"Kitsu, can't you make, like, ice stairs to get us out easier?" Kayda said, looking skeptically at the ropes they had used to come down with.
"Yeah, and let everyone up there know we are coming?" I said, narrowing my eyes at the opening above. From down here, I could see a few figures peering down at us with not-so-friendly gazes. My instincts prickled.
"Don't worry about them. They are also from the guild." The dog-eared man said, his voice steady as he looked up at me.
"If you say so," I said with a sigh. Letting go of An, I walked to the edge of the small platform. Without stopping, a small pillar of ice grew out of the wall just under my feet, spreading outward in steps. The cold bit at my palms as I shaped the path upward.
"This will be a pain," I mumbled, climbing while creating the stairs in a slow spiral. Each step glittered faintly under the torchlight, moisture freezing instantly.
"Alright, guys, let's go; just watch your step," Kayda said, following behind me while keeping a hand ready near her blade.
[20 minutes later]
"We are finally out," Kayda said, helping the last person up from the hole in the roof. Her shoulders rolled as if shaking off the stress of being underground.
"Welcome back, guild master." One of the guys at the top said, bowing slightly toward the dog-eared man.
"Thanks, Chris."
"So, what was the situation down there?" Chris asked, eyes darting toward the hole, as if expecting something to crawl out after us.
"We found the fox that was missing and the head of the marquis house, An Anabald." The guild master said this with a voice full of relief.
"That's great to hear, guild master," Chris said, his posture relaxing with a smile.
"And things up here?"
"I think the guild master must see it yourself." Chris said, turning toward the fortress. His expression darkened. All of us followed his gaze.
'Oh damn, that isn't good.' I thought, staring at the burning fortress. But it wasn't a normal fire. The flames burned black, rippling with an oily shimmer, sucking in light around them. The heat radiating from it wasn't natural either; it clawed at the edge of my aura like a whisper. It looked-and felt-the same as my devil magic.
"Kitsu?" Kayda's voice was tight, as if she already guessed my answer.
"Yeah, it's the same."
"Did you?" Kayda asked discreetly, her voice dropping low, eyes narrowing slightly.
"No, I am certain it wasn't me," I said, cutting her off before she finished the thought. My tone was sharper than intended, but the truth was clear.
"Shit."
"I agree."
"... it seems you two know something about this." The guild master looked at us with suspicion as he spoke.
"We don't, but we know what sort of magic that is," I said, staring down at him, meeting his eyes so he wouldn't mistake my seriousness.
"Do tell us now." The guild master demanded, his tone annoyed, the weight of command behind it.
"Devil magic." "As I said before I could open my mouth," her tone was flat and heavy.
"Umm, I think we three should go to the mansion while the adventurers stay here and let us know if something changes," I said quickly, glancing at Kayda and An. Too many ears here, too many eyes.
"What are we going to do there?" The guild master asked, his irritation bleeding through.
"Sigh, talk. There are too many eyes here," I said, gesturing to the roads where people from the slums stood in clusters, whispering, all watching the fortress burn. Their faces were pale with fear, shadows of the black fire flickering across them.
"Fine, let's go." Ann said this while slinging her arm around me again, as if to remind everyone that she wasn't beaten.
"Kayda, take Ann at full speed. I will catch up to you." I said, waving them off.
"Lady An, not just An." Ann corrected, her pride bristling even now.
"I will give that up, An," Kayda said flatly before picking her up and disappearing with a burst of speed.
"Be quick." The guild master said before vanishing as well, leaving the wind in his wake.
"Sigh, they want too much from the non-class person," I muttered, running off along the roofs. Below, a few stunned onlookers pointed up at me, but I ignored them, focusing on keeping pace.
'I should read those books when I get to the mansion.' I thought, vaulting down into the plaza, the cobblestones ringing under my boots.
"First, I need food. Can't do anything while starving." I said to myself, letting my nose guide me. The smell of roasting meat pulled me to a nearby stall tucked under a faded awning.
"Hello, dear customer, how can I help you today?" The stall woman greeted, her apron stained from hours of work, her voice polite but cautious.
"Hmm, if I said I want to pay for all your food, including the raw meat, how much will that be?" I asked, making sure not to sound too intimidating. My ears flicked as I tried to soften the edge of my tone.
