Chapteer 275: Extra 15 – The Suspicious Town (1)
ocXThe child’s round cheeks were adorable.OSu
EZwHis eyes moved from side to side, following the movements of Kihano’s hand.jOxnJD
YDlx4Even Kihano, who was trying to attract the boy’s attention by waving a candy, couldn’t help but laugh at that innocent expression.3g9p5
hyr“So, you say that lately, you’ve been hearing strange noises at night?”HYm4xeJ
HXMjf“…Yes.”hum
qoO“Noises that the adults can’t hear, but you and your friends can?”UGmCRk
YfACQv“Uh-huh.”WgU
rYtuPThe boy’s eyes remained fixed on the candy Kihano was holding, but his outstretched fingers pointed toward the hill.CRL0
kLpLWith his arm extended, he indicated the windmills that stood on the town’s hill.C0LVRFM
CmuRNs“That windmill. Someone cries from there.”ULp4
anj8uiA“…Cries?”M8rRrDR
4uxaOpt“Yes. Cries. The windmill cries every night.”hBT5L
xotWhen the boy said that the windmills cried, Yan, standing beside him, began tilting his head as if he couldn’t understand.f5EOZQw
4CryAHHowever, Kihano’s eyes remained calm and serious.GlWd
bvp“I’ve told you everything… Can I have the candy now?”zM4O7uk
fKeLcvAfter finishing his story, the boy held out both hands toward Kihano, as if asking for a reward.lGsuE
NT6qGMoved by the endearing gesture, Kihano gave him the candy.dNdm35x
spcPgkJThe boy smiled broadly upon seeing the sweet in his hand, while Kihano slowly stood up.e0TDZ
Gv0P“A windmill that cries.”zuG7g3
LGmjeThe rumor that a windmill cried at night.Gv0j
XoX6AFcOnly the children had heard it, so the adults dismissed it as nonsense.sfPA21V
Gw7But now, Kihano’s eyes reflected a different kind of seriousness.Qt5
zW9“…Five children have said the same thing.”B0ElYp
I17It was strange for five children to give the exact same testimony.4mv
MbkO8Even coming from children, hearing the same account five times deserved to be taken seriously.trDnqX
kRCS‘And that mage told me not to go near the windmill.’PXdK
ctqYesterday, the grim-looking mage had warned him not to go near the windmill.VTy
RMBhk0LIt wasn’t clear whether it was a warning or a threat.dwkoKA
YVuRecalling that moment, Kihano chewed the last candy with a thoughtful expression.9CsdT
hXdzJ***ipynZ
QXiYWS“In any case, I would prefer you not to go near the windmill.”dIZQjX
jW1For a quiet town, the mayor’s house was surprisingly luxurious.uUWZtPW
XM7yujBuilding a house of that size could only mean the mayor had a good reputation or had embezzled a lot of money.PDuseJY
BvFbhm“Investigating the witch is fine, but it would be better to avoid that place.”5EUf
EWzHowever, the one receiving him wasn’t the mayor, but a completely different man.iEqB
MogDLHA middle-aged man in an embroidered robe with a stern expression.so16
XRZ5HHis refined demeanor and expensive robe made it clear that he was a mage.SHct
NRZvgxX“I am conducting experiments that require a certain degree of privacy. I hope you understand.”iDvKH3m
Z8hHis tone reflected a distinguished education.FFJP6Y
mTbfY6zAnd with that robe that looked so expensive, no one would doubt his position.OmO
SlUn6If it weren’t for his feet on the table, Kihano would have thought he was a respectable person.LkO7g
pcWu1MI“Well… As long as you let me investigate without interference, I don’t mind.”F4diEF
gY1cLP7Although the man’s behavior was disrespectful, the tax collector beside him seemed too nervous to say anything.abfdAOy
jfAO1The man, who had introduced himself as Samonte, acted as if the place belonged to him.r42A
rWp7E“It’s an experiment supervised directly by the Dragulia family. It can’t be helped.”MON3Syf
d315“A very understanding young man.”CGE7Om
pJzbNo matter how disrespectful Samonte was, the name Dragulia demanded respect.gN7
d58T9Even if he wasn’t a dragon, no one dared challenge someone who represented that family.X0C4r
