“I had a conversation with a customer who came in recently, and they said they heard a strange story at a tavern about a month or two ago, something like that.”
“What kind of story?”
“It was about one person who was quite drunk. Apparently, this person had no money and always drank on credit at the tavern, which gave the owner a headache. But that day, they said they’d pay off all their debts.”
Larissa, seemingly parched, gulped down some chilled peppermint tea before continuing.
“This guy racked up so much debt that every regular knew about him. My customer knew about him too because of that. His debt was enormous, so when he said he’d pay it all off at once, everyone’s attention was on him. They thought it was just bravado, but then he actually poured out gold coins, paying more than what he owed.”
It was certainly an intriguing story, but just as doubts began to form about how this connected to finding those who tried to kill him, Larissa spoke again.
“He said he’d landed a big catch. He bragged that he wouldn’t need to come to such a cheap tavern anymore and laughed loudly. And while saying that, he boasted that if this job succeeded, it would turn his life around.”
“Landed a big catch, huh? Go on.”
“A customer at the tavern told him to stop bluffing, and the man got angry and suddenly started boasting about his archery skills. Do you know what he said next?”
Whether Larissa was a skilled fortune-teller or not, it was clear she had a knack for storytelling. The way she paused at just the right moments to draw you into the story was impressive.
“What did he say?”
Unable to hold back, Yellian asked, and Larissa swallowed hard before speaking.
“He said that even a duke wouldn’t be able to dodge his arrows.”
“What? Then could he be…….”
“I think so. Everyone thought he was just drunk, and since he always drank on credit and made empty promises to pay, no one took him seriously. But not long after, someone attacked my lord, and coincidentally, from that time on, he stopped showing up at the tavern.”
“Sounds like he’s the culprit.”
Leonard replied curtly. Larissa nodded in agreement. By then, she had noticed Yellian had finished its pie and placed another slice on its plate as she continued.
“And there were two people who attacked my lord, right? Well, at the tavern, when this guy collapsed drunk, someone showed up and took him away. I think they were accomplices because the person appeared with their face completely hidden by a hooded robe. What do you think? Pretty useful information, right?”
“Seems like it. He said a big catch, didn’t he?”
“Yes. That’s how the customer described it. And I didn’t just come back with that story. Of course, the customer wouldn’t lie to me on purpose, but memories can be faulty or exaggerated, right? So I asked them for details and went to the tavern myself. I asked the owner about that day, and their accounts matched.”
She was certainly fit to be an ally of Abigail, the master of the Black Prison. The thoroughness with which she investigated was remarkable.
Leonard, who had been silently listening to her story, looked at Larissa and asked.
“What’s the name of that tavern?”
* * *
After sending Larissa off, Leonard immediately prepared to head to ‘Hobbs’ Tavern,’ the place she had mentioned.
Yellian, having nothing in particular to prepare, fiddled with the ribbon around its neck, tying and untying it repeatedly. Seeing this, Leonard furrowed his brow in confusion.
“What are you doing?”
“I was tying my ribbon neatly. It’s been a while since I’ve gone out, so I’m kind of excited.”
“Why would you be going out?”
At Leonard’s question, Yellian was quite shocked. It had assumed it would naturally go to the tavern with him.
And why not? Sure, the assassins’ target had been Leonard, but the one who got hit by their arrows was Yellian itself.
So, this incident wasn’t unrelated to it at all. Therefore, it was only natural for Yellian to go to the tavern, which could hold clues to tracking down the culprit.
And…… to be honest, it was dying to go out. Since the last time it accompanied Leonard as part of a delegation, it had been cooped up in its room the whole time and felt suffocated.
“Well…… I almost died because of those guys!”
Of course, it couldn’t just outright say it wanted to go out, so Yellian quickly came up with an excuse.
“Which is exactly why you should stay here quietly. It could be dangerous.”
“Even so, I can’t just sit still. And with Leonard by my side, what danger could there be?”
Yellian raised its voice, determined not to back down this time.
In truth, it knew Leonard had been investigating this incident on his own. It wanted to get involved but had held back, feeling like it would only be a burden.
But it couldn’t stay idle forever. At least, that’s what Yellian thought.
“Even if it’s dangerous, I want to chase the culprit too. If you keep saying no, I’ll just……”
“Just?”
“I’ll bite you. Of course, as a cat.”
“Haha……. I’m truly at a loss for words.”
“So, let me come with you. Okay?”
“……Fine.”
Conversations with Yellian always bounced unpredictably from one topic to another.
After some thought, Leonard decided to take Yellian along. Of course, he had no intention of involving it in anything dangerous. He only agreed because visiting the tavern together for some inquiries didn’t seem too risky.
“Yes!”
As Yellian cheered, Leonard draped a robe over it. Since it was his robe, it was too big for Yellian. When it pulled the hood over its head, its face was completely hidden.
Leonard thought this was for the best, though Yellian seemed to find it stifling.
“Don’t even think about taking off the hood.”
“Got it.”
Though it was inconvenient and suffocating with its vision obscured, Yellian felt that if it couldn’t endure even this, Leonard might cancel taking it along. So, it nodded without complaint and followed Leonard, who walked ahead.
Sensing Yellian following, Leonard slowed his pace. With that, the two began walking in step together.
* * *
The tavern was quite far. They could have taken a carriage from the duke’s estate, but since they were hiding their identities with robes, taking the estate’s carriage would easily give them away. So, they deliberately avoided it.
Instead, they hailed a carriage circulating in the capital and headed to Hobbs’ Tavern. After a long ride, they finally arrived at their destination and entered the tavern.
Despite it being midday, the tavern was crowded with people drinking. The interior was quite noisy with those laughing loudly or raising their voices in drunkenness.
Yellian thought that taverns, no matter the country, were always loud as it followed Leonard to sit at the bar table.
“What can I get you?”
A man, whether a staff member or the owner, asked. He was incredibly burly with a rough demeanor.
Though Yellian instinctively felt wary of him, the man, surprisingly, offered a plate of nuts as a snack with gentle movements.
“Warm milk for this one, and a beer for me.”
“Understood.”
Yellian glared at Leonard for ordering milk for it without asking. But since its eyes were hidden by the robe, Leonard seemed unaffected. Though frustrated, Yellian held back, knowing it would get scolded if it removed the robe without permission.
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