Chapter 621: Spying

Amon sat quietly behind the enormous tree, his gaze fixed on the small wooden house across the road.

The girl had entered the house some time ago, but neither he nor Arnold had left their hiding place.

A little while later, the door opened again.

This time, a woman appeared.

She seemed to be in her mid-thirties, with dirt-blonde hair, a few freckles scattered across her cheeks, and facial features remarkably similar to the girl’s. However, unlike her daughter, whose expression had been tense and nervous throughout the day, the woman wore a tired yet gentle expression.

There was something about her appearance that suggested she wasn’t in good health. Her movements were slow, and even standing at the doorway seemed to require some effort.

She welcomed her daughter inside before closing the door.

Amon watched the entire exchange with a thoughtful expression. ’So her mother really does seem to be in poor health.’

He leaned back against the tree and let out a long sigh. "How much longer are we going to do this?"

"A little longer," Arnold replied without taking his eyes off the house.

Amon sighed again. ’Seriously, what are we even doing here?’

They had spent a considerable amount of time observing the girl and her mother, but so far, nothing particularly suspicious had happened.

The two women appeared to be ordinary villagers living a modest life. There were no strange visitors, no suspicious activities, and no unusual movements around the house.

However, there was one thing Amon couldn’t stop thinking about.

The girl, throughout the day, she had appeared nervous about almost everything around her.

Even when they followed her through the village and watched her purchase a few things from the local shops, she had seemed uncomfortable. She constantly glanced around, as though she expected something terrible to happen at any moment.

It wasn’t the behavior of someone who was merely shy or uncomfortable around strangers.

She looked genuinely afraid. ’What’s making her so nervous?’

Amon rubbed his chin thoughtfully. ’Is she afraid of someone? Or is there something else going on?’

He glanced toward the house again, but nothing had changed. After a while, Arnold finally spoke.

"All right. I think we’ve watched them long enough. Let’s go."

Amon immediately straightened up.

"Finally!"

He got to his feet, brushing the dust from his clothes before following Arnold away from the tree. The two made their way back toward the main road, leaving the little wooden house behind.

After walking for a while, Amon glanced at his companion. "So, did you notice anything strange?"

Arnold remained silent for several seconds, seemingly lost in thought.

Then he nodded. "Yes, I did."

Amon raised an eyebrow.

"Oh?"

"The girl seemed frightened."

Amon’s eyes widened slightly. "You noticed that too?"

"Of course." Arnold glanced at him. "She kept looking around as though she were afraid someone might suddenly appear and do something to her."

"Exactly!" Amon exclaimed.

He snapped his fingers. "That’s what I was thinking! It’s like she’s afraid of everything around her. Almost as though danger could come at her from any direction."

Arnold rubbed his chin. "But why?"

"Who knows?" Amon shrugged, though his expression quickly became thoughtful again.

"Maybe... she’s somehow related to the witch."

Arnold frowned. "What do you mean?"

"What if she’s the witch?"

"She’s only fifteen or sixteen years old."

"Yeah, I know." Amon waved his hand dismissively. "I’m not saying she’s definitely the witch. But what if she’s connected to the whole thing somehow?"

Arnold fell silent.

Amon continued, "Actually, there’s another possibility."

"What?"

"What if it’s her mother?"

Arnold looked at him. "The mother?"

"Yeah. Think about it. We barely know anything about either of them. The girl might be afraid because she knows something, or perhaps her mother is hiding something from everyone."

Arnold considered the idea for a moment before shaking his head slightly. "Her mother seemed perfectly ordinary to me. She looked like someone who was simply struggling with poor health."

"True..." Amon scratched his cheek. "Well, we can’t rule anything out yet."

They continued walking toward the inn. After a moment, Amon turned toward Arnold again.

"How about I check on them tonight?"

Arnold glanced at him. "You mean sneaking into their house?"

"Not necessarily inside. I’ll observe the place and see if anything unusual happens."

Amon grinned. "You know how good I am at sneaking around. My shadow can conceal the sounds of my movements, so as long as I’m careful, they shouldn’t notice me."

Arnold thought about it briefly before nodding. "All right. Do that tonight. We need to find some clues, and this is the only lead we have for now."

"Got it, bro!"

Amon gave him a thumbs-up.

With that settled, the two returned to the inn.

