Karan the Trickster There was a rumor in Teran. It claimed that if you prayed for seventy-seven consecutive days at an altar by the entrance to an abandoned drainage tunnel in the eastern district, a demon would appear in the broken mirror on the altar to grant your wish. Many young people took this rumor at face value and climbed over the fence prohibiting entry only to be taken into custody by a Sun Knight. The altar and the staircase leading to it had been left there only because the city had no budget to remove them. There was another rumor in Teran. It claimed that if someone who desired to pursue knowledge went to the Gaspard Observatory at the Gaspard Advanced Magic Academy, observed a shooting star through a telescope, and whispered their dream, a beautiful demon would appear in the lens of the telescope and give guidance that would open their path to becoming a scholar. Researchers who were at an impasse in their studies often broke the observatory’s lock to sneak in at night and seek this guidance, resulting in their arrest for trespassing and destruction of property. There were many more such rumors. One claimed the existence of an angelic kitchen knife with a mirrorlike sheen that granted chefs’ dreams. Another said that idols should rehearse before the small mirror in the third locker from the left before an audition. Yet another said that if you confined yourself to a room in the Garbage Heap meant for helping people break a drug addiction, an angel would appear in an overhead window to heal you. All these rumors spoke of a being who granted wishes. Lemuria Monthly had been in publication for over a century. It also released special issues when major events occurred in Labyrinth City and had even existed as a free paper before its first publication. It had been chronicling uncertain rumors in the city all that time. Every now and then, a small corner of the op-ed section would be occupied by a rumor about a mysterious wish-granting being. Such stories had existed in folklore since ancient times. There were plenty of similar rumors in the capital, and you could even find them in frontier villages that didn’t have a newspaper. It was in these very common gossip articles that Hector picked up on a trend that would have been difficult to notice unless you were looking for it. Within the last ten years, there had been an increase in rumors about mirrors, clear metal objects, lake surfaces, and anything else that gave off a reflection. People who believed the rumors usually ended up being admonished by a Sun Knight for trespassing or made to pay reparations for the destruction of property, meaning that whether or not the rumors were true, people had been arrested in pursuit of the magic mirror. That gave Karan, Hector, and Diamond a place to begin their investigation. They thought finding those who had been arrested would be as difficult as scooping gold dust out of a river or finding an oasis in a desert, but it turned out to be remarkably easy. They had all achieved some level of success that made them stand out, or they had recovered from a life of depravity and crime and gone on to find a peaceful existence. One of them was a man who had turned his life around by rising out of the Labyrinth City slums and becoming one of the top adventurers at the Manhunt guild. He was fighting as hard as he could at Starmine Hall to help defeat Dead Man’s Balloon, where he revered “Lady Tiana” and served her loyally. Another was a mage who was working in Teran Lord Manor to help strategize against the Stampede. He could have quit his job and run, but he chose to evacuate the rest of his family and stay behind. He was now working day and night and sleeping at the castle. Another was a chef who owned chains throughout Labyrinth City. Just like the mistress at Ume Blossom Retreat, she volunteered by distributing food from her reserves to people with no family. Another was an idol. She had gone independent from Jewelry Production and was working as a freelancer. In addition to her own idol activities, she also produced new idols and organized charity concerts. She was a girl of many talents. Another was a gatekeeper. He had been standing on guard outside the Garbage Heap for nearly a decade. Even with the threat of the Stampede, he had chosen to stay behind to guide those who snuck in toward the proper facilities or kick them out if they could still make it in the outside world. Some of the people they suspected to have had contact with Marde had died of old age, but most were still alive. What’s more, they had all decided to stay in Labyrinth City despite the turbulence caused by the Stampede and the appearance of the labyrinth. Every one of them was bravely continuing to work or taking part in charitable endeavors such as distributing food or safeguarding refugees. But while finding these people was easy, getting information out of them was not. They had likely all signed contracts with Marde that swore them to silence. They were also careful around anyone who contacted them in case they were a subordinate of Marde’s or a demon-god worshipper after Marde’s head. Karan thought long and hard about how best to win them over and get them to share information about Marde, and she came up with a very simple method. “I brought snacks! There’s skewered eel and beer. Don’t tell Tiana about this! Hm? Oh, don’t worry about it. This is my treat. I can just write it off as a business expense!” “Hey, mister. You’re a scholar at Teran Lord Manor, right? You need to