[V5C9] Crossroads of Destiny and the Carrot Compass

Melissa left the shop and entered a narrow alley, still dragging her prey by the collar. There, she pressed him against the wall.

“Waaah! What’s going on?! I’m against violence! Please no pain!”

“Whether it hurts or not will depend on your response.”

Melissa directed a wicked smile to the crying man.

Monica, who had finally caught up, stuttered, “Onee-san, violent acts are…” But Melissa, still pinning the man to the wall, glared back at Monica.

“Moni-Moni, be quiet for a while. Now, you. What’s your name?”

“Me? I’m Theodore.”

The prey introduced himself as Theodore with teary eyes. He appeared to be a thin man around 30.

Untended reddish-brown hair and a meek face. He wore a high-collared shirt reminiscent of what scholars might prefer.

This man exuded the atmosphere of an unremarkable scholar, which made him stick out conspicuously in a tavern full of ruffians.

Melissa brought her face close to the man’s neck and sniffed.

(As I thought, this scent…)

Melissa dabbled in perfume blending as a hobby, so she had an exceptionally keen sense of smell. Her sharp nose had locked onto something.

“…You know about Irene, don’t you?”

Irene. In mythology, this was the name of the goddess who managed the paradise of the gods.

However, in this case, Irene did not refer to the goddess.

“Irene? Who’s that? I don’t know anything…!”

“It’s no use playing dumb. You reek of the popular drug circulating this city.”

Irene was a highly addictive drug that provided intense pleasure and euphoria through incense burning or oral consumption. In this context, Irene referred to a dangerous substance rather than the goddess.

The main ingredient for this drug was none other than the “Witch’s Love Potion,” which Melissa had sold all over the place.

Essentially, the secret recipe of House Roseberg was circulating the city as the illegal substance Irene. This was clearly unacceptable, so House Roseberg ordered Melissa to retrieve it.

“I-Irene? I don’t really know, but, uh, could it be the incense with a rose-like fragrance?”

“That’s right.”

“I-I didn’t use it! It got on me because I was in Throth’s room…!”

“Throth? Did you say Throth?”

Theodore nodded in response, and Melissa hummed, her green eyes gleaming.

Throth was the name of a prestigious family of enchanters from the neighboring Randall Kingdom.

However, Randall was more advanced in mechanical technology than magecraft. Consequently, the number of enchanters in Randall dwindled as the years passed.

In other words, there was a vast difference in status between the prestigious House Throth of Randall and the prestigious House Roseberg of Ridill.

“So, some wannabe noble from a small country came here to make some money, and to top it off, picked a fight with a real noble… That takes some guts.”

Melissa’s sinister smile made the timid Theodore and Monica tremble in unison.

With her eyes still gleaming, Melissa peered into Theodore’s face again.

“So you’re just one of Throth’s lackeys, huh?”

“I-I’m not helping because I want to, okay? He took away something important from me, so I had no choice…”

“Then you want to stop working for Throth?”

As Theodore nodded vigorously, Melissa licked her lips. This was convenient.

“Perfect. Then you work for me now.”

“Eh…! Wh-why me…!”

As Theodore let out a pathetic cry, Melissa brought her face so close that a kiss seemed imminent, speaking in a low, threatening voice.

“A grown man like you shouldn’t be squealing like a pig. Just so you know, don’t even think about betraying me. I’ll extract every drop of blood from your body and use it as an ingredient for a beauty potion.”

“Eeeek…!”

Melissa released her grip on the trembling Theodore and thought to herself.

She now had a lead to retrieving the goods. The remaining problem was the fidgety Little One, aka Monica.

If she were to raid Throth’s place, Monica would undoubtedly be a burden. Meanwhile, Melissa had yet to memorize the streets of Sazandol.

Naturally, she also didn’t remember the way to the house Cyril had visited. If she wanted to get closer to Cyril, Melissa couldn’t afford to let go of Monica.

Monica’s master seemed to be acquainted with Cyril, so Melissa wanted an introduction from them. In that case, it was essential not to leave a bad impression on Monica’s master.

However, Melissa taking Monica to a dangerous place would almost definitely do just that.

(Well, if push comes to shove, I can use the name of House Roseberg and force my way through.)

After all, House Roseberg was the most prestigious of all the mage families in Ridill.

Most magicians would back down once the Roseberg name was invoked. The only exceptions were the shamans of House Albright and other members of the Seven Sages.

“All right, Little One. You come along too. The gambling from earlier was a beginner’s test of courage. Now it’s time for the advanced level——raiding the lair of the bad guys. If you can handle this, you’ll gain a resilient spirit that won’t be shaken by most things.”

Monica, twiddling her fingers with a pale face, looked up at Melissa.

“Uh, wh-what about the intermediate level?”

“We can skip that. Come on, let’s go!”

＊　＊　＊

While strolling through the city of Sazandol with Cyril, Raul suddenly spoke while nibbling on candied nuts.

“By the way, where are we right now?”

