Chapter 37
Chapter 37
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: penny
Chapter: 37
Chapter Title: The Red-Haired Elder
-----------------------------------------------------------------
The old man had graying hair mixed with his original red strands, creating an ambiguous hue that was hard to describe.
That strange man from the carriage earlier, and now this... This town must have a lot of redheads.
Juliet simply thought that to herself, quietly marveling inwardly.
Just then, the people who had gone to catch the pickpocket returned from the direction of the square.
"No way, it's you, Elder!"
"Are you all right, Elder?"
The merchants from the trading company, dragging the pickpocket along noisily, crowded around the old man and made a fuss.
"I'm fine. More importantly..."
The old man, who had been leaning against the fountain in the square, prodded the captured pickpocket's collar with the tip of his cane. Miraculously, several wallets tumbled out.
"How many people's wallets did you steal?"
The trading company members were just as shocked. They dragged the pickpocket off again to return the wallets to their owners.
That left Juliet and the old man alone by the fountain, as if they had somehow missed the right moment to leave.
"You don't seem to be from this village, young lady?"
"Ah, yes. You're right."
"If there's anything I can help you with, feel free to say it."
'...Is this the moment to voice a wish?'
Just from the way the villagers respectfully called him "Elder," it was clear he wasn't an ordinary old man.
Juliet glanced alternately at the imposing old man and his cane. The description "towering stature" suited him perfectly.
In fact, when she had picked up his cane just moments ago, Juliet had roughly figured it out. The hefty cane was what was commonly called a swordstick, with a blade hidden inside.
Juliet suddenly recalled something Kane had told her.
"You can trust old mercenaries."
He often shared stories from his mercenary days, and this was one of them.
An old mercenary isn't just any old man. It's a medal for surviving on the battlefield for so long.
He might even grant an outrageous wish if she played her cards right. But Juliet settled for a realistic compromise.
"Ah, in that case."
Juliet pulled out a folded piece of paper and held it out.
Zachary Law Office.
"Could you tell me how to get here?"
*
Zachary Law Office.
Zachary was a lawyer in this small city, but his primary business was real estate brokerage.
Being right next to Carcasson, where trading company headquarters were clustered, Robel saw a constant flow of people coming and going, and short-term rentals were common.
Ding-a-ling.
"Welcome... Oh, Elder!"
Zachary lit up upon spotting the old man who entered with her.
"I'm just here as a guide, so see to the young lady first."
The old man said this while pointing at Juliet.
"My apologies. How may I assist you?"
Juliet explained her business to Zachary, who switched to a welcoming smile.
"I'm looking to rent a place. For about a week, plenty of room... somewhere not too far from the square would be ideal."
"I see. Let me check."
While Zachary meticulously reviewed the documents, Juliet glanced toward the back.
The old man who had accompanied her was lounging in the office's armchair like it was his own home, perusing the newspaper.
'A local notable?'
One thing was certain: he didn't look like an ordinary person.
Just look at Zachary greeting him as "Elder" or the trading company folks from earlier. It was a bit far-fetched, but he might even be a high-ranking figure in the trading guild.
Juliet suddenly realized she hadn't heard the old man's name.
"Conveniently, I have just the place."
Right on cue, Zachary tapped his pen, and Juliet forgot that thought.
After kindly explaining the rental terms, Zachary glanced at Juliet and asked,
"Are you affiliated with a guild, by any chance?"
"No."
Guild.
The East had its own lords who had ruled the region for generations. Like the capital, there were nobles and high society.
'They exist, but...'
The real power, though, lay with the guilds. Simply put, they were organizations that functioned as both trading companies and mercenary bands.
"I do have a guild-issued pass."
Juliet showed him the pass she had prepared in advance. It was the same ID that had proven useful on the train.
Zachary examined the pass closely.
As Juliet had said, it came with an issued permit, and enclosed were seals from two famous trading companies. She had obtained them in advance from the capital's information guild before heading north with Lennox. She hadn't realized back then how handy they would be.