avoid going to dangerous hostess bars like that. The bouncers are gangsters connected to the Garbage Heap. The snack bar across the way is still safe, though. Anyway, you drink too much. I can smell it on your breath. I know work is busy, but you’re going to get sick.” “Are you a fan of dragon racing? That one comes from a strong bloodline. It does best in hot and humid weather and is still growing, too. Just watch, it’ll win every top prize next summer when it’s gotten bigger. Did you hear they’re going to establish a new graded race to celebrate our victory once the Stampede is over? I can’t wait.” “I see you’re writing lyrics. Do you like to read? I heard the Writers League and some publishing companies teamed up to make a shelter for writers and performers. They’re gonna start publishing again once things at the printing companies settle down. Word on the street, though, is that the true purpose of the shelter is to make it into a sweatshop for authors who are past their deadlines. You want to do a charity concert? Don’t. Trust me.” “Long time no see! Zem’s in the labyrinth. I’ll tell him to drop by once he gets back. Do you have enough food? Yeah, you’re not alone there. If you’re ever running low, let me know, and I’ll arrange for some food to be sent to you.” Karan was well-versed in the many pastimes of Labyrinth City. That included Nick, Tiana, Zem, and Bond’s hobbies, as well as her own. She had also learned about other hobbies from people while pursuing her gourmet interests. She had directly observed people in all social strata in this manner. That included country folk who had been clueless about city life before working as adventurers, adventurers who had once been aristocratic ladies or honorable priests, and the leaders who had guided such people. Weak, low-ranking adventurers who struggled to make ends meet, and strong adventurers who worked alone without the need for a party. Adventurers who were scammed, and adventurers who scammed others. Adventurers who hunted bounties instead of monsters, and criminals and ruffians with bounties on their heads. People who worked in fields far removed from adventuring. Innocent children, and children who weren’t so innocent. Parents who protected their children, and parents who had been unable to protect their children. Women who worked at nightclubs. Men, too. People who devoted their lives to glamorous show business, and people who supported them behind the scenes. Knights and politicians who protected public order. Karan had watched them all with her simple perspective. She wasn’t free of biases and preconceived notions, but she learned to abandon them and grow as a person. That ability of hers to grow close to all kinds of different people was in full bloom right now. “So do you have any problems I can help you with?” The people Karan reached out to were successful, but they were all currently facing hardships. It was almost as if they were all staying in the city to help people because they had a contractual obligation to. Some accepted it as their mission, while others saw it as a heavy burden. They all felt an indistinct anxiety over the future, and that anxiety grew by the day. Karan saw that as an opportunity to help them, just as they were helping others, to build relationships of trust, and eventually to extract information from them. “You’re running out of wheat too quickly because of all the new people in the shelter? I know a restaurant that’s closed down. I’ll ask the owner if they can share any of their stock.” “You’ve been too anxious to sleep? You need to stop drinking so much. I’ll make it so you have nothing to worry about in the first place.” “Your kid hasn’t come home? You dummy! Go out and look for them, now!” “Always remember to eat.” “I brought meat and booze. Make sure not to drink too much, though.” “Don’t worry. I’ll figure something out.” The duty these people had promised to perform in exchange for their loan was simple: When Labyrinth City faces a crisis, stick around and help people. That was all. The debtors understood their duty and were performing it. Unfortunately, Karan and her team had hit a snag in the investigation—they couldn’t find any personal information about Marde. The existence of documents and money proved that the loans were taking place, and that the debtors were making repayments, but Marde had never appeared before any of these people. The debtors would find a letter or a bill by their pillow or in a drawer and make the repayments through a simple bank transfer. Marde was nowhere to be seen in this process. The search appeared to be at a dead end. But even so, Karan had come to a conclusion about one thing. Samurialie had multiple hideouts. Ume Blossom Retreat was one of them, but it was currently unusable. She also had a perfectly ordinary ramen shop in east Labyrinth City, a food wholesaler and a candy store in the southwest, and many more stores under her influence. The small orchard on the outskirts of Labyrinth City that Karan had just arrived at was another one of Samurialie’s hideouts. Karan ignored the sign saying NO ENTRY and walked in among the trees. “These ume blossom trees were planted three hundred years ago,” Karan said as she walked down a path through the orchard toward a shed. Alice was beside her. “So these are the ume blossom trees the elves swore to protect. Three centuries is a long time for humans, but it’s nothing for a long-lived species.” “Actually, we’re not sure about that.” “About what?” “We don’t know if these