Parthellam, the city of lights, was one among the bustling cities of Orion that was active at night just as much as the day. Being the capital of the Herrmann marquisate, the city was a must-stop destination for merchants and travelers alike.

Other than the shopping district, where the local merchant headquarters was located and the city square, there were a number of tourist sites in the vicinity owing to the efforts of the local Lord.

Having reached the city just as the day turned to night, the entourage had reached their journey's end two days later than originally planned.

Due to the ogre ambush, the trip was delayed. And since some of the members were injured, it took more time than planned to reach the city.

The carriages were aligned in front of the local merchant headquarters for the official handover of goods.

Officially the Orion merchants have been safely escorted from Velven to Parthellam. And once the merchants check the goods and the pending payments are done. The merchantry and the mercenaries will go on their separate paths.

Moreover, the Tullus mercenaries were scheduled to travel west, for their yearly visit to the rural cities. Thus the Nero mercenaries will be on their own for the return trip back to Velen.

It was fortunate in a way since without the Tullus mercenaries joining them, they would be able to make multiple detours and pit stops on a whim without worrying about following a schedule.

After a day's rest and sightseeing, the Nero mercenaries would leave Parthellam to begin their solo trip back to their homeland.

Raeden alongside Chief Gallahan had left to meet with the merchantry head to receive the payment, while Jade and Eugene had gone in search of lodgings for the night, leaving behind the trio foxes.

While waiting for them to return, Ann, Noah, and Oliver watched as the relic they had been guarding for more than a month being unloaded from the carriage.

"Any guesses on what we helped bring into this country?" Ann raised a question, popping a piece of sour candy into her mouth. Then extended the pouch of candy toward the twins as she narrowed her eyes at the relic.

It took six men to carry the relic out of the carriage and onto the cart.

"Treasure maybe?" Oliver took a candy for himself and passed the pouch to his brother.

The relic in itself shone like treasure under the night lights, attracting the attention of the people passing by when the tarp was pulled down during transport. So it was not entirely hard to deny that there may be valuable treasure inside.

"Some ancient crown or something? They did find it buried under the ground. That's where people usually hide treasures" Noah speculated, only to immediately twist his face from the sourness of the candy.

"Ugh... How do you even eat this?!" He complained, slopping his tongue inside and out like a snake.

Ann and Oliver glanced at him for a second, then quickly went back to examining the relic.

"You guys are cruel!"

Ignoring his dramatic outburst, Oliver calmly stated,

"I bet there's nothing. Just air. Or is it ancient air"

"Hmm... Interesting theories" Ann hummed with her eyes closed.

"My money's on a face-hugging alien egg that latches itself onto your face. Eats everything from the inside out and bursts its way through the abdomen to destroy humanity"

"..."

Noah and Oliver looked at each other stunned by Ann's theory.

Even in their wildest dreams, they have never imagined such a horror. They could only imagine what kind of life Ann had seen before she joined the Nero mercenaries.

"What?" Ann was confused, unable to understand their suspicious stares.

"For a moment there I thought you were serious" Oliver let out a laugh, nudging his brother to follow suit.

"That's so messed up. I like it"

Noah fist-bumped Ann, impressed by her vivid imagination skills. Although her theory was completely insane, there was no denying that it was piquing their curiosity.

On the other hand, Ann was the one who uncovered a centuries-old mystery that had the potential to turn the phase of history. It was well within the realm of possibility that her simple guess might turn out to be true.

What seems to be apparent to the naked eye, might just be an illusion created by clever deception.

The twins felt a chill run down their spine from imagining it, unconsciously placing their hands on their tummy.

"By the way. How did you think of such a thing?" Noah wanted to make sure, none of it was real for the sake of his peaceful sleep.

'Horror movies of course! Ever since I made it out of that ancient tomb. It's the only thing I ever think about'

Ann did not feel the need to explain. It was their long-deserved break. And if they start talking about it now, it would consume the entire day before she could even reach half of the story.

"Enough of that"

Instead, she dodged the question with one of her own.

"Why are you suddenly concerned about the box?"

The Orion relic was with them for over a month. She wondered why they had suddenly developed an interest in a magic box that was no different from any other ordinary box except for its exquisite appearance.

When a few days back, Eugene raised concerns regarding suspicious noises coming from the relic, it was merely a distraction to keep her occupied while they enacted their secret plan.

'What are they up to now?'

"I thought you guys were lying to keep me distracted" Ann raised her eyebrows feeling suspicious.

"No. Eugene was telling the truth about that..." Oliver shook his head to which Noah agreed.

"Yeah. It kinda got swept under the rug because of the chaos. But it was making noises. At least that's what Eugene says..."

"Whatever it was, it's not our problem anymore. We finished what we were paid for" added Ann watching the relic being carried into the merchant headquarters.

Now that the relic was out of their hands forever, it was time for sightseeing.

"Let's go shopping!"

Before the twins could start talking about the relic again, Ann pulled them towards the shopping district.

