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    As El stepped out of the door, just like any other day when he ventured outside the house, he instinctively glanced toward the side where the steel barbed wire fence stood silently, with some rust adorning its surface, casting a haunting shadow over the area. It was a harrowing ambiance for anyone who had a glimpse out of it. Meanwhile, the alleyway beyond the fence presented a grim and distant sight. Puddles of stagnant water dotted the path, and on particularly fine days, El would spot rats scurrying about. They were big yet also bony, with matted, dirty fur. Their squeaks echo in the air. The sunlight rarely reached this part of the alley, making it feel even more foreboding than it already was. After gaining a moment of this weird satisfaction from the unsettling view, El turned away.


    Before El could even step fully outside the alley, he heard a commotion rising from the street.


    ''What happened?'' he wondered to himself, frowning.


    He had been cooped up in the house for three days, reading books and writing in his notebook, which had turned into some sort of diary at that point, leaving him unaware of the events that might be unfolding in the city. He quickened his pace as the clamor swelled even louder, a cacophony that surged toward his ears.


    Finally, he emerged onto the street, where rows of people moved in unison, all heading in the same direction. What struck El as particularly peculiar was the sea of black button-down shirts and long-sleeved garments paired with dark trousers. It was as if an unspoken agreement had swept through the crowd, compelling them to don this somber attire on this day, creating a striking tableau of shared purpose and muted sorrow. There was also a murmur of voices rising above the oppressive silence that hung in the air. He felt a peculiar mix of fortune and misfortune – for today, his <i>''inscrutable senses''</i> seemed to be heightened, reminiscent of the time he spent with ''that man.''


    The somber atmosphere enveloped him like an unseen, heavy shroud, and he could detect the simmering anger beneath the surface of the crowd, a collective indignation about something he could not quite grasp. What was the situation, exactly? He didn''t know. Yet, he understood that the weight of their shared emotions was potent enough to leave him breathless, accompanied by occasional sharp pangs of pain that stabbed at his chest.


    Approaching one of the middle-aged men who walked with knitted eyebrows, wearing the same outfit as everyone else, El asked him about the situation politely.


    "Excuse me, sir, I want to know what is actually happening. Where are people walking to?"


    After inspecting El carefully, the man replied solemnly, "Go back to your home, little boy! This isn''t for a kid like you."


    Swiftly contemplating the best course of action in his mind, El raised his question again, his eyes pleading with the middle-aged man, eager for more information.


    "Please, sir, I want to know. My parents didn''t tell me anything…"


    "No… go back to your home! Listen to your parents, kid…" the man stated firmly, refusing to be swayed by the pitiful boy with his pretty emerald eyes that somehow slightly gleamed even in the daylight, reminding the man of his daughter and son at home.


    "Please, sir, please!" El kept begging, this time with his palms clasped together.


    "No…" he replied briefly.


    "Alright then…" El''s pitiable expression melted away in an instant, replaced by a blank, unreadable mask. His gaze dropped, the faintest shadow of discontent flickering across his face. Without another word, he turned on his heel, leaving the man staring after him, bewildered. The man, who had never witnessed such a swift and deliberate shift in demeanor, stood frozen – as if rooted to the spot.


    El, however, moved on quietly, his eyes scanning the crowd until they landed on a young woman – a striking figure with a kind, approachable air. Without hesitation, he made his way toward her.


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    "Excuse me, big sis?" El said with a respectful tap on the woman''s shoulder.


    "Yes?" the woman replied as she turned around to face him, finding El whose height only reached her eyes.


    "Can you tell me what is actually happening? Where is everyone walking to right now?"


    The woman''s expression immediately fell after hearing El''s question, exuding sadness. "It was. Do you know that famous restaurant called Merriment, Little Brother?"


    "Ah, what happened to them?" asked El in shock. It felt as though a jolt of electricity was rising from the top of his head to the rest of his body. Merriment Restaurant – of course, he knew that place. It was the very same eatery where he had eaten in this city for the very first time with that mystery uncle, also where he met with kids from the underside. And today, it just so happened he wanted to revisit that restaurant.


