We got to the street as soon as we woke up. Literally. There were no baths. No food. Jean woke us up and told us to go, and that was it. I try my best to fix my hair as Jean talked on the guys handling the situation. I think I was going to ask Nelen something, but I kind of forgot about it.
"What do you mean the extermination will take a week?"
Jean's voice echoes through the whole street. I cover try to cover his mouth with my left hand, but he swats it away and proceeds to wildly flail his arms to attract more attention. Nelen shakes her head and takes a sip of water she bought on the way, while Esmeralda just stared at her house. Blue mist oozed from the shop's windows, and plenty of people wearing masks walked in and out of it. The carriage operated on a vehicle similar to a fire truck. What looked to be a fire hose filled every entrance as mages in the back casted a spell on it. The spell circle was similar to the ones Strauss used, so it must be Element magic. Vacuuming noises can be heard inside the shop. Are they drawing the mist out?
"Yep. You heard me. We're running short on manpower because this house isn't the only one affected. Plenty of homes along the North and East Gates also suffered from this terrorist act." The helper yawns.
"Really?" Jean asks.
"Really-really."
"Well. You guys heard him. How about we go into the subquarters and continue on the investigation? Don't worry about the dress, Esmeralda. I'll tell Arra about it."
Nelen's eyes turned impassive when he said this, and I understood her reaction. The way Jean said it had a cold tone to it. It had the impression of a boss comforting a worker but expecting him to work tomorrow. It's insincere in some way. Jean goes to Esmeralda and tries to pat her shoulder, but Nelen shoves his hand away, so he responds by raising his hands in the air. I suggested that we get some food first, so we went to a nearby diner. Fortunately, familiar faces greeted us as soon as we entered. Good job, me. I finally did something to ease the mood.
"Hey, guys!" Arra waves at us. The ponytail is making her look cuter than usual.
"Hello, guys! Good timing! Let's talk about business while we eat."
An awkward pause. Arra forces a smile as Jean and I sit next to them, and Nelen rolls her eyes at Jean before joining. I guess Nelen's still pissed at Jean. I wonder how long it'll last. A waitress comes up and asks for our order, and Arra starts by getting a 'large breakfast platter'. Jean tries to order as well, but Arra stops him.
"The breakfast platter will be enough for the six of us. You can order drinks, though, if you like."
"Oh, I'm good with water... Sol, do you want a drink?" Jean points to the menu.
"No. By the way, Arra, what happened to Khrall?" I yawn.
"He called in sick, I'm afraid. He told me, however, that there's another type of poison in the mixture. It's also making the Doll's hands develop venom. We'll know more once he recovers. "
"I highly doubt that." Jean puts his elbows on the table.
"Huh?"
"I'll go and guard Khrall instead."
"What? Why?" Nelen's displeasure can be seen from her face now.
"No reason. Where's the clinic, Arra?"
"It's on the East Gate near the market area. However, I don't suggest going right now. The streets there are going through the process of extermination." Arra looks at him worriedly.
"Don't worry. I'll be fine. You three go and join Arra. I'll do my own investigation there."
"You don't tell us what to do. That's not what we agreed on."
Nelen finally snaps, lightly slamming her right hand on the table. Jean turns his whole body towards her.
"What do you wanna do, then?"
"Esmeralda and I are going to get a fucking day off, and there's nothing you can do to stop it."
She snarls, takes Esmeralda by the hand, and storms out the diner as quick as possible. Jean sighs and takes a sip of water, while Strauss and I only looked at each other, the two of us dumbfounded as to what happened. I look at Arra, but she's busy reading the menu. The waitress comes out with a large, messy plate of bacons, eggs, and toasted bread. Looks like Arra wasn't kidding when she said it's enough.
"Wow. This looks awesome. That said, are you sure about letting them go like that?" I ask Jean.
"Don't worry. They're smart. They'll come by. Right, Arra? You also grew up in the same orphanage as them, after all."
"How did you know?" Arra asks, looking surprised.
"Pure luck. Anyways, what are your plans for today?"
I take a strip of bacon along with a spoon of eggs as the two talked for a moment. I didn't bother listening. I'll just ask later. I'm hungry and they're busy discussing their business, so it works best that way. Strauss also realized this, and he started eating thirty seconds after I did. He still looks lazy even when he eats. I take another strip of bacon. It sure is crispy.
"It's weird." Strauss starts and takes a piece of bread.
"What is?" I ask.
"Everything was peaceful a few weeks ago. Now, everything's just a mess. Just what the fuck does Cerberus want?"
"Any plans from the higher-ups? They're pretty lax for being the ones in charge of protecting the city."
"They're not issuing orders at the moment. They're investigating, though. I just know it."
"Oh. Speaking of which, you guys didn't tell me Arra's a daughter of a general."
"What are you talking about?" He squints his eyebrows.
"Aren't Arra and Aldwynn siblings?"
"Oh. That. Arra's adopted by Aldwynn's parents. Is that right, Arra?"
"Huh?" Arra flinches and looks at Strauss.
"You were adopted by Aldwynn's parents, yeah?"
"Ah... Yes. That's correct. That being said, why don't we finish our meal first? It's starting to get cold."
