CH 181

“Wuh…”

I woke up to the sound of something running around the room in a hurry, thumping and scratching.

…I’m still sleepy.

“Can’t you let me sleep a little longer…”

“Kyu!” (Shion)

Shion, who was running around, looked back like he cried, “Rejected.”

I haven’t been sleeping much at night lately because I’ve been woken up by that ‘thing’ you know.

I got up from the bed and opened the wooden window to check outside.

The position of the sun means it’s almost noon… I guess my sleeping hours are getting out of whack…?

I’m not sure if I’ll manage to adjust the time, I thought as I left the room and headed for the dining room, which was already sparsely occupied with people, giving the impression that mealtime was already over. Without much expectation, I asked the lady behind the counter who was preparing the food, “Do you have anything?” She said,

“You’re too late. Wait for lunch!” (Auntie)

The kitchen makes a lot of food and donates the rest to the orphanage in the back of the restaurant. So, the food is taken out of the dining room after a certain time. By now, the food is probably already in the orphans’ bellies… But still, you see, there might be something leftover! Not that there’s anything left behind.

“So, you see. No more food!”

“Kyu!? Kyu!” (Shion)

“Ow!”

Shion came out of my hood and scratched my neck.

Your wildness is back! …I mean, this kid understands my words pretty accurately, right? Is my kid a genius?

“Just kidding, just kidding! Let’s go eat outside.”

While stroking Shion’s head, I walked out of the Clan House.

Well, I was originally planning to go into town today.

Heading west from Clan House, the goal was to find the mansion that was located at the end of the underground passage.

There should be something in that house… No, there has to be something there. The only clue to the series of events is the mansion, and if the clues are cut off from there, I wouldn’t know what to do next.

Until yesterday, I was thinking of leaving this ring with Mimi-san, but now I’m thinking of going along with this ring—with that ghost.

I want to find out what that ghost—what she was thinking when she appeared in front of me.

“Well… if only I could.”

The house is so big, that it is certain that the town’s most influential people are connected with it. If that is the case, it could be a little more difficult. If this situation leads to a confrontation with the authorities, then I will have no choice but to back out of this case.

As I continued westward along the boulevard, I gradually began to see more and more large and well-constructed buildings, giving the area an upscale feel. Groups of men wearing the same armor, probably soldiers, were patrolling the streets, and in that sense, the atmosphere was different from other areas.

While browsing the stalls and checking the stores along the road, Shion’s stomach was almost at the limit of its endurance when I spotted a building that looked like the one I was looking for.

A two-meter-high wall stretches into the distance. Behind it was a three/four-story mansion. From a quick glance from the outside, it seemed larger than the Clan House. The Clan House also has a training ground within its premises, but this one is bigger than the Clan House’s.

The characteristic triangular roof that I felt through [Magi Location] late at night seems to match the mansion in front of me. There should be no mistake about the location and the size of the mansion.

“Wow…”

I look around and look for a store that looks nice.

A general store. A store with an armor sign. A store with a sign that I don’t recognize. And then, a shop that emits a strong smell.

“Kyu!” (Shion)

“Well, Shion seems to have reached his limit, so is there any place near I can go to?”

It’s almost noon.

“Hey, welcome!” (Stall Owner)

“Two skewers for now, please!”

“Got it! One silver coin!” (Stall Owner)

…that is a bit expensive, isn’t it? Five copper coins for a skewer… These are the most expensive skewers I’ve ever seen. I wonder if the price differs depending on the area?

I received a skewer with mystery chunks of meat on it from the stall owner and ate it with Shion.

The meat is tough but has a strong flavor. It was probably the first time I had ever tasted it.

“By the way, do you know who owns that big house over there?”

“That one there? That’s the Lord’s.” (Stall Owner)

“The Lord’s…”

The worst possible person I could have expected was living there.

I believe the lord of this town is the Duke of Schumer. The Schumer family is one of the three dukes that rule the Republic of Canadaira, according to the information in the history books I have seen before, in other words, one of the highest authorities in the country.

This… is getting to be a very bad situation. We may have to be very careful from now on… No, is it really safe to keep getting involved in this matter in the first place? If I sneak into the Lord’s mansion, I can be executed in an instant if I make a mistake.

Cold sticky sweat runs down my back. The taste of the skewers, which was delicious, has now become tasteless.

I found myself back in my room at the Clan House. The scenery peeking out of the window was turning a shade of deep red. It seems that I had come back thinking about various things since then and had been pondering on the bed as it was. Physically speaking, I’m already feeling hungry, even though I just ate a skewer a few minutes ago. It’s a strange feeling.

“Shall we go get food?”

“Kyu!” (Shion)

I went out of the room and headed for the cafeteria, where I found Cyrus-san and Seam-san like always, and took a seat beside them.

“Hey! …What is going on with you?” (Cyrus)

“You look pale! Have you seen a ghost?” (Seam)

“Hahaha… well, there have been a lot of things going on.”

It seems that it was on my face and both of them pointed it out to me.

I mean, it’s probably just a coincidence, but that’s about right!

After that, I ate dinner while talking about the golden dragon and other small talks, and I tried to talk to them at the right time.

“By the way, what kind of connection does the clan have with the Duke of Schumer?”

“Why are you… you suddenly want to talk about complicated things.” (Cyrus)

“Well, I’m just a little bit curious…”

Was it a little too out of place? But this is something I’d like to hear from someone right away…

It’s not normal to have a hidden passageway connecting to Lord’s mansion inside the Clan House. There must be some story there.

“I don’t know the details either, but it seems that the previous generation Master was on good terms with the previous duke. I heard that the Clan House was given to him when he founded the clan.” (Cyrus)

“So that’s it…”

The predecessor is Borok-san. In other words, Borok-san was on good terms with the previous Duke.

I knew he wasn’t just some guy, but he was actually close with the duke, and he founded a clan, isn’t that he a super big shot!?

…But was it originally a villa from the Lord’s family? If so, it’s not surprising that there is a hidden passageway connecting to the lord’s mansion.

It’s not surprising, but how does that connect to the ghost? I have yet to find out.

“The Duke’s house… what the heck…”

“Hmm? Are you interested in the Duke of Schumer? You should have met one of them Rook.” (Cyrus)

“Eh?”

Have I ever met one of the Duke? Here? Someone like them.

A person who is well-mannered and has dignity… I see!

“Mimi-san!”

“No, I get why. That person… well, she’s is also a big shot, but she’s just a maid here.” (Cyrus)

If they say so, I see… But there’s no one here who looks like such an aristocrat.

Looking around the cafeteria, there are only busy working ladies and adventurers who are drinking and laughing like “Gahaha!”.

Maybe the Auntie in the dining hall is someone working behind the scenes.

“Dalita, Dalita. Have you ever met?” (Seam)

“Dalita…?”

Oh, I know her. Isn’t she the woman who beat up the guy on the street the day I came to town? Well, we met, and she greeted me when I entered the Clan House, right?

… No, she’s not at all what you’d expect from an aristocrat!

When I recall it, I think that Trisun-san, who was next to her, had some elegance and had a different atmosphere from the other adventurers.

“The Schumer family has always produced warriors, so they are a little different from other nobles. It’s rumored that the former Duke, the current Duke, and the next Duke are all strong.” (Cyrus)

“I see.”

And so, I gathered information from the two of them.