Midnight Cuckoo (10)
Someone was floating in midair at the entrance to the kitchen. To be precise, they'd gotten snared in Beldra's Curse Rope. That spot served as both the passage to the kitchen and the direct path to the counter. Black, glossy strands stretched out in all directions, weaving into a tangled web of intersections. The one with their neck caught in the curse rope thrashed about but couldn't make a sound. They looked just like a spider—no, like some unlucky bug trapped in a spiderweb. As if the curse's spider might come crawling along the threads at any moment to mummify them, the victim flailed their limbs desperately. But no human in this world could sever Beldra's Curse Rope. Not even the strongest warrior; once caught, their only hope was the mercy of whoever cast it.
"Release the curse, Idi."
Hearing my voice, they struggled even harder. The more they did, the tighter the ropes constricted, until finally they gave up entirely and went limp. Idi traced intricate hand seals in the air, and the Beldra's Curse Rope gradually thinned, snapping one by one. The freed figure thudded to the floor.
"Guhk..."
I approached slowly from behind.
"Get up."
They scrambled up on all fours and turned toward me.
"Wha...? What...?"
Terror-glazed emerald eyes looked up at me, damp with fear. A foot-long ear poked out from reddish hair tinged with a flush, drooping limply downward. It was a half-elf guest staying at the inn.
"I'm sorry... I'm so sorry...!"
The half-elf dropped to their knees, fumbling at my shoes and bowing until their forehead touched the ground.
This guest had been sitting in the corner of the hall late into the night again today. Seeming to want to drink alone without drawing glares like last time, I'd left them be and gone upstairs. But what had possessed them to head behind the bar?
"Step aside, Bertrand..."
I flinched at the eerie aura and turned to see Idwild standing beside me, staring down the half-elf. The source of that chilling, spectral energy was the black object in her hand. It resembled a shard of shattered glass—glossy and dark—known as a curse fragment, a weapon favored by black mages for rare brawls. Sharp enough to slice through marble tables like cheese, and the wound burned flesh like searing agony. Best avoided at all costs. Clutching such a vicious blade, Idwild glared ominously at the half-elf's crown.
"What were you trying to do?"
"Cut off their hand... They're a thief..."
Her gloomy voice dredged up memories of Idwild's true nature—the one I'd almost forgotten. The black mage who casually slit the throats of vagrants for her Sansa amulets, stuffing shrunken heads into her bag without a second thought. She picked targets no one would mourn, deeming it problem-free. An innocent evil born of ignorance: orphaned young by her cursed body, self-isolated from society, oblivious to common morals and humanity. To her, killing wasn't sin—it was necessity. Life at the inn, with its basics secured, had softened those edges, but Idwild was still a black mage at heart.
Idwild crouched, pressing the curse fragment to the half-elf's wrist. Pale as death, the half-elf froze like a mouse before a snake, helplessly watching the black blade draw near.
"Stop. We don't even know for sure yet."
The fragment halted just shy of skin.
"But sneaking toward the kitchen in the dead of night..."
"Back off. Even if they are a thief, punishment's for the courts—not us."
"Fine..."
The curse fragment slithered into her sleeve and vanished. The half-elf gasped out held breath, pleading wretchedly.
"Hah... Forgive me... Show mercy to this worthless wretch... I beg you..."
They crawled forward on their knees and began licking my shoe like a dog devouring food—tongue lapping greedily. My shoe gleamed with half-elf saliva in seconds.
"Don't do that."
"Please... Please..."
I tried stepping back, but they clung to my ankle, hanging on desperately.
"I'll do anything you command, just..."
"Anything I say? Then stand up. That's an order."
They staggered to their feet at my firm tone. Curse-rope welts stood out vividly on their exposed skin.
"Let's talk."
I sat them at a table, then took the opposite seat. When Idwild moved to sit beside them, I waved her to my side instead. The half-elf trembled uncontrollably, speechless. Pitiful, but I couldn't just let it slide.
