Alright, no one’s around.
After making sure the coast was clear, I leaned toward my bag and whispered softly.
“Mari, you okay in there?”
“All good.”
“If you feel cramped or if anything happens, just say something, alright?”
“You too, Bell. If something’s wrong, tell me. I’ll help you.”
“Wow, Mari! Aren’t you the coolest?”
“Yup!”
Geez, she’s so reliable. I couldn’t help but chuckle quietly at the firm little snort she let out from behind me. Thanks to Kalz—who absolutely refused to let me go alone but had zero intention of coming himself—Mari ended up joining me for today’s field investigation.
When I told her we needed her help for everyone’s sake, she agreed without hesitation.
I’d always thought it’d be nice if Mari could come along to the village with me, but… not quite like this. I just hope the day comes soon when we can go out together purely for fun, with nothing weighing on us.
“Hey, are we almost there?”
“Yeah, almost. I’m sure this is the area Leon marked.”
Today’s goal was to find the source of the foul smell. It wasn’t directly tied to the missing persons case, but ever since I first heard about it, I hadn’t been able to shake this weird feeling. Even if just to put those doubts to rest, we needed to check it out.
Right then, a sleazy voice rang out.
“Hey there, pretty thing.”
Ugh, I turned around without thinking. I’d even worn a mask just in case I ran into that Sharp-faced Creep, but the moment he called me “pretty,” I reacted on pure instinct.
“It is you, isn’t it? Bell, or whatever your name is.”
“Who are you?”
“Ha! Knew it. I was starting to freak out, thinking we’d miss you today. Can’t recognize anyone with this stupid Mask Festival going on.”
Two guys with sketchy grins were walking straight toward me—faces already screaming trouble.
“And how exactly do you know my name?”
“Someone told us.”
Bell, not Briel. The only ones who call me that are the people at the estate… and Leon. But there’s no way Leon would send thugs after me. Which means…
“Anyway, you’re coming with us.”
“Unless you wanna get hurt, you’d better just come quietly.”
“Nope.”
I turned on my heel and ran.
“Hey! Stop right there!”
Like hell I’m stopping. I didn’t know the area well, and I wasn’t exactly fast. There was no way I could outrun them for long. I yanked off the suffocating mask and darted through the streets, frantically searching for any place—anyone—that could help.
But the streets were empty. Not a soul in sight. Guess the rumors were true—people were staying inside because of the disappearances.
Before I knew it, I’d hit a dead end.
“Damn brat. You just made this way harder than it had to be.”
“Let go of me!”
They grabbed me. I kicked and twisted with everything I had, refusing to go down without a fight. Then suddenly—my back felt lighter. No… no way.
I glanced down—and saw Mari launch herself out of the bag, charging straight at the man.
No! If they found out what she really was, they’d—
“Mari, stop!”
As I screamed, a sharp clang rang out, followed by a searing pain that exploded in my skull.
“AAAGH!”
Holy shit, that hurt! It felt like my brain was boiling inside my head.
Next thing I knew, I was on the ground. I couldn’t move. I couldn’t think. I just wanted the pain to stop. My vision went white, the world went silent—and then, everything went black.
***
“Dude, are you crazy? Lord Swalter said not to rough him up!”
“Fuck off! I didn’t do anything! He just collapsed on his own!”
“What the hell… you think he’s sick or something? Doesn’t look contagious. He’s still breathing, at least.”
“Didn’t he say something before he passed out?”
“No idea. Something like ‘it doesn’t make sense’ or whatever. Pfft, maybe he fainted from seeing your ugly face. Wouldn’t blame him.”
“Shut up. Probably your mug that did it. Whatever, just blindfold him and tie his hands. If this goes sideways, we’re the ones taking the fall.”
“Ugh, he’s light as hell. And he’s a guy?”
The two men hoisted Bell over a shoulder and disappeared into the darkness.
Bell…!
