Chapter 34 : Millennium Height (8)

“How on earth did the discovery of the extra-large holy silver get exposed?”

“…It was our oversight. Because the holy silver was so large, we had to purchase additional chemicals for compression, and it seems someone noticed at that point.”

“Well, that’s quite an interesting incident.”

It’s not like we went around announcing it, and just buying a few extra chemicals somehow led to a theft.

It had to be one of two things.

Either it was a coincidence—or we had already been under surveillance for some time.

Maybe they started suspecting back when I transported the extra-large holy silver.

Even though the exterior was marble, bringing a stone of that size to the Alchemy Guild would have been enough to raise suspicions.

“…We’ll compensate you right away.”

“Really?”

“…And we’ve already sent people to investigate, so we’ll soon know both the whereabouts of the holy silver and the identity of the thief.”

Muran’s eyes darkened.

After momentarily casting a murky gaze, Muran spoke slowly.

“…Whoever dared to cross our Alchemy Guild will pay dearly. Rest assured, we’ll return the holy silver to you.”

“No need for compensation.”

The methods to hide and move something that massive were limited from the start, but saying that after the theft felt like just an excuse.

Since I was at least partially responsible for the theft, I didn’t feel entitled to compensation.

“More than that, I’m curious about who the culprit is.”

Who the hell took my “Will of Flora Continues…!”

Just let me catch them.

I’ll turn them into jelly.

“What? Me?”

“So, Muran. Who is the culprit?”

“…We don’t know yet. But they were able to easily bypass strict magical surveillance, so it’s definitely the work of a pro.”

I stroked my chin.

“Alright then.”

“…I’ll come back once we’ve identified the culprit.”

Muran bowed again and left the inn.

I placed a pipe between my lips.

When I lightly tapped the table, Jerry snapped his fingers and lit the pipe.

“Thanks.”

After a light thank-you, I fell into thought.

I couldn’t quite understand.

A piece of holy silver even the emperor didn’t get?

Sure, it was impressive.

But it wasn’t the ultimate treasure.

If I had handed over the real Holy Grail to the Alchemy Guild, then this reaction would make sense.

That’s a treasure worth risking everything to steal.

But this extra-large holy silver isn’t on that level.

Of course, it’s special and worth stealing, but that’s not the point.

What bothers me is the speed of the response, as if they had been targeting the holy silver from the very beginning.

Something’s missing from the puzzle.

And I’m not sure what that missing piece is.

“Lady Ruina.”

At Leon’s voice, I looked up.

Leon had a serious expression as he continued.

“I’ll help you track the holy silver.”

“No, it’s fine. This is my responsibility.”

“But based on the situation, we’ll need to investigate the slums. It’s dangerous to go alone.”

“You’re mistaken. I have no intention of going out personally. Didn’t the Alchemy Guild already dispatch people?”

“Is that so?”

Leon sounded surprised.

Maybe he thought I’d rush out immediately.

I exhaled smoke toward the ceiling and moved my lips.

“Besides, the slums are dangerous, just like you said. There’s nothing to gain by stirring things up.”

“You’re right about that.”

“Let’s stay at the inn and relax for a while. Everything will sort itself out.”

I smiled.

Then Leon muttered very softly: “Something feels off…”

***

Just to be clear, I truly believed there was no need for me to act personally.

Honestly, if the thieves had stolen Kelton’s belongings, I would’ve made them pay no matter what.

But Flora?

We’d only known each other for a few days.

There wasn’t enough between us to justify losing my mind over this.

“That’s an expensive robe.”

“How do you know?”

“The fabric is high quality. Is she a merchant’s daughter?”

“She didn’t get enough education from her dad, coming into a place like this.”

Hearing the whispering chuckles, I kept walking.

As you might’ve guessed from the cliché banter, I was in the slums.

Despite telling Leon otherwise, I had come here myself.

It wasn’t that I meant to deceive Leon—but I couldn’t help it.

I laid down to sleep but couldn’t fall asleep.

Because I was mad.

What you might call delayed rage.

“Miss, what are you doing here?”

A drunken man staggered over and spoke to me.

The stench of alcohol was so strong it masked even the filth around, and I was sure he was drunk.

Even at night, with the moonlight revealing my face, he still tried to hit on me?

He had to be wasted.

I ignored him and kept walking.

He wasn’t who I was looking for.

But the drunk man approached with a lecherous grin.

“Wandering alone without an escort…”

“Hey.”

Step.

Someone walked in from the entrance of the slums.

At the sudden voice, the drunk man flinched and turned his gaze, just as he was about to place a hand on my shoulder.

The man who had entered stood in front of the drunk and quietly looked down at him.

Under that silent stare, the drunk hesitated and stepped back.

