In a deserted alley, Tales stepped down from the carriage with his face hidden beneath a cloak, sandwiched between Komuto and Gollor, who were dressed the same way.
With the two of them warily looking left and right before and behind them, they looked exactly like guilty customers sneaking out for pleasure behind their wives' backs.
Gollor led the way, skillfully passing through two archways. After winding through various alley entrances and windows while nimbly dodging the clothes racks hanging overhead, as well as the dirty water being thrown out, they arrived at the back door of a mysterious mansion.
The path was uneven and filthy. Along the way, they encountered several wary beggar children, which left Tales momentarily dazed, as if he had returned to his childhood in a dream.
"I'm feeling a little dizzy... We're only here to lie low for a while," Komuto said miserably, rubbing his forehead after accidentally being struck by a window. He studied the wooden door before them.
"But where exactly is this place? It isn't some shady illegal establishment with no rules, is it...?"
Clearly, the former Alert Officer, accustomed to serving the Inner City and the nobles, was not used to a place like this.
Tales could not help laughing. The standards of legality and illegality did not really apply here—in fact, nearly every legitimate business in the Red Quarter that had been operating for years had some sort of illegal connection, while practically every illegal business had legitimate cover.
"This is an established old establishment with a good reputation—we're just coming in through the back door."
Gollor tightened his hood and shook his head at them. He then pulled open the old, shabby, miserly back door, skillfully lifted the dark-red curtain, and led them into the dimly lit interior.
Tales