Shini Yasui Kōshaku Reijō to Shichi-nin no Kikōshi

Chapter 169: The Box of Angel Specimen (part three)

While we were having such a conversation, the carriage arrived at the designated place.

Great!

Now I can be free of their incessant nagging.

“Time certainly flew by while we were talking.”

Chloe said as she peered out of the carriage.

This is the 〈Umbrella Street〉 of the Magic Academy City, Lindis.

As the name suggests, this street is full of stores selling waterproof items such as umbrellas, cloaks, gloves, hats, and boots.

Due to the depth and narrowness of the alleyways, this street is also called the 〈Eel Pits〉.

One of the houses rented by the vampire disguised as Lièvre is located right here on the Umbrella Street.

We intend to thoroughly investigate each of the houses Lièvre had rented.

“Well, let’s start with this one first.”

Chloe vigorously jumped out of the carriage.

I dismounted next, my arm entwined with Palug’s.

The last one to come down was Beatrice, guarded by Tirnanog.

The Umbrella Streetwas bustling with activity since early morning.

Unlike the spacious main street, where four large carriages can easily pass side-by-side with plenty of room to spare, this narrow alley had only enough room for a single medium-sized carriage.

As such, the place appeared even more crowded than it actually was.

If you are busy browsing and don’t watch where you are going, you are likely to bump into someone.

Amidst such a crowd, Chloe fluidly continued walking without colliding with anyone, just like a fish swimming in water.

Following Chloe’s gaze, I also looked around the stores on the Umbrella Street.

“Wow! There are so many great stores here!”

“Right, Chloe-san. I hope we can all come here again next time.”

“Yes!”

A store that sells boots made from leather processed from hides of magical beasts.

One that sells umbrellas imbued with magic that never gets soaked.

A store selling magic potions that can turn any garment waterproof.

Another one selling raincoats that keep the wearer warm even during heavy rains.

Every store here is chalk-full with useful commodities to sell.

“Fufufu~ It doesn’t seem like a bad idea to wear these gorgeous colors on a rainy day.”

Palug is unlikely to get wet in rain, but she seemed very interested in the beautiful raincoats.

“If there is anything you would like, please feel free to let me know, Palug.”

If I had the time, I would have liked to buy a set of rain gears as well.

But unfortunately, we do not have time for that today.

But come to think of it, this street looks very familiar to me …

Ah! Right!

This was one of the places I crossed when I was chasing after the knights of Útför on All Souls Day.

… Next time, I just want to come here to shop normally.

As we walked along the street chatting about the things we wanted to buy and price bargaining, we reached the house Lièvre had rented before her death.

It appears she had rented the second floor of a two-storied hat shop, the floor was built and decorated very tastefully.

Well, it is time to commence the investigation.

“This is the apartment she had rented, isn’t it … ?”

“Well then, Chloe-san, Palug—”

Beatrice and Tirnanog, whom I intended to address next, were nowhere to be seen.

I quickly scanned the street we just walked down.

About ten meters behind me, I caught the sight of Beatrice cautiously looking around with Tirnanog at her feet.

Finally noticing my gaze, Beatrice bowed and ran towards me.

“I-I am really sorry to have kept all of you waiting!”

“It’s fine, Beatrice-san. The streets are really crowded so it couldn’t be helped.”

Alright, now we are all set.

“Ready, everyone?”

I looked at everyone’s faces.

『Fumu, I do not think there are going to be any dangerous monsters popping out of nowhere and attacking us. But we should still be careful.』

“Fufufu, I for one, am quite ready, you see~?”

“I am also ready for anything!”

“Well, um … I am a bit scared … but I will do my best!”

A narrow staircase next to the store led up to a locked door, with two new additional locks set up along with the original one.

A small green dragon was sleeping next to the door, curled up like a cat.

She was a guard left behind by the Ignitian dragon knights stationed inside the city.

As we approached, the little dragon opened its eyes and stared at us.

I opened the locks using the key I borrowed from my brother.

