Chapter 84………………………..
“Is this the last house?”
Riness looked up at the three-story house nestled deep inside the winding alley. She had suspected as much the moment they entered this cramped street lined with closely packed buildings, but the shabby exterior already told her the household was in poor condition.
From the moment they stepped into the alley littered with filth and garbage, her companions’ faces had twisted in disgust—but Riness remained unbothered.
Before awakening her magical abilities and coming to the temple, she had lived in places exactly like this.
“Anyone home?”
It was obvious at a glance that public safety here was poor. Nobody cared that a woman had been kidnapped—that kind of thing wasn’t worth notice here.
And yet, there had been a report.
“Damn you lot, hic, quit bothering me and get lost!”
A middle-aged man, his face flushed red, shouted furiously at the group blocking his doorway.
The only reason he had contacted the guards was trivial: he’d thought his daughter had run away because he had no money for drink. Thanks to that, they were able to track down the woman’s whereabouts.
“Excuse us, we’re here to ask some questions. Are you Miss Irina’s father? We’d like to speak with you.”
The knight Meld, speaking politely, was met with narrowed eyes.
“Got money?”
“…Pardon?”
“You gotta pay up. Nothing’s free in this world!”
Meld faltered at the man’s outburst. Elena, the cleric, could not hide her irritation, while Riness only looked at him with cool indifference.
The mother was long dead. The father drank all day and never worked. The daughter had gone out to labor just to keep the household afloat.
Such tragedies were a dime a dozen in neighborhoods like this. But why did it always have to pile death on top of misery? Riness moved her fingers, filled with pity for the dead girl.
“Uwaaagh!”
With a flick of her hand, the man was suddenly dangling upside down in the air, clutching desperately at his bottle. Riness smiled faintly.
“Are you sure there’s nothing you remember? Because I’ve got plenty of ways to help jog your memory.”
As the man sobered instantly, staring at her in fear, Riness wagged her finger in warning. Dangling helplessly, he screamed in terror.
“N-no, nothing!”
“Politely.”
“I really don’t know! I don’t know anything, please, just…!”
Even as the man trembled and begged, Riness did not release her power. She glanced back at Meld.
“Sir Knight. Your questioning.”
“Ah—y-yes!”
He’s scarier than our captain, Meld thought as he snapped to attention and carried on with unusual zeal. Riness, meanwhile, turned her eyes toward the interior of the house, ignoring Elena’s scowling expression.
“…Who…?”
A tiny whisper tugged at Riness’s ear. From the crack of a nearby door peeked a small figure, maybe seven years old. The child’s frail, undernourished frame was pitiful. Judging by growth here, they were probably over ten.
Riness slowly knelt so as not to frighten the child.
“Hey there, do you live here?”
“Y-yes…”
The child spoke haltingly, either from slow development or nervousness. Crusted sleep clung to their eyes, their tangled hair reeked—clearly they hadn’t bathed in a long while. Riness gently wiped the child’s face with a cloth.
Seeing the cleaner face blink up at her, she pressed a leftover snack into their hand. The child devoured it so quickly crumbs stuck everywhere.
Only when they finished did Riness ask softly:
“What’s your name?”
“N-Nora.”
“That’s a lovely name. Is Irina your sister?”
The child nodded. At that moment, Riness twitched her fingers, making the dangling father scream again. She smiled kindly at the child.
“Did your sister meet anyone before she disappeared?”
She hadn’t expected a real answer—but the child nodded. Looking around nervously, Nora edged closer and whispered:
“She did. Someone she met. She said… if she ran away, she’d take me too.”
“Ah…”
The child clamped their mouth shut, fear in their eyes. Knowing the reason, Riness slowly rose and turned back.
“Sir Knight, done over there?”
“Yes, I believe we’ve gotten all we can.”
“Good. Let’s go.”
She extended her hand to the child.
“Would you like to come with me? Anywhere is better than here.”
