Chapter 04 : Investigation

After leaving the pet store, Albert walked in silence for a few minutes through the dirty streets of the commoner district, before stopping at a dark dead end.

"Lepto." Albert called with a hoarse voice.

"Yes, My Lord."

Appearing out of nowhere, a hooded man clad in black clothes from head to toe kneeled in front of the Viscount.

"Contact the Third Princess of the Leman Empire through her secret branch in the capital. Inform her that after reconsidering her proposition... I am now ready to accept it."

"Your wishes are my orders."

The mysterious man bowed his head, before disappearing in a cloud of black smoke.

"You should have never crossed the line, Your Highness... Even If I have to side with the enemy and burn this entire country to ashes, I will go to whatever length necessary to make you pay your insolence." Albert muttered, clenching his fist so hard that blood dripped from his hands.

He radiated a murderous intent so intense that, for a second, one could see the ethereal shapes of thousands of snakes wriggling around his body.

At this moment, Albert looked more like a monster than a refined noble.

He was no longer the calm and composed Albert Lupus, Patriarch of House Achalinus, and Viscount of the Kingdom of Valor...

On that day, the infamous Serpentdoom, whom everyone feared, resurfaced.

___

After Viscount Achalinus left the store, the rest of the day for Lloyd was uneventful.

No more customers -or lost persons- entered his store.

Soon, darkness fell upon the city and the three moons of Lunaris took the place of the setting sun in the cloudy, wet sky.

Lloyd swapped the wooden sign hanging on the shop's door to 'closed', and locked the door behind him.

As he went up the stairs, he felt something shaking inside his pocket.

He took out the small device that was vibrating and put it inside his ear. It resembled an earplug made of stone.

As soon as the strange communication device entered his ear lobe, Lloyd heard a familiar voice greeting him.

"Good evening, Sir Yeo."

"Ah, hello mister Igor..."

Lloyd used to be embarrassed whenever someone addressed him as 'Sir', but he has now become accustomed to it.

"How have you been since we last spoke ?"

"Good, so far. Though I still feel a little out of place, I'm adjusting."

The first person Kyubok met when he woke up in this world was the muscular man who worked for Igor.

By the time Lloyd regained consciousness, the man, whose name was Balgor, already moved all his belongings from his house in South Korea to the two empty floors above the pet store.

Balgor provided Kyubok with a new ID to live in Valor, and gave him a brief explanation of how he had been transported to a different world alongside old man Cheon's pet shop.

He also handed a cute puppy with two heads that Lloyd called Blackie, and this strange little device that was this world's equivalent to a modern phone.

Before leaving, Balgor informed Lloyd that Igor, his new boss, would call him every once in a while to know how he was doing. Lloyd just had to put the little device made of stone inside his ear whenever it was vibrating.

Up to this day, Lloyd still didn't have any logical explanation for this crazy situation.

He just knew that he had to manage old man Cheon's pet store, but in another world, and that his new boss was Igor, the gentleman he met at his grandpa's funerals.

After Balgor left, Lloyd spent an entire week trying to figure out what exactly happened after he signed this weird contract in the restaurant.

He was so confused that he even doubted whether he was dreaming or not, or if he died and was now in the afterworld. After all, this absurd situation looked like something coming straight out of a fantasy novel.

It took him quite some time to believe everything Balgor said and realize that it was the truth. Only when Lloyd left the shop for the first time did he truly realize that he was not on Earth anymore.

Fortunately, after more than a year living on Lunaris, Lloyd has now gotten used to his new life. He tried to think positively about this situation, and considered this as an opportunity to start anew.

After meeting the people living there, he even thought that this world wasn't all that different from Earth.

"I'm glad to hear it. I wanted to come and visit you this month, but I fear that I will be unable to do so. I have urgent matters that require my presence somewhere else. I hope you can understand, Sir Yeo."

"Ah yes, it's fine. I got accustomed to living there anyway, so you don't need to worry. My only concern is that... it's a bit hard to find regular clients and make a profit in this place."

"I can imagine. That is also why I'm contacting you today. I've sent someone to deliver you something that may prove useful to your life in Lunaris ; she should arrive in the next few days. If you have any questions, do not hesitate to ask her."

Igor paused for a moment, before adding.

"I believe that you are now aware of the existence of mana and magic in this world. I'm sorry if I haven't explained everything to you before bringing you here, but you had to experience some things by yourself."

Lloyd could hear Igor's sincere apologies through the communication device.

"I think that now is the right time for you to open the Backdoor behind the store lobby. Just use the key that my subordinates will deliver to you to unlock the door. You'll find inside the same Nihil Conscientia that helped Sir Cheon during his youth, fifty years ago. Listen to its words carefully, and you'll be able to live in peace in this harsh world."

Lloyd had no idea what a Nihil Conscientia was, but from Igor's words, it seemed to be something that helped his grandpa during his youth.

"Did grandpa Cheon also came to this world when he was younger...?"

Lloyd couldn't help but ask this question that occupied his thoughts ever since he woke up on Lunaris.

"He used to work on Lunaris, indeed. Just don't fill your mind with too much worry, Sir Yeo. You'll learn more about Sir Cheon's past at due time."

"Alright..."

Lloyd didn't like to be kept in the dark by Igor, but he didn't pursue the matter any further.

It would be reckless and foolish to offend someone that has the power to move an entire building into another world.

