༺ S2. Resentment Wished Upon The Stars – 2 ༻
[Good morning!]
Just as Niolle was about to lift the whiteboard high since she encountered Bennett in the hallway, she hesitated upon seeing his face with dark circles under his eyes.
The eyes of a detective quickly scanned Bennett from head to toe. And then, she concluded that he had stayed up all night in preparation for any danger. Niolle wiped the whiteboard with the hem of her skirt and wrote a new sentence before lifting it again.
[Should we have set a night watch…….?]
Bennett waved his hand in refutation. Neither the Saintess nor Niolle were reliable enough, so he would have to take action himself anyway.
“No, it is fine. Did you get a good rest?”
[Yes. I slept well! The Saintess was groaning as if she was having a nightmare, though…..]
“Given that attire, I thought she wouldn’t be too bothered about such things. But it seems like she is particular about where she sleeps…….”
It was an unexpected side of her. Given that the Saintess seemed to not care about others’ opinions, he expected her to sleep soundly anywhere. Because Bennett was lost in thought, Niolle decided to ask in return.[Did anything happen last night?]
“There was. Actually, I needed your help.”
Bennett gestured for Niolle to follow him. Holding the whiteboard tightly to her chest, Niolle quickly waddled after him. They arrived at an old, run-down room located in the farthest corner of the mansion’s second floor.
Bennett turned the doorknob first, pushing the door open with his shoulders. It was as if he was expecting an attacker inside. However, the room was empty.
There must be a reason for his caution. Niolle looked around the room, dragging forth all the concentration she could muster. It seemed the room hadn’t been used for a long time, covered in thick dust. And there was all kinds of junk.
Tin buckets rolled around and a set of tools was also placed there. It seemed to have been used as a storage room.
Only in a space just big enough for one person to lie down was the dust swept away. From traces, it was likely Bennett’s doing. Had he slept here?
[Did you sleep here? There are many other rooms, though…….]
“It was a strategic position just in case of an unexpected ambush. More importantly, about what happened last night.”
Bennett forcefully opened a stiff window, perhaps rusted shut. Screeeech. With an unpleasant noise, dust fell off.
Beyond the window, the mansion’s backyard was visible. Red anemones bloomed modestly in the small garden and a hillside path led down to the city below.
At first glance, the scene was peaceful, but Niolle noticed ominous signs. Trampled footprints, leftover cigarette butts, signs of someone having sat for a long time.
Niolle mouthed the word. Surveillance?
“That’s right. Unidentified individuals were watching the mansion.”
Bennett leaned on the windowsill, looking down at the backyard as he began to recount the events of the previous night.
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#1 : Unrest in the Dead of Night
Late at night, when the world was shrouded in complete darkness beyond the dim blue, Bennett found himself unable to sleep.
He was aware that goodwill that existed in the world was as scarce as happiness.
What was the old man named Abraham’s purpose? If it was truly out of goodwill, that would be great and all, but if not, what schemes might he be plotting? Though he lay on the floor with his body at rest, his mind was still sharp and his vigilance was maintained. During this time was when it happened.
Tap Tap.
Bennett heard a sound. A small sound. A very faint sound…….only audible in the silence that allowed even the swallowing of saliva to be heard.
He carefully got up and peered out the window from where the sound came. There was a shadow of a person below. No, not just one, but two of them.
They were simply watching the mansion, doing nothing else. Without any attempt to hide themselves, they just stood there, smoking cigarettes.
Bennett considered several hypotheses. Loan sharks, debt collectors, robbers, police….. But the clues were insufficient and it was too dark to gather any other visual information.
Would it have been different if Niolle was present?
Without being able to identify the suspicious individuals, he simply watched them from the darkness. The night passed with only the occasional rustle in the silence. As dawn broke, the surveillance descended the hill and disappeared.
After confirming their departure, Bennett relaxed his shoulders, feeling the delayed onset of fatigue. However, he couldn’t rest easy, given the lingering unease and the fact that the sun had already risen.
It was fine to fulfill his lack of sleep later, when they found a safe haven. As such, he planned to endure the day by asking the Saintess for Fatigue Recover Magic.
