Chapter 90
After scattering the squeakers all over Dortmund, we continued our search for any traces of Frikkanrisk.
However, despite increasing the density by narrowing our search radius, there was still no sign of her tail.
Eventually, night fell, and we decided to return to our lodging separately from Helion’s team.
They continued their patrol around the city.
For the past few days, this routine of shifts had been repeating itself.
Finn and I were exempt, so at least we had no restrictions at night, but the heroes were busy with hardly any downtime.
We arrived at the lodging together with Gaon and Yannick.
“I don’t feel like having dinner, so I’ll just go upstairs and rest for a bit…”
Gaon, looking like he was about to collapse, lightly greeted us and hurriedly went upstairs.
For the past few days, aside from when he was sleeping, his mana had been continuously emitted for constant detection.
Even a hero gets tired. He’d probably crash into bed and fall asleep the moment he got home.
“Vargan, what are you planning to do?”
“I’m not so exhausted that I can’t pick up a spoon.”
“Oh, that’s good. It would’ve been lonely eating alone, so we can eat together.”
The first floor of our lodging was a pub and restaurant, so we could eat there.
Even though it was quite late, the place was bustling, giving off the image of a ‘great place to eat and chat.’
Fortunately, there was an empty seat in a corner, so we sat there. Yannick, being large, filled the space just by sitting.
The time before the food came was a moment where the surrounding noise felt particularly loud.
“So, you’re not having any alcohol?”
“I could probably down three or four bottles, but not drinking is what’s surprising?”
Even though I look like this, I don’t drink during missions. Yannick flashed a grin, and that broke the ice.
“You really worked hard today. You’re still a student at the Academia, but you’re already capable enough to be a hero.”
“With the name Schugenhartz, it’s only right that I should meet this standard.”
“Oh, that’s true, Schugenhartz. A prestigious family truly is different.”
Instead of alcohol, he slammed back a giant mug filled with cold water. It seemed like his throat was as large as his neck, as 500cc disappeared in an instant.
He put down the mug without a single gasp of refreshment.
Seeing his eyes, it looked like he was about to bring up a topic, possibly related to his past.
“I heard you rejected Craine’s mentee proposal.”
“There was no way I could choose him over Helion.”
“Ha ha ha! You’re so blunt. Yeah, even if Craine is somewhat recognized in the realm of Familiars, he can’t compare to Helion’s radiance.”
That fact made him look a little lonely, but it didn’t show too much.
Yannick had been on the same team as Craine before.
Knowing this, I set up this situation so that it wouldn’t seem out of place for us to accidentally connect the dots.
I was just setting the stage for what was to come, and now I managed to toss it back my way without it looking too odd.
“Are you close with him?”
“Craine? Hmm… Even if I try to embellish it, it’s a stretch to say we’re close. We’re just teammates who chat occasionally. Still, since we’ve been stationed in Dortmund the longest, we know quite a bit about each other.”
I was already aware of this. From the sound of it, nothing seemed to have changed from the past.
I should dig a little deeper into the conversation.
“Actually, I feel quite sorry for Craine. He visited the Academia several times and I must have sent over ten letters.”
“I had an inkling, but I see it wasn’t an exaggeration. Hahaha. It means you really took a liking to him.”
“Perhaps we share a common interest in familiars. They truly are charming creatures. I understand completely.”
So, I have a question.
With that, I was ready to dive into the heart of the matter.
“I heard that Craine has only one familiar. Is that true? If it is, then it’s somewhat hard for me to comprehend.”
I shrugged nonchalantly.
Sure, there are heroes who focus solely on raising one familiar, but viewed through the lens of efficiency and the field of familiars, it can’t be said to be rational at all.
“Oh, a familiar… Yeah. Just one… But that’s… not exactly a conversation for before dinner, but it’s a bit bizarre.”
I already knew this was part of the setup.
He’s a different kind of person obsessed with familiars compared to Vargan. The original Vargan couldn’t understand this part of him either.
I maintained my innocence and asked.
“So what does that mean?”