I refrained from using my wand of Unlock because I wanted to abide by the city’s laws as much as possible.

This would make it easier to explain my actions in case incidents occur.

“Ooh~ It’s larger than I had thought it would be~~!”

Palug slid into the room as soon as we opened the door.

She was followed by Chloe, myself, and then Beatrice and Tirnanog.

The room was very messy, as if people have been living here for a while.

There was a kitchen with a map of the southern continent pasted on its wall, a dining room where some dry breads were lying around, a bedroom with stacks of books cluttered here and there, and a study with astonishing amount of books.

Based on their titles, most of the books seemed to be about magical beasts of the southern continent.

The study was cluttered with books, maps, and sketches of magical beasts that were, perhaps, drawn by Lièvre.

“Urgh, it smells so musty!”

Palug, who was the most sensitive to smells, groaned in dismay.

I see. There must be many old books in bad condition.

“This place looks like it belongs to someone who really loves books.”

“—‘Ecological Demography of Magical Beasts in the Former Province of Ignitia’, ‘Encyclopedia of Magical Beasts of Karkinos’ … look, Chloe-chan, all of these are books about magical beasts, right?”

“Wow, all of them?”

“She must have been an avid researcher of magical beasts.”

Beatrice quickly explained the contents of the bookshelf to Chloe.

“Well~ The apartment itself doesn’t look bad, wouldn’t you say?”

『Hmm, but it’s a waste of an apartment.』

“Right, the furnishing isn’t bad, but it really is a waste.”

Palug and Tirnanog commented as they scanned the room.

“I think this type of room is quite comfortable to live in … but … ”

However, something about this room feels really uncomfortable.

I am not sure what, I cannot quite wrap my head around it.

I slid my fingers across the shelves on the bookcase.

It was covered with an ample layer of dust.

“It seems this place hasn’t been cleaned for a long time. Was it because she was busy, or was Lièvre’s original self not very good at cleaning?”

Even the floor is much cleaner compared to these dusty shelves.

Come to think of it, the only thing clean about this place is the floor of the study …

Despite all the scattered documents on the floor, the study is in a very good condition, there is even a carpet on the floor in this room.

—Hmm, isn’t it strange that all of these documents on the floor have their front sides up?

As the thought struck me, my eyes met Chloe’s gaze.

“Say, Erica-san, did you notice?”

“Yes, the floor of this room seems abnormal.”

“Right?”

Chloe pulled out her sword from the sheath strapped at her waist.

With no hesitation, she slashed through the carpet.

What was revealed beneath the carpet on the bare floor, was an ominous magic circle glowing with a sinister crimson light.

“Yeeek!”

Beatrice hid behind me in fright.

“I don’t think it is a good idea to touch that thing directly, Chloe-san.”

Chloe nodded to my words, fished out three snowsilver needles from her cuffs, and threw them into the magic circle.

As soon as the needles pierced the circle, I felt a vibrating sensation as if the space itself was shaken.

The magic circle broke, giving off an invisible reverberation.

The sensation of the resonance hit the skin, making one feel as if they were in the middle of a buzzing, crowded place despite the silence of the room.

The space around the circle shimmered, projecting the vision of a different scenery.

An ancient, dark, and ominous-looking altar.

In the next moment, the vision of the altar flickered and disappeared.

『I see … so they were preparing another devious scheme.』

“From the looks of it, it must have been prepared to interfere with some remote altar.”

Tirnanog and Palug commented as they stared at the space where the magic circle had been set up.

In the basement of the academy, they had set up a corrupted altar that created mutated monsters.

The altars of various old churches were tampered with to redirect mana.

Then what kind of evil is this arrangement supposed to accomplish?

☆

After investigating the first apartment and destroying that magic circle, we left and headed for the carriage waiting for us near the street entrance.

“Say, Erica-san, do you think the other apartments also have magic circles like this?”

“Probably, yes.”

Perhaps, we should consult Klaus for a detailed investigation.

No, before that, I need to ensure these places are strictly restricted.

