The Marbles Stolen from the Tower (1)
“What was stolen?”
“That’s the dumbest thing I’ve heard all year. What lunatic would touch anything belonging to the magic tower unless he had a death wish?”
Unlike the skeptical murmurs around him, events were already moving with alarming speed.
Mercenaries came running, hauling fencing on their shoulders. They blocked off the passageways and threw together a makeshift barricade.
“Effective immediately, this workshop district is under lockdown!”
“Don’t try anything stupid and head back, all of you! This is an order from the magic tower!”
The mood was turning ugly.
“What in the world is this supposed to mean?”
“I’ll be filing an official complaint with the magic tower!”
“Do what you want. We’re only following the client’s orders.”
And it wasn’t just one place.
The mercenaries, scattered in all directions, took up positions and began shoving passersby back inside.
Lawrence hurried to Workshop No. 14.
“Sir Fourteen.”
“Thirteen? You didn’t even make an appointment today, so what brings you here—”
“This isn’t the time for that.”
At Lawrence’s grave tone, Fourteen opened the door.
“They say some marbles were stolen.”
“What did you just say?”
“Someone stole the marbles meant for the statue.”
“……”
Had he not expected that?
Fourteen blinked at him, utterly blank.
“Are you certain?”
“The mercenaries have sealed off the area around the tower. They’re setting up posts and fencing. By now, I doubt anyone can get in or out freely.”
“Heh. And who in the world would do such a thing…?”
“If one marble could turn a man’s life around, wouldn’t that be enough to make someone do anything? If you’ve got nowhere left to retreat, I think plenty of people would be tempted.”
After all, these were marbles prepared by the magic tower itself.
Since they were to be used for the statue of Leahno, the tower’s first lord, their quality was almost certainly top-tier.
If he had to guess, they must have been worth a small fortune.
“It’s not that simple. This isn’t the marketplace; it’s the magic tower. Most of the people gathered here are magicians. Do you really think people who live and die by pride would stoop to petty theft?”
“If they were on the brink of death, wouldn’t they do anything?”
“No. A magician would rather starve to death than give up his pride.”
“……”
For once, Lawrence found himself speechless in the face of that certainty.
“This is troublesome. If the marbles really were stolen, a full inspection is going to begin at once. In matters like this, the first response is the most important. You should be careful as well. Weren’t you just planning to leave the workshop district? If they begin an investigation, they’ll check the people who are trying to leave first.”
“Don’t worry. I’m not the culprit.”
“I know that. Still, this isn’t only about the marbles, is it? Well, you’ve only just arrived, and I doubt you’ve got anything worth worrying about. But if you do have something suspicious, I’d recommend getting rid of it right this moment. You don’t want to get dragged into some ridiculous mess for no reason.”
Something worth worrying about.
As Lawrence thought it over, his face suddenly stiffened.
He had remembered the thing tucked away in his bag.
The Key of the Spirit World might be able to slide by unnoticed.
The problem was the vestment.
Everyone knew the relationship between the magic tower and the Church was poor.
And what if, at a time like this—when a marble theft had just occurred—it became known that a pilgrim of the Church was hiding his identity inside the workshop district?
There was no need to say more.
He’d be branded the culprit in an instant.
Whether he was actually the thief or not wouldn’t matter. None of that would matter.
It was the worst possible outcome he could imagine.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
Back in Workshop No. 13, Lawrence began to pack up his things.
Not that he had much to pack. Aside from the things that originally belonged in the workshop, everything he owned was in the bag.
He took out the bag he had buried underground just in case.
Then he carefully wiped it clean with a wet cloth.
When he checked the contents after such a long time, nothing seemed out of place.
The vestment was there, of course, and so was the Key of the Spirit World, quietly waiting for its owner’s hand.
Every so often, as if it wanted to break free of its suffocating seal, the thing inside would twitch, but the disturbance never lasted long.
What should he do with this?
Lawrence’s eyes, fixed on the bag, were clouded with worry.
He could leave it hidden where it was.
Still, the place wasn’t nearly good enough to fool anyone else’s eyes.
It had been a shallow thought.
Traces left underground weren’t the sort of thing you could hide just by wanting to. Once a proper investigation got underway, the fact that something had been buried in the floor would be obvious at once.
