Chapter 117 - Dragon-san Triumphs (1/2)

Volume 4 Chapter 16: Dragon-san Triumphs

I waited for Isha-san to settle down a bit.

It even almost made me forget about the threat that the ‘Eclipse’ was still imposing on us. Almost.

I sipped some of my tea, and once Isha-san finally calmed herself she opened her mouth.

「Yes, I-I understand. So you’re investigating the cause of this phenomenon. We shall also see what we can do on our end.」

「Thanks. By the way, the dungeons located in Ballow doesn’t seem to have any of those facilities. So I think it might be safe to assume that Ballow is not in danger of having a crisis like that anytime soon.」

Upon hearing that none of the dungeons would pose a threat to the people of Ballow, Isha-san seemed relieved.

It was a natural reaction.

Because otherwise they would need to oppose the unknown phenomenon that they wouldn’t be able to handle all on their own.

As a magician, Isha-san was a crucial part of this country’s defense line, so it was no exaggeration to say that the lives of the people were resting on her shoulders.

She should be praised for not feeling overwhelmed by all this.

As I thought that, Isha-san asked carefully.

「So, the only clues that we have as of now are those spirits, right?」

「Yes. And it seems that one of the perpetrators is none other but Kyle’s late wife, Belga Slaggart.」

As Nectar chose his words carefully, Isha-san shook her head as though she couldn’t believe it.

「He mentioned that to me as well. That his late wife was turned into a spirit and that she’s being controlled by the criminals.」

He explained so much, huh?

While I was surprised, Isha-san stood up and took out a bundle of papers from one of the drawers and handed them to us.

「This is a report on the survey that we conducted on behalf of Kyle. It seems that the Research and Development Institute concealed the fact that Belga Slaggart’s magic gun was stolen about half a year ago. We also discovered that some of the other magic tools went missing, as well as some legally questionable money transfers. The ones responsible are currently being questioned about that as well as being put on disciplinary leave.」

Isha-san smiled for a moment, but then her smile all but vanished from her lips.

「But truth to be told, around the same time there was someone who tried to break into the royal vault. Thanks to the advanced security mechanisms installed by Kyle they didn’t manage to break in and steal anything, but…… Those were probably the same people that caused turmoil in Melias.」

The look on Isha-san’s face was truly bitter at that moment.

But it was good to hear that the security measures designed by Kyle and Nectar managed to prevent Lute from getting whatever it was that he was after.

I turned towards Nectar and he was beaming with pride, but he soon turned serious again.

「So? What was the matter that Kyle asked you to investigate?」

「It was to thoroughly search each and every dungeon throughout the country.」

Isha-san passed us even thicker bundle of papers.

「We investigated the materials with which the dungeons were built, as well as the materials excavated from within their depths, while also looking for clues as to why the ancients were wiped out. We were also tasked with investigating just how the dungeons were created in the first place. Gradually, more and more personnel were dragged into this.」

I understood right away what Kyle wanted to accomplish by that.

If Lute and his people were stealing magic tools all over the country, it would be possible to track them by retracing the steps of their stealing spree.

And since Kyle couldn’t cover all of the places at the same time, he hired some help to accomplish just that.

Isha-san said that this was troublesome, but the staff couldn’t simply do all of that on their own. She must have given them the green light.

「It’s a shame to admit it, but so far we haven’t found anything of interest. The materials in the dungeons are mostly common, with little to none of them coming from the past. We are doing what we can, however, and we will inform you right away if we happen to find anything.」

With a smile on her face, Isha-san puts even more documents onto the table.

Each file was an index finger thick at least.

And we were only speaking in estimates.

「Please have a read and then pass it on to Kyle. If you like, you can even send us a report that summarizes your opinions on the materials we’ve managed to collect.」

Nectar took all the documents, but even though he looked genuinely interested in them he couldn’t mask his overwhelmed expression.

「Sure, we will give them a read, but archeology is not one of my favorite subjects, so please don’t expect too much.」

「Now, now, what are you saying? I heard that once you’ve read all the books and documents that were magic related in the whole country. So, I think that borrowing the knowledge and wisdom of the Great Sage will make our work that much faster.」

「…… Is this your idea of buttering me up?」

「Not in the least. I just thought it would be great to be of some use to the Great Sage and his husband, the Obsidian Dragon-sama.」

Said Isha-san while looking ever so slightly embarrassed.

That was enough to loosen the atmosphere again.

「Um, umm. Technically, I’m the husband here and Lava is my wife…… I’ll give it a brief read, so please wait a moment.」

「If you want us to give you any additional sources, please do let me know. We shall keep on sending them to you on a monthly basis. Thank you for your help.」

Then, Nectar began to read through the documents one by one, leaving me and Isha-san to our own devices.

I’m so sorry, Nectar. I’ll try to make it up to you later.

Looking at Isha-san, she winked at me a few times, clearly indicating that distracting Nectar was a huge success.

「It was Kyle who taught me that trick. It works wonders every single time, according to him.」

It seems that Kyle really knew Nectar better than anyone in this world.

I always knew that Nectar was giving his best in doing the things he was interested in, and Kyle must have used that in order to prepare him for succeeding his role one day.

While I was thinking that, Isha-san leaned over the table and said:

「At first, when I heard that I would be able to solve one of the biggest mysteries in the entire history of the world I was a bit skeptical, but after hearing it from you, oh Obsidian Dragon, I have no reason to doubt that anymore. You need to stop this thing.」

I never would have thought that Isha-san would actually be like that.

「That’s right. And it’s not only about stopping the ‘Eclipse’ here. It’s about protecting the ones you hold dear. I would rather die than let something like that happen.」

「Yes, but it’s not like this threat is completely unknown to us. The ancients knew about it.」

「Precisely. That is why investigating them might give us some kind of a clue.」

When I told her about the ‘White Youmas’ from the East, Isha-san’s eyes widened and she covered her mouth with her hand.

Her reaction wasn’t that much different from my own.

However, upon mentioning that Isha-san looked as though something crossed her mind, something of which I was unaware of.

「Obsidian Dragon, are you perhaps acquainted with the people of the East?」