Chapter 378: People in shadows

The streets were filled with merchants shouting about their goods, adventurers carrying weapons and monster materials, and ordinary citizens moving from one stall to another. Colorful banners hung between the buildings, fluttering gently in the morning breeze.

To anyone watching them, the group looked like ordinary travelers enjoying the local market.

That was exactly what they wanted people to think.

In reality, they were not particularly interested in shopping. They were gathering information.

They had decided to split their attention between sightseeing and quietly listening to conversations. They visited different stalls, pretended to be interested in various products, and occasionally asked merchants simple questions.

Of course, that also meant they ended up hearing quite a lot of things.

And Emily had apparently become interested in a different subject.

"W-What do you think of Eman?"

Emily suddenly asked the question as they walked through the crowded market.

Hearing her question, Eline slowed her steps.

"Hm..."

She placed a finger against her chin and looked upward, pretending to think seriously. Emily watched her expectantly. Eline knew exactly what Emily was asking.

Unfortunately, she also knew that Emily was not simply asking whether Eman was handsome.

If that had been the question, Eline would have answered immediately. Eman was undeniably good-looking. There was something unusual about his appearance. It was not merely his face. It was the way he carried himself, the calm expression he almost always wore, and the confidence in his movements.

However, knowing Emily, appearance was probably the least important thing on her mind.

"I think the way he carries himself is rather mature for his age," Eline finally said. "He also seems very tolerant, especially when dealing with Princess Liya."

Emily nodded but it felt like she was expecting another answer.

"..."

Princess Liya was energetic, stubborn, and sometimes impossible to deal with. Yet Eman rarely lost his temper with her.

Rolando crossed his arms.

"Maybe he’s used to dealing with troublesome people."

Eline stared at him.

"Are you saying Princess Liya is troublesome?"

"I didn’t say that," Rolando quickly replied and immediately looked away.

"What about you, Rolando? What do you think of Eman?" Eline passed the question.

Rolando became quiet. He rubbed his chin while thinking.

"For me..." He paused. "Hm..." He thought for several seconds. "I think he’s strong."

Eline blinked.

"That’s all?"

"What else is there?"

"You could say something about his personality."

Rolando looked genuinely confused.

"His personality?"

"Yes."

"Hm..."

He thought even harder.

"He’s strong."

Eline’s expression became blank.

"That isn’t what I meant."

"He’s really strong."

"I know!"

Rolando shrugged.

"I want to spar against him if I get the chance."

There was a faint excitement in his eyes.

Eline sighed. She touched her forehead.

"Do all men only care about who is stronger?"

Rolando looked offended.

"Strength is important."

"Of course it is, idiot."

"If someone is strong, I want to know how strong they are. If they’re stronger than me, I want to know how much stronger they are."

"That sounds like you only care about fighting."

"I also care about food."

Emily finally chuckled.

"You really are simple, Rolando."

"Is that supposed to be an insult?"

"No."

Eline shook her head. She had already given up trying to understand him. After a moment, she looked toward Emily.

"How about you?"

Emily stiffened.

"Me?"

"Yes. You asked the question first, so I’m curious. What do you think of Eman?"

Emily suddenly became nervous.

"I..."

She glanced around.

The market was still noisy, and nobody appeared to be paying attention to them.

Still, she lowered her voice.

"I think he’s suspicious."

Eline’s eyebrows rose.

Rolando stopped walking.

"Suspicious?"

Emily immediately waved her hands.

"Uh, I mean..."

She looked embarrassed.

"I don’t mean that he’s a bad person!"

"Relax, Emily," Eline said gently. "You can say what you think."

Emily hesitated.

"I just feel like there’s something strange about him."

Rolando chuckled.

"Everyone is strange."

Emily gave him a look.

"N-Not everyone is like that."

Rolando shrugged.

"I’m just saying."

Eline sighed.

"Don’t worry, Emily. We won’t sell you out even if Eman hangs me upside down."

Rolando immediately raised a hand.

"Me too. I promise."

Emily stared at both of them. Then she took a deep breath.

"Okay."

She gathered her thoughts.

"I.. I can’t explain it properly. It’s just..."

She looked toward the distant end of the street.

"Eman doesn’t feel like the other people we’ve met in this world."

Eline’s smile disappeared.

"What do you mean?"

"I’m not sure."

Emily frowned.

"Sometimes, when he looks at us, it feels like he’s looking at someone he already knows."

Rolando’s brows knitted together.

"I don’t understand."

"Neither do I."

Emily lowered her voice further.

"It’s almost like..." She struggled to find the right words. "Like he’s remembering something."

Eline remained silent. For some reason, Emily’s words resonated with her. She had felt the same thing.

