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Conventional wisdom suggested that she wanted to keep an eye on this corner of the war for Sai-hee. After all, the servant empress was supposed to be quite influential in Steccat, which was Vantalay’s northern neighbor--and also one of the three most powerful nations on the Eloan continent. If the conflict here spread all the way up there, Sai-hee would almost certainly take action.

But if Jun’s objective was merely to observe, then why had she made such a show of her arrival? That had not been some accident. The woman had conducted a veritable parade down Mahzuz--or “Lucky Street,” as most tourists knew it. She’d even had a small troupe of Sai-hee’s famous Wind Dancers escorting her and entertaining the onlookers.

Not exactly the typical modus operandi for the Wandering Phantom, as far as Daro knew. She was supposed to be quite reclusive, like all the Kubi, whose names were often not widely known, nor their face recognizable. Even Daro didn’t know who each of the current five members were, and he’d been trying to find out for years.

He did know about Leo the Bull Leech, though. And it certainly hadn’t escaped his notice that the man was currently working alongside the Rainlords in this very country. It seemed furthermore apparent that Leo was trying to keep a low profile, as well, which begged all sorts of questions.

Daro had been expecting Jun to at least make contact with Leo--or vice versa, perhaps--but if the two of them had done so, then they’d successfully managed to hide it from him. Which was quite the feat, because Daro had eyes on Leo at nearly all times.

There had, however, been a quite public meeting between Jun and Graves, right after her arrival. In fact, it had nearly turned into a fight, until Linus and Kristof intervened.

But after that, Jun had gone completely dormant. Supposedly, she’d just been quietly gambling, sunbathing, attending evening shows, and ordering room service. Enjoying a nice vacation in the middle of this war, seemingly.

Perhaps she was just living up to her moniker. Wandering without purpose. Doing as she pleased.

Daro had to plan for the worst, though. If she was trying to get to him--to his most concealed workspaces--then it was possible that she could’ve been using Zeff Elroy here as a distraction while she probed his defenses.