Volume 2 Chapter 34 Azrael’s ‘Leap’ User
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
Kian, picking up a piece of brown hair, slowly turned to look at Oswald.
He was chuckling softly.
”It seems you have a big misunderstanding about me. Owl is not someone I like, but his judgment is quite accurate. Especially his ability to see through people is genuine. That’s why, despite his personality, he can run such a large merchant guild.”
”────”
”Kian, there’s nothing wrong with wanting status and wealth. The means by which one achieves them can be justified, and appearances can be easily managed. Using the heart of a noble daughter should not be dismissed as a method. Especially for commoners like us, noble blood is essential for rising to power.”
”Commoners, huh? I can understand that, but what about you, Sir Oswald?”
”I may have said too much. For now, we should keep quiet for each other’s sake.”
Oswald said this and turned his back to Kian.
”Have you finished collecting? Then let’s return to exploring the mansion. We need to make up for the time we’ve spent here.”
* * *
To conclude, almost all the furnishings in the mansion had a ‘scheduled for collection’ tag placed on them by the research team dispatched by Maribel’s steward.
From jars and paintings to porcelain plates, knives, forks, and even finger bowls.
Anything that seemed valuable was marked for collection without exception.
Particularly painful for Oswald and Kian was the large sign that read ‘Entry prohibited due to scheduled collection’ on the door of a room in the north wing, which appeared to be the female magician’s study.
Naturally, the two ignored the notice and boldly stepped inside, examining the bookshelves that had many books removed.
As a result, Kian found an important book titled ‘Methods to Strengthen Subjugated Ghosts.’
After discussing with Oswald, who had also found a bundle of research records titled ‘Reports on the Process of Mutation from Thorn Demon Remnants,’ they decided to each discreetly take one book, as taking too many would reveal their theft.
The two stuffed the heavy books into their backpacks and──.
temporarily retreated from the mansion.
The adventure had come to an end.
It would be best for Oswald to proceed after purchasing the mansion from Maribel’s steward.
When they stepped outside the mansion, Esther and Aisha were waiting in front of the flowerbed in the front yard, holding a bouquet and a gravestone.
”Mr. Kian! Welcome back!”
”Welcome back, Sir Oswald. You were quite late; did something happen?”
”It would be strange to think that nothing happened after hearing the Guild staff talk.”
Oswald shrugged and walked over to the two of them.
Kian took out a small leather pouch he had kept in his pocket.
”It’s hair from a ‘Leanan sídhe’. Be careful with it, as it’s only a small amount and could blow away in the wind.”
”Hair…!? Is that still around!?”
”Yeah, I found it by chance.”
”What a lucky coincidence. Did it come from the clothes or something?”
Esther said while peering into the leather pouch.
The hair inside was a small part that had been torn off due to the breaking of the contract.
From any angle, it did not look like something that had attached itself to clothing, but Esther chose not to press further, politely thanking him again, saying, “It must have been tough; thank you.”
There was no need to strictly verify whether this hair truly belonged to her mother──.
In short, it was enough for it to serve as a key item to remember her mother.
”I looked around inside with Kian, and just as the staff had said, the inside was filled with curses and bad magical power. The basement in particular was filled with evil, and some of the Night Wraiths were materializing and attacking us.”
”What?! Was everything okay?”
”No problem. Kian and I have subdued all the Night Wraiths we know about. However, I don’t think you, Esther or Aisha, should set foot inside the building yet.”
”I understand. …Um, this might be a bit persistent, but was there a room where I could learn about what kind of life ‘Leanan sídhe’ had? From what I can see of the garden, there were some benches that looked worn, so I could tell, ‘Ah, she must have sat here and gazed at the sky and the roses’ in a few places.”
With a gentle smile, Esther asked this question.
In a fleeting moment, her smile overlapped with the haunting image of the tragic scene in the basement.
Kian blinked behind his glasses.
’She shouldn’t say this,’
(I agree. That basement should be thoroughly investigated by specialized magicians, but that’s unrelated to Esther… Memories should be happy.)
