242 – Shadow City
Zhenia said.
“They looked like they were sick.”
“In what way?”
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“At first, we thought so too. We thought they were looking inside the window and talking to someone.”
“…”
“But that wasn’t it. They were talking to their own reflection in the glass window.”
“What do you mean?”
“Well… they don’t recognize their own reflection in the mirror. I’ve seen many people with mental problems before, but this is the first time I’ve seen someone who can’t recognize themselves in the mirror. That’s something… only dogs and cats do.”
“Where did you see such a person?”
“In the free development zone away from the city center… it was particularly bad in areas with less management.”
Hayley said.
“So… we suspect it’s a new type of hallucinogen. It’s similar to the Xern region we heard about in class a while ago. And there’s something even stranger.”
Hayley put a work schedule on the table.
“What’s this?”
“It’s the work schedule of the sailors that Senior Rosalind secretly took out. To be exact, it’s a record of the sailors who worked on the day of the departure ceremony of the Sky Galleon.”
And then, he took out another piece of paper and placed it next to the work schedule.
“This is a list of the dead and missing from the Heaven’s Sail accident. There are 13 people reported. Don’t you find anything strange?”
I compared the work schedule and the list of casualties. There were no overlapping names. Something was strange.
We clearly saw the sailor with his face crushed being carried away on a stretcher. He was in a state where resuscitation would have been impossible, no matter what technology was used.
We definitely saw a dead sailor, but there is no record of it.
“Senior Rosalind thought it was strange, so she directly questioned the sailors who were involved in the Heaven’s Sail’s work. But here’s the thing: none of them gave the same testimony. There are no records of the whereabouts of the body that was carried away on a stretcher. Most of the sailors are from out of town, so they don’t have any family or friends in this city. So, there’s no one to look for the missing people. Doesn’t that smell fishy to you?”
“Are the higher-ups trying to minimize and cover up the accident records?”
“Maybe. We can’t be sure, but it’s clear that something dirty is going on.”
***
I was on night watch in the triangular attic. The mansion was located on relatively high ground, overlooking Claridium. I opened the large bay window and admired the scenery of the vast night sea.
And even in the middle of the night, I kept the lights on and observed the ships coming and going in the harbor.
Someone climbed the ladder to the attic. Haley opened the attic door and peeked her head out like a mole.
“What the. The newbie’s here?”
“Senior.”
She climbed back down the ladder. Then, halfway down, she muttered to herself.
“Ugh, I can’t be bothered to change.”
Haley sent two bottles of wine up to the attic first and rolled them towards me. Then, she came up in her chemise.
“It’s not your turn for night watch, Senior.”
“Oh, that b*tch Jenia ran away because she couldn’t sleep.”
Haley sat on the attic windowsill and skillfully uncorked the bottle. She took a sip and offered it to me. I shook my head.
“I didn’t touch it. It’s clean.”
“It’s fine.”
Haley joked.
“I’m disappointed in you, newbie. When your superior tells you to drink, you should gulp it down without question.”
“Senior, I don’t know where to look.”
Her white nightgown covered everything it was supposed to, but under the moonlight, everything underneath was visible. Haley didn’t seem to mind, crossing her legs and scratching her thigh.
“When have I ever cared about that? Do I look like a woman to you?”
“If you’re not a woman, then what are you?”
“What, you got me there. We treat you well because you’re a newbie who knows his place. Got it?”
“Crossing the line?”
“Just because we treat you a little better because you’re a male junior, you go around blabbering nonsense like, ‘Do I look like a woman?’ and bringing me roses… You’re not that kind of newbie, are you?”
“Of course not.”
“There used to be a lot of guys with ulterior motives coming here because there are so many pretty girls in the art department. It seems like there aren’t any honest guys like you for a newbie in Ethellnia.”
“…”
“Oh, right. What happened to Lilith today?”
“Why?”
“She was in her room today, looking in the mirror and mumbling to herself.”
“Yes?”
“She kept saying, ‘I’m pretty even when I’m wet, I’m pretty even when I’m wet,’ and laughing to herself. I thought she had gone crazy.”
“….”
“Is something wrong?”
“It’s alright. They stuck close all day, and although there were minor skirmishes, we managed to end it without problems.”
“Really? That’s a relief.”
Hailey turned her head to look out the window.
“Wow, you can even see the sea from here. There’s a reason for keeping watch at the attic.”
“…It really does look like a peaceful and comfortable city from this point of view.”
“I agree. It’s beautiful and…full of life. Were you thinking the same thing?”
“Actually, I was counting the number of ships leaving and entering.”
