“Bell!”
Whether the servant had announced my arrival or not, Leon practically sprinted out to greet me, socks skidding on the floor. I purposely asked him in a grumpy tone.
“You’re at home even on a holiday? Don’t you have any friends?”
“I told you I’d stay home on holidays until you came to visit.”
“Are you saying you’ve literally never stepped outside since then?”
“Yup!”
Judging by how brightly his eyes shone, he was probably telling the truth. Honestly, he was shamelessly transparent. Seeing him so delighted to see me made my lingering irritation feel ridiculous.
Still, I needed to drive the point home once more. From what I knew about Leon, he’d definitely come bothering me again if I let him off too easily.
“I’ll overlook it this one time since it’s your first offense, but there’s no second chance. Got it?”
“Of course. I’ll never drop by again without your permission.”
“Good. You seem sorry enough, so I’ll forgive you.”
“Thanks, Bell!”
Leon clapped his hands together, visibly moved by my reluctant forgiveness. Honestly, if I didn’t have a favor to ask him, I probably wouldn’t have thought about forgiving him until summer. He really was lucky.
“So, what are we doing today? Can you stay with me?”
“Well, that’s why I came.”
“Really? Awesome! Then, what should we do? How about we check out a great restaurant? It’s my go-to spot—I guarantee you’ll love it. I’ll treat you as a thank-you for coming!”
Normally, that would’ve been an irresistible offer, but unfortunately, I had something else planned for today.
“Nah, I just want to relax today. Mind if we hang out at your place?”
“Of course! Should we go to the study?”
“Sure.”
Leon practically bounced as he led the way into the house, looking so thrilled you’d swear he had an invisible tail wagging behind him.
“Hey, you look thinner since I last saw you. Did you lose muscle?”
“Oh, I thought my clothes had gotten looser lately. Guess I did lose some weight. Probably because I quit the cricket club.”
“Wait, you quit?”
Cricket? I distinctly remembered Leon had liked it enough to even try convincing Kalz to join. Curious, I asked why he’d quit. Instead of answering right away, Leon glanced away sheepishly.
“…It just sort of happened.”
“Why? Did you get injured?”
“No, my health is fine.”
“Then what? Did you fight with your teammates? Did they tell you to get lost there too?”
“No way! I still hang out with them often.”
“Then, was it because you’re terrible at it? I thought you’d be pretty good, but maybe it’s all show and no substance. After all, strength alone doesn’t mean you’re good at sports.”
“That’s not it!”
When I teased him deliberately, Leon became flustered and blurted out the real reason.
“I quit because I felt guilty always attending practice but never participating in matches.”
“Why couldn’t you play matches?”
“Matches are held only on holidays.”
“Ah…”
I’d inadvertently poked at a sensitive issue. Was this something I should feel guilty about? Clearing my throat, I awkwardly offered some consolation.
“Is that so? Well, now that you’re free on holidays, you could always rejoin. Problem solved, right?”
“…Do you think they’d accept me back?”
“Depends on your skills, doesn’t it? You said you’re still close to everyone.”
“Yeah.”
Noticing Leon’s mood turning a bit gloomy, and also eager to shift toward my real objective today, I quickly changed the topic.
“This place really feels old-fashioned, just like the castle where I work. How long ago was your mansion built?”
“Well, I’m not exactly sure, but it’s definitely very old. The ancestor who built this house was involved in founding Swalter Village. Since our family never moved, the mansion’s history is probably about the same age as the village itself.”
“Oh? Then it’s at least a hundred years old.”
“Definitely.”
“Your ancestors must’ve been impressive. Since the village shares your family name, that’s probably connected too, right?”
“Yeah. My father was actually the former lord here—not that it matters much these days since the class system was abolished.”
Perfect. It seemed I’d come to the right place. Satisfied with Leon’s answer, a sly smile spread across my lips. If this mansion had existed for over a century, that meant it was around before the castle had become enchanted. And since Leon’s family used to govern here, there might be historical records about the original incident.
As soon as we stepped into the study, Leon suddenly brightened, recalling something.
“Oh, Bell, have you heard? The author of The Chickpea Murder Case just released a new book!”
