Chapter 149: Evil Spirit of All Souls Day (part three)
Instead of me, the one who was chosen by the evil spirit of All Souls Day was Beatrice Glaw.
The question of whether Beatrice is still alive flickered in my mind and my feet trembled.
Will she float on the cold river instead of me?
No, no, no, there’s no way I would let that happen.
Shaking off the dark thoughts, I resumed thinking under the a.s.sumption that she is alive.
How can I get her back?
And just what exactly took her away?
First of all, let’s check the current situation.
I grabbed the shoulders of Jan who was still stunned and shook him.
“Jan Carlson, besides being silver in color, do you remember any other features?”
“It was a scary…large, wolf-like…monstro…”
Jan talked with difficulty, but he lost consciousness again.
Wolf, is it?
Could this be the crime of the Golden Wolf Prince?
However, the Golden Wolf Prince should have a color similar to Holle-kun, not silver.
Then I remembered the wands I had.
—Yes, let’s use that.
I took out the wand of Urd Sight from my bag.
I didn’t think I would be relying on this as soon as it was recharged.
First, I waved the wand of Urd Sight five times.
Five white magic circles deployed inside the backstage and converged again in my eyes.
I could see Beatrice in my current vision.
No, not only Beatrice, but I could also see silver ma.s.ses that looked like they consisted of TV noise.
Those silver noise ma.s.ses attacked Beatrice from behind, overtaking her until her very figure was covered in noise.
—What does this mean!?
After that I continued to look even further into the past, but the result was the same.
Jan spoke to Beatrice.
Silver ma.s.s of noise invaded while they were having a discussion.
Jan was beaten and Beatrice was taken away.
Then, the mysterious silver ma.s.s disappeared into the crowd and couldn’t be chased visually.
That’s the only information I got from using Urd Sight about ten times in total.
First, I decided to have Palug stay on site.
In fact, Beatrice and the silver noise-like monstro may still be nearby.
I conveyed that through a whisper.
『If there is something strange like that, I will catch it immediately!』
No matter what kind of phantom beast it is, Palug will be able to conquer it with her power.
If the monstro tries to reach out to other humans, she will surely be able to protect them.
In exchange, the existence of Palug will be known to the Military Order of Útför, and things will become complicated.
“Watch out for the guys from the military order.”
『Yeah, the Inquisitors, right? I’ll be careful not to cause a blunder.』
Next, I called out to Marquia and Tricia who seemed to be scared and confused.
“Marquia-san, Tricia-san, can I ask either one of you to record Jan Carlson’s statement once he recovers?”
“Then, leave it to me! I will make him spit out everything!”
Tricia answered powerfully.
This has implications for the surveillance of Jan, the first discoverer.
“Marquia-san, would you please come along with me to the student council to report on this situation together? Because I don’t think my own testimony is enough.”
“I understand!”
Klaus and Auguste will take action, but before that, I need to persuade the other members of the student council.
That’s why I asked Marquia to speak up.
Then, together with Marquia, I went to the headquarters of the executive committee for help.
In order to move through the crowd, Tirnanog only brought the bag I received from the princ.i.p.al.
The executive committee headquarters is the temporary tent located north of the courtyard of the school building.
I wonder who I should rely on.
Since we’re looking for someone, it would be quicker to rely on Klaus or Auguste.
It would be more feasible to find them using Auguste’s dragon’s eye view or Klaus’ wide-area magic.
“Is Klaus-sama or Auguste-sama here!?”
I shouted rudely in the busy headquarters tent.
This is not the time to care about my reputation.
A pirate crew of a different color from Harold emerged from the crowd.
Seems like Evan Haearn has become a part of the pirate crew before I knew it.
“You’re not like usual, what’s the matter, Erica-jou?”
“Haearn-senpai? What are you doing in this place?”
“For some reason, I was requested earnestly by Nibelheim to join. But, for you to be this impatient, is it……a serious matter?”
When I nodded, Haearn pulled a long face.
“Well, something major also happened on our side. Because the Margrave of Urs suddenly paid a visit.”
“Sir Harlan is visiting?”
