After dinner, the chief summoned Loras.
"Loras, take this young man to his room. He must be tired," she said.
"Very well, Chief." Loras' expression was blank, unreadable.
He turned to me. "Shall we, young sir?"
Silence stretched as we walked down the hallway. Then, abruptly, he asked,
"You are associated with… Envy?"
I froze. "Envy? What do you mean?"
"One of the Sinners who roams this region," he explained, voice calm, uncurious.
"I… I don't know anything about that," I stammered.
He tilted his head slightly. "I see. Forget I asked, then."
He stopped at a door. "Here's your room." He opened it. The space was neat, quiet, almost serene.
"Call my name if you need anything," he said, closing the door behind him.
I sank onto the bed, my thoughts spinning from the day's events. Exhaustion claimed me, and I drifted into a restless sleep.
I woke to a sharp metallic scrape. My limbs were bound in chains, and across from me, Loras was sharpening a blade but I can't help to notice a small skull mark on his neck... something wasn't there earlier.
"You're finally awake," he said, calm as ever.
"W-what…?" I choked out, panic rising.
"Pardon the sudden invitation. I need to interrogate you," he said evenly. "After all, our village must be protected."
"Is this about Envy?" I asked, voice trembling.
"Precisely. Ever since I saw you, I've had this… strange feeling. So tell me—are you associated with Envy?"
"I'm not!" I shouted.
"Careful," he murmured softly. "You wouldn't want me to cut out your tongue… at least, not yet. I still need information."
I shook my head. "This is the first I've heard of any Envy. I live on the Mountain of Eve. We don't get news from outside!"
He sighed and drove the knife into my thigh. Pain exploded through my leg, hot and blinding.
"I'll heal you later," he said, calm as if it were nothing. "Now… have you seen a dark figure recently?"
Through gritted teeth, I gasped, "Y-yes… before I lost consciousness in the river… I saw a dark figure."
"Interesting." The knife withdrew, and he began to heal the wound with precise, practiced motions.
"That's all for tonight." My eyes drifted closed as the pain faded.
– Later that morning.
I woke in my room. Heart pounding, I checked my leg. No cut, no mark. Relief washed over me.
A knock came at the door.
"Sir, are you awake?"
"Y-yes…" I stuttered.
"Please head to the dining room… everyone is ready for breakfast."
I obeyed, my legs still shaky.
The chief and her daughter waited, and in the corner, Loras stood silently, expression unreadable.
"Sit down, Jean. Breakfast is ready," the chief commanded.
"Yes, Chief," I said, my voice barely steady.
I kept glancing at Loras, then quickly looked away. No mark... Like I saw last night. Did I imagine things? Something's off.
"Is something the matter, Sir?" he asked finally.
"N-no… it's just…" I hesitated, staring at my food.
The chief's voice softened.
"Something bothering you, young man?"
"It's last night," I admitted.
"I fell asleep… and woke up chained. Loras… he interrogated me about Envy and a shadowy figure."
The chief frowned.
"Loras? That… impossible. He was in my office on duty that night."
Loras spoke, calm as ever.
"I've heard of similar cases. People taken, interrogated… perhaps a spy."
"A spy…" I muttered.
"Yet I am curious," Loras continued, voice measured.
"Why would the spy ask about Envy and that shadowy figure? It seems… suspicious."
Before I could respond, the door burst open. A young man in his twenties strode in.
"Because of me!" he declared, eyes locking onto mine.
Loras tilted his head.
"Can you explain, Mr. Gold?"
"I am… Gabriel,"
the man said, his voice low, dangerous.
"Sinner of Greed."
To be continued.