TOM Chapter 6

Kruelo was flustered by Amy's tears. He had been hurt many times before, but this was the first time he had hurt someone else.

*The monster is lying to deceive me. But what if that's not the case?*

"Fine. Since it's come to this, I'll confess honestly."

"That you're a monster...?"

"Monster? Moooonsteeer? You, that's blasphemy!"

Amy bit her lips tightly as if suppressing her anger.

Kruelo tensed up like a kitten with its fur standing on end.

He pressed his small body against the sofa as if to bury himself completely and just stared at Amy.

The girl, whose fighting spirit had instantly deflated, let out a sigh.

"I'm not a monster, I just lost my memory. I couldn't come for several months because I was receiving treatment."

"What do you mean?"

"If you really want to know, ask my fath... um, Lord Royalsand, whether I have amnesia or not."

"Why do you call your father that?"

"You also call your father 'Your Grace the Duke.'"

"He's not my father, he's my uncle. My father passed away."

Kruelo's biological parents had died when he was even younger, and his uncle was serving as the acting duke.

Even though her words were wrong, Amy didn't seem flustered.

"I don't know if he's really my father either."

"That's a lie."

"I'm illegitimate. I don't know who my mother is. They say I was left in front of the mansion one day with a letter."

"Is, is that something you can say so easily?"

"You can but I can't?"

Something seemed different, but he wasn't sure what.

As Kruelo hesitated, Amy lifted her chin triumphantly.

"Anyway, I was hurt because of you. So you have to take responsibility."

"How?"

"From now on, I'll come visit you every day. I'll come and... you..."

"Me?"

"I'll dote on you as much as I want."

The boy was struck speechless.

"Oh right. I'm supposed to call you by name affectionately too. What would be good, Ellie? Roy?"

"...Excuse me, but who told you to say such things?"

"'100 Pledges for Raising a Good Child.'"

'Isn't that a parenting book?'

Kruelo froze, not knowing what to say.

Realizing from his reaction that she had said something strange, Amy quickly ran away.

"See you again!" With that cheerful greeting, she disappeared like a flying squirrel.

Bang! The reception room door slammed shut.

Looking in that direction, Kruelo muttered to himself.

"What a strange monster."

Yet in the child's mind, his conversation with Amy floated around meaninglessly.

After that, Amy Royalsand really did come to visit Kruelo every day.

Until she died from eating poison.

"Here are the documents you requested."

A single document was thrust forward, appearing suddenly before me.

The person who extended it had his hair neatly slicked back, wore wire-rimmed glasses, and was dressed in a solid-colored shirt.

"Thank you."

I tried not to let it show, but even to my own ears, my voice came out deflated. 

The information guild—my very first visit to such a place in my entire life—proved to be... disappointing.

The interior was brightly lit, the overall atmosphere cheerful and welcoming. 

The staff members weren't wearing black hoods pulled low over their faces, and even their way of speaking was perfectly ordinary. 

The documents I'd requested simply materialized within five minutes, without so much as a word about when I should return.

They're just well-paid office workers.

At this point, I felt embarrassed for coming wearing a mask—the one I used at the theater—and a black robe.

Well, I wasn't here for fun, so as long as the results were good, it should be fine. I looked down at the documents with a dejected heart.

The first item I had requested an investigation on was Siora Velvet's life.

What was written on the paper was surprisingly...

"...Is this all?"

「Siora Wendy Velvet. 20.
Adoptive Mother: Wendy Eric Velvet (deceased).
Adoptive Father: Melos Grick Velvet (deceased).

—All assets lost in arson incident by former servant Hans—Additional fee charged for detailed information access—.

—Currently waiting to be adopted as the second daughter of Count Fasby Ailey Bonetti and Countess Anna Maria Bonetti.—」

That was all—five lines.

It looked like a child's homework, deliberately enlarging the font size and writing lots of names to try to make the content longer.

Really? And they want additional fees on top of that?

I had heard from Minuet that there wasn't much to dig up, but taking money and giving this was unacceptable.

They stabbed me in the back just because I showed I was a first-timer.

I glared at the staff member with cold eyes.

"I'm going to sue you."

This was a guild Minuet had recommended, and I was disappointed in her judgment.

I stood up abruptly from my seat.

"W-wait a moment!"

The staff member who had maintained a businesslike expression suddenly grabbed my arm.

I said solemnly, "Adding assault charges."

"What assault did I commit!"

The person quickly let go and crossed their arms as if nothing had happened.

Oh really?

"Adding evidence tampering charges."

"I'm really going crazy!"

"Intimidation and—"

"There really isn't anything more to find! I didn't intentionally conceal information!"

"Then at least try to explain that situation."

"Count Bonetti said he was adopting his great-niece, so there were quite a few people who investigated that young lady."

"And?"

"But no one found out anything. Even after thoroughly investigating, no one knows. The few servants who worked in that house?"

"......"

