Chapter 12
“My dad used to be like that man earlier,” Pepper said.
“Your dad was a pain too?”
“No, that’s not it.”
Pepper pursed her lips, took caramel candies from her pocket, popped one in her mouth, then handed one to me and Arden.
I received two.
“Woof woof woof.”
“Bark bark bark.”
Up ahead, Collie and Dubu were deep in conversation.
We were walking along the riverside, headed toward Opetal Street where Pepper’s house was, after leaving the temple.
Pepper fidgeted with her fingers. “Dad didn’t use to be like that. He used to call me and Mom ‘princess.’ He even called Collie his youngest daughter.”
He brushed Collie’s teeth, bathed her, kissed her goodnight…
“He was always on our side.”
“And then?”
“Ever since the, um, last-last-last time he came home.”
‘I finally come home after ages and the house looks like THIS?!’
“He yelled a lot. Got irritated at everything.”
‘This damn mutt! The money I waste feeding this useless thing!’
“He kept saying we should abandon Collie. That he’d sell her to someone he knew.”
Pepper said that when he first came home he was normal—but the next morning, he’d changed.
“He changed after sleeping?”
Arden and I exchanged grave looks.
Hmm.
“Pepper… does your father drink a lot?”
Was it alcoholism? Pepper shook her head.
“Dad doesn’t really drink. He eats snacks. A lot of snacks.”
“….”
“Whenever Dad is home, we have to hide Collie and can’t even feed her. Once, while I was asleep, he tried taking Collie out of the house. Mom yelled at him.”
“What did he do?”
“He got mad, left the house, and didn’t come back that night.”
“….”
“….”
Arden and I exchanged another silent glance.
“Woof!”
Suddenly Collie barked at something ahead.
“Woof! Woof!”
“That’s my dad!”
“Your dad?”
“That flag! That’s my dad’s ship!”
“…Temeren.”
Arden muttered as he recognized the flag of the ship docking in the distance.
“You know it?”
“It’s a merchant ship funded by the sailors’ guild. It’s famous for high profits despite not being owned by a noble house or a major trading company. They import tea and tobacco from the Eastern Empire—especially tea leaves…”
“I have to go!”
Pepper, pale-faced, sprinted away without even saying goodbye. Collie looked at us, barked, then chased after her.
“….”
“….”
Left alone, Arden and I stood on the river path where the wind blew.
Ahead was Saint Sandrine’s Bridge—the most beautiful bridge in the capital.
Beyond it, the Temeren—flag fluttering.
A merchant ship run by commoner sailors, yet earning profits on par with major fleets.
I asked Arden:
“Isn’t this strange?”
A ship like that wouldn’t hire random riffraff.
So why did a perfectly normal man suddenly become like that?
“Suspicious.”
But Arden replied with something else entirely:
“What about the atelier?”
“The atelier?”
“Yes. Shouldn’t you be working right now?”
“Oh, it’s lunch break.”
“During lunch break, one should eat lunch. Why did you go to the temple?”
“I’m a devout person, you know.”
“I’ve never seen you donate a single gold coin.”
“Faith isn’t proven with money.”
“Nor have I ever seen you pray for even one second.”
“……”
Are you staring at me all the time?
“And why were YOU at the temple?” I asked.
“To hear the temple’s stance regarding the ‘Magic Saintess.’”
“The what?”
“The woman claiming to be a saintess. I need to confirm whether she’s connected to the temple.”
He added he went to verify it before proceeding with his investigation.
“You work hard.”
“At least I should. She might be a criminal. A wannabe criminal desperate for attention.”
At that, Dubu glanced back at me.
He looked like he was smiling, tongue hanging out. I felt oddly emotional.
“You sure you’re not investigating her because you’re interested?”
“She’s not someone worth my attention.”
“How impressive.”
“Why are you angry?”
“I’m not!”
Hmph!
“So what did the temple say?”
“Didn’t hear anything. The High Priest was absent.”
“Oh.”
“It’s fine. He’s never there anyway. I’ll go back.”
