Chapter 29
AFTER PARTING with Soul Howl, Mira walked toward the city. When she passed the front door of the chapel, it suddenly opened, and Father Kingsblade appeared. Up close, he looked even taller than his two-meter stature and was impressively intimidating. Such a giant appearing seemingly out of nowhere made Mira twitch and look up at him.
Seeing her, the priest recalled what had happened inside a few minutes ago. “You were in the chapel before…”
She and Soul Howl had left the Ancient Underground City and loitered in the church, whispering about something. He remembered them well.
Kingsblade approached Mira quietly, stooped as if speaking to a child, and asked gently, “Miss, I received word that a man was using suspicious necromancy out here. Do you know anything about that?” His eyes weren’t those of a gentle priest; they had the glint seen in Kingsblade’s old days.
Mira didn’t know the details of this world’s religions, but it would make sense if there were rules against necromancy—magic closely tied to the dead—on church grounds. She feigned ignorance, hoping to skip the trouble.
“No…” she replied. “Doesn’t ring a bell to me!”
The glint in the priest’s stare sharpened. He looked her right in the eye and questioned her further. “I heard that a cute little girl like you was close to that suspicious man. Are you sure you don’t know?”
This “report” was beginning to sound awfully detailed. Kingsblade seemed to know the whole situation already. At this point, he probably realized exactly who the necromancer was. It’d be difficult for Mira to evade the question.
“Er…did this necromancer you’re speaking of do something rude?” What crimes had he committed? Mira decided to get a feel for the severity of Soul Howl’s deeds.
But things apparently weren’t what she’d expected. The report Father Kingsblade had received was that the necromancer was abducting a cute little girl. When the priest came outside to confirm this, he’d only spotted a little girl matching the description, while the necromancer was nowhere to be seen.
“Tell me, are you absolutely certain you don’t know?”
Now understanding that she wouldn’t get wrapped up in any annoying trouble, Mira finally told the truth. “Oh, right, of course—him. Yes, I know him; he’s a friend of mine. Goodness, I’m so familiar with his necromancy that it hardly registers as suspicious. I certainly understand thinking that at first glance, though.”
“I see. He was a friend of yours? Good to hear. Apologies for taking up your time, Miss.”
The priest emphasized the “friend of yours” part, then turned and spoke to a woman waiting by the chapel door. “Everything seems fine here.” That woman had seemingly made the report.
Father Kingsblade had seen Mira and Soul Howl together at the exit of the Ancient Underground City, so he could’ve gathered that they were friends. He’d only pursued the matter to convince the woman, and to be absolutely sure.
“Oh, really? Thank goodness.” Relief was clear on the woman’s face. She thanked the priest and disappeared into the church.
Being accused of such a thing would’ve felt bad, but since Mira was the one being protected, she watched the woman with mixed emotions. Then she chuckled to herself, now knowing that people saw Soul Howl as a suspicious man going after a young girl. This would make for a fun story the next time she met him.
The priest turned back to Mira and said cheerfully, “One more thing. Next time you see your friend, please inform him that using magic on church grounds can be a criminal act.”
That was apparently only the case sometimes, but it seemed the restriction applied to all magic, not just necromancy.
Faced with the intimidation lurking behind the priest’s cheerful look, Mira meekly replied, “Yes, sir.”
“Now I’d best be going. Thank you for your cooperation.” After Father Kingsblade said what he wanted to, his imposing aura all but faded away. At that point, he began returning to the church.
“Say, can I ask you something?” Mira called out to the priest.
He turned. “Yes?” he responded genuinely kindly. “What can I do for you, Miss?”
“I heard earlier that, back when you were a champion in the underground arena, a girl training as a warrior sent you along this path in life. Did she tell you her name? Also, if you have any idea where she is now, I’d like to know.”
She and Soul Howl had agreed that girl was very likely Wise Man Meilin. They’d concluded that the priest probably wouldn’t have any clue as to her whereabouts, given that he’d encountered her seven years ago. Still, there was still a chance. Since the priest had approached Mira, she figured she might as well ask.
“…I see. That’s what you were whispering about earlier, isn’t it? Why do you ask about her?” The priest’s ferocious aura reappeared, perhaps proving that his violent temper long ago hadn’t been easily fixed.
