“Who are those two? And why do they move with such careful, deliberate caution?”A figure cloaked in pitch-black robes murmured the question through clenched teeth. His face was hidden beneath a dark hood, but his eyes—cold, narrow, and gleaming with menace—were fixed sharply on Aji and Ratih as the pair moved away into the night.Behind him, footsteps sounded softly.“Do you suspect them, Master?”The beggar who had earlier spoken with Aji and Ratih—Pranggolo—stood there, bowing slightly, his voice trembling with unease.“Do not appear behind me like a ghost unless you wish to be punished,” the hooded man snapped.Pranggolo flinched and lowered his head further. “Forgive me, Master.”“These days, suspicion is our greatest shield,” the man in black muttered, folding his arms beneath his cloak. “And those two… are strangers to this province. Unfamiliar faces wandering around at hours like this always warrant caution. I saw you speaking to them earlier. What did they ask of you?”“Nothi

After their meal—now lukewarm but carefully wrapped by the inn’s attendant—Aji paid the bill and gently urged Ratih to leave the small eatery.The serving girl’s sweetest smile bloomed in Aji's direction, hoping to earn a returning glance, but he ignored her entirely. To him, protecting Ratih’s feelings was far more important than responding to a stranger’s coy expression.The girl, affronted by Aji’s indifference, muttered irritably under her breath. “Handsome or not, he’s unbearably arrogant!”Hearing the complaint, Ratih spun around, ready to teach the insolent girl a lesson. Yet Aji swiftly caught her hand and guided her away from the commotion.“Let it go. Her words aren't worth responding to,” Aji murmured once they stepped outside.“Are you defending her now?” Ratih snapped, her anger—still burning fiercely—redirected toward him.“That’s not it, Ratih. But wouldn’t it be embarrassing to argue in front of all those people?” he replied gently, trying to soothe her storming emotio

Before stepping out of the inn’s doorway, Aji leaned slightly forward, letting his eyes sweep across the quiet street of the duchy. The night had grown heavy, and the usual bustle had faded into stillness. Only a few beggars lingered beneath the dim glow of scattered lanterns—shadows shuffling slowly through the darkness as if refusing to surrender to sleep.As Aji walked and drew closer to the palace complex, he narrowed his gaze. Something felt off. Across from the palace gates, several dark figures huddled unnaturally close together.His brows furrowed.Earlier, when he and Ratih walked around the district to search for clues, there had been only one beggar at that spot. Just one. Yet now, five of them sat pressed together, pretending to be aimlessly resting—but their positions were too fixed, their silhouettes too tense, their eyes too watchful.That was no gathering of beggars. Something more sinister lay beneath the façade.Recognizing the danger, Aji immediately searched for a

The moment he sensed the poisonous force spreading through his veins, he summoned the depth of his inner energy. A slow, deliberate breath escaped his lips as wisps of black smoke seeped out from beneath his skin—thin at first, then thicker, until the poisonous heat that had clouded his mind dissolved into the night air. Color returned to his face, his breath steadied, and his gaze sharpened like a blade just pulled from the forge.Unbeknownst to him, the Sword of Darkness strapped across his back stirred restlessly. A faint ripple of shadow pulsed along the scabbard, drawing in the remnants of the toxin that lingered inside his meridians. Because of that unseen assistance, Aji did not need to exhaust his inner strength to purge every last trace; the sword devoured the poison greedily, like a starving beast awakened from slumber.The man in black who stood across from him widened his eyes in disbelief.Aji had cleansed a deadly poison technique—his poison technique—with a casual ease

“I still cannot grasp your meaning, swordsman. Could you explain your intentions more clearly?” the old man asked, his voice carrying the weight of age and battle-worn caution.Aji answered with a faint, composed smile—one so subtle it barely revealed itself, yet its confidence filled the dim cave like a quiet flame.“It is simple,” he said. “If Yoga truly wishes to accept my offer and return to serve the Duke, then I already have a plan prepared for him.”“A plan?” the old man echoed, leaning slightly forward.“You will hear the full details later at the palace,” Aji replied. “For now, everything rests on Yoga—on whether he is willing to redeem himself or continue down a path filled with regret.”The old man placed a gentle but firm hand on his student’s shoulder.“If you truly desire to atone for what you have done,” he said, “then accept the chance he is giving you. I believe you will come to no harm should you choose the path of honesty.”Yoga hesitated. Shame churned inside him l