Ch.101101. The Pianist Boy

The drums pounded.

Countless monsters chased after the carriage.

However, they didn’t seem strong enough to have physical form, as the people around couldn’t perceive them.

Right now, Findenai was humming happily about getting tobacco, and Illuania, who was driving the carriage, didn’t show any particular urgency either.

The question was why these creatures were causing such a commotion as they ran.

[Should we respond?]

“Wait.”

Though they looked quite hideous on the outside, they didn’t feel particularly threatening.

I couldn’t even sense the slightest killing intent from them. I wanted to observe them first to understand their purpose.

“Ugh, so noisy.”

As Findenai scratched his ear in irritation, I became aware of the piano sound I had been missing because of the monsters.

“Wow, this is nice!”

Unlike Findenai, Illuania was so immersed in the piano performance that she was humming along while driving the carriage.

And soon I realized that the monsters that had caught up with our carriage were passing us by.

[So we weren’t their target?]

“…All the monsters seem to be heading to the same destination. Follow them.”

[I don’t want to…]

Though grumbling, the Dark Spiritmaster followed my instructions and left the carriage to pursue the monsters.

The piano performance seemed to be coming from the center of the city, and the sound grew louder as we approached.

“They said it’s a city of artists? Definitely not my kind of place.”

Findenai clicked his tongue in annoyance. Illuania scolded him, saying it was nice and asking what his problem was, but honestly, I agreed with Findenai.

I wasn’t particularly interested in art.

Since long ago, I’ve generally disliked arts like music and painting. As I mentioned before, those fields were strangely connected to many spirits.

Naturally, I grew to dislike them beyond mere disinterest.

Anyway.

We arrived at a rather dignified-looking inn.

The sign had “Leon” written in elegant cursive, and although the building itself was quite old, it still maintained its sturdiness.

The foundation work seemed to have been done very solidly.

“This is exactly the kind of place evil spirits would love.”

Solid and sturdy with no fear of collapse, and being old—these were the most desirable conditions for a dwelling place for evil spirits.

In fact, screams could already be heard from inside the inn.

“Innkeeper. It says they’re not open for business?”

Findenai, still dressed in her nun’s habit, tapped on the notice posted on the inn’s door.

I passed by her and grabbed the door, pushing it forward.

The door opened smoothly.

What I felt from inside wasn’t old dust, but the clean, organized scent unique to inns.

A place that could start business at any moment.

The meticulous management and ready-to-operate appearance revealed the innkeeper’s desperation.

“It says we’re not open…!”

A middle-aged woman who had been reading a newspaper at the counter stood up irritably when she heard the door open.

But her words trailed off. She realized with her years of business acumen and intuition that I was no ordinary customer.

“Who… are you?”

To the woman who tilted her head awkwardly, I pulled out a piece of paper from my chest.

“Seriford Fillen, correct?”

“Y-yes! I am Seriford Fillen.”

Surprised that I knew her name, she squinted to examine the document I had produced.

Then, in complete contrast, her eyes gradually widened. It must have been quite a familiar paper to her.

Tear stains, ink so thick from pressing too hard that the letters were smudged.

It was a petition that Seriford Fillen had sent to the royal family and the church, asking them to resolve the strange incidents occurring at her hotel.

“I am Deus Verdi, a spiritmaster. I’ve come to resolve the supernatural phenomena happening in this hotel.”

Upon hearing those words, Seriford covered her mouth and immediately burst into tears.

Not stopping there, she knelt down and pressed her forehead to the floor.

“Ah, ahhh! Finally! You’ve finally come! Finally!”

Quite an intense welcome.

It showed how much mental suffering she had endured due to the supernatural phenomena.

But as if suddenly remembering something, she became terrified and quickly raised her head.

“B-but actually, I’ve called several priests before to resolve the situation.”

“…”

“A-and I had to make donations for their travel expenses, so I don’t have any money left now.”

She spoke urgently, afraid I might turn away.

“I’ll arrange it right away! If you just normalize the hotel, I’ll start working immediately and somehow…”

“Not necessary.”

“…Pardon?”

She might wonder what I’m saying, but this was a reaction reflecting the times.

It was an era when it was natural for the king’s envoys, civil servants who came for citizens, to take bribes.

A prime example was how guards at gates taking bribes from merchants had become a kind of cultural norm.

But that wasn’t why I was acting.

Changing the perception of Black Mages was just a secondary goal; as a necromancer, it was important for me to encounter as many evil spirits as possible.

Especially after the battle with Dante, I couldn’t afford to show weakness against opposing necromancers.

Of course, even though I had the Lemegeton, I needed to prepare for any situation.

“I have no intention of demanding any monetary compensation. I’m simply here to help.”