“Oh, I didn’t… Uh… She just sounded like a friend of mine,” Mira stammered, trying desperately to avoid eye contact.
The priest’s demeanor changed entirely. “Wait. You mean to say you’re acquainted with her?!” he pressed Mira, as if he’d just met a goddess.
Kingsblade’s sudden enthusiasm took her aback, but she managed to reply that the girl’s actions just sounded like something a friend of hers would do—she wasn’t certain they were the same person.
“I see… To answer your question, I didn’t get her name. In battle, she called herself ‘Taiyaki Kuri-Youkan.’ I only learned later that those are apparently the names of confections.” The priest was clearly disappointed, but he offered that name in case it provided clues.
As soon as Mira heard the pseudonym, she became certain. “Ah… Yes, that’s almost certainly my friend. Those are two of her favorite foods.”
Meilin enjoyed both taiyaki and kuri-youkan. She’d once overeaten them to the point of weight gain, which forced Kagura to diet alongside her in real life. Mira remembered it rather nostalgically.
The priest didn’t leave her to her nostalgia for long, however. “Wonderful! Finally, I get to meet a friend of hers… How long has it been since I had such a fantastic day?!” Despite his status as a priest, he was virtually worshipping Mira instead of his god. It seemed Meilin was equal to a deity in his mind, and now he saw her through a false idol, Mira.
“It’s a bit of a silly errand, but I’m searching for her. Do you have any idea where she is?” Mira asked the enthralled priest.
“No, unfortunately…” he replied. Based on his reaction, Mira had already known the answer. “However, I’ve heard she went on to fight in even greater arenas. She led me to this path in life. All I want is to meet her again and express my gratitude.” He seemed to be praying. If he only knew where Meilin was, he’d probably dash off right away.
All in all, Mira could be certain that the girl who’d caused Zatzbald Bloodycrimson Kingsblade’s career change was none other than Meilin. But all this really told her was that Meilin hadn’t changed in seven years. Mira already knew that much.
Just about two months ago, Garrett and his companions had gone to the Fools’ Wunderkammer to collect an important item, and a powerful monster attacked them. However, a girl appeared out of nowhere and trounced that monster with ease.
The description of the girl in that report had matched Meilin. The more Mira heard about Meilin, the clearer it was the girl was still adhering to her “wandering-warrior training” shtick.
“Even greater arenas,” hm? It seems like she’s still out there training. Maybe investigating from that angle would be faster.
Mira now had a goal in mind in her search for Meilin. “If I ever find her, I’ll let her know you’re grateful to her,” she told the priest, then left.
Father Kingsblade thanked Mira profusely as she went, while gathered onlookers looked upon her with curious eyes. Who was this little girl, and why did the iron-fisted priest revere her so?
Days later, rumors of an angel’s descent into the church spread, but didn’t reach Mira’s or Kingsblade’s ears.
***
Shortly before 8:00 p.m., Mira reached the biggest hotel street in Grandrings. After walking around for a while to find lodgings for the night, she stopped in front of a building that could’ve been a small castle. This spot appeared to be the most expensive of the classy inns in this part of town.
“Hrmm… I’m leaning toward this one.”
Folkspeak, the fairly expensive inn she’d stayed at the other day, had been comfortable for its price. How would an even more expensive inn serve her?
It was hard to let go of luxury now that she’d tasted it. Anticipating greater opulence, Mira gazed up at the inn before her. It stood regally, like a castle, lit from top to bottom in defiance of the dark night. Although it wasn’t really intended for royalty, it was bigger than the surrounding lodgings and exuded an altogether different aura.
A whole hoard of magic stones… Loot from the Mechanized Wanderer and Machina Guardian… My treasure pile should easily be worth a hundred million. I don’t have to worry about finances anymore. I say it’s my responsibility to splurge!
Classy inns were, of course, distinguished by their indulgent meals and rooms. Their employees were also cut from a different cloth. Such inns employed specialists in various fields to offer a wide range of services.
That said, Mira had already experienced top-class service along those lines. After all, she’d stayed at the Palace of Alcait, which was far more luxurious than any inn could aspire to be.
