Chapter : 17
“But, hey. I locked the front door really well today too, you know? Really, really well, got it? Huh? But when I see you at home, do you think my heart will fall out… or not?”
Wiz, who had just swallowed something he was chewing, opened his mouth in a daze.
“Oh… no wonder the door didn’t open easily.”
“…….”
Aaaah! Pete silently screamed. He stabbed the knife he was holding into the table and trembled. Oh, God. Please, just protect my blood pressure. If only that guy weren’t here… If only he could be taken away from the house next door.
Everyone else could forget easily, but Pete and the house next door? Impossible to forget. He wished he could just forget it. He really, really wished he could!
“The door didn’t open easily? You say that even though you knew it was locked? And now you’re inside saying, ‘Oh, no wonder it didn’t open easily’?!”
“Huff… Amatsu…”
“If you ever say something amateurish like that one more time, I swear I’ll pour all of today’s lunch into your nose.”
After a moment of thought, Wiz asked seriously,
“Why the nose? If you’re doing the work instead of my hands anyway, I’d rather you put it down my throat—I’d enjoy that more.”
“…….”
From that moment, lunch became a battlefield: one trying to pour food into the other’s nose, the other foolishly trying to catch it with his mouth.
Passing by, Shori happened to see the scene through a window and turned his head in disbelief.
There was no trace of dignity in that situation.
Poor Pete.
Still, he didn’t feel the urge to jump in and save him. Just imagining himself in Pete’s screaming position was enough to experience horror; he didn’t want to make it real. Indirect experience was enough.
Shori continued on his way. The weather was nice, and he saw nothing.
About a month after Jay’s declaration that Valombrosa should wrap his head around things, an incident occurred.
It had been over half a year since the white flower painting, believed to be Lilia’s artifact, had been recovered.
Accordingly, the mysterious disappearances of people had stopped. Aside from dispatching additional knights to the three southern provinces where artifact-like objects were found, nothing blood-worthy had occurred. Once the flower painting’s analysis results came out, the Lilia incident was expected to conclude.
However, about a month ago, another series of murders began happening across Ario.
These were not isolated incidents. People were dying one after another, similar to the Lilia case.
The difference was that while Lilia’s suspected artifact consumed its victims, in this case, corpses remained, and the cause of death varied.
At first, investigators assumed this was just a regular serial murder case with multiple methods of killing.
Had the fifth victim’s corpse not been surrounded by blood-stained white flowers, it would have continued to be treated as an ordinary case.
The Silver Fox Group immediately took over the investigation.
By the 26th day since the first incident, six people had already died.
Such serious incidents happening repeatedly over a few months was uncommon. Perhaps a group of rogue mages were plotting something together.
The Silver Fox Group quickly began their investigation.
As if waiting for them, reports began pouring in from all over the country. Cases for the Silver Fox Group to investigate, artifacts to recover—they were multiplying endlessly.
And that meant they were now impossibly busy.
Elcesior spoke.
“The investigation into the artifact suspected to be Lilia’s is not yet complete, and we cannot exclude the possibility that this case is related. We need to review Lilia’s case records thoroughly.”
“…….”
“Another issue is the variety of causes of death in this serial murder case. If all causes are related to magic, magical artifacts, or homunculi, we must investigate from multiple angles to identify the artifacts and homunculi involved.”
“…….”
A cold silence fell.
A tearful silence. They had been holed up in the library searching reference books, thinking, “Ah, this is hell,” only to realize that real hell had arrived. Only their escapist thought of “I must be careful what I say from now on” grew steadily.
One question lingered: Oh God, you’ve heard about hell, but did you not hear the part where I wish all the mages would just die?
The eight other executives remained silent for a while, except Elcesior, who gave them time to collect their thoughts.
As the leader, Elcesior had to oversee not just the two serial murder cases but all operations of the Silver Fox Group, including nationwide artifact and mage searches. Additionally, he had secret orders from Valombrosa regarding Jay.
At some point, Elcesior simply laughed wryly and continued working. Adding one more case would only lead to death from overwork. He had reached a state of resigned detachment. Still, he desperately needed someone to act as a middle manager.
After some time, Elcesior spoke with a faint smile.
“So at least we need someone to take responsibility and lead the cases within the capital.”
“…….”
“Anyone willing to be the intermediate responsible person?”
“…….”
No one.
No one in their right mind would volunteer. Just their current workload alone felt like it could kill them.
The moment when seven of the eight came to a unanimous agreement was beautiful. The only one left out was Bella. When she quietly raised her hand, Daniel was deeply moved.
“I will not forget your sacrifice.”
This was back when Bella was still prone to nonsensical remarks.
“I’m not recommending her as the responsible person, but perhaps Mr. Wiz, who runs that bookstore along the miscellaneous goods street, could help.”
