C112: Rain and City (2)
Sorry for the lack of updates but I had 3 crazy days. To make up I'll release 2 chapters today and tomorrow.
The rain poured as if there was a hole in the sky and a hazy mist of water engulfed the entire city.
The boundary between the dull sky and the city collapsed. Even beyond the far horizon, it was crushed into one, as if the sky and the ground were united by rain.
Casey walked through the center of the water-covered world.
"Casey, is that true?"
Casey turned her head halfway at Betty's question, who had been following her in the rain thanks to her magic.
"What?"
"That James Moriarty is alive, and that he is now in this city."
"Yes, according to my reasoning. The timing of the activities of the people I told you about is oddly right."
"But that doesn't make sense. Why is a man of such skill walking around the world hiding his identity?"
"I don't know that."
"What? You don't know but you were so sure?"
"Betty, there's one thing my grandfather told me."
"What's that?"
"After you exclude the impossible, all that is left is the truth, no matter how absurd it may be."
That's what Serocion Selmore, a famous detective of his time, always said to Casey.
—Casey, you are a smart kid, smarter than me. One day you will surely become a great person.
Her grandfather, who sat in her rocking chair and smoked his pipe, warmly stroked her hair when she was a child with his wrinkled hands.
— So please. Make this world a better place to live.
"Rumbling."
Casey, who was recalling those memories, woke up from her imagination to the sound of thunder ringing in the sky.
"Anyway, it's like that. That's why I was tracking him. The famous hunter, the big criminal of the back world, the mercenary who ended the civil war and the worst thief. I can't let such a man run amok."
"Who is he?"
"Well, even the name James Moriarty is a pseudonym. He might have been active before that. That was the first time I'd ever met."
Casey was also curious about the man's identity but it's not his identity that matters.
The man who drove the Kingdom of Delica into chaos, the evil man who almost started a war, could not be left alone, she had to arrest him.
"So let's go. I have a reservation for a hotel."
"Wait! Can we take a carriage?"
"What kind of carriage can we get in this rain? Don't you know that carriages drawn by golems can't get into water? And in this day and age, it's hard to find a real horse-drawn carriage."
"Ugh. Annoying."
"Don't worry, the hotel is not far away."
"Where is it?"
"Kunst."
Casey glanced up at the heavy raindrops falling from the sky. The rain has weakened so it will probably stop raining by the time they reach their destination.
"There's a big auction coming up, and I've been invited."
"Is Casey interested in the auction?"
"I'm not interested in the auction itself. Originally, I needed a suitable place to stay, but they just sent me an invitation. Well, they needed the name value of a famous guest."
Kunst, run by Luke, did not attract Casey's attention. She chose it because she wouldn't have to go through the cumbersome process of checking in at another hotel.
Of course, she had another purpose.
"And there's that."
Casey smiled playfully. It was the mischievous smile she put on whenever she thought of an event to come.
"Betty, you know what? Every time there's a big event like an auction, there's always an incident."
Looking at her, who had already enjoyed the idea of an incident and solving it, Betty replied with a slight pout.
"At this point, isn't Casey just bringing the case? I'm a little suspicious."
"Oh, I'm going to go to the hotel and rest."
"Ah! Now, wait a minute! Rain! It's raining! You did it on purpose, right? Casey!"
Casey lightly ignored her.
* * *
The rain, which seemed to sweep the world away, soon stopped and the dark-clouded sky gradually began to regain its original light.
Sunlight poured down through the cracks in the clouds while I stood on the spire on the roof of the building and stared at the sight of Leathervelk.
The golden light emitted by the dying sun touches the clouds and spreads around and the water of the Ramsey River, where the rough current flows, sprayed the broken light.
Watching the magnificent appearance of the sky and the contrast of the silent city suddenly reminded me of the old days when I first met my teacher and learned about the world and he brought me around the continent and showed me the wide world.
Even then, such a beautiful sunset was falling.
I reached out my hand in the air, it's the same sky as then, but the touch is different. I was younger in the past, and I wasn't as tall as I am now. Above all, it was a vast meadow, not a city.
Where the wind ran like a wild horse and cast its footprints on the grass, where the endless Milky Way unfolded like silk at night and The sound of insects and the smell of grass that stimulated the tip of the nose. At my fingertips, the touch of silver grass still lingered in the wind.
"What are you thinking?"
Then a voice was heard.
I turned my head and Alex was coming up through an iron ladder leading up to the spire.
"I was just looking at the sky."
"Sky"?
Alex stood next to me and whistled as he watched the golden sunset over the clouds.
"It's a rare sight in a city like this. Is it because it's after the rain?"
"Maybe."
"You were looking at the sky alone in such a difficult place to climb up? Leader is more emotional than I thought."
"It sounds like you have something to tell me."
Is it because I hit the nail on the head right away? Alex looked foolish for a moment and smiled despondently.
"I just wanted to say thank you."
"What are you talking about?"
"You trusted me and didn't let me out of this operation."
"Have you not given up on her yet?"
"I don't deserve to have regrets."
Alex is usually being frivolous, but he wasn't like this from the beginning. There was a time when he also had a dream and tried to do it and Enya was the lover Alex met at that time.
"Have you calmed down?"
"Roughly."
"It should be enough not to cause a setback on the day of the operation."
"Don't worry about it. Well, that's enough of my story. I thought I'd talk about my colleagues first."