"... are you trying to take me out of business?" The saleswoman said, looking at me deadpan, though her eyes narrowed suspiciously.
"Umm, no? Why do you ask that? I really don't know what it will cost." I said, blinking, genuinely confused.
"You aren't from them?"
"Them?"
'I guess I found something intriguing again.' I thought, sighing inwardly.
"You don't know, do you?" The saleswoman, now studying me carefully, had a sharp gaze.
"Well, obviously, I don't know who they are. I am just here for the food," I said, grabbing a piece of meat off the tray without hesitation. Sitting down at a chair next to the stall, I added, "Luckily, I have time to listen."
"You are a weird one, and you better pay for that."
"As I mentioned earlier, I plan to purchase everything completely," I said while taking another piece of meat and chewing slowly to savor the flavor.
"Aah, be careful. That one has bones in it."
"Yeah, that is the best part of these," I said, swinging the meat playfully before taking a giant bite out of the steak. The crunch of bone snapped satisfyingly in my mouth.
"Why must most foreigners be so weird?" the stall woman mumbled, shaking her head.
"It sounds like you believe there are many foreigners," I said, raising an eyebrow, causing her to freeze for a moment.
"You do realize this is one of three cities that have a public dock."
"Public dock?" I repeated, tilting my head.
"You know, the place the boats are and things. Those are called docks."
"Yeah, I know that, but why are there only three public ones?" I asked, genuinely confused.
"Well, what I mean about the public is that if you're not registered with the Anabald military, you can only dock at those three docks," the woman explained, pulling more meat from a chilled crate at the back.
"I see, not a bad system."
"Not a bad system? Do you know how many problems this system is making? The number of problems this 'not a bad system' has caused over the years-millions, I dare say."
"No, and I don't really care. What does this have to do with the docks? I asked, wiping grease from my mouth with the back of my hand.
"Well, it does have something to do with the docks. Because of those rules, it takes time to restock our meat. We need to be there in person to order and get it."
"Let me guess. It's first come, first served, as well."
"Yes. We small stalls are having a problem getting stock because the owners must pick it up themselves."
"And because you work alone, you need to close business for the day just to fetch your stocks."
"Yes. The bigger stalls and restaurants have people working for them, so the owners have more spare time for it, and because they are bigger, the amount of stock is more as well."
"I see. I will have a talk with the marquis then."
"That won't work. We have submitted numerous complaints regarding this issue, yet we have never received a response."
"Yeah, leave that to me. Can I at least have a small batch of meat that won't cost you too much? I said, standing up and brushing my hands.
"At full price, certainly."
"Yes, yes, the full price, of course," I said, nodding while laughing lightly. My stomach growled again, already demanding the next bite.
avataravatar
Chapter 126
"Took your time, didn't you?" The guild master said the moment I walked through the door. His voice carried irritation, sharp like claws against stone, but he didn't even look up from his position beside the bed.
"Huh, she's already awake?" I said, my ears twitching as I looked at the tomato girl sitting next to An on her bed. Her cheeks were flushed red-not just from embarrassment but also from exhaustion, though the nickname fit her anyway.
"..." Surprisingly, she didn't say anything back. She only lowered her head, staring into her lap, ashamed for some reason I couldn't place. Her hands twisted the fabric of her gown nervously.
"Please tell me you at least have food for me?" Kayda said, cutting through the moment before I could ask what had happened. Her tone was so casual it made my tail flick in annoyance.
"Of course, cooked and fatty, just like you like it," I said with a grin, taking out a giant bowl of cooked meat from my storage. The smell filled the room instantly-grease, spice, and roasted fat mixing into something that made even my stomach grumble.
"Did you ask her to get you food?" The guild master said, his irritation sharpening as he glared at Kayda like she had broken some sacred law.
"Sheesh, calm down, dude. You are just going to make me take my time even more." I said, plopping down onto the chair next to Kayda with deliberate slowness. The chair creaked under me, and I leaned back comfortably, ignoring the way the guild master's tail flicked.
"Kitsu, can we please get down to business? We don't know what that fire means." Kayda said this, but her tone suggested she didn't take the situation seriously. Her hand was already reaching for the meat, and she tore into a chunk like it was more important than any looming crisis.
