?°?°?°?°?

  Raghav nodded in silent agreement. They were indeed meeting again. A reunion Raghav had never wished for.

  "I can only hope you haven't come here to create a scene as well!"

  Pranali’s stern voice sliced through the thick tension between Raghav and Sangharsh.

  Raghav was internally grateful, at least the weight of Sangharsh’s gaze shifted to Pranali, even though he remained standing directly in front of Raghav.

  Taking the opportunity, Raghav immediately stepped away from him and turned back towards Anuvrat. The creature perched on his shoulder seemed to share his disdain for Sangharsh. Raghav handed the butterfly to Randheer, and the soldier carefully let it settle on his own shoulder.

  "Why would I interfere in our dear little detective’s investigation?"

  Pranalii rolled her eyes. So did Raghav.

  "Raghav! get back to work."

  "Ji!"

  Raghav again pointed towards the CCTV footage and then looked towards Anuvrat.

  "So, where are you in this?"

  Anuvrat glanced at Sangharsh, then at the screen in front of him. Both eyes fell on Raghav simultaneously.

  "In the crowd."

  Raghav took a deep breath and exhaled. Behind him, Ansh and Sameer were still whispering, and even a little bit of bickering and slapping if the other person disagreed.

  "In the crowd? I don't see you anywhere."

  Raghav turned to the footage, and Sameer zoomed in. He zoomed in on several photos. Anuvrat was nowhere to be seen.

  Anuvrat glanced at his guild leader, who was looking back at him. Raghav seemed to be reading something in the quiet conversation between them. He could almost sense the unspoken words passing between them. He narrowed his eyes.

  Suddenly, Sangharsh’s piercing gaze locked onto him.

  『 Hmm... it seems their silent conversation is over. 』

  "Anuvrat is right there. Look closely, right in the corner."

  Sangharsh's gesture suddenly startled Raghav for a moment. When he turned back and fixed his chocolate-colored eyes on the screen, he saw someone wearing an orange shirt standing in the direction Sangharsh's finger was pointing.

  There was someone standing there wearing an orange shirt. He was standing so close to the pillar that it was hard to see anything other than parts of his orange shirt.

  It was difficult spot to spot.

  Raghav narrowed his eyes and focused on the footage, and so did everyone else. Even Anuvrat seemed to be searching for himself until Sangharsh gave him a light, dismissive bonk on the back of his head.

  『 Is that Anuvrat?! But he was wearing a purple shirt... wasn't he? 』

  Raghav turned back. Indeed, Anuvrat was currently in purple.

  『 What do these Supreme-tiers think of themselves? That we’ll just believe whatever they say? Is this a joke? 』

  Raghav already disliked the man standing before him, but having his logic challenged with such flimsy excuses was the final straw.

  "Is that so? How can you prove that man is Anuvrat? What evidence do you have?!"

  "Evidence?..."

  He raised his eyebrows. The same one with the slanted mark.

  "Raghav is right!"

  Pranali sided with him once more. The rest of the team nodded in agreement.

  "Hmm..."

  The hands clasped across his chest and the shoes moving towards Raghav in a familiar manner brought back memories... The memories that triggered shivers in the boy.

  "I’d like to ask you something, Mr. Raghav..."

  Those eyes were as sharp as a hawk. They were before. They are still there. And who knows what the future holds...

  "What evidence do you have that the man isn't Anuvrat?"

  Raghav's eyebrows furrowed. His own words could be twisted and used against him in this way. Raghav had learned something new from someone today.

  But how could Raghav let his question and argument slip away like this? Never!

  This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.

  "Because he’s wearing a purple shirt. Not orange! And why didn't he give this answer when I asked him before YOU arrived?"

  Raghav’s use of the word ‘you’ was so charged with irritation that the other person immediately can understand that the problem was more with this ‘you’ even more than the suspect himself.

  Everyone else, looking at the two, couldn't understand what was going on. No one wanted to interfere in their argument and neither Raghav nor Sangharsh seemed to want an audience.

  "Is it mandatory for my Third-in-Command to wear the same clothes all day? Taking a bath is a thing that exists, Mr. Raghav."

  Raghav’s fists clenched.

  『 Again! This genius asshole..! 』

  Their eyes stared at each other like a lion and a tiger fighting for territory. Raghav knew it was dangerous to stand in Sangharsh’s way. But how could he convince his mind, which didn't want to be repeatedly suppressed by this man, to do so?

  A desire rose within him.

  A desire to talk to the man standing in front of him, face to face. For now, he controlled the impulse.

  "Or... perhaps you haven't bathed yet and assume everyone else is like you? Is that it, Mr. Raghav?"

  Call it Sangharsh's cunning manner of speaking or his arrogant, slanted smile. Whatever it was, Raghav’s mind snapped upon hearing this.

  『 You damn son of ghost!! 』

  "Enough!"