Mari had seen everything.
She slapped both hands over her mouth, holding back the sobs threatening to burst out at any second.
I didn’t do anything… She’d promised Bell she’d help if things got dangerous—but instead, all she did was watch him collapse in pain while trying to protect her.
Hot tears streamed down her face. But the grief didn’t last long.
“…I have to go.”
Mari wiped her tears with a paw and took off running, her tiny ears flapping as she sped down the road.
If I try to chase them like this, I’ll only slow him down. I’ll just be a burden. I have to get to the castle.
Luckily, she’d caught a vital clue—one of the men had said they were following Lord Swalter’s orders. That meant she had to reach the estate. She had to tell everyone. She had to save Bell.
Mari’s paws didn’t stop for a second, not even as she left the village behind and began climbing the mountain trail.
Just hold on a little longer, Bell…!
***
Something felt off from the very start that day.
Breakfast was eggplant sandwiches—his least favorite. The loose button on his shirt finally popped off. And the quill he’d been using for years? Its tip snapped clean in two. One bad sign after another.
I should’ve never let him go.
Kalz had told him to wait for Leon and go together, but Briel had been stubborn and left for the village anyway. Worse, he dragged Marianne along with him.
“Investigating the source of the smell,” he said. Yeah, right. He probably just wanted to sneak off and hang out with Marianne while the streets were empty. If Kalz had known how cursed the day would turn out to be, he’d have stopped him no matter what.
“…I’m probably just overthinking it.”
Trying to shake off the creeping dread, Kalz turned his attention back to the letter he was writing. That’s when the door to his study swung open—without so much as a knock.
“Master! You have a visitor!”
Almond’s voice came sharp and urgent. Kalz shot to his feet. And standing there, looking completely wrecked, was Leon.
“What the hell happened to you? And why are you here?”
“I botched a landing after jumping out a window—whatever, that’s not important. Where’s Bell? Is he here?”
“If you mean Briel, he went down to the village. Said the stench was bothering him too much to ignore—he wanted to check it out.”
Leon went pale. Kalz saw it and immediately knew—something had gone horribly wrong.
“Tell me the truth. What happened?”
“…I found the culprit.”
Finally. They’d found the one behind everything. And yet Leon sounded like he was on the verge of breaking.
“Your father.”
“How did you know?”
“I had a hunch. A case this clean, dragging on without even a single solid lead? It reeked of someone with power pulling the strings.”
“So I was the only fool who didn’t see it.”
Leon let out a bitter laugh—but only for a second. Then his gaze sharpened, and he spilled everything about Shark’s crimes.
“The worst part? He’s planning to frame you for it all, Kalz. He’s going to stir up the villagers and have them come after you. Soon.”
“Does he know I’m here?”
“He does. I swear, I never told him. Honestly… he might’ve known even before I did.”
“If it’s the Swalter family, I wouldn’t be surprised if they had old records about the castle.”
When Briel said he couldn’t find a single document about the estate in the old lord’s study, Kalz had thought it could go either way—either the records had been erased, or hidden out of loyalty. In the end, they’d simply been concealed because they still had value.
“Do you know when they’re coming?”
“Probably tonight.”
“I see.”
Kalz’s calm response made Leon stare.
“You’re not even surprised? We’ve only got a few hours left. We need to move. We need to find Bell!”
“And then what? Run? He already knows I exist. He’ll tear through every inch of the mountain to find me.”
“So what—you’re just going to let them take you?!”
“Did I say that?”
Kalz gave a faint smile.
“From the moment you found out who I really was, I knew this day would come. I’ve had a plan in place ever since.”
“And this plan… is it actually going to work?”
“It will.”
The only thing that truly bothered him was that Bell still hadn’t returned. He’d said he’d be back before dark. As long as he kept that promise, everything should be fine.
“You heard him, Almond. Prepare everything—just as we planned.”
“Yes, Master.”