As they got closer and closer to the city square, the crowd got bigger as if there was a festival taking place.

"Woww... That's a lot of shops" Noah exclaimed, canvassing through the various stalls on either side of the streets. From his height, he was able to see ahead without any trouble.

"There it is!"

Excited, he ran towards the food stalls in a hurry after spotting it in the distance, separating from Ann and Oliver.

"Why are there so many people?"

Unlike Noah, Ann was finding it difficult to navigate through the crowd of people covering every inch of the streets. As she was wearing a hood to conceal her head, her field of vision was limited to a certain degree.

"Yeah... And the crowd is growing bigger at that. Apparently, some big shot noble is going to make an appearance" Oliver recalled hearing about it a few hours back.

Earlier while they were waiting near the carriages, Oliver had overheard some of the locals discussing the arrival of an imperial noble from the capital.

The sudden appearance of the noble along with his Knightage attracted the attention of the people from nearby villages, who in turn had flocked to the city, turning the usually busy streets of Parthellam to be busier than ever.

But when he tried to remember the name. All he could hear was Ann and Eugene's usual squabble in the background.

'Big shot noble huh? Who might that be?' Ann fell into thought.

It wasn't unusual for nobles to temporarily reside in other territories for sightseeing or to promote friendly relations. So there was no need for her to worry about anything and enjoy the holiday.

By the time she came back to her senses, Oliver was long gone. Within her constrained view, she could see blue fluff and a pair of ears moving forward in the crowd.

"Oliver! Oliv..."

Just as they were about to lose sight of Oliver, someone bumped into Ann in full force.

"What the!? Who?!"

Ann stopped on her feet and searched behind her. But before she could see who it was, the person had disappeared into the crowd.

Since Ann was in the midst of keeping track of Oliver, she had missed to get a good view of the person who had bumped into her.

"Huh? Where did she go?"

Noticing that Ann had disappeared, Oliver came back to find her staring into the sea of people moving in and out like waves.

"Why are you standing here?" asked Oliver, following her line of sight.

"Nah... it's nothing" Ann brushed it off without much thought. She figured it was her fault. If she weren't paying much attention, she was bound to get bumped in the busy streets.

"Then let's go. Noah found the food stall we were looking for"

In the distance, they could see Noah waving his hands in the air, to direct them to his location.

"Wowie!" Ann gulped, seeing the chicken skewers on sale placed on display. The spicy and crispy texture of the chicken aligned with an assortment of vegetables was worth getting squished in the crowd.

"How many would you like to have, miss?" The shopkeeper was quick to act, seeing the customers drooling at the sight of the freshly made pieces.

"One for each hand!" Ann smiled widely and flipped a gold coin towards the shopkeeper.

"And keep the change"

"Thank you, customer! Please come again!"

Loaded with chicken skewers one in each hand, the trio foxes headed towards the city square in search of the next stall.

There was one more thing they had to purchase, before regrouping with the rest of the Nero mercenaries.

It was hair dye.

Parading around the city with platinum blonde hair was equal to sticking her head into a hornets' nest covered in honey.

At that moment, Ann remembered the ornament Kalan placed on her hair when they were stuck inside the tomb.

Each time she tried to return the hair ornament back to Kalan, he tended to slip away by evading the topic or disappearing before she could hand it over.

'Let's just slip it into his pocket when he's not looking' Ann nodded to herself.

If he was not going to receive the hair ornament she borrowed, then she'll just have to leave it with him.

Modern problems require modern solutions.

'And I didn't even get to bid farewell'

After they had entered the city limits, Kalan vanished without a trace. Even his assistant Ezra was nowhere in sight when they reached the headquarters.

'I swear the man is a ghost'

They must have been busy with tasks. While it may be the end of the mercenary's work, reaching Parthellam was just the beginning for the merchants.

'Oh! Speak of the devil'

Right as Ann was thinking about the two equally slippery people, they saw Ezra standing in the stall they were in search of.

"Isn't that Ezra?" Ann announced pointing at the man standing with a hair dye in hand.

"Miss Ann? Why are you here?" Ezra's eyes grew wide, having unexpectedly run into the trio.

"To bomb the city" Ann winked playfully and took a bite of the chicken skewer.

"To bo... bo... bomb?"

"I was joking. Of course, we came to shop. It's a freakin' shopping district" Ann rolled her eyes, tolling the sticks in the bin.

"I didn't know you were going to color your hair, Ezra. Looks like you've already selected one too"

The electric green-colored dye in his hands was so bright that it would be noticeable from the moons in space. Not that she was judging, but it would be rather bold of him to walk on the streets with such an exquisite shade.

"Oh this!" Ezra placed the dye back on the rack and took a step back.

"I was just browsing. Are you going to purchase anything?"

His eyes darted to the items in the stall. Aside from the dyes, there were an array of hair accessories and decorations.

Ezra stared intently as Ann's hand levitated over the collection of dyes but then point at a pack of hair ties instead.

"I'll take this" Ann paid the shopkeeper and received the pack from him.

