239 – Claridium (6)
Where the hell is this smell coming from? What’s burning somewhere? There’s never been anything burnt here except for that rat’s tail. And that was hours ago.
Hailey ran to the front door, still dressed.
“Rookie! Did you find anything?”
I shook my head.
“…There’s no trace of it.”
Two Guardians on patrol in the distance spotted us and hurried over.
They briefly put us on alert and asked,
“Please hand over your swords. We’ll briefly check your identities.”
Priscilla shivered again. I turned my sword around my back so that it wouldn’t draw attention.
“We are part of the Eternia delegation. Professor Erzsebet, the Grand Demonologist, vouched for our identities and permitted us to stay in the city.”
The two Guardians exchanged glances. They nodded as if they realized something after seeing the lights on in Silveryn’s mansion.
“Oh, so you are from the delegation. We came here after receiving a report of screams in the neighborhood. May we ask what happened?”
“A suspicious figure was seen lurking around this mansion earlier. Didn’t you see them? They were here until just now, but they escaped.”
“We patrolled this neighborhood a few hours ago, but we didn’t see anything like that. We haven’t received any reports either.”
“…”
“Do you know in which direction they escaped?”
“No. They just disappeared into thin air.”
“We would like to help, but we can’t do anything without a lead.”
“…Has there been anyone caught trespassing in other mansions recently?”
One of the Guardians rested his chin on his hand, deep in thought.
“Hmm… There was one case. The eldest son of Mrs. Gerold in the block across from here caused trouble. It was just a fortnight ago.”
“What did the son of that house do?”
“He was caught scouting a noble’s mansion at night. His main targets were women, young women. He had a bad record, but he was eventually released after a trial.”
“Why?”
“It seems they took into consideration his mental immaturity. He’s as big as a mountain, but his mind is like that of a ten-year-old child. He was released after Mrs. Gerold promised to keep him under strict supervision.”
“…Can you investigate that man?”
“Yes, we’ll look into it.”
Hailey said,
“Could you increase the number of patrols or assign guards to the mansion?”
“That’s beyond our authority. We will forward your request to our superiors, but it’s difficult to give you a definite answer.”
Hailey glared at the Guardians as they walked away, looking displeased.
She crossed her arms and spoke to me with a sullen expression.
“If only we hadn’t relied solely on the Guardians and kept watch ourselves… This is terrible. How can the kids sleep soundly in this situation? I think I felt more at ease when we were out at sea.”
“I agree.”
“Sigh. There are crazy people everywhere we go. Even if only one percent of the population is crazy, there would be dozens or hundreds of them in a big city… It’s giving me a headache.”
“Oh, right, Senior. There is one lead. There was a lingering smell of something burnt.”
“…Hmm? What kind of burnt smell?”
“Maybe they were planning to commit arson.”
“Something that could burn… Well, could it be that a rat got in and died?”
In a city where there were as many rats as there were lunatics, it was a possibility. Especially since we came bearing dried fruit, jerky, and wine in our packs. They could have caught a whiff from miles away.
Hayley suddenly slapped her thigh as if recalling something and asked,
“Rookie, that ancient magic circle of the professor, does it really only affect rats?”
“…?”
“It’s possible it could have repelled other things that aren’t humans.”
“I don’t know about that. It’s never been occupied by anything other than rats….”
It would be definite if we asked Sylverin himself, but sending Stitch here would take two days to the Holy City and another two days to return. By the time he gets back, we’ll be on our way back, so that wouldn’t help us.
“If that magic circle really did dispel anything other than humans… it could have been a humanoid demon, right? Like a ghoul or a werewolf.”
“….”
“Claridium is just as good as the North and Eternia when it comes to demonology. It’s so big that there’s a separate institution that only researches demons, and their performance is overwhelming. If they’re researching demons, they must have a lot of live demons in their possession. It wouldn’t be so strange for one or two of them to escape due to an accident.”
“That’s a valid point. And come to think of it, one of Professor Sylverin’s mansions used to belong to a vampire.”
