odorekijin

[Sky]

Murr: Yeah, he’s been like that ever since we reached the town.

I looked at Shylock again. The outline of his features adorned his usual gentle smile.

Rustica: He is, at heart, a compassionate soul. He must be devastated.

What he held dear and loved for so long is being injured before his very own eyes.

Chloe: …

Shylock is deeply attached to his hometown, so the existence of these arsenic incidents and the conflict between humans and wizards became an unbearable reality to face.

Though he may look collected as ever, that doesn’t mean that he feels the same at his core.

I can’t even begin to imagine the scorching flame he quietly holds, hidden within his heart.

Chloe: ...We'll definitely save this city. We have to. I don't want Shylock to go through any more pain.

Rustica: I feel the same, Chloe. Sorrow does not suit our dear Shylock’s timbre. Let's do everything in our power, for our dear friend.

Akira: Yes...! We’ll figure things out!

Murr: Let’s go!

——
[West, inside the Town of Nectar]

We immediately took to our brooms, taking to the sky and trespassing into the heart of the city.

Just as we were getting off to check the surroundings, wizards from all over the city came to gather around us.

We were surrounded in a blink.

Wizard: Don’t move!

Wizard: So the Magical Science Militia finally forced their way in.

Witch: No matter how many weapons you threaten us with, it's useless. We’re not leaving!

The wizards seemed to think we were part of the Magical Science Militia; their glares shot only animosity into us.

Tensions were high, like a balloon about to pop under pressure.

Rutile & Mitile & Chloe: …(Gulp.)

At that moment, Shylock caught one of wizard’s attention.

Wizard: Hm? Where have I seen you before... Right, you're the owner of Bar Bennett!

Wizard: If this isn’t Shylock himself!

Shylock: What a hostile welcome, gentlefolk. I'm glad to see you are doing well.

Shylock gave the crowd a gleaming smile, and the grimness washed away from the wizards around him.

Instead, smiles began to spread across their faces.

Wizard: It’s been a while since we last saw you, Shylock.

Wizard: We've all been waiting for your return, to share a drink of yours.

I was relieved to feel the atmosphere lighten up.

Chloe: Phew... That startled me.

Figaro: Good grief, I thought we would have to fight our way out of this one.

Witch: My oh my, is that Murr I spy over there?

Murr: Spot on! Our Master Sage joined us too! See, they’re next to Shylock!

Wizard: Oh? A Master Sage, you say?

Witch: Are you the one, dear? Please, let us see your face.

Akira: H-hi, nice to meet you.

Shylock: Please refrain from crowding—you may frighten them. They’re precious to us, after all.

Wizard: How did you get in? Those of the Magical Science Militia have been keeping quite the eye on us.

Wizard: You may not be aware, but this city has been in a terrible shape for quite some time now.

Rustica: We understand, yes, as we were informed of it from the outside.

Chloe: We're actually here to investigate what brought the city to this point.

Wizard: Investigate?

Murr: We heard that some wizards like to play with fire, and that's how you all got banished.

Do you guys like fireworks? Do you want to see the big, loud, sparking ones? Then your wish is about to come true!

If humans and wizards go to war, this whole city will be set on fire, just like you wanted. I bet it’ll look like a huge firework!

In an instant, the wizards’ expressions tensed.

Akira: U-Um, in order to stop this, we want to understand and get to the cause of these suspicious fires that have been affecting the city.

But to prevent the situation from escalating, we have to hear both sides of the story. Could you tell us what happened?

The wizards looked at each other before speaking up, as though suddenly unleashing a cascade of pent up frustrations.

Witch: If you’re understating the fire incidents, it wasn’t us. We are not so immature to enjoy such vulgar things.

Wizard: She’s right, no wizard would ever do something so aesthetically unpleasing to a place they like living in!

Wizard: You're assuming we all are at fault here, but wasn’t it the humans who started this mess?

Lennox: The humans did?

Wizard: Indubitably. We have been patrolling the streets ever since expelling the humans, and there hasn't been a single incident thus far.

Witch: Isn't it odd that these mysterious fires occur nonetheless, despite securing the city and tightening our guards?

Wizard: That’s how those folk are making it look. If they can frame us and make it look like we’re the culprits behind all of this, they could easily be rid of us.

Rutile & Mitile: …

The wizards' distrust in humans has only grown deeper after these consecutive confrontations.

It was understandable; they had been arbitrarily suspected and almost entirely exiled.

Akira: Talking this through seems impossible to me...

Rustica: If discussing is a trouble, why don’t we sing instead?

Murr: How about dancing?

Chloe: I don’t think that’s a good idea... Maybe, if everyone was like Murr or Rustica, we could be on the same page, but...

Figaro: It’s a pretty complicated situation, after all. I don't think they’ll get rid of their hostilities until they set things straight.

Mitile: So… if we want to restore the city, we...

Lennox: We have no choice but to find out what caused the fires, and settle the incident in itself.

Shylock: Exactly. We shall begin by gathering some information.

We will take care of inspecting the locations where the fires broke out, so may I ask you to collect testimonies?

I am certain there are more wizards in town other than the ones gathered here.

Rutile: Got it, you can leave it to us.

Figaro: We’ll meet up with you all when we’re done.

Akira: All right, see you later.

Rustica: Then, let’s get going, shall we?

―—

We were informed of the numerous crime scenes by a number of different wizards.

Our first stop on the list was a well-established jewellery shop.

Rustica: It must be this building.

Chloe: They said that the fire was quickly put out, but...

Akira: (...It’s… horrible...)

A part of the building was burnt entirely to a crisp. There seemed to be no other damage, yet a shudder went down my spine imagining the potential damage a larger fire could cause.

Shylock: …

Checking the scorched remains, Shylock shrugged and let out a sigh.

Shylock: It appears that no evidence is left.

Still, I can vaguely sense something odd lingering...

Akira: You don't even know if it was done by magic...?

Rustica: Unfortunately, it seems that time has worked its influence. It may be difficult to draw definitive conclusions from this alone.

Akira: I see...

Shylock: However, it is evident from the marks that the fire burned with great intensity.

Simply setting fire to the edifice would not have left it so deeply ashen.

Chloe: You mean that something special must have set it off?

Shylock: Indeed. I do not know the method used, but it is no trick any ordinary human could achieve.

Chloe: That means… That the culprit was a wizard after all...

Rustica: That may or may not be the case.

Akira: Right, what do you think, Murr?

I turned back to Murr, asking for his opinion. He had been sitting in front of the building for quite some time, intently observing the burnt-out ruins.