Due to the cloudy weather outside today, the duke appeared only as a giant silhouette. If not for the fur draped over his shoulders, she almost wouldn't have recognized him as the duke. Esperanza pressed her startled chest with one hand and whispered quickly.
"The situation looks bad, so I'll speak quickly. I'm looking for information."
"As you can see, I'm not in a position to help."
The duke spoke in a low voice. His aristocratic eyes briefly furrowed. His stubbornly closed jaw seed to reproach the disturbance that had been caused. Esperanza looked at the duke with the dim sunlight behind her. There was no ti.
"Where did the information broker go?"
"Daria would know. It's out of my hands. Please leave. It will be troubleso if they find out an intruder has entered."
It was a fleeting mont. However, she glimpsed fear in the duke's voice as he said "please." What could have caused the duke, who had shown the audacity to operate as a calculator between two powerful mages, Esperanza and Daria?
No, rather than fear... it was closer to resignation. What on earth had made Duke Galliston Edmund like this? Esperanza instinctively moved toward the extinguished lamp. The glass touching her fingertips was warm. It had been lit until just a mont ago.
"What are you doing now..."
Magic power flowed from her fingertips. The lamp brightly illuminated the room. A black bead slipped out from between the duke's clenched fingers and rolled at his feet.
The cheeks under his black hair were mottled with bruises. Esperanza was at a loss for words. They were traces of rciless violence. Looking at the wounds extending beneath his properly worn collar, she could guess that the body under his vest was far from intact.
"Did Daria do this?"
The duke laughed.
"Miss Hunter, you don't seem to be from the sa world as Daria."
"...Our world is vast too."
It seed like he was saying she was naive, unlike others of the sa kind, but she didn't find it too unpleasant. When she urged him with her eyes for an answer, the duke reluctantly opened his mouth.
"There's nothing surprising about it. Those who crawled from the bottom wouldn't pass up an opportunity to trample royalty, would they? It's fortunate that they're more polite to His Majesty than this."
"You just let this happen?"
Even as she spoke, she thought it was ridiculous. What other choice did he have?
"It's bearable."
However, the traces of violence carved like the brand of a slave were difficult to pass off as "bearable." They threw him to the guards as a good target for venting anger, and bound their puppet duke to pressure the queen who drew the attention of the entire world. From Daria's standpoint, there would have been no reason to restrain them.
With so many pitiful people in the world, there would be no reason to sympathize with soone who lived in a palace being served while wearing such fine fur in this weather. But still...
"You're not asking for help."
"Would you help?"
Probably. But it wouldn't be imdiate help. They had a common enemy, but their paths were different. Esperanza had no intention of giving up the advantage of future knowledge that Cyrus possessed. Considering Cider's safety, she couldn't afford to either.
When Esperanza didn't answer, the duke laughed as if to show her.
"Powerful and dangerous forces are always attractive, but the price for trying to use power that isn't mine is already being paid dearly, as you can see, isn't it?"
He spoke decisively. As if he was really okay.
"If that's answer enough, you'd better leave."
Having said that, the duke wet his hand in the steaming tea water. His reddened fingertips quickly wrote letters on the table.
Coincidentally, it was the sa place Cyrus had ntioned. So this gentleman had been hiding at least one ace up his sleeve. Esperanza, who nodded to express her gratitude, opened the window before the duke's guard returned. The duke, who had wiped away the tea water with the back of his hand, whispered quietly.
"Miss Esperanza. I ask this of the goodwill you hold for this world."
The change in address felt like a signal. Not the fake identity using the fake surna Hunter, but words that touched the essence of Esperanza. When she turned her head while gripping the window handle, the duke asked.
"Can you promise that you will definitely return?"
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Bellingham, where The Mage's Pub was located, was quiet but by no ans a safe place. Esperanza pulled her hood down a little more and walked along the alley. It would have been troubleso if she had to ask around to find it, but fortunately Annie knew the location of the pub. Annie clicked her tongue saying "It's not a place for a lady to go..." but still pressed a rough map into Esperanza's hand.
If she ended up returning, she should leave Annie so kind of gift too. As both a maid and a companion, Annie had been more than good to her.
If she ended up returning... Esperanza smiled bitterly. What answer should she have given to that question?
No. Now wasn't the ti to think about such things. Let's do what can be done first. If she kept her body busy, useless thoughts would decrease too. Esperanza opened the door to 'The Mage's Pub.'
It was a pub in a suitable location for an information broker to live, with a plausible na. The naming was so blatant that she wondered if people avoided it for that very reason.
The sound of neighborhood people gathering with beer glasses and chattering was boisterous. However, the best thing was that they had no interest in newcors. The reason was that sothing that would absolutely never be distributed to such working-class streets had made its way in.
Big middle-aged n had gathered together to look at a gramophone with a large horn attached. An aria that rang ridiculously loudly was flowing from the record. Working-class n who had no interest in opera that only nobles enjoyed were excitedly turning the key.
Esperanza took advantage of the people being distracted by the sound and headed straight over. The stoic bartender glanced at Esperanza.
'A woman?'