Hayley’s eyes widened.
“Oh, then the puzzle fits? I’ve heard that some high-ranking vampires can turn into bats! If it was a bat, it would have been possible for it to sneak into the mansion. Then it could have been caught in the magic circle and expelled.”
If what Hayley said was true, then the one who cursed us was most likely a vampire. It was also possible to guess the grudge with Sylverin, who had a strange connection with vampires. Of course, we didn’t have any conclusive evidence, so it would be right to investigate broadly.
Hayley bit her lip and organized her thoughts.
“Okay. Tomorrow, Jenia and I will investigate that son of Madam Guerwill at the Guardians’ Assembly Hall. And the day after that, we have a schedule to visit the Inter-University Competition Stadium. The tour will be long, and we’ll move to the university research institute to see the demons that are being raised for the competition. Let’s find out if there’s a species that could threaten us.”
“I’ll go around the square at sunrise today and ask around about vampires.”
“Okay, but Rookie, there’s almost no way to tell apart vampires that have blended into the human population.”
“…Wouldn’t there be some kind of artifact in the city of magic?”
Hayley shook her head.
“Vampires that have lived for hundreds or thousands of years wouldn’t get caught by such a simple method. Traditionally, the only thing that has always worked is… finding someone whose face hasn’t aged in decades.”
In that case, I should look for someone who has lived in Claridium for a long time and has a wide network.
“I understand.”
“And, Damian.”
Hayley’s expression turned serious.
“If our enemy is an intelligent being, we shouldn’t let them know that we’re looking into them.”
***
Lilit came with her gray hair neatly combed and tied back in a half-up style, unlike usual. She wore an elegant, light-blue dress embroidered with flowers, and she also had bejeweled earrings and a hairpin. Her lips were painted with pink makeup, making her pale and fragile appearance stand out even more today.
Even in the carriage, she held her back straight as if it were built into her body. Anyone could tell that she had the bearing of a noble lady.
On the other hand, she couldn’t keep her gaze fixed on one place and fidgeted uncharacteristically.
“Where… are we going?”
“I told you before. We’re going to the Square of Progress.”
“Oh, right.”
Then she clasped and unclasped her hands as if she was nervous. I had already told her about the plan to search for vampires this morning.
We moved like ordinary travelers who were no different from anyone else. We would hide our intentions and leisurely enjoy the shopping.
“Whoa!”
The coachman shook the reins excitedly.
“We’re almost there, miss!”
The coachman looked back at Lilit every few minutes. He didn’t say a word to me and blatantly only paid attention to Lilit. His greed was so obvious that it was funny.
“….”
“Is this your first time in Progress Square?”
“…I was here yesterday too.”
“This is the first time the square has seen someone as lovely as you, my lady.”
“….”
“You are truly beautiful, my lady.”
“….”
“May I inquire as to your name?”
The coachman, thinking this to be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, desperately presses Lilith.
The carriage breaks through the narrow path. Soon after, a wide-open square unfolds before their eyes.
One can sense that people of various classes mingle in the square at a glance.
A woman holding a picket sign with a portrait of a child, searching for a missing person. A madman standing on an apple crate, preaching about religion, God, and the end times. A vintner galloping by, pulling a black carriage. A beautiful woman sitting by the fountain with a painter drawing her. A crazy woman muttering nonsense while looking at the glass window of a store by herself.
The thought that a vampire might be lurking somewhere in this square makes the hair on my arms stand on end. Priscilla shivers along with me.
Lilith also mutters to herself, looking at the scene.
“I heard that one of the signs of the impending doom is the increase of madmen on the streets….”
We got off in the middle of the square.
“I would be delighted to see you again, my lady.”
The coachman offers to shake Lilith’s hand. Lilith responds by linking her arm with mine.
The coachman smacks his lips, scratches his head, and hurries away. Lilith then unlinks her arm.
“How do you like hearing that you’re pretty?”
“…Can I be honest?”
“Yes.”
