thinking.
"No," she finally answered. "And honestly, I can’t remember the last time a young woman entered this tavern."
"Did you notice anyone suspicious lately?" I asked. "Someone nervous, maybe. Or acting strange?"
The old woman narrowed her eyes slightly. "You boys royal guards or something?"
"Yes," I lied smoothly. "From Captain Sora’s investigation team."
"Huh." She snorted softly. "Don’t know who Captain Sora is, but alright. You city folk always have some captain or commander running around."
"Oi!" Ken suddenly shouted.
Both the old woman and I turned toward him.
Ken was staring out the tavern window.
"Stop!" he yelled.
"What happened?" I asked sharply.
"Someone was peeking through the window!" Ken shouted while backing toward the door. "The second he saw us, he ran!"
"Shit."
I shoved myself away from the counter and sprinted after Ken outside.
The cold wind immediately hit my face again.
To the left of the tavern stretched a dense forest filled with thick trees and knee-high grass swaying violently in the wind. Just ahead, I caught sight of a hooded figure slipping between the trees, moving fast.
I raised my hand and cast Shadow Leap.
Black smoke surged around my body before the world blurred around me. I reappeared several meters ahead, my boots slamming hard into the muddy ground as I regained balance and pushed forward again.
The hooded figure glanced back only once before sprinting deeper into the forest.
"Stop!" I shouted while chasing after him. "You bastard, stop!"
Branches whipped against my face as I ran through the trees. Wet dirt splashed beneath my boots while the uneven ground constantly threatened to throw me off balance. The rain had not fully started yet, but the air already smelled heavy with it.
The man was fast. Faster than I expected.
I kept my eyes locked onto the dark hood moving between the trees while forcing myself to keep pace. Every time I thought I was gaining on him, he somehow managed to widen the distance again.
Then he stumbled slightly on a root.
It was brief, but enough.
I lunged forward and reached for his cloak.
A burst of orange light suddenly erupted from his hand.
"Shit!"
The fireball shot backward straight toward my face. I twisted away at the last second, but the heat still grazed my shoulder before the spell slammed into a nearby tree, exploding bark everywhere.
The hooded man used that moment to gain distance again.
I clicked my tongue and cast Shadow Leap a second time.
Black smoke wrapped around me as I launched forward through the forest. This time I aimed farther ahead, trying to cut him off instead of chasing directly behind him.
I appeared beside a thick tree trunk just as the hooded man rushed past it. The moment I materialized, I swung toward him and nearly caught the edge of his hood.
Then he suddenly ducked and drove his elbow into my ribs.
Pain shot through my side hard enough to force the air from my lungs.
Before I could recover, the man thrust his hand toward the ground.
Dark roots burst violently from the soil and wrapped around my ankle. The sudden pull threw me forward and I crashed hard into the mud, sliding several feet down a wet slope.
"You motherfucker..."
I tore my leg free and forced myself back up immediately.
The hooded figure was already farther ahead now, weaving between the trees while the distance between us kept growing.
Rain finally began pouring from the sky.
Within seconds, the forest became darker and harder to see through. Water dripped from every branch while mud sucked at my boots with each step.
Still, I kept running.
The hooded man vaulted over a fallen tree ahead of me.
I followed after him, but the second my foot landed on the wet log, it slipped sideways. My body twisted violently before I crashed shoulder-first into the ground and rolled down another muddy incline.
"Ah, fuck..."
Pain throbbed through my shoulder while I scrambled back onto my feet. By the time I looked ahead again, the hooded figure had become little more than a shadow moving between the rain and trees. Then, not even a second later... he disappeared from sight.
I staggered forward and looked around, trying to listen through the sound of the rain. But the forest had already swallowed him whole. The muddy ground was too ruined to track properly, the trees blocked most visibility, and every sound around me blended together beneath the storm.
"Fuck..." I muttered bitterly.
A few seconds later, branches rustled behind me.
"Oh, fuck," Ken panted as he stumbled to my side, completely out of breath. "Did we... did he... escape? Oh, come on... crap..."
"Yeah," I said while staring deeper into the forest. "He’s gone."
But not all was lost. I quickly dropped to my knees and examined the ground. The bootprint. The fucking bootprint. It was the same. It matched one of the prints from the crime scene. That guy had to be one of them.
"Look at it," I panted, trying to catch my breath. "Same print..."
"From the crime scene?"
I nodded and licked my dry lips. "Fuck, I’m parched."
Ken shook his head with a faint smile, breathing heavily himself. "Well, as it happens, I know a tavern nearby."
ꨄ︎ꨄ︎ꨄ︎
The door to the room opened and the old woman stepped inside. She adjusted her glasses before handing me my school uniform, neatly folded in her arms.
"Thank you, ma’am," I said while taking the clothes from her.
"No worries, kid."
I unfolded the uniform and checked it over carefully. Thankfully, it had only gotten covered in mud this time instead of being ripped apart like usual. Apparently the old woman knew some sort of cleaning spell, because the clothes looked almost brand new again.
Honestly, if the system ever offered me that spell, I would gladly take it.
At the moment, I was sitting inside one of the small rented rooms wearing nothing except my underwear. Thank god the tavern owner was an old woman and not a girl around my age, because that would have been humiliating.
I quickly dressed and stepped outside the room.
Ken was already standing near the counter, speaking with the tavern owner. The place had gotten slightly busier while I changed. Four men now occupied one of the tables in the corner while another pair sat quietly near the wall, drinking from clay mugs and minding their own business.
