Chapter 68

Since there was nothing more to ask Elke, I cautiously undid her restraints. As the rope had left marks on her wrists, Akito applied recovery magic to erase them before she could notice.

“I didn’t expect you to actually release me,” she admitted.

“Did you think we were going to kill you and feed you to the slimes?”

Elke let out a wry smile and shook her head.

“No… but I was prepared to be taken by force.”

As if we’d do that.

“I couldn’t do it. I don’t think my heart or body would respond… probably… well, maybe just a little.”

“Same here,” Akito chimed in. “Actually, I prefer being the one on the receiving end. How about you, Senpai?”

Don’t go coming out of the closet so casually!

“I think I can handle either role as long as it’s soft, but the hardcore stuff is a no-go for me.”

“So your threshold is on the lower side. I get it, we’re the same!”

“Exactly. Within the acceptable range, I can enjoy being the S or the M depending on the partner, but once it passes a certain point, I get totally turned off and hit ‘Sage Mode’ instantly.”

A loud, deliberate throat-clearing interrupted our conversation.

“I’d like to go home now, if that’s all right?”

Elke looked utterly exasperated.

“Sorry, sorry. I know it’s a bit late to ask, but if you find anything out, could you let us know? In exchange, we’ll provide information from our end too.”

Why was she looking at me like I was some kind of rare, bizarre beast?

“…Fine. 15 Titman Street, South District. The easternmost corner room on the second floor is mine. If you want to get in touch, leave a sign.”

Hearing a woman tell me where her room was made my heart flutter, despite the circumstances.

“Got it. And… shall we walk you back? It’s late, and it’s dangerous for a woman to walk alone—”

Elke’s eyes went wide before she burst into laughter.

“You’re the ones who kidnapped me and dragged me down here! You’ve got some nerve saying that. I’ll pass.”

As Elke departed and rounded the corner of the passage, her torchlight vanished into the darkness. She was gone.

“In the end, we didn’t find out a single thing about the murder case.”

The only thing we learned was that the Saint of Grossel might be getting married off to the Kingdom of Francea.

“Shall we head back and get some sleep too?”

“Yeah. But before that… Mr. Holger! Why don’t you stop hiding and come out!?”

I called out toward the dark passage ahead. A lantern flickered to life, illuminating the face of Holger with his missing front teeth.

“You’ve got a sharp nose, Master Hinoharu.”

It was just because I happened to be downwind. I’ll refrain from mentioning the “old man smell,” though.

“You heard about half of that, didn’t you?”

“Aye. I heard from me mates that you’d been spotted. Thought I’d come say hello, but you looked a bit occupied, so I kept me distance over there.”

Likely story. He was definitely eavesdropping.

“It’s probably best not to go around spreading what you heard. About us is one thing, but as for Elke…”

“Aye, ‘Shadow Knights’… that gave me a fright. Even in the underworld, there’s few who know that name.”

So Holger knew it after all. This old man really isn’t to be underestimated.

“Well, since you were listening, this is perfect. There’s something I want you to do.”

“Is it about the Saint of Grossel?”

“Yeah. I want you to find out if anyone spotted her in these sewers, and if there was any connection between her and the man who died.”

Holger scratched his chin with a reluctant expression.

“Well, I’ll give ya info as long as I get paid… but why are ya so obsessed with the Saint? It’s not like any evidence’ll turn up, and ya can’t exactly go ‘round arrestin’ a Saint anyway.”

I knew that. But since I’d already gotten involved, I simply wanted to bring the truth to light. I didn’t necessarily have any intention of judging the Saint. Judging criminals was the job of lawyers and the Temple; I was just a mere guardsman.

“Don’t you find it curious, Holger? The possibility that a Saint committed a murder?”

“Heh, well, I’d be lyin’ if I said I wasn’t a bit curious meself.”

I suppose as an informant, his curiosity was naturally strong.

“You’re like a gossip journalist chasing a scoop,” Akito remarked.

That was a fitting description. Hmm… if I ever started a proper newspaper, maybe I should hire Holger as a reporter.

I’ll have to invite him next time.

“Though, I have no intention of turning this into an article. There’s likely no evidence to be found anyway. This is strictly for my own personal satisfaction.”

“Understood. I’ll take the job. But listen, I’ve taken a likin’ to ya, so take a bit of advice: don’t dig too deep. Especially not when it involves the Court.”

That sounded about right.

