### Chapter 138: Deadlock
In a stone chamber flickering with firelight, people dashed back and forth amid the interplay of light and shadow. Nearby, fragments of conversations broke the air occasionally, while the shadows of stone pillars and mahogany tables stretched out over the walls. Footsteps echoed clearly in my ears, and a pitch-black raven flew overhead, its hoarse cawing drawing the gaze of numerous onlookers.
Turning a corner along the wall, I stepped away from what seemed like a grand hall and entered another slightly smaller stone chamber. Behind me, Karl and Olivia whispered to each other, while a man named Ordinary Man Daniel cast me a nonchalant glance.
“That Miss Meiser has been under our watch since we arrived here. We’ve been observing her, trying to figure out how to get close to her. But she’s extremely cautious. During the day, she hardly interacts with outsiders or the public, unless it’s for performances. She barely talks to anyone in her troupe and usually practices alone. At first glance, she appears to be just another introverted dancer…”
And that dancer…
She’s one of the people from the Gate of Truth…
I bit on my thumb, ‘click click’, chewing my nails, brows furrowed, walking while deep in thought, as Daniel’s words echoed in my ears.
“After days of observation, we found that Miss Meiser is an exceptionally skilled dancer. Even though she doesn’t like to talk much, she puts her heart and soul into her performances. As far as my shallow appreciation goes, her snake dance and sword dance are definitely above the level of most famous dancers across the Western Continent…”
That’s truly…
Top-notch…
Listening to Daniel, the stunning image of that night during the Mid-Autumn Festival flashed through my mind. The cheers of the crowd, Sarah bouncing with excitement beside me, the makeshift stage ahead lit up, that cold, sword-wielding figure standing tall amid the ocean of applause, white hair dancing in the air, those azure eyes directly piercing through to me—
I suddenly jolted.
“Daniel…”
“What is it, Miss Silvya?” Ordinary Man Daniel asked, puzzled, halting his speech.
“I… might have seen her… when I was in the Royal City…”
My mind was a tangle of thoughts, emotions swirling chaotically, leaving me momentarily at a loss for words.
I thought of those eyes, of the profound mindset they contained—something far beyond what mere mortals could grasp… Those eyes held the aspirations of vast oceans and soaring eagles, unforgettable.
At that moment, I wondered what kind of person could possess such eyes…
Carlos…
Or was it Teresa…
No.
Those eyes were above theirs.
It’s a pretty mystical judgment, identifying someone solely by their eyes—a plot straight from a fantasy novel. Yet I remembered how I felt then, the moment our gazes locked, the emotions that surged through me.
I just felt that she was a strong woman, one with a fiery spirit and unwavering convictions—never just an ordinary dancer. Perhaps she had no choice but to be a dancer. My intuition wasn’t solely from her eyes, but from her graceful movements and her sword.
She must be a powerful woman.
And I don’t just mean in strength.
After the Mid-Autumn Festival ended and I got drunk, I chatted casually with Sarah and the others the next morning and gradually stopped thinking about what happened last night. My impression of that woman remained lodged in that fleeting moment of our gaze, and I suspected I wouldn’t think about her again…
But…
At no point did I link that dancer to the Gate of Truth.
Because in those eyes, even for just a moment, I saw something called “integrity”—people with such eyes wouldn’t compromise with villains.
There are always remarkable individuals whose first impression on strangers leaves such a feeling.
That dancer had that kind of aura about her.
Someone like her shouldn’t be…
“…Miss Silvya?”
Distracted as I walked, Daniel’s voice pulled me back to reality. I turned to look at him, my eyes still slightly confused, and asked, “How can you be so sure about her identity…?”
“…Huh?”
Ordinary Man’s brow furrowed slightly at my question, but in an instant, he regained his nonchalance: “What? Miss, do you know her?”
“No.” I immediately shook my head, denying it. “Maybe… I’ve just seen her performance.”
“Maybe?”
“I can’t confirm whether we’re talking about the same person.”
Indeed…
Maybe it’s not the same person.
“Sorry, please continue.”
Letting out a breath, I tilted my head up.
Before me, the stone wall dotted with numerous torches faintly revealed moss growing between the cracks and the signs of wear that time had left behind.
The air was damp, and within a few steps, beads of water had formed on my skin; it felt a bit sticky. I could hear indistinct shouts and laughter from who knows where. About ten meters ahead, more paths appeared, leading who knows where.
“This way.”
Ordinary Man gestured invitingly and led me toward a slightly left path. Once we entered the passage, the flames around us dimmed significantly, and the voices fell to a whisper.
“You see, I’ll continue. Sorry, please don’t think I’m rambling. For people like us, understanding our enemy before facing them is an absolutely necessary first step.”