"I see. All confirmed."
Thanks to those seals, Zachary didn't notice the pass was forged.
Juliet smiled faintly.
Guilds were administrative and economic communities, through and through.
And the foundation of that system had been laid by Lionel Levatan.
There was a reason why even three-year-olds in the East knew the Red King's name, if not the Emperor's.
"Lilian... Seneca? Or are you the wife?"
Zachary cautiously asked, reading the name on the pass. Juliet started to answer faithfully to her initial setup without much thought.
"I'm the wife."
"Ah, I see. My apologies.
Mrs. Seneca. So, you're here to meet your husband? If you have companions, we can add your husband's records here."
"No!"
Juliet hurriedly revised her setup.
"My husband... he passed away. Two years ago."
A side effect of hasty fabrication. Juliet's fictional husband was scrapped just thirty seconds after creation.
"Oh, how tragic. My deepest condolences. My mistake."
Zachary gave her a look full of sympathy, so Juliet reluctantly mustered something resembling a grief-stricken expression.
But it couldn't be helped. Killing off a nonexistent husband was quicker than inventing one.
"Please feel free to come back anytime with questions."
After handing Juliet over to the landlord, Rhonda, Zachary saw her off courteously to the end.
Ding-a-ling.
"A visitor in a town like this? That's rare. Isn't it, Elder?"
Zachary muttered as he watched the two women walk away.
There was no response from the "Elder," who sat in the armchair reading the newspaper.
"Still, that young wife has it rough. Widowed so early. Must have been tough at such a tender age—"
Turning casually, Zachary startled for a moment.
The red-haired old man was no longer peering at the newspaper.
He sat in the armchair like a lion, hands lightly resting on his ever-present swordstick.
"Zachary."
"Yes, Elder."
"The woman who just left—what did she say her name was?"
"Ah, that—"
Zachary fumbled briefly, then rifled through the papers to give the name of the guest who had just departed.
Lilian Seneca.
"Yes. That was the name."
The old man's face, glaring in the direction where the woman had vanished, held no trace of warmth.
**
Unaware of these circumstances, Juliet was on her way to her original goal.
Whether aware of such circumstances or not, Juliet unpacked at her lodging and headed to the village library.
Next to the library, a ten-minute walk from Robel Square, stood a mysterious ruin. It was said to be the site of an ancient temple, though exactly which god it had served was unknown.
"But there's nothing to see there, is there?"
When Juliet explained her purpose, the librarian kindly informed her.
"No one knows what it is.
It's just left abandoned."
"I see. Mind if I take a look around?"
"Sure, go ahead."
The librarian, Veronica, escorted her to the ruin's entrance and told her to take her time.
Juliet waited until she was out of sight, then circled the ruin, checking the four corners.
"It has to be somewhere around here..."
Robel housed the East's oldest temple ruins. Much like the ancient shrines scattered around the imperial capital.
"Ah."
Pressing firmly on what seemed like a corner, Juliet found soil with a slightly different texture.
Click.
"Found it."
She hurriedly brushed it away, revealing a small box-like container. Inside was a shard of mirror.
In ancient times, it was a custom to bury mirror shards to pray for divine blessings.
In her previous life, Juliet had seen Dali do something similar, retrieving temple relics like this.
With Carlyle now hunting her using holy power, she needed an object imbued with holy power to conceal herself.
It wouldn't hide her forever, but it would serve as a temporary measure. She didn't know much about holy power, but relics generally grew stronger with age.
'Come to think of it, how could Dali wield holy power so freely without being a priestess?'
Juliet gazed into the mirror shard, pondering calmly.
She had also casually revealed secrets unknown even to high-ranking priests.
'Must be because she's the Girl of Prophecy.'
Juliet carefully wrapped the found mirror shard in a handkerchief to prevent breakage and slipped it into her pocket.
Forgotten Juliet