"Ugh…" A man groaned softly as he slowly opened his eyes.

His vision was blurry at first but gradually cleared.

"Where am I?" he muttered, furrowing his brow.

The ceiling above him was completely unfamiliar. He turned to his right and saw he was in a simple room.

As confusion settled over him, he heard footsteps approaching from outside.

The door opened, and Rudy stepped in, clad in iron armor and carrying a tray with a glass of water and a plate of bread.

"Oh?" Rudy said, a hint of surprise in his voice. "You're finally awake."

The man gasped. "Are you a soldier? Why am I here?"

He tried to sit up, still feeling dizzy.

Rudy stepped closer. "Yes, I'm a soldier. This afternoon, I found you lying unconscious in a small alley near the dumpster."

He placed the tray on the nightstand and regarded the man with pity.

To confirm his suspicion that the man had been robbed, Rudy checked his clothes and found not a single bronze coin.

It was clear—the man had been recently robbed by someone unknown.

The man remained silent, lost for words and unable to process what had happened.

"Eat first," Rudy said, handing him the plate of bread. "After that, you can try to remember what happened."

The man took a deep breath and accepted the offer. He bit into the bread.

It tasted plain, but his growling stomach made it seem delicious.

Rudy walked to the back, grabbed a chair, and placed it beside the bed.

He didn't disturb the man as he ate, waiting quietly instead.

People who have just regained consciousness often experience temporary memory loss.

A calm and quiet atmosphere is essential for their memories to return.

After about five minutes, the man finished eating and began to settle his thoughts.

"So, you found me unconscious next to the dumpster?" he asked hesitantly. "Was anyone else there?"

Rudy shook his head, leaning back in his chair.

"No one but you. Judging by your condition, it looks like you were unconscious for twelve hours, maybe even a full day," he said frankly. "Can you tell me what happened? You must remember something—perhaps what the person looked like or any other detail."

His intuition told him that this robbery might be connected to the two spies from the Kingdom of Aldoria.

And he had reason to think so. News of the soldiers' arrival in the city had spread one to three days ago.

The city was on high alert. Guards were stationed at every corner to prevent spies or intruders from slipping in.

Yet this incident had still occurred—only a fool would attempt something like that.

Ordinary criminals wouldn't dare, which meant one thing: the culprits were most likely the two spies.

Even so, it was possible his assumption was wrong. The perpetrators could have been desperate criminals.

The man fell silent for a moment, bowing his head as if forcing his memory to cooperate.

His head ached, but he pushed himself to remember.

At first, his recollection was blurry, but gradually, he began to recognize the last person he had seen.

His eyes widened, and he looked at Rudy in horror.

"Before I lost consciousness, I met a teenager… He looked around eleven to thirteen years old," he said nervously. "He bumped into me and made me fall. Then… ugh…"

A sharp pain shot through every nerve in his head. Rudy immediately moved to steady him.

"Are you okay? If not, you don't have to tell me now," he asked anxiously.

The man shook his head, refusing Rudy's offer.

"It's okay. Although it's still blurry, I can remember that figure," he panted, wiping cold sweat from his neck. "The teenager had snow-white hair. His eyes… ugh, I can't quite remember. The color was between red and purple. I'd say more toward purple."

Rudy frowned, deep in thought. He tried to recall if he had ever seen a teenager like that in the city.

Then suddenly, the scene outside the inn flashed in his mind.

"Wait…" His heart began to race. 'White hair? Purple eyes? Could he be the culprit?'

He wanted to deny it, but he had no solid argument to refute the thought.

It had been five days since he arrived in the city, and every day he had patrolled its streets.

Only the child with striking white hair matched those characteristics.

"I'm sorry. I just arrived last week with my little brother. Both of my parents were killed by soldiers from the Kingdom of Aldoria."

The child's sad, sorrowful words echoed in Rudy's mind. But thinking back, there were many gaps in his story.

He claimed his parents were killed by enemy forces, yet he never explained how it happened.

On top of that, the child had sold his family's assets—something that seemed even more questionable.

It was impossible for children to sell their parents' property unless they were at least fifteen.

Normally, the city government would take temporary possession and provide for them until adulthood.

'Two spies? And the child was with his sister, right?'

The more Rudy thought about it, the stronger his suspicions became.

"This is dangerous!" he exclaimed as he stood. "My friend, the one who attacked you is a spy the whole city is searching for!"

The man froze. "Soldier, are you serious? How can that be? You're not mistaken, are you?"

"No, I'm certain!" Rudy gritted his teeth. "Think about it—their identities as spies were exposed because they used Aldorian coins at a tavern. When I found your body, there wasn't a single bronze coin on you. It's obvious the person who attacked you only wanted your money, nothing more. If it had been a common thief, you would've been threatened into handing over everything you had and killed on the spot to erase the evidence."

Rudy's argument made sense. The man hadn't been carrying much money—only two or three gold coins and a few silver ones.

It was hardly anything, just enough for emergencies.

"Then what should I do, soldier?" The man asked, trembling with fear.

He was already a target of the two spies, and his fate didn't look promising.

Rudy patted his shoulder reassuringly. "Don't worry. My comrades and I will handle it."

If he wasn't mistaken, the two spies were still somewhere in the city. He had to act quickly to catch them.

Without another word, Rudy turned and left the dazed man lying on the bed.

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