Despite the summer night, the interior of the House Marstchel residence remained at a comfortable temperature, cooled by the effects of magic items that fended off the heat.
However, moving around vigorously still brought on a sweat. Currently, the halls of the cool mansion were filled with adventurers, many of whom were walking about with beads of perspiration on their foreheads.
It was already late—a time when people would normally be drinking, visiting the brothels in the entertainment district, or, for those with early starts, already asleep. Yet, at House Marstchel’s residence, a multitude of adventurers hurried back and forth, their shouts and cries echoing through the rooms.
"Is this the list of merchants who purchased the jewels?"
"Yeah. ...But that document only covers the surface merchants. The records for the underground dealers should be in that drawer over there."
In one room, people were sifting through desks and overturning stacks of paperwork...
"Kyaaaaaah!"
"What happened?! ...What, the plants have monsterized?! Hang on, I’ll help you!"
"No, wait! Don’t look! My clothes... my clothes are melting!"
In another room, perhaps a byproduct of Pri’s research, a female adventurer investigating the space had her clothing dissolved by mutated flora, leaving her skin exposed.
"You mean these are all jewels? ...I guess you’d expect nothing less from the Masterches."
"It seems they funneled a massive portion of their profits into buying gems. Even so, this is just..."
"Hey, don't even think about pocketing any. If House Silwa finds out, we won't be able to show our faces in this city again."
"I know. But just looking is fine, right?"
"As long as that's all you do."
In yet another room, a female adventurer stood mesmerized by a hoard of gems, while her companion warned her against doing anything foolish.
"Ugh, wait, what is this...?"
"This mountain of bones... hey, are you serious? This isn't just ten or twenty people. It’s a hundred... maybe even more."
"There seems to be some kind of magical treatment on them, so they won’t turn into undead, at least."
"I thought it was strange that there were so many traps guarding this place. I didn't expect a mountain of human bones instead of treasure."
"And these bones have been treated with magic. They were probably intended for some specific use."
In one particular room, a literal mountain of human bones was discovered—victims who had been subjected to grim magical processing.
And then...
"Whoa... they’ve certainly hoarded a lot."
Inside a hidden room discovered by a thief, several adventurers stood in awe, muttering to themselves.
The room was filled with magic items. Many were the rare sort only found deep within dungeons. Considering how House Marstchel must have acquired them, those present could only exhale in bitter realization.
"Look at that. There are so many magic swords, the kind you hardly ever see even in the dungeon."
"Yeah. ...This is a bit much for us to handle alone. Hey, go call Lord Bosk. We need instructions."
"Huh? Right. Got it! I'll go get him!"
One of the adventurers, who had been staring blankly at the magic items, hurried out of the room. It was partly because of the importance of informing Lord Bosk, but he also feared that if he stayed in that hidden room much longer, he might succumb to temptation and reach out his hand.
The other adventurers felt the same; eventually, they all filtered out of the room without a word.
A few minutes later...
"A mountain of magic items, huh? ...They certainly made full use of their influence as the Masterches."
Lord Bosk arrived with a sigh, followed closely by Rei and Elena.
As for Vihera and Byune, they had already retired for the day. Normally, Vihera would have taken a room at an inn, but given the day’s traumatic events, it was decided she should stay with Byune for the night. They had promised to visit House Silwa tomorrow and departed for House Flaut's residence.
Since Seto and Iero would only be in the way during the search of the mansion, Vihera and Byune had taken them back to the Golden Wind Inn.
"This is... quite the collection."
The magic items displayed in the room ranged from weapons like longswords, daggers, and spears, to armor such as shields and plate mail. There were accessories like bracelets and anklets—notably, none of them were set with jewels—along with potions, clocks, mirrors, books, cups, cards, candlesticks, lanterns, carpets, quills, stone tablets, and various piles of magic metal.
And then...
"..."
Rei’s gaze was completely stolen by one specific item.
It was a metal case. Resting inside the open box were two crystal balls, each about 10cm in diameter, which looked incredibly familiar.
Rei knew exactly what they were. After all, he already possessed one, and he had come to the labyrinth city of Exil specifically to search for its counterpart.
The Paired Orbs.
Though the ornamentation on these orbs differed slightly from the one Rei possessed, they were undeniably the magic items used for long-distance communication.
He had never imagined he would find them here rather than inside the dungeon.
As he stood staring at them, Elena, who had been discussing the hoard with Lord Bosk, noticed his distraction and spoke up.
"Rei? Did you find something that caught your eye?"
"...Yeah. Something perfect."
Hearing this, Elena followed Rei’s line of sight. When she realized what she was looking at, her eyes widened in surprise.
"Are these... could they be what we were searching for?"
"Most likely. I never expected to find them in a place like this."
"...I see."
As they spoke, Lord Bosk chimed in.
"Hey, what's going on? ...Hmm? Is that a magic item?"
"It is. The reason we came to Exil was to find this specific kind of magic item—one that allows people to speak across great distances."
"Across distances...?"
Lord Bosk pondered Rei’s words for a few seconds before a smirk spread across his face.
