Chương 88: Something’s Off

Multiple people entered the inn, and I felt waves of powerful magic radiate from them. Melchior's face told me it wasn't good. I turned slowly and saw four men and a woman in black robes, a golden eye stitched onto their chests. This was, indeed, not good. The man in front scanned the room with what was perhaps the most condescending look I'd ever seen, which immediately put me on even higher alert. It appeared the inquisitors were here to start something. Could they be after me?

I mean, obviously they were after me, but did they know I was me? Had they tracked me down? I leaned closer to Kasia and whispered, "You need to step away from me. Pretend you don't know me. If you see an opportunity, slip outside and hide." She nodded and moved to step away, but Melchior grabbed her arm and put something in her hand. Then he let her go. She walked away, pretending not to notice the inquisitors, and sat down at a table not too far from the door. The inquisitors slowly made their way toward the bar.

When the woman walked past the drunk from earlier, he raised his mug and said something I couldn't hear. She slammed her staff into his head and he dropped to the floor, either unconscious or dead. Everyone was quiet now, all eyes on the inquisitors. I wanted to move away from the bar, but I was afraid if I did I'd draw extra attention to myself. And if they were there for me it wouldn't matter what I did anyway. Best to play it cool and pray they were here for some other reason. I glanced at Kasia.

She looked nervous, not that I could blame her. I was nervous as well, but at least I had the mask to hide my face. Maybe I shouldn't have brought her along. It would have been safer for her back at the cathedral. Somehow I was the world's worst big sister, without even being a real big sister. Through [Mēnē's Watchful Eye] I could feel their mana moving inside and around them. They all felt different, so I assumed they all had different classes. Maybe they didn't, and it was based on the person?

The man who'd entered first felt like their leader. His mana was calm and controlled. The woman with the staff however felt angry, vicious, her mana coiling around her like a snake waiting to strike. For a second I thought about creating a distraction, just so Kasia could get away. If they weren't here for me that would make me a target though, which would be pretty damn stupid. The leader walked up to the bar. If I hadn't stepped back he would have walked right into me. He didn't even spare me a glance.

That was good, I suppose.

"Melchior," he said.

"We were sent to clear that dungeon up ahead. Again. What's that, like the third time this year? If there's one thing I hate, it's clearing the same dungeon over and over, and I'm starting to believe the people in this village have something to do with it. The magic in this place always feels off." So not here for me. Thank the goddess. Was he talking about the dungeon from my quest? Melchior raised his hands.

"Bogumir, you know we have nothing to do with that dungeon. The magic in this town has always been like this. It's in the earth. Nothing can change that." Bogumir leaned on the bar.

"Hmmm." I didn't see any weapons on him, and he didn't have the "mage face" that a lot of these guys tended to have. Melee fighter? My eyes flicked to his hands, but I couldn't see those either, because he was wearing gloves. Didn't look like the punching kind, so maybe he was a mage after all. Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more. The woman impatiently tapped her staff on the floor.

"This place is disgusting," she said.

"These people are disgusting. I don't understand why you're always so insistent on coming to this shithole every time we pass through this town." Bogumir sighed.

"Because, Irena, there is something off about this inn." He nodded toward Melchior.

"There is something off about Melchior, and one day I will catch him doing whatever blasphemous shit it is that he does here."

"I don't do anything blasphemous," Melchior said.

"I live to serve Stvora. We all do." Bogumir looked unimpressed.

"Hmm. So you say. What do you think, Irena?"

"I think I don't care," Irena said. Bogumir turned to me.

"What do you think?"

"Stvora is great, Stvora is all," I said. He narrowed his eyes, then looked disappointed. Perhaps he expected me to say something else, hoping for an excuse to start a fight? Lashing out at us for praising Stvora would be a bad look for him. I was sure Stvora would not approve, neither would the Church, and he knew it. The smallest of the group took a couple of steps toward the bar. His mana rolled off him in steady waves. It almost felt like he was scanning the room.

"I think Bogumir is right. Something feels off. Even more off than the other two times we were here." He sniffed.

"Yeah. Something's off." Irena rolled her eyes.

"See," Bogumir said.

"Jerzy also feels it. Have I ever been wrong about something like this?" Irena prodded the unmoving body of the drunk with her staff.

"I suppose not." Bogumir gave me a nod.

"See. I'm never wrong." He looked at me like he was waiting for a response, but I had no idea what to say to that.

"Wrong about magic feeling off," Irena said.

"You've been wrong about plenty other things." Bogumir turned his attention back to her, then shrugged.

"But not about this."

"Sure. So what's your plan? Stand around here and wait for Melchior to do something shady?" Irena lifted her chin toward Melchior.

"Hey. Could you hurry up and do something shady?"

"Can you shut up for a second?" Jerzy said.

"Your yapping is throwing off my senses." Irena raised her staff at him.

"Don't tell me what to do!" He slapped it to the side.

"Get that thing out of my face and hold your tongue." That got a chuckle from the other two men. And they were men. Didn't these squads always have a scriptor with them? Could that mean there were more outside? Maybe they had left some people in case anyone tried to escape. Which would mean if Kasia tried to flee she'd run right into the arms of more of these assholes. Irena moved closer to the man, but Bogumir said, "Irena. Enough."

She scowled and stepped back, her eyes sweeping the room, probably searching for a victim to unleash her frustration on. Her eyes settled on Kasia. Slowly and deliberately, she walked over, tapping her staff on the floor.

"Girl," she said. Kasia tried to make herself invisible, but unfortunately it had failed. She looked up at Irena.

"Y-yes?"

"What's a little girl doing in a place like this all by her lonesome?" Irena leaned in and waggled her fingers.

"In a place with bad magic."

"I just wanted something to eat." Irena tapped her staff to the side of the table.

"Where's the food then? I don't see any food. Are you on a diet?" She tapped her staff against Kasia's chair.

"You look like you could use some food. You're pretty skinny."

"I'm not on a diet," Kasia said. Irena poked Kasia in the stomach with her staff, then put it under her chin.

"So, where. Is. The. Food?" As she spoke, the magic around her grew erratic. Jerzy had definitely gotten under her skin, and now she was looking for an excuse to hurt someone. It appeared that someone was going to be Kasia. Obviously, I wasn't going to let that happen, but how was I going to save Kasia without dying myself? Normally I'd just start blasting, catching everyone by surprise, but unfortunately these guys were already on edge, and their leader was standing two steps away from me.

I might get the drop on Irena, but I had a feeling that would result in old Bogumir here killing me before I got to shoot anyone else in the face. So my only option was to get everyone's attention on me in a way that would let Kasia escape, while at the same time not making them want to kill me. Or at least not right away. My eyes flicked to Melchior, who was staring at Irena, frozen. He also knew what she was about to do. What was Melchior hiding anyway? What did Jerzy smell?

Did mana have a smell just like fear did? Probably some kind of skill. I hoped it also didn't let him smell behind masks, or what classes people had. I hoped the other two guys weren't too quick on the uptake either. Because I had the perfect plan.