“Then it would be better if we destroy them all, right?”

“Right.”

Truth be told, I had initially wanted to leave things as it were and let the investigators take over after our primary investigation, but the situation now is different.

There is a risk that the investigators might be cursed and end up transforming into some unknown monster.

Safety should be given top priority.

“Well then, everyone, up next—”

Before I could finish my sentence, a child who was running in front of us bumped into an old man.

The huge stack of books the old man was carrying fell from his hands and scattered all over the alley.

Will he be alright?

Chloe ran ahead to help the old man up.

“Are you okay, grandpa?”

“Ah yes, yes. Thank you, dear. That damned little brat!”

“Are you hurt? Hmm, it seems there are no injuries.”

I picked up the book that fell near my feet.

As I was about to pick up the book, a piece of paper seemed to fall out of it—or so I thought—but it abruptly vanished from my sight.

There was nothing but a book and cobblestones near my feet.

I stared at the cobblestone ground looking for the piece of paper, but it was nowhere in sight.

Was I just seeing things?

We picked up the scattered books and handed them back to the old man.

“If you feel any pain later, please go see the doctor, okay?”

“Thank you, thank you very much, young ladies.”

The old man bowed deeply, thanked us, and then returned to his store, which had a sign ‘special products for rainy weather’.

“Um, may I have a word?”

After the old shopkeeper left, Beatrice approached us with a look of fright.

What could possibly be the matter?

“I just received something.”

Beatrice was holding a piece of paper in her hand.

It had the same color and pattern as the one I found earlier on the street … oh! It must be the paper from earlier.

“That’s the piece of paper lodged inside the book dropped by that old shopkeeper earlier, is it not? I wonder, is the Wynt family still directing us?”

“That’s right, Erica-sama.”

Beatrice turned the paper and held it out for us to see.

—Three bloodsuckers are here on this Umbrella Street

—The strongest one is an Ancient One named “One Who Devours Death”

—The other two are also difficult to deal with and have troublesome abilities, such as atomization

—Do not engage them. Retreat to the academy and seek the help of Reuel Twr.

—It would be regrettable to lose Reuel, but to keep the civilian casualty to a minimum, it cannot be helped.

It was written with a strange handwriting.

“It seems this person could not see the future where the vampire disguised as the curator has been defeated.”

I see, so it appears to be an advice from someone from the Wynt family who saw a future where the One Who Devours Death had not been defeated.

But that must mean the other two vampires are still alive and lurking around.

Perhaps they know we are investigating Lièvre and are waiting to ambush us.

But here we have Palug, the strongest vampire-slayer in the world.

If she burns them with her flames, most vampires can be taken care of with a single blow.

But there are two problems.

Firstly, how to identify the enemy.

And secondly, how to deal with them in this crowded place without causing any damage or casualties?

What would be the best solution?

“Ah … you see, I have received some instructions from my aunt.”

Beatrice unfolded another piece of paper.

—Prepare a wide-area barrier that covers the entire Umbrella Street

—As for the composition of the barrier, consult with Clochydd today.

—Make sure to receive authorization for supplying magical energy directly from the leylines, alright?

Yet another difficult instruction.

It is an instruction that requires a lot of effort to follow but doesn’t really address the main point, isn’t it?

“I received this instruction yesterday, so I hurriedly deployed a wide-area barrier last night. Please do not worry, I will handle this situation.”

Ah! So that’s why Beatrice looked so exhausted this morning, I see.

Chloe inquisitively looked at Beatrice.

“But even when we entered the street, I didn’t feel any change in the flow of magical energy at all. Are you sure we are already inside the barrier? This entire street?”

“That’s right, Chloe-chan. Professor Clochydd has been helping me with setting up the basic formation since last evening. And I have had help from several of our seniors.”

“That’s amazing!”

So they deployed student mages like a human wave tactic, huh.

It certainly wouldn’t have been possible to pull this off without Brad’s help.

“No, I didn’t do much. The magical energy is being supplied from the leylines through the magic tower, and the difficult barrier construction was mostly handled by Professor Clochydd.”