What now?
Would it be better to get out of the workshop first?
No matter where he hid it, somewhere outside would be safer than here.
Maybe burying it beneath a tree would draw less suspicion.
Beyond that, nothing came to mind.
You couldn’t trust a single magician in the magic tower.
That included the Fourteen he’d become acquainted with.
And the magicians in the workshop district were even less trustworthy.
In the daytime, there were too many eyes.
Maybe nighttime would be better.
Though he had no idea whether there would be enough time for that.
Lawrence’s bad feeling proved correct.
The moment he came back up with the bag, someone knocked at the door.
“Is Number Thirteen there? We’d appreciate your cooperation.”
The owner of that rough voice was unmistakably a mercenary.
His decision came quickly.
Lawrence hid the bag inside his robe and opened the door.
“What is it?”
“Good day. We’d like to ask for your cooperation.”
“What kind of cooperation?”
“You haven’t heard? A thief has appeared in the workshop district, and the magic tower has issued orders in connection with it.”
He needed to buy time first.
While he did, Lawrence’s mind moved at full speed.
“This is the first I’m hearing of it. The magic tower has issued orders? Where is the magician from the tower?”
“He did come, but he isn’t here right now. We’re short-handed, since we still need to check the other workshops.”
“Then bring him here with you.”
Lawrence shut the door.
There was a note of alarm in the mercenary’s voice.
“This makes things difficult. We’re here under orders from the magic tower. If you refuse to cooperate, we’ll have no choice but to use force.”
“Use force? Are you saying you’re planning to enter a magician’s workshop without permission?”
“No, but look at the situation. If you keep acting like this, it’ll only make us suspicious that you’re hiding the thief.”
“Then let me warn you. If you try to force your way in, I’ll blow that handsome head of yours clean off.”
“……”
No answer came right away.
After a brief pause, the mercenary chose his words and spoke again.
“Let’s not make this harder than it has to be. I understand that Number Thirteen is upset. But what can we do? A thief has appeared, and we need to catch the culprit.”
“Now, that sounds reasonable. But what you’re really saying is that you intend to turn every workshop upside down, isn’t it? What lunatic magician would agree to that?”
“I promise we won’t lay a hand on Number Thirteen’s belongings without cause. We’ll only confirm whether there’s a thief or not, and whether any stolen items are being hidden.”
“My answer is the same. Come back with a magician from the magic tower, and I’ll open the workshop door.”
Lawrence didn’t answer the knocking again.
Instead, he checked the situation outside through the wooden window.
The full inspection was not being carried out for his sake alone.
Workshop No. 14 was in the same situation.
Even from here, Lawrence could hear his irritated voice carrying as the man clearly had no intention of opening the door for the mercenaries.
The other visible workshops around them were much the same.
The mercenaries who had been turned away at the door grumbled among themselves.
What kept them from cursing outright was probably the simple fact that, one way or another, magicians were frightening.
At least he had bought himself a little time.
Sitting on the edge of the bed, Lawrence brought both hands together and stared at them.
What should he do?
How should he handle this?
Honestly, showing them the workshop wasn’t a problem.
He had buried a target board in the space where the bag had been hidden.
If anyone asked what it was, he could simply say he’d been collecting trash to throw away.
The problem was the bag.
Once the workshop inspection was over, they’d certainly start checking personal belongings too.
The Key of the Spirit World might somehow slip through.
After all, this was the magic tower.
It would be harder to find a magician who didn’t own at least one spellbook than one who did.
But the vestment was different.
Lawrence’s thoughts grew tangled as he stared at the bag.
Should I just burn it now?
It hurt to even think it, but maybe that was the only way to avoid trouble later.
No. Burning only the vestment wouldn’t solve the whole problem.
He’d also have to get rid of the holy grapes he had packed with it.
And the black Holy Cross, the pilgrim’s token.
Even the holy water tucked into his belt would have to go.
If he wanted to avoid suspicion, that was the only sensible thing to do.
And yet Lawrence couldn’t bring himself to do it.
Burn it?
How could he do that?
The boy couldn’t ignore the feelings tied up in those things.
Chief Priest Ignatius had personally requested them from the Holy See.
