Chapter 65

It was a moonless night.

As we drove the carriage through the city streets, we looked back over our shoulders repeatedly.

“We aren’t being followed, are we?”

“I think we’re fine, but we can’t let our guard down.”

Inside my Spatial Storage was a substantial amount of money—12 million Marques in cash. If you’re wondering if that’s all we managed to sell tonight, the answer is no. About forty percent of our inventory has already been sold by contract; it’s just that the physical exchange of goods for cash is set for a later date. Tonight’s total sales have surpassed 200 million Marques.

We finally broke past our goal of a hundred million. Now, we can finally get that shop we’ve been dreaming of.

“I guess a high-ranking noble wouldn’t stoop to acting like a common bandit after all.”

“Yeah, maybe we were a bit too cautious.”

I’d even considered the possibility that Marquis Berlion might hire people to rob us of our goods and money, but it seems the moral compass of this country’s nobility hasn’t completely rotted away yet. I was thinking back to Baron Kammerstett—that spoiled noble we ran into on our way to the Royal Capital who caused that whole duel fiasco. Given him as an example, I figured it wouldn’t be surprising if a Marquis tried his hand at highway robbery. But the Marquis was clearly on a different level than that small-fry.

I pulled the reins, slowing the horse down a bit.

“This is it, Senpai.”

“Yeah. I’ll need to get some time off from Lady Clara and start looking for a storefront.”

“In that case, leave it to me. You need to stay by Lady Clara’s side, right?”

I wondered what he meant by that. Was he telling me to fulfill my contract as a summoned beast properly? Or did Akito catch on to the nature of my relationship with Lady Clara? I wasn’t entirely sure, so I decided not to touch that subject.

“Then I’ll leave it to you, Akito. Thanks.”

“Sure thing.”

As we rounded a corner, the scenery became familiar. If I remembered correctly, a right turn at the next crossroads would lead toward the Grossel District—the area where Juliana’s home, the Cebarai estate, was located.

I wondered what that Saint was doing right about now. Even in this darkness, did she wear the same smile she showed during her charity work? Or did she have a completely different face? The question bubbled up inside me.

Curiosity killed the cat, as they say, yet I couldn’t suppress the urge. I knew full well how dangerous this was, but…

“Is it an enemy attack?!” Akito shouted as I brought the carriage to a sudden halt.

“No, sorry for the sudden stop. There’s just somewhere I want to stop by. Could you head back first?”

“A place you want to stop by? Don’t tell me…”

I hadn’t told Akito about the Saint of Grossel yet. I couldn’t exactly go around treating a noble as a criminal without proof.

“Senpai, just because we made a killing tonight doesn’t mean you should head straight to a red-light district. At the very least, have the courtesy to invite—”

“It’s not that. It’s nothing like that.”

Seeing my serious expression, Akito seemed to realize something was up.

“Are you going to be okay alone?”

“Yeah. If I’m not back by morning, ask Lady Clara to dismiss and re-summon me.”

“Senpai, seriously, what’s going on?”

I decided I should probably tell Akito the truth. I confessed that I’d picked up a scent at the scene of the vagrant murders that was identical to Lady Juliana’s.

“No way… but… that girl is only fifteen…”

“I don’t have proof. That’s exactly why I want to confirm it. I don’t expect to find anything just by going to Grossel tonight, but…”

All I wanted was to see what kind of face that Saint wore behind the veil of a sunless night. I knew what I was about to do was a crime. After all, a thirty-year-old guy was about to go peeping into a fifteen-year-old girl’s room.

“Fine. Just please, don’t do anything truly dangerous. And make sure you keep your radio on you.”

“I will. Also, there’s a place I want you to stop by on your way back.”

“Where to?”

“Do you remember Holger, the Treasure Scavenger?”

Holger was an informant who had a lot of influence over the vagrants in the sewers.

“You mean that middle-aged man with the missing front teeth we met the other day, right?”

“Yeah. I want you to have Holger look into any connection between the Saint and the murdered man.”

“Understood. If I recall, as long as I call out to the vagrants around here, Holger will come to find me.”

I pulled a radio out of my Spatial Storage, checked the charge, and then hid in the back of the carriage to change into all-black clothing. I put on black gloves and pulled a climbing balaclava over my head, blending perfectly into the darkness. The only issue was that if it was pitch black, I wouldn’t be able to see much myself.

“Close your eyes and count to ten slowly to let them adjust to the dark,” Akito advised.

“Got it. Go on ahead.”

After confirming the carriage had pulled away, I leaned against a building wall and closed my eyes. It worked—once my eyes underwent dark adaptation, I could see much better than before. All right, time to head through the back alleys toward Grossel.

I wondered why this case was bothering me so much. To be honest, I didn’t have much of a desire to find the culprit for the sake of the murdered vagrant. I felt sorry for him, but finding the killer wouldn’t bring the dead back to life. I really just wanted to know.

How could a girl who looked that kind be a murderer? Is it even possible for a girl called a Saint to kill someone? If so, why? It wasn’t because I was a soldier in the City Guard; it was more like the urge to finish a novel I’d started reading.

If I knew it would come to this, maybe I should have bought some night-vision goggles. My next return to Earth is in two days, and I’m planning to stay for about ten hours. Since I have duties as a City Guard soldier, I’ll have Lady Clara dismiss me at 19:00 and re-summon me at 05:00. In Japan time, that’s from 22:00 on December 21st to 08:00, so stopping by a proper shop will be impossible. I’ll only be able to hit up late-night supermarkets or liquor stores.

I chose a particularly dark spot near the service gate and climbed over the iron fence. With my “Gecko Hand” skill, it was nothing. If I put my mind to it, I could easily scale the walls of the Royal Capital.

Crouched in the shadows by the wall, I sniffed the surrounding air. It was all well and good to come here, but I had no idea which room was Juliana’s. I thought I might be able to track her scent, but that seemed like it would take too long. The Count’s mansion had countless windows; checking them one by one would be a nightmare.

So, I decided to narrow my search criteria:

1. Rooms with glass windows.
2. Rooms on the second floor or higher.
3. Rooms with the curtains drawn.

Glass was a luxury item, so I doubted the servants’ quarters would have it. From a security standpoint, a noble lady’s bedroom would likely be on the second floor or above. Drawn curtains would be a sign that the room was currently in use. After that, if I pressed my nose to the gaps in the window and caught the scent of the interior, I should be able to identify Juliana’s room.

I intended to stop there for tonight. Haste makes waste, after all. Once I identified the room, it would be much easier to stake the place out next time.

I looked around, but there wasn’t a soul in sight. Luckily, it was a new moon, so even if I clung to the wall, I likely wouldn’t be spotted.

Just as I took a deep breath and placed my hand on the wall—

A hand reached out from the darkness and covered my mouth, while a blade was pressed against my throat.

“Don’t move.”

Judging by the presence behind me, there were multiple people. I didn’t want my identity to be exposed, but could I escape from this position?

“Take off his mask.”

Are these people from the Count’s house? If so, I might be in some serious trouble.