Wolf & Parchment, Volume 3 Page 18

  When a merchant in town said she was the sort to fall in love with her employer, it may have not been necessarily wrong.

  If Ilenia was doing business for Eve, then she could have only one goal.

  “Essentially, Miss Ilenia may be trying to get Miss Eve’s title back for her.”

  That was easier to understand. It was much more believable than making a new country on a land that may or may not exist at the end of the sea.

  Her listening to what a migrant bird had to say was likely not a show of how serious she was, but more understandable as simply curiosity from a merchant who took part in long-distance trade. It was an obvious decision to deliberately ask a migrant bird since Ilenia was the embodiment of a sheep, and birds knew things that people did not.

  It was entirely his own imagination that he looked at her and saw desperation and a girl’s courage.

  Had Habbot also not warned him?

  Ilenia was not just a girl. By the time he realized it, she had taken the initiative in the conversation and slipped him into her pocket.

  Had she been trying to think of a way to use them the moment she woke up on the ship, learned about Myuri and how close the two were, then it was not difficult to think up a rumor.

  And the most effective time to tell a lie was to creep into the temple of truth and speak about the world the other wanted to see. As a result, their biases and preconceptions clouded their vision.

  Who was the one who said that sheep were more honest than foxes?

  The supreme ruler of the forest, around whom one could not drop their guard—a wolf.

  “Miss Ilenia…”

  It was difficult to continue, but he had to say it.

  “…tricked us.”

  Along that line of thought, everything was easily explained. She would make off with the saint’s cloth, sell off the good-quality wool through others, then with money in hand, cover her tracks. She must have thought that if they discovered she lied, things would not end well for her before Myuri’s fangs and claws, and so she had no more use for this town.

  It sounded like she typically went around to various towns. Though she had lost her base here, it was not something that brought her too much trouble, and that was perhaps why she lived in inns.

  “B-but…”

  Of course, Myuri tried to protest. She was a tomboy, loved pranks, and it was frightening how intelligent she was; there were times her sharp judgment reminded him of a sage. Not only that, she was also the sort of girl who constantly abused her elder brother, but she was truly very much her age—courageous and kind.

  This must be the first time in her life she had been betrayed.

  “Myuri.”

  He called her name and reached out to her shoulder.

  She smacked it away.

  “No, no, Ilenia wouldn’t trick us.”

  He knew she did not want to believe it. She must have thought they could have been friends.

  Or perhaps her heart had been stolen away by the dream of a country all for themselves.

  A place all for them, where they did not have to hide, one they could place proudly on the world map.

  “But Miss Ilenia is a sheep. Even if she was attacked, she could run away if it came down to it. It might be that she did not because she left on her own will?”

  It was painful, but they had to accept it.

  He knew it was not easy to overturn first impressions. After all, Col always thought of Myuri as his little sister, and she could not call him by anything other than “Brother.”

  But the world was not made convenient for them.

  “Myuri…”

  Hesitating, he reached out to Myuri, who had suddenly bent over and begun sobbing.

  She did not push back this time.

  He pulled Myuri’s small body into a hug, and his gaze suddenly turned to the large bird in the room.

  He gave it an apologetic look, and the bird turned its head left and right two, three times, then flew off from the window in defeat.

  Though for a moment, he wondered if he should ask the bird to look for Ilenia from the sky, but it might have been better they did not find her. If they found one another again in a bad manner, then Myuri might stick to Ilenia and the entire situation would just grow more complicated.

  Things like this happened when one left their comfortable home. He tightened his arms around her, to at least make sure her heart did not fall to pieces.

  That was when he noticed footsteps coming down the corridor.

  This was Ilenia’s room; it would certainly garner some suspicion if they stayed too long. It was just when he was about to prompt Myuri that they should leave the room—

  “Sir Col?”

  He could hear someone calling for him on the other side of the door.

  He was startled, but the voice continued.

  “I have been told to call on you urgently by Sir Sligh.”

  Myuri lifted her tearstained face, and their eyes met.

  “Hello?”

  He had told Sligh that they were going to the Silver Bow, and those cheerful sailors must have told him about them if he asked in the tavern.

  “Yes. Please wait a moment.”

  Col looked at Myuri.

  “Are you all right?”

  Instead of responding, she stubbornly pressed her face against his chest and rubbed against it.

  That must have meant she was okay.

  “Good girl.”

  He patted her head, and with a frown, she put away her ears and tail.

  “Mr. Sligh called me?”

  Col opened the door, and standing there was a merchant of about the same age as himself.

  “Yes. There is a bit of…No, a very big problem. I was told to call on you at once.”

  The young merchant looked around the corridor, then spoke in a hushed voice.

  “Ilenia Gisele has been arrested by the city council.”

  “Wha—?”

  The merchant stared intently at him.

