Chapter : 4
Truly, it was a remarkably natural escape. Daniel was impressed.
But immediately afterward, he was flustered as she shot past his side like an arrow. Blinking for a moment in stunned disbelief, he quickly understood the situation and turned to chase Wiz.
The difference in stamina and speed was stark.
He could have easily caught her right in front of the bookstore. For now, he let go of Wiz’s arms, which were flailing with heavy breaths. His own breathing was completely steady.
For Wiz, who hunched her shoulders, he greeted her gently, as if soothing a child.
“Hello, Ms. Wiz. My apologies for earlier.”
Wiz straightened her back, panting, then squinted her eyes and stared piercingly at Daniel before letting out a single sound:
“Huh?”
“Is something the matter?”
“Hmm… I feel like something like this happened before. It’s vaguely familiar yet not quite… puzzling. Hah… hmm.”
Once again, she had forgotten. He almost gritted his teeth. He felt like he needed a deep breath. Daniel nodded and spoke as calmly as possible.
“You came yesterday evening.”
“Ah… I feel like I’ve seen you somewhere, or maybe not. So you’re the one who came yesterday. Then, um… your name?”
“Daniel.”
“Ah… Yeonji Gonji.”
The calculation that started from Daniel must have been a profoundly complex process transcending dimensions. Suddenly, he became “Yeonji Gonji,” and immediately afterward, his box of candy was stolen.
‘Oh, what a thing,’ he muttered, pretending to refuse verbally while his hands moved anyway.
He found himself staring seriously at his now-empty hands, at which Wiz finally greeted him brightly.
“Welcome, guest. What are you looking for? What kind of magic did you see yesterday?”
…She says that she remembers nothing as if it’s perfectly natural.
Daniel let go of his attachment to empty hands and lifted his head.
“I’d like to learn a bit more about Lilia. There aren’t many records about her, so I came here. I want to ask a bit more about large-area illusion magic involving flowers as artifacts.”
“Ah…”
She couldn’t pronounce properly because her mouth was full of marshmallows.
Daniel stared at her mouth, only seeing neatly stacked white marshmallows, then turned his head. Why did seeing this make him want to die a little?
Wiz walked toward the rows of bookshelves without noticing his reaction.
Her figure was partially hidden by the shelves, glimpses of her skirt and occasionally her flowing hair showing. She really looked completely normal from this angle.
Daniel raised the corners of his mouth and suppressed a smile.
Wiz soon returned with six books stacked in her hands.
Seeing her, Daniel quickly approached and took them. They were very heavy. Wiz handed them over without resistance and chattered on.
“When it comes to flowers… um, cough, there’s Lilia… and Jo… Jo Gak Minam. There are far more records about Jo Gak Minam than Lilia, though.”
“Jo Gak Minam?”
It was a nickname Daniel had never heard before. But it sounded funny, childish even. Unlike Daniel, Wiz didn’t laugh and continued explaining.
“It’s not widely known. Only scholars studying wizards or wizards themselves know of him. But he was said to be a far stronger magician than Lilia.”
“Stronger than Lilia?”
“Yes, yes. Same generation as Lilia. You know… the strong ones hidden away, the reclusive masters. That kind.”
He understood what she meant.
He placed the books on the counter in agreement. Wiz placed the top book in front of her. Then she flipped through the pages quickly, adding:
“He was shattered into pieces, though.”
…So that’s why he was called Jo Gak Minam…
Daniel was shocked by the unnecessary explanation. Such a nickname could be enviable, but the origin was tragically pitiful.
While his pupils trembled, the bookstore owner continued diligently exploring the book’s contents.
“Hmm… hmm… middle right? Lower? Ah, here it is!”
Hearing her excited voice, Daniel naturally looked down at the book, unable to speak for a moment.
The content she had found was on the left page.
Who had been muttering about the right page just a moment ago? For some reason—really, for some reason—Daniel felt embarrassed. He decided to keep his mouth shut and focus only on the book.
Book… quickly, just look at it and get it over with.
Just as he firmly decided and focused, someone approached briskly and appeared at the open doorway.
Turning to the door, Daniel immediately recognized the person.
It was the hero who had been defeated when he earlier tried to deal with Wiz.
He truly was a hero. Considering he was able to face Wiz again so soon after being defeated.
After briefly scanning the bookstore’s atmosphere, the hero fixed his gaze on Wiz and seriously conveyed the news.
“Mario’s dead.”
“Huh?”
“The knights are here. The Silver Foxes. Seems related to magic.”
“…The Silver Foxes are here?”
“Eh? Ah, yes.”
Hearing that his own knight squad had arrived, Daniel immediately turned his body.
Meanwhile, Wiz, tilting her head in confusion, watched Daniel run off in surprise, then asked Shory:
“Who’s Mahaha?”
