Thiendavis – For The Perfect Salvation

Episode 17: Enemies on the Narrow Bridge

"Naturally, we must hide our identities while we're in this region."

Diez said as he skillfully cut Evie’s steak into pieces.

"If our presence here becomes known to the higher-ups, it could raise unnecessary suspicions. In the worst-case scenario, Evie Ariate's current situation might be exposed. Therefore, we must not only conceal our identities but also avoid getting involved in unnecessary conflicts. Vis' law enforcement isn't as orderly as Thienda's."

Diez's nagging took place in a somewhat sophisticated restaurant located in a small town in Vis's southeastern region.

Evie observed the butler's slicing actions from the window seat on the restaurant's second floor, snorting at his excessive admonitions.

Discussing the security of Vis in front of someone from Vis itself...

It was as if she was saying: "What do you take me for, discussing such basics?"

Just as Evie, with a face full of amusement, was about to speak, a loud clatter sounded from outside the window.

She turned her head towards the noise, seeing a drunken man causing a disturbance in the street, even though it was broad daylight.

Street stalls were overturned, scattering vegetables everywhere and causing a commotion.

Thanks to this, Evie was reminded that this was indeed Vis.

A narrow street, shabby stalls, a noisy crowd, and a drunken disruptor—scenes unimaginable in Thienda.

Evie found the Vis-like situation rather refreshing and heartening.

She watched for a moment until the man who had overturned the stall yelled towards her.

"Hey! What are you looking at?"

"I am observing your shameless behavior!"

Evie shouted back in return. It wasn't intentional.

The man, who had been causing trouble, was taken aback by the pretty girl’s retort, hesitated as if dumbfounded, and then his face turned red as he shouted again.

"You crazy! Do you want to die?!"

"No!"

Evie's quick response enraged the man, and he charged towards the restaurant.

Of course, he was stopped at the entrance, but the scuffle that ensued turned the once-pleasant restaurant atmosphere into chaos.

With the ridiculous commotion, people in the restaurant glanced at Evie.

Embarrassed, Evie looked down with a flushed face, and Diez kindly repeated his earlier warning for the shrunken Evie.

"Be careful not to get involved in unnecessary quarrels. Vis' law enforcement isn't as orderly as Thienda's."

“...That's certainly true. I even brought earplugs just in case. I'll put them on."

---

Having finished their meal in silence, the two soon hailed a carriage.

They needed to travel to the small village where Evie had lived, from the current city, to meet the ally in breaking the curse.

As soon as they boarded the carriage, Evie removed her earplugs and asked.

"How long will it take to get there?"

"About three hours, they say. Fortunately, it's not too far, but returning could be a bit awkward."

"Oh, right, tomorrow is the new moon night."

Evie remarked while calculating the dates.

Their rushed journey coincidentally aligned with the night of the new moon.

In Vis, the new moon night was when the dragon's curse returned.

It was a night when people stayed indoors to escape the cruel calamity.

So, from the early evening of the new moon night, everyone in Vis avoided going out, and that included coachmen who took long-distance passengers.

"That's right. In this area, coachmen either take the day off or operate only until the morning when a darkmoon rises."

Unlike carriages within a city, those traveling between cities experienced all sorts of misfortunes.

From minor incidents like the carriage wheels getting stuck in the mud to major threats like encountering highwaymen.

Such incidents could happen for a myriad of reasons when traveling through roads or forests outside the city.

Hence, long-distance carriage coachmen acted very conservatively as the new moon approached, as facing the curse outside the city was tantamount to suicide.

"We need to avoid the curse, so returning is only possible tonight, tomorrow morning, or after the new moon sets at dawn."

"Indeed, it is quite tricky."

If they aimed to return by tonight or tomorrow morning, they could only spend half a day in the village Evie used to live in.

Leaving after the new moon night might make them late for their appointment with the ally.

"Then let's depart tomorrow morning. We don't really need to stay long. It's just that we're going because we have time."

Evie spoke as if it were no big deal.

However, Diez noticed that her words were not genuine.

Even though she claimed they were going merely because there was time, Evie was indeed excited.

It wasn't every day to see Evie, who pretended to be so confident and knowing in everything, gleaming with such anticipation.

Seeing her like this, Diez decided to probe further.

"Is the place you're about to visit where you used to live with that astrologer?”

"Yes."

Driven by the curse, Evie answered honestly, feeling somewhat embarrassed afterward.

She wasn't used to exposing her earnestness.

She disliked retelling long past stories in great detail.

But now that she'd been caught, brushing it off would seem even more foolish, so she reluctantly continued.

"I lived there for about two years. It was likely the most peaceful time I had in Vis, so I just wanted to go see. I'm curious about how it's changed."

In fact, Evie remembered the period she lived with the astrologer as the warmest moment of her life.

However, she couldn't express it openly because those dreamlike days ended abruptly and harshly.

"And why did you leave?"

"Because the astrologer left... Excuse me, aren't you asking too many unnecessary questions?”

When Diez pushed further, Evie reluctantly answered and then chided the butler.

She wasn't too fond of discussing this topic.

The astrologer was a person who had come to Evie one day.

He stayed by the always solitary Evie's side, provided a place to live, and taught her many things.

He cherished the cautious and fierce Evie for nothing in return.

