Chapter 60: The Interrogation and a Mysterious Gift

Lorelai gazed between Stan and Hay, her face rigid with dismay. A sense of utter defeat was palpable in her expression.

Hay quickly processed the gravity of the situation. He wasn’t sure how much Stan had overheard, but it was clear that the matter of the Red Jade had been thoroughly exposed.

‘Should I attack and flee? Could I even escape?’

Though the thought briefly crossed his mind, he swiftly dismissed any notion of escape. His opponent was an Archmage, while he was merely a nascent intermediate spirit user.

Even if he managed to evade capture in this moment, there was no way he could make a complete escape. He would need to gather his belongings from the inn and ensure Renki’s safety. Flight was simply not an option.

“Stan, how much did you hear?” Lorelai asked, her voice surprisingly calm.

Stan glared fiercely at his younger sister, his eyes narrowed. “How much did I hear? Everything, from the very beginning. I even heard you expose my identity.”

Stan’s words were ground out, as if through clenched teeth. It seemed his anger wasn’t solely due to their possession of the ‘Red Jade.’ Lorelai inwardly clicked her tongue.

“It wasn’t intentional.”

“Intentional or not, it doesn’t matter. What matters is that you said it.”

Stan spoke, enunciating each word with biting force. At that moment, Hay stepped forward.

“I already knew you were an Arcavya mage even before Lorelai mentioned it.”

“How?” Stan pressed, his tone accusatory.

“When I visited you earlier, I saw Alexandra’s letter lying on your desk.”

Stan’s eyebrows twitched, a knowing look crossing his face. “Ah, that. In that case, I was careless.”

“Alexandra? Are you talking about Alexandra? You know Alexandra?”

Unlike Stan, who seemed unfazed, Lorelai was startled, reiterating the question to Hay. Hay nodded.

“I worked with her a few months ago.”

“My goodness! What a small world.”

Hay heartily agreed. “It seems Mr. Demonic already knew, though.”

“Is that important right now?”

Stan waved his arm. Instantly, the string of the Red Jade necklace in Hay’s hand snapped, and the gem was drawn into Stan’s palm.

Hay did not panic. Stan rotated the Red Jade, examining it slowly, before letting out a deep, exasperated sigh.

“Damn it. It really is a Red Jade.”

“Lorelai gave it to me,” Hay offered, a hint of an excuse in his voice.

Even to himself, it sounded like a pathetic and flimsy excuse. He had no choice. Against an Archmage like Stan, he stood no chance of winning; he had to talk his way out of this situation, be it through excuses or explanations.

“My friend gave it to me as a gift,” Lorelai chimed in, raising her hand in a similar attempt at an excuse.

Stan paid them no mind. He let out a hollow laugh, as if finding the entire situation preposterous.

“I only just heard about the Red Jade yesterday, and now I see the real thing right here. Well, when you consider who the wanted thief is, it’s not entirely unexpected, I suppose.”

A wanted thief? Hay’s thoughts drifted to Hellheim, who was being unjustly pursued. Lorelai furrowed her brow, her face etched with confusion.

“Styles, you got it from her, and the bastard who gifted it to her, is he that trash?”

Lorelai scowled at Stan’s words. “No, he’s not. And I told you not to speak of him like that.”

“Enough,” Stan dismissed. He snapped his fingers, and astonishingly, a magic circle instantly appeared beneath his feet. A portal opened, swallowing all three of them.

Moments later, the surrounding scenery shifted dramatically. They were in Stan’s potion manufacturing lab. Hay, startled, stumbled backward.

A shelf bumped against his back, causing the items placed upon it to rattle.

쾅, 쾅쾅―

The windows and door slammed shut. Crimson magic circles etched themselves onto their surfaces. Lorelai, standing beside him, sighed deeply.

“Are you just going to lock us up without even hearing us out? That’s too much.”

“I confined you so I could hear your story,” Stan retorted coldly, placing the Red Jade on the desk.

“I’ll explain. But please, leave Mr. Styles out of this. I’m involved, but Mr. Styles knew nothing. Mr. Styles merely did me a favor yesterday and received the Red Jade.”

“Whether to leave him out or not is not for you to decide. It’s my decision.”

Stan pulled up a chair and sat down, running a hand over his face. “Since my identity has already been exposed, I suppose a formal introduction is pointless. Nevertheless, before I begin the interrogation, allow me to properly introduce myself.”

An interrogation. It felt as though he had become a suspect.

“Stan Demonic. I am an Arcavya Inquisitor. Lorelai has likely told you what an Inquisitor does, so you understand. If you know this artifact was stolen, then I don’t need to explain why I’ve confined the two of you, do I?”

“It’s still too much to just lock us up without warning,” Hay protested.

“I’ll hear you out. If you’re innocent, I’ll release you immediately.”

Hay pulled a chair opposite Stan and sat down. “And if we’re guilty, we’ll be extradited to Arcavya?”

“That would indeed be the case.”

“Then there’ll be no such thing, as we are innocent.”

“Whether you are innocent or not is for me to judge.”

“I am innocent. I simply received the Red Jade from Lorelai.”

“That’s the truth,” Lorelai corroborated.

But Stan was undeterred. “Styles, how did you know the Red Jade was a stolen item? It’s a top secret in both Srahanila and Arcavya.”

“Oh, that?” Hay crossed his legs, leaning back against the chair and idly fiddling with the transparent spirit stone on his staff. “I heard it from my master.”

****

Having leisurely finished his meal, Renki patted his distended belly. Hay had left without eating much of his chicken, leaving Renki to devour too much, and now his stomach felt like it might burst. He was even a little out of breath.

Renki looked at the empty plate with a satisfied expression before rising from his seat.

“Are you finished?” the staff member asked as Renki approached.