tCOiKl“I wonder what kind of experiment is being conducted in this small town, but that’s all I need to cooperate with.”IdLpfxL
wfyaS“Yes.”KxRoe
qA8BI3CHowever, the man now standing in front of Samonte was the infamous bastard of the Frausen family.hioa7JT
O45Perhaps, if he had been careful with his actions until now, the word “bastard” wouldn’t have been attached to Kihano’s name.5nNVp
zsrs5c0“It’s curious, isn’t it? That in a town supervised by the Dragulia family, a witch appears — something so rare to see.”xnZF
LmC7“…”aDOY
gG2jA“If this is all just a coincidence, it would truly be something curious.”WvJg1
FZmKihano was smiling, but his eyes showed no joy.B3o
PeimSamonte maintained his serious expression.JEJwJr
cvDTwThe tension between them made Yan feel suffocated.48b6
wsvtBq***85VU
eiYl“I think I shouldn’t have followed Kihano…”yF3BbV9
HrsWtOn the way back to the inn from the mayor’s house, Yan was pulling a small donkey while speaking with a worried voice.As3pQ3
WU8w8“Won’t I end up being marked too? After all, he’s someone from the Dragulia family.”bEVTLx
KK7lcvbYan seemed quite nervous about what had happened recently.IAwP383
ABfVKFFor a boy who had lived his whole life in a rural village, what he had seen was something completely out of the ordinary.neQwno
xmS“…Yes, the Dragulia family.”65U
ul7IF“Huh?”y4iSFB3
EE3kOJ“But why would the Dragulia family use an expelled mage?”ctMMdX
GXMhHowever, Kihano, walking ahead, didn’t seem to hear Yan’s voice. He was lost in his own thoughts.Jzxe
WOnG“And besides, a mage from a fallen family in the south. Were they that desperate for someone?”hkm
KOzL“…Kihano, what are you saying now?”9vdNT
T4ZBKihano’s tone was unusual, murmuring non-stop as if trapped in another world.Nf8EzLY
OMX8hYan found his behavior strange; he had never seen Kihano like this.csSSNPb
HBYU“From the south and from a fallen family? What does all that mean?”los
HbHc7QO“What?”SDSZmv
5pW“I mean what you just mentioned. You said something about someone being expelled.”CurN
GEWrKihano, who was absorbed in his thoughts, seemed to snap back to reality when he saw Yan’s wide eyes.e4U
25FkHis expression finally regained some vitality.lP5x
x63“It was Samonte who was expelled.”MoWjh4
xZ3NOI“…Huh?”QfzCq
xQhYan was visibly confused by Kihano’s unexpected words.HmqI
g6S“That guy was expelled? Did someone mention that before?”9w3
cgQ“Does it need to be said? Just looking at him, you can tell.”6ZkaA6
7gXVCBYan was perplexed. How could Kihano gather all that information just by looking? That Samonte was from the south, from a fallen family, and expelled seemed impossible to deduce without being told.2F76kV
IaSP“…I don’t understand anything you’re saying, Kihano.”fUuIZK
xLh“You saw it too. The robe Samonte was wearing.”msJW
kAT5“What about his robe?”01sqg
7ISYan still didn’t understand, which made Kihano frown, as if wondering why he couldn’t see something so obvious.xn3b
CfNaP“It had elaborate embroidery. Those patterns are typical of the south.”BGi4R
Uyo7Ha“Ah.”WbfsLn
1tDg“Also, did you see his shiny boots? That means they were treated to be waterproof. Only people from the swampy regions of the south care that much about their boots.”sQe
fUm“Oh…”jja5
LOViAlthough they had been in the same place and seen the same person, the information they gathered was very different. That was the difference made by Kihano’s sharp powers of observation.lzfcKV
AkfeG“So, it seems he’s from the south. But what does it mean that he’s from a fallen family?”1m3SKAB
fm9Ov8i“He was wearing a ring with a noble family’s seal. But the emblem was unknown to me, so it must be from a family that fell at least a generation ago.”c3YaZ
