Volume 4 Chapter 120: Indigo Street

The lodging quarter south of the commercial district was a rowdy maze of bars and inns. In Elist—a kingdom swarming with tourists—cheap hostels and luxury suites stood shoulder-to-shoulder, crammed into every inch of space.

Noel had dragged me out of Night Garden right into this chaos. Stepping from the alley onto the main street, the area buzzed with nighttime energy despite the hour. The Starlake Festival was close, flooding Elist with visitors, and the lodging quarter was drowning in its annual peak season.

Noel bulldozed through the crowd, yanking my hand like a leash. Every few steps, she’d spray some mystery liquid from a bottle around us. What even was that? And where was she taking me? The whole thing reeked of trouble.

“Noel… what’s that stuff?” I finally asked, eyeing her eighth spray of the hour.

She beamed. “Deodorizer!”

“…Why?”

“So they can’t track us~”

“But… wouldn’t spraying me work better?” Did we really need this whole song and dance? We’re not being hunted by wolves here… Wait, didn’t I have this exact thought last week?

I sniffed my sleeve. A faint floral scent lingered—like cheap perfume. Was that enough to blow our cover? In this crowd, everyone reeked of something. Maybe we should just… go home?

Nope. Bad vibes only. If my stench was that bad, I’d gladly cannonball into the nearest sewer.

“How’d you even find me, anyway?” I muttered. Unlike Fiona or Elle, Noel shouldn’t have tracking magic. Right? …Right?

She didn’t glance back. “Your smell~”

“Do I reek or something?!”

“When I use Crimson Bride, I get super sensitive to blood-scent. Yours is… distinctive.” She giggled. “Planned for that, of course~”

“Cool. So… what’s the range?”

She spun, finger pressed to her lips. “Secret~♡”

Fantastic. Between Fiona’s Love Seeker, Elle’s spirits, Noel’s bloodhound act, Ciara’s unbreakable Bonding Chains, the shop manager’s creepy omniscience, and Alice’s stalker familiars, my privacy was deader than last week’s leftovers.

…Yep. Once this Mana Stone mess is over, I’m locking myself in My Garden and never coming out.

⋯⋯With Alice-chan around, that’s impossible too.

⋯⋯Noel, being able to live freely is a wonderful thing, isn’t it?

⋯⋯? Yeah, it is.

That’s why… I don’t want you to forget. The importance of freedom.

Hmm, got it. Fufu, what’s with you all of a sudden?

I wonder why. I just couldn’t help but think…

Maybe, for me, that’s something I’ll never be able to reach again.

With a faintly nihilistic smile, I let Noel continue leading me by the hand.

◇

I had a bad feeling about this.

No, seriously, I really had a bad feeling about this.

Looking up at the towering building in front of me, I found myself at a loss.

Noel had dragged me to an inn tucked away in the backstreets of the lodging district. A four-story building with plastered walls, completely windowless on the street-facing side. Instead, antique-style wall-mounted lamps lined up neatly along the exterior. The entrance featured an arched, double-door made of oak, with a peculiar carving mounted just above it.

At first glance, it looked like an ordinary building.

But upon closer inspection, the lamps were shaped like hearts. The oak doors had heart-shaped engravings. And most damning of all—the carving above the entrance was unmistakably a heart. A heart with a man and a woman locked in an embrace.

To begin with, this entire street was dimly lit and overwhelmingly filled with couples. Almost every surrounding building bore a striking resemblance to this one.

In other words—this was a love hotel street.

The atmosphere here was undeniably different from the rest of the district, the kind of place where a child should never mistakenly wander into.

These kinds of streets existed in the lodging district, but people usually referred to them euphemistically as Aiiro Street. The pavement was even painted in a deep indigo, making it easy to recognize. If you knew about it, you wouldn’t accidentally stray here.

Clearly, Noel didn’t know.

Alright, let’s go in.

Isn’t this weird?

Just as she tried to pull me forward without hesitation, I instinctively resisted.

Why this place? There are plenty of normal inns. We could’ve just gone to a public bathhouse.

How in the world did she come to the conclusion that this was the right choice?

Is something wrong?

Why does she look so genuinely puzzled?

