The Nightless City (4)
What the hell is going on?
I threw on my clothes and opened the door. The cool morning air swept across my cheeks the moment it swung wide. Without wasting a second, I strode down the corridor and descended to the first floor to take stock of the situation.
“M-Milord! Wh-what in the world is happening here?!”
The man who looked to be the innkeeper stammered, unable to hide his panic as he demanded an explanation. A middle-aged man standing with his hands clasped behind his back stroked his goatee and answered for him.
“We received word that the thief who stole the treasure Lord Jang planned to display yesterday is hiding in this inn.”
Here?
There hadn’t been the slightest disturbance when I returned and went to bed. I leaned quietly against the wall and scanned the room.
Almost no one was out on the first floor, yet the people who were present kept glancing nervously at one another, the air so thick with tension it felt frozen solid. Had the sudden intrusion paralyzed everyone? I kept my mouth shut and continued observing the unfolding scene.
“In our inn?!”
“Correct!”
Hiding in this inn? That black-clad intruder?
I replayed the memory from last night—the way the figure had snatched the treasure and vanished in an instant. If nothing else, the cat-like grace with which he’d landed and disappeared had left a strong impression.
But why would he hide in this particular inn? What was here that made it worth the risk?
…Did that mean the culprit who stole the book was one of the guests?
At this rate I was no different from those kid detectives who stumble into murder cases everywhere they go. Why this inn, of all places? And more importantly, how had they even tracked him here?
The black-clad man had seemed to shake off his pursuers in the blink of an eye. There must have been some special method of tracking.
“B-but we haven’t accepted any suspicious guests!”
“Are you accusing me of lying?!”
“N-no, that’s not—”
The innkeeper waved his hands desperately, face crumpled in distress. It was only natural. Once a search began, business would be impossible for days. For an innkeeper, this was a bolt from the blue. Still, when a high official gave an order, refusal wasn’t an option. He would have no choice but to nod in the end.
“Therefore, have every member of your staff and all the guests come out at once!”
“Y-yes, sir!”
What a pain.
Since I was already caught up in the mess, the fastest way forward was to resolve it quickly. I finished descending the stairs and stepped fully into view on the first floor.
“And who might you be?”
All eyes turned toward me. I removed the bamboo hat I’d been wearing and answered.
“Just a traveler who stayed the night.”
“A colored-eye foreigner…?”
First time seeing one, huh? Of course it was. Spotting someone like me in the heart of the Central Plains was like plucking stars from the sky. In a coastal trading city it might be different, but in the inland regions it was exceptionally rare.
The sheer physical distance made such journeys nearly impossible in this era. Only through a chain of coincidences could someone like me end up here.
“There’s no need to worry. I speak the language of the Central Plains fluently.”
So please put away that xenophobic look. You’re making the exact face people back home make when a foreigner asks for directions. There’s no need to be that afraid. Anyone who’s made it this deep into the Central Plains should at least be capable of basic communication.
“A colored-eye foreigner who speaks our language well… Could you be the Blue-Eyed Lion?”
“I am.”
There was no reason to hide it, so I answered honestly. It was convenient to have a name that carried some weight. Even as a foreigner, a degree of recognition made acceptance easier.
“I never imagined I’d meet the Blue-Eyed Lion in a place like this…”
The goateed man stared at me with open curiosity. Meeting me here must have been quite the surprise.
Whatever. I wanted to get straight to the point.
“Could you explain what’s happening?”
“Haven’t you heard? Lord Jang’s treasure was stolen. In case of unforeseen circumstances, the Thousand-Mile Tracking Scent we applied to the treasure led us here. That’s why we’ve brought soldiers to search the premises.”
The man kindly laid out the situation for me.
“You’re saying the thief is hiding here?”
“That’s correct.”
Not fled, but hiding? Something felt off. I tucked the budding questions into the back of my mind and spoke.
“Truth be told, I spotted the black-clad figure last night and even shouted. I find it hard to believe he’s hiding here.”
“So you were the one who raised the alarm.”
“Most likely.”
There had been some commotion after all. It seemed someone had heard my voice.