"They say she never left the Velvet mansion her entire life. Never even talked to anyone. It doesn't make sense, but that's what the information says."

Ridiculously strange?

As someone who had never left the temple my entire life, I was offended.

People can have circumstances that keep them from going outside.

"You're the strange one for trying to rip people off."

"......"

"Really, there's no other information at all?"

"There isn't, there isn't. We do have information about how the Velvet family treated Hans like a dog, but would you like to see that?"

"And then charge additional fees?"

"No, well. Strictly speaking, the Velvet mansion arson incident is a different matter."

"Do I look like I'm joking? I'm really going to sue."

"Ah, please be understanding!"

"Try saying that to the judge too."

"Really... Ah! There is one suspicious thing."

"Tell me."

"Well... when the mansion caught fire, there was no mention of that young lady coming out of the mansion, you know?"

I paused.

Looking into my eyes intently, the staff member continued.

"But she alone survived completely unharmed, isn't that strange? They said she wasn't even injured."

If you didn't know the inside story, it would seem strange.

How could anyone guess that an ancient god had intervened?

It's true that Siora died in that mansion that day.

"Well, realistically thinking, there must have been a secret passage or something."

The staff member shrugged casually.

"Anyway, it's true that I took money without conscience, so I'll return half of it."

Saying that, he turned around.

It was a refreshing attitude as if everything worth seeing had been seen.

At this point, I recalled Minuet's advice.

"This guild master is really quick to notice things. I'll give you a perception-blocking necklace, so wear it when you go."

"I was going to wear a mask, wouldn't that work?"

"No matter what you put on, he'll notice that you're Siora Velvet."

"Ah, then I'll wear the necklace at other places."

"Do you have a hobby of spreading strange rumors?"

"No, I just wanted to test their honesty a bit."

"Excuse me, not half."

Just as Minuet said, this person had noticed that I was Siora. The reason he specifically mentioned that it was strange for Siora to be alive was definitely to probe me.

No ability, but skilled only at ripping people off.

"Give me double."

"What?"

"And give me the information about the arson incident too."

"No, that's—"

"You were going to sell the information that Siora Bonetti investigated her own past, weren't you?"

Siora Bonetti requested her own life story.

Why? Did she lose her memory? Was she switched with someone else?

It was information that could lead to various hypotheses. He must have been grinning, planning to sell this off.

"Not knowing that I was testing this guild's honesty."

Saying this would make it useless.

In front of the stiffly frozen staff member, I took off my mask.

I wanted to look cool, but static electricity made my hair stick to my cheeks.

Sad, this also requires technique.

"You shouldn't just take off masks like that... it's not allowed..."

The staff member muttered in a distant voice.

I extended my hand toward him.

"Giving such shoddy information and then trying to sell customer information instead."

"......"

"I should get double back, shouldn't I?"

He'll have to give it if he doesn't want to go under.

Bang.

The fluffy blonde woman left the guild. James looked at the closed door with a sad face.

'Who would have thought I'd get money extorted by a customer.'

He paid the price for underestimating a noble.

"But at least I learned that Siora Bonetti has changed."

James tried to console himself.

Siora was no longer the gloomy and depressed girl who used to stay shut up only in the mansion.

Her personality had completely changed, and especially those eyes were mysterious.

Deep, vivid purple eyes that seemed to see through people's souls.

‘What could have happened?’

Curiosity was boiling.

Now that she'd become entangled with the Duke of Whitedesert, her information had grown valuable as well—for quite some time, he could line his pockets just by digging into her affairs alone. 

James shifted his expression and broke into a smile.

At that moment, the door opened.

"Welcome, customer. This is Information Guild Erentitia."

James cheerfully greeted the new customer.

The person wore a pitch-black hood pulled deep over their head.

‘Anyway, why do all the newbie customers come dressed like this after seeing something?’

Even so, unless they cast perception-blocking magic, their identity was bound to be revealed.

Build, gait, hair sticking out from between the hood.

The color of eyelashes, voice, manner of speaking—even if they hid all of that, there were habits they couldn't help.

There were far too many elements that revealed oneself.

Of course, James's level of perception was quite rare even in this industry.

Although he used 'customer' as a unified form of address, James easily figured out the person's identity.

'They're from Whitedesert, this time it's quite a big shot too.'

He naturally smiled thinking of money.

However,

"What can I help y—!"

James's smile immediately crumbled.

The new customer's shadow stretched long and swallowed him up.

"Help...!"

The shadow—something that should have had no physical form—coiled around his limbs like rope. As the terror-stricken James thrashed about, the shadow bulged and rippled in response to his movements, yet his struggles gradually weakened. 

The dense darkness consumed a human life with disturbing ease before settling back into its natural state. The shadow's master cocked their head at an angle.

"Tsk."

They tapped the floor with the tip of their shoe.

The shadow rippled in sync with their movement.

"Didn't say much."

The sound of footsteps receded from somewhere above the guild. Where even that final echo had faded away, absolutely nothing was left behind.