Chapter 269: Ashes (1)
The Principality of Yuren, recently undergoing dazzling development under the Rule of Maho, was home to five noble houses. Due to the nation’s limited expanse, its aristocracy remained small—comprising families such as Cion, Pharah, and Belick.
However, these details hold little relevance here.
Anyhow, it was Sunday when Rose of House Cion—the eldest daughter of House Cion—her sky-blue bob trimmed, clipped to her staff, slipped the magical cuffs onto her belt, and slid a revolver for self-defense into its holster.
“Rose, are you working today as well?” asked Rose’s mother, glancing up as she sipped her tea on the balcony.
“Yes, the expo is coming up soon, so there’s a lot to do,” Rose replied, her expression tightening just a little.
As the daughter of a count, Rose understood her responsibilities, but she had no interest in the outdated formalities or the nobles’ prideful obsession with intellect. Yuren was destined to become a republic, and nobility itself was just a fading tradition, bound to disappear in time.
It’s the class system itself that’s a harmful tradition, Rose thought.
“Your younger sibling still isn’t home. That child really knows how to worry me…”
“Really? I haven’t heard a word, either.”
“I know. Go ahead now. Take care of yourself and try not to give me gray hairs like your younger sibling,” replied Rose’s mother, setting down her teacup elegantly.
Rose said nothing as she stepped outside and swung her leg over the motorcycle parked in front of the house.
Vrooooom—!
Rose rode her motorcycle like the wind, posting and pasting wanted posters along the walls of the streets. With less than a week left until the expo, she was completely absorbed in her duties as a magical prosecutor—one who could recite every line of the code of law.
With the last of the wanted posters posted, Rose finally arrived at the gates of her workplace.
Supreme Magic Prosecutors’ Office of Yuren
The moment Rose stepped through the door, she was met with the sight of people rushing about, and despite it being a holiday, the place was alive with activity.
“Good morning. Good morning,” Rose said as she walked through the corridor, her tone respectful and her posture straight.
They don’t look particularly glad to see me, and most wouldn’t even meet my eyes… That’s what the class system means, Rose thought.
“Excuse me, Miss Rose.”
“Yes?”
At that moment, Rose quickly responded to the senior prosecutor who had called her name. Though he looked slightly uncomfortable, he still handed her a stack of case files.
“This.”
“Yes, is there something you need?”
“These are public complaints.”
“Public complaints?”
“Umm… Miss Rose, you know that you are a prosecutor, right?” asked the senior prosecutor, rubbing the back of his neck.
“Of course, I’m a prosecutor. What else would I be if I weren’t a prosecutor?” Rose replied with a nod.
“Yes, of course, Miss Rose. But please don’t conduct interrogations like a detective, chase down wanted criminals on your own, or distribute wanted notices without clearance. We keep getting public complaints because of it.”
It was only after the fact that Rose noticed the subject of the complaints—every single one was directed at Prosecutor Rose.
“… Oh~ Yes, of course. I’ll… keep that in mind.”
“And this is a proper assignment for you,” said the senior prosecutor, holding out a sheet marked with a red label known for its level of importance.
“What is it?” Rose asked, her eyes widening.
“You’ve heard of Professor Deculein, have you?”
At that moment, Rose’s expression hardened.
Of course I do. Deculein—the villain history will remember, Rose thought.
“I… do know him. No one really doesn’t.”
Most of Yuren’s citizens felt strong bitterness toward the massacre of the Scarletborn.
How could anyone justify slaughtering an entire people for something as meaningless as their bloodline?
“Since Professor Deculein is coming for the expo, Miss Rose, I’d like you to escort him throughout the event.”
Rose remained silent.
“Please take good care of him. The Professor’s particular about manners, so Miss Rose—you’re the only suitable choice. Really, there’s no one else,” added the senior prosecutor with a hint of sarcasm.
“… Yes,” Rose replied with a nod.
“That will be all for now. You can get back to work.”
“I will,” Rose replied, her lips pouting as she made her way down the corridor.
As she walked, Rose kept a cautious eye on her surroundings. Nearly everyone in the Prosecutors’ Office corridor was glancing sideways at her, murmuring under their breath.
“Of course, that assignment goes to Miss Rose.”
“Well, people like us wouldn’t see eye to eye with someone like that. We probably wouldn’t even understand each other.”
“Of course, it would be different. Miss Rose and Professor Deculein? What else could we expect from the highest tier of nobility?”
Because Professor Deculein is such a prominent figure, even escorting him—technically just a protective duty—is seen as a major accomplishment. But honestly, I can’t stand anything he’s done. Just thinking of my parents brings a rush of frustration, Rose thought.
Plop—
“… They probably pulled some strings again,” Rose muttered, dropping into her chair in her office.
They’re pulling strings again—always pulling strings. Everyone wants this assignment—everyone but me. My parents never ask and just decide for themselves. No matter how loud I protest, nothing changes. … But when I get home tonight, I’ll scream at them again, even louder.
Crackle—
At that moment, static crackled through the radio.
“Prosecutor Cion here,” Rose replied, startled by the call.