“It goes in one ear and out the other. It’s boring.”
“….”
“If that coachman had known my name, he probably would have sent me letters after asking around.”
“You speak as if you have experience.”
“Countless times.”
“….”
“Rather than that, let’s go around the antique shops now… What was it that we had to do again?”
“We’re not superficially looking for vampires. We’re looking for the magician who owes Professor Sylverin a debt. The reclusive magician whose face never ages.”
“I see. So, shopping is… all up to me?”
I don’t see a coin purse in Lilith’s hand. I wonder how she plans to shop without money.
“As long as we spend within our means, there shouldn’t be a problem.”
***
This was the third shop we had visited. Lilith checks only the shape and name of the perfume bottles before picking them up and putting them in her basket. About fifteen bottles of perfume have gone into Lilith’s basket like this.
What’s really shocking is that she doesn’t even check the price tags. She takes as much as she wants and hands a check to the clerk.
She approaches me while I’m standing in front of the display case.
“Are you… going to buy perfume too, Damian?”
“What?”
“Umm…. It’s just my opinion, but I think it would be better if you didn’t wear perfume.”
“Do I smell bad?”
“If the scents overlap, they’ll be off-putting.”
“I don’t think it would hurt to get one as a gift.”
I picked up a perfume bottle that I saw, then put it down after looking at the price tag.
“Um… if it’s for a gift, I’ll look too. Damian, pick one.”
“I think this one might be good.”
I picked up a bottle with green liquid in it. It says ‘slime perfume’ on the glass bottle.
I wonder what slime perfume smells like. It’s perfume that’s made with a rare creature like slime. Interesting.
Lilith grimaced slightly when she saw it.
“There are so many other pretty perfumes, but why that one…? Are you trying to prank the recipient?”
“No.”
I chose it seriously, but you’re saying it’s a prank. Aren’t you being a little harsh?
The clerk came up next to me and explained.
“That’s… a perfume that strongly reflects the experimental spirit of our store’s perfumer.”
“What kind of experiment did you do?”
“The fact that it has slime in it is a big adventure in itself.”
“Do people hate slime?”
The clerk nods as if it’s obvious.
From noble mtl dot com
“Yes, slime isn’t a cute creature. Slime isn’t a single entity, but a colony of tiny, invisible parasites. Just like how a flock of birds moves together, slime moves in a similar way. If you look closely with a tool, you can see countless maggots with mouths in the slime.”
“…”
“And slime mucus has the property of exploding when it comes into contact with strong energy. It can’t be cut with a sword, and if you use magic, it explodes, so monster hunters tend to run away when they see giant slimes.”
“Then how do you hunt it?”
“You have to use weak magic against it. Like carefully cooking meat with lukewarm water. There aren’t many strong wizards, so they won’t face an explosion, but the important thing is…”
Lilith speaks up as if she agrees with the clerk.
“…no woman would want to receive slime perfume that’s full of dead maggots and could explode.”
The clerk also nods in agreement.
“…”
Lilith raises an eyebrow and asks slyly.
“Who were you going to give it to?”
“Cecil… do you know her?”
Lilith’s eyes widen for a moment.
“……The Department of Demonology?”
“Yeah.”
Lilith runs a hand through her hair and thinks for a moment.
“Well, it could be different. The Department of Demonology is adventurous. So slime perfume is special… she might even like it.”
I think so too. Cecil asked for something one-of-a-kind as a gift, so this should fit the bill. Moreover, Cecil likes bombs….
“How much is it?”
But then Lilith cut me off.
“I already paid by check, so you can just take it. A banker will come later and settle up and move it to our dorm.”
I’m starting to get a sense of what kind of world Lilith lives in. Claridium has nothing to do with where Lilith is from, but how much money do you have to have for a banker from a strange city to come running?
“…I don’t want to owe you.”
Rirheet shook her head and smiled.
“I’m glad I can repay you for all the favors you’ve done me. Just… tell Cecil that I lent you some money.”
