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chapter 81




Three servants had disappeared from Marquis Mastafon’s house.
That was more than any other single house.
Serulis looked concerned as she said,
“So you really think Marquis Mastafon’s house is the most suspicious?”
“Are you going to break the door down as you did with Kabino?”
“We can’t do that. The city thugs are one thing, but breaking into the house of a nobleman could mean a lot of trouble.”
Serulis said to Milka.
A marquis had a lot of power. It was necessary to move with caution.
“That’s true. I will go in alone then.”
I said. Luchila, Serulis, and Shia all nodded.
If I used magic, I should be able to get in.
And I could also use the illusions I had learned from Luchila.
It would be a lot easier overall if I went in alone.
“Mister Locke, you’re going alone? That’s too dangerous!”
Milka looked alarmed as she tried to stop me.
Milka knew that I could use magic.
But she didn’t know I was an expert Sorcerer.
She generally just thought of me as a Warrior.
“Milka. I’m actually really good at this kind of thing.”
“But there are still limits. If anything, I should invade the house!”
“No, that’s no good.”
“But why? If it is me, I could say that I wandered in after getting lost. They wouldn’t be so suspicious of me either.”
It was annoying that she was right.
Still, I knew I could do it better than her.
“The truth is, I’m also really good as a Scout.”
“Really? So it’s not just magic. Mister Locke, that’s very impressive.”
“Groof.”
Milka looked at me with admiration.
Grulf now moved away from Shia and came up to me and put his muzzle on my lap.
I think he was asking me to take him with me.
I petted him and said,
“You stay home, Grulf.”
“…Grooff…”
He seemed a little dejected.
Just then, a voice rang from the entrance.
“Is anyone here?”
It was a guest.
“I’ll see who it is.”
Serulis said as she left the room.
She quickly returned.
“Mister Locke. You have a very angry neighbor.”
“I see.”
If they were angry, then I had to deal with it as the master of the house.
I walked over to the main entrance. Milka followed me.
The guest was a man in fine clothing. He was probably a servant of a nobleman who lived close by.
“Can I help you?”
“It concerns the matter of the abhorrent stench that has been wafting from this very mansion.”
“Ah.”
He meant the smell of roasted demon rat carcasses.
There was nothing to do but apologize. I bowed.
“I am very sorry about that.”
“But what was that smell?”
“Well, I happen to be an Adventurer. And as we had killed some demon rate, I burned the bodies.”
“You burned the bodies? And in this residential district?”
The man’s eyes screamed, “Does this man have no common sense?”
Perhaps he was right to think so. I should have thought about it more.
“There are no words that I can say to express my regret. I shall be more careful in the future.”
“We would be most obliged if you could do just that.”
The servant saw me as a nobleman as well, and so he took a modest approach.
I followed him outside of the house.
“Thank you for understanding.”
“No, I’m sorry to inconvenience you.”
“I am the one who is sorry. But it is just that my master has been troubled over foul smells and loud noises recently…”
“Really?”
“Yes.”
The servant then explained.
He served at the house that was behind my own.
And the house that was behind his had been troubling them with horrible smells and excessive noise.
They did not stop even after he made a complaint. And the noise was ever present and the smell continued to drift towards them.
And then a foul stench started to come from my mansion. They had felt very trapped.
It was no surprise that he came to complain.
“Bad smells and noise. That must be hard to deal with.”
“Yes. We can hear the most frightful chanting and the smells just reek of corruption.”
The servant said with a troubled expression.
After he left, Milka said,
“Is it possible that the smells and noise are coming from Marquis Mastafon’s house?”
“I think it is in that direction.”
“Maybe the smell and noise are for some kind of ritual.”
“Yes, probably.”
There was a high likelihood of that.
If these smells and sounds were still coming, then it was possible that they were still in the middle of the ritual.
We should probably hurry.
But before I leave, it was necessary to tighten security.
“Milka. Call the others.”
“Understood.”
I cast a spell on the lock before everyone arrived.
Then I led everyone to the gate and registered them so they could open it.
I registered Gerberga and Grulf as well.
“Daddy will be so jealous when he finds out that only we can open the door.”
Serulis said with a laugh.
“I’ll register Eric and Goran when they visit next time.”
“Yes.”
There was already a barrier around the mansion. And the door was locked.
Now the mansion was a little stronger in case there was an outside attack.
“Shia. Serulis. I’m going now. I’m really sorry, but could you two wait here until I return?”
“Of course.”
“Leave it to us!”
If Shia and Serulis were in the mansion, I could leave Lord Gerberga without being worried for his safety.
“Grulf, Luchila. Protect Lord Gerberga.”
“Groof!”
“Understood.”
“And Milka, don’t leave the house.”
“I know! I’ll be cleaning around.”
And with that, I headed for Marquis Mastafon’s house.