"This is absurd!" — Arabel exclaid when she heard from Idan about what had happened.
Idan, having finished his story, gave Arabel ti to recover and calm down. He himself had already accepted what had happened and saw no point in further worries. He turned on his smartphone screen again and went back to checking notifications.
Of all the people Idan knew, he had the numbers of only a few people: Arabel, Esma, his sister, Irene, and a new acquaintance, Milla. He also had Coco's number, which used to belong to him.
Due to network restrictions in Rumbus City, Idan could not contact Esma and Irene. Arabel and Coco were with him, so Milla was the only one left. All the notifications he had received up to this point were from her.
After reviewing all of Milla's ssages, Idan discovered that Kraus' disappearance had been discovered, and he had beco one of the suspects.
"Who are the ssages from?" Arabel asked, calming down a bit and seeing that Idan was busy checking the notifications on his smartphone that had arrived after they returned to their world.
"A ssage from Milla," Idan replied, without taking his eyes off the screen.
"Oh! And who is it?" — Arabel's mood and behavior changed dramatically when she heard Milla's na. However, Idan, lost in thought after reading the ssages, did not notice this.
"This is an Awakened girl that Ned and I t near the city. She helped us navigate the city and register Ned as an Awakened in the Awakened Association," Idan said without concealnt. "Oh yeah, I forgot to ntion. She is also a mber of the Defenders Guild, which belongs to your brother Arslan. It was through her that I made an appointnt with your brother for tomorrow."
Arabel felt a little relieved after hearing all the details. However, an unhappy residue and so suspicion remained inside her, and she realized that these were echoes of a side effect and that it still hadn't disappeared.
Ring, Ring, Ring.
Suddenly, the smartphone on Idan's hand rang. Arabel, noticing this, narrowed her eyes and her ears perked up. At that mont, she felt a weight on her right shoulder and, turning, t the little fox cub's eyes, which were holding photographs in its paws and looking expectantly at Arabel, holding them out.
"Hello, Ethan?" Milla's voice rang out as soon as Idan swiped the call acceptance icons on the screen.
"Finally! I tried to call you, but your number was unavailable. Are you all right?"— Milla, hearing Idan's voice, was initially delighted, but then worried.
"We're fine, Milla, thank you for your concern. We were busy, and my smartphone was turned off, so I wasn't online..." said Idan, lifting his head and turning to Arabel. But he imdiately froze at what he saw.
Arabel studied the photographs carefully, with a serious expression on her face, which Coco suddenly appeared and took out one by one from her backpack.
Idan's heart began to beat faster, and he felt goosebumps run through his body. Swallowing hard, he looked at Coco, praying that the scoundrel wouldn't show the photo she'd taken at the hotel and cause a misunderstanding with Arabel.
"Ethan?" Milla called.
"Huh? What?" asked Idan, not hearing her because of the sudden image in front of his eyes.
"I said that the military and the Association are looking for you and Ned," Milla repeated.
"Huh? Why?" he said in surprise, pretending that he hadn't expected to hear such news from her.
"Phew, — ca a sigh from Milla. "Kraus is missing."
Idan furrowed his brows, even though he knew he was just playing a role. But to be more convincing, he tried to get used to the image.
"Let guess, because we had a conflict, are we suspected of his disappearance?" asked Idan after a short pause.
"Yes," Milla confird.
"The military knows Kraus, and he doesn't have the best reputation. They would not have paid attention to his disappearance, but the Leader of the Untouchables Guild asked the Association to help in the search for Kraus. The association, in turn, appealed to all the Guilds present in the city and to the military. That's where they found out about Kraus's conflict with you and Ned."
Idan, after listening to Milla, was not surprised. He had already assud that sothing like this could happen. That was why he wanted to spend another day or two in the city before going after Arabel. But when Idan saw Arslan with another girl, he decided to change his plans, and that's what it led to.
"When all the interested parties wanted to et with you and Ned and interrogate you, no one could find you. You weren't at the hotel or in the city. This has further increased the Untouchables Guild leader's suspicions that you are responsible for Kraus's disappearance and that is why you are hiding."
Idan wasn't worried about that. He was sure that he had not left any traces or clues. Apart from the conflict outside the city, he and Ned had nothing to do with Kraus, and this was not proof of their guilt in the latter's disappearance. Yes, there was a motive, but there is no evidence.
If this was the old world, then maybe the police could detain them for questioning. But this wasn't their old world anymore, and he and Ned weren't ordinary guys from an ordinary family. They were awakened, and without hard evidence, hardly anyone could have done anything against them.
Thinking about it, for so reason inside Idan wanted soone to suspect them and perhaps take so action against them, giving him a reason to retaliate.
"Ethan..." — Milla called, and when Idan heard her voice, he imdiately noticed the uncertainty that betrayed her hesitation.
"Yes, I'm here. Ask away," Idan replied calmly.
"You and Ned aren't involved in this, are you? About Kraus's disappearance?" Milla finally asked, gathering her thoughts.
Idan smiled before confidently lying, feeling no sha or conscience.:
"Of course not!"
"Phew, — Milla breathed with relief after hearing Idan's confident and firm words. She believed him.
"Co to the branch of the Awakened Association, I'll be waiting for the two of you there." I will also inform the Leader about your arrival. We need to dispel the suspicions and accusations that have been leveled at the two of you as soon as possible," Milla said.
"Okay, we'll be there soon," Idan agreed.
— Okay, then I'll et you there, bye! Milla said goodbye and ended the conversation.
As soon as the conversation ended, Idan lowered his smartphone, but his gaze was directed at Arabel, who was looking straight into his eyes.
"So this is the Milla?" asked Arabel. Despite the fact that she was looking at Coco's pictures, she listened attentively to Idan's conversation with Milla and did not miss a word.
"Yes, that's her," Idan confird.
"She sounds very worried about you," Arabel said, and her words began to worry Idan. Her calmness struck him as suspicious. He couldn't figure out why it made him uneasy. If Arabel had reacted violently, Idan would have felt calr, or sothing. But the way Arabel was acting now seed like the calm before the storm.
Idan hoped deep down that his mind was just playing tricks on him. He believed that Arabel was more understanding, and he hoped that she trusted him as much as he trusted her.
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