— Professor Deculein’s newest theory was stolen from Yuren’s aircraft. This is an emergency. All available units, assemble immediately.
***
The moment the aircraft touched down at the airport, a swarm of reporters rushed in, and the place was packed wall to wall. So I slipped out through the back and made my way to Yuren’s palace—to the reception room where they welcomed visiting dignitaries.
“I’m sorry—I’m so sorry. How could something like this happen… How could it…?” Princess Maho said, tears brimming as she offered one apology after another.
“This was not your fault, Princess. Even if those fools looked at the theory, they wouldn’t understand a word of it,” I replied, shaking my head.
“Even so… hfff… but for now, the prosecutors are doing all they can. Please be patient just a little longer.”
“Understood.”
Maho turned away, her eyes shimmering with tears, and walked off with light steps.
“Unbelievable! What kind of lowlife would just take things like that?!” Epherene yelled, her anger still burning hot.
“Stay out of trouble and get some rest in your room. I will give you an assignment,” I said, pressing the suitcase into her hands.
“Didn’t you just tell me to get some rest?” Epherene replied as she blinked at the suitcase.
“There are eight mana stones inside, each inscribed with the transformation formula. I assume you understand what comes next.”
“… Yes, Professor.”
“You’re permitted to compile the experimental results into a thesis and list yourself as the author.”
Epherene’s eyes widened in surprise.
Of course, a magic thesis is the career of a university mage, and if my transformation formula proves to be an accomplishment, the value of that thesis will rise on its own, I thought.
“But keep anything related to time to yourself. For now, it must remain hidden beneath the surface,” I added in a low voice.
“… Yes, Professor,” Epherene replied in a whisper, then slipped off to her room like a secret agent on a mission.
As I reached for the door to my room…
“Professor Deculein.”
The moment I turned toward the voice calling my name in the palace corridor, I recognized the face right away. It was Rose—one of Yuren’s named characters.
“The investigation results on the aircraft are in. Just as your assistant suggested, magic components were detected, and—”
“They likely compressed the Summon spell into a pinpoint range—just enough to take a single sheet of paper.”
“Yes, that’s correct. We’re currently searching for a mage skilled in the Support and Manipulation categories.”
“And the cat, did she make it through the flight?” I said, nodding toward the cage she held in her hands.
“Yes, here you are.” Rose replied, offering the cage.
“Meow.”
The cat meowing from inside the cage was Sophien—she’d been locked in the cargo hold the whole time, since pets weren’t allowed on the aircraft.
“I must admit, I didn’t take you for someone who keeps pets, Professor.”
“Perhaps keep such thoughts to yourself next time,” I replied, opening the room door with the cage in my hand.
“Please take this radio. I’ll use it to keep you updated on the case’s progress,” Rose said, following behind me.
“I’ll take it, but there’s no need for concern. This isn’t a theory that the likes of them could comprehend.”
“Yes, Professor. I’ll keep that in mind,” Rose replied with a smile.
As soon as I entered the room, I opened the cage and the cat stepped out.
“… Wow. Just—wow. What a jerk. I swear, I’ve got goosebumps all over my arms.”
Rose’s voice seeped faintly through the door, and the red-furred munchkin narrowed her eyes, let out a growl, and raised her spine like a drawn bow.
“How dare you lock me in the cargo hold of an aircraft?”
“Might I ask why Your Majesty did not momentarily undo the possession spell?”
“This is Yuren. My body remains in the Imperial Palace. Once the possession spell is undone, the link cannot be restored.”
“Hmm, I see.”
“Professor, don’t act like you didn’t know.”
I gave a nod, took off my coat, and slipped into a black robe. It was plain—nothing about it invited a second glance.
“And where do you think you’re going? You’ll be taking me with you.”
“I’m afraid the cat cannot come where I’m going.”
“Hmm. Are you heading to the Ashes?”
“Yes, Your Majesty. I plan to pick up a few supplies and carry out an investigation.”
The Ashes held much of Decalane’s legacy, and because he would stop at nothing for the honor of his house, he chose to work with them—no matter how low their status or how repulsive the Ashes were—to carry on his research and preserve what he would one day leave behind.
“And what of your theory?”
“It doesn’t concern me.”
“Grrr—” said the cat, jumping onto the bed and curling up with clear annoyance. “How foolish. Had I been in your place, I’d have demanded Yuren take responsibility for it. Wasn’t that theory important to you?”
“It was a theory I had been immersed in recently.”
“Was it your invention?”
“It is my invention, but its purpose is to complete Decalane’s theory.”
Then the cat fell silent for a moment.
I adjusted the sleeve of my robe and turned toward her. Sophien’s face was tinged with sentiment, as if caught up in a feeling that didn’t belong.
“Are you speaking of your father’s magic theory?”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“Didn’t you resent your father, Professor?”
“He may be a loathsome specter, but he is Yukline. I am bound to uphold the will of the former head of the family,” I replied, gathering three rods of Wood Steel into my robe and tucking the Snowflower Stone into my shirt pocket.
Then the cat, who had been glaring at me with that expression of silent annoyance, finally opened her mouth again.
“… Don’t leave me alone for too long.”