===============================================================
“⋯⋯⋯⋯.”
After observing calmly, Niolle pointed to a scratch at the bottom of the window frame.
[I think it was a rope.]
“A rope?”
[Yes. A rope tied to something heavy…… like filling that bucket with water and tying it onto here. Then, it would be dangled. So that someone could climb down.]
“This level of height doesn’t require a rope, tho……. Right, most humans can’t use mana here.”
However, this information alone wasn’t particularly special. There was no reason for Abraham to use the rope instead of the stairs and without someone inside to lower the rope, people outside could not climb up.
[And…….a Tap Tap sound, you say?]
“That’s right.”
[Could it perhaps be this?]
Tap Tap.
Niolle tapped the window with her fingernail, producing a similar sound. Bennett snapped his fingers in admiration.
“That’s exactly right. How did you know?”
[Well, there were scratches here.]
Niolle pointed to a part of the window. It looked as if it had been poked by something sharp and hard, leaving a slightly indented scratch that glistened. Bennett found it only after turning his head this way and that.
[I need to check something. Can you help me? Hold my waist please.]
“Your waist?”
Niolle sat on the windowsill, leaning her upper body backwards.
Bennett was about to wrap……..his arms around Niolle’s waist but realized that due to her currently unique body contortion, it could lead to unnecessary contact, so he safely grabbed her by the scruff instead.
“⋯⋯⋯⋯.”
Niolle’s expression soured slightly.
But even that was momentary. Niolle leaned out of the window to examine the mansion’s exterior wall. There were signs of damage and breakage. Traces of several hooks being embedded. If it were hooks used by people, there would be no reason to place them there.
As such, the only thing that came to mind was a monster. It had strong enough claws to smoothly dig into the brick-layered exterior and likely had wings, judging from the scene at hand.
Flap Flap.
As she gestured for him to pull her back in, Bennett yanked her by the scruff. Niolle straightened her clothes and wrote her conclusion on the whiteboard.
[It seems like a gargoyle or wyvern type. It appears to have been hanging upside down, waiting above the window.]
“Has a wild gargoyle appeared then? That explains why Abraham welcomed an outsider. It would be difficult to catch a monster with an old body, after all.”
If it were a powerless ordinary person, they would have been terrified by the existence of such a fearsome monster they had never seen before……
But since Bennett and Niolle were Academy students in a fantasy world, they instead sighed in relief as if it were nothing much. Violence, combat, and monsters were only natural for them.
Thus, they ended up underestimating the danger of the upcoming event.
The appearance of such an entity was a clear harbinger. Just like how a small fire on a mountain could eventually become a wildfire that consumed the entire forest; the darkness that encroached the present signaled the descent of a much larger entity.
“Let’s go back.”
[Yes. Will you catch the gargoyle?]
“Shouldn’t we properly negotiate about that? I have no thoughts of offering free service. If Abraham wants it exterminated, he’ll have to pay for it.”
[But still, he was kind enough to house us……]
“Then you go catch it yours…….. No, nevermind. Don’t go alone. Make sure to bring me and the Saintess.”
Bennett, already seeing Niolle’s eyes shining with a sense of justice, advised her as they returned to the hallway.
===============================================================
“What the…I was wondering where you were.”
“You’re awake.”
Saintess Tara yawned lazily, covering her mouth with one hand. She was dressed in a fresh one-piece dress found after thoroughly searching Isaac’s wardrobe the previous night.
Though it was on the slightly tighter side, it was a stark difference in modesty compared to her custom-made Saintess attire, which was so altered it could be mistaken to be the victim of an attempted robbery. Seeing her in normal clothes made her look like a different person, prompting Bennett to comment.
“You look much better now that you’re dressed modestly.”
“……What I wear! Is none of your business!”
“What even is the point of complimenting you…….”
“Whatever. Forget it. Let’s just go. The Houseowner Grandpa said he’s prepared breakfast.”
