Chapter 53
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: penny
Chapter: 53
Chapter Title: Ariete (9)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Ariete's head swam with dizzying heat.
That gaze, looking at Ms. Mila as if she were so lovable.
Master. All you ever gave me was a tiny sigh.
This is unfair.
Just as everyone has only one hometown, it should be right that there's only one place to put one's heart.
In this world filled only with the stench of sulfur, you're the only place I have for my heart, Master.
I love you the most, Master. So why does your heart turn toward Ms. Mila?
I'm younger, more beautiful, we'll spend far more time together, and I love you so much more.
Just now, I felt it again. Your body alone isn't enough to satisfy me anymore, Master.
Share your heart with me too, Master.
While Richer spent happy times with Mila, Ariete wandered the streets. She was searching for something.
'The medicine pouch Master gave me.'
Whenever she fainted and woke up wracked with pain, Master would share his pills with her.
The iron box that held those pills definitely had a small flower etched on it.
She'd thought it was the design of the box's craftsman, but that didn't seem to be the case.
Because when Ms. Mila had been baking pies, panting for breath as she pulled out her medicine to take it, the pouch she'd used had the exact same flower stamp.
A craftsman who made iron boxes wouldn't stamp his mark on paper pouches.
So that stamp must have been left by whoever made the medicine.
There would be plenty of similar flower designs. But she wasn't mistaken.
She had picked up the medicine box Master had thrown away and kept it safe. It would be such a shame to carelessly discard anything bearing his trace.
She had stared at the engraving on her treasure countless times. She could draw it perfectly even with her eyes closed.
If she could find that small flower design, she could solve every problem.
Ariete's heart pounded wildly.
Ariete scoured the capital without sleeping a wink. Her urgency played a part, but closing her eyes also conjured Master's face gazing at Mila, making sleep impossible.
She went into every clinic and apothecary that caught her eye, having them compound medicine. But she found no trace of the flower design anywhere.
On the third night, she sat on a small crate in an alley for a moment and passed out into sleep.
But not much time passed before Ariete woke. Her whole body was being vigorously shaken.
"...Anyway, it's the first time I've picked up a girl this fine."
"Like I always say, those robed types might have hidden pockets, so search 'em good."
"What're you talking about? Nothing important came from the inner pocket, did it?"
"Hood or underwear could count as inner pockets if you think big, right?"
Crude laughter echoed.
"What nonsense? Anyway, how much booze did this one down to not wake up even when shaken?"
"Who knows. But the guy who bought her the drinks must feel like the world's biggest fool. Someone else buys the booze, someone else gets the taste."
Ariete pieced together the situation through her still-groggy mind. Someone was carrying her on their back. From the sound of their banter, they were small-time alley thugs for sure.
The thought of back alleys sparked another idea. If they only left a tiny emblem instead of a shop name, maybe it was in the capital's shadows, not out in the light? Was that why she hadn't found a lead in days?
A short while later, Ariete was set down on the ground. A brief "you first, no you" tussle ensued, followed by the sound of pants dropping.
The moment the hem of Ariete's robe was hiked up, she sat up, grabbed the wrist of the man in front of her, and opened her eyes.
An empty lot devoid of people came into view, along with the two men's grotesquely jiggling members. They hadn't bothered her much as a child, but now they filled her with disgust.
"What? You're awake?"
"Tch. Missy. Be quiet and stay still."
"Why should I?"
Ariete spoke calmly, but the excited man didn't notice anything off and replied politely.
"'Cause if you're noisy, we'll choke you out or make a few extra holes and stuff your corpse, that's why. Let's have some fun and part clean."
The man drew a short dagger from his belt and showed it off. The threat was clear, but to Ariete, who'd spent her life on battlefields, it looked adorably puny.
'As long as I avoid the throat and heart, no fatal wounds.'
That made things simple.
"Got it. Wait just a sec."
Pretending to remove her robe, Ariete murmured a brief incantation, trapping the two men in a ring of fire.
"What the? Shit, she's a mage?"
"No emblem on the robe sleeve though?"
She'd heard stories like that. Capital mages wore flashy robes with embroidered sleeves even daily, to show off to others.
But Ariete wore a plain, easy-to-move-in robe. She didn't know how much running around she'd need to do to find the flower clue.
The ring of fire slowly constricted, and voices rose from within.
"Mage lady, take everything we've got! Please just let us go! Mercy!"