"You lost them again didn't you?" Noah snatched the pack of hair ties from Ann before she could put them in her pocket.

"Why do you keep losing it?"

"Didn't you just buy a new one?" Oliver shook his head, displeased by the constant cycle of buying and losing hair ties. She seemed to be spending more money on purchasing hair ties than snacks.

"I don't know they just disappear. Maybe the hair tie troll stole it" Ann snatched it back and secured it in her pocket, vowing to not lose it this time.

Right then, Ann recognized a familiar scent linger in the air. Following the scent to the opposite side of the street, she was surprised to find a shop with different kinds of tea arranged at the front.

Postponing the dye buying to another time, Ann walked over to the other side as if led by instinct.

Despite the variety of exotic teas, the one Ann was lured to was the bright red tea placed at the center of the stand. The appearance of camellia tea this far from the Ashford county meant that the economy had recovered.

Ann opened up a box of camellia tea. The sweet fragrance emanating from the dried petals was enough to remind her of the times she used to have tea with her family in the garden surrounded by camellia flowers.

"Welcome!" Invited the plump-looking shopkeeper flashing a professional smile at the group of customers standing in front of his shop.

"We have kinds of tea you never even heard of" He boasted, pulling out a golden can from the top shelf.

Inside it was brown tea flakes mixed with tiny purple flowers.

"If you can name it. I'll give you fifty percent off on your purchase. But if you lose, you'll have to buy it at full price"

Expecting them to get it wrong, the shopkeeper grinned.

Unknown to the shopkeeper, the only topic that changed the usually quiet Ezra into a non-stop radio was 'tea'.

"This is fleur tea cultivated in Aetius Empire of Nasia"

Ezra recognized the tea almost immediately. It was the only tea his master used to drink before he suddenly changed to a different type a few years ago.

"The fleur tea is rich in antioxidants and..." He started explaining the benefits of the tea in detail.

It was not only the shopkeeper but the twins were also taken aback by listening to his deep knowledge in the field whereas Ann on the other hand was in her own world staring at the tea in hand.

Wanting to make him stop, the shopkeeper turned his attention towards the girl with the hood.

"Camellia tea! Quite the wonderful taste you have!" He awkwardly laughed, weaseling his way out of the deal.

"Yeah. It is" Ann said with a wry smile. There were days when she used to hide in the garden filled with camellia flowers in order to skip Gilbert's classes.

"Camellia tea is also rich in... " Ezra's eyes lit up again.

"Unknown fact. Camellia is good at reducing stress than any other..."

For Ann, Ezra's explanation went in one ear and out the other. She was barely listening to his words when his strange question caused her to freeze.

"You only drink camellia tea right, Miss Ann? I can see why. It has a unique taste that..."

"How did you know?" Ann interrupted Ezra, her emerald eyes locked on his face.

In an instant, the friendly atmosphere had turned cold.

"Know what?" Ezra became stiff noticing the abrupt change in her attitude.

From the corner of his eyes, he could see the twins standing behind him, blocking his way.

"How do you know that I only drink camellia tea?" She repeated her question, her voice as cold as winter.

"You... you mentioned it before" Ezra stuttered unable to meet Ann's sharp gaze.

He realized the huge mistake he had committed by running his mouth in the presence of the wrong person. But it was already too late.

"No, I didn't" Ann narrowed her eyes.

There were not a lot of people who knew her preferences in tea. Aside from her family and her best friend, only the people of a certain household in the capital were aware of the fact.

"Oliver" Ann called out with her eyes still fixed on Ezra.

"What's the name of the Imperial noble visiting the city?"

"I'm not sure. But it was something... cold" said Oliver remembering as much as he could.

"That's alright, Oliver"

"Shopkeeper" Ann turned to the man who was in the middle of his escape.

The shopkeeper slowly looked back. An experienced salesman like him had the inept ability to identify danger when faced with it.

"Do you know the name of the Imperial noble in the city?" She tilted her head.

"As a matter of fact. I do" He answered, impatiently fidgeting his hands.

"Then do tell us"

"It... It... It was..." In a panicked state, he was unable to say the name that was on the tip of his tongue.

"It was?" Angelica asked, her glare increasing intensity by ten percent.

"I know. I know" The shopkeeper closed his eyes and shouted as if his life depended on it.

"Frost! It was Frost!"

"Frost" Ann repeated the name, the now fainted shopkeeper told them as she took a step closer towards Ezra.

"Now that's a name you don't hear often"

"I have no idea what you are talking about miss" Ezra feigned innocence.

Ezra was in deep trouble. Three pairs of eyes glaring at him were filled with hostility. He could see Ann reaching for her sword as they surrounded him like a pack of foxes hunting its prey.

Just as Ann was about to pull her sword on Ezra, her hand moved by instinct.

*flick*

"!"

Behind Ann was a man with a hood covering his face holding a razor-sharp dagger pointed inches away from her body.

Having stopped him in the nick of time, Ann asked tightening her grip on his hand,

"Did you just try to stab me?"