Sniff Sniff. At Tara’s words, Niolle sniffed carefully. Fried eggs, bacon, and toasted bread. It was the scent of a basic breakfast. She followed her nose down to the first floor with the Saintess following behind her and Bennett trailing last.
At the long wooden table in the first-floor living room, meals were prepared in separate portions for everyone. Abraham, seeing Tara come down, stiffened for a moment, then smiled genially and struck up a conversation.
“Did you sleep well? It would have been better if there were more beds……”
“No, Professor Abraham. Thanks to you, I slept quite comfortably.”
The outer corners of the old man’s eyes crinkled and pure joy twinkled in his pupils. After all, it had been over a year since he had breakfast with his daughter and unfortunately, the atmosphere hadn’t been this peaceful.
“What a relief. I tried preparing breakfast…….I hope you like it.”
“It looks really delicious!”
A warm and friendly atmosphere.
“⋯⋯⋯⋯.”
It seemed as if flowers were floating in the air between Saintess Tara and Abraham. It hadn’t even been a full day since they met… Wasn’t this overly friendly? Bennett cautiously tasted the food, worried about the possibility of poison.
Since she was unable to speak, Niolle joined in the warm atmosphere by giving a double thumbs up and expressing herself through body language. There was so much to worry about. Why didn’t she seem concerned at all? The lack of any tingling sensation on his tongue suggested there was no poison with immediate effects.
To Abraham, Bennett, gloomily shadow boxing by himself, seemed like a shy young man with a small appetite. The old man expressed his concern.
“You don’t look so well. Is the bacon perhaps not to your taste? If the seasoning is off, I can add some pepper.”
“…….No. It is more than enough.”
“You seem to have a lot on your mind. If you’re perhaps worried about not having a proper place to stay, you are welcome to stay here longer. This house is far too big for just an old man like me.”
“⋯⋯⋯⋯.”
Was this a similar case to Alexon? No, it was too early to conclude. Bennett organized his thoughts. The Walking Scanner, Niolle, had an optimistic way of thinking, but given her ability to detect strange and dangerous signs, she would obviously be cautious if something felt off.
If her abilities were to be trusted, then Old Man Abraham could be trusted as well. Maintaining a friendly relationship would be beneficial. Thus, Bennett broached the subject.
“It seems there might be a gargoyle hiding nearby.”
“……Do you also believe in such nonsense? Occult?”
“⋯⋯⋯⋯??”
What’s with that look?
Abraham’s expression was complex. Putting aside the strained mixture of sorrow, discomfort, and worry, the important point was that Bennett seemed to be regarded as someone with bizarre beliefs. It was as if he thought monsters couldn’t possibly exist.
The report had indicated that mana was used by a very few choice individuals and magic was disliked by the public. As such, he thought people knew of its existence yet society stigmatized it.
But was it that they were actually……unaware of all things derived from magic in the first place?
Saintess Tara quickly read the room and decided on a course of action. To cut ties with him. She basically made an emergency escape maneuver, implying, ‘He’s the only strange one here’.
“What? Occ? Ult? Bennett likes strange things. Last time it was something about a Demonic Sword or whatever. But you don’t need to worry too much. He’s a good……good? Kid, after all.”
“I have no intention of meddling in personal beliefs, but one must distinguish between reality and delusion. I’m saying this for your own good, so please don’t take it too harshly.”
“Yes……”
Bennett, now seemingly branded as a mentally ill patient with delusion, bowed his head. There seemed to be a significant gap between what he had read in the report and the reality here. To blend in without arousing suspicion……..knowledge was necessary.
And the most natural, least risky way to gain knowledge…….turned out to be staying at Abraham’s house. Having made his decision, Bennett spoke.
“I would like to impose on your hospitality a bit longer. Elder. I will pay you back adequately in the future, so…….”
“You do not need to worry about something like that. Just having company by itself is pleasant. A house this big filled only with silence feels like being thrown into the middle of space, you see. I’d like to avoid that feeling.”
“Then I shall take up your offer a while longer, Professor Abraham!”
As Bennett signaled that they should ‘stay here a bit longer’, Tara also joined in with a bright smile. And so, the trio came to stay at Abraham’s house.
***
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