Infinite Paths: The Raging Phoenix

Mannequins stand proudly around the room, displaying a range of dresses at various stages of completion. The scent of carefully chosen perfumes and the rustling of fabrics create a unique ambiance, inviting visitors to explore the world of fashion and design.

In the heart of the atelier, the middle-aged dressmaker stands with a tape measure draped around her neck. Her skilled hands move deftly across a piece of fabric, carefully cutting and shaping it to her vision. Her attire, though simple, speaks volumes of her expertise in fashion. She wears a comfortable yet stylish ensemble that complements her confident demeanor.

"Welcome, my lady," the dressmaker said while bowing deeply. "My sincerest apologies for making you come to my humble atelier."

"It is fine; I should be thanking you for accepting my request despite being so busy," Lorene said.

"It is an honor, my Lady," The woman said.

The guards checked the atelier for a moment, but soon they left. Only Rain, Julie, Lorene, and the dressmaker were left there. Julie looked at him as if she wanted to convey with her eyes why the hell he was there, but Rain ignored it. He only realized the issue after Lorene had most of her body measured in, and then she began to take her clothes out.

Rain shrugged and then turned to the door when Lorene looked at him before she could show anything. It seemed that it was a thing in that world; women shouldn\'t show their naked bodies to anyone aside from their husbands after they reach a certain age. Rain wondered how that worked with people that married twice or more… Those people certainly existed.

Although he couldn\'t see it, Rain still could hear and sense things in the atelier with his senses and magic. If anyone does anything suspicious, they will be buried alive. Still, that didn\'t happen… but they sure took their time taking measurements. They left after lunch, and the sun was already setting when it was over.

Rain looked at the dressmaker with suspicion, but she didn\'t react in any way. Julie looked fine, so she didn\'t assume that the woman was wasting or buying time suspiciously. She also didn\'t look that guarded… but she looked jealous of Lorene.

"... I really can\'t count on those people," Rain thought. "Come to think of it, Julie is the one who would like the most if Orcis loses his bride… she doesn\'t look like that type of person, but I can\'t say that I am a good judge of character."

"Thank you very much, my lady," the dressmaker said. "The dress will be ready in one week for testing and to make the final adjustments. I will do my best to make it to your liking."

"Thank you, I will be looking forward to it," Lorene said while smiling from ear to ear.

Although she looked a bit tired, Lorene also looked like she enjoyed herself. As expected of women, even in another world, they find joy in that kind of thing… in any case, the group soon left the atelier and saw that the city was already dark, thanks to the night… People were still coming and going, but Rain didn\'t like that. There were plenty of places where enemies could hide now.

"I will stay at the top of the cabin this time," Rain declared.

"... Sure, few people will see you now, anyway," Lorene said after she furrowed her eyebrows. "Try not to do anything weird, all right?"

The guards also looked on high alert, so as soon as everyone was ready, they began to increase their pace toward the mansion. Still, despite that, after they crossed just a few blocks, the road ahead was blocked when some people suddenly tried to cross it and then fell to the ground.

"Move away! We have urgent Business to attend to!" Julie shouted.

The collapsed people didn\'t move an inch… and if that wasn\'t suspicious, nothing else was. Julie clicked her tongue in annoyance and then looked at some guards, and they nodded. They jumped from the horses and then went to check the collapsed people with their swords in hand. At the same time, Rain jumped from the cabin while looking around.

There were some alleys nearby, but he couldn\'t feel any presence coming from them.

"Sneaky bastards…" Rain thought.

The guards tried to move the bodies of those people around with their feet carefully. But they were strangely heavy… when they tried harder, they noticed that there was something weird on the chests of those people… it was some kind of box. At the same time that Rain saw that, he felt a shiver and then touched the ground.

In the next moment, two massive explosions took place where the bodies were supposed to be… the entire area trembled, and then dust emerged and spread around the area like a curtain that blinded everyone…

Before long, Rain heard the sound of grunts and then the sound of people landing nearby. Rain immediately understood what happened… he didn\'t feel anyone\'s presence nearby because they were on the roof of the buildings behind.

"Keep a tight formation around our lady!" Julie shouted.

That was the best way to reveal their positions… Rain thought and then felt like sighing. Regardless, he kept his guard up while he was ready to move. He didn\'t know if the enemies would get closer or if they would attack from a distance… that explosion was probably caused by magic, so Rain assumed that the magic people were involved in the incident.