NOVPUB
Chapter 69: Another Person Missing
Daniel stared directly into the boy’s eyes. The boy wore a flashy uniform, surrounded by a group of guys clearly trying to suck up to him.
"It was just a small bump. No need to get so angry," Daniel said without a hint of aggression.
Kayn sighed. Based on what he’d seen from Daniel over the past few hours, he expected a more aggressive response—but thankfully, that didn’t happen.
"Heh! Who does he think he is to be giving advice?" one of the boys next to the guy said, laughing.
"Maybe he doesn’t know who he’s dealing with," another added.
"Looks like some homeless peasant. Must’ve crawled out of some village," the third mocked.
"Looks like you’re new around here. Don’t you know who I am?" the guy said, flashing one of those annoying smiles.
"Am I supposed to know every stray dog and cat on the street?" Daniel replied instantly, without a hint of hesitation.
"Hahaha!" Kayn, trying to stay composed, couldn’t help but laugh and covered his mouth.
One of the suck-ups also chuckled but quickly straightened up. 𝚗o𝚟pub.𝚌𝚘𝚖
"I’m guessing you’re here to compete too. If you don’t apologize right now, I’ll make sure you regret it, bastard." The guy’s face had turned red with anger, and he squinted at Daniel.
"If you’re not out of my sight in the next ten seconds, I’ll crush you like an insect." Daniel took a step forward. His shadow stretched over the stone path, his eyes colder than ice, his voice full of threat.
"Who the hell do you think you are, bastard?!" the guy yelled, trying to release his aura to intimidate Daniel.
But in that moment, Daniel simply released a portion of his aura—no flashy movements. Like a cold breeze drifting from a graveyard, the air grew heavy. The guy and his lackeys instantly recoiled in fear.
"W-what was that?!" one of them said, trembling.
"Shit, I felt it... it was suffocating!"
"This isn’t over... you’ll pay for this, I swear!" the guy growled and quickly ran off with his group.
"I didn’t expect him to be that stupid," Daniel muttered as he took a deep breath and pulled his aura back.
"He’s actually known for being a bastard," Kayn shrugged.
"You know him?" Daniel asked, surprised.
"Did you forget I’m a Wanderer?" Kayn grinned.
"So, who was he?" Daniel paused, then asked again.
"His name’s Aris von Tilove. His family’s somewhat wealthy," Kayn replied.
"Somewhat? And he’s that arrogant?" Daniel raised an eyebrow. He even wondered if the guy was royalty or something—why else would he act so full of himself?
But just from a somewhat wealthy family?
"His pride comes from his sister," Kayn said with a bitter smile.
"His sister?"
"Yeah, she’s one of the famous prodigies. A top student in the World Academy. A lot of people think she’s the next big thing."
"Great. So I’ve made an enemy out of a prodigy now, huh?" Daniel looked off into the distance, sarcasm in his voice.
And for a moment, he wondered—was he gifted at attracting elite enemies?
"I swear, I’ve never seen anyone crazier than you!" Kayn burst out laughing.
Aris really was well-known because of his sister. But as far as Kayn knew, Aris himself had no real talent—he just used his sister’s reputation to get his way. He studied at the local city academy, and nearly everyone in town knew him. That was probably why he was so full of himself.
Unfortunately, he messed with the wrong person.
"Let’s go find Eva... she’s late," Daniel said with a small smile.
They headed back to the ice cream shop. But when they arrived, Eva wasn’t there. The vendor was busy serving other customers.
"So where’s Eva?" Daniel frowned.
"Didn’t she head this way?" Kayn asked, glancing around.
The two approached the vendor. Daniel gave Eva’s description and asked if he had seen her.
"No sir. Haven’t seen anyone like that," the vendor shook his head.
They both thanked him and left.
"Think she ran away?" Kayn asked.
"She wasn’t a prisoner. She said herself she’d follow me to the Central Plains," Daniel replied, frowning.
