Chapter 81
These days, a peculiar rumor had begun circulating in Marita.
No, rather than a rumor, fame would probably be the more fitting expression.
A rumor that said, "[The street performances by the artists who look like a married couple are incredible.]"
Marita, the city of artists.
Since it was a city where such artists gathered, it was only natural that all kinds of artworks overflowed throughout it.
And the most developed form of art among them was street performance.
Starting from the central fountain, countless roads stretched out in every direction, and displaying one's own art upon those roads was Marita's long-standing tradition as well as its main attraction.
"Wow...."
No one knew when the performance had begun.
But at some point, the people nearby began to be captivated by the performances of the man and woman who had appeared.
Puppet shows were fairly common in the city.
But the puppetry performed by the woman showcased a performance—or rather, an art—with no awkward movements whatsoever: highly fluid and dazzling, yet natural.
And what about the man's magic?
Surprisingly, there were quite a few artists who had awakened mana.
Whether it was because of their heightened aesthetic sense, or because they had become artists among the countless awakened superhumans and come here, no one knew.
In any case, even in the eyes of those who had awakened mana, it was difficult to find any trick behind the man's magic.
Puppetry and magic.
The performance was so superb that either art alone would have been impressive, but these two forms of art had been combined into one?
The woman's puppets bewitched the audience with their fluid movements.
The man's magic captivated the spectators through sight and illusion.
It was a truly wondrous artistic performance, with the two forms of art creating synergy with each other.
"Good heavens...."
The puppets moved by the woman began dancing together with the man.
Swish.
They were clearly automatons made of iron and gears, yet the sight of them scattering like flower petals at the man's gesture stirred emotions that words could not describe.
But every performance was bound to have an ending.
The climax rose, followed by the highlight and the final ending.
All the puppets the woman had brought out transformed into flower petals, and the man's gentle movements gathered those petals into one place.
Whoosh.
With a gust of wind, the flower petals had somehow transformed back into puppets, which were bowing politely to the audience.
In front of those puppets, the man and woman who looked like a married couple bowed their heads to announce that the performance had ended.
...
"..."
Silence.
Everyone who had watched the performance was so overwhelmed by it that no one said a word.
They had heard it was impressive, but they never expected it to be this incredible.
Clap.
Some of those overwhelmed by the performance began cheering.
"What an amazing performance!"
"I've lived in Marita for fifty years, but I've never seen a performance like this!"
"Good heavens! Good heavens! Oh, inspiration is surging!!!"
The applause that poured forth from countless emotions carried each person's feelings, but the emotion they expressed was only one.
Gratitude for showing them this performance.
Clap. Clap. Clap.
And so, for a while, only those two sounds—the cheers and applause—continued to echo through the street.
***
"Phew."
"Good work."
When we returned to the lodging we'd taken in the city of Marita, Bellias—or rather, she was As in this city, wasn't she?
Anyway, As stepped closer and wiped away the sweat that had beaded on my face with a handkerchief.
Swish. Swish.
As I received her gentle touch, I looked at As, who moved as though she were quite accustomed to it, and spoke teasingly.
"You seem to have gotten pretty used to this, haven't you?"
I deliberately didn't say what she had gotten used to.
We had already confirmed that there were no suspicious magic circles or machines in the lodging, but since we were acting to infiltrate the city, I didn't do anything that would break character.
I merely said enough for her to understand what I meant.
At my words, As flinched slightly, then gave a small laugh as though I was impossible and opened her mouth.
"Yes. After doing it for a whole week, I'd better get used to it, right?"
Just as she said, unlike when we had first entered the city a week ago, she now looked extremely calm.
There were minor problems, such as occasional verbal slips or forgetting an object, but even so, she had grown quite accustomed to it.
"Really?"
Tap. Tap.
I gave an appropriate answer to her words, then gently took the back of the hand that had been carefully wiping my forehead and tapped it twice.
