S2. Resentnt Wished Upon The Stars 2
[Good morning!]
Just as Niolle was about to lift the whiteboard high since she encountered Bennett in the hallway, she hesitated upon seeing his face with dark circles under his eyes.
The eyes of a detective quickly scanned Bennett from head to toe. And then, she concluded that he had stayed up all night in preparation for any danger. Niolle wiped the whiteboard with the hem of her skirt and wrote a new sentence before lifting it again.
[Should we have set a night watch.?]
Bennett waved his hand in refutation. Neither the Saintess nor Niolle were reliable enough, so he would have to take action himself anyway.
No, it is fine. Did you get a good rest?
[Yes. I slept well! The Saintess was groaning as if she was having a nightmare, though..]
Given that attire, I thought she wouldnt be too bothered about such things. But it seems like she is particular about where she sleeps.
It was an unexpected side of her. Given that the Saintess seed to not care about others opinions, he expected her to sleep soundly anywhere. Because Bennett was lost in thought, Niolle decided to ask in return.
[Did anything happen last night?]
There was. Actually, I needed your help.
Bennett gestured for Niolle to follow him. Holding the whiteboard tightly to her chest, Niolle quickly waddled after him. They arrived at an old, run-down room located in the farthest corner of the mansions second floor.
Bennett turned the doorknob first, pushing the door open with his shoulders. It was as if he was expecting an attacker inside. However, the room was empty.
There must be a reason for his caution. Niolle looked around the room, dragging forth all the concentration she could muster. It seed the room hadnt been used for a long ti, covered in thick dust. And there was all kinds of junk.
Tin buckets rolled around and a set of tools was also placed there. It seed to have been used as a storage room.
Only in a space just big enough for one person to lie down was the dust swept away. From traces, it was likely Bennetts doing. Had he slept here?
[Did you sleep here? There are many other rooms, though.]
It was a strategic position just in case of an unexpected ambush. More importantly, about what happened last night.
Bennett forcefully opened a stiff window, perhaps rusted shut. Screeeech. With an unpleasant noise, dust fell off.
Beyond the window, the mansions backyard was visible. Red anemones blood modestly in the small garden and a hillside path led down to the city below.
Bennett considered several hypotheses. Loan sharks, debt collectors, robbers, police.. But the clues were insufficient and it was too dark to gather any other visual information.
Would it have been different if Niolle was present?
Without being able to identify the suspicious individuals, he simply watched them from the darkness. The night passed with only the occasional rustle in the silence. As dawn broke, the surveillance descended the hill and disappeared.
After confirming their departure, Bennett relaxed his shoulders, feeling the delayed onset of fatigue. However, he couldnt rest easy, given the lingering unease and the fact that the sun had already risen.
It was fine to fulfill his lack of sleep later, when they found a safe haven. As such, he planned to endure the day by asking the Saintess for Fatigue Recover Magic.
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.
After observing calmly, Niolle pointed to a scratch at the bottom of the window fra.
[I think it was a rope.]
A rope?
[Yes. A rope tied to sothing heavy like filling that bucket with water and tying it onto here. Then, it would be dangled. So that soone could climb down.]
This level of height doesnt require a rope, tho. Right, most humans cant use mana here.
However, this information alone wasnt particularly special. There was no reason for Abraham to use the rope instead of the stairs and without soone inside to lower the rope, people outside could not climb up.
[And.a Tap Tap sound, you say?]
Thats right.
[Could it perhaps be this?]
Tap Tap.
Niolle tapped the window with her fingernail, producing a similar sound. Bennett snapped his fingers in admiration.
Thats exactly right. How did you know?
[Well, there were scratches here.]
Niolle pointed to a part of the window. It looked as if it had been poked by sothing sharp and hard, leaving a slightly indented scratch that glistened. Bennett found it only after turning his head this way and that.
[I need to check sothing. Can you help ? Hold my waist please.]
Your waist?
Niolle sat on the windowsill, leaning her upper body backwards.
Bennett was about to wrap..his arms around Niolles waist but realized that due to her currently unique body contortion, it could lead to unnecessary contact, so he safely grabbed her by the scruff instead.
.
Niolles expression soured slightly.
But even that was montary. Niolle leaned out of the window to examine the mansions exterior wall. There were signs of damage and breakage. Traces of several hooks being embedded. If it were hooks used by people, there would be no reason to place them there.
As such, the only thing that ca to mind was a monster. It had strong enough claws to smoothly dig into the brick-layered exterior and likely had wings, judging from the scene at hand.
Flap Flap.
As she gestured for him to pull her back in, Bennett yanked her by the scruff. Niolle straightened her clothes and wrote her conclusion on the whiteboard.
[It seems like a gargoyle or wyvern type. It appears to have been hanging upside down, waiting above the window.]
Has a wild gargoyle appeared then? That explains why Abraham welcod an outsider. It would be difficult to catch a monster with an old body, after all.
If it were a powerless ordinary person, they would have been terrified by the existence of such a fearso monster they had never seen before
But since Bennett and Niolle were Academy students in a fantasy world, they instead sighed in relief as if it were nothing much. Violence, combat, and monsters were only natural for them.
Thus, they ended up underestimating the danger of the upcoming event.