Renki, feeling pleasantly full, nodded. “Yes. It was delicious. I think Caleb added some chili today? It was a bit spicy.”

“You have an amazing palate! That’s right. I heard he added more chili, wondering if it would be better with a bit more kick. It wasn’t too spicy, was it?”

“It wasn’t spicy enough to be called ‘too spicy’!

“Really? That’s a relief. Mr. Styles left in the middle of his meal, did he not like it?”

“Oh, no, I don’t think so. He left after receiving a message.”

“That’s good then. Ah, on your way out, stop by the kitchen. Caleb set aside a container of chamomile for you when he heard you were looking for it.”

“Really? Thank you!”

“No need to thank me.” The staff member chuckled softly, then patted Renki’s back, urging him to go.

Leaving the dining hall, Renki headed straight for the adjacent kitchen. Peeking his head in, he saw Caleb hurrying the kitchen staff to speed things up.

Then Caleb turned, and their eyes met. Renki bowed politely, and Caleb gestured for him to wait a moment before retrieving a container from a shelf and bringing it over.

“Did you enjoy the chicken?”

“Yes, it was delicious! You added chili, didn’t you? It was wonderfully spicy!”

“I adjusted the amount so it wouldn’t be too spicy, but…”

“It was perfect for me!”

“I’m glad you enjoyed it. Here’s the chamomile. Are you studying hard?”

“Yes, of course!”

“You really endure well under that ill-tempered Stan. I suppose that means you’re quite skilled. Most of the students who couldn’t keep up with Stan’s lessons would usually run out crying. He hasn’t kicked your butt or anything, has he?”

“Thankfully, I haven’t been kicked yet!”

“You must be doing well, then. Here, your chamomile. Keep studying hard.”

“Yes, thank you!”

Caleb chuckled, gently pushing Renki’s back, telling him to hurry along.

Renki thanked him again and scampered up the central staircase. Just then, someone descended from above.

It was a man who strangely drew immediate attention. He was clad entirely in black, from head to toe. At a glance, his attire suggested he was a mage.

His long black hair fell over his shoulders, and his face appeared melancholic. Renki, feeling a peculiar sense of familiarity, stopped in his tracks without realizing it.

The man walked past Renki with silent steps, making no sound, as if he were a ghost. Renki knew it was rude to stare, yet he couldn’t tear his eyes away, as if entranced.

Just as he finally snapped out of it and prepared to ascend the stairs again, a voice called from directly behind him.

“Hey.”

“Hick!” Renki yelped, startled, and spun around. The man, who had almost reached the first floor, was now suddenly behind him.

So surprised was Renki that he lost his balance and plopped down onto the stairs. He nearly dropped the container of chamomile he was holding.

“Take this.”

“Excuse me?”

The man abruptly extended his hand. His wheat-colored skin bore scattered white scars. These scars weren’t confined to his hand alone. Half of the man’s face was also covered in them.

Renki swallowed, involuntarily. The man’s eyes, a piercing violet, were identical to his master’s. Those eyes felt chillingly cold.

“W-what is this? This isn’t mine.” Renki glanced at the object the man offered, shaking his head.

It was a small, round box with a lid, filling the man’s large hand.

“Take it.” The man said, then unceremoniously tossed the round box into Renki’s arms.

Renki, flustered, caught it. That was it. The man simply turned his back on Renki and descended the stairs.

“Excuse me! This really isn’t mine!”

“You’ll have a use for it.”

Renki scrambled to his feet, but the man had vanished to the first floor in an instant. Unable to bring himself to follow, Renki stood rooted to the spot, looking alternately at the box in his hand and the first floor below.

The gold-plated box looked incredibly expensive at first glance. Though the lid was worn and old, a dragon and a demon locked in battle were exquisitely embossed upon it.

It looked expensive, but why had he given it to him? Puzzled, Renki opened the lid. Inside the lid was a mirror, reflecting Renki’s masked face.

Below, like a clock, there was a hand. But instead of three hands, there was only one, moving in both directions. Below the hand, an intricate circular maze was engraved, and runes were etched along the rim.

“It doesn’t look like a clock.”

He didn’t know what it was for, but the hand didn’t move at all, as if it were broken.

“Is it broken?”

He shook it with all his might and even touched the hand, but it remained motionless.

****

Roughly two to three hours seemed to have passed since they were confined in the potion manufacturing lab. With the windows shut, it was impossible to accurately gauge the time.

Stan had meticulously questioned Hay and Lorelai about the full story. While Lorelai’s answers were uncertain, Hay had divulged everything he knew, without a single lie or omission.

Ah, save for one detail. When explaining how he learned about the Red Jade, he carefully omitted Hellheim’s name. Although Hellheim was unjustly accused, he was a wanted man, and being exposed as a wanted man’s disciple would bring nothing but trouble.

Instead, Hay had named an elf spirit user he had known in the past. Of course, it was a lie that would be exposed with a proper investigation, but he decided to worry about that when the time came.

When his explanation concluded, Stan’s reaction seemed relatively positive.

‘It really seems like the two of them knew nothing,’ he had thought. Stan had then excused himself, stating he would report to his superiors and inform them of the results. It felt like at least an hour had passed since then, yet he still hadn’t returned.

“Mr. Styles, would you like more tea?”

“No.”

Just as Hay was about to burst with impatience, wondering how much longer they had to wait, Stan returned.

Hay immediately rose from his seat. Stan, looking as if he might collapse, waved a singed piece of paper.

“May we leave now?”

“Yes. But you’ll need to pack your bags and come right back.”

“Excuse me?”

“Orders have come down to bring all those who have come into contact with the Red Jade to Arcavya.”

Hay squeezed his eyes shut. He was, inevitably, going to that city of lunatics.