Chapter 75 Claire’s Father, Aide, And The Mysterious Pharmacist, Zarek
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
”Tell me more. What kind of guy is the suspect?”
”The man who called himself Zarek Fored.”
”…called himself?”
”It’s an alias. We don’t know his real name… Zarek and my father, Aide, had a very long history together.”
Then I listened to Claire’s old story. Since she’s a cool girl, she had her facts straight.
I took notes in my notebook.
- Claire first met Zarek when she was a kid. Zarek, who was a friend of her difficult father Aide, was kind to everyone at the White Lily Cafe.
- He would show up at the White Lily Cafe several times a month. She never saw him meet with Aide anywhere else except the White Lily Cafe.
- Aide said Zarek was a pharmacist. Aide would buy medicine and materials from him.
- Before Aide died, Zarek and Aide started arguing a lot.
- Even after Aide died, Zarek didn’t show up, and she couldn’t contact him. When she investigated, she found out that there was no person named Zarek Fored. The name was fake.
”I see.”
It’s like a mystery novel. A suspicious character full of mysteries. He disappeared at the same time as Aide’s death.
”But how did you confirm that it was an alias?”
”There were several letters from Zarek left behind. I went to the address written on them, but it was a fake address, and the neighbors didn’t know anyone by that name.”
In this world, the household registration system is still underdeveloped. It’s much easier for fake people to appear, compared to modern-day Japan.
”That mysterious Zarek guy is suspicious…”
”That’s right. We reported it to the police, but they didn’t do anything. They just closed the case as a death from illness…”
”Hmm…”
Aide’s official cause of death was illness, but Claire suspects that Zarek might have killed him.
However, there was no clear evidence of external injuries or poisoning. It wasn’t a clear case of murder.
But if it was the pharmacist Zarek… he might be capable of making it look like a death from illness.
”But I can’t see the whole picture at all.”
”That’s why I can only rely on you, who has connections on both the surface and behind the scenes.”
”I’ll take on the task, but I can’t guarantee the outcome.”
I’ll make sure to keep this in mind. I won’t back down once I’ve taken on the task. However, it’s ridiculous to think that it’ll take months or years to get involved.
”…Of course. If I rely on you and don’t get any results, I’ll give up.”
”Then, that’s fine. Tell me everything about Aide and Zarek.”
And so, I got my hands on Aide’s detailed profile and information about Zarek.
Zarek is around 60 years old. He’s an elderly gentleman with a mix of elf blood, tall and slender, with a slightly hunched back, always carrying a cane.
I asked if there were any other distinctive features, but there weren’t any.
”Hmm…”
I can only sigh. Considering he’s using an alias, it’s highly likely that his appearance is also fake.
”It’s hard to track him down.”
”Is that so? If you use your information network, you should be able to find something…”
”Claire, you have magical powers, but you don’t know systematic magic, do you?”
My guess was correct. Claire fell silent. If she had learned magic at a magic academy or something, she would probably come to the same conclusion as me.
”Changing one’s entire face for a long time using magic is certainly difficult. It’s not realistic. But, it’s possible to manipulate impressions and appearances.”
”……”
”You have magical powers, so you should know that magic can also be hidden. If someone is cautious enough to use an alias, they would be even more so.”
”Then…can’t we grasp Zarek’s movements at all?”
”Well, there were some points that seemed trackable. The things Aide bought from Zarek should still be around, right?”
”Yes, they’re over here…!”
I was led to a dusty storage room. There were wooden boxes filled with labeled bottles and paper bags, with dozens of them scattered around. Some were filled, while others were empty.
”The old items were thrown away by my father, but everything from just before he passed away is here.”
”Hmm, what about the police?”
”I showed them everything, but they said there were no discrepancies between the labels and contents. Also, there were no poisonous substances.”
If there was poison in here, it would be a big incident. In other words, there’s no obvious evidence of a crime――that’s what it means.
But the several items inside the box are extremely rare.
’Frozen Lizard’s Tail’, ‘Moon Moss’, ‘Fly Pirania’s Fang’
There are other rare items I’ve only seen in textbooks. I can recognize them because I studied hard with magic medicine.
It took some time, but I’ve confirmed everything. I’ll keep the necessary items with me and put the box back.
”The medicines are all ordinary ones. They’re just nutritional supplements and blood pressure regulators.”
”That’s what the police said too.”
I gazed at the small bottles I had selected.
”But this small bottle is different… it’s not something people can easily get, and I don’t know what it’s used for.”
”That means…”
”I’ll say it beforehand, it’s not poison. But if we investigate the source… we might be able to trace it back to Zarek. It’s a thin lead, but it’s a remaining thread.”
”Ah, that’s good…”
Claire seemed to have found a way forward and looked relieved. There’s still a long way to go, though.
I’ll ask Sherry about this unknown item. She probably knows more about it.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
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