Familiar Faces (5)
“May I ask why you need a composite sketch?”
Joanna’s gaze was laced with wariness. James’s lips twisted into a faint smirk.
“A reason. A reason, you say. How disconcerting. Unidentified adventurers volunteered for dangerous work of their own accord. No special conditions attached. Don’t you find that strange?”
“These are people who risked their lives to the very end defending Goldon. Even with serious injuries, they never once complained. All I feel is gratitude—and regret that I couldn’t do more for them.”
“Meaning you refuse to help?”
“If it might bring them harm, then no. I cannot repay kindness with betrayal.”
“Hmm…”
Even as James’s expression soured, Joanna’s stance remained firm. Knight Tren and Leonard nodded silently in support.
“Kindness. A fine word. It has a beautiful ring to it.”
Watching their reactions carefully, James leaned back against the chair. The wooden frame creaked and shifted slightly under his weight.
“Frank Goldon.”
The name of Goldon’s previous lord—Joanna’s grandfather. Before her startled mouth could open, James pressed on.
“Don’t get the wrong idea. I only mention it because I met him once myself.”
“You met my grandfather? He passed away a long time ago.”
“Twenty-five years past. Just the once.”
“Is this something important?”
“Impatient, aren’t you? Listen first.”
James’s eyes drifted toward the ceiling.
“Naturally, I wasn’t a special inspector back then. I was nothing at all.”
His voice roughened, thick with recollection.
“I’d lost my comrades. I was alone, hunted by wolves—bloodless, tearless assassins of the cruelest sort. I fled toward the frontier, thinking if I buried myself there for a few years they’d forget me. Foolish notion. They caught my trail before I even arrived.”
James rummaged inside his coat and produced a pipe. The moment he began channeling mana to light it, Joanna stepped in.
“This castle is a non-smoking zone. To prevent fires, the entire territory is running a ‘Look Twice at Extinguished Flames’ campaign.”
“Surely a little wouldn’t hurt?”
“No. Make one exception and the rules loosen. Even those who made them stop following them.”
“Hah. Very well. Rigid as they come. Just like the old lord.”
James clicked his tongue and tucked the pipe away again.
“In any case, I was in a wretched state. Hands and feet blistered, back bent double. I must have looked like a monster. If the previous lord hadn’t offered his hand, I would surely have died.”
“He helped you?”
“He did. Once I explained my circumstances, he took pity and sheltered me. Hid me in secret for six full months. Without him I would not be standing here today.”
James rose from the chair in one smooth, swift motion. Tren and Leonard flinched at the sudden grace of it.
“Grace and grudge. Among the things I value most. They turn a dull world interesting. You, my lady, are a very fortunate person.”
“…What do you mean by that?”
“That I won’t dig any further. A name and a few features will be enough to find them. Isn’t that what you wanted?”
At James’s declaration that he would track them down no matter what, Joanna’s face hardened. Yet she could hardly argue with a special inspector of the kingdom. She swallowed the words rising to her throat and simply nodded.
James watched every flicker of emotion cross her features, then turned and pointed toward the door.
“I’d like to see that prisoner you captured.”
“The assassin Delbanas sent?”
“The one the adventurer Robin caught, yes.”
“Sir Tren and I will escort you personally. Sir Leonard, please guard the office.”
“Understood.”
Joanna and Tren led the way; James followed. Under the watchful eyes of the guards, the three of them entered the underground dungeon, freshly repaired after the fighting.
“I wish to speak with the prisoner alone. No warden. Is that possible?”
“Of course. We’ll wait outside.”
“Here’s the key. Take it.”
The lone jailer handed the key to James and followed Joanna and Tren out. Only when their footsteps had faded beyond hearing did James open the cell door and step inside.
“Who’s there…”
Inside, a one-armed prisoner in rags lifted his head with effort. James closed the distance without a sound and seized the man’s face in a rough grip.
“Ghk…! Y-you bastard…!”
“Well, well. If it isn’t 078.”
Confirming the man’s features, James snorted. The prisoner called 078 stared in pure shock.
“0… 007. How the hell did you get here?”
“I wanted to kill every last one of you myself. Then some young upstart stole the kill. Infuriating, really.”
“Aaaagh…!”
James tightened his grip. In an instant the prisoner’s face flushed crimson, ready to burst.
“Twenty-five years ago. You were there too, weren’t you?”
“Mph… mph…”
“I’ve got a good memory. Spit it out. No point hiding anything now.”
078 nodded frantically. Satisfied, James released him.