It was a signal that, since there were no eyes watching or ears listening nearby, we should stop acting from this point on.
***
Upon receiving Abel's signal, Bellias slowly opened her mouth.
"First, I did collect the... residual traces contained in the tracking mana I left behind, but..."
Residual traces of mana.
Simply put, one could think of them as traces.
The place where the tracking mana had disappeared was inside this city.
But even if it had disappeared like that, the traces remaining in the mana did not scatter easily.
Especially when the person involved was a powerful individual with an exceptionally deep understanding of mana, like Bellias, they tended to remain for much longer.
"But..."
There was a problem.
It was a problem she had noticed after entering the city.
It was also the entire reason she had ended up performing despite it not being in her nature.
"The place indicated by the remaining traces is still that place."
"Ugh..."
Abel involuntarily groaned at Bellias's words.
The place Bellias referred to was the center of this city.
The largest art museum on the continent, where the masterpieces left behind by countless artists throughout their lives were displayed.
The Marita Museum.
"What a headache."
Abel muttered that without realizing it.
The Marita Museum. As one could infer from the fact that it bore the city's name exactly, the museum's security was extremely tight—far beyond anything one could imagine.
The problem was simply that Abel and Bellias did not possess the pinnacle of stealth techniques required to break through security of that caliber.
That was why Abel and Bellias had chosen to gain recognition by performing.
The museum held an event every month where it invited artists with a certain level of recognition to its grounds.
What did they call it? Something about viewing the masterpieces of countless artists to broaden one's artistic perspective and gain inspiration?
It was a welfare program befitting a city of artists.
Even so, simply forcing their way inside felt a little inappropriate.
They had come here to secretly obtain information, and if they suddenly resolved everything by force, [the Organization] would surely realize what was happening.
If that happened, the grand strategy Bellias had devised—deliberately letting the enemies go so they could provoke a response—would fall apart.
Choose a quick and easy solution and give up the gains waiting in the distant future?
Honestly, that would be a terrible waste.
"...Sigh."
"...Sigh."
Abel and Bellias both sighed without realizing it.
"There haven't been any unusual developments at the ducal house, right?"
"Yes... regrettably."
In fact, the two had come to this city as part of what was essentially a diversionary operation.
Their initial reason for going to Marita had been simple.
Find the lost tracking mana and discover a new clue where it had vanished. That was the entire operation, nothing more and nothing less.
But during the week Bellias spent practicing speaking aloud, layer after layer had been added to that operation.
At first, Abel had merely intended to confirm the lost mana and obtain Cristo cigars, a specialty of the city.
But then he suddenly had a thought.
'Aren't we getting far too little out of this?'
Abel and Bellias. The heir to the Nebula family and the boss of [Dark Shadow], respectively.
Their titles alone were impressive, and they were powerful individuals who possessed the ability to match them.
With these two people on the move, weren't they gaining far too little?
So he completely overhauled the operation.
Finding the lost mana would remain the priority.
However, he planned one new operation.
The Nebula Duchy openly revealing that Abel was absent was a trap.
If the enemies moved on the ducal house, they planned to use [White Shadow], which would be waiting there, and the prepared teleportation device to transfer straight to the ducal house.
Or perhaps the enemies would attack the two of them—Abel and Bellias—while they were wandering around without an escort.
If so, they would signal a member of [Dark Shadow] waiting secretly in the distance.
The only problem was that, despite operating on the basis of this plan, there had been no movement from any enemies whatsoever.
In other words, after going around in circles, they had to continue performing despite it not being in their nature, all to find the lost mana they had originally set out to locate.
Abel could do nothing but sigh softly at that fact.
"Well, it would be strange if worldly affairs actually went according to plan."
As he said that, Abel began roughly loosening his tie.
Bellias naturally picked up the tie Abel had loosened and began straightening it with mana threads.
"Let's take it slowly. Assassins are used to waiting, after all."
