Not long after, Liora returned. "Come with me." She said.
She led Kalyse up to a guest room. The room contained only simple furnishings, with a bed just large enough for two people to lie on.
"Not bad." Kalyse commented.
"Hehe, this is one of the most famous inns in the city." Liora replied proudly.
"Alright. Start talking." Kalyse said, sitting cross-legged on the bed with an authoritative tone.
"Ah, right… where should I begin?" Liora tilted her head. "I said I'd tell you, but now I don't really know how to start."
"What place is this?" Kalyse asked.
"This is Nessel City, within the territory of the Serias Empire—one of the most powerful empires at present. It's currently ruled by King Harmin Nermanth."
"The Serias Empire…" Kalyse murmured.
As far as she remembered, a thousand years ago there had been no empire by that name.
"How long ago was this empire founded?" she asked.
"Hm, if I remember correctly, about five hundred years ago. The founder was the famous hero Siegth, who played a major role in stopping the Tyrant Dragon Rengar. If you visit any city in this empire, you'll find a statue of him at the center."
"Tyrant Dragon Rengar… If I recall correctly, I once encountered a dragon while traveling the world. Back then it hadn't matured yet and was quite weak. I found it somewhat cute, so I gave it a drop of my blood and then never paid it any further attention," Kalyse thought.
"Could it be…?" Her expression suddenly darkened.
"Is there any information about that dragon?" Kalyse asked, her tone growing urgent.
"Ah, according to the records, the Tyrant Dragon Rengar is extremely violent, with a massive and sturdy body. But its most distinctive trait is its ability to control blood. Anyone who faces it and suffers even the slightest wound will have all the blood in their body drained away."
Hearing that, Kalyse's face turned grim.
She cleared her throat and changed the subject. "Alright. Tell me why you were so afraid when you saw that gold coin."
"That has to do with the empire's recent situation." Liora said, lowering her voice.
"About a year ago, the king suddenly issued an order to tighten monetary control. All gold coins were recalled and their circulation strictly regulated."
After a brief pause, Liora continued, "Now every gold coin is engraved with a mark that records its transaction history. So if a coin of unknown origin appears, it can bring about serious trouble."
As she spoke, Liora visibly shuddered.
Kalyse frowned.
"Nonsense. Gold should circulate freely. Why would anyone fear a mere coin?"
"Well… the official reason hasn't been announced," Liora said carefully. "But I've overheard adventurers from other regions saying that Serias is currently at war with the Ophieus Kingdom. That's probably why resources have been centralized for the war. Not only gold—even magic crystals have become luxuries lately."
"Hmph. That's a foolish move that will only anger the people. Has no one opposed it?"
Liora gave a bitter smile.
"They have. When the order was first issued, merchants were the first to protest, but the empire ignored them. It wasn't until demonstrations, vandalism, and economic losses began to occur that they finally compromised."
"They could no longer forcibly confiscate gold coins, so they switched to trading with other materials instead—but the values on both sides are far from equivalent."
"And the merchants can't do much more, because that was already the empire's final concession."
After hearing this, Kalyse let out a long sigh. She felt that the ruler of this empire truly had something wrong with his head.
"Oh, actually, there's one more piece of information," Liora added. "Not many people know this. I overheard it by chance, and I'll tell you—but on one condition."
Her tone subtly changed, but Kalyse didn't care. She merely curled her lips into a faint smirk.
"Don't think that just because you've been a little nice to me, you're entitled to set conditions."
A cruel glint appeared in Kalyse's eyes, and killing intent began to surface.
Liora fell silent for a moment, then smiled as if nothing were wrong.
"Actually, I just wanted to hug you while sleeping tonight. If you don't like that, I won't force it. Sorry for making you uncomfortable."
Kalyse said nothing. She sensed that the woman before her was hiding another side.
"It feels familiar…" she thought, then smiled faintly as if recalling something. "If that's the case, then I'll have to confirm it."
"Alright, I'll tell you the secret," Liora said, her tone completely returning to normal. "But in exchange, will you go out with me for a day?"
"Don't you have to work?" Kalyse asked. "You have that much free time?"
"Well, of course I still have to work," Liora replied. "But three days from now there'll be a festival. It's the annual harvest festival, and I'll have time off then. Will you go with me?"
She looked at Kalyse with sparkling eyes.
"A festival…?"
"Yes. It's one of the city's regular festivals. And more than that, I heard that this year a legion from the capital will also be coming," Liora said excitedly.
"A legion from the capital? Why would they come here? Just for a festival?" Kalyse asked.
"I'm not sure. I heard it from the guards who often come to drink at the inn. Once they get drunk, they talk about all sorts of things."
Kalyse thought for a moment, then nodded. "Fine. One day is fine. Now tell me the secret."
Liora smiled and leaned close, whispering into Kalyse's ear.
"I heard that the Serias Empire spent a huge amount of money to invite a 'Sage' to help them."
The moment those words left her mouth, Kalyse's entire body stiffened.
"…A Sage?"
Her voice dropped, cold enough to freeze the air in the room. A thin yet razor-sharp killing intent leaked out unconsciously.
Before Liora could react, Kalyse shot to her feet. Her previously aloof, indifferent gaze turned dark, filled with hatred.
"Are you certain?"
Each word she spoke sounded as though it were being ground between her teeth.
Liora blinked, startled by the sudden change.
"N-not completely… but that's what the soldiers said. They said the empire invited a Sage to—"
"SHUT UP."
She didn't shout, yet her voice was sharp enough to silence Liora instantly. An invisible pressure crushed down on the small room, as if some enormous beast were silently opening its jaws right behind them.
Kalyse clenched her fists so tightly that her nails pierced her skin, blood seeping into her palm—but she didn't notice. Because in her mind, there was only a single image: the final drop of blood falling onto the cold ground a thousand years ago.
Just as she was on the verge of losing control, Kalyse was suddenly pulled into an embrace. Her eyes widened as Liora's gentle voice came from above her head.
"Are you alright? Calm down, okay? If something's troubling you, tell me. I'll do everything I can to help."
Though they were little more than empty words of comfort, they helped Kalyse regain some composure. She pushed Liora away, forcibly suppressing her emotions as if they had never existed.
"I'm fine."
Her voice returned to its usual cold, emotionless state.
"Alright then, get some rest. It's pretty late," Liora said, turning to leave the room. Kalyse didn't stop her.
"Oh—one more thing," Liora poked her head back in, hesitating slightly. "May I know your name?"
Kalyse was silent for a moment, then replied softly, "Kalyse."
Liora repeated the name, smiling brightly, and finally left.
When she was alone, Kalyse slowly relaxed and let herself fall back onto the bed.
"I didn't expect to hear news of them so soon," she muttered through clenched teeth, then sighed. "But with my current strength, I can't win against them…"
"It's very likely they're also holding fragments of my heart. If that's the case, I'll have to temporarily abandon my original plan and seek out new sources of power."
Her gaze shifted toward the outside through the window.
"I'll start with what's inside this city."