“The princ.i.p.al, the vice princ.i.p.al, His Highness Auguste, and Klaus-sama all have been summoned. It seems he came for an explanation about some case, but it is actually an informal interrogation, or so Klaus-sama had said.”
“Then, both of them can’t move?”
Harlan Slayson again?
Perhaps he came to inquire about the b.l.o.o.d.y Saint’s case.
He always appears at the worst times and puts me in the worst position.
“One person was taken away by some monstro earlier. And the one who was taken away was Beatrice Glaw.”
Suddenly, Haearn’s expression turned angry.
“…Can Roald still not leave that matter behind him? No way, is that guy the one pulling the strings?”
I shook my head.
Although there is a possibility of that, Roald doesn’t seem like someone who would summon a monstro.
It’s not in his character to do something like summoning a dangerous monstro.
“But this is tough. To think that a monstro would take away someone during a festival like this. There are lots of guys dressed up as monstro everywhere…how do we search for it?”
“I thought that I could ask Klaus or Auguste for help, so I came here…”
But if they are stuck in a meeting with Harlan, then that’s not possible.
If things happened as how things went to the in-game Erica, then she would eventually turn up in the river.
If so, I should search around the river.
“For the time being, I’ll do everything I can.”
At that time, a small golden-colored dragon flew down on Haearn’s head.
Eh, why did Goldberry come to this place?
『Oo~i, Haearn. Sorry for leaving things to you so suddenly.』
“W-w-what, His Highness’ voice, it’s coming from Goldberry…?!”
Haearn tried to pull away from the voice resounding above his head.
Hearing a dragon speak human words for the first time must be very surprising.
『Oh, if it isn’t Erica. What happened?』
It’s not the appearance of a Buddha in h.e.l.l, but an archangel instead.
The ability of a Theurge is wonderfully convenient, so maybe…?
“Wonderful timing, Auguste-sama!”
『It seems that something has happened. Tell me and I’ll see what I can do.』
Before anything else, I told him about Beatrice’s disappearance.
Beatrice Glaw disappeared at the backstage of the theater.
According to Jan Carlson who was there, she was taken away by a monstro.
『After Harlan, a monstro appeared! Now of all times, troubles occur one after another…』
“That’s why I came to the headquarters to get help from Klaus-sama or you, Auguste-sama.”
『You want to borrow a dragon’s eye view? This can be wrapped up quickly if there is an ancient dragon flying over Lindis, but let’s see.』
Goldberry’s eyes closed.
Perhaps Auguste is extending his telepathic ability to the distant sky.
『Nope. It doesn’t seem like things will go conveniently like that.』
We can’t use a cheat like the one we used in the coastal city Knot Reed here in Lindis, huh.
At that time, Marquia raised her hand calmly.
“Your Highness, um, please use my little sisters to search.”
『Jonas, huh …The small dragons of the Jonas family can be used to search in crowded city areas, but is that alright with you?』
For Ignitian n.o.bles, dragons are like family.
And it’s unlikely they would lend their dragons that double as an escort in such a dangerous situation.
“Marquia-san, is it really okay?”
“Beatrice-san is also my friend. Please be sure to save her.”
An amber-colored small dragon and a pure white small dragon hidden in Marquia’s pocket took off.
“Come on! My little sisters!”
Then, after a short time, the two dragons called out for several dozens of other small dragons.
In the headquarters tent, small dragons of various colors were crowding and flapping their wings.
“I will entrust all these dragons to you, Your Highness.”
『Marquia Jonas, thank you for your and your sisters’ dedication. Leave it to me.』
Then, Marquia’s small dragons flew out of the tent one after another.
Goldberry, who was being occupied by Auguste, rode on my shoulder.
『Well, what now, Erica? Is there anything else?』
“Please check the route from the school to the river, Auguste-sama.”
『Understood. I’ll try it now.』
The search using small dragons by Auguste began.
In the meantime, I left Marquia’s protection to Haearn.
The two of them would go to the scene of the incident and regroup with Tricia.
They would re-examine the site, ask about Jan’s circ.u.mstances, and investigate any other witnesses.
After that, I listed the people who I can rely on in my head.
People who will be able to fight even a powerful monstro are…my brother and Chloe.
Actorius-sensei and Brad may also take action if I ask them.