  After remaining silent for so long, the manager of Kaalminar decided to intervene. Sangharsh turned away from Raghav toward her.

  "Raghav, is there anything else you want to ask?"

  "Yes."

  Raghav’s voice was firm. He walked directly toward Anuvrat.

  "And this time, I’d prefer if the Pralay Guild Leader didn't stick his nose in."

  Sangharsh raised an eyebrow in mock surprise. Despite his reluctance, Raghav’s bottled-up anger was finally leaking out.

  『 Just because Pranali is standing with him, the lamb has forgotten who the wolf is!』

  Thoughts of Sangharsh were clearly visible in his eyes.

  "Anuvrat! I want to know how your powers work."

  "M-my powers?"

  "Yes. Yours."

  Anuvrat looked disapprovingly at Raghav, and a short distance behind him was Sangharsh. Sangharsh blinked lightly, a signal that it was okay to speak. No need to fear.

  "I focus my mind and... I become invisible."

  "And your clothes? Do they vanish with you?"

  "Yes. I can turn anything I’m touching invisible as well."

  Raghav listened and leaned forward a little. His hands rested on the table, and his eyes narrowed at Anuvrat.

  "Then... the Kaalay Dagger would have turned invisible in your hand too, wouldn't it?"

  Anuvrat stood up abruptly, slamming his hand on the table. His brow furrowed, and anger shone in his eyes. A shadow looming behind him was also clearly visible in his vision.

  "Don't you think your accusations are baseless?"

  『Here he comes again to rot my brain.』

  Raghav turned to him.

  He took a long breath and nodded. Yes, they were baseless. And Raghav lost nothing by admitting it.

  "Only for now..."

  Raghav turned back to the screen, which was still frozen on the man in the orange shirt. His blue-gold butterfly flew from Randheer's shoulder, standing nearby, and landed back on Raghav's shoulder.

  "So, can I leave with my Third-in-Command now?"

  Even though Sangharsh had said this while looking at Raghav, the answer came from beside Raghav; from Pranali.

  "Yes. But if Raghav calls again, you must come."

  The tone in which Pranali spoke clearly indicated her seriousness. Even if she couldn't understand the mind games of Sangharsh, she held the reins of the Kaalaminar in her hands.

  And whoever wields the stick, owns the buffalo.

  "Of course..."

  Sangharsh left, followed by Anuvrat. Raghav didn't turn around. He didn't want to look. There was no point.

  "So, Miss Kalpana? Are you ready?"

  Sameer began pulling up the footage related to Kalpana. A thin voice replied,

  "Yes."

  Now Raghav turned around, because he had a purpose. He walked over to her. Kalpana gave him a smile that Raghav knew wasn't entirely genuine.

  "Where were you when the Kaalay Dagger went missing?"

  "In the guest room... talking to my guild members."

  She said with a casual shrug. And the pictures Sameer had displayed on the board seemed to support her story.

  Raghav nodded as if he agreed. Then, a question leapt into his mind. He turned back sharply.

  "And where were you when the Ojasutra and Kaalmani disappeared?"

  For the first time, the leader of the Swashakti Guild avoided his gaze. She averted her eyes from Raghav. She lowered her gaze to the ground.

  But unfortunately, the boy standing in front of her knew exactly how to read eyes.

  ?°?°?°?°?

  Sangharsh, followed by Anuvrat, headed towards where the members of the Pralay guild were staying.

  However, not all members had come to the Kaalminar. Only seven members were present, who quickly stood up upon seeing Sangharsh.

  "Oh! Anuvrat! Bhai, we thought we’d lost you!"

  "As if! Who has the guts as long as Sangharsh sir is around?"

  Everyone was talking to Anuvrat about something or the other and those who were not able to do so started whispering among themselves.

  "Everyone, listen to me."

  When Sangharsh interrupted, everyone's attention automatically turned to him. He signaled to two women.

  "Go and bring 'IT'."

  The two girls, dressed in salwar suits, understood and quickly left. The others turned their attention back to the tallest man in the room.

  "Anuvrat, you should thank Mr. Sukshmaankur aYou know why."

  Anuvrat nodded and walked towards the elderly man present. He bowed slightly, placing his hand on his chest, and thanked him politely.

  "It was my duty! Otherwise, the injury on your hand would have told that boy exactly what you did! How did you like my art?"

  "Incredible! You are truly the great artist of our team."

  Both of them laughed. And so did the other members. The Guild Leader also had a faint smile.

  The two women returned with a small box. The man in the trench coat took the box in his hand.

  All eyes were fixed on the box as faint blue energy leaked from the edges.

  Sangharsh opened the box. Using

  his telekinesis, he lifted the object high into the air.

  A dagger was spinning in the air.

  A black dagger with blue and gold engravings on its scabbard....

  To be continued...