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yumemory[Location: Talbott Castle, hallway]
Arthur: ...It was the werewolf, then.
Bradley: It’s all cleared up now. The real request must be t’ put down the brutal werewolf that tore this place up.
Mithra: That’s what I’ve been saying from the beginning. Let’s finish it off and return home.
Figaro: Hey now, don’t go making such a hasty decision. We still haven’t found the friend of Murr’s who sent him that invitation.
Figaro: This estate is pretty huge, so whether we end up killing or saving the werewolf, it might be better for us to split up and explore.
As suggested by Figaro, we decided to split into two groups in order to more thoroughly investigate the estate.
Rutile, Murr, and I joined Bradley’s group, while Mitile, Figaro, Arthur, and Riquet went with Mithra.
Mithra: Why is Rutile in your group?
Rutile: With all of us here, we tried to have a well-balanced division of groups.
Mithra: If you need a Southern wizard in your group, take Figaro. I’ll trade him for Rutile.
Bradley: Nope, no fucking way.
Figaro: Ahaha, did you really have to reject me so strongly?
Figaro was the one who suggested each group’s members. Mithra is an unpredictable man, and there’s never any way of telling what he might do.
And that was precisely why there were more people in his group—Figaro among them, who should be able to hold him back should he do anything out of line.
Bradley: We oughta quit squawkin’ and head out.
Murr: Off we gooo!
And so our two groups started exploring the vast expanse of the castle separately.
We climbed the stairs and traversed through the corridors. There weren’t many windows to brighten the place, so the hallways remained dark even in the middle of the day.
Rutile: ...There are all these huge claw marks everywhere we go.
Akira: You’re right… I wonder if the whole castle is like this.
Bradley: It was probably markin’ this place, leavin’ the whole pretentious estate all scratched-up and gnawed to hell like this. Musta been real proud he took it all fer himself
Bradley said, readying his gun.
Rutile: You’re already preparing your weapon?
Bradley: Quicker this way. I can take it down ‘soon as it shows itself.
Rutile: But there could be someone else in here. You said so yourself earlier, didn’t you? That you felt a presence.
Rutile: It’s possible that Mister Werewolf is actually someone nice. We should listen to his circumstances before we take any action…
Bradley: Bah, you Southern wizards are way too meek. Y’all don’t ever consider danger within those “possibilities” of yers. For Northern wizards, the “possibilities” always take the opposite inta consideration.
Bradley: Like someone ambushin’ us from behind, or attackin’ us in our sleep.
Rutile: Well, you’re not exactly wrong, but…
Rutile: The world doesn’t solely consist of bad people. Sometimes, we can convey our feelings through our words.
Rutile: Like right now. Wizards from several countries, including the Northern wizards, are working together on this mission.
Bradley snorted at what he heard, his gun still in his hands.
Bradley: Keep up that naïve bullshit o’ yours and ye'll fall prey to predators lurkin’ in the dark soon enough.
Bradley: Like right now. Who knows? That werewolf might be hidin’ away somewhere and eyein’ your throat.
Akira: Uh…
Rutile: Geez, please don’t scare us like tha—
Murr: Trick or treat!
Rutile, Akira: WAH!
Murr, who’d been walking behind us, suddenly appeared hanging down from the ceiling.
Murr: I always think about possibilities too! Maybe that werewolf is someone I know! Maybe that werewolf has the moonwolf crystal!
Bradley: Don’t go hollerin’ out of the blue! I almost shot the Sage on accident.
Akira: T-That was dangerous!
Murr: I should’ve practiced how to howl for when I chat with the werewolf. Maybe I can be like Owen!
Murr: Awooo!
Murr hopped off the ceiling, and landed on all fours imitating a howling wolf.
Murr: Someone from this estate went out of their way to invite me. If the werewolf lives here, then it’s possible it was the one who sent me the invitation.
Akira: Murr, do you know who invited you here?
Murr: Nope!
Rutile: Do you at least know something about this castle, then?
Murr: Nope!
Bradley: So ya don’t know shit.
Murr: The world is filled with mysteries, and that’s exactly what makes it so fascinating!
Bradley: ...Sigh.
Bradley: What’s the deal with those requests and that invitation comin’ from the same place anyway? None o’ this is makin’ sense.
Bradley let out a sigh. And in that moment—
(Someone arrives)
Man: You monster! Prepare to be slain!
Rutile, Akira: !?
A man with a sword in his hands jumped out from around the corner of the hallway, prompting Bradley’s finger to snap to the trigger of his gun.
Bradley: 《 Adnopote… 》
Akira: Bradley, wait!
Rutile: Mister Bradley, don’t shoot!
Bradley: ...Tsk.
Bradley put his gun down, and used magic to restrain the man instead.
Man: ...Ugh. Who are you!?
The man seemed to be of young age. His pale skin and golden hair glowed in the darkness of the castle, much like a handsome vampire you would see in movies.
He was well-dressed and wore elegant clothes, but his hair was a mess and he looked exhausted.
Murr: Oh. I thought werewolves were hairier than that. Where are your fangs and claws?
Man: Y-You’re mistaken! I’m not the werewolf, I’m the lord of this estate!
Man: I thought the howl I heard just now meant that dreadful werewolf had returned…
Bradley: ...Lord of the estate?
Rutile: So… Are you Mister Talbott, the one who sent a request to the Sage’s wizards?
Man: Yes, it was I, Talbott. N-Now, could you remove these restraints? I do not possess the sort of strong magic that you do!
Akira: Huh… So this man is a wizard?
Bradley: Yeah, but like he said, he’s a weak one. So the wizard I sensed was you, huh.
The man introduced himself as John Talbott, a wizard. As the oldest son of the Talbott family, he lived in seclusion and managed the estate.
We informed him that we were the Sage’s wizards who came to answer his request, and proceeded to ask him about the situation at hand.
John: There is nothing more to tell you than what I have written in my request. That day, the day the Great Calamity attacked, a huge werewolf suddenly raised all manner of hell in our estate.
John: All I could hear were its growls and the fearful cries that followed… It was truly a nightmare. Surely you must have seen the poor state of the walls and the floors. All of that was the werewolf’s doing.
John: As a result of the attack, I had to instruct the servants to escape to safety…
John combed his hair back, seemingly on his last ounce of energy.
According to him, there used to be many servants residing in this place, but they were all told to evacuate before any of them were injured.
Akira: So that’s why this whole estate is a mess…
Rutile: But I’m relieved they were all able to evacuate. That means they’re okay, right?
John: “Okay”? Just what is okay about all of this?
John’s expression crumpled as he glared at us.
John: My brother died that day. That werewolf… It took my precious brother’s life...
Rutile, Akira: …!
We gasped upon finding out that someone had already fallen victim to the werewolf.
Rutile clenched his fists, surely regretting the things he had said just moments before.
Rutile: …I’m so sorry. It must have been so hard for you, losing your brother like that.
Rutile: I have a brother as well. I can’t even imagine how I would feel if I lost him…
John: ………
John: …He was a good person. He was good-looking and was kind to others, a sibling I was very much proud of.
John: I still can’t believe it, nor do I want to. Why, just why did things turn out like this…?
John slammed his fist against one of the claw marks carved into the wall.
John: I beg you, avenge my brother… Kill that werewolf!