2clTWJYan was amazed. When had Kihano found time to notice the ring during that brief meeting? Yan only remembered cowering before Samonte’s intimidating presence.1Wa
KztFyW“And besides, his clothes were worn. It looks like he takes care of his clothing carefully, but even so, it was worn out. That means he doesn’t have much money.”9RT
kRtPxD“…Then why do you say he’s an expelled mage?”byc
GiEsBPgEach of Kihano’s deductions seemed to fit perfectly, and Yan’s eyes shone with admiration.Qa6fEz
oWUNow he was curious to know how Kihano had concluded that Samonte was expelled. Kihano shrugged, as if he didn’t have a clear answer.es9JEwR
Heskz“…I didn’t know that.”FIC
AdVs“Huh?”U3ZRpOA
yam1XoEven though he had claimed Samonte was an expelled mage, he now admitted he didn’t know the reason.6gFis
n2EBZeLYan looked at him confused, but the answer came from another source.7pn
Nhsqk9Q“He smelled horrible.”LqN
nf88BA coarse, old voice came from inside Kihano’s coat.pGiDLx
jgh6kIt was a frog blinking impatiently, as if it felt uncomfortable after being hidden.dBK
s40CQ“There were many forbidden energies clustered around him. The stench was so strong it made me dizzy.”gCm1
0bSCYpThe small frog, which wore a pointed hat, climbed onto Kihano’s shoulder. When he was still human, he had been named Andrew. Now, he scratched his head with a hind leg, clearly disgusted.BZf
zdLA83“It must be black magic, the kind spreading among mages lately. If his powers are that rotten, he was surely expelled a long time ago.”ZwEnP
oSdYan had never heard of black magic, but the term gave him chills. The word “black” alone was enough to convey something sinister.osHwgyi
jJlmQm“What’s going on in this town…? I hope I haven’t gotten into something dangerous.”eRbr
Dcgz2CzAt first, the journey’s goal had only been to atone for a mistake.W6sZ
JMOSvimBut now, they were in a town where witches appeared and suspicious mages roamed.Pab
y7ALAs he walked through the town, Kihano looked at the darkening sky of Consuegra and clicked his tongue softly.RqCp6t
V2ZKnG***vEiLX
nuIMLNight had fallen completely, and the hill where the windmill stood was shrouded in shadows.b2n
HhWIE4In the newest windmill, a faint light filtered through the window while more than a dozen mages worked hurriedly.djojGE
TJDFa“…It seems Baron Turrek made a mistake in selecting the staff.”JwtPf
wNg08In the highest level of the windmill, in the room just below the blades, Samonte reflected on what had happened while frowning. The insolent attitude of that young man called Kihano still bothered him.czAL7
H4HO“Or maybe the Frausen family sent him here by force?”mKniKh
JRtcsR0The situation was frustrating. An unknown woman was constantly interfering, delaying the experiment. They had requested a competent knight to capture her, but instead, an irresponsible brat from the Frausen family had arrived.qS5j
OLF“This is a headache. There’s still so much work to do.”VYkVVD9
ggKyPressing his temples with his fingers, Samonte let out a small groan. He had received support from the Dragulia family to restore his fallen family and complete his experiment. But the moment to show results was approaching, and anxiety was starting to weigh on him.AMiM
Cg7GTef“…Come on, cry already, you cursed creature.”la9UFMn
k1PHis only hope left was the small snake in the jar he was holding.kTcMX
t3co-······!, ······!4X5Ut9
l9TmmTInside the jar Samonte held, a tiny snake hissed incessantly, showing its small, sharp fangs.aY1j
ho4A snake so small it wouldn’t even fit in the palm of an adult’s hand.hmVUh
r5nY8T1The snake kept hissing as if telling Samonte to release it, while staring at him.B75C3RY
858pkZThe young snake, which had not yet grown and had sharp teeth, was entirely white like the moon rising in the night sky.p5Q
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