Kael glanced at Lia with an apologetic expression before opening the door. Zaros stood there with his usual easygoing grin.

  "Yo," Zaros said, greeting them and stepping inside. He immediately sensed the heavy atmosphere in the room. His eyes moved from Kael to Liam, noticing her reddened eyes.

  "So, you two talked about it, huh?" he muttered, scratching the back of his neck. “Sorry, man, but I thought that—”

  "It's fine," Lia interrupted softly, wiping the last traces of tears from her cheeks. She smiled faintly. “We talked, and it’s settled. So let’s get to the reason we’re here.”

  Zaros still looked unconvinced. He knew something was left unsaid, but he didn’t press the matter. “All right then. I’m curious to hear what our detective discovered.”

  His playful tone lightened the air, and the tension between them eased. The three of them exchanged small smiles.

  “Before we start,” Kael said. “I splinted the falcon’s wing earlier. It should be fine, but could you check it? You guards are trained to handle injuries, right?”

  “Of course,” Zaros replied, walking over to the windowsill. He examined Kael’s work carefully, scanning the splint and the bird’s posture. After a moment, he looked up and smiled. “Not bad at all. With this, his wing should heal in a few days."

  "I'll also bring a healing paste," Lia added with a confident smile. “You can apply it to his wing once a day.”

  "Thanks for that," Kael said warmly. Then his tone shifted, becoming serious. "All right, Lia. Now, to you. What did you find out?”

  Lia sighed and gathered her thoughts. "You both know that I've been taking an advanced brewing course with Professor Nora these past few days, right?"

  They both nodded.

  "To be honest," she continued, "Professor Nora was exactly as usual: strict and indifferent. The course itself was hell, though. The ingredients were almost impossible to process, and the potions required perfect precision. Also...”

  "Lia," Zaros interrupted, clearly annoyed. "If we met just to hear about how much you suffer in class, I swear I'm leaving."

  Lia rolled her eyes but continued. "In short, nothing happened during the lecture. But...” Her voice grew quieter. “After class, today, the day Professor Sariel died, I went to Nora’s office. I guess he thought everyone had left after the announcement that the lectures were canceled.”

  “Why did you go there in the first place?” Kael asked, his curiosity piqued.

  “I just wanted to ask him about an ingredient that could increase the effectiveness of a special healing potion I’ve been developing,” she said with a casual shrug. "Anyway, just before I knocked on his door, I heard him talking to someone. I couldn’t make out what they were saying, but when the door opened, a man stepped out. Someone I recognized.”

  She turned to Kael, her expression turning serious. "I know this man because he runs a small food shop in the outer district."

  The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

  The moment Kael heard "outer district," his eyes widened. Zaros, however, narrowed his gaze. "And?" he asked bluntly. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

  “Seriously, Zaros?” Kael shot back. "That's obviously proof that Nora is involved in all of this."

  “No,” Zaros contradicted, crossing his arms. "It sounds to me like an alchemy professor talking to a food merchant. Maybe he was asking about ingredients or striking a deal. Nothing more. You’re reading too much into it.”

  He turned to Lia, his gaze sharp. “Why do you even know that shop? As a noble, shouldn't you be buying your ingredients in a more refined part of the city?"

  Lia looked up at the ceiling, clearly trying to avoid his gaze. "He has an interesting concept," she said evasively.

  “Interesting concept?” Kael repeated, raising an eyebrow. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

  "He claims to know the recipes for lost or forgotten potions," Lia explained, her tone a mix of irritation and fascination. "And only those he deems worthy can learn them. I know it sounds ridiculous, but as an alchemist, I couldn’t just ignore it.”

  Kael and Zaros exchanged a look, then both burst out laughing at her slightly embarrassed expression.

  “See?” Zaros said finally, smirking as he turned back to Kael. "Professor Nora is probably just like Lia. He knows the guy’s full of nonsense, but as an alchemist, he still wants to check it out."

  Kael met Zaros's eyes, his voice steady but firm. "Maybe. But I still think there’s more to it than that.”

  “No,” Zaros shot back. "You just want there to be more. You’ve already decided that Nora is suspicious, so now you twist everything to fit that idea.”

  “I twist them?” Kael’s voice rose, and anger flashed in his eyes. “Don’t you find it strange that Professor Nora met this guy on the day Sariel was found dead? And that it happened when all lectures were canceled?”

  “I don’t know,” Zaros replied sharply. “But it’s not as suspicious as you make it sound!”

  Their voices grew louder, and anger simmered between them.

  Lia, seeing that her friends were about to start an argument, stepped between them. "Guys, stop!" she shouted, her voice sharp enough to cut through the tension.

  Both of them froze and turned toward her.

  “Zaros is right, Kael.” She began, her voice calm but firm. "That meeting alone doesn't prove anything."

  Zaros crossed his arms, smugly satisfied. But before he could say anything, Lia turned to him. "You shouldn't dismiss Kael so easily," she said, her eyes narrowing slightly. "You know better than anyone that he's usually right about these things. We should at least consider how he feels.”

  Both men fell silent, her words hanging heavy in the air.

  After a moment, Zaros exhaled. "You're right, Lia," he admitted quietly. "And of course I trust your instincts, Kael. But even if this is suspicious, we still don’t know if Nora is a friend or an enemy. If he’s really connected to the outer district, he could have ties to the rebels. That would make him dangerous.”

  Kael met Zaros’s eyes but said nothing. From the moment I heard about the Outer District, I knew it might lead to the rebels, and I don’t believe they’re my enemies. I’m sorry, Zaros.

  He forced a calm expression and nodded. "Yeah, you're right," he said quietly. Guilt gnawed at him for lying once again.

  Zaros blinked, caught off guard by Kael’s sudden agreement. "Good," he said at last, though his searching gaze lingered as if trying to read Kael’s thoughts.

  Lia broke the silence. “So, what now? Should we keep observing Nora, or should we try to find other clues?”

  Zaros rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "We should look for solid evidence that actually means something. What do you think, Kael?"

  "Yeah," he muttered. "Let's go with that."

  "Good," Zaros said, stretching and yawning widely. "It's been a long day. I’ll head back to my dorm. See you tomorrow.” He gave Kael a teasing grin. "Looking forward to our joint sword training? It's going to be fun."

  Kael’s expression eased, and a faint smile tugged at his lips. "Haha, yeah. Don’t worry; I’ll beat you this time.”

  They both laughed, their earlier tension dissolving for a brief moment.

  “Boys…” Lia sighed and shook her head, a mixture of amusement and disbelief evident.

  They grinned at her before saying their goodbyes.

  As Zaros and Lia disappeared down the corridor, Kael stood in the doorway and watched their silhouettes fade into the distance. His smile slowly vanished.

  "I'm sorry," he whispered, his voice barely audible. "But I can't keep doing nothing."

  He closed the door behind him; the quiet click sounded like a vow.