Volume 22 Chapter 1 Tailing
It had been about 2 weeks since Al wrapped up his explorations of the ancient ruins that resembled a botanical garden. One day, feeling uneasy about the ongoing war in the Tempest Kingdom, he decided to head back to the city. He was walking toward a street lined with inns from the house his brother Gustave had rented.
Although he had planned to stop by and ask his brother for an update, Al learned that the servant Gustave had hired was out running errands. He was also told that none of the attendants were currently available to return home.
Sure, he could ask the servant to let him use a room, but for Al, who didn't know him very well, it felt more convenient to just find an inn.
So, with that judgment made, Al resigned himself to skipping the meeting with his brother and focused on securing a room at the inn.
'Hey, Ally, those 2 have been following us for a while now.'
A tail?
Caught off guard by the unexpected situation, Al felt a flicker of suspicion. Sure enough, the Floating Eye revealed a pair of shady figures: a tall man in a gray shirt and a shorter man clad in brown.
So this is who Glee was talking about?
But Al couldn't think of any reason why anyone would want to follow him.
Could it be someone from the Marquis Prentis family?
But had he done anything to warrant such vigilant tailing?
Turning a few corners to double-check, Al confirmed that the duo kept trailing him steadily.
It seemed undeniably true──he was being followed.
He didn't recognize either of them.
Just to be safe, he decided to use the 'Record & Play' spell to capture their appearances.
Now, what should he do? Al felt a bit troubled.
If he were skilled in brawling, he could have ambushed them and demanded answers, but he didn't have that kind of confidence.
Back in the city, he didn't have close connections among the guards either.
Sure, he had a few acquaintances at the Adventurer's Guild, the Knight Order, and the Levy Merchant Guild, but he had no idea if they were around, and even if he ran into them, explaining the situation would be tricky.
Moreover, there was the risk that the followers might catch on to the fact that he had noticed them.
Al decided to enter the inn while pretending nothing was amiss.
The innkeeper was an affable older man who informed him that a single room cost ten silver coins a night, with meals charged separately.
He thought to himself, it's pretty nice, but he can't bring himself to haggle or look around at other inns.
He straightforwardly paid a large silver coin upfront and asked to be shown to a room.
He was asked about meals and bath services, but he replied that he didn't need either.
The room was on the second floor, and the door had a lock on the inside.
The window was large enough for someone to climb through.
Just in case, he locked the door, extended the 'Floating Eye's' eye, and then closed the armor-plated window too.
Outside the window, on the street, a pair of men were standing in the shadows, talking about something, but soon the man in the rust-colored shirt darted off.
He hesitated for a moment before deciding to follow the man with the 'Floating Eye's' eye.
The man in the rust-colored shirt walked for a while and, to his surprise, entered the guard barracks.
The capital's guard barracks...
This place might have a security Magic Tool with 'Detect Invisible,' 'Detect Illusion,' and 'Detect Magic' functions installed. In that case, the 'Floating Eye's' eye could be detected.
He kept some distance and scoped out the situation at the barracks.
After the man in the brown shirt went in, the place became rowdy, and about ten guards came out of the barracks.
Among them, 8 guards ran off in the direction of the inn where he had taken a room.
"What's going on? I haven't done anything wrong, have I?"
He couldn't help but mutter.
But from the looks of things, it seemed like the guards were coming for him.
Should he just let them catch him?
No, he doesn't like that.
If he's going to be caught, he wants to know the reason first.
And since fighting the guards isn't an option, it's better to make a quick escape.
He quickly began to undress while retracting the 'Floating Eye's' eye.
He'll send all his luggage to the Warehouse Section in the Research Tower using the 'Transport' spell.
Once ready, he unlocks the inner lock of the room and slightly opens the armor-plated window.
'Animal Transformation' ── Cat
Al transformed into the form of a cat he once was in Border City, Lester.
He sprang lightly onto the window frame with a nimbleness that felt exhilarating.
Outside, a group of men who looked like guards had just arrived.
There was no response to the 'Detect Magic' spell, so it seemed they didn't have any security magic tools yet. The citizens also noticed the guards and were watching from a distance, keeping a wary eye on the scene.
The returned 'Floating Eye' settled into its usual spot behind Al's head.
He felt a pang of regret; he should have cast 'Sensory Boost' and 'Physical Boost' before transforming.
While spells couldn't be used after his transformation, the effects of the spells already cast didn't fade.
But it seemed like there wasn't enough time to undo and recast 'Animal Transformation.'
Al the cat glided down from the second-floor window to the garden below, moving cautiously as he approached.
"Did Alfred Channing, the one on the wanted list, come into this inn?"
"Huh."
A man who appeared to be the junior leader of the guards exchanged words with another man dressed in a dark brown shirt.
A wanted list?
"Secure the back entrance too. Where's the magician?"
"Not yet."
So they're still summoning the magician.
If they used 'Detect Magic' or 'Magic Sense,' this transformation would be discovered.
But what on earth is this wanted list about?
What is happening here?
Al the cat wanted to eavesdrop a little longer, but he sensed a reaction to the 'Detect Magic' spell.
It wasn't a magic tool but a spell, though he couldn't tell which one exactly.
The magician might be arriving.
If it was 'Detect Magic,' then Al was only 5 meters beyond its standard effective range of 50 meters.
He quickly dashed away in the opposite direction of the approaching magical presence.
As Al kept his distance to assess the situation, a carriage came into view.
Three guards were accompanying it, running alongside.
The carriage came to a stop near the junior leader of the guard, and 3 men clad in what looked like magician's robes climbed down.
Judging by their demeanor, one seemed to be a magician with 2 apprentices.
They appeared to be having a conversation, but the words were too distant to hear.
Soon enough, it looked like their discussion reached a conclusion, as the guard team and the magicians entered the inn together.
For a while, the commotion continued.
Citizens around whispered to each other, wondering what was taking place, but eventually, the gossip shifted to the rumor that a magic-using criminal had escaped into the inn.
Someone from the guard must have shared that information with the onlookers.
It would have been great if it were all just a misunderstanding, but that wasn't the case.
The only thing he understood for sure was that Al himself was a wanted man.
To the citizens, he was being described as a criminal.
What could this possibly mean?
He had heard that his brother was out on business, but now that seemed questionable too.
The only ones he could think of who might shed light on this situation were the Levy merchant guild or Lord Duran.
If the guards were this worked up, the knight faction might be the same.
He might as well head to the Levy merchant guild first.
Lost in his thoughts, he suddenly had to dodge as someone reached out, trying to grab Al──the little cat.
It was a boy about 7 or 8 years old, wearing dirty clothes.
He might have wanted to eat him or perhaps just to pet him.
He felt uneasy without his Glee pendant.
So, he used a stack of boxes piled up in the alley as a makeshift step to climb onto the roof.
The guard team and the magicians emerged from the inn, chatting about something.
A man in a gray shirt was being interrogated about something.
The man in gray was desperately pleading for something, but in the end, he was punched by one of the guard and collapsed to the ground.
There was no point in watching this any longer.
Al──the little cat──started walking towards the Levy merchant guild along the roof.
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