are the same ume blossom trees raised in ancient times. It’s apparently impossible to protect and raise purebred trees for thousands of years. I’ve heard that ume blossom trees have been selectively bred since the time of the Originators, and that we don’t actually have any idea what the original was like.” “That means these trees are…” “They’re officially called ume blossom trees. But it wouldn’t be wrong to call them a plant similar to ume blossom trees.” Alice looked uncertain. “Does something about that not make sense to you?” Karan asked. “Yeah… Couldn’t the elves have preserved the trees by magically freezing seeds and seedlings? That’s not magic the average person can use, but I’m sure elves are experts on ancient spells and technology,” Alice said. “Samurialie said that wouldn’t preserve their place in human culture.” “What do you mean?” “When people see an ume flower or hear the word ume, they imagine a sour taste. Ume plums are often referenced in ancient songs, too. The elves don’t want to pass down just the trees, fruits, and flowers, but also the image that people associated with ume plums in ancient times.” “But they can’t grow enough ume plums to put on the market, right?” “Yeah. They’re difficult to grow compared to other fruits.” “Oh, so that’s why they make ume-flavored syrup and candies. They’re using those to pass down the image of ume plums and keep the culture alive…” Alice smiled cynically. “Does that upset you?” Karan asked. “I would call that a tragic struggle for survival, but…I definitely ate a lot of ume candy as a kid. It’s a nostalgic flavor for me. I guess that’s exactly what the elves wanted. I have to acknowledge them for pulling that off,” Alice said. “Yeah. I feel the same way. I think it’s admirable.” “I doubt you called me here to lecture me about ancient culture. Are the others already here?” Karan had invited Alice to this orchard under the pretext of a meeting outside the Disaster Inspection Office. They were to meet at the shed at the end of the path, but after a few minutes of walking, it hadn’t gotten any closer. The shed was small—definitely not big enough for the optical illusion that occurred when approaching a large building from a distance. “Alice. You looked into Combat Masters and Nick, right?” Karan asked when she saw signs of suspicion on Alice’s face. “…Yeah, I did,” Alice responded. “Then you found out that Argus killed Nick’s parents, right?” A breeze too cold for early summer blew. Red light from the evening sun streamed through the trees, illuminating Karan and Alice. “Nick’s parents were traveling merchants. They were killed while returning to their inn from a bar, apparently by bandits who caught wind of a deal they made. Argus killed the bandits and saved Nick… That’s the official story anyway,” Alice said. “But that’s not what happened. Argus killed Nick’s parents… Why did he do that?” asked Karan. “Why ask me? That’s something only Argus knows.” “We can investigate the circumstances around the murder. Who exactly were Nick’s parents? What was Argus doing at the time? If this was treated as a murder case, plenty of information should have been recorded… That reminds me, the Sun Knight who was in charge of the investigation died. Doesn’t that open the door for us to investigate more thoroughly? We could question another knight who worked on the case, for instance.” Alice’s easygoing attitude vanished, and she stared at Karan coldly. “Then you should find one and do just that,” she said. “…You saw the murder scene. The station where you were posted was just around the corner.” They both stopped walking. Alice silently drew her sword. “Was it? That was so long ago, I don’t really remember… Are you sure you’re not mistaken?” Alice asked, her voice flat. “I gave Hector some documents from back then and had him go through them. It wasn’t hard to figure out the district where you worked and that it was close to the crime scene,” said Karan. Alice slashed her sword at Karan, but… “Ten years ago, you were just a common knight without a special post. Then out of nowhere, you began solving difficult cases and climbing the ranks,” Karan said. …Her sword sliced only air. Karan turned and smiled at Alice—her body was an illusion, and Alice was already under her spell. Karan had blended sound into the wind and activated the Sword of Resonance’s power. “Why did a skilled knight like you fail to realize that Argus was the murderer?” “All we knew was there were dead bandits, dead peddlers, and an adventurer who was a friend of the peddlers. There was no reason to doubt Argus’s story,” said Alice. “Were you given some sort of power in exchange for covering it up?” “You’re entering conspiracy territory here.” “Here’s one more conspiracy theory for you, then. The Order of the Sun Knights has been questioning people who have received support from Marde. A lot of people have gotten in trouble for trespassing into a closed drainage tunnel and an observatory at night.” “It’s a knight’s duty to question suspicious people.” “That’s only been happening for the last ten years. There’s been an increase in articles about an urban legend of a being who grants wishes. Do you know when that began? It was right around the time you started working as a holy knight and Argus killed Nick’s parents. There are people who believe the legend to be true, and there’s a Sun Knight who’s pursuing such people…which gave me an idea: What if the Sun Knight is a demon-god worshipper who’s trying to find Marde?”
Chapter 90
15 min read