By Zephyria 
As I peered into the small holes, had my heart also shrunk? The ones huddled meekly in each compartment, though they had committed no crime, made me so angry. Even though a quick glance was enough to tell they weren’t Rubel, I rubbed my eyes several times, just in case, as I scanned the rooms.
The creatures inside the rooms all looked suspicious.
I saw several with strange paint on their bodies. Among them, some had black veins protruding from their cheeks. Others had scales on their skin or thick, rock-like arms and legs.
I couldn’t tell if they were monsters or people. Being so close to the Yuil Mountains, I couldn’t gauge if they had met with misfortune or if something terrible had been done to them by suspicious individuals. Their rough breaths, their pained groans—each one felt like my child’s scream, and my heart burned black.
I reached the end of the corridor. As soon as Hugh Benson’s eyes met mine, he shook his head once and immediately opened the ceiling hatch, climbing up. I asked without realizing it.
[Can’t we check just one more time?]
No answer came back. It was a cold refusal.
I didn’t doubt his eyes, but a sense of anxiety arose, wondering what if my child was in a compartment I hadn’t checked with my own eyes. However, it was right to hurry, lest Ruben meet with misfortune elsewhere if I delayed.
Knowing I had conceded, Hugh Benson first hopped up through the ceiling. I followed him, entering the ceiling and closing the hatch.
This time, I asked something else.
[Are there any other places like this within this building?]
Hugh Benson shook his head once more.
I gritted my teeth. A metallic taste filled my mouth. If I could, I would have screamed. Forcing myself to swallow the blood that seeped out, I gulped it down. Hugh Benson clenched his right fist, placed it on his shoulder, and flicked his thumb twice. It was a signal to leave now.
I nodded obediently and stepped out. There were still many places left to check. My heart was in a rush, so I hurried as much as I could.
❖ ❖ ❖
Three days passed like that.
Like a madman, I scoured Bardiol day and night for three days and nights without eating or sleeping. But this was a region with dense mana and many martial artists, wasn’t it? I experienced several instances where I followed someone thinking it was Ruben, only to find it wasn’t a child, or followed someone thinking it was Benjamin, only to find it was someone else entirely, which was incredibly disheartening.
According to Marianne, who had just finished surveying the area around 8th Street, Owen’s other noble residences, like the Diamang mansion, were protected by alarmingly strong defensive magic on their walls.
Owen was still in a civil war. It was natural to pour money into magic armor, as he could be assassinated at any moment. That’s why Hugh Benson and I hadn’t attached ourselves to the underside of the carriage to survey the Diamang mansion comfortably…
If I had been at a slightly higher realm, could I have broken through it all and dragged them out? It’s impossible to know.
The time we left our lodging was eleven in the morning.
It was because the time granted to us in exchange for presenting a gift to Lady Diamang was right after lunch. It’s rare for the leader of such a great family to grant an audience to a mere merchant. Therefore, to meet the time set by the Diamang family, we had to depart by eleven at the latest.
Because of this, our party ate lunch a little later than usual. Since the inn didn’t serve meals in the rooms, it was difficult to ensure Ruben ate properly. The time we left Ruben and Benjamin in one room, bidding them farewell with a promise to take care…
…It pains me greatly that I couldn’t see what expression Rubel had when he saw me off, due to the veil covering the child’s face. I clenched my teeth, trying to calm my inner demon, and shook my head to clear my mind.
…The time we bid farewell was ten-thirty in the morning.
And the time we returned from the Diamang family was five-thirty in the afternoon. Those six hours… Unluckily, it was the time when the inn was most crowded.
People seeking new rooms, those who came just for a meal, and those leaving after using their rooms were all mixed together. In such a bustling time, it was difficult to identify who came and went.
On the fourth floor where our party was staying, there were no guests other than us. The people on the lower floors had finished their meals and gone out early, returning only late at night.
The time suspicious individuals entered and left… Based on the bloodstains, it was estimated to be roughly between four and five in the afternoon, but that wasn’t exact either. This was because the intruders had not only targeted the doors and windows but had also liberally sprinkled tracking-prevention agents on the spilled blood before leaving.
For what purpose were they so diligently covering their tracks?
It must have been Rubel they were after. The more I thought about it, the more anxious and impatient I became.
Twice a day, Tedros would meet with informants and bring back various news.
The individuals Tedros brought along were Sierren’s informants. They mostly consisted of servants and maids from noble households. This was because most of the information Sierren needed came from noble families, making them blind to events happening on the streets.
If Rubel were here, he would have made a flippant joke about increasing the number of informants. Even though it had been a long time since I’d seen the child’s face, his smiling visage was vivid whenever I closed my eyes. If I could, I would have wanted to spend all my time with my eyes closed, picturing him.
On the fourth day after Rubel disappeared, at seven in the evening.
