Magical Soul Parade - Chapter 219: Prowlers On The Loose (III)

Chapter 219: Prowlers On The Loose (III)

Finn and Jon headed for the gates, but they found a crowd already gathered there. The usual evening exodus had turned into something else entirely. The city gate was now a bottleneck of workers being scrutinized before they could leave.

The guards were thoroughly checking as people departed the city. Not just glancing at tokens and waving people through, but actually examining them, asking questions, making notes.

The line moved at a crawl.

After what seemed like enough time to nearly reach curfew, it finally reached Jon and Finn’s turn. As they stepped forward, Finn noticed a black-robed figure sitting by the gate, perched on a stool like a vulture watching prey. The figure’s hood was pulled low, but Finn could feel eyes tracking him from within that shadow.

A named priest.

“Tokens,” one of the guards said, extending his hand.

Jon handed his over first, then Finn produced his own.

The guard’s expression shifted immediately. He held both tokens up to the rising moonlight, squinting at the markings. “These are for yesterday.”

His tone sharpened. “Why were you in the city past your allocated time?”

The second guard stepped closer, hand resting on the club at his belt. “Step aside. Both of you.”

Two guards pulled them out of the line while others continued processing the remaining workers. The crowd behind them muttered in irritation at the delay, but no one complained too loudly. Not with a named priest watching.

The guards began their questioning immediately, with voices devoid of any cordiality.

“Where were you last night?”

“What were you doing?”

“Who else was with you?”

Jon seemed to recognize one of the guards. He tried to defuse the situation, his voice taking on a familiar tone. “Come on, Tervin, you should know me by face. We’ve greeted dozens of times. You know I pass through here every day.”

The guard called Tervin glanced at his partner, who looked back for confirmation.

Tervin gave a slight nod. “Yeah, I know him. Works the hauler section.”

The threatening air around them lessened fractionally, but the questions didn’t stop. They simply became less aggressive.

“Still need to know where you were,” the other guard said. “Especially him.” He jerked his chin toward Finn. “Don’t recognize this one at all.”

Jon vouched without hesitation, explaining how they’d stayed late celebrating at the tavern at the docks, how Finn had bought drinks for half the dock workers, how they’d had to bunk in the dormitories because the gates were already closed.

Finn remained calm throughout the entire exchange. Not at all flustered by the display of authority, mostly because he knew they posed no real threat to him. But also because he could clearly tell it was partly performance for the figure seated near the gate. The guards were making a show of thoroughness, proving their diligence to the named priest’s watchful eyes.

Tervin seemed mostly convinced by Jon’s explanation. The other guard looked less certain, but he wasn’t pushing hard either.

Then Tervin pulled out two folded papers from his belt pouch. He unfolded them carefully, revealing charcoal drawings.

“Either of you seen this thing or this man before?”

The first drawing was of a mask. It looked demonic, with pointed features, hollow eyes, and sharp angles that looked utterly inhuman. But beyond its disturbing appearance, the sketch had no other defining features. No context or background whatsoever.

The second drawing was of a man. He looked around forty, with a broad face and utterly unremarkable features. Plain. Forgettable. The kind of person who wouldn’t draw attention in any crowd.

But the moment the drawings appeared, Jon noticeably stilled.

Finn caught it in his peripheral vision but kept his own expression neutral. He even leaned in closer, putting on a show of studying the images like he might recognize one of them.

Then he sighed and shook his head. “No. Haven’t seen either before.”

Jon also shook his head, but the movement was somewhat stiff.

Tervin’s eyebrow rose slightly. “That’s surprising.” His tone carried a new edge. “The man in question worked at the docks too. With how long you’ve been working there, Jon, you should’ve at least recognized the face as familiar. But you’re saying you don’t know him at all?”

Jon’s jaw clenched. “I don’t remember seeing him before.”

Tervin said nothing. He simply stared for several silent seconds, his expression unreadable.

Then a voice spoke from right beside them, making Tervin yelp in startlement.

“Priest Shadow Tongued!” He caught himself immediately, clearly embarrassed by the reaction.

The named priest had moved without sound, appearing beside the guards like he’d materialized from the shadows. Up close, Finn could see more details. The black robe the priest wore was expensive fabric, well-maintained, and the hands that emerged from the sleeves were surprisingly young-looking. This wasn’t some ancient temple elder. This was someone in their prime.

Shadow Tongued looked at Finn and Jon more closely, his gaze lingering on each of them in turn. “What’s happening here?”

The guards straightened immediately. “Nothing of concern, Priest. Just confirming some details with these two workers. Standard procedure.”

Shadow Tongued’s attention stayed fixed on Finn for a moment longer. Then he nodded once. “Let them through.”

“Yes, Priest.” Tervin gestured sharply. “On your way. Both of you. And if you overstay your token duration again, there will be fines. Understood?”

“Understood,” Jon said quickly.

As they moved past the guards toward the gate, Finn deliberately caught Shadow Tongued’s eye. Held it for just a fraction of a second. Then he followed after Jon into the sprawl beyond the city walls.

They walked in silence.

Past the outer market stalls being closed for the night. Past the clusters of workers heading to their homes in the outer settlements. Past the point where the cobblestones gave way to the dirt paths.

They didn’t speak until they’d gotten far into the Sprawl, closer to their homes than to the city. The path had narrowed, buildings spread further apart, fewer people visible in the growing darkness.

Then Finn broke the silence.

“Slow down. Why are you so hasty?”

Jon paused mid-step, looking around at their surroundings as if he hadn’t even realized how fast he’d been walking. His breathing was harsh, ragged.

Then he clenched his jaw and leveled his gaze at Finn. His voice dropped low. “It’s you, right?”

Finn raised an eyebrow, about to speak.

But Jon cut him off harshly. “Don’t try to bullshit me. I’m not stupid.” His hands were trembling slightly at his sides. “The man in that picture… that was the same man from this morning. The one who walked past us at the bathhouse.”

Finn folded his arms and watched Jon silently.

“Killing a person…? How did I even end up here—”

Jon abruptly paused, then his eyes widened in seeming understanding as he chuckled.

“It’s all you… I’ve been acting unlike myself since you came into the picture. I suddenly vouched for you, someone I barely know. My hard-earned vouch that I could’ve saved for a friend later, and I used it on a stranger.” He took a shaky breath. “Then I stayed overnight in those disgusting dormitories. My parents must be worried sick, wondering where I am.”

He paused, catching his breath, then continued. “If none of that had happened, I wouldn’t have said what I said this morning. That man wouldn’t have heard. And maybe things wouldn’t have…”

He trailed off, leaving the rest unsaid.

Finn didn’t respond. He simply stared with an unreadable expression for some seconds, then he finally shook his head.

“How are you so sure I did it?