“……?”
“?”
“?”
“…….”
The question marks filled the air: what hellish nonsense had just been said? Something that alone was enough to raise one’s blood pressure.
Only Bella and Elcesior remained calm.
They were horrified when Elcesior appeared deep in thought and looked at Bella.
“No, no. That’s not right!”
“This person is insane! Ah, ha, ha! Eugh, mmghh—”
They were truly terrified.
“Commander, I really don’t think that’s a good idea.”
The knights agreed silently. They still remembered the moment the Tower Master and Wiz reunited. They had been seriously relieved there would be no need to work with Wiz. Truly.
Bella, nearly grabbed by a comrade, kicked him off his chair. The sound of a chair and a person crashing echoed. Daniel collapsed.
Even with such a violent reaction, Elcesior calmly rubbed his chin. He seemed to think it was a good idea, though Daniel hoped it was just a delusion.
Wiz was a fun, cheerful person, but no one wanted to be on the receiving end of her antics.
Crawling onto a chair, Daniel recalled the screaming painter next door and steeled himself.
He then spoke with a serious expression.
“Commander.”
“Yes.”
“Please, if the people of this world are here,”
Daniel drew a circle roughly the size of a face in the air with his left index finger and pointed with his right. The two gestures were shoulder-width apart. He nodded to the space his right hand indicated.
“Mr. Wiz is one of the people here.”
“…….”
“She’s extraordinary. Out of the ordinary. She even made the Tower Master cry. Commander, I don’t think I ever mentioned that the water droplet on that certificate was the Tower Master’s tear. I apologize sincerely. Had I known, I should have reported it sooner. We even saw the Tower Master sobbing. Those tears had nothing to do with his fragile sensibilities. Not at all.”
Calmly intense. His refusal was desperate enough to bring tears.
Elcesior showed a vague expression and asked softly.
“We might need to visit that bookstore frequently to consult books, like with the Lilia case. Wouldn’t it be better to have that person here to ask questions directly?”
“……that.”
“…….”
“……that.”
“…….”
“…….”
No one could argue.
Daniel buried his face in his hands.
This was someone who remembered exactly which side of which shelf contained the book he needed. Though he occasionally erred, he was mostly accurate.
Walking bookstore, indeed.
In other words, competent.
Even the reliable deputy, like a seasoned bear, realized Wiz’s surprising competence and was mentally shaken.
Elcesior sighed lightly at the pitiful reactions of his subordinates.
“The Silver Fox Group is a special unit. Without the King’s approval, you can’t work with that person. We don’t even know if Mr. Wiz would agree.”
“Then….”
“We should request an audience with His Majesty today.”
“No… that’s…”
“Do you have something to say?”
“Well….”
It was a foolish struggle to delay meeting Wiz.
But just because Wiz didn’t come didn’t mean their workload decreased. They reluctantly accepted the commander’s plan.
That day, Elcesior met with Valombrosa.
Although he thought Valombrosa might naively sell out the Tower, she nodded after long consideration when told Wiz would be temporarily engaged. Elcesior knew she would be helpful.
“However, confidential documents must be managed thoroughly.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“You know she’s no pushover.”
“Yes.”
Elcesior had also been present when she was revealed as the former deputy Tower Master.
Understanding the King’s concerns, he answered carefully and left after receiving additional instructions.
Walking down the corridor, he glanced to the side.
The corridor window showed bright light outside. He squinted his right eye slightly, almost smiling.
It would be a lie to say he had no reservations about hiring Wiz. But, as with the other knights’ strong objections, it wasn’t because she was difficult to handle.
“…….”
He exhaled briefly and continued walking.
The last time he met Wiz had been on her birthday. Even while busy with the comprehensive investigation, he would occasionally visit the bookstore to read a book or two. But in the past month, he hadn’t gone once.
Was it because of the feeling he received that night a month ago? He still hadn’t figured out why. He didn’t even know why he felt distant from her.
[Again… I miss her…]
A split smile. A sincere confession. A drunken night.
The exchanged glance when he stopped her from going for a walk. The silence they shared in the darkness.
He had to admit it. Though wary of her many questions, he had grown accustomed to her innocent, lively nature. That brief time had left him tense and breathless.
He squinted again. Meeting her in this state… no wonder he hadn’t gone for a month. While he separated business and personal feelings, he still felt uncomfortable. But it was time to put sentiment aside.
It would be better to invite Wiz to the palace directly than to propose the matter remotely.
Thinking of knights suitable for the task, Elcesior unconsciously swallowed a sigh. Somehow, he even chuckled lightly. There were few who refused with such a positive attitude.
After thinking a bit more, he adjusted the front of his uniform with both hands and quickened his pace.
(To be continued in the next chapter)
