Tessa pushed open the door to room seven, the hinges creaking slightly as it swung inward.
The room was functional, clean enough, but nothing fancy.
A single bed against the far wall, decent size but clearly ant for two people.
A small table with a chair by the window. A washbasin on a stand. A wardrobe that had seen better days. Oil lamp already lit, casting warm light across the worn floorboards.
One bed.
Of course there’s one bed.
Why would there be two?
I stepped inside and closed the door behind .
Tessa imdiately moved to the bed and sat down on it, testing the mattress with a few bounces.
"Not bad," she declared. "Definitely better than the ground."
I removed my bag and set it down near the door, along with Oathstorm.
Then I just stood there for a mont, exhaling slowly.
I’m so tired.
I moved to the bed and sat down beside her—not close, leaving a respectable distance between us—and let my shoulders slump.
Tessa turned to look at .
I felt her gaze but didn’t return it imdiately, just staring at the floor.
"What?"
She didn’t answer with words.
Instead, she reached over and ran her hand through my hair, almost tender, her fingers combing through the tangled ss.
"You’re a complete ss," she said softly.
I looked away, toward the window.
"I know."
My hair was probably full of twigs and dirt. My clothes were stained with mud, sweat and stream water.
I probably slled terrible. And felt like I’d been beaten with a stick for several hours.
Tessa’s hand withdrew from my hair.
She stood up, stretching her arms above her head with a slight groan, her back cracking audibly.
Then she looked down at and winked.
"Wanna bathe together?"
"No."
The word ca out faster than I’d intended.
"Absolutely not."
She shrugged, completely unbothered by the rejection.
"Your loss~"
Then moved to her pack—when had she gotten that? Had she been carrying it the whole ti?—and started pulling out a change of clothes.
Simple traveling outfit. Nothing fancy, but clean.
She gathered everything she needed, then headed for the door.
"I’m going to the common bath. The innkeeper said it’s down the hall, second door on the left." She paused at the threshold, looking back over her shoulder with that sa playful smile.
"Don’t miss too much while I’m gone~"
Then she was out, the door closing behind her with a soft click.
I sat there in the sudden silence.
Alone.
For the first ti since this morning.
I let out a long, slow breath and fell backward onto the bed, staring up at the ceiling.
What is my life right now?
I closed my eyes.
Every muscle screaming that what I actually needed was about hours of uninterrupted sleep.
But I couldn’t afford that yet.
I needed to think. Use this quiet mont to actually process everything that had happened and figure out—
Knock! Knock!
Soone knocked on the door.
I sat up imdiately, hand going instinctively toward where Oathstorm rested.
"Who is it?"
"It’s ." Scarlet’s voice ca muffled through the wood. "Can I co in?"
I relaxed slightly and stood up, moving to unlock the door.
She slipped inside quickly, closing it behind her with more force than necessary.
Her glamour was still active but her expression was strained.
"What’s wrong?"
She didn’t answer imdiately. Just moved to the window and peered out through the crack in the shutters.
"I’m being paranoid," she said finally. "Probably. But I keep feeling like we’re being watched."
I joined her at the window, looking out at the street below.
Evening had fully settled now. The street lamps provided pools of light, but there were plenty of shadows between them. People moved along the roads, normal traffic for a town this size. Nothing obviously suspicious.
But...
I activated my debug vision, expanding the scan range as far as I could push it.
[AREA_SCAN: EXTENDED]
range: 200_ters
human_presences: 47_detected
threat_assessnt: SCANNING...
Most signatures were normal, people going about their business, heading ho, visiting taverns.
But there were three that made pause.
Three figures, positioned at different points around the inn. Not moving. Just... watching.
[SUSPICIOUS_ENTITIES: 3]
entity_01: "rooftop_adjacent_building"
entity_02: "alley_across_street"
entity_03: "marketplace_edge"
threat_level: UNKNOWN
My stomach dropped.
"You’re not being paranoid," I said quietly. "There are at least three people watching this building."
Scarlet’s face went pale.
"The hunters?"
"I don’t know. Could be. Could be unrelated. Could be local thieves scoping out potential marks." I closed the debug vision. "But we should assu worst case."
"We need to leave," Scarlet said imdiately, her voice tight with barely controlled panic. "Now. Before they make a move."
"And go where?" I asked. "It’s night. The gates are closed. Even if we could get out, we’d be running blind in the dark."
I moved back to the bed and sat down, thinking.
"If they knew for certain we were here, they’d have already moved. Hunters don’t wait once they’ve confird a target."
Scarlet looked like she wanted to argue.
But she couldn’t.
"I hate this," she muttered.
"I know."
She moved to the door, paused.
"If they do co... you’ll fight?"
"If I have to."
She nodded once, then left without another word.
I sat there in the quiet room, my mind already running through contingencies.
I have enough mana for ergency modifications if needed.
Before I could think more, the door opened again.
I looked up and saw Tessa coming inside.
Her hair damp from the bath, hanging loose around her shoulders instead of tied back. Clean clothes. Skin slightly flushed from hot water. She looked refreshed, relaxed, completely at ease.
She smiled when she saw .
"Your turn. Bath water’s still warm if you hurry."
Then moved to the bed and sat down beside , closer than before, her shoulder pressing against mine.
What should I do? Wait?
Then suddenly, I stood, grabbed my sword, and headed for the door.
"I’ll be back in twenty minutes," I said. "Lock the door behind . Don’t open it for anyone except or Sara."
"Where are you going?" Tessa asked, raising a brow.
"Just a stroll..."
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