    The woman lowered her head, her eyes brimming with slight tears as she continued walking, following the throngs of people. "They. All of them who work there will be executed today…"


    "What???" El exclaimed, his voice promptly growing louder, causing the woman to flinch in surprise at his outburst of emotion. A few pedestrians around them also turned their eyes toward them upon hearing El''s cry of surprise.


    On the other hand, El''s heart sank in that instant.


    "So, you know that place too? I guess that restaurant will always be the most famous here in this city after all, heh heh…" the woman stated dejectedly. She wanted to chuckle woefully at the end but instead ended up with an awkward, ugly smile. However, even that smile didn''t last long as she couldn''t bring herself to lift the edge of her trembling lips, as the terrible tragedy of the day was too much for her.


    "W-what. What is actually happening? You are joking, right? Hahahaha, yes, you are joking. Maybe I heard it wrong earlier…" El responded with a mirthless laugh, still unable to believe what he had heard from the woman. In fact, it was more as if he was refusing to accept what she had said.


    "Kid, what did I tell you earlier? Go back home!!!" It was the first man whom El had asked about it. The uncle followed him here and put his hand on El''s shoulder. Even though his words were harsh, his hand on El''s shoulder, which wanted to guide him away from the crowd, was gentle as he nudged El to go back to his <i>''supposed parents.''</i>


    "No, sir. I''m sorry. I want to know more," El said, his voice steady yet resolute. He turned to face both the uncle and the young woman. His emerald eyes locked onto theirs with an intensity that was both fierce and unyielding.


    The man started to get swayed, and the woman pushed the final nail with her words as the uncle relented in the end. "It''ll be known throughout the entire city tomorrow anyway, sir. Might as well tell him. The kid seems to know the restaurant too…"


    After closing his eyes and contemplating for a few seconds, the man stared at El, whose gaze was stubborn. "The restaurant was visited by important guests of the mayor three days ago. I heard they offended one of them, someone of noble lineage. It was still not confirmed yet, just vague words of mouth. But still, today is the day they are to be executed in the front yard of the mayor''s office…"


    The young woman interjected from the side. "But I also heard different versions of it. They said – it was because the mayor purposely investigated the owner''s background and found out about his lineage," she hesitated for a bit before resuming. "They mentioned that he is coming from the underside. His parents, they said. I''m not too sure myself."


    "Nonsense…" the man retorted, struggling to contain his frustration and anger as he allowed the young woman to finish. "Everyone''s registered from their childbirth in this city. There is no way the old man could have built the restaurant if he was from the underside. You know what? I''m sure it was those pompous noble bast…" The man abruptly halted his words upon noticing El, who remained in place, listening attentively.


    "I''ve heard another version, though," a voice chimed in from behind El. Turning around, El''s sight met the eyes of a petite young woman.


    She wore a grayish-blue formal uniform adorned with a golden badge on her upper arm and a shield motif on her chest. A hat and gloves completed her attire, along with a short metal rod that hung at her waist. She continued her words. "I heard it''s because the owner was proven to be connected with a thief who stole something from the mayor''s office. It was important enough that even a Vanguard like me was dispatched here to investigate it."


    "Ah, you are. I apologize, ma''am. I didn''t mean to speak so rashly about the nobility," the man said, his voice trembling as he bowed slightly from fear and trepidation. The woman beside him also stepped back, clearly intimidated.


    "Relax, uncle, sister. I was born as a commoner here in Mirthwater. I''m not like those people from the capital," the Vanguard woman said with a reassuring smile, attempting to ease their wariness.


    "Oh, I see. It''s good then," replied the man, hesitating and still not believing the woman.


    "Wait, where is the boy?" the young woman suddenly asked, realizing El was no longer with them.


    "I saw him going there. It''s fine. It''s better if the kid goes back to his parents," the Vanguard woman stated while pointing to her back, indicating the direction where El was currently running back to the alley from where he emerged earlier.


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