“You betrayed the captain and the rest of us. Stirred up the members, split the organization.”
Blood from a fresh nosebleed already stained 078’s lips. He ignored it and pressed on, stubborn.
“I should’ve killed you that day too. Damn traitor.”
“Traitor? Can you even call it betrayal when there was never any trust?”
“You—!”
“Enough. The old stories are over. Just the finished business of dead men. Can you describe the one who caught you?”
“Why the hell should I tell you anything?”
“Because I’m the only one who can give you a way out.”
James drew a yellow bean from his coat—or something that looked like one.
“You recognize it. Quiet Repose. Swallow it, fall asleep, and your breath simply stops. Peaceful. Safe. Think of it as a courtesy to an old comrade.”
078’s eyes wavered.
His right arm had been severed long ago; brutal torture had left the rest of him a wreck. His remaining left hand was bound so he couldn’t even take his own life. The pill James offered looked as sweet as candy.
“Well? Fair enough terms, no?”
“…Fine. I’ll talk.”
“Eye and hair color.”
“Hair I couldn’t tell. He wore a hood. Eyes… black.”
“Clothes? Anything like this?”
James held out a sheet of paper. On it was drawn the exact black martial uniform the man who subdued 078 had worn.
“That look in your eyes says yes.”
James’s shoulders shook with quiet laughter.
“Impossible! So this is what destiny feels like. Everything I’ve lived for until now was for this one moment!”
Bewildered, 078 stared at him. James stopped laughing and dangled the pill before the man’s eyes.
“The man who caught you—his eyes were black too, yes?”
“They were, but… it has to be someone else. The atmosphere—”
“Stop. I’m not interested in your opinion.”
James forced the pill into 078’s mouth. Startled, the prisoner swallowed it anyway.
“Tonight. Not long now. Settle your thoughts quietly.”
With that, James left the dungeon.
“How did it go?”
“All I heard was that he wanted to die. Useless sort. The sun’s going down. One last request—I’d like to see the square where the fiercest fighting took place. May I?”
James answered Joanna’s question with perfect calm and asked for another guide.
“This way, please.”
They arrived at the square. The first thing to catch James’s eye was the well covered by wooden planks. Before he could ask, Joanna began explaining.
“It’s a dry well—groundwater never collects. A failed construction from a less advanced age. It doesn’t take up much space, so we simply left it.”
“Those planks look new.”
“Someone smashed them after the war ended. Nothing particularly noteworthy.”
James examined the well with care, then shifted his attention. He studied the shattered pillars and the cratered earth for a while before abruptly losing interest.
“The sun has set. I’ll take my leave.”
“Safe travels.”
James offered a brief farewell and departed without lingering. Tren, who had kept every nerve taut just in case, finally exhaled.
“Glad that went smoothly.”
“It’s too early to say. Nothing’s finished until that man files his report.”
Joanna was still staring at the spot James had vacated. Worry filled her eyes, revealing the turmoil within.
“Ahem.”
Tren glanced around, then took Joanna’s hand. Rough fingers closed over soft ones.
“My lady. That is beyond our power to control. Just remember we did everything we could.”
“You’re right.”
Joanna gave a small laugh and gently withdrew her hand. Tren smacked his lips in faint regret.
“Sir Tren. Let’s head inside. The night air is growing cold.”
“As you wish.”
The moment Joanna and Tren stepped into the residence, the sky darkened.
One by one the townsfolk of Goldon retreated indoors. Guards John and Eunice chattered as they prepared for patrol.
A peaceful Goldon. An empty square with no one left in sight.
Ssshk—
The scene before the well stirred.
Creeeak—
The wooden planks covering the well lifted under tremendous force.
Thud—
Something slipped through the gap.
Rumble—
The largest stone forming the well shifted aside.
“Hah.”
James dropped Floating Shadow and stepped into the secret passage he had revealed. In moments he stood before a massive door.
Clang!
One kick shattered the lock. He pressed onward without pause.
After wandering for several dozen minutes he reached a chamber containing a completely wrecked mechanical weapon.
“Ton-Granten!”
James wiped the sweat from his brow as he spoke the machine’s name. Ton-Granten—the Watchmen’s war engine. Anyone who was not a Watchman or their servant would trigger an explosion simply by boarding it. An extremely dangerous relic.
“So you knew everything too…”
The lifelong rival he had yearned for all these years already understood the truth of this world. James’s eyes blazed with pure exhilaration.
“Robin… Robin…”
He rolled the name across his tongue as though savoring it.
“Robin.”