It was the blabbermouth.
Lara’s expression darkened the moment she spotted him.
"Are you stalking me?" she asked, her voice laced with irritation.
From the second-floor window of the inn across the alley, Agilus leaned casually against the wooden frame, arms crossed over his chest. His smirk deepened, eyes twinkling with mischief.
"What stalking?" he scoffed. "Talk human language."
Lara let out a sharp breath, her patience thinning. "Then explain why I keep running into you everywhere."
"You’re the one who keeps following us!" Agilus countered, his voice rising a decibel higher. "Otherwise, how else would you have found a place to stay right near our inn?"
In the dim room behind Agilus, Alaric paused from meditation, drawn by the commotion outside. His sharp features were illuminated by the golden morning light filtering through the window, and he turned his piercing gaze toward Agilus, who was leaning against the window, lost in his usual nonsense.
He stood and strode toward the window but kept himself hidden.
Lara, standing below in the courtyard, narrowed her eyes. "Didn’t you say you were leaving the other day?" She crossed her arms. "So why are you still here?"
"What’s it to you?" Agilus shot back. "Can’t we change our minds?"
Lara faltered for a moment. He was right. Their business was none of hers. Annoyed that she had even bothered questioning him, she shot him a cold glare before turning away.
"Sandoz, let’s go," she called, and the boy immediately followed.
They slipped into the house through the back door, leaving Agilus still grinning smugly on the balcony.
Inside the room, Alaric’s gaze lingered on the retreating figures before shifting to Agilus.
"Didn’t he claim to be lost in the mountains?" Agilus mused aloud as he turned to face Alaric. "And that he was from five towns away? Who are these people living with him?"
Alaric remained silent, his face unreadable.
Agilus leaned in slightly. "Don’t you think it’s odd that we keep running into him? What if he knows your identity and was sent by that man to assassinate you?"
Alaric’s expression darkened. The thought had crossed his mind. That man... his greatest enemy...
But then, an image flashed through his mind—Kane’s graceful movements during the morning training. The way he flowed effortlessly from one stance to another, each motion precise yet fluid. His movements were too refined for a soldier.
Alaric’s gaze sharpened.
"Investigate the people he’s with," he said coldly.
Agilus nodded but hesitated before changing the subject. "By the way, how’s your stomach? Still suffering from diarrhea?"
Alaric shot him a glare. "It’s better."
"Did you find out who tampered with the food?"
"Yes," Agilus said grimly. "It was a woman—wife of one of the bandits we caught. She tried to poison our meals to save her husband."
Alaric’s jaw tightened. "And?"
"She’s been taken to prison, but she’s tight-lipped," Agilus admitted. "No matter how much we... persuaded her, she won’t say where the bandit lair is. Even if we kill her, she only tells us one thing: it’s deep in the jungles of Ourea."
"Mount Ourea?" he repeated, his voice rising slightly. His interest was piqued.
Agilus groaned, rubbing his temples. "No, Ari. Don’t even think about it. I know that look. That woman is probably lying to trick us. Mount Ourea is full of dangers. It’s uncharted territory for us."
But Alaric was no longer listening.
Ever since he was a child, he had dreamed of conquering Mount Ourea. To climb its peak and plant the flag of Northem there. But even his father had forbidden him from venturing into those treacherous lands.
Agilus sighed, knowing there was no use arguing when Alaric got that look in his eyes.
"Fine, do what you want," he muttered before heading for the door.
Left alone, Alaric attempted to return to his meditation. But his concentration was broken by sounds coming from the house across the alley.
He rose and strode toward the window.
Down in the small courtyard, that same young man—Kane—was sparring with a child. So they came back.
But their movements... they weren’t ordinary.
Lara, disguised as Kane, was training Sandoz in kickboxing. She let the boy attack, blocking each punch and kick with precise movements. The sharp sound of contact filled the air, breaking the morning’s silence.
Alaric observed closely.
The boy had spirit, but his technique was raw. Kane, on the other hand...
His movements were too refined. Though concealed beneath the jacket, his body lacked the bulk of a seasoned fighter, but there was an undeniable grace to the way he moved.
Alaric’s gaze drifted to his neck—slender, too fair...
There was something wrong with that neck.
Something in his chest tightened.
Then, as if sensing his scrutiny, Lara’s head snapped up.
For a brief moment, Lara saw him—saw the intensity of his stare, the way he seemed to be studying her, as if he knew.
Lara’s heart skipped a bit.
A shadow flickered in the window, and then he was gone.
Distracted, she barely noticed Sandoz’s kick until it landed squarely against her stomach.
A grunt escaped her lips as she doubled over.
"Sis—Sir Kane! Are you alright?" Sandoz yelped, nearly slipping up.
Lara forced a chuckle, straightening. "Not bad, kiddo. That kick had some power behind it."
"I-I’m sorry, Sis ...Sir Kane!" The boy looked panicked. "I didn’t think you’d stay put and not dodge!"
"I’m fine, Sandoz," Lara assured him.
Still, as she cast another glance at the window, the mysterious man was no longer there.
That afternoon, Agilus returned with the information Alaric had requested.
"Ari," he began, "the two children staying with Kane... they’re the same ones we saw in the street when our horses nearly trampled that crazy woman."
Alaric’s expression remained unreadable. "And?"
"Kane took them in, bought them food and medicine for their sick grandfather," Agilus continued. "Turns out, the old man is actually their great-grandfather."
"Kane brought over another man who was their grandfather, along with another man a little bit older than Kane and a young boy who was seven years old."
Alaric narrowed his eyes. "What is their relationship with Kane."
"Kane just came across them by accident."
"So, are they living together now?"
Agilus shook his head. "Apparently Not. They only reunited recently. My guess? They came from the capital."
Alaric’s fingers curled slightly. The capital...
It looked like someone could not wait to have his head.
And now, Kane—whoever he was—had ties to it.