Chapter 83
Translator: crow
Chapter Title: Slum District
“Uh… nice to meet you?”
It was a thoughtless remark, and the marquis didn’t think much of it either.
A disciple of the Sword Emperor using informal speech? What was the problem with that?
“I hear from my son that you saw a ghost…”
“Hmm… yeah…”
Enoch rolled his eyes at the inexplicable awkwardness and let out a sigh.
“Haah… Anyway, from what Zeke told me, it sounds like someone named Idalian is your wife. That right?”
“That’s correct.”
“I couldn’t stick around long, so I only caught the name. Idalian le Demisto. And the portrait here matches the description perfectly.”
“I… see. Idalian…”
Enoch found himself puzzled by the marquis’s complete lack of suspicion.
“You’re not suspicious at all? About a ghost story?”
“It would be ridiculous to doubt it. Why would the Sword Emperor’s disciple lie about something like that? And he’s hardly the type who couldn’t pull it off if he wanted to.”
“Oh.”
That made perfect sense.
Well, setting that aside for now. He’d been a bit flustered running into the marquis so suddenly, but now curiosity was kicking in. Just how strong was a kingdom’s marquis?
From what Lione had said, the king was nowhere near her level. If the marquis was weaker than the king, there wasn’t much to get excited about.
Kiiing—
Enoch’s senses extended gently, and at the same time, his Mind’s Eye unfolded quietly. He tried to gauge the marquis’s level, but unexpectedly, it wasn’t easy.
“Hoo.”
And that alone proved the marquis was no ordinary fighter.
‘The marquis is this strong?’
As far as he knew, dukes ranked above marquis, and the king was at the top. Did that mean dukes and the king were even stronger than this?
“Fascinating.”
The marquis, sensing something off, reacted to Enoch’s murmur. Surprise soon spread across his face.
“…No way.”
“Well, doesn’t seem like my day today, so let’s spar another time.”
Challenging him to a duel right after hearing his wife’s ghost was in the castle felt wrong.
“One question?”
“Sure, go ahead.”
“Is it true you’re the Thousand Kills Star?”
“Yes.”
“Huh.”
While the marquis pondered deeply, Enoch took his leave.
What must the husband feel, hearing someone saw his wife’s ghost? Probably nothing pleasant.
“Enoch.”
“Yeah?”
Zikfrain, who had been following quietly, spoke up with a hardened expression.
“If that ghost really is my mother, I can’t just sit back and watch this unfold.”
“What’s ‘this’?”
“I told you before. People in the city have been getting hurt by this ghost. Or maybe someone’s using the ghost as an excuse—we don’t know.”
“Right.”
“But if it’s my mother… I have to step up for her honor. It’s my duty.”
Why’s he telling me this? As Enoch stared blankly, Zikfrain gave an awkward smile.
“Truth be told, I just want to do it myself too. Anyway, that’s why I’m asking…”
He scratched his head for a moment before making a cautious request.
“Could you help me out? My dad won’t sit idle either, but you’d be a huge help for sure.”
“Sure, why not.”
“Huh? Really?”
“Yeah.”
There was no reason not to help.
“Oh, right—when’s that thing again?”
“You mean the meeting? Two days from now.”
“So we catch it within two days?”
“That’d be ideal, but it won’t be that easy.”
Zikfrain sighed and beckoned to Jatulum, who had been following silently beside them.
Jatulum bowed at the order to bolster city patrols and hurried off. Zikfrain stroked the sword at his waist with a troubled look.
“We’ll still have time after the meeting.”
“Ahem.”
At that moment, Tsukiyo let out a small cough, climbed up Enoch’s leg, and naturally settled into a piggyback on his neck.
“Such filial piety—truly touching. Don’t worry. If my dad gets involved, he’ll uncover the truth in less than two days.”
“Really?”
Zikfrain chuckled softly and exaggerated his stride as he started walking again.
“Then let’s go.”
*
The city streets were more chaotic than usual. The moment the long-held peace cracked, the residents felt it immediately and trembled in unease.
“Hey, Max. What’s going on? Why so many patrols? I even saw some knights.”
Max, out on patrol, shook his head at his neighbor’s question.
“No idea. I’m just a grunt.”
“Come on, don’t hold out on me. You don’t know anything?”
“Well… doesn’t seem like a minor thing.”
Scratching his chin in thought, Max suddenly spotted something and widened his eyes.
“P-Pilsung!”
“Find something?”
The heir to the Demisto marquisate, Zikfrain le Demisto. He was always kind to the soldiers, but his expression looked grim today.