Their concern grew. They searched the area—back alleys, shop entrances, even behind stalls—but there was no sign of Eva.
Just then, a voice echoed in Daniel’s head. It was Vorak.
"My lord... I had suspicions earlier, but now I’m sure. Someone’s following you."
"Someone’s following us," Daniel’s eyes narrowed. He turned to Kayn and said in a low voice.
"Huh?!" Kayn looked around stupidly.
"What the hell are you doing, idiot?" Daniel slapped his forehead.
"Well... are you sure?" Kayn asked, uncertain.
"Know anywhere we can trap them?" Daniel asked, staring at him.
"Yeah. There’s a path to the sewers just a bit ahead. We can corner them there," Kayn nodded.
"Then let’s go."
Both of them quickly made their way into a dim, damp tunnel. The air smelled like old sewage and mold, making it hard to breathe.
Behind them, slow but firm footsteps echoed.
"So, you noticed, huh?" a beautiful woman’s voice rang out.
Daniel and Kayn blocked the tunnel from both sides. Their auras pulsed like invisible waves in the air—heavy and threatening.
"Who are you?" Daniel stepped forward.
But when he saw the person, he hesitated. It was a woman—and not just any woman. Long black hair, pale smooth skin, green eyes that glowed faintly in the dark. Her black leather uniform was form-fitting and plain, but made it obvious she was trained for combat.
"Calm down. I don’t mean harm," the woman said calmly.
"99% of people who stalk others don’t have good intentions," Kayn replied, intensifying his aura.
The woman sighed.
And then—
With a simple motion, she released her aura.
It was like a wave of ice poured over them. Daniel and Kayn’s auras instantly collapsed, like candles snuffed out in a storm.
They stared at her, wide-eyed.
"She’s at least rank B," Daniel whispered.
"And mid-tier B at worst..." Kayn muttered, still stunned.
Why would a rank B be following them?
"I went to see the Black Scar. That’s where I saw you. I overheard your conversation. I realized you’re looking for my lady," the woman said casually.
"Your lady? You know the duke’s daughter?" Daniel asked with a frown.
"I’m her personal guard. My name is Leia," the woman nodded.
Daniel and Kayn raised their eyebrows.
"Why would the a royal guard go see a gangster?" Daniel asked again, still skeptical. But unfortunately, this woman was a real rank B—they didn’t stand a chance.
"Why did you go? I went to gather intel," Leia said with a half-smile.
"Then why were you following us?" Kayn crossed his arms.
"I can’t find my lady alone. But when I saw you standing in front of the Black Scar, I sensed your skill," Leia said, looking directly at Daniel.
"And Wanderers tend to have good intel," she added, glancing at Kayn.
"How’d you know I was a Wanderer?" Kayn asked, surprised. Was it that easy to tell nowadays?
"Guess you’re not as good at hiding it as you think," Daniel chuckled before the woman could answer.
"The Black Scar told me after I beat it up enough," Leia said.
"..."
Daniel and Kayn fell silent for a moment. Daniel even felt a little bad for the Scar.
"So, what do you want from us? We’ve lost someone too," Kayn asked, trying to change the subject. One of a Wanderer’s most important traits was hiding their identity.
But he’d failed, and it really hurt his pride.
"You mean the girl?" Leia tilted her head.
"You saw her?" Daniel asked immediately.
"When you were dealing with that guy, I saw her head toward the ice cream shop. But a middle-aged man stopped her. They bumped into each other and she fell. Then he bent down, touched her shoulder... and they both turned into dust," Leia said, still looking stunned.
"What? How is that even possible?" Daniel froze.
Turning into dust? That was ridiculous. How could something like that happen in the middle of a crowd?
"It was strange for me too. I’ve never seen anything like it. What’s weirder is, no one else reacted," Leia frowned.
"Corruption Worshipers." Kayn suddenly said.
Daniel and Leia both turned to look at him.
"What did you say?"
"It’s them. It’s the Corruption Worshipers," Kayn said, wincing as he felt a headache come on.
