* * *
Kaindel unconsciously clenched his jaw. From deep within, disappointment surged, fueling a nervous irritation. A curse escaped through his gritted teeth.
It was an arrogant assumption, but this time he truly believed he had found him.
The description of a man resembling Isa had been unusually detailed.
With high hopes, he had traveled all the way to Ruicen, never expecting such a fruitless result.
As Kaindel continuously rubbed his stiffened mouth, Jerome, who had been waiting silently, finally added,
“But I found something else.”
“Something else?”
Caught off guard by the unexpected remark, Kaindel’s hand fell from his lips.
Raising one eyebrow, he motioned for Jerome to continue.
Even if he hadn’t found Isa, Kaindel was curious about what else had been uncovered.
Jerome immediately turned and brought forward a man who had been standing by the door.
The man, shoved forward by Jerome, carried an unfamiliar instrument on his back.
His worn clothes and frightened eyes suggested he was deeply uneasy.
The man started hiccupping as soon as their eyes met, and before Kaindel could say anything, he collapsed to his knees.
It was clear he had no idea why he was here.
“I-I haven’t done anything wrong…”
“Your name?” Kaindel interrupted coldly.
“Marker—Marcus. My name is Marcus.”
“Marcus, then.”
Kaindel nodded slightly and shot a glance at Jerome.
Bringing someone without prior discussion must mean this person had some clue about Isa.
Kaindel held a portrait of Isa in front of the trembling Marcus.
“Have you seen someone who looks like this?”
“N-no. I swear I haven’t. I’ve never seen this face in my life!”
“Then what about a man with silver hair?”
“Pardon?”
“I’m asking if you’ve seen a man with silver hair.”
“No… I… ah.”
Marcus, who had been shaking his head, suddenly stopped.
After a moment of contemplation, his expression changed as though recalling something forgotten.
“Now that I think about it… I did hear about someone unusual—a teacher for my son. They said he looked… peculiar. Something about ash-gray hair.”
“Ash-gray?”
Kaindel took a step forward at Marcus’s words.
To others, Isa’s silver hair might appear ash-gray.
Given how rare such a hair color was, the person Marcus described could very well be Isa.
Even if the chances were slim, Kaindel had no choice but to pursue this lead.
“Where is he?”
“Wait, I—”
“Where is that man now?”
“Um, I-I heard he’s in my hometown.”
“Speak clearly.”
“In my hometown! I heard he’s in my hometown!” Marcus finally blurted out, overwhelmed by Kaindel’s relentless interrogation.
His shoulders sagged as though crushed by the pressure.
Jerome placed a hand on Marcus’s back and asked,
“Where is your hometown?”
“Aiden. It’s Aiden Village, just south of here.”
“Aiden.”
Jerome estimated the distance between Ruicen and Aiden.
At best, it would take two days of hard riding. Before Kaindel could ask, Jerome added,
“I’ll send someone ahead.”
“No.”
Kaindel repeated the village’s name under his breath as if to commit it to memory.
He stepped away from Marcus.
“I’ll go myself.”
His business with Marcus was over.
Kaindel returned to the capital briefly after leaving Ruicen.
As the head of the Schudelgarten family, he had responsibilities to address before he could leave again.
After resolving the most urgent matters, he set out for Aiden.
Caught up in the thought that Isa might be there, Kaindel ignored everything else.
He didn’t even bother reviewing the ledgers he had painstakingly obtained.
Seeing for himself was the only way to ease the storm in his heart.
Three days of relentless riding brought him to Aiden.
He stopped his horse on the outskirts of the small, sparsely populated village.
Kaindel dismounted in one swift motion.
The well-trained horse followed his lead without protest, though it began to huff and stomp once tethered to a tree.
It seemed unhappy about the sudden stop after the exhausting journey.
“Easy, boy,” Kaindel murmured, stroking the horse’s face.
He reached into his robe pocket for sugar cubes, the best way to calm an upset horse.
After feeding it six cubes, the horse finally relaxed.
Watching the swishing tail of the now-content animal, Kaindel let out a soft laugh.
The horse had earned its treat after the long journey.
“Stay put while I’m gone. I’ll give you five more cubes when I’m back.”
Once he tied the horse securely, Kaindel removed his robe and ran a hand through his disheveled hair, smoothing it back into place.
The air smelled faintly of rain, heavy with moisture, and the dampness seeped into his skin.
He slipped on a pair of gloves he always wore when searching for Isa.
His heightened sensitivity lately made it hard to ignore the uncomfortable textures he once tolerated.
Then he heard it.
Splash.
Kaindel froze, alert.
Splash, splash.
The sound was faint but unmistakable—like stones hitting a puddle or someone splashing through one in haste.
He thought the area was deserted.
Was he wrong?
Kaindel turned toward the noise, his brow furrowing.
But the moment he laid eyes in that direction, his expression froze.
His breath caught, and his lips parted, but no words came out—only a rasping sound, as if his voice had been stolen.
Finally, his face twisted.
“Isa.”
The splashing noise came from none other than a man who resembled Isa.
Though the man wore a hooded robe, the silver glint of his hair and his build were eerily similar.
He was clutching a flowerpot, and his pale hands clung to it as if his life depended on it.
There was something oddly familiar about the figure.
Kaindel instinctively stepped closer to the man. It was an irresistible pull.
This is Isa.
It could only be Isa.
It felt as though someone were whispering directly into his ear.
If not, then what else could explain this unshakable certainty?
He couldn’t possibly know.
Isa.
Kaindel murmured the name under his breath as he moved toward the man.
But before he could reach him, the man—terrified—turned and bolted, his face pale with fear.
Like prey fleeing from a predator, the man ran as if his survival depended on it.
Kaindel stood frozen, staring blankly as the man disappeared into the distance in the blink of an eye.
“Ah.”
He began to run after him.
* * *
