Chapter 75: Mr. Luca

The first morning after moving lodgings.

“Huaah…”

Whether it was because the bed quality was genuinely good, I managed to sleep comfortably despite being in an unfamiliar place.

Even though the room was different, it had been quite a while since I’d let other people stay in the same place as me.

When I came out to the living room, Deneb and Marcel were nowhere to be seen. Still sleeping? Well, looking at the time, I had woken up a bit earlier than usual.

Anyway.

‘Good thing nothing happened.’

Despite what happened yesterday, nothing had occurred at the hotel. Just as Mateo said, it seemed to be a place no one knew about except for a few relevant parties. And it looked like that Karelin person wasn’t among those parties either.

I finished getting ready before the two of them woke up. Only after I was almost done preparing did Marcel open the door and appear.

“You’re up early.”

“What about Deneb?”

“Still sleeping.”

For the record, Marcel shared a room with Deneb. Since she couldn’t share one with me. And Marcel still didn’t know Deneb was a girl. I’d wondered if she might have noticed while they were asleep, but surprisingly, there were no signs of that.

…But is that really okay?

No matter how close they are, isn’t it a bit much for a man and woman to sleep in the same room?

‘…Come to think of it, Marcel and Deneb do have an age gap.’

They’re probably close to ten years apart, so maybe it’s fine after all. From what I’d seen of Marcel’s character so far, he wasn’t bad. They say you can never know a person’s true nature, but the Marcel I’d observed so far seemed like he’d be okay. Even if Deneb’s gender got found out someday, I didn’t think it would cause any particular problems.

Especially considering who Deneb’s older brother was.

“What are you planning to do today?”

Marcel asked me.

“We’re resting today. You’re still feeling the aftereffects of yesterday’s A-Rank Gate, right?”

“…To be honest, yes. That’s right.”

For Marcel, who hadn’t been back long, even dealing with A-Rank Demon Beasts must have been tough.

“We’ve earned enough, so I don’t think we need to push ourselves unnecessarily right now.”

The payment for the A-Rank Gate had been deposited properly. On top of that, I’d received a bonus for acting as the proxy, so I could probably just laze around for a while without any issues.

…If it weren’t for the debt.

“First, I want to ask Deneb about the attackers she encountered yesterday. I was tired yesterday, so I just let her sleep…”

“Should I wake him up now?”

“No need. We can hear about it slowly when he gets up later.”

“Come to think of it, you’re all geared up. Are you planning to go out somewhere?”

“…Just, you know, scouting or something.”

“Should I come with you?”

“No. Mr. Marcel… um, could you stay here and keep an eye on Deneb and the egg?”

I was about to tell him to follow me when the egg suddenly came to mind, so I said that instead. The egg that the Demon Beasts were… whatever about. Their goal was that egg. The attackers from yesterday must have been after it too. Those bastards would keep trying to take it back.

And I felt like I shouldn’t leave Deneb alone for a while. Since the attackers seemed to know Deneb’s face, it would be better to at least have Marcel by her side.

“If anything happens, call me immediately with the Artifact. I’ll come right away.”

“Understood.”

Of course, Marcel probably wouldn’t be a match for them either. But right now, he was the only one I could trust. I wish Jihyeok were here at times like this.

‘That son of a bitch…’

I realized it yesterday when I opposed Jihyeok. As long as I didn’t reveal my identity, he would keep coming after me. Even though he knew I was his master.

If anything, revealing that I was his disciple might have backfired. That guy gets lonely pretty easily, in his own way. Maybe he’s jealous? He might be sulking, thinking Verdiol didn’t care about him and only paid attention to his disciple. That’s why he hit me for real.

‘What a grown man acting like that.’

Come to think of it, back when he and I were active, neither of us had ever been involved with women. Thinking about it now probably doesn’t mean shit anyway.

‘…If I revealed that I’m a woman now, how would that bastard react?’

He wouldn’t suddenly confess, would he? Ugh, fuck, just thinking about it gives me the creeps.

“You don’t look well.”

“…It’s nothing. I’ll be going then.”

“Yes, take care.”

* * *

I stepped outside and followed the path Ramiel had guided me on yesterday, and before long, I came across a familiar street.

But…

‘Why is it so crowded?’

It was still early morning, yet the street, usually empty of people, was bustling with a crowd. Their gazes were fixed on something blocked by the throng, so I couldn’t see it clearly. Curious, I slipped into the crowd and soon realized what they were all staring at.

The rubble of a collapsed building.

‘What the hell?!’

For a moment, I doubted my eyes.

Because this building was one I knew.

Just yesterday, it had been the lodging where I was staying.

The inn Mr. Luca ran was reduced to ruins, as if it had been bombed.

As if possessed, I shoved through the people and walked toward the debris.

“Miss, it’s dangerous!”

The guards standing in front of the rubble blocked my path.

“The manager… the person who ran this inn… where is he?”

I asked in a trembling voice. I was terrified something had happened to Mr. Luca.

“Well, we’re still investigating… but for now, he’s missing.”

