After some time of walking in the slums, they began to walk down more narrow passageways that had more homes and people around. Nadia could tell that Akiko wasn't too pleased about this and was extremely on edge, unlike her relaxed body posture. Nadia knew there were a few reasons for passageways like this part was due to the increasing population of those in poverty for one reason or another. These narrow passageways also made it easier for people to escape from the knights and lose a tail if well versed in them.
There was hushed whispers as they walked down the passageway people clearly watching them. Eventually, it opened up a little more to give some space but the passageways here were like a maze branching all over the place. To Nadia, if the slums were this big it indicated a much bigger problem. Every society will have people or a place like this it was something hard to prevent or get under control but one of this size was possibly a quarter of the city here if not more.
They continued walking Nadia noticed something in the corner of her eye. It caused her to pause for a moment for two reasons. The first reason was that this person she saw for a few brief moments looked like a mob character that appeared a few times in the game. The second reason was that she recognized some of the personality traits, traits that matched with someone connected to the more recently fallen noble family of the Empire dark blade. This connection to this family currently she was the only person in upper society that knows about it. The only reason was the loop diary, someone of her age shouldn't even actually know about the fallen duke family since it happened when Eva was fairly young.
However, there is only a very small handful of people that knew the duke's family was the dark blade of the empire. The Duke of Espinoza and the royal family of the time, no one else knew that family was the dark blades or really the empire's assassins.
There was only Nadia who knew this family was related to such a thing and did such things was due to something that happened a little while ago back while she was still recovering from her injuries due to that carriage accident. Nadia had gone to the Duke's study to speak with him however when she went he wasn't there so she decided to wait for him and began to look around at things in the office.
As she was snooping around for information partly looking for information that indicated that the duke might have had a hand in the carriage accident. While doing so she came across a small book that talked about the empire's dark blade. It was a family that only truly served those of the true imperial bloodline. That meant that if the person wasn't a descendent of the royal family they would not follow them. For example, a noble lady marries the emperor that is or direct blood. If the emperor dies they won't follow the lady's commands they would follow their sons.
[The Duke of Byrd, in recent years was tried for treason against the Emperor. False charges the Emperor used to get rid of a thorn in his side he appartently couldn't fully use and not wanting them to enviably turn on him. The Duke of Byrd was the assassin for the imperial family bloodline choosing their master from there. He acted as the gate to the underworld for nobility and kept things in check. The allegations against the Duke were shaky at best. Apparently the Duke killed his blood in order to spare them the shame of treason. Only the Duke and the eldest son were executed for treason. No one else of the family was found. All believed to be dead.] That was the note that was written about the family written by the Duke of Espinoza himself.
The Emperor's foundation was clearly shaky. Though there were also many things about the Emperor that Nadia had questions about in general. The Death of Duke Byrd was when Eva was young likely when her mother was still alive. But before she had more time to read into about the Duke of Byrd she heard footsteps approaching the door and was kicked out of the office by the butler who treated her to some very harsh demeaning words and comments.
But this wasn't the only place the family name of Byrd has been mentioned that Nadia has seen. It was none other than in the loop dairy that a person with the family name of Byrd appeared who had a very distinct look. This person only appeared at the end of two loops mentioned with distinct written appearance both times they appeared which made it something Nadia committed to memory.
The dairy is normally vague with certain pieces of information due to the curse. Details of things were often omitted but this one wasn't. The true why's for things were also normally taken out as well. It made it so even reading this you don't have a true advantage of knowing the future. The curse was placed by the Niukyu preventing Evangeline from speaking of the future in full. Though able to hint at it, she was unable to say to the people what was to come, not to mention even if she could it would sound like she was mad. The Loop Dairy is a loophole to the curse since only she could read it through details can be sparse the information given is extremely valuable.
Know that person that Nadia just saw for a brief moment as they walked down the alleyway. They fit the bill of the person described in the loop dairy albeit younger and with fewer scars. 'If I remember correctly that event hasn't happened yet meaning I could talk to that person… after all, it could be a good piece to use later on. Let's see if it will work.' Nadia thought leaving them alone for the time being moving in such a way to let them see her necklace.
"Hurry up."
Nadia nodded and begun to follow the kid once more to the base they mentioned that had good relations with Evangeline.