February 22nd, 12:40 p.m.
After finishing lunch in a certain city, we sat back into the wagon and headed toward the city gate.
Along the way, I overheard three women discussing another mass looting incident, just like the one in the previous city.
"I heard more than fifty people looted the warehouse of one of the marchent guild yesterday."
"That's nothing. The merchant guild with those outrageous prices got smashed by over a hundred people. They had it coming."
"Didn't the police catch anyone?"
"They only caught a few who got separated from the group. They were all wearing yellow-and-blue cloaks."
"I've never seen that color combination before. Is it some new organization?"
"A new organization? Crime in Asrangari is getting out of hand."
I was stunned.
Did Aslangari really have that many organizations? Was this country overflowing with criminals? Was the standard of living really that poor?
The orange-haired person beside me snorted.
"Hmph. Relying on the police? You're better off relying on a master detective. The police are only good for—... It's raining."
She abruptly changed the subject halfway through her sentence.
Only after she mentioned it did I notice the rain.
"I didn't expect it to rain during winter. Shouldn't all the water have frozen into snow? There isn't much snow on the ground either. Is it warmer here?"
"Henry... be careful."
"Careful of what?"
"When it rains in winter, someone always dies."
The orange-haired woman spoke with unusual seriousness.
I understood the part about someone dying, but...
"Winter rain?"
"It means rain that falls during winter."
"Just superstition?"
I found it hard to believe.
The idea that a single unusual event could always predict a disaster had absolutely no scientific basis.
But she firmly shook her head.
"No. Since I was born, I've seen it happen four times. Every single time, someone died. Everyone in my hometown says there's never been an exception."
"Is your town cursed or something?"
Death wasn't exactly a pleasant topic.
If it was truly accurate every single time, then the only explanation I could think of was that her hometown was cursed—that winter rain meant Death itself had arrived.
"I don't know. Just... be careful."
For the rest of the journey, the orange-haired person remained visibly uneasy because the rain refused to stop.
"Why won't it end...?"
"It's not like you're the one who's going to be killed. Try thinking more positively."
"You're right. It's not me... Wait, no! Someone's still going to die! How can you say something so cold when it has nothing to do with you?"
"It really doesn't have anything to do with me. Let's head to the next city and wait for the rain to stop."
Her clothes were already soaked.
If she stayed out in the rain much longer, she'd catch a cold, which would only make her even more troublesome.
After a moment of silence, she asked me nervously,
"...Have you ever killed anyone?"
"No."
"Whew... That's a relief. If you were a murderer, I'd probably be this winter rain's sacrifice."
She let out a long sigh of relief.
So she actually believed this winter rain had come for her.
Talk about a persecution complex.
Eventually, we reached another town to take shelter from the rain.
At that moment, my detection magic picked up a hostile life signature.
I took out an umbrella.
"I'm going for a walk. Watch the wagon."
"Don't be gone too long."
I followed the hostile presence until I reached the entrance of a narrow alley.
Peering inside, I found the lighting so poor that I couldn't make out anything.
I folded my umbrella and stepped into the alley.
Then I took out a large white cloak and put it on.
After fastening the button made from a magic core, I pulled the hood low enough to cover my entire face.
Next, I gathered magic in my hand before placing it against the magic core and channeling my magic into it.
The white fabric in front of me immediately became transparent.
When I looked down, even my own body had disappeared.
This was the invisibility cloak I had invented.
It was perfect for covert operations.
I quietly moved through the maze of alleys until I reached the city wall.
Only then did I finally get a clear look at the life signature I'd been tracking.
It wasn't the one I had hoped to find.
There were two people wearing yellow-and-blue cloaks.
One was a brown-haired man with a bowl cut, holding an umbrella but somehow not using it to shield himself from the rain.
The other was a handsome silver-haired man with long hair standing beneath the umbrella.
He looked like a noble.
The person I had been searching for was a red-haired man with glasses and a permanent scowl.
However, one of these two carried the same indiscriminate hostility as that red-haired man with glasses.
Judging by their positions, it was probably the handsome silver-haired man.
Keeping a safe distance, I silently followed them out of the city until they arrived at a cave halfway up a mountain.
I couldn't help wondering...
If someone needed another person to hold an umbrella for him, why would he hike all the way up a mountain?
Once they entered the cave, I cautiously approached the entrance myself.
The next moment, I froze in shock.
My detection magic revealed nearly three hundred life signatures inside the cave.
Was this a goblin nest?
Those two had walked right in without hesitation.
Was that silver-haired noble actually incredibly powerful?
...I needed to see this for myself.