After hearing Bora's answer, the atmosphere around the table grew noticeably quieter.
For a time, nobody spoke.
Instead, my thoughts drifted back to the beginning. To the reason we had crossed the sea and come to Elysis in the first place.
During our voyage aboard the ship, Bora had briefly explained the mission to Charlie and me. At the time, the situation had certainly seemed serious, but not nearly as complicated as it appeared now. Back then, we still believed that once we arrived in Elysis, we would eventually find the others, learn what had happened, and complete the task we had been sent here to do.
Looking back now, that assumption felt somewhat naive.
So much had changed since then... and it had all begun with a few missing villagers.
Several villagers had originally traveled to Elysis on behalf of the village to purchase supplies and conduct trade. Such journeys were not uncommon. Although the voyage across the sea was long and occasionally dangerous, experienced villagers had made similar trips many times in the past without encountering any major problems.
This time, however, something had gone wrong.
Communication with the group had suddenly stopped.
At first, nobody was overly alarmed. Delays could occur for a variety of reasons. A ship might arrive late, trade negotiations could take longer than expected, or unforeseen circumstances might force travelers to alter their plans temporarily. Because of that, the village initially chose to wait.
Unfortunately, the expected messages never arrived.
Days gradually turned into weeks, and weeks eventually became months. As time passed without any contact, concern slowly spread throughout the village. What had initially seemed like an unfortunate delay became increasingly difficult to explain.
Eventually, a second group consisting of four villagers was dispatched to investigate.
Their mission was straightforward. They were to locate the missing group, determine what had happened to them, and return with answers.
Yet despite the simplicity of their objective, the outcome was no better than before.
Several months later, communication with them disappeared as well. Just like the first group, they vanished without a trace.
At that point, even the most optimistic explanations became difficult to believe.
One group disappearing could perhaps be dismissed as an unfortunate accident. Two separate groups vanishing without leaving behind any information was another matter entirely.
The situation was clearly far more serious than anyone had initially expected.
As a result, the village organized another expedition, dispatching Vaela, Rokar, and one of the village elders to Elysis in the hope that they could uncover the truth behind the disappearances.
Neither Vaela nor Rokar lacked strength or experience. Both were capable Controllers who had spent years surviving within the Deep Forest. However, after the disappearance of two separate groups, the village was no longer willing to take any chances. The involvement of an elder alone was enough to demonstrate how seriously the situation was being treated.
If anyone could uncover the truth behind the disappearances, it should have been them.
That was also when Bora and Tara were assigned to the mission.
Charlie and I were selected to accompany them as support. The original plan was simple... locate the elder, Vaela, and Rokar, then assist them with whatever they had discovered during their investigation.
Unfortunately, events did not unfold as planned.
Just before our departure from the village, communication with the elder, Vaela, and Rokar vanished as well. Since then, not a single message had reached us.
Instead of assisting them with their investigation, we had ultimately been forced to begin one of our own.
The thought caused me to let out a quiet sigh.
Months had passed since the first group disappeared. One expedition after another had been dispatched in search of answers, only for communication with them to be lost as well. What had begun as a simple mission to locate a few missing villagers had gradually grown into something far more troubling.
And now, after all this time, the only lead we possessed pointed toward one of the most influential noble families in Elysis.
That was certainly not what I had expected when I first arrived in Astravia.
Across from me, Bora remained as calm and composed as ever.
Unlike the rest of us, he already possessed a number of connections within Elysis. Since our arrival, he and Tara had spent weeks following leads, gathering information, and utilizing those contacts to investigate the disappearances. Much of what we currently knew had been obtained through the underworld and the various information networks operating within it.
Unfortunately, their efforts had yielded very little.
Most of the leads had ultimately led nowhere, and the few that appeared credible all seemed to point in the same direction.
The Caelthorne Family.
My gaze lowered slightly. After weeks of investigation, that was the only lead they had managed to uncover.
If the disappearances were truly connected to them, then the situation was likely far more complicated than any of us had initially imagined.
The thought lingered in my mind.
Several groups had already vanished without a trace... I could only hope we weren't already too late.
My thoughts were interrupted when Bora spoke again.
"There is another thing."
Charlie and I immediately turned our attention toward him. Bora set down his mug before continuing.
"In two days, one man from underworld meet with you. He help you enter Caelthorne estate and work there."
For a moment, I simply stared at him, wondering if I had heard correctly.
Enter the Caelthorne estate?
That was certainly not what I had expected.
The proposal was far bolder than anything I had anticipated. Rather than investigating from the outside and attempting to piece together information through rumors and observation, Bora intended to place us directly inside the estate itself. It was undoubtedly dangerous, but at the same time, it was difficult to deny the effectiveness of the plan. If there truly was something connecting the Caelthorne Family to the disappearances, there would be no better place to investigate than from within their own household.
Beside me, Charlie appeared just as surprised as I was, though he remained silent as he considered Bora's words. Meanwhile, Bora sat calmly across from us, seemingly unconcerned by our reactions. To him, this was simply the most practical way to proceed.
After giving the matter some thought, I slowly nodded.
"I understand."
Bora gave a brief nod in return, apparently satisfied with the answer.
A short silence settled over the table as the conversation came to a natural pause.
It was then that I suddenly remembered something.
"Brother Bora."
Bora's attention shifted toward me.
"What?"
I hesitated briefly before asking.
"Will you be able to get another face-changing mask?"
The moment the words left my mouth, the atmosphere became strangely awkward.
Bora didn't answer immediately. Instead, he simply looked at me.
His expression remained as neutral as ever, revealing absolutely nothing about what he was thinking. He didn't appear angry, surprised, or even particularly interested in the question. He simply sat there, silently staring at me from across the table.
Unfortunately, that somehow made the situation even worse.
The silence stretched on for several seconds.
As the uncomfortable pause continued, I found myself awkwardly rubbing the back of my head, already beginning to suspect that I might have asked a rather unreasonable question.