“Regarding the unusual price, I actually did not investigate it myself. It was Rath who helped find the information in the church.”
The doctor signaled the gray-haired old priest to speak. The latter nodded, his gray hair looking particularly withered under the dim gas lamp glow.
“About 100 years ago, there was a horrifying murder at No. 6 St. Delan Square. According to church records, it was actually a fight between two unknown Ninth Circle warlocks, who almost died simultaneously. Subsequent investigation reports indicate they lost control because they read a lot of ancient books. Although the church believes this won’t affect the house itself, since then, most of the house’s owners have died inside it.”
“This sounds like the beginning of a horror story.”
Shard thought to himself and then realized something:
“Wait, am I the protagonist?”
The old priest paused before continuing:
“The church couldn’t find any issues with the house, so it was bought and sealed about thirty years ago. After repeated inspections two years ago, it was sold at a low price. Wealthy people who inquired about the price of the house at St. Delan Square were very concerned about such taboos. Poor people who didn’t care about such things wouldn’t inquire about the price of the house. In the end, somehow, it was bought by Sparrow Hamilton.”
It sounds like the previous detective got a great deal and then died.
“Did that detective know about the house’s history?”
Dorothy asked curiously. The writer was extremely interested in such things.
“Of course, the church informed him about the house’s past. For safety, before the detective bought it, they sealed the first floor where the incident happened a hundred years ago, cut off the unsafe stairs to the third floor, and locked the second room on the second floor, where a mass suicide occurred seventy years ago. Despite this, the latest owner still died in that house.”
The old priest couldn’t help but hold the pendant on his chest and prayed for Mr. Sparrow Hamilton, hoping his soul could rest in peace.
Considering himself imaginative, Shard was getting a bit worried. The foreigner had seen many such stories:
“So, I…”
“But I think Sparrow Hamilton’s death is not due to a curse. This situation is different from before. The former owners of the house all died within a few months without any apparent cause. In contrast, the detective lived there for two years, and the cause of his death could even be traced.”
Dr. Schneider said, his blue eyes looking at Shard:
“Of course, if you feel uncomfortable living there, you can sell the house, but Sparrow Hamilton’s death will likely further decrease its price.”
His suggestion was quite reasonable.
“I don’t plan to sell it for now. If not for the detective agency being in the city center, no one would trust an unknown detective like me. Besides, selling the house wouldn’t get me enough money to buy a better one in Tobesque. From the newspapers, I know there are low-priced houses for sale in the Tobesque University district, but the prices are as despairing as losing control of relics.”
He said this, and Dorothy immediately showed a look of agreement. The blonde girl who lived alone also kept an eye on such information.
Shard didn’t have money to move now, so he planned to live there for a few months and see. If any issues arose, he would immediately move out.
From the information given by the priest, previous owners heard strange noises and saw suspicious shadows in the house before suddenly dying. Those who were alert enough to move out didn’t get into trouble, but those who stayed all died.
“This feels more like a tacky horror story, and I’m still the protagonist.”
He thought to himself and then asked:
“Although the house belongs to Sparrow Hamilton, and I have his will, I haven’t seen the property and land ownership documents.”
The old priest waved his hand at this, looking relaxed:
“Those documents are in the Dawnbreak Church where I serve. The detective left them there, considering the church’s concerns. If you want to retrieve them, just bring his will. Dawnbreak Church is in the central district of Tobesque, a half-hour walk from St. Delan Square. The tree-lined paths around the church are quite nice, and there are many public carriages.
To avoid the church suspecting the detective’s death and re-investigating the house or even you, I’ll get an official document stating that Sparrow Hamilton died of illness. This isn’t fabricating false documents; the one I get will be genuinely official. Consider it a gift for joining us. This time, I won’t charge you.”
Thus, Sparrow Hamilton’s death was conclusively wrapped up. With the official document to fool the true deity church, only Shard and the doctor would know the secret of the detective’s death.
Before ending today’s meeting, Shard mentioned his document-class relic [Vampire Ring]. Unfortunately, none of the three present had encountered this [relic] before. However, the doctor said he could query the academy library through parchment, though results might not come quickly.
Now that Shard possessed two [relics], both of relatively high-danger levels, he could be considered a relatively wealthy warlock. The doctor suggested he learn one or two powerful thaumaturgy and spells for self-defense before beginning to read “Mad Pursuer of Light.”
“No one will supervise your self-study progress. You must be responsible for yourself.”
This was the advice the blue-eyed doctor gave Shard before their farewell. But after leaving the clinic, the old priest Rath told Shard not to mind the doctor’s attitude:
“Bill is always like that. Though he seems strict with people, he’s kinder than anyone.”
He said this while filling his pipe with tobacco, seemingly having endured it for a long time in the clinic.
“We’ve all experienced his admonitions. The more time you spend with him, the more you’ll understand.”
Dorothy also said this as she got on a coach and left directly from the clinic door. In contrast, the less wealthy Shard and Rath planned to walk away.
Shard needed to hire a coach to carry his books back, but an ordinary coach might not have enough space, so he had to go to the nearest coach company.
Shard noticed that Miss Dorothy frequently tried to touch her earlobe today, but she wore no earrings. She didn’t act in this peculiar way the last time they met.
He shared his observation with the old priest walking with him. When they parted ways at the next intersection, Rath reassured Shard not to worry:
“Warlocks sometimes behave strangely due to the ‘other me.’ As long as they don’t lose control from contacting relics and ancient knowledge, these quirks aren’t worth worrying about.”
The priest smiled, walking together with Shard on Reichenbach Avenue in the wealthy area. The people handling business there were well-dressed, and Shard and the priest’s attire barely qualified:
“Since a year ago, Dorothy has acted strangely every few days. This is quite normal now. Last summer, we even suspected she was possessed by another soul while reading ancient fairy tales.”
Shard’s face stiffened and he didn’t dare continue discussing the possibility of soul possession. However, he also learned that even seemingly normal warlocks might have unknown quirks.
Warlocks have never been a safe scholarly profession.
