Edlic's POV

That's it. The trail ends here.

It's lead me to the isolated part of the Azara. I'm in the alleyway.

"Hey, why are you running of out of sudden, blondie!"

The two followed behind.

"What wrong with you, blondie!"

Dayne approaches my side, glaring at me.

The purple spark is just ahead of me.

I take a step deep into the alley.

"Hey, stop right here. Are you listening?'

I stop, looking at Dayne with a blank face.

"I see something. It's a bright purple, pulsating."

I point into the alleyway.

"What purple?"

She asks, clueless.

"Apply the Magic sight, and you'll see."

She sighs before taking the tube and poring its content onto her hand, rubbing the dust on her eyes.

"Huh? What's that!"

She points into the alleyway before.

"It's just you said, blondie."

"Yes, It's strangely brighter than any other elemental around."

Dayne looks confused for a moment.

"Elemental?"

Purple represents Voltro, one of the five elementary elements in this world.

It needs a reaction of the two elements to form. Such action is called Elemental smithing.

Someone must've to conduct Elemental smithing there, deep inside the alleyway.

"Let's go and take a look."

With that, the three of us venture deep into the alleyway.

It's eerie here compared to the bustling market place of Azara, even though this is part of Azara.

I look around, finding the trace.

Upon we reach the end of an alley, a large plaza with four to five peoples presents there.

In the middle, a small fountain that void of any water with a man sitting there.

He's reading a book.

"Your highness, I guess this place is not safe, considering we return to the main street."

George whispers, his hand was ready by his waist.

"There's nothing to be warry of, George Bell."

I continue to look around, scanning the area.

The purple spark, it's there, to the left, behind the pile of boxes.

I point toward that area.

Dayne nods in understanding as we both agreed to go there.

"Hmm, This is an easy mission, just taking out all the eight hidden bandits in the Azara?"

As we get closer, a woman's voice sounded behind the pile of boxes.

'Should we jump on her and take the purple spark?'

Dayne sends me a message.

I shake my head, drawing my finger in the air.

'We should politely ask her for that.'

Dayne looks nervous, looking left and right.

"Oh, why are you three hiding behind these boxes?"

The woman appeared behind Dayne, looking at us with her amber orbs.

"S-Sorry, madam!"

Dayne spring on her feet before apologizing to the woman, and bow slightly.

A princess is bowing to a stranger, dignity, of course.

"Haha, I don't mind it, you know."

She chuckles, looking at us.

"Magical sight? I see."

She places her hand under her pale chin.

Judging from her look, she's not a local here.

Her white hair is tied in a ponytail. Her white coat covers her body underneath.

I glance through the opening of her cloak and see a sword sheathing on her waister, covered by the fabric.

"Kid with a Magical sight on are likely to come to me. I wonder what's the cause?"

She talks to herself before grinning at us.

"Um, madam? I follow this kid. He said that he saw something purple over here."

Dayne points at me, shifting the woman's attention onto me.

"Purple? The other kid also said the same too."

"This has something with the Magical sight?"

She reaches her hand under her cloak, taking out a glass flask containing the purple liquid.

Upon revealing it, the dazzling purple light almost blinding me, forcing me to wipe away the Magical sight off my eyes.

"Aw, too bright!"

Dayne quickly wipes her face with her sleeves.

"S-Sorry, kids."

She bends down and hands Dayne a handkerchief.

No, It's not possible to be the Malum.

An Image of those things floods into my mind, throwing it into chaos.

It's the herald of destruction, rival even the power of the gods.

Its existence existed long before I first learned of it. Is it originated from Eion?

"Boy, you don't look well. Is this making you feel uncomfortable?"

She walks closer, looking at me.

"N-No, I was just... Thinking about something."

I reply, looking away.

"That's good to hear."

She sighed, standing up, dusting her white cloak.

"By the way, miss."

I call her.

"Yes, what is it you wanted to know?"

She smiles.

"Hey, blondie, you shouldn't abruptly ask her like that. It's rude."

Dayne says, crossing her arms over her chest.

"It's okay, just speak your mind."

Looking at her appearance reminds me of a certain man, he's from Plivion.

They both have silvery-white hair and golden amber eyes.

What a coincidence.

"Miss, where did you get it from?"

I ask, looking at the purple flask.

"Ah, this?"

She chuckles, taking the flask closer to her eyes.

"I remembered that time before I came here, I was on a mission overseas."

"My mission is to search the abandoned laboratory for a certain thing."

"The contractor gave me some dull explanation: He said, "Located in the deepest part of the place, five colors in each direction, the one shines brightest is the one." Just like that, and I'm taking the mission without any second thought, it pays so well."