"No. Now I've got business with you."
"Really?"
What hope was he clinging to in this situation? The man's voice carried a strange excitement. It was almost funny. Even as the flames tightened around him, he stayed so consistent.
"Of course, not the kind of business you want. I'll ask questions. Guess right before you burn."
"Yes! Ask away!"
"Is there a place that stamps flower designs on medicine pouches?"
"Yes! Yes! I know it!"
"Where?"
"Iru Tel! Iru Tel Clinic!"
The name of a clinic she'd visited about two days ago. She vaguely remembered the name, so probably nothing special.
"Really?"
"Yes! That's it! Put out this fire! It's too hot! I'll guide you myself!"
"How many petals on the flower?"
"...Five! Five petals!"
"No. Over ten. Might buy one or two off, but the margin's too big."
"Mage lady, please!"
He'd just guessed a common shop name. Ariete ignited flames inside the ring too, cleanly incinerating the two men.
Screams erupted, but they didn't last long. Once heat filled their lungs, they couldn't cry out freely.
Ariete kept the flames going even after they quieted.
Was it hunger? The smell of roasting protein and fat was oddly appealing.
Ariete crushed their bones small and buried them in a corner.
Finally, she summoned a strong wind over the burn site. It was fairly clean now. A dark scorch mark and faint smell lingered in the lot, but they'd fade soon enough.
A bit tired, but since the idea had come, better to keep moving.
Ariete vanished into the night streets, seeking her next victim.
Ariete burned seven men, but still no solid lead.
No one who knows? Maybe the medicine came from another city?
Doubt crept in, but Ariete didn't stop, seeking her next victim. Simple reason: no other method came to mind.
If no better way appeared, keep using what worked.
When Ariete found her eighth victim, she finally got an answer close to the truth.
"I don't know the petal count!"
"Why not?"
"Too many! Never counted!"
As the flames died down, the thug bowed deeply in gratitude.
"Thank you, thank you, great mage!"
It wasn't exactly a situation for thanks. Ariete had lit the fire and extinguished it. But no need to point that out.
"Guide me there."
"Yes, understood!"
The two hurried through the back alleys as dawn broke.
They soon arrived at what looked like an ordinary house. No sign, of course, and the door was firmly shut.
"This the right place?"
"Yes! See? This the flower you meant?"
The man pointed to the door handle. A raised flower emblem was engraved there.
"Looks like you found it. Thanks."
Ariete knocked him out with a Shock spell, dragged him to a dark alley, and turned him into her eighth pile of ash. She'd buried the bones properly, so he probably left satisfied enough.
Ariete didn't enter the house right away. She went to the mage unit and collected her unpaid salary, leaving only a little and taking the rest.
She'd only worked from early autumn to late autumn, but a War Mage's pay was as generous as rumored. Seven gold coins.
The bright yellow gleam of the gold coins stirred Ariete's heart. With this much money, how much could she accomplish?
When the sun had fully risen, Ariete entered the house with the flower-embossed handle. A young man was inside.
"Who are you?"
Not the type to advertise openly, apparently. No sign made sense.
Ariete answered without flinching.
"Here to buy medicine."
"Medicine? Why come here for that?"
"I'm a War Mage. I was referred."
The man's expression shifted slightly.
"Referred by whom?"
"Uncle Richer."
"What's your relation?"
Ariete almost blurted "lover" on reflex but barely suppressed it. No good would come from saying that now.
"His disciple."
"Proof?"
Ariete showed her ID. It didn't say whose disciple, but it confirmed her as a War Mage.
She also showed her pay slip and gold coins. The man's face relaxed.
Once her identity was verified, the man dropped his caution and became a friendly merchant.
"What medicine do you want?"
"Got any aphrodisiacs?"
"Aphrodisiacs? Yes. Most popular item. Strong effect, no side effects."
"Can you add aphrodisiac to the same ingredients Master buys his pills in?"
"Mr. Richer buys two kinds. Which one? No conflicting ingredients, though."
Yes, nailed it. One powder for Mila, one pills for Richer.
"The pills."
"Got it. What strength?"
"Start very, very weak at first. So weak they won't even know they took it. Then gradually increase. Peak effect halfway through the batch."
"How strong a peak?"
"Strong enough that even seeing the woman who killed his beloved wife, he'd mount her without a moment's hesitation."
An overly specific, meaningful phrasing.
The man's face hardened.