Of course, even Bellias herself had never actually waited a long time for an assassination.
Knowing that, Abel let out a dry laugh without realizing it.
“Hahaha… Yeah, I suppose that's how it should be. Let's have dinner.”
At Abel's appearance, Bellias laughed softly to herself.
Fortunately, the joke he had made for Abel, who looked so dispirited, had worked.
'Phew. We've gotten a little closer, haven't we?'
As she watched Abel move about with an unconcerned expression, preparing dinner and even making cocktails on the side, Bellias murmured inwardly.
She had almost never had a friend in her entire life.
There was Nella, but perhaps because Nella had always looked like an adult since Bellias was young, she felt much more like an older sister than a friend.
Moreover, all of her direct relatives wanted her dead, and she had never even met any noble scions her age.
And then she met Abel, a member of the opposite sex with a disposition similar to her own.
Having met the first person whose attitude toward mana resembled hers, Bellias's sense of intimacy with him rose rapidly.
The problem was that Bellias was not very good at controlling the distance between herself and Abel after it had grown so much closer.
She drew close whenever her feelings urged her to, but since she knew he was a man, she did not do anything beyond that.
But.
'No.'
From Nella's perspective, Bellias's attitude was as lukewarm as could be.
She had cheered when their distance grew closer under the pretext of their first training, but she had never expected to encounter an unforeseen barrier afterward.
That simply wouldn't do.
Nella did not want a future in which Bellias, a child almost like one she had raised herself, grew old and died a spinster.
Even if awakened mana users lived longer than ordinary people, there were still limits.
'Lady Bellias wants to become more intimate with Lord Abel, doesn't she?'
'Hmm? Yes, I suppose?'
It would be nice to grow closer. Abel wasn't someone who wanted her dead; if anything, he was someone she could communicate with easily.
Honestly, that was a very significant advantage in her eyes.
They were kindred, they communicated well, and he was favorably disposed toward her?
Those were conditions capable of awakening affection where none had existed before.
'Then I recommend getting even a little closer.'
Of course, she did not say anything so blatant.
Bellias did not know much about the distance between men and women or between friends, but she was by no means a stupid woman.
Instead, Nella merely gave her a hint.
'Get closer?'
'Yes. You don't feel any particular emotion when I come this close, do you, Lady Bellias?'
Squish.
'Eek! Oh, you startled me. Yes, that's right?'
After all, it was simply one woman touching another woman's body.
Even if it was a sensitive area, they were both women, so it was normal not to feel much.
'But when you get close to Lord Abel, you feel reluctant about something. That's it, right?'
'Yes.'
'Think of it in reverse. To understand your feelings, you have to face those feelings, after all.'
Clink. Clink.
As she recalled that conversation with Nella, she heard the clear sound of ice striking ice.
She turned her head at the sound and looked at Abel, who had rolled up his sleeves and was making a cocktail.
The truth was, she still didn't know.
She had been reluctant to make direct contact, so she had tested things with a smoke clone.
She had acted on impulse because, after seeing the mana connected to the clone, she thought she would be able to get a general sense of things, even if not everything.
Abel had flinched every time his body touched the smoke clone, hadn't he?
She recalled Abel from that time for a moment.
Thinking again of how Abel, who was always glib and sly, had flinched at her touch...
Squeeze.
'Huh?'
At the time, she had simply found it amusing and smiled a little ominously, but what was this feeling?
No, should she even call it a feeling? A strange sensation began to stir inside her, like magma roiling in her chest.
Her chest tightened, and what was it? This feeling of slight pressure below her navel...
"???"
"Bellias?"
Just as she was wondering about this sudden situation, Abel's voice reached her.
When she turned her head, she saw a simply prepared dinner spread out on the table.
And in the place where Abel would sit was a cocktail he had made for himself every day over the past week.
"More alcohol?"
She had tried a sip once out of curiosity, but had stopped caring long ago because of the overly strong taste of alcohol.