Knowing he could get in serious trouble for screwing up now, Max snapped to attention and replied.
“Nothing unusual so far, sir!”
“Good.”
Glancing at the neighbor bowing repeatedly, Max then eyed the strangers beside the young master.
A black-haired man with a blank expression, a tiny girl piggybacked on him, and a fox.
‘What kind of crew is this?’
On closer look, the girl had cat-like ears. If it wasn’t cosplay, she was a beastkin—and the appearance of an unprecedented beastkin at a time like this made it insanely likely this wasn’t some ordinary incident.
Then, his eyes met the man’s.
“Gasp…!”
Max’s body stiffened. An inexplicable pressure crushed him. It felt like those eyes were peering into his deepest core, sending chills down his spine. Only when the man’s gaze shifted away could he finally breathe.
‘What the hell kind of glare is that…?’
The man shook his head toward the young master.
“Nothing here, seems like.”
“Got it. Thanks for the effort.”
Max saluted sharply at the pat on the shoulder.
“Yes, sir! Pilsung!”
Once the young master and his group were gone, Max gasped for air.
“Haa… haa… H-hey, mister. You haven’t done anything wrong, have you?”
“Huh? No? Why?”
“Just… don’t mess up from now on, okay? Thought we were in deep shit…”
“What’re you on about, kid?”
*
As Enoch scanned the crowds with his Mind’s Eye while walking the streets, a doubt crept in.
‘Can we really find it like this?’
Demisto wasn’t some tiny village. Checking every person with his Mind’s Eye would take time. And without gathering everyone in one spot, some might slip through.
‘Seeing the threads…’
Simply put, he just needed to find the threads connected to this incident. But for some reason, he couldn’t spot them at a glance yet.
“Zik.”
“Yeah? Oh, what’s this—nicknames now?”
“Cut the crap. Zikfrain’s too long.”
Nicknames? Enoch nearly threw a punch and clicked his tongue.
‘Come to think of it, what should I call Lione?’
Linne? Onne? Lin?
He wanted a nickname, but lacking the knack made it a real headache.
“Anyway. Where’s that spot with the damage? Better start there.”
“Oh, we’re here. This is it.”
Far from the city center, Zikfrain stepped into a narrow alley between buildings.
It wasn’t some labyrinth of tangled paths. There was no reason for such a thing in Demisto, the heart of the marquisate. At least not unless you were way out on the fringes.
So the “alley” was just a straight, narrow gap between buildings. Zikfrain stopped there and pointed at the ground.
“Here. See the stain?”
“Blood?”
“Yeah. Someone got torn apart and died right here.”
“And that’s why they’re blaming a ghost?”
Zikfrain gave a bitter smile and touched the wall.
“‘A grudge not forgotten in death, so I deliver fitting punishment.’”
“What?”
“That’s what was written there in blood.”
“Just that?”
“You can’t ignore rumors among the people. Once they spread, they harden into ‘fact.’”
Zikfrain sighed and looked at Enoch.
“So, can you find anything? Nothing left, probably.”
“Hold on.”
Enoch closed his eyes briefly. If this was the scene of the incident, threads should linger. No need to hold back on the Mind’s Eye.
Kiiing—!
The rings in his eyes spun with a vivid purple glow. Scanning the threads woven through the alley, Enoch smiled faintly.
“Found it.”
*
Enoch followed the thread. As they headed toward the city’s edge, he noticed the subtle shift in atmosphere and scanned the surroundings.
“Demisto has a slum?”
He asked, wondering why they’d leave one in a city like this, but Zikfrain nodded as if it were obvious.
“Cities grow, time passes—you can’t avoid it. We could clear it out, but that’d be too heartless, right?”
“Is it?”
Enoch nodded vaguely and stopped in front of a building.
“Here.”
“Inside?”
As Zikfrain moved to enter, Tsukiyo stopped him.
“Wait, little one.”
Tsukiyo narrowed her eyes at the building, then snorted.
“If you’re too cowardly to act openly and have to hide like this, why bother with any of it?”
She twisted her lips and stomped the ground with her tiny foot.
Boom—!
The earth rumbled, and a small hole opened where she’d struck.
“Wh-what?”
“There’s an underground space. A pretty big one, too.”
Zikfrain looked to Enoch, who nodded.
“Yeah. About half the size of the slums?”
“…This was here? In Demisto?”
Whether Zikfrain was stunned or not, Enoch peered into the hole and tilted his head.
“Somehow… it feels familiar.”