However, in the hustle and bustle of the festival, it would be difficult to find those four people.
Should I ask Auguste to look for them?
No, it would be better for Auguste to concentrate on searching for Beatrice.
Splitting the dragon’s eye view for other things can cause fatal delays.
(Then, what is the best course of action……?)
At that time, the voice of the host of the event being held across the courtyard resonated.
《The winner of this year’s apple-eating compet.i.tion has been decided~~!!》
Aah, speaking of which, the venue for the apple-eating compet.i.tion is on the south side of the courtyard.
It is just beyond the student council office, isn’t it?
I ran my eyes quickly around the venue.
The audience who was erupting in cheers, the losers who were hanging their head.
The winner, who seemed far away, was a berserker who was making a triumphant pose.
《The winner is the pretty berserker, Chloe Cloacina~~~~!!》
So Chloe won, huh.
I wonder if the game strength and this perfect timing are due to the power of the heroine, or due to the power of the fierce northern country.
Anyway, I’m not sure, but this is convenient.
I pushed through the crowd of the apple-eating compet.i.tion to get closer to the winner, Chloe.
Chloe noticed me as I reached the bottom of the stage, and lifted me up onto the stage.
《Whoo~ps, a beautiful female pirate has come to congratulate the winner~~~~!!!》
A buzz rippled over the whole venue like a wave.
What’s with that explanation!?
No, wait, I don’t have the time to nit-pick on such trifles.
“Congratulations on winning, Chloe-san.”
“Wow, thank you, Erica-san!”
Chloe smiled widely like a little girl.
I feel bad for casting a damper on this joyous occasion, but—
“I’m sorry to interrupt, but something bad happened.”
“Something bad?”
Chloe’s expression sobered.
I whispered to Chloe’s ear.
“Beatrice was taken away.”
“…Beatrice?”
“The culprit seems to be some kind of monstro.”
“…Then I just need to defeat it. I need to help Beatrice right away.”
I felt a mysterious relief when I heard Chloe’s decision.
Chloe promptly asked questions.
“Is there any clue? What do you have in mind? What about securing the scene?”
“The witness is Jan Carlson. Right now, His Highness Auguste is checking every location with dragons’ eyes, but the area around the dock on Cratonneu River may be suspicious. The scene of the crime is being secured by my friend.”
“I see……then, let’s go to the dock first!”
Chloe answered without any hesitation.
“Everyone, today was very fun~~! Well then, see you later!”
When Chloe waved to the audience at the venue, cheers resounded once again.
“First of all, let’s move to a high place so we can move from above without stopping. Since the roofs are empty. You can do that, can’t you, Erica-san?”
“Yes. I understand.”
“If we start from the tower of the school building, it will surely be faster.”
Chloe reached out for me.
I lifted up Tirnanog who stood at my feet along with my bag he carried and then took her hand.
Matching the timing when Chloe jumped using physical enhancement, I activated Leap to stay beside her.
The audience cheered at us who jumped lightly over their heads.
On the roof, I could see the city of Lindis during the gorgeous night festival.
There were crowds of people all over the place and everything was shining brilliantly.
At that time, at various places in the city, the bonefires started burning all at once.
Auguste, using Marquia’s small dragons, seemed to have ignited them in her place.
“Auguste-sama, are you okay? Doesn’t it put a burden on you?”
『This much is a child’s play~』
“Moreover, you’re focusing your consciousness here, what about the conference with Margrave of Urs?”
『I’m doing it somehow while relying on Klaus. By the way, I am just about to talk with Harlan right now.』
An archangel and a Demon King are having a conference with a man in a wolf mask.
When I imagine it, it paints quite a strange picture.
『They’re investigating that vampire case alright. I wonder how he found out, he’s pressing us about that exact matter.』
That’s right.
It looks like Harlan’s subordinate knights had been surveying the school in advance.
“Auguste-sama, shouldn’t you focus on the meeting now?”
『Right…then, if the small dragons find something, I’ll let you know~』
After I finished talking with Auguste, Chloe asked.
“Erica-san, are you ready?”
“Yes, no problem.”
“Well then, let’s go!”
With Chloe pulling my hand, we ran overhead past the festival’s cheering crowds.