  “She’s been charged with theft. They say she stole a number of treasures from the cathedral.”

  His consciousness was consumed with a sensation of reeling back a few steps.

  Though he was rather happy his prediction was wrong, the situation was growing worse.

  “Th-that is a false accusation. The treasure vault was already empty. I can personally vouch that she only took things that were worth the collection permit.”

  Though it was still possible she had told them about her nonexistent dreams in order to use them, he could not believe that the emptiness of the vault was Ilenia’s doing.

  “Of course, the council is in an uproar since they believe you were her accomplice.”

  The path on the cape stood out, and there were beggars around the foot. It was only natural that he would fall under the point of suspicion as well. But the one he should be explaining himself to was not the merchant before him.

  “I should go to explain, correct?”

  “Yes. Sir Sligh will, of course, attend as a witness. Please don’t worry.”

  Ilenia’s goals and this were two completely different things.

  Habbot must have decided that, in order to defend himself, he needed to explain what happened to the lost treasures. Though it was easy to pressure him, it was recklessness that could have been prevented if they had only listened more kindly to what he had to say.

  “I will take you there.”

  The merchant spoke, then quickly walked away. Before Col followed him, he looked at Myuri and took her hand.

  “It’s all right. God favors the righteous.”

  Myuri’s hand stopped just as she was about to grab his, and she looked at him.

  “Of course, so do I.”

  Her small hand gripped his tightly.

  It was growing late, and the ports in Desarev were covered in a weary, deep darkness.

  There were those here and there who were past the stage of yelling in drunkenness and were now sleeping a
t the tables and repeating the same conversations over and over.

  They rushed out among these people and headed toward the cathedral with cool heads.

  The town was outlined in red firelight, and beyond the smoldering embers of the harbor, they could faintly see the cathedral.

  Though they could see the light from the lighthouse, the cathedral was dead silent.

  As the three jogged through the town, Col asked the Debau merchant about the situation.

  “It was after noon that the father contacted the city council. He said he had welcomed in a wool broker who had come to collect tax, but when he realized it, many of the valuables were gone.”

  “And the council believed that?”

  “It was the council that put the collection permits in the prince’s stead up for auction, after all…It is inevitable that there will be trouble over the collection of tax, but they can’t ignore a report that someone has stolen from the father at the cathedral.”

  Habbot must have felt that much run down. From what little they spoke of together, he did not seem the sort to set someone up in self-defense.

  No, that might just be his own assumptions. It was possible that Habbot was not there in the first place, and he would believe it if that were a priest putting on a show.

  “And Miss Ilenia is in the cathedral?”

  “Yes. The father and the important people from the council are there, too.”

  They must be in the middle of an endless dispute.

  “So the ones who were taking her things out of her room were council members gathering evidence?”

  If that were true, then he could understand why Ilenia did not fight back, nor could they explain the truth to the other patrons at the inn.

  The merchant looked back at Col and nodded slowly.

  “God will make it clear for us all.”

  He then looked forward again and continued to jog. The beggars were at the foot of the cape, as usual, and they stared after them as they rushed up the stone steps.

  It was harder to see as they went up the dark stone steps than he thought, and not knowing where the cliff was frightened him. Just one step off the steps might result in him falling into the ocean, and the long path ahead of them made him feel small.

  Of course, the path was not actually that narrow. The wind was stronger than it had been during the day, but the view of the town was beautiful at night, like scattered embers.

  When they came to the square in front of the cathedral, it was empty and silent. Stories would spread throughout town if they dispatched soldiers and lit torches.

  Following the merchant’s guidance, they went around to the service entrance, and there was an errand boy keeping watch. He was huddled over from the cold, but when he noticed them, he stood up straight, and with an affected movement, he knocked on the door.

  The observation window slid open immediately, and when Col thought he saw a pair of eyes looking through it, the metal door opened.

  “We’ve been waiting for you.”

  The man wore a striped shirt over his potbelly. His sash drooped low on his right side, and a feather decorated his chest.

  He was the typical sort of town leader, and he must have been a former merchant or president of an affluent artisans’ association.

  “I am Theore of the city council.”

  “I am Tote Col.”

  Theore shook Col’s hand, then also Myuri’s.

  “Now, we are inspecting the treasure vault based on the father’s testimony.”

  “Does the council take what the father has said as truth?”

  Col inquired as they walked down the hall, and Theore smiled, slightly perplexed.

  “Of course not. The vault was completely empty. That is too much for a single broker to make away with just after being let in.”

  That was the logical conclusion.

  “However, we are considering that the father may have done it. That is how we’ve found ourselves here.”

  “How?”

  It was impossible without magic.

  The moment he thought that, Theore skillfully leaned in close to him and whispered.

  “There are all sorts of secret passages and hidden rooms in the cathedral. By using those, he could have gone through the cape and carried it out to the sea in secret.”