"True, we don't. But we can make a guess at what it is," I said, talking around the rib bone I had just stuffed into my mouth. The meat juices dripped down my fingers, and I licked them slowly, deliberately stalling.
"That's true. We know that we are dealing with a devil cult, so it must be related to devils. "An," she mumbled, her voice low as she leaned back on the pillows. Even injured, her eyes carried authority. She nodded faintly, her long hair spilling across the bedding like blood.
"Yes, and I am certain we can find that answer in these," I said, reaching into my storage and pulling out the bookshelf I had looted. The wood thudded onto the floor, and the smell of dust and ink filled the room.
"This is?" The guild master asked, brows furrowing as he eyed the stack of books. His tail swayed slowly, suspicion written all over him.
"Start reading, and you will find out. Try starting with summoning first," I said, my voice laced with annoyance as I pulled one book free from the shelf and flipped it open lazily.
"Miss, we don't have time for this. Those flames might change any minute," the guild master snapped, his voice tight. His fingers twitched like he wanted to grab the books and toss them aside.
"Those flames are only a start. When they disappear, something will happen, and the more you complain, the less we will know when that happens." I didn't even look up at him, flipping another page slowly, deliberately.
"What makes you certain that something will happen only when the flames go away?"
"... Gut feeling," I said after a pause, shrugging because I had nothing else to give him.
"Gut feeling!" The guild master barked, his voice booming in the room, his glare like daggers digging into me.
"Ooh, I got something!" The tomato girl said suddenly, her voice breaking through the tension like a bell. She raised a book high, her eyes shining with a hint of pride.
"Hmm, what does it say?" I asked, intrigued despite myself.
"Fire summoning ritual." She tilted her head, her voice carrying a mix of curiosity and dread.
"Fire summoning ritual? What does it say about the fire?" Kayda asked, glancing at me, her chewing slowing.
"It's difficult to explain. It looks like this." She turned the book towards us, and my eyes landed on the illustration. The black fire depicted in the ink looked almost alive, the curling flames drawn with unnatural precision. My stomach twisted. I knew my hunch was correct-the fire at the fortress was the same as mine, but way more potent, more menacing, and more wrong.
"Hmm, Kitsu, if you will?" Kayda said, bumping my arm with her elbow.
"What, why?" I said, blinking at her, caught off guard.
"We need to make certain it's the same. Even with that picture, I am not sure they are the same," Kayda explained, gesturing towards the book.
"Well, I can just tell you it's the same as the one at the fortress," I muttered. My tail twitched irritably.
"They already saw your spear, and I saw you make it," An said calmly, taking the book from her daughter's hands.
"Mom, I was reading that," An's daughter whined, puffing out her cheeks like an actual tomato now.
"We saw what?" the guild master asked, his ears flicking as he leaned forward.
"Her magic, of course. It was black flames. Didn't you see it?" She explained matter-of-factly, while I glared daggers at her for throwing me under the wagon so easily.
"No, I didn't see. Show it to me again." The guild master's gaze snapped to me, his eyes narrowing like a predator's.
"No, not happening." My voice was flat, final.
"Okay, let's forget about her fire magic. We have a big problem. That summoning ritual works on sacrifices." An's voice cut the tension, her expression suddenly dark, serious.
"What sort of sacrifices?" I asked, narrowing my eyes at the book in her hands.
"Humanoid, monster-it doesn't matter. Any living thing will work."
"What!?" Everyone, except An and me, exclaimed in unison. The air felt heavier instantly.
"Hmm, but if it is like that, there must be some negatives. Seeing as they don't use it often," I said, putting my hand on my chin, trying to look sage-like.
"Correct. The primary disadvantage of this is that it only summons thralls and seekers, not real devils. An's voice was steady, but her eyes were shadowed. Everyone else exhaled in relief except me, since I had no idea what a devil was supposed to look like in the first place.
"What sort of monsters are those?" I asked, tilting my head.
"Thralls are humanoid-shaped ghosts. They are black, so in the light, it's effortless to see them." Ann flipped through another book, this one thick with drawings.
"The seekers are the big problem, though," Kayda said, her tone more thoughtful now, her brows knitting.