***
I couldn’t find any decent clues even after asking the salesperson. Claridium has such a large population that I hadn’t paid enough attention to who my neighbors were, like I would in a village.
As I came out to the plaza and was looking for the fourth store, an old man in front of a store waved his arms and called out to us.
“Hey, you there! That’s right! Heavenly Fleet! The hero of Claridium!”
People on the street glanced at me, thanks to that embarrassing title.
“Come in! I’ll treat you to tea!”
Rirheet looked up at me and said,
“Why don’t you go?”
“I think he wants to ask us for a favor, judging by the look in his eyes.”
“You can tell that?”
“He looks desperate.”
“…Should we go? We might get something out of it. Maybe he really is going to treat us to tea.”
“…”
Rirheet grabbed me and dragged me to the store where the old man was waving. I had no choice but to follow her into the store. The interior was full of bookshelves, like an old bookstore.
The old man glanced outside as we entered and closed the door. Then, as if he were about to hold a secret meeting, he lowered all the blinds and lit a candle in the dark interior.
Every single thing he did was suspicious.
“You’re from Eternia, aren’t you?”
We nodded.
“Yes, we are.”
“I need your help.”
Rirheet’s eyes widened, and she looked up at me as if to say, ‘How did he know?’
I said to the old man,
“We’re not employees of a request office.”
“Please, I’m begging you. I’ll give you anything you want from my store. I have rare recipe books, forbidden tomes of magic… and if you bring her back to me safely, I’ll even give you a family heirloom!”
Rirheet looked intrigued and asked,
“Bring her back?”
“My runaway wife!”
“Ah.”
She regretted showing any interest and smacked her forehead with her palm.
I asked, puzzled,
“Couldn’t you just pay another request office to do that?”
“I can’t trust anyone in this city. They’re all a bunch of screwballs. You’re from Eternia, so you’re perfect for the job.”
I wondered if he had some kind of persecution complex.
“What exactly happened to your wife?”
“She started neglecting her duties around the house. A couple months before she left, she became a different person. She stopped doing her chores and started wandering around. Sometimes she’d put on makeup and look in the mirror, muttering lines like she was in a play. That’s when I realized it. She’d been going to see plays with her friends all the time, and she must have gotten involved with some rich playboy. You’ve had your share of lovers, so you know how it is. You can sense when a woman’s heart has started to stray.”
Rirheet looked up at me with an expression that asked if that was true.
“…”
“Then last month, she left the house without saying a word. I’ve looked everywhere for her, but she’s vanished. It’s like she planned it all out and went into hiding. Now I’m afraid she’s run off with some other man and left the city. I may have been a little distant, but I never hit her or starved her. I didn’t realize it until she was gone, but I still love my wife. I really do.”
“Why don’t you ask the Guardians to search for her?”
He spoke in a sudden, passionate outburst.
“Only idiots trust the Guardians! They’re just dogs on a leash for the High Council and the Houses that pay. They don’t care about the safety of the citizens!”
“We can’t help you. We don’t know what your wife looks like, and we have no leads. Besides, we don’t have time.”
He hastily rummaged through a drawer and pulled out a contract with an official seal.
“Rotolec. Go to Rotolec. He’s the best painter in the city. I commissioned a portrait half a year ago. It should be almost finished by now. Go and tell him you’re looking for the Westwood couple’s portrait. I’ll give you the order form. He’ll show it to you without question.”
“I’ll try to find it, but I can’t help you beyond that.”
The old man nodded weakly, his face resigned. He seemed to know that he couldn’t push it any further.
“I understand. If that doesn’t work, would you go to the oracle, Proxima? She’s the best oracle in the city. She might be able to tell you what happened to my wife. I’m too afraid to go.”
“I understand. Then we’ll be going.”
Lilith opened the door and stepped outside.
As I was about to follow her, a thought suddenly crossed my mind.
A single question that sent ripples through my calm mind.
I stopped and turned around.
“Excuse me, but was there a mirror in front of your house before your wife disappeared?”
hummm