The Closing Act
As I followed the quack fortune teller Yuria into the tea lounge, an unexpected face was waiting there.
A flawless business suit, complete with a perfectly knotted tie. Three swords fixed to a mechanical sword rack, paired with sunglasses. And to top it all off, pink highlights in her hair.
She looked exactly like what she was—a sword wielder.
“……Huh?”
“We meet again, crow-head.”
It was Violet, the partner who had assisted me during the request I received from the ‘Lord of the Flies’ while wearing the mask of Lord Bernier. She had fought alongside me against the Uptown mages.
The fact that she had shown up at this exact moment told me a great deal.
“What the hell are you doing here?”
I asked, genuinely baffled. Hotel Snark was arguably the most illegal place in all of Guild City.
And yet here was a sword-wielding officer from the Sword Watch—the very organization tasked with upholding the city’s order.
“What do you think I’m here for?”
“Did someone finally piss you off enough that you want a blade planted in their back?”
I spoke in a tone that suggested I wouldn’t be surprised either way.
At first glance, the Sword Watch, who operated in the light, and the guests of Hotel Snark seemed as incompatible as oil and water. But in reality, things weren’t quite that simple.
“Request? Do I look like the kind of person who would ask someone to stab another person in the back?”
“Hmm. Now that you mention it, I guess you wouldn’t need to ask.”
“Just so you know, I prefer to stab people from the front, fair and square.”
“……”
I slowly turned my gaze toward the elf Yuria, who was sitting quietly beside Violet.
“So, what does she have to do with our—”
The moment I opened my mouth, I hesitated. How much of the truth should I reveal in front of a third party?
“You may speak freely in front of Lady Violet. She will be assisting us.”
“……Assisting?”
“More precisely, she is part of the compensation for this request.”
Violet pulled out a thick bundle of documents from her coat.
So she really is here to make a request.
“Weren’t you just saying you didn’t come here to get someone stabbed in the back?”
“Who said that? Just shut up and listen.”
Ignoring my jab, Violet continued.
“Upon completion of this request, the City Council will promise you protection under a Geas Pact.”
Her voice dropped lower.
“Even if the source of that threat… happens to be a Curator from the Black Museum.”
At that point, I frowned.
Wasn’t that threat already resolved by becoming Lord Bawry’s disciple?
─ The most reliable way to escape that situation is to become Lord Bawry’s disciple.
Was that not enough? That was when it happened.
V.
Right where Violet couldn’t see, Yuria boldly flashed two fingers in a victory sign. The moment I saw it, my blood pressure skyrocketed.
Who the hell do you think you’re messing with? After causing that massive disaster, what the hell are you so proud of—
I almost lost it, but then I realized. It wasn’t a V for victory. It was the number two.
Don’t tell me the new threat is…
Those bastards again?
Insight Success!
“Ah.”
A sound I really didn’t want to hear rang out. And it didn’t stop there.
Oh, this person possesses an insight level that would even satisfy Lord Buddha. Thanks to the constant use of Insight at every opportunity, you have now acquired the trait 「Insightful Mind」!
Insightful Mind
Advantage on Insight rolls
‘…….’
It was a trait that couldn’t possibly be bad. In fact, I should have been grateful for it. Yet I found it incredibly difficult to suppress the foul thoughts rising in my mind.
Getting two death flags planted on me by Black Museum Curators was far beyond the realm of simple bad luck. On top of that, my relationship with Uptown had taken an irreversible nosedive.
My standing in this city had reached the point where I was practically standing on the edge of a blade. And honestly, it was all self-inflicted.
“I feel like I’m going to get cancer.”
“Don’t worry. Cancer treatment is also included in the Geas protection clause.”
“Wow, what an amazing service.”
I grumbled dryly.
“So, what’s the actual request?”
After venting, I focused on the matter at hand. Nothing had changed. I still had a job to do as a contractor at Hotel Snark.
“It’s the ‘closing act’ of what we should have finished that day.”
“……Closing act?”
“Take a look at the documents.”
I silently accepted the papers she handed over. The moment I read them, I frowned without a word.
“You’ve got to be kidding me.”
“As I said, I didn’t lie.”
Violet chuckled.
“If things go well, it’s an incredibly peaceful request where no one gets a hole in the back of their head.”
“I hear a dog barking somewhere. You’ve got some unexpected tastes.”
“You caught me. How embarrassing.”
I thought to myself, completely dumbfounded. And I had every right to be.
Issuing Authority: (REDACTED)
Recovery Target: The soul of the corpse splicer Dr. O'Neil
In case of emergency, replace with a minimum of two of the following memory storage organs:
Hippocampus, Temporal Lobe, Prefrontal Cortex (PFC)
The closing act of what I should have finished that day. The word “coincidence” didn’t even begin to cover it.
Still, up to this point, none of it was particularly shocking.
Recovery Location: Uptown, Street of the Ancient Moon, Secret Mansion owned by the Haunting Family
The Five Great Families…
And of all of them, the Haunting Family—the soul binders. I could roughly guess why that particular name had come up.
I had killed Dr. O'Neil that day. But in this world, death wasn’t the end. If death truly were the end, places like Ghosttown wouldn’t exist, nor would professions like mediums.
