Chapter 286 – The Missing

Chapter 286 – The Missing

 

Belice drummed her fingers on the dark oak desk, the tapping echoing in the empty Hall. “Are you saying Herry burned down his own house?”

“Kea mentioned some kind of magic trap.” Niel took the burden of explaining the events. “The fire wasn’t intentional…”

Their words became an indistinct murmur in the background. Kai couldn’t shake the feeling that something was off. A thought fluttered at the edge of his mind—but no matter how hard he focused, he couldn’t pin it down.

Is she lying?

Belice’s explanation made sense: she was good at gathering rumors. It could be a quirk of her profession. He had no proof that she was hiding something aside from a vague hunch. Without her tip, they would still have no idea who was behind the disappearances.

“…Mat?” Niel tapped his arm. “Are you alright?”

“Uh… I’m fine.” Kai tried to recall the last bits of the conversation. “Sorry, what were you saying?”

“Is there anything else you need?” Belice gave him the polite smile of a clerk faced with an annoying customer. “I don’t mind the company, but I’ve got some paperwork to get through before lunch.” She peered at him, the golden frame of her enchanted glasses glowing with tightly woven runes.

Hmm… What are those for…? His skills detected no flaws in the cloaking. The challenge of picking them apart made him itch, but she would definitely notice. Now’s not the time. Stop getting distracted!

“I…” Kai chewed his cheek. What should he ask? Hallowed Intuition had gone silent without another hint; he might see a payoff weeks from now, or have missed what he was supposed to do entirely.

Damn, say something before this gets more embarrassing.

“Did the contract for the missing people receive any update?” He returned the affable smile, trying not to stare too intently.

“Yes and no… One moment…” Belice bowed behind the desk, shuffling some papers. She almost hit her head when she stood up holding a file. “I can’t tell you the details of the contract…”

“What do you mean?”

Is it revenge for my questions?

“Does nobody read what they sign anymore?” Belice tugged her braid with an exasperated huff. Crouching behind the desk again, she pulled a heavy tome from a drawer with a groan of effort. The weathered leather cover thumped on the desk with a puff of dust.

“This.” She heaved and wiped the dust from her nose. “Is The Seekers Codex. Contrary to what people say, seekers do follow rules. Even if the code of conduct isn’t enforced any longer, our members should know the basics.”

Kai glanced at the yellowing pages. With the preserving enchantments on the spine, this copy must be positively ancient to look this worn. “Oh, you mean my seeker rank?” He took out the iron badge he got in Varsea. The metal was shaped like a shield, sporting a quill over a map—something to do with the founding history of the seekers.

“Yes.” Belice nodded, looking pleasantly surprised. “Members can only check contracts up to one rank higher than their rating. You’re a Red ★ seeker with no quests completed.”

“Why don’t you show it to me, then.” Niel leaned on the desk, offering her a polished copper badge. There were three stars carved above the crest, the map was engraved with meticulous details that showed a region of the Republic. “Unless the contract has been raised above Yellow ★.”

“That’s…” Belice muttered something about the spirit of the rules and pursed her lips. “Okay, fine! Just this once. The administration refused to raise the grade of the contract, but there has been another update.” She opened the file on the desk and flipped it toward them to read. “The bounty has been raised to twenty golds.”

“Twenty gold mesars?” Niel almost sputtered. “That’s the rate for a contract at the peak of Yellow.”

“Yes, the reward and fee were paid yesterday. I’ve no idea how those guys already knew.” She waved to the door where the rowdy adventurers had disappeared. “You can expect more teams to arrive once the voice spreads. Jingle a few mesars and the young fools seem to lose all sense.”

“Twenty mesars isn’t a little gold…” Niel clenched his jaw, his expression darkening. “This will turn even more messy. How can they afford four times the reward?”

“More people have gone missing, so more families chipped in to pay.” Belice adjusted her glasses with a grimace. “Apparently, Aldred also received a small fortune no one knew about. An inheritance from some uncle in Kertoll.”

Niel’s eyebrows climbed his forehead. “That must have been quite the inheritance. He hadn’t said anything when we last talked…”

“Who’s Aldred?” Kai looked up from the papers before the conversation slipped away entirely.

“His daughter was one of the first people to go missing,” Niel said with a sigh. “He organized the families of the victims to place the contract at the Hall when the guards ditched the investigation. Nothing would have been done without him. He still hopes we’ll find his daughter alive even if it has been three months.”

“Almost four.” Belice slumped into her chair.

“Hmm… Does he live close by?” Kai asked softly. “I’d like to talk to him.” He had seen enough crime shows to know that questioning the victims’ families was the basics of an investigation.

Niel glanced out of the large opaque windows of the Hall. “I don’t think it’ll be much use. We’ve talked with the families and friends of the victims. No one saw anything. The people disappeared into the mist without a trace.”

“A new perspective could help.” Or perhaps he would get a bout of luck. “I’ll try to make it brief.”

“Trying doesn’t hurt. Aldred’s never bothered to talk with adventurers wishing to help.” Belice intervened to his surprise. She wiped the dust from the codex, putting it back into the drawer. “You haven’t officially accepted the contract. So keep in mind you won’t receive any reward or recognition no matter what you find.”

“I can still investigate, right?”

“Yes… As long as you don’t break the law.” Her dark eyes squared him up. “Without a quest, you won’t have Hall protection for minor infractions.”

The author’s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

No more burning buildings.

“That’s fine.” Kai dipped his head in thanks. With his new identity, he’d have to keep away from the guards either way.

Niel shifted his gaze between them, a little sullen. “Then we better go.” He put away his badge. “We can stop by Aldred before noon if we hurry. I don’t like leaving Mari alone all day.”

“Stay safe.” Belice waved them off. “I’ll call you all together if I hear an interesting rumor.”

The chill air outside stung Kai’s cheeks after the warmth of the Hall. The mist had risen from the lake to swallow the town; even the sparse passerby had disappeared. Glancing at both sides of the empty street, he looked at his guide. “Where do we go?”

Niel stood by the creaking door, arms crossed before his chest. “I’d like a warning next time you plan to accuse someone. I told you Bel is one of the few people who has helped us since coming to Limgrell.”

“I—” He had been so sure that something was up. “I’m sorry if I was rude. I thought it’d be better to get straight to the topic instead of dancing around it.”

The young man scrubbed a hand through his short hair and shook his head. “Blessed spirits, you’re just like Kea.”

“I’m not,” Kai blurted before his brain could think better, his voice climbing an octave higher. He turned to the mists to look nonchalant, cold sweat already on his back. “What do you even mean?”

“Nothing. You’ll see when you know her better.” Niel chuckled. “You’re lucky Bel doesn’t get offended easily. I can introduce you to Aldred but try to be a little more considerate. That man has suffered enough since his daughter disappeared.”

“I’ll use more tact,” he promised, glad to cut away from his sister.