Talk about his colleagues? Rudger already expected that. Each of them was a talented person full of personality and strange abilities that he gathered through his personal connections.
They say they get along well with him, but there's no guarantee they'll get along with each other.
"Especially the big one."
"Do you mean Pantos?"
"What's wrong with him? He almost messed up!"
"But didn't it work out well?"
"It was barely enough because I used leader's name. If I hadn't acted properly there, I would have already been caught."
"It can't be helped, I'm the only one he decided to swear allegiance to. He doesn't care about others."
"Damn. There is no such thing as comradeship. He's a troublesome character."
"But Pantos is so candid and sincere. If you dig into it well, he will be a good companion."
"Oh, I don't like such a hard guy."
"I don't really hate it after saying that. What about the other people you saw?"
Alex pondered my question with his arms crossed and came up with an answer.
"Everyone is first class in their field but their personalities are a little weird."
"Does it include you?"
"It's the same for leader."
Alex responded to my mischief with a joke.
"And you know that guy named Hans."
"Yes."
"His ability to gather information is first class, but I feel a bit disappointed."
"There would be no regrets for doing more than the role he was given."
"That peculiar constitution, the power to turn into a beast will surely be of great help in battle."
I was wondering what he was talking about, but was it because of that?
"As you know, Hans avoids fighting. That's his nature."
"You mean he's a coward?"
"Are you a coward?"
I nodded, brooding Alex's retort.
He wasn't wrong.
"Yes, he's a coward. He has that kind of power and he prefers to avoid fights. So he kept running away until he met me."
"Well, I thought he's pretty strong when I saw him turning into a beast."
Alex's senses were keen.
In fact, when Hans transforms into a beast the strength of the body is close to the level of a hard-trained knight. If he uses the teeth of a more special beast, he will become even stronger.
"Even if he doesn't fight, Hans is doing his part well enough. It's none of your business."
"Well, that's not a big complaint, I'm just a little disappointed. It's a pity to rot with that power."
"You don't have to look too negative. One day, there will be a time when Hans will be determined."
"Really?"
"Maybe."
I stared over the horizon at the sun that was gradually fading.
"Maybe soon."
"Is that just a hunch? Or is that reasonable reasoning?"
"Which side do you think it is?"
"Well, if I had to say it, I'd say it's a hunch. Oh and the kid named Arpa."
When Alex thought of Arpa he was confused.
"Something is strange."
"What do you mean?"
"It's just. Should I say it's his actions, or should I say he gives off a heterogeneous energy? Well, it's obvious that leader brought him in, but he's a little……."
Alex glanced at me and asked.
"What was he doing?"
I didn't answer the question and turned my back.
"Let's go down. We have to prepare for the operation."
"Ha. You're not going to tell me until the end?"
"It's a way to figure it out on your own."
"That's too much, really."
"Isn't it boring if I tell you everything? Don't be impatient. You'll find out gradually when you work together. That's the fun of life."
Alex shook his head as if he had lost.
* * *
Time went by quickly, and the day of the auction that will make Leathervelk noisy has come.
People dressed in colorful clothes head to the Kunst auction house one by one while the employees bow down to greet the guests.
Even under the dark night sky, the Kunst auction house was filled with colorful lights beyond the light of the streetlights to the point where its brilliance flows out from the outside.
This was an auction to mark the 20th anniversary of Kunst. The auction, which will last for as long as three days, was of unprecedented interest to the rich and authoritative.
Even the first day's eve people were paying a lot of attention but they were more focused on the second day.
Famous actors, aristocrats, wizards, entrepreneurs, merchants, etc. Wherever you go, there are many people who don't have a single name.
'There are a lot of people.'
Erendir, who came to the Kunst auction house under the guidance of a retainer, seemed to be drawn to the splendid scenery inside.
'Oh, my God, how much is that? If I sell that one, how many ordinary people can I save?'
Someone approached her as she thought of such nonsense.
"Third Princess Erendir von Exilion, thank you for visiting this Kunst. My name is Ivan Luke, the general manager of today's auction. Please feel free to call me Luke."
"Ah yes."
Erendir replied lightly to Ivan because she had only made a formal visit. She didn't really like people that pretended to be fancy.
However, without knowing Erendir's true feelings, Ivan Luke reached out to escort her. Erendir couldn't refuse coldly, but she decided to respond appropriately for now.
"Ha ha. Thank you for allowing me this precious time."
"……It's nothing."
"I will guide you to your seat. Would you like to watch the auction right away?"
"No. I'm a little tired today, so I want to rest in my room for now."
"Our Kunst auction house also serves as a hotel, so I'll take you to a room dedicated to VVIP."
Erendir, who followed Ivan Luke, stopped as if she had found a familiar face among a myriad of people.
"What's wrong, Your Highness?"
"……No, it's nothing."
Erendir replied, but could not take her eyes off the crowd.
'Did I just see something wrong?'
She was sure she had seen someone familiar in the crowd but it happened so momentarily that Erendir was not sure if it was real.
* * *
Rudger, who entered the Kunst auction house, communicated to the other members through a micro-communicator worn on his ear.
"This is {Unknown}. Can you hear me?"
Soon after, other members replied that they could hear well.
Rudger, who last confirmed that the silent Pantos answered "yes," gave instructions while looking inside the auction house filled with colorful lights and entertainment.
"{U.N. Owen}, let's start the operation."
Operation Rudger's 8 has begun.