...
The food's a bit heavy on the stomach, so we sat and waited for a few minutes before going out.
During this time, I gained a few information about the case. The Dolls were instructed to attack everyone, but most of the deaths only affected nobles and Chimerians. Children and old people weren't attacked, and those who aren't nobles or Chimerians suffered only minor injuries. There were a few accidents, like the boy getting trampled to death back at the market area, but the deaths involving the middle and lower-class were told to be less than fifty. Jean excuses himself and waves goodbye, and we follow soon after.
"What are we going to do now?" I ask as we pass one of the town squares.
"We're going to go to the king's castle for orders. That's where the headquarters are located." Arra replies as we get close to the city's middle. Oh, right. I was about to ask Nelen about the previous king's disappearance. Maybe I should ask these two instead.
"Do you guys know about the previous king's disappearance? I heard this story from a friend of mine. Is that true?"
"Oh, it's more than true, alright. Everyone saw king Tarrith fly to the sky using his Tyrant Magic. He never went down."
"He never went down?"
"We sure didn't see him." He then turns to Arra. "Hey, Arra. What does your old man want?"
"Father won't command us for now. Visar will do it."
"Oh... Him. This is going to be interesting. Maybe he'll task us to gather frogs again."
The two of them giggle as we get to the castle. It stood atop a large, barren hill as Chimerian officials of all ranks swarmed the place, travelling in trios like what we're doing right now. A few Goats and Lions can be seen donning their platinum and diamond vests, but it's hard to tell which is which. After all, Aldwynn wore platinum clothing despite being a Lion. Arra points to a snake man with a thin frame. He hissed as he talked, and he wore oval glasses and a lab coat. He was also cussing all over the place.
"That's Visar. All the information we gather goes to him. Come with me, Sol." Arra leads me by the hand. She's unusually happy today.
"What's the mission for today, Visarge?" Strauss flashes a sadistic grin.
"I told you not to call me that... Who's this?" The snake man speaks with a hoarse voice.
"I'm Sol. I'm here to help you guys with the rat problem. Can I ask you a few questions? Actually, no. I'm going to ask you a lot of questions."
"We're going to have to do that later. For now, I'll give these two their mission. Arra and Strauss. The two of you are in charge of tracking a doctor name Kanshir. I've had reports of his disappearance just now. Go find out if it's related to the attacks that's been happening up until now. This has gone on long enough."
"You got it. Are you coming with us, Sol?"
"Hmm... Wait. Let me think about it."
I said while scratching my chin. I wasn't really sure how to answer the question. Two types of new information and I have to choose one. Hmm... If I go with Visar, then I would get the answers to my previous questions. However, new information will likely be found if I go with Arra and Strauss, and I don't wanna go here again. It's too crowded in here.
"Sol?" Arra's voice startles me.
"A-ah. I guess I'll go with you guys. Visar may be too occupied at the moment. I don't wanna bother him too much. Also, his face looks scary." I nervously smile.
"I can hear you, and thanks for the consideration."
"So? Where's this guy at? Doctor Kanshir, was it?" Strauss asks.
"He was last seen making his way to the Gallows. Meet me here just before the sun sets."
Visar repeatedly clears his throat as he said this, and he spits something viscous. My eyes narrow as I look at him, and he looks back at me, calmly, before spitting another one. Visar then rubs his sweaty hands together and wipes it on his lab coat, his tongue flicking in and out as he did this, never breaking his gaze. The smell of different perfumes pervaded in the hot air as our awkward stare-down forces out a light chuckle from Strauss. I was about to complain about his hissing and staring, but Arra's gentle voice breaks the tension.
"Shall we go?"
And so we did. The walk took shorter this time, probably because we were in the middle of the city. By the way, I didn't get to look at the inside of the castle. I've never been to a castle before, but it sure must've been amazing. Jean said the queen's a real looker, too... Wait. How did Jean persuade the guards in the first place? The guards don't look like they usually budge, and Stassi is respected for their high security. Are they that confident? Or did he bribe them?... Hmm... Yep. He must've bribed them. That's the only way. Still... How did he do it? Jean never ceases to amaze me.
"Stop wasting our time, Jeris. You're his son. You know where he is." Strauss snaps.
"Stop bugging me, will you? I really don't know. I don't care. I haven't been in touch with the bastard."
The rugged bartender clicks his tongue and shakes a drink.
"Do you at least know where he usually goes? That might be a clue." Arra coos. I swear she talks like Esmeralda sometimes. He looks at Arra for a moment and sighs.
"He told me he was doing a job, but he didn't specify. Trust me, that's all I know."
"What are we going to do now?" I ask.
"Let's see..."
Arra glances at the nearby clock. Exactly five minutes before noon. Arra sits formally on the bar stool while Strauss takes a piece of candy from his pocket and eats it. He offers the two of us a piece, so I gratefully accept it with a nod. Arra smiles at her, and I could swear I saw Strauss blushed for a second. He looked away, though, so I wasn't sure. Oh. There's free cheese. Don't mind if I do~ Oh.
"I have a plan." Arra takes the cheese from my hand and eats it.
"Let's hear you out, then."