Chapter 7

“What do you mean by that?”

Cain shook his head as though he could not understand.

The young man continued speaking.

“People from the Holy Empire don’t wear clothes with black in them like you do. It’s almost like the unspoken rule I mentioned at the tavern earlier—that ‘you never drink alone.’ But your clothes are filled with black and white. Do you know what that means?”

He pointed at Cain’s attire.

“It means, ‘I am someone who openly opposes the rule of the Holy Empire.’”

“……”

Cain thought he understood what the young man meant.

After the destruction of Zergard, the people of the Lohan Empire had become afraid that the ghosts of the countless people of Zergard scattered throughout the Magocracy might cling to them, so they never wore clothes containing black.

If they did wear black, they would put a white garment over it or mix white into the dyeing process to create gray clothing.

But Cain was dressed like a member of a noble family, with black trousers contrasting sharply against his white upper garment.

Nobles were naturally even more sensitive to such fashions, so the fact that Cain was openly violating the norm had immediately caught the young man’s attention.

“You’re far too suspicious of me, so I don’t think I can say much more. But one thing is certain—you’re someone who came from the Magocracy. Meeting you was pure coincidence, and thanks to me, you’ve just been given another chance at life. If you don’t believe me, go to the public execution that will be held in the Grand Square next week. Once you see it for yourself, you’ll understand why black is such a dangerous color.”

“Why are you telling me this?”

“You’ll find out the next time we meet. At the very least, it seems you and I have something in common. My name is Lopes Adrian. According to the genealogy, I’m your younger cousin. Remember that. It’ll keep both of us from ending up in chains and being hanged later. Put these on and leave. Unless you want to get caught and killed on the way out.”

Whoosh.

As soon as he finished speaking, Lopes took off his trousers and tossed them toward Cain.

Clatter.

He then climbed down the ladder into the basement and blocked the entrance with the wooden plank.

Thump, thump, thump, thump.

The sound of his footsteps descending steadily underground gradually faded into the distance.

Before long, Cain was left alone.

It had been a strange encounter.

Cain became curious about the identity of Lopes, the first person he had met since leaving the Magocracy with whom he had spoken at length.

But he had no intention of lingering here.

As Lopes had said, Cain was planning to join the mercenary corps, and if his application was accepted, the two of them would inevitably have a chance to meet again.

Lopes was also an applicant.

Cain took off the trousers he had been wearing, put on the ones Lopes had given him, and soon left the house, hurrying toward the inn.

By then, the sun was already sinking slowly toward the west.