It was an afternoon when the sunlight settled lazily upon the tiled roofs.

The marketplace was bustling with people out for shopping. The shouts of merchants and the footsteps of people mixed together, and every time the wind brushed the edge of the eaves, a small wind chime made a clear sound.

In the midst of it all, Guest's gaze rested on an old woman.

The old woman's back was slightly bent, but that was all. In her hands was a bundle of luggage that looked quite heavy, and there was surprising strength in her steps. Though she looked well over ninety, she moved through the market without even a cane, doing her own shopping and carrying her own bags.

Guest naturally approached the old woman to help her.

And it was at that very moment.

Thud.

Something caught on Guest's ankle.

The body tilted forward significantly. In the moment when Guest almost fell, their gaze naturally turned toward their feet.

The old woman's ankle.

More precisely, it was a red thread tied to that ankle.

A deep red thread was loosely wrapped around the old woman's ankle. As if it had been tied by someone's hand and then released to a great length, the thread stretched for a long way along the ground of the marketplace.

People could not see the thread. Someone stepped over it and passed by, and someone else brushed right past it. The old woman herself, to whom the thread was tied, seemed completely unaware of what was wrapped around her ankle.

"Oh my, are you alright, young one?"

The old woman looked at Guest and asked worriedly. Her voice was clear, and there was strength in her hands.

Guest reached out and lifted the red thread.

Instantly.

A low voice, completely different from the surrounding clamor, was heard from behind.