“What, already?”
“Yeah! The new title’s The Dark Chocolate Disappearance. I actually bought it yesterday and was reading it while waiting for you. Want to read it together?”
The offer was terribly tempting—far more appealing than the restaurant suggestion earlier—but I didn’t have the luxury. Today, I had to thoroughly search this huge study. Swallowing my regret, I forced myself to decline.
“No, it’s fine. If I join you, you’d have to start again from the beginning. Just keep reading; I won’t disturb you.”
“I don’t mind, really.”
“I’d feel bad about it. I’ll just browse some other books. Is that okay?”
“Of course! Read whatever you like.”
“Alright. Enjoy your book.”
I started walking toward the shelves but paused midway.
“…By the way, if you finish reading before I leave, could I borrow it?”
Unable to completely abandon hope, I added that question. Leon nodded firmly.
“I’ll finish it as quickly as possible.”
Honestly, Leon really was sweet—aside from being oblivious and stubborn, anyway. Not that I was praising him solely because I desperately wanted to borrow that new book. Of course not.
True to his word, Leon immediately immersed himself back into the novel. His silent dedication allowed me to freely begin my search without worrying about interruptions.
“The History of Swalter… Hmm, there might be something useful here. And A Slightly Scary Book of Magic Stories? Adding this too.”
I walked slowly around the study, pulling forward any books that seemed even remotely related to witches or the castle’s enchantment. After gathering a preliminary selection, I skimmed quickly through each volume, placing promising ones onto the desk and returning irrelevant ones to their spots.
“Twelve books…”
Could I even finish these today? Well, I had to at least try. With determination, I rolled up my sleeves and dove into reading. For a while, the study was filled only with the crisp rustling of turning pages. I concentrated so intensely my shoulders began to ache—but ultimately, the results were disappointing.
“…All useless.”
The moment I closed the last book, my body collapsed onto the desk like a puppet whose strings had been cut. Pressing my cheek against the desk, I sighed deeply in frustration.
“I finished it! The story was incredibly creative, intense, and thrilling right to the end… Bell? Are you okay?”
Leon had hurried over, excitedly waving The Dark Chocolate Disappearance in his hand, only to freeze when he saw me slumped over in despair. Without lifting my head, I weakly shook it.
“What happened? Did something go wrong?”
Nothing exactly went wrong, but nothing went right either. This study had been my best bet to find clues. Now, I was back at square one. Where else could I look? Maybe searching inside the castle was my only option now. But would I really find anything there?
I didn’t have the strength left to respond and simply sighed again, but a small sliver of hope prompted me to call out to Leon.
“Leon.”
“Yeah? What’s up?”
“Are the books here everything your house has?”
“Pretty much. Almost all of them are here. Why, are you looking for something in particular?”
“Yeah.”
“What kind of book?”
“Well…”
I wished I could just straightforwardly say, “A book about magic that turns people into animals,” but obviously, that wasn’t an option. Magic directly tied to the castle’s secrets was far too sensitive to casually discuss. I had to tread carefully, as I didn’t want to accidentally trigger any confidentiality clauses.
I chose another angle instead.
“Maybe something recording unusual incidents or events in Swalter Village’s history.”
“Records of incidents? Why do you need that?”
I anticipated this question, so I smoothly offered the answer I’d prepared.
“Well, lately there’s been some talk among the castle staff. It’s about an incident that supposedly happened in Swalter a long time ago, but everyone keeps telling different versions of it. So, I wanted to see if there was some official record that could clear things up.”
“What kind of incident exactly?”
“It involves the family of one of the employees, so I can’t really share details.”
Please don’t ask further—I hadn’t prepared an excuse beyond this point. Luckily, Leon didn’t press further. Instead, he furrowed his brows thoughtfully.
“Incident records, huh… If something like that exists, it would probably be in my father’s private study.”
“Your father has a separate study?”
“Well, it’s more of an office. It was the room he used back when he was the lord here. All his official documents and records are kept there. I think it also contains documents from previous generations.”
That’s it! At last, I felt like I’d found a genuine lead. Excited, I immediately pressed for more information.
