Chapter 364: Remnants
In the Kanum Card Game Room. The four men gathered here, apart from me, are enjoying wine and snacks.
“Here is today’s agenda,” the Butler announces as he places the cloth I made for the Demon Beast Repellent on the round table where we play cards.
“This is a portable, small-range Demon Beast Repellent created by Lord Jean,” he continues. It feels like we’re about to start an auction or something.
The three of them—Dinoss, Retze, and Haulon—are all holding their heads in disbelief. Since there are more people than usual, Retze has pulled up an extra chair and is sitting diagonally next to me.
“…Jean, you do realize that hiding this means it could shake the established interests of the Temple, and that both the country and the Adventurer’s Guild, as well as the Merchant Guild, will take notice, right?” Dinoss asks.
“Yeah, I get it… sort of,” I reply vaguely.
“Stop looking away; it makes me anxious,” Dinoss says, half in tears.
But really, Ruta’s reach for swatting away flies with his tail or mouth is pretty limited.
“I heard the Butler took a larger cloth and hurried off. Before that, Ash went on a long trip—though I can’t imagine what kind of scandalous topics might come up, the talk about bugs in the Sewers is a given. You’re definitely using this as an excuse to get Ruta involved, aren’t you?” Retze hits the nail on the head, his cheeks turning red.
“Wait. Did I just leave something dangerous in a place where it could be discovered?!” Dinoss looks at me, shocked.
“Ruta? Your lover?”
“…He’s Jean’s horse,” the Butler answers Haulon’s question in a somewhat awkward tone.
“A horse… and you’re putting something whose value is unknown on him? I have so many questions about why it’s attached to such an unstable cloth, how it can be so small yet effective, and whether it can activate with just a regular Magic Stone despite its limited range. There are so many things to poke at,” Haulon says, picking up the cloth from the table.
“Well, what’s important to Jean is up to him, and it’s fine however he chooses to use it. But if it gets out, Ruta will be in danger, you know?”
Ugh!
“I’ll ask my Spirit to keep an eye out. I have a Spirit who’s good at diverting people’s attention—can I open this and take a look inside? I don’t plan on making one myself… well, I definitely want to try making at least one,” she adds.
“If only Haulon would spread the word, it would make things easier,” Retze chimes in.
“Impossible! If I made something like this, it would cause a ruckus. Even if I taught the method, I doubt a Priest could pull it off,” Haulon replies, even the Great Sage finds it impossible.
“You can look inside, but be careful; if you cut the threads in the wrong order, it’ll burn,” I warn.
“You’re cautious about that. I’m relieved.”
I feel a bit bad for Haulon, but I just wanted to try something like, “By the way, this image will automatically disappear.” However, it seems to have put everyone at ease.
“I won’t ask about the threads; figuring it out is part of the fun,” Haulon says, sounding like a bored person.
“This time, the bugs flee if you swat them away, but the ones that are asleep or causing trouble for animals are a different story. I hope the bugs disappear soon so Ruta won’t be affected,” Retze comments.
“Well, the Guild is getting involved. But when it comes to investigating the Sewers, no one wants to volunteer. It’s questionable whether throwing in someone who’s struggling financially will solve anything. If there’s an accident on the first try, they might finally take it seriously,” Dinoss says, reaching for a canape topped with marinated sardines.
“Considering it’s the Sewers, the waste is troublesome, and the escaped pigs can be vicious… The damage is subtle, not enough for the Guild to offer a fortune, nor enough for Adventurers to take it on for glory,” the Butler adds, helping himself to sautéed scallops seasoned with salt and pepper.
“That’s why the information is slow. The Demon Forest is on the brink of flooding, there are anomalies in the Labyrinth in the Fortress City, and strange happenings at the Temple… And now we have this Kanum situation, the Adventurer’s Guild is going all out, and the Lord is pouring in funds,” Retze explains, reaching for tempura shrimp and snap peas.
The canapes aside, the scallops and tempura are all bite-sized with toothpicks for easy eating while we play cards.
Maybe the talk about the Sewers has made them hungry. Meanwhile, Haulon is too engrossed in fiddling with the cloth, examining the seams and making sounds with it.
“Oh, this is delicious. The shrimp is half mashed and half intact; first, you get the bouncy shrimp, then the sweetness of the green peas comes in,” Retze says, sprinkling a bit of salt before popping it into his mouth.
I’m glad he likes it; sweet snap peas are the best.
“This time, even if it’s a Black Spirit, it seems like it’s just the remnants that scattered. If we jump to conclusions without evidence, we might end up with the remains of the Spirit that the puppet Hero devoured, which then fled into the Sewers, attaching itself to small bugs that can be easily taken over,” Retze speculates, reaching for the tempura.
He tosses a piece into his mouth and then passes the plate to the Butler.
“If that’s the case, then there’s nothing to worry about in the Sewers,” the Butler says, taking a portion for himself before returning the tempura plate and eating.
I see, that’s why Dinoss and the others are leaving it alone.
“This is delicious.”
“Absolutely delightful.”
That’s what matters most.