Chapter 49
When the sun rises over the Ishtar Dukedom, the sleeping dragon awakens.
This was the cipher extracted from the Cultist.
When Franz told her, Yuna said she thought she knew what it meant.
At that, Franz exclaimed, “Eureka!”
He had somewhat expected it, but he never thought she'd actually know.
It was truly an unexpected windfall.
Of course, she hadn't spoken with certainty, only speculating that she *might* know.
The only way to be sure was to verify it based on her words.
But it was highly likely she was right, Franz thought.
After all, people from a region knew that region best.
And for her to immediately make the connection after hearing just one sentence, that sentence had to be correct.
“Yuna, are you going to live in the Ishtar Dukedom?”
Franz decided to grant Yuna's request first.
He couldn't bring himself to tell her to wait, not after she had run all the way to the Magic Tower.
And once he knew the cipher, the rest would be simple, so there was no need to rush.
“Yeah, I think that would be best. My dad’s grave is in the Ishtar Dukedom.”
“Alright, let’s go then.”
Franz used Teleport, and soon the two arrived in the largest city within the Ishtar Dukedom.
Despite having lost its lord, the city was quite lively.
Shop owners loudly advertised their wares, and many people walked the streets, going about their business.
First, it was necessary to find out where the real estate office was.
“Excuse me.”
Franz stopped a passerby.
It was someone he didn't know, someone he'd never seen before.
The man tilted his head.
“Yes?”
“Excuse me, where can I find a real estate office… or rather, where can I go to buy a house?”
“A house, you say? Ah, just go straight from here, then turn right once, and it’s right there.”
“Thank you.”
Franz gave a slight bow of thanks.
Soon, he began walking down the path the man had described.
Yuna, of course, was with him.
How long did they walk?
Suddenly, a delicious aroma wafted over, and when Franz turned his head, he saw a street vendor selling something similar to chicken skewers.
“Cockatrice Skewers for sale! Sweet flavor, spicy flavor, we have them all!”
It was the kind of voice one might hear from a traditional candy seller.
At that familiar sound, Franz's steps came to a halt.
He was already hungry, so he intended to buy some *Cocka-whatever*.
“Mister, two of those, please.”
“Oh my, welcome! Sweet… huh? Haven’t I seen your face somewhere before?”
The street vendor, who had been greeting customers with a bright smile, furrowed his brow when he saw Franz.
Then, as if realizing something, his eyes widened.
“Magic Tower…”
*Click*—
The moment the 'Ma' sound left his lips, Franz snapped his fingers.
He had used Soundproofing Magic on the vendor.
Franz's finger slowly rose to cross his lips.
What more needed to be said? It meant, 'Keep quiet.'
Surely, the vendor understood.
Fortunately, the message seemed to have been conveyed well, as the street vendor nodded repeatedly.
Seeing his reaction, Franz dispelled the Soundproofing Magic.
Then the vendor spoke in a low voice.
“M-Magic Tower Master, aren’t you?”
“That’s right. I apologize for the rudeness just now, but I don’t particularly enjoy being the center of attention.”
“A-apologize? It’s I who should apologize. But the person next to you…”
Suddenly, his gaze shifted to Franz’s side, and he let out a gasp.
It seemed he had realized she was the Hero.
And sure enough, she was.
“H-Hero-nim…!”
“Yes, it’s a pleasure.”
“Ah, oh my… it’s an honor to meet both of you. Wasn’t I the one who conquered the shopping district in the Imperial Capital with these very Cockatrice Skewers? I’ll treat you to some excellent ones with my newly developed special sauce.”
As confidently as he spoke, he skillfully prepared the skewers.
Steam rose from them, and a sweet yet spicy aroma wafted, making them look incredibly appetizing.
“How much?”
“Ah, oh my, no need for money. How could I accept payment from those who saved the world from the Demon Lord?”
Franz decided not to refuse the vendor's generosity.
The vendor would surely feel proud this way.
Franz and Yuna, munching on their pseudo-chicken skewers, began walking down the street again.
Franz had been a little tense after the street vendor recognized him immediately, but fortunately, not many other people did.
Whenever someone did recognize him, he quickly subdued them with Soundproofing Magic.
How long did they walk?