If I took one wrong step, I could be the one tossed into the bottom of the sewers to become slime bait. I’d better keep my curiosity within reasonable limits.

Two days had passed since I interrogated Elke in the sewers and commissioned Holger for the job. I hadn’t heard back from either of them yet. Holger and his subordinates were keeping watch on the Saint, with orders to contact the barracks immediately if there was any suspicious movement.

Today, I was set to be dismissed back to Japan for a mere two hours.

“Are you certain two hours is enough? You may stay a while longer and relax, you know,” Lady Clara offered considerately.

Even if I went back, it would already be 10:00 PM there. Most shops would be closed.

“I’m just going to take a bath and buy some groceries, so two hours is plenty. Any longer and it would push back your bedtime, Lady Clara.”

Lack of sleep is the ultimate enemy of beautiful skin, after all. Since it was 7:00 PM here, I’d be back by 9:00 PM. The longer I stayed over there, the later Lady Clara would have to stay awake to perform the summoning.

“I have told you many times not to worry about such things. Still… a bath, is it? I wouldn’t mind a proper soak myself; it’s been quite some time.”

The barracks, of course, lacked such facilities, and even the Ansbach estate back in Ebba-berg didn’t have a bathtub.

“Where did you usually bathe, Lady Clara?”

“Two years ago, during a pilgrimage to the Romar Empire in the south. I visited what they call a public bathhouse. That country has a thriving bathing culture. It was exceptionally pleasant… I’d love to experience it again if I could.”

If only I could invite Lady Clara to Japan. I’d take her anywhere—from a neighborhood super-sento to a high-end, historic hot spring inn. But I bet Mr. Handsome would get angry. If it were just anger, that would be fine, but I was terrified he’d simply erase my existence.

I’d been discussing it with Akito, and we were determined to install a bath in the residence Shonai and Kawagoe were planning to rent. Money was no object. I planned to gather images of luxury baths from around the world, show the craftsmen the ones I liked, and tell them: “Make it look like this.”

Well, that was still a long way off.

Passing through the red door, I found myself back in Japan. I immediately set about washing my hair for the first time in a week. In times like these, the first round of shampoo barely even lathers. I gave it a thorough second wash before sinking slowly into the hot water up to my shoulders.

God, this felt amazing. A massage after a bath like this would be the absolute best. Even though I had “Golden Fingers,” I could only use it on others; it did absolutely nothing for me. What a tragic tale.

Still, I wondered if Lady Clara would be happy if I gave her a massage after a bath. I wanted to build a bathroom soon, but it would take at least several months. Was there some other way? Lady Clara seemed so keen on the idea, so I gave it some serious thought.

It didn’t necessarily have to be a permanent, “proper” bath. I could just install something temporary in our current apartment. But we didn’t have a water heater. No… wait. I had a feeling Akito could whip up some hot water. In fact, his personality was such that if I gave him a challenge like that, he’d happily research it. With a combination of fire and water magic, he could probably figure it out in no time.

The real issue was the tub itself. While they probably sold large wooden tubs over there, I doubted we could lug one up the narrow stairs of the apartment. Wait a second… what if I used a vinyl pool?

But the shops wouldn’t be open at this hour. And besides, it was the middle of winter.

No, wait—there was a shop that would be open! And more importantly, the chances of them stocking a pool weren’t zero. I jumped out of the bath and scrambled into my clothes. It was only 10:30 PM. I had an hour and a half left until my re-summoning.

“Hello? Can you talk right now?”

“I was in the middle of a bath! I ran out soaking naked to answer. Did something happen?”

I’d made him pick up the phone mid-soak. “Sorry. I’m heading out to do some shopping—need anything?”

“Shopping? At this hour? Where are you going?”

“To the Sanctuary of Bargains—Sancho Panza!”

Sancho Panza was a nationwide discount store chain.

“But it’s past ten, isn’t it?”

“How naive, Akito… the Shinjuku branch is open 24 hours!”

“!! I’m heading there right now. Let’s meet on-site!”

I’d intended to ask for his shopping list, but it seemed Akito wanted to come along.

In this city that never sleeps, perhaps there really was a phantom sun that never set. Under the glow of that sun—which felt like a giant blacklight—the “Night District” shimmered with an eerie clarity. It felt like something straight out of a fantasy.

From the window of the taxi I’d hailed on Shinjuku Street, the massive metropolis looked as though it might collapse under its own weight. Somewhere in the distance, a siren wailed like a scream.