Whenever Eman looked at them, there was occasionally a strange familiarity in his eyes. It was subtle enough that she had initially dismissed it.

Perhaps she had imagined it. But now that Emily had mentioned it, Eline realized that she had noticed the same thing.

"Hm..."

Eline slowly nodded.

"I see."

Emily looked at her.

"So you noticed it too?"

"You’re right."

Eline’s voice became more serious.

"Eman does seem different from the other people we’ve met in this world."

Rolando scratched his head.

"I still don’t understand."

Eline continued.

"The way he looks at us sometimes feels different. It’s almost as if he’s not looking at people he has just met."

She paused.

"It feels as though he’s looking at people he has known for a very long time."

Emily’s eyes widened.

"T-That’s exactly what I meant!"

Her voice became louder than intended. Several nearby merchants briefly glanced at them. Emily immediately covered her mouth.

"Uh... sorry."

Eline smiled.

"Don’t worry."

Rolando, however, remained confused. He looked at them for a moment before shrugging.

"Well, whatever."

He placed his hands behind his head.

"I’ll worry about it after I beat him in spar."

Eline and Emily exchanged helpless glances.

There was no point trying to explain anything to him. For Rolando, the world was considerably simpler. If someone was strong, he wanted to fight them. If someone was stronger than him, he wanted to become stronger. On Earth, he kept on training and training until he got the result he wanted.

That was basically his philosophy. The three continued walking through the market. None of them noticed the man standing near a fruit stall several dozen meters away. The man appeared to be an ordinary merchant.

But his eyes followed them carefully. After a few seconds, he turned his head slightly and gave a barely noticeable signal to another person hiding among the crowd.

The stranger nodded. Then he disappeared. None of the three noticed.

Elsewhere...

"Achoo!"

Eman suddenly rubbed his nose. His eyebrows furrowed.

"Achoo!"

He sneezed again.

Mina immediately looked concerned.

"Eman, are you okay?"

"Achoo!"

Another sneeze.

Eman wiped his nose and frowned.

"I don’t know."

Princess Liya stared at him.

"Big Bro, why did you suddenly catch a fever?"

"I don’t have a fever, Noisy Princess."

Princess Liya’s cheeks puffed up.

"Then why are you sneezing?"

"That I don’t know."

Eman briefly activated his vision. Information appeared before his eyes. His body was perfectly healthy.

No fever nor infection. Nothing unusual. That made the situation even stranger. Eman deactivated his vision.

"There’s nothing wrong with me."

Mina nodded.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes. Don’t worry about me. I’m fine."

Mina gave him a reluctant nod.

"Okay."

Princess Liya crossed her arms.

"Maybe someone is talking about you."

Eman glanced at her.

"That’s an old superstition."

"It might be true."

"Whatever."

Achoo!

Princess Liya giggled.

"See?"

Eman sighed.

"Let’s just continue."

They walked through another street before finally stopping.

Eman looked ahead.

"Wait."

The others stopped.

"We’re here."

Standing before them was a large two-story building made of gray stone. Compared to the surrounding shops, it was considerably more imposing. Several adventurers were entering and leaving through the wide wooden doors.

Some carried swords, others wore leather armor. A few had monster parts hanging from their belts.

Above the entrance was a large wooden sign.

ADVENTURERS GUILD

The letters had been painted in bold black ink.

Mina looked up at the building.

"So this is the Adventurers Guild?"

"Yes."

Eman nodded.

It was also his first time adventurers’ guilds guild. Most of the time, it was either Thief, Assassin, Guardian, or Mercenary Guilds.

The group entered the building. The moment they stepped inside, they were greeted by the noisy atmosphere of the guild. Several tables occupied the main hall. Adventurers sat around them, eating, drinking, discussing quests, or comparing monster materials.

A large board covered one wall. Numerous papers were pinned onto it.

Eman glanced over them briefly before they approached the counter.

"Excuse me."

The receptionist smiled professionally.

"How may I help you?"

...

Outside the guild, a man quietly stepped into a narrow alley. He looked around before speaking.

"They’ve entered the Adventurers Guild."

A second figure emerged from the shadows.

"So they are the visitors?"

"Yes."

"They look so young."

"They may be academy students who are out touring the city."

The second figure smiled.

"If they are from noble families, they could make excellent sacrifices."

"Absolutely."

The first man lowered his voice.

"Did you identify them?"

"Not yet."

"Then find out."

"Yes, my lord."

The man’s smile widened.

"Tell the others to prepare the ritual."

His eyes gleamed with anticipation.

"Tonight, we’ll have a feast."

"Hehehe..."

The subordinate bowed.

"Yes, my lord."

The figure disappeared into the shadow.