"Where's Ren?" Saya asked the moment she got into World Conqueror's headquarters. She ignored Isolde and Leonel and immediately looked for Ren.
Ever since this morning, Ren didn't answer her calls, and the only message he left was two lines.
[Ren: I'm currently on a mission. All forms of communication there are blocked.
If you're not convinced, then ask Leo to take you to me.]
So here she was. Looking for him.
It was not like she didn't believe Ren's words, but she still wanted to take a look for herself. There was a huge time difference in the game, and Ren had already been out for an hour.
He should already be out from whatever mission he had since one day of in-game time had already passed.
Leonel only blinked at her, and Saya felt like he was angry at her or something. There was something in his stare that made her feel uncomfortable. Like he was judging her or something.
Could Ren have told him? Saya thought but immediately dismissed the idea since Leonel would definitely confront her about it the first chance he got.
"He had gone ahead for a mission. Didn't you receive his message?" Leonel asked with a flat voice.
Saya continued searching for Ren before finally facing Leonel. "I did. But one day has already passed in the game, and his mission isn't finished yet?"
Isolde stepped in and offered, "If you want, we can take you to him."
Saya fell silent for a moment before she crossed her arms, smiling at Leonel and Isolde. "So you two aren't dating?"
Both of them readily shook their heads and looked at each other with a smile. There was something about their smile and their acts that seemed different.
It was like both of them were closer than they were before.
"No, we aren't," Leonel answered, no longer stiff and alert in front of Isolde. In fact, he was too comfortable with her recently that he could probably snore and fart around her.
"Is that right? So all of it is just a misunderstanding?"
"Yes," replied Isolde.
"Oh. So are you like . . . still friends after all that misunderstanding?"
Leonel and Isolde looked at each other.
"We realized that we would rather keep our friendship," Leonel told Saya.
"It's more important than letting the misunderstanding grow," agreed Isolde.
After that, the two grinned at each other like they knew what the other was thinking about. They were like two peas in a pod.
Saya shifted her gaze between the two and took a deep breath when she started to envy them. "Well. I'm happy that you two figured it out."
Leonel nodded. "I'm glad, too." He then turned his head toward the window. "But there's still one thing that's bothering me."
"What?" asked Saya.
He looked back at her with a serious expression, one that made Saya's heart leap. "The fact that there are people who could just throw away years of friendship for their selfish desires. It bugs me."
". . ." Saya couldn't put her finger on it, but why did Leonel speak like she was the one he was referring to?
Saya frowned. "What are you talking about, Leo?" and then she changed the topic. "Where's Evie?"
". . ."
". . ."
There was a slight change in Leonel's expression, and Saya was quick to catch it, but fortunately, Isolde stole her attention.
"She's also out on a mission," Isolde answered. "She's at Roaring Canyon together with a client guild."
Isolde was a good actress and was at least ten times better than Leonel. And she was definitely good at lying with a straight face.
"Why do you ask?" Isolde probed further with squinted eyes.
Saya felt uncomfortable under Isolde's gaze, and she immediately answered with a half-shrug. "Nothing. So are you going to show me where Ren is?"
Leonel grinned. "Better yet, we'll take you there."
"Ren is just around in Maze Forest, foraging for materials his client wants," added Isolde.
"Good. Let's go, then."
When Saya left, Alice appeared out of the wall and went over to Leonel and Isolde.
"You're not actually going to lead her to Ren, right?" Alice asked.
Leonel and Isolde stared at each other with meaningful smiles on their faces.
"We're just going to take Saya on a little tour of the place."
Lone Valley, at night, was a place of mystery and magic.
The snow that was falling all day glowed like stars in the dark, and the moonlight reflected off the white surface, making it even brighter. It was as if the entire world was covered with diamonds.
They glowed with an eerie light, and the air seemed to hum with power. It was like all of nature had been turned into living things.
The wind blew through the valley, carrying scents of trees and snow. From a distance, a beast howled, and another replied after a period of silence.
Evie and Ren walked through the forest, heading toward the end of the valley where they assumed they would meet Sebastian.
Lone Valley was a maze with many twists and turns. But Sebastian already gave them the map of the place, and it was a straightforward path. All they had to do was follow the streams.
Evie expected Ren to talk about last night, but against all odds, he just remained mute while he led and gave her the silent treatment.
She was reminded of that time when they first met. It was in Vulcan's Cave, and he was also leading the group like he was doing right now.
The only difference was that she knew something was going on between them, even if they didn't say anything about it.
Evie was getting frustrated by Ren's silence, and she had questions of her own that needed answering.
"Where's Sebastian?"
"I don't know." Ren genuinely didn't know because he didn't have any recollection of Meriyaah at all.
"We've been walking for so long, but I've never seen any beasts."
"They're here. I could hear them. It's just that . . ." Ren paused and looked around. ". . . Something isn't right."
Ren let Pii out and instructed the guy to lead the way.
Seeing Pii out, Evie knew that the situation was serious.
Her issues with Ren could wait some other time.
Something might have happened to Sebastian, and they had to find him at all costs.
