Late at night, nearly a dozen guards arrived at the inn. Kaelin and Zixuan, now fully dressed and armed, stood quietly against the wall.
The guards examined the two tightly bound thieves, and one of them asked, "Who reported the incident?"
"That was me." A short-haired clerk raised his hand. "I was on duty and heard fighting upstairs, so I had one of the boys go call the authorities."
At that moment, a woman with wavy violet hair tied into a long, thin braid stepped into the room. The moment the guards and bystanders saw her, they all stood at attention.
"Lady Clorinde!"
Her presence exuded refinement, from her poised posture to the cool sharpness in her gaze.
"Hm. Have you confirmed the suspects?" Clorinde asked calmly.
A guard thumped his chest and nodded. "Yes, ma'am. These two are definitely the ringleaders behind the recent string of thefts."
The innkeeper pointed at the culprits. "That's right! I recognize them. These two have been loitering around the shop lately. I knew something was off—they looked like trouble. And now here we are."
Clorinde gave the innkeeper a glance, then turned to the wreckage strewn around the room. "Whose room is this?"
"It's ours," Zixuan replied, stepping forward.
"Then tell me what happened," Clorinde said, crossing her arms.
Zixuan nodded. "I was asleep when I heard some noises—murmuring and someone rummaging through our belongings. When I opened my eyes, I saw them trying to take Kaelin's ring."
"That's right!" Kaelin quickly chimed in. "I woke up around the same time and caught them in the act."
"I see," Clorinde said. "And… the two of you subdued the suspects?"
Kaelin shook her head. "We fought them, but we got caught off guard. In the end, someone jumped in through the window and helped us take them down."
Clorinde's expression sharpened. "Someone broke in… Do you remember what he looked like?"
Kaelin frowned. "We were both on the floor, so we didn't see his face clearly. But his hair—it was white. About the same age as him, I think." She pointed to Mo Yan, who blinked in surprise at the sudden attention.
Clorinde followed her gaze and examined Mo Yan from head to toe. "White-haired, early twenties…"
After a moment of thought, she asked, "Did his eyes have a violet glow?"
"Yes, they did! But how do you know that?" Kaelin asked, puzzled.
Clorinde sighed and pressed her fingers to her temple. "I knew it… him again." She looked to the guards. "You two, take these thieves into custody and interrogate them thoroughly."
"Yes, ma'am!"
Clorinde then turned back to Kaelin and Zixuan. "I understand the situation. Now, would you both come with me to file a formal report? It's procedure, I hope you don't mind."
The two girls shook their heads.
"It's fine. We didn't really lose anything," Zixuan said.
The guards ushered the onlookers away, detained the thieves, and escorted Kaelin and Zixuan out of the inn. Mo Yan, Zhao Heng, and Tianlang followed behind, not quite at ease.
—
At the station, they sat outside an office waiting to be called. Mo Yan looked around—despite the city's medieval outward appearance, the station itself was shockingly modern. Electric lights, flick-switches—stuff they hadn't seen at the inn. It felt like stepping into another era.
Eventually, Clorinde emerged from the office.
"Thank you for your patience. Here's the incident report. Once you've verified everything, you're free to go." She handed a document to Zixuan, who accepted it and gave a small nod.
"Um…" Zixuan squinted at the paper. "I… can't read this…"
As someone from another world, she couldn't understand the local writing system—but if she admitted that, Clorinde might not believe her.
This is bad… she thought, throwing sidelong glances at Tianlang for help.
"Is something wrong with the report?" Clorinde asked, noticing her hesitation.
"N-no, it's just… the lighting's kind of dim. Hard to see," Zixuan replied awkwardly, stalling as she stared harder at the text.
Maybe I should just hand it to Tianlang.
Then a familiar voice chimed in from the hallway.
"So it really was you guys."
Everyone turned to see Obsidian walking toward them.
"Obsidian? You're here too?" Kaelin asked in surprise.
Obsidian crossed her arms. "Of course I'm here. I am the sheriff, you know."
Kaelin scratched her head, a little embarrassed. "Ah, sorry, that's not what I meant. I just didn't expect you to be here this late, haha…"
"I was switching shifts," Obsidian replied. "Then I heard there'd been another theft involving outlanders, so I rushed over."
She turned to Clorinde. "So, you've caught the culprits?"
"Yes. But the one who subdued them wasn't any of us—it was him." Clorinde nodded toward Kaelin's group.
Obsidian smiled knowingly. "So the lord is starting to lose his patience, huh?"
Clorinde looked between Obsidian and the others, then asked, "Pardon me for asking, but… do you know each other?"
Obsidian chuckled. "Of course. I mentioned earlier today that a group of outlanders came here seeking Lord Evilbane. These are them—and this is Lord Moon Saint himself, Yue Tianlang."
She gestured to Tianlang with a smile. Realizing this, Clorinde's demeanor shifted instantly.
"I see. Then I must apologize for my earlier attitude," Clorinde said respectfully. She looked at Zixuan. "So the lady couldn't read our writing—that's why she was so uneasy?"
Zixuan rubbed the back of her head sheepishly. "Yes… Sorry about that."
"It's alright. You should've said something," Clorinde said gently. "As law enforcement, we're here to help—especially those who come to us for aid."
Obsidian added with a chuckle, "Of course, we don't go easy on those who cause trouble."
Zixuan let out a nervous laugh, then handed the report to Tianlang.
Suddenly, Kaelin's eyes lit up with realization.
"Wait a minute—based on what you just said… there were other outlanders who were robbed before us?"
"That's correct," Clorinde said, a bit stiffly.
Kaelin's expression darkened. The pieces fell into place—and her tone shifted dramatically.
"Obsidian! You set us up, didn't you?" she accused.
"Now where's that coming from?" Obsidian raised an eyebrow.
"You led us to that inn during the day, and by nightfall, we were robbed. And it's the exact same MO as the recent thefts. Anyone with half a brain could see through this!"
Obsidian laughed softly. "I did sense something off when I led you there. I expected the thieves to back off once they realized a sheriff was involved—but I underestimated their boldness."
Kaelin crossed her arms. "And yet they went through with it."
Obsidian shrugged. "Fine, I admit it. We had agents in every inn watching for activity, but even so, the thefts kept happening. Those guys are slippery—they plan their exits well. I was actually considering sending in decoys to lure them out. Then you all showed up, and, well, you were better bait than I could've hoped for."
"You could've at least told us!" Kaelin snapped.
"That would've ruined the realism," Obsidian replied with a smirk. "Besides, you were well-equipped. With your firepower, a few petty thieves shouldn't have been a problem." She tilted her head. "Or did I overestimate you?"
Kaelin fumed.
This woman really had nerve.
~~------------------------
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