They climbed the stairs and entered the room they had rented, finally getting a chance to rest after spending much of the day investigating the village.

As soon as they entered, Amon casually threw himself onto his bed.

Then he reached into his belongings and took out a communication crystal. A familiar figure soon appeared within its glowing surface.

It was Scarlett. Her beautiful red hair framed her face, while her amethyst eyes looked at him with their usual calmness. It was a new device given by Scarlett to him.

"So, have you made any progress on whatever mission you’re doing?" Her tone was casual, as though she were asking about his day.

Amon smiled. "Well, we’ve made a little progress. But don’t worry, everything’s going smoothly."

"Hmm."

Scarlett studied his face for a moment. "You always seem to end up in places where something terrible is about to happen."

Amon chuckled. "Is that so?"

"Yes. And knowing you, you’ll probably throw yourself into danger the moment you discover someone needs help."

She narrowed her eyes slightly. "So listen carefully, Amon. If things become dangerous, run away. Don’t try to play the hero and save everyone you meet. That’s an order."

Amon placed a hand over his chest, pretending to be deeply moved. "Of course, my dear. It warms my heart to see you worrying so much about me."

Scarlett gave him a flat look. "If I don’t worry about you, who will?" She paused briefly before adding, "Oh, right. Seraphina will probably be worrying about you too. Make sure you call her later."

Amon’s smile widened. "Yes, yes. I was going to call her anyway."

"Good."

Scarlett’s expression softened slightly. "And make sure you stay safe."

"Of course. You don’t need to worry about me."

"That’s exactly what worries me." Amon laughed.

Meanwhile, Arnold sat on the other bed, watching his companion’s affectionate conversation with an increasingly tired expression.

He had to listen to Amon speak in that sweet, almost sickeningly affectionate tone whenever he talked to one of his lovers.

And judging by the way Amon was smiling at the communication crystal, this conversation wasn’t going to end anytime soon.

Arnold sighed and stood up. "I’m going out for a walk."

Amon barely glanced at him. He simply raised one hand and waved dismissively, his attention still fixed on Scarlett.

"Mm-hmm. Have fun, bro!"

Arnold stared at him for a moment. ’Unbelievable.’

Shaking his head, he walked toward the door and left the room.

Amon, meanwhile, continued chatting happily with Scarlett, apparently having forgotten all about their investigation for the time being.

After talking with Scarlett for a while longer, Amon finally ended the call.

He had barely put away the communication crystal when another familiar face came to mind.

Seraphina.

He couldn’t possibly forget to contact his other lover, especially when Scarlett had explicitly reminded him to do so.

With a smile, he activated the communication crystal once more and contacted Seraphina.

The moment her beautiful golden-blonde hair and golden eyes appeared within the crystal’s glowing surface, Amon’s expression softened.

Their conversation lasted far longer than he had initially intended.

They talked about all sorts of things, from their recent activities at the academy to the little details of their daily lives. Seraphina also asked about his current situation, though Amon carefully avoided revealing anything that might worry her unnecessarily.

Eventually, after exchanging a few more affectionate words, they reluctantly ended the call.

Amon put away the communication crystal and stretched his arms above his head.

"Ahh... That was nice."

He smiled to himself before glancing toward the window.

Outside, the sky had already darkened, and the village was gradually settling down for the night.

It was time to get something to eat. Amon left the inn, found Arnold and then himself a decent meal, and returned to his room afterward.

He spent the next few hours resting and waiting for the right moment.

Eventually, midnight arrived.

The village had fallen into a deep silence.

Amon quietly slipped out of the inn.

It didn’t take him long to reach the familiar street.

Soon, the small wooden house came into view.

Amon slowed down as he approached the enormous tree he and Arnold had used as a hiding place earlier that day.

Everything appeared quiet. There were no lights shining through the windows, and no movement could be seen around the entrance.

Amon waited for a few moments, carefully listening for any sounds coming from inside.

’Good. Everyone’s probably asleep.’

His gaze shifted toward one of the windows. It was the perfect place to observe the interior without having to enter the building.

Amon approached cautiously, Shadow wrapped around his feet that made no sound.

When he finally reached the window, he lowered his body slightly and leaned closer, preparing to peer inside.

’All right... Let’s see what you’re hiding.’