“…Arden, we’re near the temple. Calling the High Priest ‘that guy’ might get you arrested.”
If you get arrested, pretend you don’t know me. I have to survive somehow.
He ignored that and changed the subject.
“That dog—are you keeping it?”
“Of course not. I just met him at the temple.”
“The owner lets him wander alone? He looks well cared for.”
“He must be smart enough to go out on his own.”
“That Collie earlier looked smart too. She shed fur on my pants.”
“Oh no. Should’ve just thrown the pants away.”
“……”
Arden fell silent.
I tugged his sleeve before he actually undressed.
“What do you think?”
“…About what?”
Staring at my hand gripping his sleeve, he answered late.
“Is having a father—even one who yells, gets angry, and threatens your only friend—better than having none?”
Where is the boundary of But he’s still my dad?
“…There ARE fathers who are better off gone.”
“Yeah…”
“What about you, senior?”
“I don’t know. I don’t have a father.”
“…Ah.”
His arm twitched under my hand.
“Sorry. I spoke without thinking.”
“Yes. You wounded my delicate heart. Compensate me.”
“How?”
“Wear those dog-fur pants for ten days. As penance—pfft.”
“Senior!”
His cheeks reddened when he finally realized I was teasing him.
The face he made looked as goofy as Dubu’s. I burst out laughing.
9 PM – The Atelier
“So I get the situation.”
A once-kind father suddenly changed.
“But how’s the Magic Saintess supposed to help?”
I’m not a doctor.
“Send him to the Crown Prince’s psychiatric ward? No… he might refuse in fear of losing his job.”
I sat on the floor, chin propped on my knee, chewing on my pen. Business was nearly finished, so I was tidying up the second-floor storeroom. Dubu rested his chin on my knee.
“But there’s something strange,” he said.
“What?”
“Pepper’s dad brought home a suspicious box of cookies last-last-last time. Said it was a gift from a trading company.”
“Cookies?”
“Yes. Pepper tried to eat one but Collie knocked her hand. In the end, her dad ate them all.”
Collie tried to stop him, but he was too tall for her to reach.
“And after that, he changed?”
“Right. He used to save half the snacks for Pepper’s mom when she returned from work.”
“And?”
“One night, Pepper woke up and found her dad eating cookies alone—in the dark.”
“Alone?”
“Yes. Gobbling them without chewing.”
“What happened after he finished?”
“He went quiet. Like he was drunk.”
“What…”
‘The next morning, he was different.’
Was something in the cookies?
If so—what?
…A drug?
I vaguely recalled herbs that could cause symptoms like that…
“…First,” I said.
“First?”
“We need to see if other sailors on the Temeren show the same symptoms.”
The Temeren arrived today, so they’ll definitely want a drink.
“I’ll go after work.”
Ever since the atelier changed owners, we get off early. Even holidays.
Plenty of time to snoop around a pub.
The real issue: where do sailors from the Temeren drink?
“I saw the Temeren dock at Pier 3. There should be a tavern nearby where sailors gather…”
“The White Whale and The Foam are famous near Pier 3.”
“…Eek.”
I looked up.
The man leaning on the storeroom door grinned at me.
Silver-haired guy.
“If you ask where the White Whale or The Foam is, anyone there will point you.”
“And why are YOU here at this hour?”
I hid Dubu behind me.
Despite my suspicion, he stayed calm.
He stepped inside, casually stroked Dubu’s head, scratched his forehead—(Dubu didn’t dodge. Traitor!)
“You said you were out of tea leaves.”
“You deliver that at 9 PM?”
“You’re organizing the warehouse at 9 PM.”
“……”
“Anyway, those taverns are really famous.”
“……”
“Believe it or not.”
He shrugged and left. Dubu wagged his tail after him.
Traitorous mutt.
“Dubu,” I said.
“Woof?”
“You’ll be covering the pub expenses later, right?”
We’re taking a carriage, so that too.
“I can’t afford justice out of pocket☆”
♡☆♧ Yes, I’m miserably broke♧☆♡
