It didn’t feel like I’d slept for that long, but as I descended the stairs, I could sense a considerable amount of activity coming from the first floor.
It seemed the restaurant was popular not just with lodgers but also with outside guests.
“Ah, Mr. Virette. I hope you found the room to your liking. Are you here for a meal?”
The hostess, who had been sitting at the counter, greeted me warmly.
She tilted her head slightly at the sight of Baglos following behind me, but didn’t say anything in particular.
“Yes. Do you have a table for the two of us?”
“Of course. Right this way.”
She personally led us into the dining area.
The restaurant was quite large—bigger than I’d expected.
Then again, the entire first floor, aside from the entrance, counter, and stairs, was being used for dining, so it was no small operation.
Though there were a few empty tables, most were occupied, and every table had drinks and what appeared to be roast duck dishes laid out.
“Please have a seat here.”
She guided us to a relatively good spot.
It was a bit separated from the others, but not tucked into a corner, and thanks to a nearby candle, it wasn’t dark either.
“Today’s recommended dish is roast duck. It’s coated with a special sauce made by our chef and baked in the oven—it’s been popular with the other guests.”
Indeed, judging by how no other dishes were on the tables around us, it seemed wise to go with the recommendation.
Though, I wasn’t sure whether it was truly the chef’s pick or just the only thing they had available at the moment.
“Then please bring us about four servings.”
“Four servings? Mr. Virette, we offer generous portions for one serving. There’s really no need to order that much.”
She seemed quite proud of that fact.
I gave her my most polite smile and said:
“Please just bring them. My friend and I here, we eat a lot—more than we look.”
She gave a resigned nod at my words.
“Understood. If there are leftovers, we’d be happy to store them for you, so don’t hesitate to let us know.”
After she left, I stared quietly at Baglos, who had taken the seat across from me.
He wore his usual blank expression, but to me, there seemed to be a faint sense of anticipation in his eyes.
“Did you ever have proper meals up in the mountains?”
“No.”
“Not even once?”
“No.”
In fact, his way was much more efficient.
Unlike meals, that method could sustain him for up to three days with just one use.
“But you could have grilled meat over a fire at least, right?”
Baglos isn’t picky about taste or ingredients.
So if he had wanted to, he could have roasted a wyvern or other creatures.
He didn’t even need to worry about poison.
“Eating alone isn’t enjoyable.”
I already knew that line.
It was what Lowell had said to him the first time Baglos ate with us.
“Yeah. I get that.”
The sun always has a way of guiding those who’ve lived in darkness—no matter where they are.
After a little while, a server brought out the food and placed it on our table.
The amount was indeed substantial, enough to understand the hostess’s earlier concern.
If I’d been alone, one serving definitely would’ve sufficed.
But Baglos showed no sign of being overwhelmed.
He quietly picked up a piece of roast duck and brought it to his mouth.
In fact, for Baglos, this amount might even be a little lacking.
I reached out and took a bite of the meat myself.
Just as the hostess had said, it tasted quite good.
The slightly spicy and sweet sauce had soaked into the meat well, and the texture was excellent.
Baglos didn’t show much on the outside, but I could tell he liked it too.
“So, does that mean the intel gathering is almost done?”
“No.”
Right.
Another misstep.
“How far along are you, then?”
“I’ll be contacting some informants and other assassins soon. Among them, someone should have the information we need.”
“But there’s no guarantee they’ll just tell you, right?—No, never mind. Forget I said anything.”
There’s no way someone would refuse Baglos when he asks.
And even if they did, he’d take care of it.
“So what exactly are you trying to find out?”
“The current state of the high assassin guild. And the whereabouts of the guy who attacked you.”
I picked up another piece of meat and took a bite—not because I was particularly hungry, but because I was trying to think of a question that wouldn’t get me another one-word answer.
“The guy who attacked me… do you know him?”
“Yes.”
“Is he a well-known figure?”
“Yes.”
“What for? Is he particularly skilled?”
Now that I thought about it, I hadn’t really been hit during the attack thanks to the embedded barrier.
But the speed he’d shown when he dealt with the Grendels had been pretty impressive.
“He’s notorious in the field for his excessive theatrics and bizarre personality. As for skill, last time I saw him, he was about mid-level. Not sure if he’s improved since or if the guild’s evaluation standards have changed.”
So his reputation stemmed more from his personality than his abilities.
That madness in his eyes had been way over the top, even for an assassin.
“What’s his name?”
“Playwright Raje.”
Playwright, huh. I’d expected something more dramatic, like Mad Hatter or The Maniac, but his alias was surprisingly tame.
After that, we continued our meal in silence.
I had more I wanted to ask, but realized every question would probably only get me another “yes” or “no,” so I decided to stay quiet.
Once we finished eating, we returned to our room.
As a side note, the look on the hostess’s face when she saw the completely empty plates was quite something.
“I’m heading out.”
“You said you’re meeting those assassins soon. Why not rest for today?”
