Soul Digger-Chapter 74: FACING SPECULATION

"I can’t say," Nagita blankly replied.

Caesar placed his thumb and index finger at the top of his cheeks, using them to stroke his chin. Now that Nagita had poured her mind out to him, calculating how to proceed was the next course of action. Of course, saying he wasn’t affected or slightly traumatized by what Nagita said would have been a blatant lie. Despite the intellectual difference between them, Caesar was baffled as to how he hadn’t picked up on that much.

To maintain the mutual trust settling in the waters of their bond, Caesar shared his thoughts as well. "I think Rolan is orchestrating everything."

Nagita switched to a perplexed look, the cup nearly slipping from her hand. "Why Rolan?!" she shrieked in a low hum.

Caesar narrowed his eyes and took a patient glance at the passersby, letting his temporary silence fuel the dense air he left. "At the time we departed outside the city, his story about having an aunt living on the outskirts was odd to me. When the fire burnt down the inn, he was already at the front route. Coincidence or planned?"

"I don’t know," she muttered like a frail child.

"Everything about him, from his behavior to how he knows so much about this place that he even guided us here... I think he set us up or is trying to distract us from investigating and completing the trial."

"Are you saying... Rolan started the fire to set us on a wild goose chase? It makes sense, at least. It’s also possible he’s the one who manipulated Sylzao."

Caesar nodded. "All the lines point to him. It never really made sense. I hadn’t seen Rolan in any of our Indulger trainings before the trial. He behaves strangely calm in the most baneful situations, has an absurd goal, and seems like he’ll do anything to achieve it."

’My aunt was kidnapped.’ Caesar recalled Rolan’s words in his head.

He then thought, ’Why would a person say something so severe with a calm, unaffected face? His reaction to the fire was too relaxed. He expected... no! He knew it would happen! Rolan, you bastard! I’m onto you!’ A mad expression possessed his face as his veins bulged visibly from his skin.

Startled by cesser’s face, Nagita shot back. Clumsily, the cup fell to the floor and spilled; the contents seeped into the snow and tainted the pure white. Caesar apologized for his scary aspect; as an apology, he offered Nagita his drink.

Nagita accepted and reflected on something. She raised her brow as her chest stabilized from Caesar’s startle. "But Mrs. Antadisma and Snider seem to know who Rolan is. When we met him at the Eerie Gothel’s Archives, he was sitting comfortably and acted casual with Sir Dean."

"The situation could be the same as it is with these people. Maybe he found a way to trick them—a high-level illusion, probably," he suggested.

"For him to pull that off, he’d need an enchanted item or a divine artifact of sorts. Do you think he has that?" she added.

"I don’t know. All I can say for certain is that Rolan Swindler is a dangerous man, a catastrophe in the making." His voice fell deep, like a grieving soldier

"Should we tell the others?"

"No," Caesar shook his head. "All this should stay between US."

"The thing that’s been watching us might be him. Perhaps he’s already awakened or has special items he’s using to monitor us. Either way, we can’t act suspicious. We’ll play along like before and observe while investigating the wavelength spike at the same time," Nagita devised, her face stiff like a statue’s.

Caesar agreed, though where to start was the real problem. The survivor was still unconscious, and the fire was a confounding event, most likely planned by Rolan according to them. For all they knew, the incognizant girl might be a marionette Rolan used to divide their group’s attention—a small speculation, at least.

Caesar jolted up; a sudden smile appeared on his face. Nagita pressed her raised brows together, the side of her lip curled back as she scratched her head in bewilderment. She couldn’t quite place her finger on what caused Caesar’s vigorous display of glee.

"Come with me!" Caesar spoke before darting off.

His words were as vague as his actions. Knowing him, there was a good reason for such an unusual display, thus Nagita swiftly followed without much complaint. Apart from her kvetch about his inconsiderate speed and nearly toppling over stacks of snow, Nagita didn’t have much trouble keeping up with Caesar.