It was a literal palace, so it was inherently gorgeous, and the room set aside for Mira was perfect. She got to eat the same meals as King Solomon himself, and the castle maids were handpicked elites. Mira’s personal maid, Lily, was especially skilled.
Still, that wasn’t quite the same as an inn. Mira entered, ready to experience just what kind of service this world offered first-class adventurers.
There was actually one problem: the treasures she’d brought back were so valuable, she’d have difficulty finding a buyer. But Mira didn’t realize that; she simply pressed on, blinded by her experience thirty years prior.
Like the exterior, the lobby was dazzling and resplendent: a chandelier above, a soft carpet underfoot, elegant furniture here and there. It was luxurious in a clichéd way, but that made the opulence easy to recognize and solidified one’s first impressions.
Hrmm, it’s packed here. And these people don’t quite look like adventurers…
The lobby practically oozed dignity and class, but it was a fair bit noisier than Mira expected. In that regard, it wasn’t much different from other inns. On a quick look around, she saw that the clientele included not just adventurers but major merchants and apparent tourists. The inn seemed very safe, and memorable to boot.
As she went to reception, she started to worry that the inn wouldn’t have a vacancy. Owing to its sheer size, it did have open rooms. But the cheapest ones—priced at fifty thousand ducats per night—were fully booked. The only rooms remaining were seventy thousand ducats or a hundred to a hundred fifty thousand ducats.
Mira immediately picked the most expensive. “I’ll take the one hundred fifty thousand ducat room, then.”
She feigned indifference as she accepted the gold key. Apparently, only the priciest room’s key was golden; she twirled it around her finger, showing it off, as she headed to the grand staircase.
Then a familiar name reached her ears.
“Hey, have you heard? They say Fuzzy Dice appeared in Haxthausen!”
“I heard that too! I guess he sent his calling card to the Dorres Company!”
“Yeah! That company got big out of nowhere, right? None of the rumors about them are good.”
“Nope. Apparently, they were investigated because of their ties to Chimera Clausen, but the investigation came up short. They couldn’t find any evidence.”
“So it seemed. But it’ll be fine now! Fuzzy Dice is there, after all. I’m sure he’ll find evidence—of their criminal profits, and more!”
A group of female adventurers Mira had noticed relaxing in the lobby were chatting about Fuzzy Dice while their friend reserved a room. Excited squeals of “Oh, he’s so cool!” punctuated their conversation.
They were discussing a famous phantom thief. When Mira splurged on trading card packs a long time ago, “Fuzzy Dice” was the single RRR card she’d pulled. She’d learned more about the man from a woman named Theresa on a train home from Alisfarius. Fuzzy Dice only went after those who did bad deeds. In a way, he was like a Robin Hood character.
As Mira remembered that, the girls continued talking. The phantom thief would evidently appear five nights from now. The location: the Dorres Company mansion in Haxthausen. His target: all the company’s ill-gotten assets.
Ill-gotten assets, hm? I wonder where this Fuzzy Dice character comes upon such information. Also…I think he donates to an orphanage, right?
Climbing the stairs and eavesdropping, Mira remembered a few things about Fuzzy Dice. She recalled a story connected to orphanages that had come up during that same train ride. She’d heard it from the bard Emilio, who’d sat with her after Theresa. He’d traveled with a blind woman, Lianna.
In his journeys through various places, he’d picked up a lot of knowledge. One thing he’d learned of was an orphanage in a nameless village. It had been built eight years ago to handle the overflow of orphans caused by the Defense of the Three Great Kingdoms. From what Mira heard, Wise Man Artesia was involved in that.
It was…in the mountains of northeastern Grimdart, as I recall? Hrmm… Garuda could get me there in a day or two.
According to Emilio, there were rumors of a village in that mountain range. The problem was where in the mountains the village was. However, Mira had a flash of inspiration.
Orphanage, phantom thief… Phantom thief, orphanage… Hrmm. Maybe I could question him.
If Fuzzy Dice donated to that orphanage, he must know its location. In that case, going after him might just be the best idea, Mira thought to herself as she finally opened the door to her exorbitantly expensive room.
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