The appearance of such an entity was a clear harbinger. Just like how a small fire on a mountain could eventually beco a wildfire that consud the entire forest; the darkness that encroached the present signaled the descent of a much larger entity.
Lets go back.
[Yes. Will you catch the gargoyle?]
Shouldnt we properly negotiate about that? I have no thoughts of offering free service. If Abraham wants it exterminated, hell have to pay for it.
[But still, he was kind enough to house us]
Then you go catch it yours.. No, nevermind. Dont go alone. Make sure to bring and the Saintess.
Bennett, already seeing Niolles eyes shining with a sense of justice, advised her as they returned to the hallway.
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What theI was wondering where you were.
Youre awake.
Saintess Tara yawned lazily, covering her mouth with one hand. She was dressed in a fresh one-piece dress found after thoroughly searching Isaacs wardrobe the previous night.
Though it was on the slightly tighter side, it was a stark difference in modesty compared to her custom-made Saintess attire, which was so altered it could be mistaken to be the victim of an attempted robbery. Seeing her in normal clothes made her look like a different person, prompting Bennett to comnt.
You look much better now that youre dressed modestly.
What I wear! Is none of your business!
What even is the point of complinting you.
Whatever. Forget it. Lets just go. The Houseowner Grandpa said hes prepared breakfast.
Sniff Sniff. At Taras words, Niolle sniffed carefully. Fried eggs, bacon, and toasted bread. It was the scent of a basic breakfast. She followed her nose down to the first floor with the Saintess following behind her and Bennett trailing last.
At the long wooden table in the first-floor living room, als were prepared in separate portions for everyone. Abraham, seeing Tara co down, stiffened for a mont, then smiled genially and struck up a conversation.
Did you sleep well? It would have been better if there were more beds
No, Professor Abraham. Thanks to you, I slept quite comfortably.
The outer corners of the old mans eyes crinkled and pure joy twinkled in his pupils. After all, it had been over a year since he had breakfast with his daughter and unfortunately, the atmosphere hadnt been this peaceful.
What a relief. I tried preparing breakfast.I hope you like it.
It looks really delicious!
A warm and friendly atmosphere.
.
It seed as if flowers were floating in the air between Saintess Tara and Abraham. It hadnt even been a full day since they t Wasnt this overly friendly? Bennett cautiously tasted the food, worried about the possibility of poison.
Since she was unable to speak, Niolle joined in the warm atmosphere by giving a double thumbs up and expressing herself through body language. There was so much to worry about. Why didnt she seem concerned at all? The lack of any tingling sensation on his tongue suggested there was no poison with imdiate effects.
To Abraham, Bennett, gloomily shadow boxing by himself, seed like a shy young man with a small appetite. The old man expressed his concern.
You dont look so well. Is the bacon perhaps not to your taste? If the seasoning is off, I can add so pepper.
.No. It is more than enough.
You seem to have a lot on your mind. If youre perhaps worried about not having a proper place to stay, you are welco to stay here longer. This house is far too big for just an old man like .
.
Was this a similar case to Alexon? No, it was too early to conclude. Bennett organized his thoughts. The Walking Scanner, Niolle, had an optimistic way of thinking, but given her ability to detect strange and dangerous signs, she would obviously be cautious if sothing felt off.
If her abilities were to be trusted, then Old Man Abraham could be trusted as well. Maintaining a friendly relationship would be beneficial. Thus, Bennett broached the subject.
It seems there might be a gargoyle hiding nearby.
Do you also believe in such nonsense? Occult?
??
Whats with that look?
Abrahams expression was complex. Putting aside the strained mixture of sorrow, discomfort, and worry, the important point was that Bennett seed to be regarded as soone with bizarre beliefs. It was as if he thought monsters couldnt possibly exist.
The report had indicated that mana was used by a very few choice individuals and magic was disliked by the public. As such, he thought people knew of its existence yet society stigmatized it.
But was it that they were actuallyunaware of all things derived from magic in the first place?
Saintess Tara quickly read the room and decided on a course of action. To cut ties with him. She basically made an ergency escape maneuver, implying, Hes the only strange one here.
What? Occ? Ult? Bennett likes strange things. Last ti it was sothing about a Demonic Sword or whatever. But you dont need to worry too much. Hes a goodgood? Kid, after all.
I have no intention of ddling in personal beliefs, but one must distinguish between reality and delusion. Im saying this for your own good, so please dont take it too harshly.
Yes
Bennett, now seemingly branded as a ntally ill patient with delusion, bowed his head. There seed to be a significant gap between what he had read in the report and the reality here. To blend in without arousing suspicion..knowledge was necessary.
And the most natural, least risky way to gain knowledge.turned out to be staying at Abrahams house. Having made his decision, Bennett spoke.
I would like to impose on your hospitality a bit longer. Elder. I will pay you back adequately in the future, so.
You do not need to worry about sothing like that. Just having company by itself is pleasant. A house this big filled only with silence feels like being thrown into the middle of space, you see. Id like to avoid that feeling.
Then I shall take up your offer a while longer, Professor Abraham!
As Bennett signaled that they should stay here a bit longer, Tara also joined in with a bright smile. And so, the trio ca to stay at Abrahams /genesisforsaken
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