That hadn't changed even after she learned that Abel's hobbies were smoking cigars and making cocktails.
"Um... Abel. If it isn't too much trouble."
But now, for some reason, that cocktail was bothering her.
Just because Abel did it, she wanted to try it once more. She didn't understand cigars, but a cocktail—or rather, alcohol—might be worth trying, wouldn't it?
"Could you give me a cocktail too?"
"Huh?"
At her sudden request, Abel involuntarily looked at Bellias, who was sitting across from him.
Since he hadn't been able to smoke cigars for the past week, his mouth had felt a little bored, and drinking a cocktail every day had become part of his routine.
During that entire week, Bellias had never once said anything to Abel about drinking cocktails.
She had merely seemed to think, Ah, Abel is drinking, so I should respect that. That was the extent of her attitude.
But now she had offered her own opinion first.
"Sure."
Honestly, Abel had no reason to refuse.
Drinking alone every day felt a little unpleasant, but he also couldn't force alcohol on someone who seemed uninterested in it.
"Then what kind of cocktail do you like? No, I should phrase that differently. Do you like something with strong alcohol, or something sweeter or richer in aroma?"
"Eh? Uh, um. Wouldn't your cocktail be all right?"
Shake, shake.
"No. Since it's your first cocktail, I wouldn't recommend what I'm drinking now."
"Oh."
"That's why I'm asking. What kind of flavor do you like?"
It was her first time drinking one. So rather than a difficult cocktail, she would probably prefer one where the alcohol gave a sharp kick at the end.
The problem was that the Nebula family had not brought many kinds of cocktails, so whether he could make the cocktail Bellias wanted was the question.
"Then... I do like that coffee aroma? Something like that..."
"Coffee, coffee aroma... all right.”
Fortunately, he could make something like that.
Having decided that, Abel began making the cocktail while humming.
Clink. Clink.
Bellias watched Abel as though she found him cute.
A little while later, Abel poured the cocktail he had made into a glass and held it out to her.
"It's a Kahlúa Milk."
Of course, this wasn't the Kahlúa from his previous life; he had used a stronger liquor, so the alcohol content was higher, but this was sufficient.
"Wow..."
Bellias quietly marveled at the cocktail Abel had offered her.
The cocktail glass covered in soft, billowy milk foam was certainly a sight worthy of admiration.
So that's why he'd used mana to make the foam. He had called it a cocktail, but it looked as though clouds had gathered inside the glass.
"Try it."
"Ah, yes. I'll give it a try."
Gulp.
The moment she took a sip, she felt the rich, cream-like milk foam.
At the same time, the aroma of coffee burst forth, followed by a faint hint of alcohol.
This...
"It's good?"
"Haha, right?"
"Wow... To be honest, the first alcohol I tried was so strong that I decided not to drink anymore after that."
"Ah, then it's understandable you'd avoid alcohol. Still, I'm glad it tastes good to you."
It was the first cocktail Bellias had ever tasted.
Bellias downed the cocktail Abel had given her in one go, then asked him for another.
"Sure, sure."
One more glass.
"All right."
Another glass.
"Hmm?"
One more glass.
"Um, Bellias?"
She tried one more glass.
"Um, shouldn't you stop drinking now?"
"Eeh?"
Huh? There were three Abels?
Oh, what was this? It was nice.
"Bellias, perhaps you should take it a little easy."
But he was trying to stop her from drinking this delicious stuff.
So mean. He was bad.
"I thought you knew you could use mana to dispel drunkenness..."
Grab.
"Hmm?"
Still, even if Abel treated her badly. Yes, somehow, this felt nice?
Bellias stared blankly at Abel, wanting to experience that strange feeling once more.
Then she should act on it, right?
"Bellias?"
"Hehe."
Squeeze.
Bellias grabbed Abel's face and pulled him into a tight hug against her chest.
And there, Bellias's consciousness cut out.