Yannick clearly showed reluctance to continue, but when I displayed my curiosity abundantly, he began to open up.
The effort I put in to show him a good side over the past few days was paying off.
“It’s not a secret, but just keep it in mind. There’s a high priest among the Goddess Church named Glashalabolas, who looks like a chimera, as if combined from various creatures. Ever since Craine saw that guy, he’s been a little off, as if he was enamored.”
“Got it.”
Yannick lowered his voice.
It wasn’t a cheerful topic.
“After that, Craine began to physically fuse all his familiars into one.”
“Fuse familiars….”
That definitely wasn’t the kind of thing you want to hear.
Especially for someone like me, who inherited Vargan’s personality, where affection for familiars is already overflowing just by being quiet.
“As you know, fusion isn’t an easy feat. While it’s possible with two, three became challenging.”
That’s only natural.
Entities inherently maintain their uniqueness, and you can’t just mix them lightly. You also have to be careful about the newly birthed consciousness from that fusion.
If you’re talking about merging more than two, the difficulty multiplies many times over.
“You don’t have to debate whether to speak or not. What anyone does with their familiar is entirely up to the owner and doesn’t fall under any legal scrutiny.”
This world is different from the one I lived in.
Here, familiars are treated like a sort of animal without any kind laws to protect them, only existing to satisfy human emotions or be utilized in various ways.
“…Alright. I think I have a rough idea, so I’ll just say it.”
Yannick spoke with a tone of discontent.
“Craine has started to ‘physically’ create chimeras.”
“Physically?”
“Of course, there’s magic involved, but when you look at it… it’s like he’s hacking off limbs and attaching them, or forcibly putting armor on them… It’s anything but a natural fusion.”
The conversation was nearing its conclusion.
Running towards the end.
Yeah, if I had summoned information about Craine’s Chimera, it would be soon.
I want to know what information Vargan, who was unaware during the original story, knew back then.
“Are they still conducting research on that Chimera?”
“I’m not entirely sure since I rarely see him after the team changed, but it seems so… For the few days he brings in new familiars as materials, he always has a big smile on his face. Judging from three weeks ago, he definitely seems to be still at it.”
“I see….”
“Oh, the food has finally arrived.”
The dishes serve to interrupt the conversation.
The sweet smell of roasted meat and vegetables tickled my nose, but I couldn’t truly savor the taste.
After that, Yannick threw a few conversation topics my way, and while I entertained them, I couldn’t really call it substantial.
At that moment, I had deeper thoughts to ponder than the taste of the food or any silly chatter.
…The meal, brief yet feeling long, came to an end.
Before returning to his room, Yannick turned around and spoke.
“If you become a hero, you should definitely apply to Dortmund. Talents like you are always welcome.”
He definitely seems to take a liking to me. A bear-like man, his expression gives it away.
I smiled and uttered words I didn’t really mean.
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
*
The late-night streets of Dortmund were mostly asleep.
Street lights, in shades of mana stone, flickered intermittently on the roads, but there weren’t many lights spilling from the windows of buildings.
The streets were quiet.
People, rats, and ravens had all gone back to their homes.
The peaceful night in Dortmund.
Tap tap—
Vargan walked through the streets.
His destination was fixed.
What he sought was also clear.
The person he wanted to meet was specified.
Continuing a chain of unfinished thoughts as he walked.
He confirmed once again that Frikkanrisk was in this city. She had a clear purpose, and presumably, it wasn’t to overthrow the city.
Then what could it be?
Let’s recap the story.
She supposedly fell in love with a human hero.
That hero, Aintern, was a figure so famous that anyone around here would know his name.
According to rumors, he was the first victim of her whims, having shared love with Frikkanrisk but died a few years later.
Hence, the nickname “Fool” that spread among the people.
Did the Twelve Divine Beasts’ Frikkanrisk go mad?
That could be. There were no notable mentions in the original work, and the Church certainly didn’t claim otherwise.
However, with the additional information I would come to know in the future, I simply couldn’t accept that.
From what I’m seeing, it looks like a separate story, but it seems they want to argue otherwise.
