The reeds along the Nile River rustled in the morning breeze.
Before him lay a riverbank thick with reeds, the water shimmering beneath the morning light. Yet the tranquility was broken by commotion along the shore.
Quite a few onlookers had gathered by the river. A ring of temple guards had already been set up there, spears in hand and solemn expressions on their faces, keeping all curious civilians outside. In the middle of the riverbank, several priests in dark ceremonial robes surrounded a corpse covered with a white cloth, chanting something under their breath.
"Eerie female corpse."
Ian stood at the edge of the crowd, narrowing his eyes as he studied the disturbance ahead. At least twenty temple guards formed a human wall, their bronze spears crossed to seal off the entire riverbank. Fine beads of sweat glistened on their bronze skin beneath the rising sun, but their hands gripping their spears were steady as rocks—clearly, they had received rigorous training.
"Step back! No one may profane the sacred ritual!" a guard shouted sternly, his spearhead dangerously aimed at the fishermen in the front row. Ian noticed that different runes had been engraved onto the guards' armor—not the usual Eye of Horus, but three overlapping rings adorned with a star-shaped pattern at the center.
Ian had originally intended to approach directly.
But the guards' tight blockade made it impossible to get close from the front. Ian swiftly scanned the surroundings and spotted a dense patch of reeds upstream from the riverbank. It was relatively secluded, and difficult for the guards' eyes to cover. Reaching that hidden spot, he silently cast the Disillusionment Charm again. His figure gradually merged with the air, fading away like morning mist.
"The Disillusionment Charm truly is a great invention." Ian carefully bypassed the guards'