“W-What the hell?”

“I won’t say it twice. Get lost.”

At the man’s sharp words, the drunk backed off with a frightened expression.

Apparently amused, the others lying on the ground snickered, but the man gave them a quick once-over and sighed.

“Not even worth the trouble.”

“Jerry. You’re more helpful than I expected.”

“…If you thought I wouldn’t be, why did you bring me along?”

“We’re a team, aren’t we?”

“That’s the first I’ve heard of it.”

“Well, it’s the first time I’ve said it.”

“Why is it always me…”

Leaving the grumbling Jerry behind, I moved deeper into the slums.

Maybe it was because I had the big guy next to me, but no one dared to mess with us.

I clicked my tongue softly.

“This is why I told you to follow from a distance. They’re not taking the bait.”

“You’re too conspicuous to use as bait. Even in the slums, full-body burn victims are rare.”

“Well, then it can’t be helped.”

Reluctantly, I approached a nearby person.

“Hello?”

“You’ve been secretly following us for a while. Any particular reason?”

As soon as I finished speaking, the person quickly stepped on the wall and shot upward.

Clearly an attempt to escape.

But before he could kick off the second wall, a blue rope sliced through the air.

Thud.

The man, bound by a rope of water, fell to the ground.

I calmly questioned the man groaning in pain from the impact.

“This isn’t our first time meeting, is it? It’s my first time seeing you, but you seem to know me.”

“This isn’t going to work. Jerry? Use your specialty—torture—to make him talk.”

“I don’t have that kind of specialty.”

“That’s troublesome.”

I crossed my arms.

I couldn’t think of a good way to make him talk.

Sure, burning would work on anyone—but that would be overkill just for stalking.

It’s not even confirmed that this guy stole my crest.

“I really need to get a truth-detecting spell.”

“So if it turns out he’s with the ones who stole your crest, you’re not going to hesitate to burn him?”

“Of course not. I’ll just nibble a little.”

Inside the lantern, a flame bared its sharp fangs.

My baby doesn’t bite. Really.

Maybe realizing I didn’t intend to harm him, the stalker stopped fidgeting behind his back.

He must have thought that dragging it out would work in his favor.

And honestly, it was a reasonable assumption.

I didn’t want to waste time in a place like this.

“Jerry, let’s head back.”

“Already?”

“Standing around in the cold is tiring.”

I released the water rope.

The stalker’s face brightened for a moment.

He must’ve thought I was letting him go.

Not quite—he got ahead of himself.

I snapped my fingers.

Immediately, a tree shot up from the ground.

Summoning a wooden soldier, I had it carry the stalker like a ball and said to Jerry:

“Let’s head back to the inn.”

“What are you going to do with him?”

“You can see for yourself. If we take him back and feed him something warm, he’ll open up.”

“No human can eat in that balled-up state. How long are you planning to keep him like that?”

“Well, Jerry, you already know the answer to that.”

I gave him a discreet look—a signal to play along.

Apparently, Jerry understood what I meant and responded smoothly.

“I’ve already been captured for years and forced to work as a slave. I get the gist of it. But unlike me, that guy hasn’t done anything wrong, has he?”

“Then why’d he run? If he had just denied it when I spoke to him, I wouldn’t have gone this far.”

“I’ll talk! I’ll tell you everything—just let me go!”

The stalker, still in ball form, screamed pitifully.

Ignoring him, I exited the slums.

Jerry snorted at the stalker.

“Trying to negotiate terms? Still hasn’t come to his senses.”

“What are you talking about? That’s not it. I just feel bad letting him go without feeding him. He probably hurts from rolling on the ground because of me, so the least I can do is feed him for a month.”

“I’m from Ashen Blades! We’re the ones who took your crest!”

Found him—the culprit.

I listened as the stalker spilled information about the Ashen Blades.

A fairly well-known thieves’ guild in the capital—though honestly, they were closer to a gang than a guild.

To enter, you even needed a password.

Pretty hardcore.

“What are you going to do?”

“We’re going to check it out.”

Together with Jerry, I headed to the Ashen Blades’ hideout.

“…Huh?”

And blinked at the people lying at the entrance.

What’s this?

It’s not like they wanted to lie on the ground groaning, so this was clearly someone else’s doing.

Someone had beaten up the Ashen Blades’ members.

Curious, I stepped over the groaning bodies and entered the building.

Creeeak.

As I opened the door, a wave of heat hit my face.

I looked toward the center of the building.

And there, in the center—Was a man I’d seen before.

A brown-haired man holding the collar of a puffed-up guy looked at me and muttered:

“Chess?”

“Hello.”

Why was Tashia’s escort from the chess club here?

Did he get robbed too?