"On that note, I have to excuse myself. It was pleasant talking to you, Sir Yeo. Take care of yourself."

"Thank you."

Lloyd heard a buzzing sound, before the faint light emitted by the weird communication device vanished. It sounded as if Igor had hung up an old telephone from the 50s.

"A few days, he said..." Lloyd sighed and entered the kitchen.

"I wonder what's behind that door..."

"Woof!" As Lloyd was lost in thought, Blackie rubbed its two heads on his master's legs.

Lloyd didn't know if his dog wanted to comfort him, or if he was just hungry.

He got his answer soon after, when he saw Blackie swallow an entire chicken in just a few seconds.

___

The next morning, Lloyd went downstairs with Blackie to open up the shop as usual, when he noticed a few people looking at the shelves through the store's windows.

Lloyd unlocked the door and stepped outside to switch the wooden sign to 'open', before asking.

"May I help you ?"

The three people turned their heads toward Lloyd.

"Oh, not really... I was just wondering what commoners used these strange objects for."

The one who answered was a tall and slender woman, with a picturesque face and delicate skin.

Even though her eyes were hidden by a veil, the lower part of her visage revealed how stunning this woman was.

Whether it was the magnificent gown she wore with elegance, or the condescending tone she used when talking about commoners... Lloyd could tell right away that this lady was of great standing.

The two men silently waiting behind the lady were most likely her escort, as both of them had a standardized outfit with a longsword sheathed on their hips.

"I see. If you are curious about our products, feel free to enter the store and browse the shelves by yourself, My Lady."

Lloyd respectfully bowed with a gentle smile, before returning inside the shop.

As the door closed behind him, he noticed the two men staring intensively at Blackie eating his breakfast on the ground.

Lloyd sat behind his counter and watched these strange people examining every nook and cranny of his shop through the window for a few minutes, before leaving.

They didn't even bother entering the shop.

"I should feed Blackie upstairs next time, so he doesn't scare away new customers..."

Lloyd sighed, looking at his chubby two-headed dog gobbling up the processed meat inside those cans as fast as he could.

Lloyd believed that the men escorting the lady were wary of his two-headed dog, and thus convinced her not to enter.

'The pet store is seen by the nobles as nothing more than a filthy place run by a mere commoner. At most, it might pique their curiosity, but that's all...'

Then, Lloyd thought about the worried Viscount who visited him yesterday.

'I guess Sir Achalinus is an exception.'

Lloyd couldn't help but smile when he thought about this peculiar old man who loved his snakes more than his own children.

___

Once they got a few streets away from the pet store, the graceful lady stopped and asked the two men following her.

"Luther, what do you think about this place ?"

After scanning the surroundings to check that no one was eavesdropping, the man answered.

"This was a strange shop, indeed. I couldn't recognize any of the items displayed on the shelves..."

"What about you, Doyle ?"

"Well, I doubt that such a guy is in possession of a Rank 4 license to be honest... Yet, it's hard to believe that he's a fool who's stupid enough to let a Thaumiel-class beast roam free inside his store..."

The second man gave his thoughts, and they all nodded at his words.

It was indeed surprising to see an unrestrained Thaumiel-class beast in such a random place.

If the lady and her escorts didn't enter the shop to investigate it more thoroughly, it was mostly due to the Cerberus casually eating his food in front of his master's counter.

If this place was confirmed to be a hideout for Crescent Moon, they wouldn't fear fighting a Thaumiel-class beast heads-on if push come to shove.

What they were afraid of, however, was the master of said beast.

Any beastmancer skilled enough to tame a two-headed Cerberus is a threat at least equivalent to a 4-stars knight ; it shouldn't be taken lightly.

"It is a suspicious store, indeed, but we don't know yet if this place is related to Crescent Moon or not. I don't understand why they would set up a branch in such a shabby place, right in the middle of the capital... It is way too risky, which doesn't fit with their usually cautious nature."

No matter how much the lady thought about it, it didn't make sense for this place to be related to Crescent Moon, one of the most secretive organizations operating in the Central Continent.

"Should we report this store to the HQ, Captain ?" The man, whom the lady called Luther, asked with a serious tone.

"It's too early for me to draw a conclusion about this shop. We don't have enough information yet..."

As the lady was lost in thought, Doyle made a suggestion.

"Why not call a patrol and ask them to investigate this place for us then ?"

"We can't. Don't forget that we are still in the middle of a major covert ops. We can't throw away our cover simply because we had a suspicion about a shady store."

The lady thought for a while, before adding.

"Nevertheless, we also can't turn a blind eye to a place that shelters an unrestrained Thaumiel-class. It poses a major risk to the common people living in the district."

As she said that, the lady took out a small pouch from under her gown.

She grabbed a gold coin from it, and threw it over to one of the men escorting her.

"Find the closest inn to this place, and book us a room for a few days."

"Roger."
"What about you, Captain ?"

"I shall return to the HQ and deliver this week's report in person to the Commander. I also have to bring some changes if I want to blend in this commoner area. The young lady persona is too eye-catching around there."

As the woman was about to leave, she stopped and gave a solemn look at her two subordinates.

"Remember, we still have no idea where the Crescent Moon operatives are hidden. Until we find out, stay on your guard and do not get caught."

"Yes m'am!" The two men straightened their backs and responded in unison.

"Good. Let's meet tomorrow night at the usual location."

The lady said, before she leaped onto the rooftop of a tall building in a single jump and vanished from her subordinates' sight.