A few days later, after everyone got better, Arsh went out in the afternoon together with Mes. He wanted to show Arsh the city a bit. Arsh never had a chance to travel around the city since he came. Mes thought it would be good for him to relax. But just as they were about to leave, Walter saw them and tagged along.
Walter threw his arm over Arsh's shoulder.
"If you want to explore this city, you should follow me, not Mes. He rarely looks up from his books in the library."
At first, they walked together along Tirsit's famous streets and had Arsh taste the city's well-known foods. But Arsh thought they were too bland and tasteless.
'Are these the foods of the most powerful country in the world…? Even in the desert, we have better food,' he thought.
Although he didn't enjoy many of the things he ate, the desserts were good. He especially loved the one they called cream. They also bought Arsh a new outfit to replace his torn clothes. After spending the day like this, as evening fell, Mes suggested heading back. However, Walter was not willing to agree.
He took them to a place where women and men danced together, drank alcohol, sang songs, and had fun.
"Did you bring us to a tavern?" Arsh asked.
"Tavern?… Please, this is a music hall."
"I should remind you, Walter. Arsh and I are not of legal age yet," Mes said.
"Hmm… is that a problem?"
"Of course it is."
"Mes, you're underestimating me. When you're with me, such small details are not a problem," Walter said, pushing them both inside before they could protest.
…
Well past midnight, they finally managed to convince Walter to go back. All night, they had just sat quietly in a corner, watching people shouting, dancing, and singing. Neither of them knew what they were supposed to do in such an environment, and they were both too shy anyway. Throughout the night, they examined the drinks in front of them and tried taking a few sips, but neither liked the burning sensation in their throats.
When they returned, Bera heard their voices and was waiting for them at the entrance.
"Why do you smell like this? Walter… where did you take them?" he asked threateningly. But Walter, who had been walking right behind them, had already disappeared.
"Walter insisted on showing us the city today," Mes said.
"Why did you follow him? I spend my life cleaning up after him," Bera replied.
They went inside together.
"I was waiting for you, Arsh. Tomorrow, we're going out to do some research."
"We'll find the guards?"
"Yes. But remember, they might recognize you, so we need to hide your face," Bera said. Then, without another word, he headed upstairs.
"He's going to scold Walter..." Mes said.
Arsh finally felt he was about to fulfill his true purpose. Yet, he was aware that he couldn't keep the burning rage inside him hidden for much longer.
…
The first person that came to Arsh's mind was the captain of the guards. Even though he did not know the man's name, his face was vivid in his memory—the man leaning over the entrance of the well, looking down at him with a gun. Although he wasn't completely certain, Arsh believed that he was the one who had killed his father. And even if it wasn't him, it didn't matter. All of them would meet their end by his hand.
Following the golden threads, they arrived first in the city center and then in front of the parliament building. It was a massive, historic structure located in the middle of a garden. It was surrounded by high walls, and soldiers from the units responsible for guarding the parliament were stationed in the towers around the garden.
There was no chance of getting inside.
"Are you sure this is the place?" Bera asked.
Arsh gave a silent nod of confirmation.
The golden threads extended straight into the parliament building. After waiting near the gates for a while, Arsh felt his target getting closer.
"He's about to come out," Arsh whispered
A short while later, when the guards at the front garden opened the gate, two carriages came out.
They followed from a distance in another carriage, with Arsh leading the way. It didn't take long for the carriage to stop in front of a restaurant. It was clear that this was a luxurious place. As soon as the carriages stopped, the door of one of them opened. The person who opened the door then helped the man with the cane who was getting out.
Arsh recognized the first person instantly. The golden thread emerging from his hand pointed directly at him. Then, he shifted his attention to those stepping out of the second carriage. He recognized two of them immediately as well.
Arsh and Bera stepped down from their own carriage a short distance away.
Arsh felt an urge to cut off the heads of the people ahead.
Bera sensed what Arsh was feeling and grabbed him by the arm, pulling him toward the opposite side of the street and keeping the men behind them.
"Arsh, be calm. Not like this. This might be more complicated than you think. For now, let's go back."
