33. Front-row Seat
A few days passed uneventfully after that encounter.
In the mornings, I continued attending my college classes, while the boutique—Chris—was now running smoothly. Mother personally handled the high-profile clients, while the rest of the operations were managed by the professional staff we'd hired. All that remained was for us to check in occasionally.
I continued practicing my Detection ability.
It felt like a ripple, a ring expanding outward from a central point—me. Everything the wave touched was instantly transferred into my mind: the temperature, nearby people, sounds, and even the faintest shifts in air pressure. It was as if time froze for a split second, just long enough for the entire world within range to be etched into my consciousness.
Then came the headache—sharp and paralyzing—leaving me frozen in place for several seconds.
And by the time I finished processing all that information, everything had already changed. Unless it was an inanimate object rooted to the spot, most people had moved on from where I had sensed them.
It was like a radar, except instead of sweeping in one direction at a time, it expanded in every direction simultaneously. The farther it stretched, the louder and heavier the incoming data became.
As you can see, it wasn't practical at all in a real battle.
For now, I made it a habit to activate it at least once every hour—
Which also meant I was nursing a splitting headache at least once every hour, too.
Then, the moment I'd been waiting for finally arrived.
I headed to the agreed meeting place, just like before.
"Are you alright?" I asked Xio, who looked unusually tense and restless. Her eyes kept scanning the surroundings, clearly on edge.
"Eh? Ah, yes," she nodded hastily and turned to lead me toward the others.
Yeah... she's really out of it.
Together with Xio—who nearly jumped at every little sound—we finally arrived at the meeting point and found the others already gathered.
There was Fors, Glaint… and Audrey, her face partially concealed beneath her usual disguise.
Wait a minute—wasn't she supposed to only attend one gathering?
I blinked, momentarily confused, but decided not to dwell on it. It wasn't important anymore. I had already accepted that I'd need to make contact with her sooner or later.
Or more accurately, I needed the help of her family.
Meeting Mrs. Sammer had reminded me of something.
A certain scene I'd once read—a cheap, gut-wrenching portrayal of war's cruelty.
Sure, I understood the logic behind it. It was meant to show how horrifying war could be.
But still... weren't there many ways to do it?
Regardless, that memory had given me the push I needed—to start preparing.
I pulled down my hoodie, revealing my face to the group.
"Sorry for the late introduction. Nice to meet you all. I'm Chris."
I offered a small nod to the two I wasn't supposed to know yet, before turning to Fors.
"It's nice to see you again, Fors."
"Ah… yes," she replied automatically, then paused.
Is it really that nice? she wondered.
To be honest, she still occasionally had nightmares about the moment he'd pointed a sharp knife at her.
In an instant, the atmosphere turned awkward—but I pretended not to notice.
"Ah, you don't have to do the same," I said, glancing at Glaint and Audrey. "This is just my way of showing trust in the people that my dear friends, Xio and Fors, trust."
Pang.
Dear friends?
Fors felt like she'd just heard someone say a cat had swallowed a dog. Her mind practically flew off into the cosmos.
Well… that was an exaggeration. If her mind really was floating in the universe, she wouldn't still be standing here.
Meanwhile, Audrey, ever the perceptive observer, didn't miss the subtle shifts in body language. She immediately picked up on the unspoken relationship between the two.
She noticed Glaint remove his hood and introduce himself to Chris. As someone deeply fascinated by mysticism, there was no way he wouldn't be thrilled to meet others who shared his passion. And since this was already their second meeting, the initial wariness had been replaced with a cautious trust.
But what really caught Audrey's attention wasn't Glaint—it was Chris.
There was something about him. He seemed to know more about her than what was publicly available… yet at the same time, he went out of his way to ignore her. That contradiction gnawed at her curiosity.
'Maybe Mr. Hanged Man… or Mr. Fool might know something. No, Audrey, focus. You can do this!'
She gave herself a quiet pep talk. Today, she had decided not to simply observe him from the shadows. No—this time, she'd take the front-row seat.
"We've met again," Audrey said with a warm, dazzling smile as she removed her hood. "Nice to meet you too."
"!?" Chris blinked, then bowed deeply with the practiced elegance Peytra had drilled into him. "We meet again, Miss Hall. I never imagined it would be you."
He's acting, Audrey instantly thought.
So he recognized me even when I was cloaked? Was it because of my slip-up last time? No… maybe he knew all along?
A flood of questions rose in her mind before she took a breath and pushed them aside.
No. Today, I'm just a spectator. Just observe, Audrey. Observe.
"I also never expected to find another enthusiast so close to me," Audrey replied with a bright smile, the kind of excitement only a fellow hobbyist could understand. She looked, for a moment, like a child thrilled to make a new friend.
"It's an honor to be remembered by you," Chris said with casual ease.
Glaint, who had received a slightly different reception from Chris, didn't take offense. He'd seen plenty of people behave differently when Audrey Hall was involved—it was simply the natural effect of her social standing.
"Actually," Chris continued without hesitation, "I've been quite lucky recently and managed to become a Beyonder myself."
The statement was thrown out so casually it nearly made Fors flinch. Even Audrey blinked in surprise.
"Are you a Beyonder too, Miss Hall? Mr. Glaint?" he added smoothly, as if discussing the weather.
"Not yet," Glaint replied, shaking his head. "But I'm hoping to acquire the Sequence 9 Apothecary potion. Do you happen to know where I could find one?"
Chris shook his head. "I don't have any leads at the moment, but I'll keep an eye out. If I come across anything, I'll let you know."
Then, with the ease of camaraderie, he extended his hand. Glaint smiled and shook it firmly—an unspoken exchange of trust between fellow seekers.
'???' Audrey was perplexed. Why is he telling them that? What is he trying to achieve? She carefully studied Chris's face. He doesn't seem to be lying…
As the camaraderie between Chris and Glaint bloomed before her eyes, Audrey noticed something else—Chris's body language shifted ever so slightly. He looked... uneasy.
"Yes, I've been fortunate to become one myself," Audrey replied smoothly, her tone light but deliberately vague. It was an unspoken rule not to inquire about someone's Pathway unless they offered the information themselves.
Meanwhile, Fors side-eyed her best friend, who was acting like a tightly wound ball of nerves. A best friend who had, not long ago, nearly blurted out the name of some unknowable entity as if it were a prayer at dinner.
"Are you okay?" Fors asked quietly.
"Of course I'm fine," Xio responded a little too quickly, trying to sound normal. But her twitchy glances around the alleyway betrayed her. She looked like someone expecting a dagger to fly at her from the shadows at any moment.
"Then why do you keep acting like we're about to be ambushed?" Fors raised an eyebrow.
Xio followed her gaze to the trio—Chris, Glaint, and Audrey—talking openly, their hoods now removed like they were at a tea party rather than a secret gathering.
"Since when were they so... casual?" Xio muttered, eyes narrowing in disbelief.
Fors rolled her eyes. "Alright, that's it. Let's go find a priest to exorcise whatever paranoia is haunting you," she muttered, urging everyone forward.
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Hello, everyone.I've been wondering… is there still anyone here?If so, could you leave a small sign? Just something to let me know.I've been thinking about stopping this story.