I slightly turned my head to look at Findenai.

With her hands on her hips and standing with one leg forward, she had a nonchalant expression as if asking what the problem was.

“While I resolve the situation, nun, get a list of the priests who supposedly took this woman’s request.”

“…Ah?”

After briefly pondering my meaning, Findenai grinned and pretended to pray with her hands clasped.

“According to God’s will, you’re planning to punish them all, aren’t you?”

“…We need to check how they took money from the woman, whether the donations were used properly, and if there’s any possibility that individuals embezzled funds.”

“I’ll let them know that clasping hands isn’t just for prayer.”

Findenai swung her clasped hands like a mace. Her voice and expression were gentle, but her words and actions were the opposite.

“Just investigate. I plan to delegate the task to the Saintess.”

I didn’t want to ask that much of Findenai. Investigation and applying some pressure would be enough.

Findenai shrugged her shoulders in disappointment.

Seriford, who was blankly looking up at me, still seemed confused about what was happening.

But that didn’t matter.

“According to the petition, I understand that crying sounds can be heard in each room.”

“Y-yes, that’s right!”

“Very well, I’ll resolve it. Bring the keys and follow me.”

I spoke calmly and immediately headed toward the guest rooms.

* * *

Exorcising the evil spirits staying at Leon was incredibly easy.

There was no need to use the Lemegeton, and it was simply a matter of granting peace to the crying deceased, so there was no need to inflict pain.

However, there was one disturbing aspect.

All the ghosts were terrified.

They weren’t earthbound spirits, yet they seemed afraid to leave, which was why they remained trapped in this hotel.

‘Is it because of the monsters outside?’

As a token of gratitude for solving Leon’s problem, the proprietress begged us to use the rooms freely during our stay in the city, so we decided to lodge there.

We hadn’t booked another hotel anyway, so we gratefully accepted her kindness.

The proprietress, excited that she could resume business as early as tomorrow, couldn’t stop smiling.

Looking out the window, I saw it was already late at night.

Since it was still too early to sleep, I decided to take a walk outside.

Findenai had gone with Illuania to storm a church in the city, and they must have been causing quite a commotion as they hadn’t returned yet.

Well, they’ll manage fine.

Illuania would cover for Findenai’s reckless tendencies, and Findenai’s nun act was quite convincing.

“Hmm.”

True to its reputation as Claren, the city of artists, the streets were filled with diverse charms.

Even simple flower beds were arranged artistically, and paintings large and small adorned every path.

In the darkened streets, lanterns were deliberately lit to create a subtle ambiance.

It was a perfectly satisfying place for a walk, but what was important was the music coming from all over the city.

The sound of piano playing reminded me of the Dark Spiritmaster I had forgotten about.

I had sent the Dark Spiritmaster to follow the monsters that were gathering, but it still hadn’t returned. I wondered if something had happened.

As my thoughts deepened, I found myself unconsciously walking toward the sound of the performance.

The music was coming from an old piano placed in front of a large fountain in the center of the city.

In other cities, this might be considered noise, but Claren was different.

Tourists who had come to visit were all sitting in seats placed in front of the fountain, appreciating the performer’s music.

Of course, it wasn’t so crowded that the place was bustling.

It was just right—comfortably spacious enough to listen briefly while passing by.

Surprisingly, the performer with outstanding skills was a small boy.

If I had to compare, he looked about the same age as Aria. He was playing the piano quite passionately, but his expression wasn’t particularly bright.

Plus, there was one more noticeable thing.

“Hmm.”

The bizarre audience surrounding the boy.

Swarms of monsters had gathered around the performing boy.

As the performance gradually approached its climax, and the monsters silently watched it.

The boy’s face grew increasingly pale.

He kept his gaze fixed solely on the sheet music and keys, and I could sense an almost compulsive need to avoid looking elsewhere.

[Oh? You’re here?]

At that moment, a familiar voice came from the audience area. The Dark Spiritmaster, who had been appreciating the performance, naturally approached me.

“What have you been doing?”

[I-I was investigating.]

“…”

It looked like it had just been enjoying itself, so I stared at it for a moment, and the Dark Spiritmaster quickly changed the subject.

[More importantly, look at that. That child seems to be gathering all the monsters in this city.]

“Yes, it appears so.”

[And I’m not certain, but I think…]

The Dark Spiritmaster hesitated for a moment, then carefully pointed at my eyes and said:

[That child seems to have eyes similar to yours.]

In other words.

“He can see the dead?”

At my words, the Dark Spiritmaster nodded vigorously.

[That’s right.]

I slowly looked at the boy.

I became somewhat interested in the pianist who was frantically pressing the keys with a pale face and cold sweat.