A few people coming out from the restaurant politely escorted the man with the cane up the stairs. The man Arsh had been following, along with another guard, accompanied him inside. The remaining four guards stayed behind, waiting at the restaurant entrance.
As they walked past the front of the restaurant, Arsh pulled his hat low over his face, while Bera walked on his left to shield him from view.
"Look at the guards on the right side of the door," Arsh whispered just before they passed by.
Once they were a safe distance away, Bera asked, "Were they with Millway too?"
"Yes" Arsh replied shortly.
When he had come here, he still had doubts about killing these people. He was uneasy about whether he was truly capable of killing someone—about whether he could actually do it—yet he had still decided to go through with it. But now he realized something he hadn't known about himself before. If Bera hadn't been there, he could have killed those people on the spot without a second thought.
But he wasn't carrying a weapon. And even if he made a move among so many people, he was already certain that Bera would stop him. He wasn't as strong as he was. Juan had also mentioned that one or two of the guards might have siuni. Most likely, if anyone there had a siuni, it was the man he was following.
He needed to grow stronger. He was not strong enough yet.
As they entered a crowded street with Bera, he asked the question that had been bothering him. They were far enough away now. But he could see that, just like Arsh, Bera also had many questions on his mind.
"What did you mean earlier, when you said the situation might be more complicated?"
"Did you see the person the man you mentioned was guarding?"
Arsh had only seen a man with a cane, but he had not paid much attention. He shook his head to indicate no.
"He's a minister from the Progressive Party. The Minister of Colonies. We need to look into the situation and understand what the connection between them is. It's not possible for one of Professor Millway's guards to become a minister's direct bodyguard within just a few weeks. I'll inform Mr. Herman as well. For now, let's find the others too."
Finding the remaining people was not difficult. They got back into the carriage again and arrived at a neighborhood in the city center—clearly a place where the wealthy lived. Each manor was massive, hidden behind high walls. When they stopped in front of one of the manors, which was surrounded by high stone walls, Arsh closed his eyes again and focused.
"Four of the people we're looking for are here right now."
Without saying anything, Bera continued walking past the mansion with Arsh. On the nameplate above the gate, it read "Hulston Family."
"Hulston… that's the name of the minister we saw in the parliament garden earlier. All of these guards are probably working for him… How many are left?"
"Three more."
"They're probably working for the minister as well. Still, let's check," Bera said.
Arsh had heard the name Hulston before. After the decisions taken by the local colonial government in Kurshan, the name Hulston always came up after the name of the king of Symran. Although it was a familiar name, he had no idea how it could be connected to Professor Millway.
The remaining three were together as well. Arsh followed the golden threads all the way to the other side of the city. The entire day had passed like this, on the move. Night had fallen. They found themselves on a brightly lit street. Although it wasn't the same place, the street resembled the one Walter had taken them to the night before. People were drinking and having fun.
"Cover your face. Don't draw attention," Bera whispered as they went inside. Instead of taking a seat, they moved to a corner and leaned against the wall.
"Where are they?"
"At the table in front of the stage. Those three over there—the ones with the women," Arsh said, gesturing subtly with his head.
Bera followed his gaze to the table. The men were laughing loudly; one of them pulled one of the women up to dance. They looked perfectly content, living a carefree life of enjoyment.
When Arsh felt Bera's eyes on him, he closed his own and lowered his head.
"I can't act with you around," Arsh muttered.
"If there's nothing else to do, let's leave. You're going to investigate Hulston's men anyway, aren't you? Like you said, they probably all work for the same person."
Bera nodded. He gave Arsh a reassuring pat on the back, and they headed toward the door.
Just as they were about to leave, both of them felt a hand land on their shoulders. Arsh was sure his face was hidden. A sudden wave of anxiety rose in him, but it quickly turned into excitement. I
'f they recognized me, he thought, this could be an excuse to get rid of them.'
The thought passed just as quickly—less than a second.
Before either of them had time to react, the familiar voice reached his ears, and his brief fantasy ended.
"Just yesterday you scolded me for bringing the kids to a place like this. And now you're doing the same. To what do we owe the pleasure of seeing you in a place like this?"