“Can my sister… come too?”
“Of course. When she returns, we’ll do that.”
Riness answered without hesitation. Elena frowned at that, but the child, bewitched, took Riness’s hand.
“Hey! At least put me down first—uwaaagh!”
As the group stepped outside, something crashed behind them. Holding the child’s hand, Riness led them out of the alley and quickly cast a barrier. The outside noise dropped away.
“Do you remember what that person looked like? Or maybe a name?”
“I don’t know the name. But he looked really clean. His clothes sparkled! And his eyes were blue…”
Riness turned to her companions.
“Find me an artist nearby. Should be plenty sitting along the alleys.”
“Yes, at once.”
Elena and Meld returned quickly with one lured by money. Listening only to Nora’s description, the painter produced a fairly convincing sketch.
“Yes, that’s him!”
Riness stroked the child’s head as they beamed. The three adults studied the portrait in silence before exchanging nods.
“Suspicious, isn’t it?”
“Indeed. We should report immediately.”
“And the child?” Elena asked quietly.
Riness squeezed Nora’s hand.
“I’ll place them in the temple orphanage. At least I can save one child’s life.”
Meanwhile—
“Where on earth has he gone?”
Cordelia muttered under her breath as she scanned the ballroom. She had slipped away on the excuse of business, looking for Tirein, but he was nowhere to be found.
To make matters worse, the suspect she had in mind had also vanished. Maybe she should have confronted him first? But if she had called him, he surely wouldn’t have followed.
“I just wanted to confirm if my guess was right.”
Still, her trap had yielded useful results. Hiding her grin behind her fan, Cordelia reflected.
Her appearance at the ball had been a ruse—to gather clues from people while lowering the guard of the culprit.
If the criminal knew she was hunting them, they’d be watching her too, interfering whenever she tried to lead the conversation.
And indeed, things had gone as expected… except for one unexpected figure who had stepped in. That unsettled her.
‘But how did he know that?’
Cordelia wrinkled her nose, recalling his face. Perhaps she was being paranoid—but it was undeniably suspicious.
Worse, he matched part of the description Tirein had given her. That made it even more unnerving. Could it really all be connected by sheer coincidence?
“And where is that man anyway? I need him to confirm I’m right!”
Grinding her teeth inwardly, Cordelia spotted someone near one of the exits and hurried over.
“Count Eshilon.”
“Lady Cordelia?”
The man looked startled by her sudden approach. Cordelia smiled sweetly.
“Do you know where Lady Emilia went? I’d like to speak with her.”
“I just saw her heading to the back garden. You can reach it from this door.”
“Thank you.”
She bowed lightly and slipped past, unaware of the lingering gaze on her back.
Exiting, Cordelia followed the path to the garden. Her unease hadn’t vanished completely, but the gorgeous weather lifted her spirits.
“Wow…”
Tulips bloomed in dazzling colors. Cordelia clicked her tongue inwardly—how like a wealthy merchant to flaunt their riches like this.
On the left stretched flowerbeds and trees, on the right a maze-like space. In the center, a wide-open area around a statue where most guests had gathered.
“Hm?”
As soon as she spotted two figures emerging from the maze, Cordelia darted behind a tree. It was a man and woman in an intimate mood. She narrowed her eyes.
‘Huh, looks like he’s quite popular.’
Maybe because of her earlier suspicions, she watched warily. Then a chill ran down her spine.
‘What—’
The woman smiled shyly, clutching a white rose.
‘Second… probably of noble rank, fairly young. Once gave her a white rose. Skilled at the harp. Dimples when he smiles. Often quotes poetry. I noted all this down from your book…’
The man’s dimple appeared as he smiled. Cordelia staggered back a step.
Right. She needed to find Tirein. Tell him—explain—
But just as she turned, a shadow loomed behind her. She had no chance to react before her mouth was covered, pain stabbed her neck—and Cordelia lost consciousness.