With a grin that was more of a tease than anything else, Bosk turned to Elena and whispered in a low voice to keep the adventurers outside from overhearing.
"Hmph, I see. I knew you had an objective... but I didn't realize it was for such a womanly reason."
"...What exactly are you trying to say?"
Elena’s voice was several octaves lower than usual.
Realizing that if he pushed her any further, the whip-sword at her hip might actually be drawn, Bosk hurriedly shook his head.
He had seen exactly what that whip-sword could do during the fight against Oricule. He knew that even if he fought her himself, his chances of winning were twenty percent at best. His quick change of heart was the result of a purely objective self-assessment.
"No, no, it’s nothing. ...Anyway, would you be satisfied if these magic items were your reward for this job?"
Elena froze at Bosk’s offer. After a brief silence, she spoke.
"What are you saying? This residence belongs to House Marstchel. You are currently investigating them under suspicion of various crimes, but that doesn't mean you can just misappropriate property as you please."
"True, these magic items belong to House Marstchel on paper, but after the massive scandal they’ve caused, the house is guaranteed to be abolished. Once that happens, we will be the ones managing their assets... and besides, most of the items in this room were likely stolen to begin with."
Bosk picked up a nearby lantern and traced its surface.
"Investigating their original owners would be nearly impossible. Usually, they'd be put up for auction to fund Exil’s operating costs. In that case, it isn't strange for me to buy them out myself and hand them to you as payment for your services."
"...I suppose you're right."
Rei was surprised to see Elena concede so easily. He had expected her to lecture Bosk about embezzlement.
However, in this world, there were few rulers—in Exil or elsewhere—who governed lands, people, or cities without ever resorting to shady methods. Everyone, to some degree, got their hands dirty.
In fact, in Elgin, it was expected of a noble to be able to "swallow both the pure and the corrupt." Just as few creatures can survive in a lake that is perfectly clear and devoid of nutrients, a ruler who was too pure could not survive in politics.
Well, I heard he had connections to the underground before. If anything, he’s being conscientious by actually paying for them, Rei thought.
Satisfied with the explanation, Rei looked at Elena to see her final decision. For him, obtaining the calling magic item here was an ideal outcome. Even if such items were said to exist in the dungeon, there was no guarantee they would ever find one.
"Very well. We shall graciously accept."
Elena had apparently reached the same conclusion. She gave Bosk a small nod.
"Good. Then, sorry to ask this, but come to my residence tomorrow. I’ll officially hand them over then. I’d like to give them to you now, but there’s paperwork to file. I also need to calculate exactly how much I'm buying them for."
"...Can you really handle all that by tomorrow?"
Rei instinctively asked, and Bosk replied with a small shrug.
"It would usually take some time, but who do you think I am? Besides, this entire mess needs to be resolved and reported to the state as soon as possible—especially the matter with the Holy Light Religion. That's not something Exil can handle on its own."
"True enough."
Rei nodded. The Holy Light Religion wasn't a faith born in Exil; it was something brought in by missionaries. Since its presence had been confirmed in Duke Kerebel's Territory as well, the kingdom would need to coordinate a formal crackdown.
In that sense, it's convenient that there's no such thing as 'freedom of religion' like in Japan, Rei mused.
As the thought crossed his mind, a knock sounded at the door of the hidden room.
"What is it?" Bosk called out.
The person on the other side answered quickly. "Lord Bosk, a House Marstchel relative has arrived..."
"And?"
"Well... they're demanding we get out of the House Marstchel residence."
"...What?"
The news was clearly unexpected. Bosk asked for clarification, while Rei and Elena tilted their heads in confusion. Considering the scope of House Marstchel’s crimes, taking a high-handed approach was the height of stupidity; they should have been acting as humble as possible.
Maybe they had no idea what Pri was doing? That’s why they can't stand seeing House Silwa people in the mansion, Rei guessed.
It was a plausible theory. What Pri had been doing was undoubtedly a death sentence if revealed. It was unlikely she would have shared that information with her relatives.
Unless, of course, this relative had been an accomplice. However, Rei found it hard to believe that someone who would storm in and demand everyone leave could be capable of such calculated villainy.
"By the way, Bosk, was it you who called for this relative?"
"Hmm? Yeah. House Marstchel is likely headed for abolition, but until that's official, we have to keep the house legally extant. Even if it's just a temporary head who knows nothing, we need someone in the position."
Bosk scratched his head, clearly annoyed.
Elena, however, looked skeptical. "I heard about Pri’s relatives when I visited before. Wasn't it just a child from a distant branch?"
"Technically, yes. The person here now is that child's father. While Pri was alive, he never came anywhere near this place, yet he was perfectly happy to let his kid be named the heir to House Marstchel... No, there’s no point in dragging you two into this. I have to go deal with them. What about you?"
"I have no interest in getting involved in that. We'll stay and look for more evidence that might be hidden around the house. ...Is that okay with you, Rei?"
"Yeah."
With that, the three of them left the hidden room, splitting into two groups: Bosk went to face the relative, while Rei and Elena continued their search.