Chapter 6. There is no bad meaning. (3)
Kairisis was wide.
In the first place, the size of the royal palace was such that it could not have been narrow even though it was the capital. Finding Kyrie in that vast land was as difficult as finding a needle buried in the sand. Fortunately, I knew what Kirie was doing during this time, but it was difficult to find her location.
Plus one more thing.
I couldn’t think of a place that could sell the items Calian needed.
So what I thought was this crazy thing. Obtain information and items about Kairis from the Secretia Sejaks.
These were not simple information merchants.
They were real swordsmen sent after long preparations from one country to spy on another. It was such a dangerous place.
Moreover, Calian had a striking appearance that even people who met him in passing would immediately recognize him. Even if they just glanced at the red eyes, the situation would have escalated beyond control. So I said it was crazy.
“I will guide you to where Moi is.”
‘White Suri’, the one who protects the base of the Sejaks, said so. After confirming that they were not enemies, there was no further hostility or intent to kill.
‘But I guess it’s not time for me to die yet.’
Even with that thought in mind, Calian did not relax. I followed him to the back of the store, trying to stay out of the white suri’s range as much as possible.
The three men did not know each other’s identities.
Even the home country did not tell us when or how many people would be sent to Sejak. It was a precautionary measure to prevent other secrets from becoming involved in the event that espionage activities were discovered. Also, the Sejaks did not reveal their faces to each other. It was the same reason.
In addition, the Secretia Sejaks of this period were trained without distinction of age or gender. Therefore, it would not be surprising if there was a Sejak of the same age as Kalian.
Calian only believed in this situation and made the white suri recognize himself as a young Sejak newly dispatched from Secretia.
“Please wait a moment.”
Where Calian stood, all kinds of miscellaneous things were piled up.
Empty bird cages, feeders, perches of various shapes, cleaning tools, etc. In a place full of dust, the white eagle moved around, avoiding it. Then, he grabbed a wooden stick that was standing at an angle like it was a piece of junk and pushed it to the other side.
– Drurk!
There was a sound like a chain being wound, and the entire room they were standing in began to slowly spin.
Then, a small rumbling sound and a screeching sound of friction were heard, and soon the place where Calian was standing was connected to the warehouse of a house. When the white repairman opened the warehouse door, a narrow yard appeared. The two soon crossed the yard and entered the house.
Calian followed the white suri past the living room of the house, went up to the second floor, and passed through another secret space to arrive at what looked like a large study. There was a large table in the middle, and there were bookcases and shelves lined up in all directions.
“Please sit down.”
The white suri poured water into a cup and handed it to Kalian. Kalian, who had been suffering greatly from drinking recently, did not drink the water after putting it down.
A sigh came out of the mouth of the white suri that saw this.
“Yes. I used to offer tea, too. But no one drinks it, right? It’s a waste to throw away expensive tea leaves, so now I just give them water. But since they still don’t drink, I’m thinking about not giving them anything anymore.”
Perhaps Calian wasn’t the only one who refused drinks, and he seemed uncomfortable because his sincerity was always ignored. Calian smiled slightly and responded.
“Someone told me not to pick up anything and eat it.”
“Haha. That’s true. I guess I’m new, but you’ll meet me often from now on, so know my name. I’m a white eagle.”
Calian already knew his name, but he nodded without showing it and opened his mouth. I announced the nickname that no one in Secretia had used, which I had already thought of before coming here.
“Red swan.”
It was Kalian who felt like a swan when he first met Lemain. Kalian was different on the outside and the inside, so there would be no nickname more suitable for him.
“Okay, nice to meet you. So what kind of food are you looking for?”
Kalian’s job here was to sell basic information and equipment needed for espionage to the Sejaks. That was ‘Moi’.
Calian looked at the bookshelf and the shelves one by one.
“One piece of information, one thing.”
The palm of the white suri was spread out.
“Information 5 florins, goods 3 florins. Prepaid.”
It was strange that they told me the price like this without asking what information or what the item was. The operation of this place was solely under the autonomy of the white suri and was not known to Secretia, so Calian did not know about this. White Suri, noticing Calian’s thoughts, added an explanation.
“Because it’s a fixed price system.”
I was wondering if I could buy a gold bar for 3 florins if I asked for it. Of course, I didn’t want to say it out loud and be treated like a fool.
Calian took out eight gold coins from his pocket and handed them to the white eagle. It was more expensive than expected, but it was unavoidable. The white repairman who received the price pulled up a chair and sat down.
“Okay. Talk about it.”
Calian’s explanation continued, and the white suri stood up without a word and walked around the room. Soon he came back carrying a map and a small object wrapped in paper and sat down in front of Calian again.
The white suri spoke, pushing the small one towards Kalian first.
“Just one thing first.”
After that, he held out a map.
“And information.”
When I received it, it was a detailed map of Kairisis, and there was a dot on one of the maps. Calian asked curiously.
“Is there nothing but Kairisis in this place?”
The white suri nodded.
And he answered by pretending to raise his fist in the air.
“It’s the only place large enough to have the facilities you described.”
This meant that the probability that Kyrie was somewhere other than Kairisis was significantly reduced. The thought that the child I encountered on the way to the concert hall might have been Kirie became closer to certainty.
“Thank goodness.”