And now they wanted me to go back into Ghosttown and screw over one of the great families again. At this rate, not only would my favorability with the Uptown factions hit rock bottom, it would probably drill straight through the floor into the basement. But at this point, worrying about favorability was the least of my concerns.
Considering the danger of where I was about to go, I needed to worry about whether I would even come back alive.
I remained silent for a moment. That much I could accept. The real problem came next.
“All of that sounds fine, but where’s the guarantee you won’t stab me in the back the moment this request is over?”
“……”
I’d seen this exact scenario in spy movies countless times. This was precisely that moment.
“Separate from the request’s compensation, I demand a separate Geas Pact.”
“Ho. You’re sharper than you look.”
“What, were you actually planning to stab me in the back?”
“No. I simply like how perceptive you are.”
Violet smiled coldly, as if none of this surprised her.
“Far too many people in this city—even those who pride themselves on being the wisest—place far too much trust in Geas pacts.”
I couldn’t care less.
“For example, the most reliable way to carry out the ‘absolute protection’ of a Geas is to eliminate the person being protected.”
“……”
“If there’s no one left to kill, then that would be the ultimate protection, wouldn’t it?”
The best way to solve a problem… is not to fix the problem, but to remove the problem itself.
Now I was starting to care.
“Well, you don’t need to worry too much. The priestess sitting beside me will vouch for that part.”
“This quack?”
“Ahem. Hm-hmm.”
“Watch your mouth, crow-head.”
Violet snapped back with unusual heat.
“This person is a priestess of the lake from the proud Isle of the Golden Apple, and—”
“That’s quite enough, Lady Violet.”
At that moment, the elf Yuria cleared her throat and cut her off.
“It’s all ancient history now.”
“But, Priestess…”
“I am grateful for your sentiment.”
Seeing how her ears had turned strangely red, it seemed she still had some sense of shame after all.
“As promised, I will act as the mediator and witness for this request, guaranteeing trust between both parties.”
“There is no one in this world more trustworthy.”
Watching Violet declare that so confidently, I couldn’t bring myself to speak.
Yeah, I’m pretty sure she’s the least trustworthy person in the world.
“And rejoice. You’re in luck.”
“What now?”
“Another person—the most trustworthy in the world—will be helping with this request.”
“……What?”
With yet another unbelievable statement, Violet stood up. I glanced at Yuria sitting beside me, then followed Violet as her eyes directed.
“Whoever it is, I’m sure they’re trustworthy. As trustworthy as the person sitting right here.”
“Exactly.”
“……Ahem. Hm-hmm.”
Every time the words “trust” or “reliable” came up, the elf’s ears grew redder and redder, practically turning into beets. We left her behind and continued on.
* * *
The communal cemetery district located past the slum housing area of the Lower District—the Crossroads of the Dead.
“Oh my, we meet again. Future big shot.”
“……We meet again.”
“What? You two know each other?”
It was the occult shop Hillhouse, which had helped me when I first entered Ghosttown.
“We can drop the ‘future’ part now. You’ve become a proper big shot.”
Sitting in front of her crystal ball, the medium Adina smiled lazily.
Her skin was deathly pale and dark. Even with her hood pulled low like a fortune teller, one feature couldn’t be hidden—her sharply pointed ears.
“From what I hear, Yuria caused quite the massive disaster, didn’t she?”
The dark elf medium Adina giggled with clear amusement. Violet tilted her head, not understanding. I, however, did.
“Yeah. A truly massive disaster.”
“That girl’s problem is that she sees too well.”
Adina smiled meaningfully. Her tone was casual, as if she knew that elf very well.
“The Eye of Prophecy is better off being a little clouded.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about, but I’ll keep it in mind.”
I played along appropriately, and Violet cut in.
“……Pardon me, Priestess of the Lake.”
There it is again.
Priestess of the Lake
“There’s no need to explain every little thing, Lady Violet. I already know why you’ve come.”
“I see.”
“And seeing that the ‘guide’ has returned at just the right time, it seems luck is truly on our side.”
Guide. The dark elf medium added as she spoke. Hearing that, a chill ran down my spine.
“Guide? You don’t mean for this request…”
“What, were you planning to walk into the Haunting Family’s mansion on your own two feet? Well, I won’t stop you.”
Adina asked as if it were ridiculous. Of course she was right. I immediately understood. The only stressful part was the identity of that guide.
At that moment, Violet frowned beside me and added, unusually heated.
“……The guide. You don’t mean that piece of trash, do you?”
“He may not look it, but his skills are first-rate.”
And then, as if on cue, a voice rang out.
“Who’s calling who a piece of trash?”
Two small, glowing wings. A radiant aura scattered beautifully like a fairy’s… and then came the long hippie-style hair, the scruffy beard, and a deep male voice that left everyone dumbfounded.
“Yeah, well said. Which cute little mortal brat said that? I’d like to see their face. I’m a real man fairy who can tolerate insults about my mom, but not about myself.”
“Who else? I’m talking about a piece of trash fairy like you.”
Violet shot back, and the fairy didn’t seem like the type to let it slide.
They say watching a fight is the second most fun thing after watching a fire.
I leaned back comfortably, mentally preparing to eat popcorn as I watched the two of them argue.
“……Huk. Is that you, sister?”
“That’s right, you piece of trash.”
However, my expectations were spectacularly wrong.
Because the druggie fairy had answered more politely than ever before.