About three minutes later, new footsteps sounded from the end of the corridor.
Ex thought the person Angel was looking for had arrived, so his expression did not change. But Angel, concealed in the shadows, frowned.
Because there were two sets of footsteps.
Ex did not know whether Angel was looking for one person or two, so hearing two sets of footsteps did not strike him as strange. But Angel knew very well that he had only come looking for Kael.
Of those two distinct sets of footsteps, Angel could confirm that one belonged to Kael. But the other was somewhat heavy and sluggish, belonging to no one Angel knew.
Angel silently mused, Could it be Kael's friend?
Suppressing his doubts, Angel turned his gaze toward the dark corridor.
He did not know why there were two sets of footsteps, but as long as he found Kael, that was enough. As for anything unexpected, Kael would naturally explain it after they left.
Very soon, two figures emerged beneath the dim yellow light.
As expected, one of them was Kael. His robes were visibly rumpled, and his hair was a mess, making him look as though he had encountered some sort of crisis.
However, Angel was not surprised by Kael's disheveled appearance.
Other than when he encountered ruins, when he would burst with astonishing enthusiasm, Kael was the sort of homebody scholar who remained unkempt all year round. His current appearance was actually no different from how he had looked at noon. He merely seemed bedraggled, but this was simply Kael's normal state.
It was the person beside Kael who surprised Angel somewhat.
She was a red-haired woman with a fiery figure and a wild, primal charm.
She was an ordinary person, but her attire was anything but ordinary.
She wore