Kian suddenly remembered an ancient song he wanted to chant when Aliona broke through the rain barrier.
The landscape of Azrael that came to mind at that time.
That was something precious.
Setting aside the truth of that town.
Now, Kian gazed at Esther.
”The tea set from the eastern great country of Shin was found in the dining hall. It seems she liked to have tea with it.”
”There was also a bath and a bed. It seems she lived quite elegantly.”
Oswald continued speaking at Kian’s words.
”Your father was fortunate. ‘Leanan sídhe’ certainly held a human heart.”
”I see. …I’ll have to tell my father when I get home. Thank you, Mr. Kian, Sir Oswald. Now I can remember ‘Leanan sídhe’! “
He’s sure Esther has created a story in her mind about her mother living a lonely but peaceful life.
He doesn’t know if it was right to not tell her the truth, but when he looks at Esther’s face, he feels like it was a good thing for the time being.
Oswald shrugged.
”It’s a pity that almost all of the belongings of ‘Leanan Sídhe’ had ‘scheduled for collection’ tags stuck all over them, which ruined the sentiment.”
”Haha…”
”So, should we bury the hair of the ‘Leanan sídhe’ and perform a memorial service?”
”Yes!”
”Are we really going to put it all in the grave with the leather pouch? And is it really okay to have the grave here?”
”It’s fine.”
”Should I, as the monk, take charge of this, just in case?”
”That’s right… I almost forgot you were a monk.”
”Please do, Mr. Kian.”
”Is it an Azrael-style memorial service? That’s intriguing.”
After that, the 4 of them cooperated to create a grave for the ‘Leanan sídhe’ and offered prayers following Kian’s lead.
Her soul probably isn’t here anymore, but this ceremony can be seen more as a ritual for the living who will continue to live in the future, rather than just a memorial for the dead.
At least for Kian, who had seen the state of that basement, those feelings were particularly strong.
”Goodbye, mother.”
As they left the flower bed, and Kian looked back at the grave one last time, Esther quietly whispered that.
This likely marked a temporary resolution to her feelings.
Esther could now shake off the image of her mother’s last moments seen in the ‘Labyrinth of Roses’ and return to her daily life focused on ‘The Boar’s Trot Inn.’
(Was this the base of the female magician researching mutations into vampires?)
Kian looked back at the western-style mansion.
Could that mummy in the basement have been that of the legendary Countess?
Or someone else who is not involved?
If there are records of the ownership of this building, there is a good chance that the woman’s true identity will be revealed.
(This is a direct territory of Margrave Izerland. I might be able to find some information by digging through the old land registry records at the town hall inside the keep. Oswald will no doubt look into it, so I’ll ask him about it later. If he doesn’t tell me, I’ll go to the town hall myself. Luckily, Maribel has given me a pass to go over the drawbridge at the keep.)
”Mr. Kian?”
”No, nothing.”
”…? I see. Thank you very much for today. Please have some chicken stew tonight instead of the usual diet menu.”
”I’ll think about it. Thank you”
Kian said with a smile and put his hands in his pockets.
Inside, he felt the texture of the ring buried with the summoning stone taken from that woman’s mummy.
(This time, I had managed to make Wraith-type beings my servants. In order to control them even during the day, I could turn not only Night Wraiths but also Noon Wraiths into familiars, which might serve as alternatives to crows. Though there would be a significant cost for the magic power they required as bait, and some kind of appearance modification would be necessary when exposing them to the public.)
Of course, crows also had their own merits, so he planned to continue gradually turning them into his servants in the future.
(Was the creature summoned by the summoning stone random? If possible, I would prefer a flying monster that could serve as an excellent means of transport. The best would be that vampire called ‘Burgkain,’ whom I had fought before. While there was a possibility of being backstabbed the moment I summoned it, if I could manage to make it my ally, it would become a powerful asset, and I could also uncover the truth of this mansion. The cost for bait… seemed intense…)
Well, he didn’t know the detailed summoning method, so for now, it remained on hold.
Kian concluded this and shifted his focus back to casual conversation with Esther.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
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