It is also true that Archbishop Ami is expanding her force in a village nearby at this time.
Yet, nothing is known about Ami’s whereabouts, and only Frikkanrisk’s bad reputation seems to be growing.
If the novel had mentioned which villages Ami had invaded, I could have contrasted and figured it out, but it didn’t, so I couldn’t compare it.
I couldn’t shake the feeling that the Church, or rather the Dortmund branch of the Church, was “hiding” Ami.
What connection could there be?
As I was gathering all the information related to Dortmund, I drew a description of Craine’s familiar that my former mentor had.
—It was a Chimera. It had the face of a lion, the legs of a horse, and wings of a wyvern. Its tail was a serpent that moved freely, and its skin was as tough as armor, with two shimmering blue horns that seemed to contain winter.
Once upon a time, there was a description that either resembled or contained winter. However, aside from Frikkanrisk, it wasn’t a phrase that frequently appeared in the novel; yet, it said that this Familiar had two horns.
Resembled winter.
Contained winter.
Could it be said that there’s no connection with Frikkanrisk?
Craine, who’s obsessed with Familiars. Frikkanrisk, who has lived for about 500 years, has established her home in the northern part of the Troa Empire. And now, the newly introduced Familiar of Craine.
A guess, perhaps, but no confirmation.
So here I am, on my way to find out.
To make everything certain.
Knock, knock.
In front of the old house, Vargan tapped on the door. The building, once a tavern, had been remodeled, yet the traces of time were evident everywhere.
A voice came from inside.
“Who is it?”
“Merchant.”
“What’s your purpose?”
“Both.”
⎯Creeeak.
Upon answering, the door opened.
Welcoming him was a young woman who looked utterly ordinary. In fact, she was just an everyday citizen without any special powers or secrets.
“Please follow me.”
What lay before the door was not a hallway or a room, but a staircase leading down to the basement. The woman held a lantern, guiding Vargan onward.
She did not verify Vargan’s identity. It wasn’t her job to do so.
As they descended into the basement, the depth and size of the space began to become apparent. It was like an ant nest, with various rooms interconnected, each designed to accommodate one person.
The entrances to the rooms were all closed off and had special magic applied to prevent sound from leaking out.
Using curse magic to eavesdrop could potentially work, but soon the protective system would realize something was off and people would come rushing in.
While contemplating this, the guiding woman spoke.
“This is the room.”
She simply bowed her head and stepped back.
No matter who entered, she would maintain this consistent demeanor.
Vargan turned the doorknob and stepped inside.
As he turned the handle, he felt it.
His biometrics were engraved in this place.
Indeed, a safety measure for any unforeseen circumstances.
“Welcome.”
The room was dark, with red curtains obscuring various spots. It felt purely like a place for conversation. Seated before Vargan, across a table, was a robust middle-aged woman.
Vargan sat in the guest chair, facing her.
“What brings you to this place to trade—”
“Not you.”
Vargan interrupted the middle-aged woman and calmly carried on. It would be futile to converse with the person in front of him.
“Only by speaking clearly can we provide even more certain services at our ‘Terrarium’.”
The middle-aged woman did not flinch at his arrogant and rude attitude, continuing her speech. However, her eyes narrowed slightly, as if she were trying to remember or gauge the guest.
“‘The 22nd guest has knocked at the door.’ I trust you understand what that means.”
That was a primary code for serving special individuals.
“Please wait a moment.”
The middle-aged woman stood and slipped behind the curtain. The door Vargan came through was not the only one; there was also a back entrance.
A moment later.
“Thank you for waiting.”
A man wearing a tall hat, reminiscent of an old British gentleman, entered. He looked at Vargan with a broad smile and said,
“22nd guest. What brings you to seek me?”
This place was said to be a hidden underground trading post scattered throughout the metropolis.
Terrarium.
All the world’s information was bought and sold here, and its price varied immensely based on accuracy and importance.
There was one secret about this place.
“I have come to honor the Glory of ‘Beled’.”
“I see….”
That point was how deeply the Goddess Church was involved with the Terrarium.