“No. Thanks, but I’m fine.”
Must’ve been part of the memory imprint.
Baglos’s tone was far too perfect.
He transformed his appearance once more, and the young boy’s form disappeared.
“So when will you be back?”
“By breakfast.”
He opened the window and leapt out, vanishing into the darkness.
I slowly walked over and shut the window, then took a crystal out of my pocket.
Good thing I remembered to ask him the time.
We stayed in the town for about two more days after that.
Aside from meal times, Baglos was usually out gathering information, while I spent time wandering the city or reading with Ropena in Denatel’s study.
It had been a while since I’d come to a city, and though there was a sense of freshness, I didn’t really have anything in particular to do.
And the more I walked around, the more the scars from the last great war became visible, which left a bitter feeling in my heart.
Slums.
Entertainment districts.
Back alleys.
Those places were always filled with pain, but there were no solutions there—no enemies to defeat.
All the clothes in my bag were ones I’d worn before, so aside from buying a new set of clothes to avoid raising Baglos’ suspicions, I hadn’t done much of anything in the past two days.
“So, are we leaving now?”
“Yeah.”
The information Baglos had gathered was quite specific, though it didn’t immediately lead to the whereabouts of that red-haired man—Raje, was it?
Baglos said that was a good thing, and I agreed.
It meant the likelihood of the information being false was lower.
Still, with what we’d gathered so far, we could narrow down the next area to investigate.
Apparently, the man currently maintained a close relationship with a high-ranking leader of the High Assassin guild.
This leader was involved in a power struggle with another leader in the city of Feltecheru and its surrounding areas.
So if we investigated that region, even if we couldn’t reach the man or his contact directly, we’d definitely be able to get more detailed information.
“Alright. Then I’ll meet you there.”
“Yeah.”
Baglos once again slipped out through the window.
We could’ve left together, but unlike me—who needed to travel to a place where Eril could safely land—Baglos could get to the destination much faster on his own.
Besides, even if I arrived early, I wouldn’t have much to do except kill time at the inn.
“Please take care. I hope to see you again someday.”
I expressed my gratitude to the innkeeper and the boy for their service over the past few days, signed the check-out ledger, and left the inn.
There was even a pleasant little back-and-forth when the innkeeper tried to refund part of the fee for the unexpectedly early check-out.
Just like she said—if I ever returned to this area, I definitely wanted to stay here again.
I slowly made my way toward the city gates.
Baglos had already left, and there was no need for me to hurry after him.
But I had to leave while the sun was still up.
Trying to exit the gates after sunset would just complicate procedures, and in the worst case, I might have to bribe the guards again.
Of course, this time I had plenty of Pels in my coin pouch, including change from buying clothes, so I wouldn’t have to hand over silver like when I entered.
But this wasn’t about money—it was about principle.
Once I passed the gates and put some distance between me and the city, I called out to Eril.
“…?”
But there was no response.
I tried the summoning spell again, just to be sure—still nothing.
She should’ve known I was about to summon her.
And she had no reason to refuse the call.
It wasn’t a broken contract or anything affecting her life force—if it were, I would’ve felt it.
But that didn’t mean nothing had happened to her.
Symbols appeared in the air—black runes spread around me, followed by glowing red ones.
Soon, a flaming circular portal opened in the air, and a pool of black liquid appeared on the ground.
This was the first time I’d attempted a dual summoning since the last war, but luckily, my instincts hadn’t dulled to the point of failure.
From the flaming portal, red-eyed creatures with bat-like wings poured out in swarms.
From the black pool emerged strange and ominous shadows—grotesque monsters that looked like a cross between a decaying crow and a human, with patches of rotting fur.
Those red eyes belonged to the demon scouts known as Red Eyes.
The grotesque monsters were Puppet Crows.
Usually, Puppet Crows are familiars used by witches as messengers or guardians.
I had brought them under my control after we eliminated the black witches’ coven in Antorls.
“Find Eril.”
At my command, the Red Eyes and Puppet Crows scattered in all directions.
The Red Eyes were swift, but the large and slow Puppet Crows didn’t seem particularly suited for scouting.
Still, their vision was just as valuable.
Puppet Crows—grotesque monsters modeled after Mugin, the divine raven that once served the gods.
The ancient witches created them, and their dead eyes could see not only the present but fragments of the recent past as well.
They couldn’t pinpoint an exact moment, but even glimpses of the past were incredibly useful for tracking.
The search continued for quite a while.
It wasn’t until sunset that we finally found traces of Eril.
In the eyes of a Puppet Crow, I saw her flying—her trail heading toward the Forest of Evil, specifically into a deep ravine within it.
Half of the summoned Red Eyes and a few Puppet Crows had been sacrificed by monsters during the search, but that was expected.
Puppet Crows are relatively strong, but Red Eyes have almost no combat capability.
They weren’t particularly suited for scouting a place like the Ancient Forest, which is crawling with monsters.
Some casualties were inevitable.