Franz and Yuna finally arrived at the real estate office.
“Welcome.”
As they opened the door and stepped inside, the owner bowed his head in greeting.
“We’d like to look at some houses.”
“There are many types of houses. Some are stacked three or four stories high; others are single-story but spacious. What kind of house are you looking for?”
Franz looked at Yuna.
This was a decision the homeowner had to make, after all.
Yuna furrowed her brow in thought, then nodded and said, “I’d like a reasonably large two-story house with a spacious yard.”
“A two-story house with a spacious yard, you say…”
He pulled out a stack of documents and quickly flipped through them, laying several sheets on the table.
Although there were no photos like in the 21st century, instead, very detailed specifications were written.
“I’d love to show you all of them in person, but given the distances, that would be difficult. For now, my top recommendation is…”
The distances were too great to visit them all in a short time.
For Franz, this was practically meaningless.
“Excuse me for interrupting, but could you point out the locations on the map?”
“Ah, yes…”
He examined the documents, then tapped his finger on the map.
*Click*—.
With the snap of his fingers, the scenery changed.
They had arrived at the exact spot he had pointed to.
“W-what in the world…? Ah, never mind. This way, I can certainly show you everything. Please, let’s go inside.”
He acted naturally, despite his surprise, as if not wanting to miss the opportunity.
His demeanor felt professional, inspiring trust.
“First, this one has a pond in the yard…”
And so, they viewed the first house.
“This one has a mountain behind it, so it’s cool even in summer…”
The second house.
“This one has a huge bathtub…”
They checked the third, fourth, and finally, the fifth house.
Now, all that remained was for Yuna to decide which house to buy.
“Ugh.”
Yuna furrowed her brow, lost in thought.
Indeed, buying a house involved so many considerations that it was bound to be a difficult decision.
Still, Franz had done everything he could.
He'd checked if bugs would appear if the mountain was too close, if the magic stones were working properly, and even if the water pressure was working properly.
*But they were all good, weren't they?*
Franz's inspection showed that the houses were all spotless, without a single flaw.
That's why Yuna was having such a hard time deciding.
If there had been any defects, it would have been easier to choose, but there weren't.
He was quite grateful to the anonymous passerby who had recommended this real estate office.
If the passerby had recommended somewhere else, he wouldn't have seen such good houses.
Just then,
Yuna's eyes snapped open, and she nodded decisively.
“I’ll take this one.”
“Then we need to draw up the contract…”
His gaze shifted to Franz.
It was an unspoken request for him to use Teleport.
Since it wasn't particularly difficult, Franz immediately snapped his fingers.
At the same time, the three of them were back at the real estate office.
“Truly astonishing. I’m so impressed. I almost want to suggest we go into business together.”
Go into business…?
Come to think of it, he hadn't once mentioned 'Magic Tower Lord' or 'Hero.'
It seemed he was unaware of that important fact.
After all, who in the world would suggest a mere real estate partnership to a Magic Tower Lord?
He must have said it because he didn't know.
Soon, Yuna and the owner discussed and drew up the contract.
“Then you can bring the payment by tomorrow.”
“Thank you for today. I’ll definitely bring the payment by tomorrow.”
With that conversation, Franz and Yuna left the real estate office.
With this, Yuna’s request was successfully handled.
Now it was time to talk about Franz’s business: the cipher.
Just as Franz was about to bring it up.
“Oh, right. Franz.”
“Hm?”
“You know that Rocky Mountain behind the house I chose? That’s the place you were talking about. You said, ‘When the sun rises over the Ishtar Dukedom, the sleeping dragon awakens,’ right? Well, when dawn breaks, the shadow of the Rocky Mountain looks just like a dragon.”
…?
The moment he heard her words, countless question marks appeared in Franz’s mind.
He understood what she meant, at least.
Ultimately, Belphegor must be hidden somewhere in the Rocky Mountains.
But why, of all places, was the Cultist’s hiding spot so close to Yuna’s house?
*Please…*
Franz earnestly wished in his heart.
*Please, please let this matter pass without incident.*
*For if Yuna’s house were to collapse for no reason, the world certainly wouldn’t be safe.*
Whether she knew Franz’s thoughts or not, Yuna was simply smiling happily.