  “…”

  Col stared back at Theore in shock, and the man only responded with a shrug.

  “That is information that no one else should know, but that is better than being under suspicion for theft from the vault. It is too late to regret it once the rope to hang you is already around your neck.”

  It was certainly a measure of desperation.

  But if that were the case, then Habbot must have been the priest himself after all. Col was frustrated with himself because the judgment he cast upon others was truly clouded. Meanwhile, Theore gave a loud sigh.

  “That being said, the biggest problem is that the father himself is not aware of where all the secret passages are.”

  “Huh?”

  Col looked back at him, and Theore had scrunched up his nose.

  “The father must be holding out on us. After the dispute with the kingdom, he must have taken out the treasures on his own—either to save himself or to earn money, I don’t know—then either hid or sold them. Then, with the possibility of that all coming to light through tax collection, he is trying to trick us by using any means necessary.”

  If that were the case, then was the priest actually Habbot the shepherd? The real stingy, greedy priest had no reason to hesitate telling them about a secret exit.

  Habbot was surprised when he saw a secret vault deeper inside the regular vault, which sat between the prayer room and the altar. Then, if it happened twice, a third time was likely. It was typical for people to think that there must be other sorts of secrets. He understood the feeling of wanting to bet on the possibility that there was a secret exit.

  And in order to steal treasure from the vault, it did not seem likely anyone would use the path from the point. Anyone walking there was entirely exposed to the town, and there were beggars who hung out around the foot, so it was difficult to sneak up without getting caught, even at night.

  “And so, everyone is searching for that secret passage?”

  “We have to. It is quite difficult to believe everything the father had said, but to not believe it would mean that the one who stole it was the father. We have to report this to the king, and once it comes to that, he will likely be hanged. If we put a holy man and servant of God on the gallows under false accusation, then the town of Desarev will be cursed.”

  They were here doing this after a lot of conjecture and speculation.

  On the other hand, the mountain of treasure in the vault had, without a doubt, disappeared somewhere.

  They say that sometimes a hidden whirlpool beneath calm waters would try to pull passing ships under.

  And that was when Ilenia came in.

  “If that’s the case, then I, too, will help…”

  Col started as he looked at Myuri, who was perfect for finding hidden passages, but that was when he realized something. If he asked for Myuri’s help, it would not be difficult to determine whether or not the secret passages existed. The problem was, whether they existed or not, what happened after.

  Because if they found them, then Ilenia would be at a disadvantage.

  But if she actually stole treasures, and if the secret passages really existed, then there was no doubt she used them in her theft. Would it go against God’s teachings to know about them but not point them out? Even though it would save Ilenia if the hidden passages stayed hidden?

  And it did not end there.

  Once Ilenia was saved, Habbot would instead be hanged for a crime he was not guilty of.

  It was only now that Col was walking along a terribly thin line.

  It was dark, and he could only see a little bit ahead of him. The road extended to both the left and the right. Which way sho
uld he go? Who and what should he believe?

  Of course, the best option was to find out who really stole the treasure.

  But humans were not the all-knowing, all-powerful God, and God was typically absent.

  His feet soon grew heavy, and the darkness inside the cathedral felt even heavier.

  Candles were lit on the candelabra that were dotted along the corridor.

  They followed the light and soon came to the entrance of the vault.

  There were three others dressed the same as Theore, and they were conversing, greatly perplexed.

  When they noticed them, they all removed their hats at once. They must have once been merchants.

  “The father and Sir Sligh are inside.”

  They encouraged them, and Col and Theore went inside. The vault was filled with miscellaneous objects as usual; the shelf that was the door to the secret entrance was open, and Sligh was peeking inside.

  “Oh, Sir Col.”

  “I heard about the situation on the way. How is it?”

  “This is an old cathedral, so it’s hard to say where things might be, and we’re talking long ago, when real pirates lived in the northern islands. I heard that at the time, there was a war where this cathedral was the last bastion. The vault inside this small opening must have been made in the case of a siege.”

  When Col stood in the doorway, he felt the wind pass from behind him into the corridor. There was a hole somewhere and the air was flowing toward it.

  He placed his hands on the weathered walls and thought back to the past. Those who were attacked by pirates and came running here took up spears and axes at the end of the small passage and waited for their enemies. The enemy could only come in one at a time and could not swing their arms about as they pleased, so even the weaker elderly and women could fight well enough.

  A perfect place to put away treasures was also a perfect place to protect people’s lives.

  “Is the father inside?”

  “Yes. He says there must be a secret passage and that there is no doubt the broker made off with the treasure from there. The young lady broker in the midst of this all is also there.”

  Sligh also sounded a bit annoyed with Habbot’s excuses, but to Habbot, his life was on the line. Of course, so was Ilenia’s.