The ticking clock was like a hammer hitting an anvil for Morvian. He and Erida were in the office of the head of defense and security for the city of Pyr.
Surprisingly, the room was furnished quite simply, despite its owner's status.
It itself was small and had a single wooden cabinet and a desk, with a comfortable couch in front of it.
A few paintings depicting great battles of the past and an empty wall-mounted weapon stand were the only decorations in the room.
Erida looked around the room with interest as she sat on the couch with Morvian. Who was not so calm.
'Escape? No, it's too risky. Oh, and even if we succeed, we'll probably be wanted, which will make things that much more difficult. Hell... we still have to meet Elias tomorrow night. We might not make it in time if things drag on.'
Thinking about it with a grim expression, Morvian turned to Erida.
The girl was calm in comparison to him, and her eyes were clear and beautiful.
She noticed her companion's gaze and fidgeted slightly on the couch before staring back questioningly.
Morvian looked at her and regretted his decision to take her with him. It was too late to complain, however, and he pushed away the slight resentment in his heart. Tried.
He sighed and leaned back against the back of the furniture, looking up at the ceiling.
Erida seemed to have noticed Morvian's confusion and decided to cheer him up.
"... You don't worry so much. I think everything will be fine..."
Morvian threw a menacing glare at her and the girl startled, quickly averting her own.
"You do realize the position we're in right now, don't you?"
Morvian's voice was harsher than he intended. He didn't stop, however.
"If you hadn't gotten involved then, I would have just made up a random name. The guard wouldn't have known it and there would have been nothing suspicious about it. We would have just been allowed into the city and there we would have started our investigation."
Erida pressed her lips together and looked at her comrade again. Her gaze was harder than her body and her words were stronger than steel.
"You are wrong. Thanks to me, we can get even more information out of him now, if we do it right."
Morvian snorted irritably.
"And how are we going to do that?"
Erida calmly replied.
"We've already introduced ourselves as that merchant's daughters, and Sir Mostono didn't deny it right away. After all, Gostor really did have two daughters in the real world. Therefore, we can pretend to be them to deceive him."
Morvian stared in surprise at the blue-haired girl, whose gaze was unaccustomedly confident.
"How do you know that?"
Erida's gaze darkened and she turned away, choosing to remain silent.
Morvian noticed this and decided not to press any further. As he calmed down, he only became convinced of something again.
Erida Morgrain had no communication skills. However, when it came to things she was good at, her insecurities would disappear.
At that moment, the door behind them opened and Mostono entered the room.
Morvian and Erida quickly rose from the couch, thus greeting him.
The older man gave them a brief nod as he walked past them and sat down at the desk. Afterward, he indicated with his hand for his guests to take a seat.
Morvian and Erida sat back down quietly, staring at the man in front of them.
Folding some papers into a folder, Mostono looked at the two girls.
His gaze was cold, but there was no threat in it. Which made Morvian relax slightly, but he was still on guard.
A drop of sweat crept down his cheek, nearing its downfall.
'This man is... strong.'
Morvian realized it even then at the wall. The elderly guard calmly held the arm of Angelo, who jumped off the top of the walls with ease.
He was definitely stronger than both of them and it wouldn't cost him anything to kill them on the spot.
"And so... so you are the daughters of Gostor Varlen. I offer my condolences on your tragedy. What are your plans in this city?"
The man's voice was deep and steady, like a sea horizon.
Morvian felt the weight of this man's every word, as if each was the crash of waves against the rocks.
However, Mostono failed to suppress it and began to speak. Even if he didn't even try.
"Thank you for your attention. After the death of our parents, we don't know what we're going to do next yet. So we decided to stay in town for now to get back on our feet."
Mostono nodded thoughtfully, then seemed to remember something and stood up from his chair.
The pair tensed inwardly, waiting for the old man's next move.
The head of security, meanwhile, walked past them again and stood near the wall.
He drew his sword from its sheath with a light movement.
Morvian and Erida's heart sank, but not because of the possible threat. It was because of the sword.
The blade of incredible beauty was like shattered glass, frozen for an eyelid in the air in the shape of a sword.
The light from the lamps reflected inside the blade and refracted, painting everything inside in rainbow colors.
At first glance, the chaos of broken glass, seemed like something unnatural. However, it only took a moment to catch the thin thread of logic in each piece. In their locations and sizes and shapes. Everything was so perfectly balanced that one would forget to breathe while looking at the beautiful sword.
It was a thrilling feeling from the beauty and danger that came from a weapon in the hands of such a master.
"Incredible..."-said Erida impressed.
Mostono nodded in agreement, examining the blade in his hands.
The refracted light from the blade played the colors of the rainbow on the man's wrinkled face.
After a couple moments, Mostono carefully placed the sword on the weapon stand hanging on the wall.
In that same second, all the paintings faded and every pair of eyes were fixed on the beautiful piece of artifact.
"This sword was forged from the souls of the fallen warriors that served under my command. I cannot count how many tens of hundreds of human lives this blade holds." said Mostono with a slightly somber expression on his face. "It serves as a reminder that every victory is not without the loss of men who will never be seen again. However, it also serves as a reminder of how beautiful victory can be, no matter the cost."
Mostono turned to the girls.
The azure eyes were as calm as the sea breeze. And the blonde hair was neatly styled.
"Your tragedy is not unique to this world, but that does not devalue it. Your words regarding the beasts of the abyss have definitely been heard by me and I will send people to check it out. You, on the other hand, may safely set foot in the city. Good luck to you."
Erida stood up from the couch and looked at the old man.
"About Angelo..."