The ‘click click’ of footsteps sounded clear, echoing in the dark, narrow passage. Ordinary Man Daniel picked up his pace slightly, and I followed beside him, the smell of goat cheese wafting down to my shoulder. Behind us, Olivia and Karl, who had been disinterested in the conversation, trailed along. I could vaguely feel Karl’s intense gaze; it seemed he was staring right at me… or maybe at Captain Gray…
I did my best to ignore his stare.
“…In terms of bodily aesthetics, Miss Meiser seems to have remarkable talent, but she also works hard. Each night before a performance, while other performers have long since gone to sleep, she persists in practicing her dance skills alone until the early hours. Sometimes, she only returns to her lodging just as dawn breaks, pulls the curtains, sleeps a little, and then rehearses with her fellow performers as soon as morning comes.”
“A dancer with such dedication always captures the audience’s attention more than others during performances. Miss Meiser is beloved and closely watched by the community not just for her beauty; they have long been enchanted by her superb artistry. Eventually, even I started to doubt whether we had the right person…”
At this point, Daniel paused slightly.
“Until… a few nights ago when she was practicing her sword dance in the backstage.”
I turned my head to meet Ordinary Man’s gaze.
“I happened to be the one monitoring that night. I hid on a rooftop nearby, munching on Holger’s pastries… By the way, they were really good. I bought some in town to bring back, and you, Miss Silvya, should definitely try them. One bite, and you won’t forget that taste… Alright, back to the topic.”
He chuckled, redirecting the conversation: “By that time, it was already late. The town’s streets were almost deserted, and I was atop the rooftop enjoying the pastries when I noticed that Miss Meiser didn’t return to her lodging like usual after practicing.”
“When I thought, well, that’s how tonight’s exploration will end, still savoring the memory of her dancing, Miss Meiser sheathed her sword and headed straight toward the mountains behind town… At that moment, I sensed something was off and immediately chased after her—but guess what? I lost track of her.”
“…She got away?” I frowned.
“Not quite.”
Ordinary Man shook his head: “Miss Silvya, when it comes to combat, I may not hold a candle to someone like Sword Saint Old Man, but when it comes to stealth and tracking… even the Old Man, as long as I want, could remain beside him for ten entire nights without being discovered. This isn’t bragging; it’s my area of expertise.”
“No one, absolutely no one, has ever escaped my sight so easily—that was the first time… I was outsmarted by a dancer.” Ordinary Man shrugged, “That woman left town, turned into the foothills of the back mountain, and when I caught up, she had already vanished without a trace. No matter how I searched, I couldn’t find her. At that point, I realized she must have sensed someone was watching her.”
“So, I turned back and returned to town, sneaking into Miss Meiser’s place… Ah, don’t get me wrong; I’m not some creep. I actually respect others’ privacy, especially women’s… But the situation was urgent. If someone could evade my tracking, claiming she’s just an ordinary dancer would mean I might as well go home and farm… Umm, please forgive me for using the term ‘mingle’ here.”
“In any case, I went into her room, and after rummaging around, I found a few letters… d*mn, those letters were recent, and almost no one knew who sent them or when. The content of the letters, unsurprisingly, mentioned the southern front and… the Jester.”
“After I read the letters, I put them back exactly as they were. There was a lot of content, detailing the movements of the heretics from the Morsley Coast to Alectine City, as if someone had been reporting to her… Among the most significant plans was that the Jester would soon arrive to meet with Miss Meiser… Do you understand now, Miss Silvya?”
“…Whew—”
I let out a long breath.
The flickering flames illuminated half of Ordinary Man’s face as he stared at me, speaking solemnly: “That woman likely holds a very high position in the Gate of Truth… It’s even possible that the heretics’ invasion of Silgaya was planned by her.”
“I initially thought she’d notice her identity had been compromised and would flee, disappearing from our sight. However, unexpectedly, after reporting the loss of the target, the next day, Miss Meiser was back on the town stage, performing as if nothing had happened.”
“…What does that mean?”
“Literally, Miss Silvya. We can’t determine what she’s thinking, but she indeed hasn’t left. It’s as if everything that occurred was nothing at all. She continued her performances in the following days, as if this was her profession, her real desire… It’s unreasonable, utterly unreasonable.”
“But that’s the fact. God help us, tomorrow she’ll have another spectacular performance, completely disregarding us. To be honest, we discussed later whether we should capture her or simply eliminate her… but to be truthful, whether it’s Olivia or Karl, none of us felt entirely confident.”
“Although we haven’t crossed blades yet, Miss Meiser’s standing at the Gate of Truth must be far stronger than we anticipated… No doubt about it, she’s a very dangerous individual. What’s more, we may soon have to deal with both her and the Jester at once. As it stands, no one dared to say that we could eliminate both without ensuring the town wasn’t utterly devastated or its countless citizens harmed. If anything goes wrong, this place might just turn into a hell on earth…”
The man looked at me, his gaze serious.
“Miss Silvya, this is what we need to consider moving forward.”