Elvin and Tedros were absent, and the rest of the party was in the room, waiting for the two of them. I couldn’t sit still and paced back and forth. How could I rest comfortably when I didn’t know what fate might befall Rubel during my brief respite?
Thankfully, both Hugh and Marianne didn’t scold me for my restlessness. I tried hard not to show them any signs of anger. Then, I heard footsteps approaching from the end of the corridor.
Before the knock could even finish, I flung the door open.
No. I confirmed what I already knew with my own eyes. Instead of Tedros, a server carrying a tray of food looked up at me with a slightly frightened expression. She looked to be around her mid-thirties. The woman, with a stout impression, was someone I had seen a few times downstairs.
I let out a deep sigh and stepped aside.
Since I had many urgent matters to discuss, I had paid the innkeeper extra to have meals brought to the room, so it seemed they had sent her up instead of the busy servers attending to guests.
Even if it was difficult for me to swallow anything due to my upset stomach, I couldn’t let the rest of the party starve and urge them to find Rubel. Leaning against the wall, I watched the woman take out the food and arrange it on the table, then turned my gaze back to the door.
The woman, glancing at me, asked softly.
“I heard the bride ran away?”
“What?”
Despite my sharp question, the woman smoothly continued, as if trying to pry something out of me.
“They say a very beautiful bride was eloped with by the mercenary who came with her. Seeing you sighing so much, it seems you don’t know anything about it…”
“…Huh.”
Benjamin, with Rubel? While I was so stunned I couldn’t even breathe properly, Marianne quickly responded. It was better to hear a strange rumor than to waste precious time. I didn’t stop Marianne.
“What do you mean? Who says that?”
“Uh-huh. I heard it from the mercenaries. They said, ‘What’s the point of covering the bride’s face with a veil? You can’t trust mercenaries bound by money,’ and ‘You should use registered mercenaries…’ things like that.”
“Registered mercenaries?”
“Yes. Uh… the one who disappeared, and the one who’s missing now. They said they’d never seen those two at the Owen Mercenary Guild before. And that the remaining one should also be careful.”
This referred to Benjamin and Elvin. Marianne’s face crumpled into a tearful expression as she took in the words.
“But both of them were incredibly kind…”
“Oh my, you’re so naive. People from the desert are always like this. There’s no country as full of swindlers as Owen. And with mercenaries disappearing lately…”
“Mercenaries are disappearing?”
“Yes. They just run away without paying their lodging fees…”
Hugh Benson, who had been silently eating his food, asked.
“The registered mercenaries haven’t disappeared, have they?”
“Uh… I don’t know about that. Mercenaries tend to go here and there… Since people are saying only unregistered mercenaries are disappearing, I just assumed that’s how it is.”
However, Hugh Benson, listening to the story, had a strange expression throughout. He swallowed what was in his mouth, wiped his lips with one hand, and looked directly at the woman.
“Owen mercenaries… This is the first I’ve heard of a registration system.”
“Ah, it hasn’t been long. It started last year.”
Last year?
A chill ran down my spine from my fingertips. Unaware of my expression, the woman raised her voice like a storyteller recounting scary old tales to children.
“It was quite something. Not long after the new year festival, nearly thirty people disappeared at once! But there are so many mercenaries who run away without paying their dues. Everyone assumed they had colluded and tricked them, and there was an uproar.”
“…And then?”
“But they didn’t return to Bardiol. Still, when people who had made a name for themselves, like hunting trolls alone or taking down five orcs, disappeared like that… it felt a bit strange and scary.”
The woman casually pulled out a chair and sat down as if settling in. Since no one chided her, she began to enthusiastically unravel her tale.
“It was quiet for a while, but last summer, a whopping fifty people disappeared! So my husband, and other innkeepers, all went to the Mercenary Guild and gave them a piece of our minds. We said, ‘Is this thuggery or mercenary work? Give me back my money!’ That’s why the mercenary guilds started the registration system. They collect money from mercenaries in advance, and if a debt arises, they use it to cover it.”
“…So? Did everyone register?”
“No, why would mercenaries pay money they never paid before? Some paid, some didn’t… but you know what?”
The woman slapped her knee and lowered her voice considerably.
“After this year’s new year festival, nearly a hundred unregistered mercenaries disappeared! Now everyone’s whispering, ‘Something really seems to be happening, something’s strange.’ Still, people who live diligently are all fine, and only mercenaries are disappearing, so people just accept it, but it’s quite suspicious.”
“…”
“So, don’t get into trouble by sticking close to unregistered mercenaries. Try interviewing the people I introduce. I know many fine friends.”
As if this was her main objective, the woman took out a simple profile list of mercenary members she had hidden in her bosom and placed it on the table. She then fussed about leaving the tray outside after we finished eating, and telling any clerk on the first floor if we needed mercenaries, before leaving.
…Come to think of it, we saw mercenaries sleeping at the Diamang mansion.
Why hadn’t I considered until now that this incident might be connected to Rubel’s disappearance?