Tangled By Fate

Chapter 581: JOURNEY TO THE MOUNTAIN



"Sure, let's do that. Where can I find you?" Eugene asked.

Veronica couldn't tell them where Darus and Zinnia were currently residing. It would be a breach of privacy especially since she didn't live there. So, she blurted out, "Morina's Place." Darius coughed vigorously when he heard it. Even Eugene was stunned. Morina's Place was a historical place that was in the infamous redlight district. People who lived in Utahill knew that place so well that no one would speak about it out loud, most certainly not in the broad daylight.

Eugene's hand tightened around her wrist. "Veronica, what are you saying? Why would you be there? Are you living well? What's your connection with that place?"

Veronica regretted saying it since she was being bombarded with a series of questions.

"Relax, it's not what you think. I already told you I live in the south. I have no connection with that place. Sometimes I go there to meet a female friend of mine. That's why I said so."

Her swift lie made Eugene at ease. He finally relaxed and released her hand. "All right, I'll see you there. Wait for me."

"Hmm, take care," Veronica bade him farewell.

After he was out of sight, Darius came behind her and accused her, "Veronica, you should have told us that you have hidden your childhood lover. How could you cheat on our Arthur? Poor Arthur." He lamented.

Veronica glared at him. "What do you mean by childhood lover? What would children know about romance? I didn't even know what romance was until I met Arthur. The man you saw just now is Eugene. He is a friend. We hadn't met for over eight years. Don't think badly of us." As she snapped at him, Darius became quiet. Zinnia, on the other hand, said, "You promised to meet him. Are you really going to do that?" I thought we were teleporting to Tybu after we were done with our mission." After all, she and Darius had other missions.

Veronica replied, "You all can go if you want. I want to look around after getting the scroll. I didn't realize that I missed this place badly until I got here. I also have things to talk about with Saint Ava. She is the only one who can help me."

Felix and Ironin exchanged glances and then, Felix said, "If you aren't going, I'm not either. We are all on this journey for my sake. I won't leave until I see the endgame."

"Suit yourself," Veronica spoke in a light voice.

They started their journey after buying some food and warm clothes. They wrapped themselves in comfortable warm clothes and headed to the mountain range.

No matter how often Veronica and the rest came here, they still couldn't get used to the harsh winter in Alss. It was always frozen, always having snowstorms and always hard to stay overnight. And yet, the peaks of Alss were high and mighty, and proud as ever.

They stayed inside a cave for the night. Darius and Ironin sat in a corner. They started a fire and roasted the chicken they had bought from the farm. Soon, the delicious smell of the roasted chicken filled the cave.

Felix sat in the corner and chewed the roasted chicken. Zinnia and Veronica weren't far behind. After dinner, Veronica laid down and instantly fell asleep.

Zinnia heard her even breathing and covered her properly with a woolen coat. "She didn't have enough rest the last few weeks, did she? The bags under her eyes are too visible. I'm afraid Arthur won't be too happy to see her in this condition."

"Even if he does, what can he do about it?" Felix asked. "He wants to make his wife happy and this is how she can be happy."

"So, what scroll is she looking for? Another kind of sorcery?" Darius asked.

After a pause, Felix shrugged and said, "...I don't know... don't ask me." Since Veronica kept it a secret, he wasn't sure it was the right choice to tell them yet.

Especially when Darius was a blabbermouth when he got drunk, serious topics like reviving the dead would be even more dangerous.

Zinnia stared at Felix, contemplated something and then looked at Ironin. "Ironin, did something happen between you and Veronica?"

Ironin quietly looked at her. His expression didn't change. However, his hands that were grilling the chicken halted. Darius and Felix curiously looked at him. They were so busy with Elves and missions that they didn't have time to notice anything.

Zinnia was always sharp about people surrounding her, especially when they were her friends. She had noticed it since she watched Ironin riding with Veronica while being chased by the Elves.

She saw how closely he was holding Veronica. Of course, he was supposed to since she was literally drunk and passed out. Nevertheless, the moment she dismounted from the horse, Ironin avoided her.

He was always a light-spoken person. Even so, anyone could see that he was involved within the group, caring for everyone around him in his own way. However, for some reason, he hardly looked at Veronica as though she was nothing but air.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

Zinnia found it extremely odd and couldn't help but ask. If there was any discomfort between group members, it should be discussed among themselves and resolved - that's what she believed.

"...Nothing happened," Ironin gave them a cold reply after a long pause. He shifted his gaze toward the fire. As the wooden sticks crackled in the fire, his eyes were ablaze. The flames reflected in his intense stare, giving him an almost otherworldly appearance.

The next day, they started their journey again. The snowstorm got worse than the previous night. The temperature dropped to the point they shivered; the warm clothes weren't enough. The wind became stronger and snow was piled on top of them in no time.

Their progress was slow and difficult, with the harsh conditions making it hard to see more

than a few feet ahead. Despite their determination, they knew they would have to find another cave soon before the storm became too dangerous to navigate.

"Is there any cave nearby?" Darius shouted.