They entered a street which struck Nagita as familiar. She recognized a few of the objects and landmarks along with the busted street lamps still functioning even in the daylight, the green bench with rusted parts and shaky legs, and the neat lane stripped of snow and litter. Her biggest callback was the large grocery shop made of iron walls, glass windows, and a wooden roof standing before the busy streets.

Instantly, her mind recollected the incident with Mrs. Brian. Caesar used a different route than earlier, making it difficult for Nagita to realize his destination, though it wasn’t long since they had visited her. The moment she was tossed on a table and nearly stabbed by a knife briefed Nagita’s mind like a previous nightmare.

Frozen in place, Nagita stared at the house’s structure, quaking where she stood as her composure fluttered. Caesar held her by the hand and gifted her a warm, reassuring pat on the head.

"Nothing will happen this time, I promise," he softly guaranteed.

Nagita gulped down a fraction of her fear and steeled herself, locking her eyes on the wooden door, exhibiting determination visibly, but within, a storm of uncertainties and fears raged. "Let’s go," Nagita spoke firmly, though the flick of reluctance nearly snitched on her true emotions.

Caesar pulled Nagita to him closely. ’I’m placing a large gamble on Mrs. Brian. I didn’t want to pry too much into her private life before; now I don’t have a choice. I need to get as much info about her husband as possible,’ he reasoned.

KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK!

The door dragged itself open; a loud squeak played from the door’s hinges. The house invited them in. Not a single presence stood behind the door with a welcome gesture, aside from the battling flame of the candle bulb and a neat interior. At that point, the sound of disjointed chatter, gossip, along with various banging and crunching noises from the background died down. A familiar cold caressed their bodies—not from the cold atmosphere, but rather a constant tingling they were forced to become acquainted with. Their survival instincts were at full gear.

Nagita shot Caesar a coded stare. A gentle tapping struck her neck as the heat behind her rose considerably. Caesar felt a heavy iron-like material hug his legs with its rough surface and equally sharp temperature. No words were exchanged between them; neither even turned back. Instead, they walked forward like zombies hunting for brains, their eyes devoid of everything but a single thought: "Exterminate the threat."

CLANG! CLANG!

BANG!

CRASH!

Various noises echoed from within the kitchen. The shadow of a crawling depiction grew larger yet showed inconsistently due to the dying flame in the candle bulb. The noises ceased, leaving only a squishing, slimy sound and a musty stench. From the distance, a feeble glow of red and white hue clung to each surface of the room.

The background went silent. Caesar and Nagita didn’t even glimpse behind them. With bold movements, they entered to confront the creature, their movements precise and cautious with hints of menace in between.

As they went deeper inside, their gaze shifted past the door, then furniture and a few decorations. They shifted to the back of the couch with attentive stances and sharp glowers. From behind, the light died and flashed behind them.

In a quick second, a reverberating slice ran through the air. Nagita split her legs and dodged below; Caesar jumped and twirled in the air, firing a clunky punch that crashed against something solid.

The creature disappeared, but its momentary groan from pain proved its presence. Caesar landed gracefully on the ground whilst Nagita flung herself back up. A clicking sound accompanied the creature’s disappearance before slowly drowning out by silence.

For a moment, Nagita gestured to Caesar to head to the left edge of the house while she went the opposite direction. Carefully, they walked gingerly towards their respective posts, their eyes darting across the room.

Nagita fleetly grabbed the vase near the cupboard and tossed it towards Caesar. Using the couch, he twisted and kicked the vase further.

The creature reappeared close to Caesar.

CRASH!

The force from the vase messed with its coordination. Caesar caught a piece of the broken vase speeding at him; a blue ooze covered the sharp fragment. The creature’s appearance was clear as day: a humanoid with scaly red skin, spikes at its back, and legs similar to a frog, while its maw extended all the way to its neck.

Caesar intended to land the finishing blow; a simple amped stab was enough to end the creature.

"CAESAR!"

BOOM!