The three of them moved from shadow to shadow, tailing after Charlotte.
"Come to think of it, brother. Why did Charlotte want to go to town?" Erika asked.
Allen's brows knitted into a frown. "Hmm... I've only heard that she wanted to go shopping."
"You didn't ask her what she wanted to buy?" It was Miaha's turn to ask this time.
"I did ask her about it but..."
Of course, Allen would be curious to know what Charlotte wanted. However, when she heard his question—
"That's well…" Charlotte averted her eyes hesitantly. She was quiet for a good minute, before replying, "It's a secret!"
Her answer was incredibly firm, without a trace of doubt in her voice. "...In the end, I wasn't able to find out..." Allen sighed wistfully.
"Oh..." Erika replied in a small voice, glancing at Allen, observing his countenance, "you must be rather disappointed then..."
"Well… I guess so." Allen nodded, his shoulders in a slump. Until recently, the idea of Charlotte keeping a secret from him was unimaginable. Now that it was happening—
Allen groaned softly before reluctantly concluding, "... even so… keeping secrets is a sign that she is becoming more independent..."
Deciding that it was good progress, a small albeit proud smile appeared on his face. "You did well, Charlotte! Next time, you have to be more upfront with your feelings – even if it puts me on the spot!"
"Now that I've gotten past your weird obsession with protecting her, I'm starting to get a little concerned for you…" Erika shook her head disapprovingly.
Then, as if she thought of something, Erika tilted her head and asked, "Hey, if we continue observing her, won't we eventually discover Charlotte's secret without her consent?"
"Don't worry, if that happens, I'll use magic to erase our memories immediately." Allen assured.
"Your determination is rather unnerving." Erika couldn't help but grimace at her brother.
Amidst such nonsensical chatter, Charlotte continued to move forward, unaware of the three shadows behind her back.
Before she knew it, she had entered a back alley with little traffic and her pace started to slow down.
"Huh?" Charlotte muttered as she study the map, "this doesn't look right…"
Her voice, laced with confusion, grew audible with every passing minute, eventually reaching the ears of the trio.
Tilting his head, Allen wondered, "Is there a shop she wants to go to in such a remote and desolate place?"
"Did she, perhaps… went the wrong way?" Erika whispered to her brother.
"Huh?! Isn’t this, like, a big deal?!" Allen whispered back abruptly.
Despite his worries, prior to heading into town, Allen had made sure Charlotte knew to ask for directions if she happened to lose her way.
Surely, she would ask for help once she reached a busier place? Allen thought.
Just as he was about to breathe a sigh of relief—
"Oh no... this isn't good." Miaha said, her voice dropping a notch.
"What do you mean?" Allen's head snapped in the direction Charlotte was headed, his face growing pale with worry.
"The area up ahead is called the Mead District, and it's not a safe place at all! There are always these troublemakers and rogues hanging out there, day and night." Miaha explained in a hurry.
"What?!" Allen exclaimed.
"Oh, I might have heard about this too... seems like those folks running the area near the entrance are a notorious bunch." Erika chimed in.
"That's right!" Miaha gave a sharp nod. "They called themselves Serpent Fangs, after the fangs of a deadly snake."
Word has it, this group of rogues were led by a poisonous snake charmer called Glow.
Stealing loot from other parties, extortion, and blackmail were routine for them. They were the epitome of adventurer scum, preying on unsuspecting citizens for their wealth.
And right now… Charlotte was heading towards their base.
As Erika and Miaha exchanged whispers, Charlotte continued down the alley, reducing the distance between her and the rogues. Though her steps were slow and cautious, she was undeniably headed for that dangerous district.
"What do we do, big brother? Should I 'coincidentally' bump into her to intervene?"
"No... I would like to avoid confronting them head-on as much as possible."
This wasn't just any trip. It was Charlotte's chosen adventure and Allen didn't want to dampen her spirits.
Allen thought for a bit. Then, as if he finally decided on his next move, he clapped his hands and said, "Alright. I'll leave this to you guys."
"Huh? Where are you going, big brother?"
"I have a small errand to take care of. So, I'm counting on you!" Allen leapt up and ran along the roofs, leaving the two girls behind, bewildered with the sudden turn of events.