"Can I respectfully decline?" I asked, but the screen remained completely still and no new notification appeared.

However, unlike the system, Viora had heard me. She tilted her head and spoke up.

"Are you talking to yourself again?"

Immediately, I turned toward her.

"What do you mean again?"

"You do it often." She said.

"I do not."

"You do."

For some reason, she sounded completely certain. And honestly, if I were in her position, I would have assumed the same thing.

"Fine."

I gave in, and Viora nodded. Then she turned her face toward the café exit.

"Are we going to follow them?"

The question instantly reminded me of the three people who had just left.

Neha.

Bane.

And Black.

Just remembering those names made me a little afraid. Especially Black. Everything about that man felt wrong.

Even Viora’s instinct had called him a thing instead of a person. And considering she had sensed a hidden assassin, I wasn’t about to ignore her judgment.

Still, that didn’t mean I was going to follow those guys even after they had left.

"No." I shook my head, and Viora repeated after me. "No?"

"We already got what we came here for," I replied.

"We did?"

"Yes." I leaned back against my chair and glanced toward the exit.

"We confirmed the assassin belonged to Black Faction." Saying that, I raised one finger. "Second, we confirmed this place is one of their meeting locations."

With that, I raised the second finger and continued, "And we confirmed they are planning something."

Now, after finishing all my three points, I raised the third finger too. And at this point, following them would have been less investigation and more suicide.

"Besides." I stood up from my seat. "I think going back would be the best option right now. You won’t want to make Elena angry by letting her find out that we both sneaked out."

"Oh. That sounds bad."

"Exactly." Without wasting more time, I paid for the drinks and guided Viora outside.

The city was considerably quieter than before. Most stores had already closed. Streetlights illuminated the roads while the occasional car passed by.

As we kept walking back to the villa, my thoughts remained focused on everything that had happened today.

And the more I thought about it, the more complicated everything became.

Originally, I had only wanted to survive. Then I wanted to protect Viora. Now somehow I had ended up investigating one of the most dangerous organizations in the entire world.

Life truly was strange.

Eventually, the familiar walls of Elena’s villa came into view, and just like I had left it, the villa was still silent and there were no signs of any movement.

"Good."

I quietly closed the door behind us and began guiding Viora upstairs. Once we reached her room, I opened the door and sent her inside.

"Get some sleep."

After that, I also went back to my room, and the moment my body touched the bed, exhaustion overwhelmed me completely.

Normally, I would have appreciated the stillness of the villa. Tonight, however, my mind was far too busy.

The image of Black standing inside the café refused to leave my thoughts. Moreover, the quest screen’s words were also being repeated in my mind.

[Discover who and what Black is.]

[Time Limit: 10 Days.]

’How am I supposed to find what Black really is in just ten days?’

Today had already been ridiculous enough. And now the system wanted me to investigate one of the most dangerous people I know.

Honestly, I deserved a vacation. Unfortunately, this life didn’t seem interested in giving me one.

Gradually, my eyelids became heavier and the darkness inside the room deepened.

Soon, the image of Black faded and was replaced with the image of Viora standing in front of me.

The knife in her thigh, the blood on her hand, the way she looked at the assassin, and lastly, the way she had smiled when I had praised her.

Thinking about all that, a small unconscious smile appeared on my face, and sleep finally claimed me.

....

The next thing I knew, sunlight was shining through the curtains and illuminating my face.

After reluctantly leaving my bed, I washed my face and headed downstairs with Viora. Sitting at the dining table was Elena, and the moment I saw her, I paused.

She looked exhausted, not physically, but tired. The kind of tired that appeared after someone had been working for far too long.

She must have come back from clearing a Gate. Considering her position, that wasn’t surprising.

The surprising thing was that she had somehow managed to look even more intimidating while exhausted.

Without saying anything, I took my seat. Meanwhile, Viora sat beside me immediately afterward, as expected.

Breakfast continued in relative silence after that. I helped Viora with her food while Elena quietly drank coffee.

Several times I noticed her observing us like she was trying to understand something.

Then again, seeing a blind girl who refused to leave my side would probably confuse anyone.

Eventually, Elena put down her cup.

"I have to leave again."

"What?" I looked at her.

"There is another matter that requires my attention."

Of course there was. Apparently being the strongest healer in the world came with a complete inability to rest.

She stood up and grabbed her coat. But before leaving, her eyes shifted toward me.

"Try not to cause any problems while I’m gone."

Click.

The front door closed, and silence returned to the villa. For several seconds both Viora and I kept our focus on eating until she spoke up.

"So."

My gaze drifted toward her. "So?"

"Are you going somewhere?"

The question caught me slightly off guard since I hadn’t excepted her to ask that instead of the Black Faction investigation thing. 𝑓𝑟ℯ𝘦𝓌𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝑐ℴ𝓂

"If not, then can we go somewhere?" She said, and after grabbing the sleeve of my clothes she began to tug it. "Please."

She was acting unusually cute today. It was like she wanted to go to this whatever place by any means possible.

"Alright, tell me where you want to go."