Yet, he never revealed anything about himself.

And when Evie finally opened her heart to him, he left without a trace, abandoning the young Evie who pleaded with him not to leave.

To Evie, the man was both a savior and a traitor.

A sorrow she purposely tried to forget because she couldn't find him, yet a yearning that never disappeared.

"After he suddenly vanished, I couldn't stay in that house any longer. Though it wasn’t like the homeowner told me to leave, but it felt awkward. I waited for a month, hoping he’d return, but when he didn’t, I went looking, and I couldn't return ever since."

Evie spoke as though it was a thing of the past.

Fortunately, Diez didn't press further, and Evie turned her gaze out the window.

Recalling her words to Diez just then, she reiterated them to herself on purpose.

'I'm just going because we have time. I'm simply curious. That's all.'

Since finding nothing would certainly lead to disappointment, she repeated it to temper her expectations.

Nevertheless, Evie's heart was racing faster than usual, and there was nothing she could do about that.

---

The village was surrounded by fields of rye, with emerald green shoots sprouting.

Beyond the wide, waving green field, the entrance to a quaint village came into view.

The village was quite peaceful, unlike the city they had visited earlier.

Judging by the expressions of the townsfolk they encountered, it seemed rare for such long-distance carriages to visit.

Thus, before disembarking, Evie shed her cape which was typical of Thienda's nobility and donned a coat that Diez had bought earlier.

She also wore earplugs to reduce attention from the villagers when she got off the carriage, but their interest was palpable nonetheless.

Evie, having turned her back on them, tried to recall her way to the house where she had once lived.

She had thought she might struggle a little given how long ago it had been, but her memory was unexpectedly vivid and the village unchanged.

Thus, she quickly found it—a two-story house with a pretty fence and a green roof.

"Is this the place?"

Diez asked, but due to the earplugs, Evie neither heard nor answered.

She merely stood there, her gaze lingering on the house's exterior.

The house appeared the same as back then.

Apart from a fresh coat of paint on the fence, everything was unchanged.

Was that woman still renting it out?

Just then, a group of six or so children rushed out of the house.

They ranged in age from a somewhat mature-looking boy to a child around ten years old, though they didn’t appear to be siblings.

The children shot curious glances at Evie and Diez, the strangers, quickly losing interest and chattering amongst themselves.

Then, all of a sudden, they shouted loudly.

"Hey, where's the ball?"

"Oh, right. Teacher!"

Even with the earplugs, the loud voice of a child could not be blocked out.

‘Teacher?’

Bewildered, Evie turned to look at the children.

"Teacher, please throw the ball!"

"Teacher!"

The children shouted at the second-floor window with all their might.

After some time, the window creaked open from inside.

Luckily, having clearly heard the children’s voices, a man emerged at the window holding a ball.

But instead of tossing the ball to the children, the man surprised Evie by hurling it with all his might into the sky.

"Ahh! Teacher, why?!"

"Seriously, what an attitude!"

The children expressed their discontent, watching the ball soar into the distance, before rushing off to chase it.

‘What...’

Evie was quite taken aback.

Judging by the children's manner, their so-called teacher behaving in such a manner was likely a regular occurrence.

Baffled, Evie glanced at the man who made the kids run off.

Then, to her astonishment, she found herself caught by surprise.

‘Oh…?’

The man at the window was wearing glasses.

Yet, behind the glasses lay an extremely handsome face.

To the extent that it looked exactly like Zion Laurel's face.

And to top it off, the man's hair was just as radiant a blonde as the count's.

Befuddled, Evie sank into confusion.

'Why? Why does that man look like Zion Laurel? Just a look-alike? A mistake? A dream?'

While Evie grappled with these thoughts, the man, who was taking in the scene of the children heading off, finally noticed Evie looking at him.

The man, seeing Evie, stopped in surprise, then simply shut the window and retreated inside.

‘No way!’

Evie, without further hesitation, dashed into the house.

She raced upstairs to the room with the window, opening the door without knocking, just before it could be locked.

Luckily, the door opened right away, and Evie found herself in a strangely unfamiliar setting.

Standing in a room once used by the astrologer—a space whose structure was still familiar—was a man looking just like Zion Laurel.

The man looked at Evie not with surprise, but with an awkward expression.

His lips moved, though muted by earplugs, it seemed like he was asking what was happening.

Making Evie wonder even further.

How should I comprehend this scenario of a man who is acting as a teacher in the house I once lived in and looking just like Zion Laurel?

Moreover, the man bore a face identical to Count Laurel, but was feigning ignorance, seeing Evie for the first time.

Thus, Evie subtly dropped her gaze downward, focusing on the man's hand near his thigh.

Thankfully, his hand was unadorned, and seeing it, Evie smiled in relief.

"Sorry. I must have been mistaken. I apologize for the rudeness."

Evie spoke as she turned away.

Descending the stairs, she couldn’t help but smile as she bit her lip.

That man's hands were covered in scars, contrasting his pristine appearance.

There were fresh scars still red in color and older ones that had turned white.

Among them, some scars were distinct and well-remembered by Evie.

So Evie had no more doubts.

That this man was indeed Zion Laurel, and as the saying goes, enemies were bound to meet on a narrow bridge.

---