“Ahem… In that case, returning to the main issue—you will cooperate with the investigation as well. It is an exceedingly valuable treasure. If we fail to recover it, Lord Jang will be most displeased.”
I agreed at once. I had no interest in resisting and complicating matters.
“I’ll cooperate.”
“My thanks.”
The gratitude was half-hearted at best—more likely relief that I hadn’t made his job harder. I crossed my arms and turned away. There was nothing immediate for me to do.
I should wake the others first.
“I’ll go rouse my companions.”
I climbed the stairs and opened the door to our room.
“Lord Wi, what’s the matter?”
“They say traces of the thief who stole the treasure from the night market last night have been found in this inn.”
“Hmm…”
Elder Baek unraveled his lotus position with a distinctly pained expression. He seemed to have grasped how badly twisted the situation had become. The rest of the party wore similar looks as they began dressing.
We weren’t high officials, after all. To the authorities we were ultimately no different from ordinary civilians. There was no point in creating friction. The best course was to cooperate fully and end this quickly.
“I’ll go wake Hye-ryeong.”
“Do that.”
Elder Baek nodded, giving me a strange look.
What was that about?
I set the question aside and headed for the room where Hye-ryeong was staying. When I reached her door, I called out carefully.
“Hye-ryeong?”
“Mmm…”
“Hye-ryeong, time to wake up.”
“Ugh…”
Still lost in dreamland? Or was it my imagination that she seemed to grow lazier with every mile we traveled? I sighed and listened to the footsteps approaching from the other side of the door.
The steps drew nearer, and the sliding door opened.
“Uncle… what’s going on…?”
“…Hye-ryeong, fix your clothes.”
Your shoulder is completely exposed.
“…Ah!”
Startled, she hurriedly adjusted her slipping garments, face flushed with embarrassment. An awkward silence stretched between us for a moment.
“…Things have gotten complicated. Get ready and come downstairs.”
“…Okay…”
Hye-ryeong turned her gaze aside and answered in a tiny voice.
“Thank you all for your cooperation.”
The goateed man—who had introduced himself as Mong Podu—first addressed the gathered guests and staff on the inn’s first floor. For someone from the often heavy-handed government forces, his gentlemanly demeanor was surprising. He continued.
“Women to the left, men to the right. These individuals will examine your bodies.”
“The Tang Clan…”
The Sichuan Tang Clan?
That Sichuan Tang Clan?
Why were they here? This wasn’t even Sichuan territory. If the Tang Clan had come personally to assist, Lord Jang had to be far more influential than I’d imagined. Though how someone that powerful had left his treasure so poorly guarded was beyond me.
We obediently split into two groups and waited for the inspection. From behind Mong Podu, a male and a female martial artist stepped forward. They approached us and began sniffing the air.
The bizarre examination continued. After a while the two martial artists quietly whispered into Mong Podu’s ear. He listened, nodded, then turned to us with a troubled expression.
“So it won’t be caught so easily.”
It seemed none of us carried the tracking scent. Did that mean we were cleared of suspicion for now?
Mong Podu apparently realized this method wouldn’t yield the culprit. He instructed the two Tang Clan experts to continue following the scent’s trail, then addressed us again.
“If any of you visited the night market last night, please raise your hands.”
I lifted mine immediately. It looked like they intended to start by questioning those who had gone out.
“Those who raised their hands, step forward. I need to hear exactly what you did last night.”
Naturally. Taking statements was crucial.
“Blue-Eyed Lion. Since you were the first to discover the black-clad intruder, please give your testimony first.”
“Understood.”
“The rest of you, please wait in your rooms. My men will call you in turn.”
I sat down across from Mong Podu and studied him.
Hmm…
I really felt like a suspect in a mystery novel now.
“Should I simply give my statement?”
“No. Before that… I have one question.”
The atmosphere shifted.
It was a familiar pressure.
The government soldiers closing in around me.
I looked at Mong Podu as the soldiers moved into position.
“Blue-Eyed Lion, why is the Thousand-Mile Tracking Scent on your body?”
…What?