Nadia sat at the desk in the lodge, scribbling some notes on her notepad with an open book right beside her.
Due to the rules of the lodge owner that prevented residents from utilizing the gas lamps once it was past 10 PM, Nadia resorted to using a lantern she got from the receptionist which provided just enough light for her to work.
She let out a sigh as she leaned back in her chair, her back sore from bending for over an hour.
As she rested, she used the break to go over what she had written so far.
The information Booker provided was quite detailed and left little for her to research, making it easier for what she and Alex planned to do.
Scribbled haphazardly on her journal were some possible topics as well as the names of a few noble houses.
She stretched a bit, having rested enough, before attempting to pen down something else only to pause as she sensed something.
Nadia turned to face the door just in time to watch Alex emerge from pulsating black and white.
"You look busy," Alex remarked in a somewhat jocular fashion as he strode over and sat on the bedside.
Nadia sighed. "Well since you were out dealing with the telegram, I had to get busy with something."
"What’s that?" Alex inquired while gesturing toward her journal.
"I see." Nodding thoughtfully, he said. "Well, take your time. No need to rush."
Noticing Alex’s restless state, Nadia asked. "So what about you?"
"Did something happen?... You don’t look like you plan on spending the night."
"How can you tell?" Alex couldn’t help but ask.
Nadia shrugged. "Experience."
"... I see." Letting out a trained sigh, Alex muttered. "Just some matters to attend to. I might be staying overnight."
"Is everything okay?"
"That..." Alex trailed off as he pondered if it was right to inform Nadia about his meeting with Claudia.
It didn’t take long before he decided as he spoke up. "Tell me something."
"... Did you ever stop to question how... Alex, managed to get the evidence and information needed to write the article that ultimately led to Lord Albion’s capture?"
Nadia furrowed her brows at the unexpected question. "Why?"
Pursing her lips, Nadia nodded. "Well yeah..."
"And... I... Hmm." A frown quickly appeared on Nadia’s face as she trailed off.
After a full minute of silence, her eyes flickered as she seemed to have recalled something.
"How’s this possible?" Nadia muttered, a look of utter disbelief plastered on her visage.
A sense of apprehension grew within Alex as he inquired. "What happened?"
"... I did. I questioned the article from the moment you... no, Alex began to work on it. I was worried he’d get into trouble so I... contracted a private investigator to watch over him and he indeed mentioned a few things I can’t remember... but then...the investigator disappeared one day and... it completely slipped my mind."
"You can’t remember anything?" Alex asked for confirmation.
Nadia shook her head. "Nothing at all. It’s almost like... he never existed but I know he did... I remember how scared I was whenever he shared what he’d learned with me."
Alex’s expression grew tense as he muttered. "So that’s how it is..."
Ignoring Alex’s statement, Nadia continued. "Thinking back now... I feel like I forgot everything the investigator told me because just as I said, for some reason, I found everything he said terrifying."
"... I have no idea," Nadia replied after a brief moment of hesitation.
She seemed ready to recall what the investigator had told her as she fell into deep thought.
Then as though she recalled something terrifying, Nadia’s expression quickly distorted as she grabbed a portion of her hair and tried to yank it off.
Alex quickly acted as he snapped his finger, unfurling Eternal Night, which helped Nadia calm down.
Breathing heavily, Nadia muttered. "What just happened to me?"
"Ana was right... the third party involved in Basar’s crazy plot somehow managed to affect the whole of BoneHaven without anyone’s knowledge," Alex replied, slowly starting to understand just how dangerous that elusive figure was.
Then with a cautious tone, he warned. "From now onwards, try not to recall anything regarding the Butcher case or the article I wrote on it."
"It’s for the best," Alex muttered.
Taking a moment to catch her breath, Nadia asked. "Is your staying out related to this?"
Alex nodded. "I will tell you everything but right now, I need to ensure my conjectures are correct."
"Take care." Alex wasted no time as he stood up, prepared to leave only for Nadia to call out to him.
"Will Uncle be okay?" A faint hint of worry was evident on Nadia’s face as she waited for Alex’s response.
Alex pursed his lips. "... Maybe. We can’t be sure."
".... Stay safe." With those words, Nadia turned back to her journal, seeking to drown her worries in work.
Alex let out a deep sigh before snapping his fingers.
As pulsating black and white wrapped around him, he couldn’t help but ask.
Did the train accident have any connections to that elusive figure and even more importantly... What was their connection with the Butcher case?
Claudia sat in a corner, patiently waiting while humming a certain tune in a bid to calm her nerves.
Glancing at the night sky, she couldn’t help but wonder if her luck was good or bad to meet with a being like the Dark Lord.
It felt like she was involving herself in matters far above what she was meant for.
Letting out a sigh, she considered running away before that great being returned.
Was it a must that she took him to ’that’ place?
Wouldn’t it be the same as placing her friend in danger?
As more and more questions popped up in Claudia’s mind, she had no way of detecting when Alex returned.
"Let’s go," Alex remarked in a tone neither too forceful nor too polite, keeping an aloof stance as he stood towering over Claudia.
Gulping nervously, Claudia nodded before rising to her feet.
She understood that her chance to get away had passed and considering how she couldn’t think straight in Alex’s presence, most likely an effect of his status, Claudia resigned herself to fate and with a delicate sigh, sauntered out of the alley with Alex in tow.