“….”
She had expected a question about the Silver Foxes.
Shory felt a heavy weight in his chest from the sudden death of a friend and let out a troubled sigh.
The reason the Silver Foxes were dispatched to the Junk Road was as follows.
Over several months, dozens of people had disappeared without a trace from Ershop, the capital of this country, Ario, and nearby territories.
The only survivor testified that the last thing they saw before losing consciousness was blood and white flowers.
The testimony suggested that the series of incidents could not have been caused by ordinary humans.
Even without that testimony, the case was already extraordinary.
All the evidence collected so far was only the victims’ movements just before they vanished.
With such suspicious testimony appearing, investigative authority was handed to the Silver Foxes.
The Silver Foxes first considered artifacts created by the villainous Lilia.
She was known for embedding cruel and vicious magic into flowers to create artifacts. Although her activities ended over thirty years ago, the artifacts she created were not yet expired.
Hence, the current situation: an artifact that appeared to have been activated multiple times stood before them.
Elsier removed his gloves and said:
“Never thought it’d be a flower painting.”
The white flower in the painting was blood-red to a terrifying degree.
The petals were cracked like dry earth, shedding dark red fragments at the slightest touch. Some parts seemed thickly painted, others smeared with blood. Clearly, this object had devoured someone recently.
In any case, it was undoubtedly a grotesque and cruel artifact.
What it was drawn with and its current state would need to be examined back at the lab… and a royal wizard’s consultation would be necessary.
As he turned his gaze while thinking about the tasks ahead, his eyes fell on candy lying on the floor in front of the easel.
Ah, this.
Elsier recalled the woman crouching in front of the painting last night, rustling something.
Since she also liked candy, there was clearly a connection.
Then why—and in what sense—was this candy left in front of the painting?
Last night, the dark alley held only silence, the intruder hearing footsteps, movement… the thought, “She’s insane.” No, not insane…
[“It’s drawn too well. Must be insane.”]
“….”
As Elsier’s sharp eyes narrowed, someone called to him:
“Commander.”
It was Daniel, having crossed the restricted line.
Elsier quickly assessed the calmly breathing subordinate. He knew this was the same person he had sent last night to recheck the data.
He spoke:
“Take the woman to the tower.”
“Eh?”
Seeing Daniel confused, Elsier held up the candy and reiterated:
“The woman from the bookstore. Take her to the tower.”
Only then did Daniel recall last night, gulp, and salute.
When asked why she left candy in front of the painting, she sulkily opened her mouth without answering. Seeing that it wouldn’t open, Bella asked again.
Did she know the painting was an artifact?
Wiz nodded.
“Of course I knew.”
“Then…”
“Then?”
“Why didn’t you say so?”
Despite the female knight’s stern question, Wiz tilted her head.
“Was I supposed to?”
“….”
A bold counter-question.
Watching from the observation room, Daniel sighed.
Since he knew Wiz, he didn’t take charge of the questioning.
It was obvious she was already comfortable there.
If she met a familiar face, she might completely settle in the room. She probably wouldn’t remember Daniel anyway, asking again, “Who are you?” Elsier had forbidden Daniel from entering.
So Daniel had secretly taught a “special move” to a colleague who would interrogate her.
Now… use that special move…!
He sent a telepathic message with deep concern: “Dear colleague, don’t raise your blood pressure any further.”
Bella, having successfully received his silent concern, pulled candy from her pocket and offered it.
“As a token.”
Wiz’s eyes widened.
She picked up the candy silently, placed it in her mouth with careful hands, closing her eyes softly, her cheeks puffing alternately.
“That painting isn’t by Lilia. It was painted by a man.”
“….”
Wiz began cooperating properly with the interrogation.
Bella, in disbelief, trembled and gasped. Yet Wiz, unaffected by the knight’s confusion, continued happily talking.
“Well, not here. In the neighboring country, Onnevalle. That man wasn’t a painter but had another occupation… what was it… I don’t really know. I just found out while researching, and I wasn’t paying much attention.”
She was spilling information unasked.
Seeing Bella briefly glance at her in frustration, Daniel instinctively looked away.
Even knowing a glass panel separated the observer and the interrogator, it was hard to endure.
But Wiz, happily chattering, didn’t care at all.
“But I didn’t know the magic embedded there would devour people.”
“….”
“Oh, now that I think about it, when I first read about it, the flower was white. I guess I wasn’t mistaken. The professor researching that painting suddenly disappeared and has been missing ever since.”
“….”
At that point, shouldn’t someone have noticed? Suspected something? Anything!
It felt like witnessing the height of foolishness. Bella realized within five minutes of questioning that her colleague’s advice had been earnest.
(To be continued in the next chapter)