Though it wasn't obvious due to the beard and large build, the fact that the beard looked strangely awkward made it stand out instead. Seeing the suspicious appearance, this bartender seed to be the information broker.
"I'm looking for Cyrus's whereabouts."
Let's check first.
The bartender narrowed his eyes and put down the glass he had been wiping.
"Show
your eyes."
Eyes? What an unusual request, she thought, and when she pulled back her hood slightly, rare violet irises were revealed. The bartender's eyes swept over those eyes like a gem appraiser.
"Real eyes."
"Are there fake ones too?"
"Fake eyes as precise as real ones? No. But I've seen arms as precise as real ones. It was a wounded veteran who ca last year, and thanks to him I saw a rare sight."
The bartender replied in a deliberately high-handed tone using formal speech. Esperanza montarily almost bragged asking if he knew who made that, but closed her mouth. Now wasn't the ti to show off. The bartender, who had been glancing at Esperanza who closed her mouth, nodded.
"Your order?"
"Give
anything."
"You'll regret it."
The bartender proved those words by giving her literally "anything." As if mocking Esperanza who couldn't bring herself to wet her lips with a beverage barely better than sewage, he pointed to the bottom of the glass in his hand. When she had no choice but to empty the glass, letters appeared at the bottom. Esperanza recorded those letters in her notebook.
"One more thing. I'm looking for Count Avondale."
"Don't know."
"Find out."
While openly black-hearted guys were just as bad, this was unpleasantly different. If a custor ca, he should at least pretend to serve them. Esperanza flicked a jewel with her fingertip. Having been caught by the duke for misusing cash before, she had completely changed tactics.
"Showing off with sothing so hard to convert to cash."
The bartender said bluntly.
"Co back at this ti next week. Can't guarantee I'll have anything."
A whole week. If Cider Claiborne got hurt in the anti, would he take responsibility? Esperanza got up from her seat, unable to hide her dissatisfied expression.
...The one who gets hurt should take responsibility.
The reason that faintly returned later said so, but whatever.
When the door closed, the bartender switched places with a man who had the sa beard.
"Count Avondale. That genius fellow. Lots of people looking for that gentleman these days."
The brief muttering was drowned in the pub's noise.
Esperanza, who had left the pub, slowly walked along the sidewalk. She was told Cyrus was staying at a small hotel in Nine Holder, and it seed he moved his lodgings periodically.
If she wasn't going to visit imdiately, it would be better to ask again when needed.
A small streetcar stopped on the roadside rattled and spewed steam. Worried that the acrid smoke might get in her eyes, she covered herself with her hood and quickened her pace. However, the mont she erged from the alley, Esperanza stopped dead in her tracks.
'Why is that person here?'
This is the worst.
Her face wouldn't be visible with the hood on, but since there was a precedent of being identified by her gait and such, she couldn't be completely at ease. But to take a different route, the road in front was the only main street, and the alleys were maze-like and complex.
She would be late for dinner ti. Just as Esperanza was about to move toward a side alley pretending not to notice, the man who had been busily taking notes looked up.
The mont she flinched, the man opened and closed his mouth.
"Miss... why are you on such a street?"
The man who had been about to say her na tactfully closed his mouth. Even if he said it, the people on this street wouldn't know, and there wouldn't be any loss of face from rumors reaching the upper class, but it wouldn't hurt to be careful.
That's right. Esperanza hadn't expected to et Viscount Kendrick of Poulsbury here either.
"What about you, my lord?"
"I stopped by for an investigation. A child abduction case, ah. No."
Thinking he had said sothing unnecessary, Kendrick shut his mouth. However, his eyes looking at Esperanza were full of questioning intent. Not showing the burdenso signs of favor as before, he looked quite like a proper upper-class gentleman.
"Such streets are not suitable for a lady..."
"Do I look dangerous?"
At those words, Kendrick, who had quickly examined Esperanza's appearance, closed his mouth. Just throwing on a hood, yet it seed to strangely suppress the other person's spirit. The rose-colored lips under the hood's shadow twisted slightly as if urging an answer.
"Yes, well, it wouldn't be dangerous, but it's bad for reputation. What is Avondale doing that he sends a lady alone to such streets?"
Of course, there was much to say about that. Even if Cider Claiborne was at the Nine Holder mansion, there was no reason he should accompany Esperanza in doing her work, nor was there any need for it. And Kendrick's interference like this was frankly overstepping his bounds.
But Esperanza didn't rattle off all those stories. It wouldn't change anything even if she said it anyway.
"He's not here."
"So you didn't co together. Well, given the recent situation..."
"If you're going to talk, how about finishing to the end."
Kendrick awkwardly touched his red hair for no reason, showing his embarrassnt. Fortunately, this seed to be sothing he could say.
"I'm not interfering, but. The cabinet's movents regarding mines lately are unusual, so I thought he was busy because of that. Is that not it?"
What kind of story is this again?
She had a premonition that she had picked up a proper clue from an unexpected place.
"I'd like to hear the details."
Kendrick, realizing that Esperanza was completely unaware of the situation, buried his head in both hands with a sigh.
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