She laughs to herself, closing her eyes.

"But, when I returned to the Commissioner guild to redeem the reward and hands the stuff, the guild's head call for me."

"At first, I thought I was doing something wrong or breaking the rules."

"But, he said that the reason for calling is regarding the particular mission I take."

"If I to explain all the thing, it'll take half a day. So, I'll tell you the significant part then."

She grins, looking around for a moment.

"The mission met its condition, and the reward is what's I take, this particular purple flask."

"Well, there's no money, sad, right?"

She fake cries, wiping her eyes when mentioning the money part.

She does not mention where she was before coming here.

I only know that it's from the laboratory, somewhere over the sea.

"Sorry, miss, this boy is on his first time outside's venture, do not mind him, please."

Dayne comes, inserting herself between us.

"Haha, I understand. That boy is a foreign friend of yours, right?"

"A-Actually w-"

"It's good to have a friend outside. I, too, have foreign friends.."

She said with a sweet voice, putting the flask under the cloak.

"Well, it's good to spend some time to relieve my stress taking to you, kids."

She's walking away. But, stop by the alleyway, glancing back.

"It's almost past noon. you should go and get your stomachs filled."

Her eyes were locked on George, looking at his clueless face. It's a tiny moment but, I saw a deadly, gleaming for just a moment before she left into the alleyway.

"By the way, blondie, did you see that?"

Dayne sighed, asking me.

"See what?"

I ask her back in surprise. I have no idea what she's talking about,

Is it about the flask?

"Okay, you may not notice it but, I do."

"Her accent is pretty strong, and her way of gesturing when she's talking is pretty much like a Leonian."

"And also, her cloak made from Datulas cotton, a Leones's specialty."

Is that so? I missed a lot of information, focussing on the Malum.

"Then what it's has anything to do with you?"

I squint my eyes, asking her with a cold voice.

"Jeez, what is Leones known for, I ask you."

She bends her waist, leaning closer to my face.

"A land of the dragons?"

"Exactly!"

Her eyes gleam with excitement.

"So that was what you're excited about?"

The land of the dragons? There are no such creatures there, only a tale that passed down, distorted by each time it passed.

"I'm too afraid to ask her that."

"Haha. Anyway, let's get back to the main street, shall we?"

Leones huh? Valerie is studying there at the moment.

"Hey, What are you spacing out for, blondie!"

Dayne shouts at me, waving her hands.

"George, I feel like there is something is about to stir here."

"The scent of trouble is filling the air."

"What do you mean, your highness?"

George asks me, widen his eyes as sweat ran down his face.

"Be on guard."

The magic, pulsating. Since she's gone, there's must be something going on relating to that woman.

We're back into the main street, and usual, Dayne stops by each food stall, buying them.

"Well, Bell, could you carry this for me?"

She hands George the paper bag.

"Y-Yes, princess."

Taking another bag, he's carrying over twenty bags in total.

"I'll stuff them in my room, so I don't need to bother the servants."

She said, sipping a drink.

"It's not proper to drink and talk."

I reminded her.

"Right now, I am not a princess nor a noble lady, but a little Sunny!"

Huh? There's a crowd gathering there.

"Look!"

I point to the area, making the two follow my finger.

"That should be one of the best selling stalls!"

She said, her eyes sparkle with excitement.

"I don't think it is.. your highness.."

George, who's taller, sees more clearly than us.

"What is it you see, Bell?"

Dayne asks.

"Um..."

"It's just someone fainted there, your highness."

"Aw, that's boring!"

Fainted? It's not that hot.

"It seems that he was hit, with a blunt weapon over his lungs."

A woman in the crowd says, concerning about the situation.

"In the middle of the Azara? How could someone have done this and got away?"

Another woman reply to her friend.

"But, the man has a weapon as well. He seems like a thieve."

I could feel the pulsating around here, a little bit but, it's around here.

I look around, looking at all cranny and nook, every roof and terrace, and every shadow.

"Huh?"

I spot a glimpse of a suspicious person, jumping over the roof to another building over there.

From this distance, I could see a shade of light grey.

Is that a pigeon or a person?

I doubt my young-self vision.

"Let's get back home before mom noticed. I don't want to get into trouble."

Dayne yawns, pointing toward the Solaris clypeus.

"Let's get back too, your highness, viscount Dino must be worried about your well being."

That figure's heading to the western part.

"Hey, Sunny."

"What is it, blondie?"

"In the western, what's there?"

"Western? Cykola, the gate to the wilderness."

Cykola, that place? A mountain range of earth spike?

"It's not a place for people to go there, especially ordinary people."

"It's a gate that leads to the old undersea of Ocea that our ancestor created."

"The Arcad."