Tangled By Fate

Hngg!

The three of them heard a muffled sound of a woman coming from the dark alley right beside the restaurant.

Veronica, Sebastian, and Merlin halted in their tracks.

"Am I the only one who heard it?" Veronica whispered.

Merlin replied, "I heard it too."

Sebastian sang along, "Me too."

For some reason three of them lowered their voices, afraid that someone would hear them.

"Maybe something happened. Let's check it out!" Veronica tiptoed and marched forward.

"Wait! Mistress–" Merlin tried to stop her but she was already heading toward the dark alley.

Speechless, he turned to Sebastian. His eyes were complaining.

'Is she always like that?'

As if Sebastian could hear his inner voice, he let out a helpless smile. His eyes were in agony.

'See? This is the Mistress I have to protect. Do you feel my pain?'

Merlin could feel his comrade's pain.

'My condolences.'

That evening, the two of them came to a mutual understanding while chatting with eye contact.

Those two helplessly followed her from behind and entered the dark alleyway.

There was no light, not even in the houses. Or, maybe there weren't any windows on that side.

It was as though all the house owners purposely kept it dark. It gave off an ominous feeling.

Chills ran down Veronica's spine. The place looked so creepy that she started to get scared and had goosebumps.

The dark, quiet back alley creeped her out.

When she couldn't see anything despite her efforts, she asked, "Why is there no window in that area?"

Merlin narrated the long story in a summary, "Long before, terrorists controlled the city. When the buildings were constructed, the house owners purposely avoided having windows in some particular areas where the terrorists gathered. But we have no problem now. We have Arthur."

Veronica cocked her head. "Then why didn't the residents have windows with magic? It's possible, right?"

"Yes, it's possible with magic, but even now, when our Master isn't looking, men with dark hearts lurk around," this time Sebastian quenched her thirst.

Veronica found a reason to lecture them. "There is always fear in the darkness. That's why we need lights. No need to create windows if residents don't want to. Attach some streetlights on the walls. It'll be like torches."

Merlin assured her, "I'll bring up the issue in the council meeting."

"Don't forget to add my name. I'm the one who gave you the idea," she reminded him promptly.

Merlin paused, taken back by her words, and then smiled. "Most certainly."

"Since the sightseeing is done, let's go back to the restaurant," Sebastian suggested. "We haven't eaten anything."

Veronica firmly told him, "Food isn't important right now. The girl who was crying. She could be in danger."

Sebastian and Merlin exchanged glances. Even in the dark, their trained eyes could see most of the area. And they knew it wasn't safe.

However, who would dissuade this troublemaker Mistress?

Wasn't she way too lively for her position?

"Mistress, please think about what if we fall into danger?" Sebastian warned her.

'I don't want to go to another trial and then be sent to suicidal missions, all right?'

He would have thrown a tantrum if he could.

Veronica didn't seem worried. She said, "You are a warrior and Merlin is a magician. Can't you defeat a few bad people?"

'Is she challenging us?' Merlin wondered.

He was a proud young man. He could be easily triggered if he was challenged.

"I agree. We can handle some small thugs with our capability. Since someone could be in danger, why don't we check it out?" Merlin calmly said.

"!!!" Sebastian almost choked.

'Is he for real? How could he take the bait so easily?'

With Merlin's support, Veronica's eyes sparkled.

They hardly made any noise as they proceeded. Sebastian and Merlin were more vigilant.

They walked in a formation. Merlin was in front. Veronica was in the middle. Sebastian was behind. Everything seemed silent except for their heartbeats.

Some boxes and barrels were organized in piles in the alley.

Veronica didn't know what was in the boxes but she knew very well what was kept in the barrels. She could smell it quite easily.

Booze!

Her heart was racing and her head was giving her a high alert. She felt that they were going into a serpent's belly, the more steps they took.

A danger was coming!

'I can't back down. What if someone needs help? Just like I did back then?'

She remembered being molested by that drunk man. She never wished something like that to ever happen to any woman.

As they went further, they finally saw a light coming from a building.

'Finally, some light!' Her eyes lit up with hope.

Just when she gained some confidence and walked briskly, Merlin grabbed her arm and pulled her behind the boxes and barrels.

Sebastian also followed them.

Veronica became stiff the moment he grabbed her. Her soul nearly flew away. Before she knew it, she was behind the boxes.

Her racing heart calmed down a bit. She was about to ask why he did that but stopped when she heard footsteps.

'Someone's coming!'

She didn't move a muscle.

Holding their breaths, they patiently waited.

The footsteps came closer and closer and paused.

Thump! Thump! Thump!

Veronica could hear how loudly her heart was beating.

She squeezed her eyes shut and silently prayed, 'Oh Goddess, please don't let anyone hear my heartbeat!'

The person started walking again.

Sebastian carefully peeked and saw who it was.

It was a man with a tall build.

He was wearing a white shirt, brown pants, and boots.

To find out what Sebastian was seeing, curious Merlin and Veronica also stretched their necks.

The alley was a dead end. The man was going closer to the light.

It wasn't the usual stone light people used in Tybu. It was a fire torch just like any other kingdom.

The man moved away a bit and they saw a suspicious gunny sack.

The sack was moving.

"Mmph! Mmph!"

The muffling sounds came from inside it!