SFO CH 15

The Young Man is Enthusiastic

On the second day of our stay, we decided to go around from the back alleys.

Most of the items were food and daily necessities, so even if they were stolen, they would probably be used quickly, but we still went there to see if we could find any clues.

However, about five years ago, Ethan took the lead in reforming the frontier’s back alleys, providing vocational training and creating temporary housing to support people’s self-reliance. Therefore, there were hardly any vagabonds, vagrant children, or young criminals.

The government subsidized education for the children and provided highly specialized knowledge and skills to young people. Furthermore, the strategy of introducing people to jobs for minimal wages and providing subsidies from the government to make up for the shortfall caused by said wages was a big success, and as a result of the increased employment rate, the security of the back alleys improved considerably. Only a few nightlife businesses and high-class clubs were left, while those with poor conditions were closed down, and their employees, both men and women, were assigned to work on public works projects.

A system was set up so that the police could rush to the scene immediately should these people cause problems at their places of employment. They also strengthened patrols to ensure that those who engaged in unfair discrimination would be subject to severe punishment. Of course, many things went wrong at first, but now, five years later, the employment rate has increased, and the city’s labor shortage seems to be on the way to being completely resolved.

As a result, the economy became more active than ever before, and tax revenues rose. As he told me all about this, Ethan laughed, saying that he was glad to have been able to recoup most of his savings in five years. This man is as unbelievable as ever…

He also had painters draw pictures of landscapes and motifs on the walls of the back alleys, making them look like museums and drastically reforming the landscape. They are now working to make the area a place of art where street performers and nameless singers can showcase their art.

I walked through these back alleys, but as expected, I didn’t find any significant results.

I extended my search a little further and looked around the forest area.

Then, we found what appeared to be the remains of a bonfire in a shallow area of the forest.

“Someone’s been here…?”

“Probably refugees from a neighboring country.”

“Refugees? If they follow the procedures, they will be protected in the city, right? Why here?”

“It seems that if they have racial traits that might trigger others to discriminate against them, they will hide themselves in the forest. If they are found, they will be marked, making them easily identifiable.”

“Racial traits… Do you happen to know anything about children with gray hair and red eyes?

“White hair and red eyes…? I don’t remember ever seeing anyone like that. If there were such a thing, it would stand out quite a bit, so I would definitely remember it.”

That’s right. Those traits would be really hard to forget.

Something about all this was bothering me, but I couldn’t seem to find any more leads.

“Hey, Finn, since we’ve come all this way, shall we stop by the church?”

“The church? Sure, let’s go take a look.”

At the church, which is modest and remote, we were greeted by a priest.

“Father. My name is Finn Graphite from the royal capital. Have you noticed anything unusual around here lately?”

“Welcome, Graphite-sama. And you too, Ethan-sama. Let me think… No, nothing of particular note…”

“Are there any newcomers?”

Churches are probably the first place refugees rush to. Would we be able to find some information here?

“Hmm. For the past year or so, the neighboring countries have been calm after replacing their kings, so the number of refugees has not increased.”

“I see. Thank you very much.”

We did not get any information of interest today either. We are planning to return home tomorrow, but since we can’t leave without any results, I wonder if I should ask the aide to extend our stay.

By the time we returned to the fortress, the sun was setting and we had dinner.

It seemed that Al had not returned yet. I bathed first and asked Mia to make me some tea.

I wondered where he had gone off to… Could it be that he is staying with his new potential wife?

I felt a pain in my chest.

Will I have to get used to this pain too…?

At that moment, I heard footsteps clattering from outside the door.

“Finn! Sorry for taking so long…!”

“Al…”

“You said you saw a child yesterday, right? Something came to my mind when you mentioned their white hair and red eyes, so I asked people who seemed familiar with these traits for any information they could share.”

“What…?”

“I’m sorry that I kept it secret because I didn’t have any proof. But I think I might have figured it out.”

I looked up at Al with disbelief.

But I was going to ask him about it anyway.

I had some snacks prepared while Al was taking a bath, and the two of us sat side by side on the sofa in the room.

“So Al, what do you mean…?”

“I remembered reading a legend some time ago about people with white hair and red eyes. According to it, they are called the Hami, and although they possess no magical powers, they are able to commune with fairies. This grants them abilities such as disappearance through the use of illusions and enchantments to manipulate others at will.”

“Illusions… Ah!”

“Yes, that’s probably why you lost track of his child so quickly, Finn. To verify this, I had to sneak out to a neighboring country to investigate further.”

“Huh? You took a day trip?”

“Again, I’m sorry I took so long to come back.”

“That was so reckless… But thank you. This information is very useful…”

Even though it is fairly close, you have to cross steep mountains to reach the neighboring country. And if you are found trespassing, you could even be detained.

The neighboring country is said to be very advanced in terms of magic, and has developed powerful spells. I’ve also heard that they use magical devices for daily transportation and that almost everyone in it can use magic freely. Surely they would know more about fairies than people in our country…

“Were you in any danger?”

“Oh, I didn’t actually cross the border into the neighboring country. I asked a witch who runs an information agency just before there.”

“Someone you know from before…?”

“When I was a kid, I got lost in the woods on one of my visits to this frontier. I happened to be rescued by this same witch.”

“Whoa, something like that happened to you…?”

“Back then, she said that I would be someone important in the future, so she told me about her agency so she could do me more favors later on, for her own benefit, of course.”

“That’s one impressive witch, huh…”

“Right, right, and now she also sold me a magical tool that can counter deception. According to her, if you wear this necklace, the powers of fairies will not affect you.”

“T-that’s amazing…! But… How much did it cost you…?”

Al’s eyes darted away from mine.

“You don’t need to worry about that. At any rate, the previous king was driven out when he was replaced. Apparently, he had a child with his consort, who was of Hami blood.”

“What?”

“That part of the story might be a little fishy.”

I looked up at Al, impressed.

I was impressed by the breadth and depth of his knowledge, his ability to take action to reach neighboring countries, and his luck and wealth to be able to connect with witches. Even if Al’s findings ended up doing nothing towards the resolution of this case, I was extremely happy to see that he had so generously used all of his power and influence for my sake.

I’m sorry I had suspected you of cheating on me.

He thinks about me so much. I could feel that painfully, and it slowly turned into joy.

He had been so considerate of me… This fact coursed through my veins, painfully at first, but then it gradually turned into joy.

“Hey, Al.”

“What is it?”

“I have something I want to tell you after this case is solved. Can we talk later?”

“Of course.”

Al has done a great job so far. Now we just need to use that child as a clue and drag the target out at any cost!