Leeward stood before the old water-bearer, then strode coldly toward the exchange counter.
"It's been a long time since I last saw you in my shop, Leeward..."
the old man whispered, smiling.
"Yes, old Zane... a long time indeed."
Leeward replied, but he wasn't quite there; he was still lost in thought.
Someone like Leeward, when faced with a problem, couldn't clear his mind until he'd found a solution, and that was exactly what was happening to him.
"Is O'Verd all right? It's been a while since I last saw him."
Curiosity filled old Zane's heart, so he asked his question directly before getting to the point.
Overd is dead."
The words were shocking, especially since Leeward's tone was icy cold.
Zane felt as if his whole being had suddenly shaken at the sound. Thoughts jumbled in his head, and though he couldn't believe it, deep down he accepted it.
"When?... I've never heard of it."
Killed yesterday by an unknown assailant, and at the worst possible time.
Killed after I made a deal with him to take my freedom and pay off the rest of my debt in installments...
Leeward looked pale; he didn't want to talk about it at all.
"I never expected this... Overd was a good person.
I studied with him since childhood...
Why would anyone kill him? By his reputation, he never hurt anyone, and he was well-regarded in the village."
Zane felt completely unexpected and remembered the last time he'd seen Overd's face, just a few weeks ago.
It had been a fleeting moment... and now, Overd was dead under mysterious circumstances, killed by an unknown assailant.
"I don't want to go into boring details, but Overd wanted to set up the Danic Arena, start making money and competing in this business.
And I think you know who owns the first Danic Arena in this village... It's Haygi, of the Rivell Monoth clan, not Kantim Monoth.
Everyone knows about the conflict between them, which has been going on for decades...
And as you know, anyone who achieves great success in life will attract many envious eyes, even if they show kindness when they meet them."
Leeward had concluded that the killer, or the one responsible for Overd's death, might be Haygi Rivell Monoth.
Just after Overd had started working on the Danic Arena.
Murder...
And that leads only to one person who doesn't want a rival in this field.
The field of Danic sport... and that's Haigi.
"That makes a bit of sense... but I don't think so.
Haigi, despite his influence, is a coward, and would never dare to kill someone himself.
And maybe he hired someone to do it...
Even then, he's afraid of being exposed, losing his fortune, and going to prison.
He's a damn coward who wouldn't do such a thing.
"Well... that makes some sense.
Right now, all I want from you is...
Leeward pulled out the spirit stone he possessed and placed it on the table.
Convert it into a Spirit Elixir, and also prepare three more Rank 1 Elixirs for me.
I'll return this evening to collect them and pay the amount.
He spoke seriously, confident in his ability to raise the necessary funds from fighting in the Danic Arena.
Old Zane took the stone and examined it in his hand.
"It's Rank 2... Do you really think you can refine it?
It might only harm your Spirit."
"I'm already on the verge of a Solid Warrior Rank.
There isn't much left to break through, and I'll postpone that until the end.
If I can break through with three more Elixirs, that would be fine.
And I'll only refine this as a boost to increase my strength."
Leeward knew the risks well... but he ignored them.
His focus now was entirely on moving to Rank 2.
That would increase his ability to protect himself in this matter, and in case of any emergency
So... I remember you've been stuck in the Transition Layer for three years, and now you're determined to break through? Well, I'll prepare four elixirs for you."
Old Zane chuckled a little at Leeward's predicament.
For three years, Leeward had been stuck in the very last tier of Rank 1, due to a lack of resources and insufficient time for spiritual refinement.
Leeward wasn't bothered by Zane's laughter, but replied coolly,
"Well, that has its advantages too.
My combat skills have reached their peak.
I'm not weak, nor am I reckless in attack.
I've also become adept at using the Spiritual Domain, I've awakened my Stenema, and refined my own technique."
He didn't like being underestimated.
"Oh, really... you take this seriously? Hahaha, your ego still seems to be getting the better of you."
Old Zane burst out laughing even more.
"Well, anyway... I'll leave."
Leeward didn't seem to react.
He turned and left the shop quickly, closing the door behind him, the bell ringing.
Leeward walked down a dark corridor, heading straight for the Danic Mertak Arena.
He had already taken the first step toward advancing his strength level.
The second step was earning money by fighting in the arena.
He quickened his pace, and after exiting a side corridor, he arrived at a market located on a main street.
A noisy atmosphere, the smells of food filling the air, and people everywhere; all of this made his mind a mess....
But only one thing stuck in his head.
"Maybe" the Char clan hasn't figured it out yet.
I judged that person from the Char clan too quickly... He could just be a village passerby.
There's no other motive for him than that he bought that spiritual tool..."
He began to think about it as he walked.
Until suddenly he felt that someone was following him.
It was never a fleeting feeling;
He could clearly feel that someone was secretly following him.
Leeward believed in one thing
His intuition was never wrong.
And that made him always cautious, planning every step he took.
"There's someone behind me...
Could it be the same person from Clan Charmen? Or someone else?
And if it was Clan Charmen, why was he following me? What reason could he have for doing so?
I hadn't shown him any strange reaction, nor had I given any indication that I was the one who had taken the fortune.
Everything I had done was meticulously calculated...
And if he was following me, then my first assumption was completely wrong.
Clan Charmen had already come to investigate the theft
The wealth, and not only that...
But also the massacre of all those guards and soldiers around the chariot that carried the wealth...
He continued to advance among the people like a shadow stealthily creeping along.
At the same time, he was trying hard to act naturally, not to show any reaction that might increase suspicions about him.
A serious look appeared on his face.
This was the first time he had ever been in such a huge predicament.
All his life, Leeward had lived as a slave and a criminal, accused of murder several times, but always getting away with it because there was no clear evidence.
This had given him a fair amount of experience in dealing with such problems.
At the moment, he wasn't worried about the Owerd affair or being suspected in it;
His real worry was the Charmin clan.
They were no ordinary clan, but a clan that ruled the entire Dragon Empire,
And a small individual like himself would be powerless against them.
He turned his gaze to his feet
and saw the dried blood clinging between his toes.
He cursed himself inwardly.
"How could I have made such a fatal mistake...
This is enough to condemn me, or at least make suspicions fall upon me.
And perhaps my footprints are still visible in the pool of blood near the wagon..."
At that moment, Leeward felt he was in the worst possible situation.
He turned around quickly and glanced
around and saw a guard following him...
One of the same guards who had been in the stable.
At first, he thought this was the guard who had been following him,
and he wasn't wrong;
For that guard, just after Leeward had come out of
At that moment, Leeward felt he was in the worst possible situation.
He turned around quickly and glanced
around. He saw a guard following him...
One of the same guards who had been in the barn.
At first, he thought this was the one who had been following him,
and he wasn't wrong;
for that guard, immediately after Leeward left the farm, had been assigned to follow him.
But Leeward had a different opinion.
"The feeling I had of the person following me...
wasn't the feeling of a weak guard behind me.
There was someone else around, hiding and following me without me being able to see him..."