“Why am I playing an instrument in a place like this, you ask? Hee hee, perhaps you have a hobby of asking people strange questions?”
The old man who’d been strumming away on his lute without a care in the world in the corner of the public cemetery grinned, showing his yellow teeth. There was no malice or hostility in his aloof tone; however, the light in his eyes as he stared at me was sharp, like a needle.
“Why does it matter to you what an old man does in his spare time or where he does it? Shouldn’t my actions be completely beneath your notice, guest of the Dragonaut dukedom?” He plucked his lute with his finger several times as he spoke.
When Claudia had greeted the old man yesterday, he’d only briefly looked in our direction. We hadn’t even introduced ourselves to him, and yet it seemed he’d remembered my face.
“It’s none of my business, it’s true, but yesterday I heard that your job was to guide the lost souls in this cemetery to nirvana. Why would you take it upon yourself to do something so selfless, when no one asked you to do it in the first place? That’s what has me curious.”
The man let out a shrill laugh. “I see, you must have asked that girl about me. For her to believe the ramblings of an old man without any proof when most people would just let my words go in one ear and out the other, she sure is an honest soul.” Even as he talked, he strummed his lute as dexterously as ever. “I believe I also told that girl that whenever I see a wandering soul, I can’t just leave it be. I’m a senile old coot now, but long ago I carried around a staff and pacified evil spirits. You could call it an urge left over from that time, I suppose.” He cackled.
“Actually, I have another question for you as well. Do you mind?”
“Go right ahead.”
“Last night, did any strange people or spirits visit this graveyard?” By “last night,” I was referring to around the time Claudia had collapsed at the dinner table.
The old man cocked his head, as though not understanding the meaning of my question. “I didn’t see anything like that. Wait...come to think of it, there was one shady-looking individual here.”
“Oh? Who was it?”
“Why, the old coot in front of you,” he said with a grin. “To be here in the cemetery at that hour, playing a strange instrument, what could be more suspicious than that?!” He cackled again.
Despite his laughter, my expression remained unamused. He was clearly making fun of me, in which case, I was wasting my breath talking to him. I turned away without another word.
“You’re worried about the curse that’s bitten into that girl, aren’t you?”
His voice reached my ears, stopping me in my tracks. With a wary expression, I turned back to face him. “What makes you think so?”
“Isn’t it obvious? You’re asking strange questions about any strange people entering the cemetery at night, and you’re curious about the movement of unusual spirits. What else could you be doing but searching for the origin of a curse? And you were accompanying that girl who’s been suffering from one. So there’s only one answer.”
“Impressive.”
“Hee hee hee. Well, I appreciate the compliment. As thanks, I’ll give you one little nugget of wisdom from an old codger. Since drifting into this town a year ago, I’ve learned a few things.”
“I’d love to hear whatever advice you can give,” I said, bowing to him. When I did, a sharp light appeared in his eyes. His voice was no longer aloof, but rather, the complete opposite. He spoke gravely.
“It’s not spirits you should be worried about. Human beings are far more frightening than any evil spirit. If you’re looking for a way to remove the curse, I’d advise you stop looking for spirits and look for humans instead.”
“In other words, I shouldn’t be searching for ‘what’ put that curse on her, but ‘who’?”
“You got it. When people gather, their true natures come to light. They covet others, and their blighted hearts manifest as jealousy. No matter how distinguished they may be, they can’t run from their shadows. Even if the target of their envy is a longtime friend or a cherished family member, the shadows will always show themselves.”
“Then...you’re saying the person who cursed Claudia is someone she’s close with?”
“Sounds improbable, doesn’t it, sonny? But that’s human nature for you. All over the world, there are too many stories of patricide or infanticide to even count. And within a family as influential as the Dragonauts, those thick ties between blood relatives can create even darker shadows.”
“Hmm...”
“The duke has two daughters he treasures: the older one, Astrid, and the younger one, Claudia. I happened to hear that the younger daughter was to be wed to the crown prince as the next queen, while the older one was to remain here in order to succeed the family. But there’s no reason the younger daughter can’t succeed the family instead. And it would mean that the older daughter would eventually have to bow her head to the younger one. Forced into such circumstances, wouldn’t some particularly ugly shadows manifest? At least, that’s just the opinion of an old man.”
“You’re saying that Astrid cursed her?”
“All I’m saying is that the easiest people to curse are the ones close to you. Wouldn’t it be easy for Astrid to plant something inside Claudia without her even suspecting? And I wonder, when she collapsed yesterday, was her sister the closest one to her?”
“Now that you mention it, Astrid was sitting right next to Claudia at the time, wasn’t she?”
“I’ve been wandering the continent for many years now, sonny, and I’ve never heard of a curse that couldn’t be lifted with any medicine or miracle. Therefore, the origin of her curse has to be the shadow lurking inside her sister,” he said, plucking a few strings on his biwa.
Hearing that conclusion, I nodded in agreement, making sure not to forget to look at him with admiration. Perhaps pleased by my reaction, the old man began recounting his first meeting with Claudia without even asking me if I wanted to hear it.
“Despite her noble upbringing, she didn’t even hesitate to come up to a ragged old codger like me and start chatting. Not only did she listen to everything I told her, but there wasn’t an ounce of doubt in her expression. Rather, she thanked me for working so hard to purify the place her mother was resting in. Even now her figure and voice are seared into my mind.” He looked up at the sky. “I’ve been almost everywhere on the continent by now, but I’ve never met someone like her before. And if it wasn’t for her convincing the gravekeeper to let me stay, I would’ve been chased off long before now. Whether man or beast, everyone ought to repay kindness.” At that moment, he began strumming very fast, as though to deliver a grand finale. Then he bowed deeply to me. “I’ve helped as much as I can. The rest is up to you. Please, save that girl from her curse.”
“Don’t worry. That’s exactly what I intend to do,” I replied. When I’d come here to the public cemetery, I hadn’t expected to learn much. But I’d gotten a better lead than I ever could have guessed.
“Just one question before you go, sonny: Have you and I met somewhere before?”
“Before yesterday, you mean? No, I don’t think so—though if you’ve visited Ishka in the past few years, we might have passed each other at some point.”
“No, I’ve never been to Ishka. Sorry, your face looks so familiar, but it must be just my imagination.”