"You tripped a curse trap using black magic."
"A... curse...?"
The half-elf clutched the red marks on their wrist, face on the verge of tears. But resignation settled in as they muttered,
"A cursed wretch like me getting cursed... What's the difference..."
"This isn't some vague hex. Black magic is the real deal..."
I jabbed Idwild's arm to shut her oblivious rambling.
"We set the trap to preempt the thefts plaguing the city lately. Even the bakery downtown got its whole counter cleaned out."
The half-elf nodded vigorously to show they were listening.
"So you can guess how we see you right now, yeah?"
"You... think I'm a thief..."
"Let's cut the bullshit. Why try slipping into the kitchen at this hour?"
"I'm sorry... I'm sorry... Just kill me..."
They banged their head on the table in atonement.
"Quiet down... You'll wake the other guests..."
Idwild drawled slowly, without real malice.
"Killing's not my call anyway, and theft isn't a death-penalty crime."
They stopped at my words.
"But whether you actually intended to steal? That's crucial. If not, we'd be framing an innocent."
Simple reason I hadn't dragged them to the guards yet: once handed over, this half-elf couldn't defend themselves properly. Even innocent, their pride—in that oppressive atmosphere—might keep their mouth shut. I didn't want a guest at my inn railroaded like that. Better to verify here first.
"So explain yourself."
They stared at the floor, stammering,
"Everyone went upstairs... I was drinking alone... Grateful for the innkeeper's kindness to a lowly thing like me..."
"Skip the fluff."
They bowed their head and continued.
"After finishing my beer and snacks, as I stood to leave... I suddenly wanted to repay the innkeeper's mercy..."
Their gaze drifted to a tin mug rolling on the floor.
"So... I thought I'd quietly wash and tidy my dishes... That's why I snuck toward the kitchen... I'm sorry... I'm sorry..."
They tried headbutting the table again; I caught their forehead.
"Sudden urge tonight, huh...?"
Idwild chimed in after hearing it all.
"If that attitude's your real self... You'd have done it from the first night the boss left you alone, right...?"
Her slow words made the half-elf's big green eyes dart around.
"But these past few dawns, your dishes and mug were always there... Why tonight...?"
"I... I knew sneaking into the kitchen uninvited would be rude..."
"Your prepaid stay ended today, though..."
This airheaded black mage remembered that? Impressive. Her casual bombshell set the half-elf's hands shaking.
"Gonna claim you meant to 'repay' before leaving...? Or pull a big score on your last night and bolt...?"
Idwild drawled on indifferently, heedless of their feelings. From the listener's side, that plodding bluntness felt downright terrifying. Sure enough, the half-elf stared at her like a condemned prisoner eyeing the gallows—then flung themselves off the chair, sprawling flat on the floor.
"I'll confess everything...!"
"Yelling'll wake the guests..."
Idwild scratched her head.
"Back in the chair. Explain if you have something to say. Even if you're a thief, we won't punish you privately."
"No... Let me stay like this... It's more comfortable... Always has been..."
I sighed and let them. They straightened up primly on their knees. In that groveling pose, the half-elf spoke.
"I'm Marim... From Lenditofte... As you see, a half-elf... Father was the elf..."
Figured. If the mother had been elf, they wouldn't be kneeling here—they'd be thriving in some deep forest elven village.
"Lenditofte's the half-elf settlement, right? What brought you all the way here?"
Half-elves clustered together against human discrimination, scraping by. Lenditofte was a prime example—backward, remote. Near the Teinyvic Valley woods, supposedly, though I'd never been.
"Yes... A place crawling with things that should've never been born..."
"Essentials only."
"Ah... Yes... Sorry..."
Marim ducked their head and went on.
"I... chased my little sister here..."
"Little sister? Explain."
Marim hesitated painfully before opening up.
"My little sister's... a thief..."
"Gasp..."
Idwild drew a soft breath.