By the way, one dotted map is worth 5 florins. Feeling like I was being ripped off, I took the two items and put them in my arms, and the white repairman held out another piece of paper. There was a lot of writing written on it. Since he did not accept it willingly, the white repairman smiled so that his white teeth were visible.
“User’s Guide.”
I don’t think it’s really a rip off.
Calian sighed and took the paper. And instead of going back to the store through the warehouse, he just went out through the front door of the home.
Looking around, it seemed to be the back building of the new dealership. Therefore, instead of walking to the store, Kalian opened his mouth in a low voice.
“Raven.”
Before long, a clanking sound was heard, and Raven walked out, looking like only a white band was moving in the dark. Calian quickly climbed onto Raven’s back and walked away from there. After a while, Kalian went to a moderately bright and secluded cafe and opened the map and manual.
‘Take care of yourself. ‘It’s a rough place.’
The words of the white suri came to mind. Calian laughed and muttered.
“I guess it’s more dangerous than you.”
In order to get to the place shown on the map, I had to retrace my steps. Kalian, who carefully read and memorized the information written in the manual, burned the map and manual in a candle lit at the entrance of the cafe.
* * *
There was deep concern in Calian’s eyes.
I didn’t lose my way because I burned the map. The map was accurate and there was only one place open nearby. What was causing all kinds of thoughts in Calian’s mind right now was the name of the store written at the entrance of the two-story building. –
Why does
Sispanian have such a deep smell of alcohol ?
“Ha…”
It was the same bar I saw and hated on the way to the new store. Calian’s mind was truly complicated as he lowered his head again and looked at the entrance to the bar.
“Who on earth names a store like that? Sispanian is also a member of the royal family, but the royal family doesn’t even charge them with insulting the royal family?”
Memories of old Calian came to mind as if they were giving me an answer.
‘After Hatsuara’s death, Sispanian did not act as a queen, so it was difficult to view her as a full-fledged royal family.’
Kalian looked like he had a lot to say, and after handing over Raven’s reins to Sidong, he entered the bar.
The inside of the bar was not much different from that of Secretia. It was filled with the musty smell of old oak barrels and the unique bitter yet sour smell of hops.
“Do you have company?”
Soon, a person who appeared to be a clerk came up to Kalian and asked. His gait was a bit stiff, perhaps because a customer wearing a hood came in in the middle of the night.
“You came alone.”
It didn’t matter at the new dealership, but it did matter here. This is because I could feel the clerk tilting his head at the very young voice.
Instead of explaining, Calian took out a silver coin and handed it to the clerk. The clerk, who understood what I meant, immediately cleared my doubts.
“I’ll show you to an empty seat.”
Then Calian shook his head and said as it was written in the manual.
“I’m going to the 4th floor.”
It was a two-story building that was very obvious to anyone who saw it. However, instead of saying that this building does not have a fourth floor, the clerk answered:
“Yes. Please follow me.”
Calian became nervous again and followed the clerk. Because it was late and most of the guests were quite drunk, Kalian was able to move around without attracting much attention.
After passing about five or six tables, I turned a corner and came across a thick wooden door. The clerk took the key out of his pocket, opened the door, and motioned to Calian.
“You can go in this way.”
Calian nodded and entered the room. The clerk then turned on the light in the room and closed the door from the outside without further explanation. After a while, I heard the clerk’s footsteps moving away.
Calian looked around in silence.
It was designed as a space where about four or five people could gather quietly and drink, and there were square tables and decorative cabinets. Other than that, there was only a string with a handle to ring the counter bell to call the clerk, a picture frame with an unknown picture, and a built-in hanger to hang clothes.
So, at first glance, it seemed like a special room designed to discuss important things, but there was nothing particularly strange about it. Of course, that wasn’t the case for Calian.
‘Butterfly shape number three.’
The manual also kindly informed about this situation. Therefore, Kalian was not embarrassed and walked to the opposite wall. His eyes were fixed on a butterfly-shaped tin hanger for hanging coats.
Calian grabbed the third of the six hangers and twisted it. Then the hanger slowly began to rotate in a circle. By the time it was laid down at almost 90 degrees.
– Click.
The hanger stopped with the sound of being caught on something. Calian took his hand off the hanger, grabbed the dresser that was in the corner of the room, and pushed it to the side.
Even without much effort, the unlocked cabinet slid to the side, revealing a staircase leading down somewhere.
Calian took a deep breath, prepared to pull out his knife at any moment, and walked down the stairs.
It wasn’t that difficult to go down because the stairs were illuminated with just enough light to distinguish what was under my feet. Calian, who had been going down for a while, stopped for a moment.
“3rd Floor.”
There was ‘3’ written on the entrance to somewhere.
“It must be a card gambling house.”
The entrance was covered with a dark cloth, and through a gap in the curtain, I could see the figures of several men sitting around a round table, each in the middle. Kalian showed no reaction to the scenery on the third floor and continued down the stairs.
As I went down the stairs, which were almost twice as long as the stairs to the third floor, I started to hear people yelling little by little.
Before long, an entrance with a ‘4’ written on it appeared and the stairs ended.
“Here it is.”
The shouting was loud enough to make my ears ring.
Calian took another breath and exhaled. Then, without further hesitation, he went inside.
The place where Calian was now located was a martial arts gambling place.
It was also the place where Kirie, the swordsman who gave up her sword, would be.
