Inverse System

"Let's go Chuzea! I think you've looked at the scenery for long enough," Yusuke called out to the girl who was still marveling in the large hall, while Rein walked on ahead of them, staring blankly at his now empty wallet.

However, as he was descending the stairs from the hill that the mansion was built on, he suddenly felt a jolt, almost static electric sensation run up his back, making him turn around in a twitching motion. He stared at the mansion with a concerned gaze, almost as if it gave him an eerie feeling. He saw Yusuke and Chuzea descending the stairs behind him, so he simply brushed the feeling off and continued.

After they all regrouped, they walked along the bustling streets of the city, trying their hardest to fit in the crowd, though Rein wasn't worried, as he was not on the wanted list. The city of Kanirah was moderately developed, with the roads and streets being made out of a sturdy stone material.

The economy of Kanirah heavily relied on its real-estate market, being one of the top spots for residence in the entire continent. Homes in Kanirah are incredibly sought after, making each of their prices astronomical, and for that reason, the majority of its population are nobles.

Yusuke pointed them to a restaurant in the southwest end of the city, which was on the opposite side to that of the mansion. As they entered the customerless establishment, it once again seemed as though Yusuke knew the owners, and they had a leisurely chat while Rein and Chuzea sat at a table. They were two gruff-looking humans, one with black hair and one with brown hair, and both of them seemed as though they were around Yusuke's age. He joined them shortly after, along with the owners, who introduced themselves.

"Well, I didn't know started leeching off teenagers Yusuke!" The black-haired one laughed as they approached the table.

"Yeah, every time you bring someone in here, you force them to pay the bill,"  the brown-haired one joined in, amusing themselves to Yusuke's detriment.

Rein stared at Yusuke with a deathly aura, making Yusuke shiver in fear, then laugh it off as a joke.

"Haha… They're joking kid, don't worry. They'll cover the bill for us," Yusuke nudged them, indicating to them that the bit was over.

"Fine, fine. But we weren't kidding, this guy's the worst at paying up," the owner with brown hair snuck in the final say before the black-haired one began speaking.

"My name's Owen, my buddy Gregory and I run this place together y'see. We've known Yusuke since way back," the black-haired one introduced himself, along with his friend.

"Hey, don't leave out the most important part! Tell them what you guys actually do," Yusuke said as he also sat at the table beside Rein.

"Let me guess, they deal in the underbelly of society too," Rein deduced, which impressed Yusuke and the owners.

"Wow, that's some guess Rein! How'd you know?" Yusuke asked, amazed.

"I just noticed a pattern. Anyways, we don't have much time. We need information, and we need food," Rein got to the point as fast he could.

"Then you've come to the perfect place! Owen, could you prep them something quickly? I'll answer their questions in the meantime," Gregory asked, then dragged a chair from another table and sat in front of theirs, while Owen went to the kitchen to make the group breakfast.

"Alright, ask away."

Rein had already thought about what he wanted to ask. He had some inkling of where this person he felt would be, though he had no clue who it could be. He also wanted to ask about the antics of the Duchess, rather, the Queen. However, he had to be careful not to be discovered as her nephew.

"Has there been any news of students from the Hasbin gulf entering the city?" Rein opened up with.

"Yeah. A whole bunch of 'em," Gregory informed confidently, which surprised Rein, as he thought he only felt one or two. "According to the connections we have around the city, Kanirah's had the biggest insurgence of refugees," As Gregory finished speaking, Owen emerged from the kitchen with three plates of omelets, along with strips of sizzling forest boar bacon.

"Damn, that was fast," Yusuke remarked as Owen sat on a chair at another table.

Chuzea, who wasn't paying attention, simply stared at her meal in glittering eyes, almost as though she was holding herself back from eating. She looked at Rein, who looked back at her.

"Go ahead," he permitted, to which she relentlessly began wolfing down.

"So then, I'm assuming you boys know where some of these refugees are?" Yusuke continued the conversation, talking while chewing on a piece of bacon.

"Actually, their locations are public information," Owen interjected, which piqued Rein's interest. "The duchess, or should I say, the queen, offered up rooms in her mansion for survivors of the attack. Any refugee found would be forced to go there, whether they wanted to or not by the town guard," Owen claimed, which then explained the jolt that Rein felt as he left the area.

Without saying anything else, Rein followed in Chuzea's lead and gulped his entire plate in record time, instantly standing up and bowing down to the restaurant owners in gratitude. He ran out of the establishment hastily, then stopped to gaze at the mansion overlooking the rest of the city on top of the large hill in the northeast.

Shortly after a few seconds of gazing, he heard Yusuke and Chuzea exit the restaurant.

"Don't scare me like that kid, I thought you ran off on your own," Yusuke walked out, scratching the back of his head.

Rein didn't reply. He simply stared at the mansion, his eyes shaking with emotion as he grabbed one of the artifacts on his body, gripping it with all his might, almost to the point that he broke his own arm.

"I'm going to achieve my goal… No matter what…"