“I won’t.”
***
“Deculein’s thesis was stolen?!”
“They say it’s worth a billion elne.”
“Only if we find that… who the hell was bold enough to pull this off?”
Arlos walked through the market in the Ashes, picking up materials for her puppet, but what caught her attention most were the intriguing rumors swirling in the air.
“Deculein’s theory was stolen…? I wonder what kind of theory it was,” Arlos muttered as she opened the shop door.
Arms and Legs was a shop that dealt in animal tendons, organs, and other such parts.
“Hey, did anything new come through the door today?” Arlos asked.
“Too bad. There was something, but a customer cleared it all out just now,” the shopkeeper replied, shaking his head.
“… Cleared it all out?”
“Mm-hm,” the shopkeeper said with a shrug, pointing to the shelf in the back.
It was empty.
“Everything, like I just said.”
“… Who the hell was that?” Arlos muttered.
“No idea.”
Clink—
Arlos offered a single silver coin.
“It was a tall man,” the shopkeeper said.
Clink—
Then she offered another silver coin.
“He wore a black robe, and by the look of him, he was a noble of Yuren.”
“A noble of Yuren?”
Clink—
And another silver coin.
“He spoke in Yuren. You know—like they always do when they want to sound important.”
“Hmm…”
A Yuren noble in the Ashes? Arlos thought.
Though Yuren and the Ashes were close in theory—one above ground, the other beneath—impassable mountains made the distance tangible. The only direct route was through the dungeon passage, crawling with thugs and bandits. Otherwise, it was a long detour.
Creeeeeak—
At that moment, the shop door opened again. Arlos and the shopkeeper looked up at the same time, and the shopkeeper frowned, deep lines forming between his brows.
“… What, is it rush hour all of a sudden?” Arlos muttered with a chuckle.
Click, clack— Click, clack—
A group entered with authoritative steps. Beneath their robes, glints of polished leather armor caught the light—too gleaming, too silver, to be mistaken for anything ordinary. It was the uniform of Yuren’s public authority.
“Shopkeeper,” said one of the members of Yuren’s public authority group, stepping forward and placing her hand flat against the counter. “People are making noise outside—about Professor Deculein’s theory.”
“Really? Didn’t hear a thing,” the shopkeeper replied.
Arlos watched them with keen interest in her eyes, clearly enjoying the show.
“You heard nothing at all?” asked the woman with sky-blue bobbed hair, shaking her head before reaching for a gold coin from her pocket.
“… Hmm,” the shopkeeper murmured, arms crossed, watching in silence.
Then the woman placed one gold coin, then another… three, four, five—stacking them into a neat little tower.
Arlos allowed herself a quiet smile.
This woman looks like someone from Yuren, but she clearly knows her way around the Ashes. Among all the merchants here, the shopkeeper at Arms and Legs is especially known for having the sharpest network of information around, Arlos thought.
“I might’ve heard something.”
The deal was sealed for fifteen gold coins.
“They say the thief who took Deculein’s theory is somewhere in the Ashes,” the shopkeeper said, smiling as he gathered the gold coin into his palm.
“Is that really true?”
“That’s right. You might want to check out Venom Stallion’s Bookshop.”
“Yes, thank you so much.”
The group from Yuren had just started to leave when the shopkeeper reached out and stopped them.
“Hey.”
“… Yes?”
“One more piece of information before you go. For fifteen gold coins—I’ve still got more,” the shopkeeper said.
“Oh… Yes.”
The merchants of the Ashes, to some surprise, dealt with a certain integrity. They might decode the Floating Island’s intellectual property rights and sell them dirt cheap, but they never cheated on their own.
“Deculein’s father is Decalane.”
“… Who doesn’t know that?”
“Someone in the Ashes is following the trail Decalane left behind,” the shopkeeper added, glancing at Arlos.
Arlos let out a chuckle.
“They are following after Decalane?” the woman asked.
“That’s right. Exactly thirty minutes ago.”
“And what kind of information is that supposed to mean?”
“You must know that Deculein and Decalane were never a proper father and son, don’t you? And what Decalane left behind is a dangerous thing, especially here in the Ashes,” Arlos said, stepping in for the shopkeeper.
“… Dangerous?”
“Decalane once set off this very volcano with one of his magic experiments. I imagine Yuren didn’t escape the chaos either back then.”
“You mean the volcanic eruption incident from fifteen years ago?” the woman asked, her eyes widening.
With a shrug, Arlos replied, “That’s correct. This place is a dormant volcano—”
Creeeeeak—
At that moment…
The door opened again, and three young people stepped into the shop. Their faces were tight with nerves as they glanced around before coming to a stop at the counter.
“… Excuse me.”
The one who spoke—a young female mage—was Epherene.
“We heard someone from here, the Ashes, stole Professor Deculein’s theory. Would you happen to have any information about it?” Epherene asked, glancing up at the shopkeeper with a tense expression.
Arlos blinked, looking momentarily lost, then gave a hollow laugh that faded almost immediately.
Had the dungeon cave rats all died? Since when did the Ashes start letting just anyone through these days? Arlos thought.
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