“Missing…”

My voice shook as I spoke.

Who would do something like this?

I didn’t even need to think about it.

‘You fucking bastards…!’

Karelin. I’d never even faced her, but she was the clear mastermind behind this mess.

Even if it wasn’t her directly, it had to be one of her underlings.

‘But how?’

Even though I’d been staying at Mr. Luca’s inn, I’d never mentioned his name or acted like I knew him outside.

‘No, there was one time.’

Right after the Rank Advancement Exam. When I was dizzy from not being used to the crowd that came looking for me, Mr. Luca had saved me.

Someone must have noticed the connection between me and Mr. Luca back then.

The most likely candidate…

‘…No way, Hames…?’

Hames of Crescent. That was the first time I’d met him. He’d known about Mr. Luca before that. He called him his disciple.

‘No, Hames has an alibi.’

Around the time I went to Mateo’s church, Hames had left for Crescent to handle the mercenaries’ pay. Considering the payment was deposited into the Artifact not long after, the timing doesn’t add up. Besides, Mr. Luca was a former A-Rank Hunter, and the woman working as his maid, Claire, was at least an A-Rank Hunter, stronger than Marcel.

‘Which means…’

A picture was starting to form.

The person who had faced us alongside Hames back then.

And yesterday, whether by coincidence or not, the guild member who hadn’t participated in the A-Rank Gate that opened in their guild’s territory.

At the same time, there was only one Hunter whose skills were far beyond ordinary A-Rank Hunters.

‘Glare…!’

I spat her name out with bitter resentment.

“Hey, miss?!”

The guard called my name, but I didn’t look back. I just ran.

* * *

I headed straight for Crescent’s guild house.

“Glare, ya say? She’s been gone since yesterday…”

I asked Hames directly about Glare’s whereabouts, but that was the answer I got.

“What’s the matter, Miss Verdi? Never seen ya look so angry afore…”

“Mr. Luca is missing. The inn he ran was attacked yesterday. Haven’t you heard?”

“…?! That fer real?”

Hames asked, his face turning pale. Judging by his reaction, it seemed he really didn’t know about Mr. Luca’s disappearance.

“I’m asking just in case, but what did you do after you got back to the guild house yesterday?”

Still, he wasn’t completely off the suspect list, so I asked.

“I finished the paperwork for the Gate we cleared yesterday… and then I slept without anything special happening. For the record, I live in the guild house, so I have witnesses.”

“…Sorry for suspecting you. But you said Miss Glare still hasn’t come back?”

“Yes… she sometimes takes time off, but she usually doesn’t show her face for about a week. Since her skills are solid, no one says anything.”

“I’m sorry to say this to you, Hames, but I suspect Glare is behind this.”

“…Glare?”

Hames’s eyes narrowed. He seemed offended that I’d suspected one of his guild members.

‘…Should I even say this?’

If I tell her why I suspect Glare, I’ll inevitably have to explain the background of this whole situation. She’ll ask why those bastards are after me.

Hames and I have closed several Gates together, but if he asked whether we trust each other that much, my answer would be no. Of course, Hames seems to trust me enough to ask me to be his guild’s proxy, but…

‘…No need to be scared.’

If it comes down to it, I can just shut him up. I’ve never seen Hames’s skills with my own eyes, but no matter how good he is, I’m confident I can subdue him if I go all out.

“Mr. Hames.”

Having finished my thoughts, I first checked that no one was watching, then called out to Hames in a low voice.

“Yeah, what is it?”

“Please listen carefully to what I’m about to say. And you must not tell anyone. Understood?”

Whether it was because I spoke with a fairly serious attitude, Hames stared at me for a moment, then slowly nodded.

I gave Hames a rough explanation of everything that had happened so far.

How I’d run into an Earth Dragon when I first came as a mercenary to the B-Rank Gate.

How I’d found an egg, and that egg was no ordinary thing.

Then how I’d been attacked, and the name of their ringleader, Karelin.

Finally, that Glare was the one I suspected of attacking Mr. Luca.

“…That ain’t a joke, is it?”

Hames asked, his face quite serious after hearing the whole story.

“What would I gain by lying? I’m the type who calculates profit and loss thoroughly.”

“Hahaha, that you were.”

At first he laughed, so I thought he was the same as usual. But that laugh didn’t last long. Soon, his face turned grim, and he muttered in a low voice.

“…But still… Glare… Glare would… do something like that…”

He seemed pretty shocked by the news that one of his own guild members had done such a thing.

“It’s still just a suspicion. But… the odds are high that Ms. Glare is the culprit.”

“…I can’t be sure where Glare is, but I know where she lives.”

Whether he’d decided to trust me, Hames said that and stood up from his seat.

“Let’s go there. If we go and meet Glare, I’ll ask her myself. If you’re the culprit. And if Glare is the culprit, then.”

His gaze and voice were sharper than ever. For a moment, I almost mistook the person in front of me for someone else, that’s how much it changed.

“I won’t forgive Glare. Because Mr. Luca was precious to me too.”