“You must have been really bored, right?”
“There were more ships leaving. I wonder where they’re going at this hour of dawn.”
“Probably fishing boats. There are fish that can only be caught at night, you know. Maybe they went out to catch those?”
“Do you really think so?”
Hailey took a sip of wine straight from the bottle and spoke as if she had seen through me.
“Are you worried? Like something might happen to this city? Like everyone is secretly evacuating?”
“…What do you think, sunbae?”
“I’m worried too. But I’m the leader, so I can’t show it, so I’m trying to soothe my mind like this with alcohol and a newbie.”
“…”
“I sent out a notice to our sailors earlier. I told them to be on standby because we never know when we might have to set sail all of a sudden.”
She was the same. Even though she couldn’t quite put a finger on it, she had a gut feeling that Claridium was a city on the decline.
We have no responsibility or obligation to any problems that may arise in Claridium. So all we have to do is leave when the time comes.
We had the power to protect ourselves, but not the power to save a crumbling metropolis. Leaving was the best course of action.
“Can I have a drink too?”
“I already took a sip. It’s indirect.”
“It’s okay.”
Hailey offered me the bottle again. With my mind preoccupied, I accepted it and took a sip.
If Claridium really does fall, what will happen to the people here? The rich and powerful will have already escaped, but those who can’t will sink with it.
Suddenly, the image of the children at the orphanage came to mind. I wonder if they’ll be okay.
Like Amarilis said, if Claridium falls, will it really be limited to just Claridium?
How can we be so sure that the wave that brought down a metropolis won’t engulf other places?
***
“Is this the prize money?”
Hailey and Zhenia’s eyes sparkled as they looked at the bag of gold coins in my hand.
I had just returned from receiving the prize money at the Guardians’ Guild early in the morning.
They said it was equivalent to four months’ salary for a first-class sailor, and if I converted it, I could buy two decent enchanted swords in Libed.
“It came sooner than expected.”
“We left right after receiving the money because of our schedule.”
Five carriages that we had called in advance were lined up in front of the inn. We planned to visit the colosseum and the captive monsters under the pretense of investigating the Academy Exchange Match.
Members who had changed into their going out clothes at the mansion boarded the carriages with sullen faces.
Hailey grabbed my wrist and led me to a secluded spot. Then she took out a scroll and showed it to me.
“Here. A Guardian came to look for you this morning and left this. Do you know who it’s for?”
“Who is it?”
“Claridium’s mayor. He wishes to invite you to dinner. You’ll have time after the tour of the institute. What do you say?”
Of course, I can’t ignore my existence when he’s putting so much effort into Silveryn.
“No reason not to.”
***
The Art Department’s carriage headed towards Claridium’s eastern district. The streets were spotless, the trees were conically trimmed, and the buildings were uniform in style, giving a neat impression. It felt as if we were crossing the Academy campus.
Next to us, a baggage wagon led by Bintera passed by.
Behind it, a large box covered in cloth was being carried, and a loud noise came from inside.
Thud!
“Grrr!”
My nerves were on edge when I heard the low growl of a beast.
There were more than one or two of these wagons. Carriages carrying beasts crossed the city as calmly as peddlers.
Haley, sitting next to me, muttered nervously.
“There are… more beasts than I thought.”
My head was spinning, searching for anything that could be the cause of the destruction.
The carriage moved quickly and stopped in front of a castle. The high walls and long buildings looked more like a prison than a research institute.
In front of the gate, a middle-aged researcher accompanied by a guardian greeted us.
As we got out of the carriage, the researcher shook Haley’s hand first.
“We’ve been expecting you. I’m Rondo, a senior researcher at Mishevity Research Institute.”
“I’m Haley, the head of the delegation. Thank you for welcoming us. I’m sorry to ask you this right away, but as someone responsible for the safety of the delegation, I have one concern. We encountered quite a few beasts on our way here… Are all the beasts being managed safely?”
The researcher chuckled and said,
“They are being managed in the institute with high-level mages, barrier mages, and numerous guardians. And soon, the 122 species of beasts we have inside will be disposed of, so you don’t have to worry too much.”
“Disposed of?”
“We plan to kill all of them except for the few we need for electrical exchange or guardian training. The situation is the same in other research institutes located in the southern part of the city or in the administrative district. It’s not our decision, though.”
“Is it because of safety concerns?”
“Not at the moment, but it’s highly likely in the future. The budget has been drastically reduced, and most of the management staff has left. Claridium no longer plans to invest resources in beast research.”
this town is clearly a step to transform in hell