“Don’t tell me you’ve been wandering aimlessly until now!?” shouted Cyril, his eyes wide. Raul replied with a solemn nod.

“It’s not like I’ve been drinking. I remember my goal, you know?”

In other words, this man had gotten lost despite his confident and dignified steps.

Cyril placed his hands on his face. He had assumed Raul was knowledgeable about the area since he held himself with such confidence.

The streets had been bustling with people since it was the day before a holiday, but now there was hardly anyone. They had likely wandered into an area not known for good security.

Cyril’s hometown also had a few areas like that.

Cyril had been sternly warned by his mother not to approach such places, but the young Cyril once broke the promise with his mother and set foot in such a place. It only happened once.

…He had witnessed his father heading to a dangerous area after work. Thus, Cyril secretly followed him.

Arriving at a bar, Cyril saw his father drowning in alcohol, loudly venting his frustrations.

That was before Cyril’s father started drinking heavily at home, so Cyril was greatly shocked by the first sight of his intoxicated father.

Eyes tainted with the thickness of alcohol. A face devoid of reason. Profanity that made one want to cover their ears.

He strongly thought, “I must never become like that.”

It was around this time that Cyril started to feel disgust every time someone said he resembled his father.

As Cyril frowned at the bitter memories, Raul made a cheerful suggestion.

“All right, let’s decide which way to go with a Carrot Divination!”

“What is that…? No, never mind. Forget I asked.”

Cyril didn’t want to learn useless knowledge that would clearly never help him over his entire lifetime.

However, Raul took a carrot from his pocket and began explaining regardless.

“First, you prepare a carrot. Then infuse some mana into this carrot, until it’s just right…”

Cyril enjoyed eating carrots, but he had no intention of entrusting his future to one. He ignored Raul and silently turned right.

Raul raised the carrot while following after him.

“If you learn Carrot Divination, you’ll definitely be popular with girls! …That’s what I told Ray and he heard me out.”

Why did the Abyss Shaman take Raul seriously? Cyril found himself concerned over the state of the Seven Sages.

Keeping the retort to himself, Cyril continued walking down the street at a brisk pace.

“My carrot says we should go this way next!”

Based on the belief that the future is chosen by oneself, rather than a carrot, Cyril went in the opposite direction pointed out by Raul.

If Cyril had followed the path indicated by the carrot, his future would have turned out significantly different.

However, by defying the carrot and relying on his own intuition, Cyril Ashley continued to wander through the streets until the sun set… and then, he saw it.

There was a flashy establishment decorated with exotic lanterns, reminiscent of a brothel. He witnessed Monica entering it.

“Hey, why’d you suddenly stop?”

While chewing on the carrot, Raul questioned Cyril with a puzzled expression.

Cyril stared at the building Monica had entered and muttered in astonishment.

“Just now… Monica entered that shop.”

“Huh? That shop?”

Raul widened his eyes upon hearing Cyril’s words.

The shop Cyril pointed to had elegantly dressed ladies and gentlemen coming in and out, seemingly unbothered by their staring.

It had an atmosphere suggesting either a high-class brothel or a secret club where wealthy people with unconventional tastes gathered.

Since it didn’t look like the kind of place Monica would frequent, Raul’s surprise was understandable.

“Are you sure it was really Monica?”

To the skeptical Raul, Cyril gave a firm nod.

Monica had been accompanied by a red-haired woman and a man with auburn hair, both unfamiliar faces to Cyril. Were they people from that shop?

As Cyril furrowed his brow, Raul, still munching on the carrot, murmured.

“Come to think of it, Monica… she seemed troubled lately, didn’t she?”

Raul had said he saw the troubled Monica crying at the party held in the Starseer Witch’s residence. The two of them had come to Sazandol to help Monica through her worries.

However, Monica was not at home, and now, they saw her entering an incredibly dubious establishment.

“No way… Monica was overwhelmed by her troubles, and started playing around at night?”

Upon hearing this, Cyril tensed up.

Monica indulging in nightlife? If it were the usual Cyril, he wouldn’t have paid any attention to such a ridiculous joke.

But Cyril had witnessed it himself. Monica indeed entered that questionable establishment with her own two feet!!

“…We’re going after her, Raul.”

An icy chill, unfathomable for a spring night, radiated from Cyril’s entire body.

Raul rubbed his upper arm and grimaced.

“U-Um… Cyril, your face looks pretty scary.”

“A former student council member of Serendia Academy being in such a shady place is scandalous.”

“Cyril, Cyril? Hey!”

Ignoring all of Raul’s calls, Cyril walked toward the shop.

After hastily finishing off the rest of the carrot, Raul chased after Cyril in a panic.

When the Abyss Shaman attempted to perform a carrot divination in front of his fiance, she said “Do not waste food,” and promptly took the carrot away.

“Now that I think about it, only handsome guys can get away with doing this kind of stuff. There’s no way I could pull it off… Dammit, curse all you handsome guys…!”

However, his fiance’s carrot soup later in the day was apparently delicious.

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