“I still think you did great though.”

Beatrice looked down with a troubled expression, but suddenly her head snapped back up.

“ … Wait, are they about to attack? It is the two of you, am I correct?”

We looked at where Beatrice was pointing.

About fifteen meters in front of us, an old lady and a little girl were making a beeline for us.

The old lady was smiling gently, while the little girl was happily leading her by the hand.

Those two are vampires?

“A thick fog … when did this happen?”

Chloe muttered.

Before we realized it, the 〈 Umbrella Street 〉 was enveloped by a thick layer of fog.

The expressions of the people in the street also appeared somewhat dazed, as if the fog was a hallucinogen inhibiting their perception.

So, the fog also has this kind of effect, huh.

“This fog, it is going to swallow up the entire street along with its people, isn’t it?”

“That’s right, Chloe-chan.”

How horrifying.

It is like a silent genocide.

With a flick of the wand of Glam Sight, I checked the spot where the old lady and the little girl were just a moment ago.

There was nothing there.

“I am glad you have revealed your true forms … I didn’t want to have to deal with you while you had a human’s appearance.”

Beatrice heaved a sigh of relief as she said so.

Spreading out her arms, she started chanting a spell at an imperceptible speed.

Tiny cube-shaped barriers filled the street.

“Well then, I will finish this quickly.”

A small magic circle the size of a silver coin appeared on Beatrice’s palm.

Uttering a short incantation, she immediately crushed the circle.

“Goodbye.”

As soon as Beatrice’s words fell, the countless barriers covering the street disappeared, as if absorbed into the ground.

Huh? That’s it?

It was this simple?

“I sealed the atomized vampire inside those tiny barriers and transferred them far below the earth to a place sealed by volcanic rocks and filled with magma.”

A forced transfer by using an immeasurably huge amount of magical energy and overwhelming the vampire’s magic resistance.

Moreover, to a place far below the earth’s surface filled with magma?

That’s an outstanding feat, even with magical supply from the leylines.

I have never seen anyone but Klaus using such high-speed incantation and ultra-wide area magic.

Although Haearn was also very talented, his incantations took far too long.

“The forced transfer was only possible because there were only two of them. If there were even one more, it would’ve been impossible for me to handle.”

Did Dolores Wynt even see this future and judge that the number of vampires here were enough for Beatrice to handle by herself?

“That’s still amazing.”

“Yes, yes, you’re really strong, Beatrice!”

“ … No, I only won because they were slow-moving enemies that had no intention of hiding.”

It certainly depends on the conditions.

But the best solution here was formulated by none other than Beatrice.

Anticipating the enemy’s movement, planning, taking necessary preparation, and cooperation.

She might not be capable of doing much if she lacks even one of these factors, but when all these factors came together, Beatrice became a powerful mage capable of easily changing the tide of battle at will.

Besides, I now understand why Beatrice was the ‘second signal’.

Due to instructions received from the past, she will venture into places filled with far more danger than anyone else.

Moreover, she’s probably all alone in the game’s setting.

“Oh my~ Aren’t you a very capable child?”

“No, no, no! That’s not true at all! You praise me too much, Angel-sama.”

『Fumu, it is true. Your magic may be humble and unassuming, but you are as fierce as the magma beneath the earth’s surface.』

“Even you, Tir-sama … such kind words are wasted on someone like me!”

Palug and Tirnanog were very impressed, but Beatrice herself was very embarrassed.

It appears she is not used to being praised, so I suppose it cannot be helped.

“W-well then, everyone, we have only checked the first house. So we really should get going!”

Desperate to change the subject, Beatrice exclaimed, her eyes darting here and there.

She grabbed Chloe’s hand and mine, and started walking towards the carriage stop.

However, thanks to the previous encounter, I have come to realize that the plot hidden behind these rented houses is quite serious.

I did not expect that we would be attacked as soon as we left the rented house, but it might actually be very beneficial in a way.

Time to find out what exactly the vampires are up to.