The vestment had been blessed by a priest named Benetict, whom he had never even met.
The black Holy Cross had been given to him so it would help him on the pilgrimage.
The holy water had been prepared by Yerina, who had told him to take care of himself.
He didn’t want to throw all of that away over something like this.
“Number Thirteen. I’m from the magic tower. Please cooperate.”
Lawrence stood up.
When he opened the door, a magician from the tower was standing in front of the workshop.
“Come on in.”
“Thank you for your cooperation.”
The magician from the tower called over the mercenaries who had accompanied him.
As if they’d been waiting for the order, the two mercenaries entered the workshop.
The one who had been waiting at the door went down to the basement.
The other checked the empty room.
The search did not take long.
There was hardly anything in the workshop to begin with.
One by one, the mercenaries reported back to the magician from the tower.
“There’s no one inside the workshop.”
“There are signs that something was buried in the basement. But it was just a pile of broken target boards.”
The magician from the tower nodded.
“Number Thirteen. Would you show me your belongings?”
Right.
That was the obvious procedure.
He steeled himself.
Lawrence pulled the items from inside the bag.
Lurizisa’s study book on letters.
The spellbooks Water and Wind.
And just as he was about to take out the Key of the Spirit World, another guest stepped silently over the threshold.
“I’ve already finished checking him.”
The owner of that soft, feminine voice was a woman.
A black-haired maid.
The same one Lawrence had seen in Rombamel and at the magic tower was standing there.
“You say a guest has already verified it? Are you certain?”
“There shouldn’t be anything suspicious coming out of this workshop. Besides, if he were the thief who stole the marbles, he wouldn’t be standing there so calmly while being searched.”
“No, but if you mention the marbles—”
“……”
Why was she helping him?
No. That wasn’t the important thing.
He had just thought of a way out of this.
“Number Thirteen. Surely you knew, didn’t you?”
At Lawrence’s composed reaction, the magician from the tower frowned and asked.
“I did. There was quite a commotion in the main street.”
“You said you didn’t know a moment ago.”
The mercenary’s face twisted.
When he pressed Lawrence on the lie, the boy answered with a cold smile.
“Why would I tell the truth to some low-ranking mercenary? If this weren’t the magic tower, you wouldn’t even be speaking to me right now.”
“What? You little—”
Act like a magician.
Even against the crude profanity, Lawrence didn’t flinch.
“I warned you, didn’t I? I’d blow your head off.”
Lawrence cast a Water Ball.
When the mercenary saw the dancing sphere of water, he jerked back in alarm.
Sensing the danger in the air, the magician from the tower stepped forward.
“Number Thirteen. Allow me to apologize on his behalf. But the situation is what it is, and I hope you’ll understand. Now that a marble thief has appeared, this matter must be settled quickly in the name of the magic tower.”
“I accept the apology. That’s why I cooperated.”
“Good. If you happen to notice anyone suspicious, please let us know at once. There are many tower officials out searching nearby, so don’t hesitate to tell them as well.”
“Don’t worry. This whole mess was caused by that thief, and I have no intention of protecting him.”
“Thank you for your cooperation, Number Thirteen.”
The magician from the tower withdrew, taking the mercenaries with him.
After the intruders were gone, Lawrence turned to the maid.
“Why did you help me?”
“Magician of Workshop Number Thirteen. Name: Lawrence. Origin: Hilton Village.”
The information known to the magic tower spilled out of her mouth.
Strictly speaking, it was all written in the documents Lawrence himself had submitted.
But the next words she spoke made him stare at her.
“Currently active as a Bronze Plate mercenary. Special note: pilgrim of the Holy Cross Order. With this much information, it isn’t difficult to identify who you are. Shadow magician.”
“……”
She knew everything.
And she had helped him knowing it all.
Why?
Perhaps she sensed the question in his eyes, because her gaze drifted down to his waist.
“An adorable boy with silver hair and golden eyes. No, I suppose I should say young man now. Do you still have the young lady’s pocket watch?”
The young lady’s pocket watch.
At those words, someone came to mind.
“Are you from the Laynald Family?”
“I’m late with my introduction. Pleased to meet you, Lord Lawrence. I’m Emily, a retainer of the Laynald Family.”