Am I the weird one here?

Looking at her expression, I started feeling like I was the one mistaken.

No, that’s ridiculous. Don’t be fooled. This is obviously strange.

I shook my head to keep my sanity intact and turned back to Noel.

What do you mean, ‘is something wrong’? Do you even know what kind of place this is?

Of course I do?

Ah. Right.

She tilted her head in confusion, and I pressed a hand to my forehead, inhaling deeply before exhaling.

Of course, she knows. Of course, she does.

It’s just… I really think it would be a bad idea for us to go in here.

Why?

Why, you ask… I mean, there are plenty of other inns with baths, right…?

It’s hard to find a vacancy in normal inns, you know?

Then how about a public bathhouse…?

Those are too crowded, and we wouldn’t be able to go in together.

I see… …………No, wait, no!

What did Noel just say?

Did she just say… we’re going in together?

What does she mean by that? I’m not Sierra, there’s no way I’d do something like that.

We’re not going in together…?

Eh…?

Why—why does she look so heartbroken?

I just said something completely normal. I didn’t say anything bad. This is a very reasonable response.

Damn it, what the hell? Why do I feel guilty? The world is full of mysteries, but don’t falter, Noil Arlens.

I mean, we’re not that kind of relationship…

Is it… unpleasant with me?

That’s cheating, isn’t it?

If you ask me whether I hate it, of course, I don’t. I’m still a man, and when she looks up at me all sad like that, there’s no way I can say no.

Am I just weak-willed?

It’s not like I hate it, but… um… well… that thing… does that… and, um… I have Mar-chan…

Pfft—

As I fumbled over my words, Noel suddenly giggled, unable to hold back her laughter.

Fufufu, just kidding. It was a joke, Noil. Fufu, your face is so red. Cute.

……Seriously, knock it off.

I let out a deep sigh, my shoulders slumping. I was relieved—truly relieved—but she needs to stop playing with a man’s heart like that. I’m not that strong.

Sorry, sorry, you were just too cute, I couldn’t help it.

I am not cute. I was just a pathetic guy floundering around like an idiot. Noel’s sense of aesthetics is definitely skewed.

But, well… at least it was just a joke.

Let’s get out of here before—

Alright, let’s go in.

Why?!

Didn’t she just say it was a joke?!

If we actually go in, this won’t be a joke anymore!

It’s fine, we’re just taking a bath.

Wouldn’t a public bathhouse be better?

This way, we can relax more, right?

Damn it, no matter what I say, I can’t escape.

She’s still gripping my hand tightly, showing no sign of letting go, and even if I did shake free and run, Noel has 《Crimson Bride》.

She also knows my little secret about playing around at Yokaen, so escaping would only be a temporary fix at best.

And worst of all, if I force my way out, there’s a good chance she’ll get upset. If that happens, this little request will be nothing compared to what she demands next.

After much internal debate—I broke.

…Fine. Let’s go.

Yay!

But, like I said this morning, we maintain appropriate distance, no unnecessary physical contact, and we get out immediately after bathing. You have to promise me that.

That person didn’t seem to be keeping appropriate distance this morning. Why is that?

Ah. Right. My bad.

I had been trying to sound all composed, but she immediately called me out, leaving me with no choice but to bow my head.

It’s fine, it’s us after all.

With an entirely unconvincing smile, Noel assured me in a way that did nothing to ease my worries.

◇

Shit! We got played… I can’t believe they slipped past the spirit’s surveillance.

Above the capital city of Elist, high in the night sky, Elshan Falceid muttered a rare profanity as she gazed down at the dazzling lights of the city.

She had realized something was wrong right after finishing her bath. As usual, she tried to use the spirits’ sight to check in on Noil—only to find that the spirit assigned to him had left his side.

Spirits may have a somewhat careless nature, but as long as she supplied them with mana, they would normally fulfill their tasks.

And yet, this time, the spirit had abandoned its mission—no, its request—from Elshan, straying from Noil’s side entirely.

…You really did it this time, Father-in-law.

Even non-Forestfolk can interfere with spirits. For example, certain scents that spirits dislike can be used to repel them.

But Noil wouldn’t know that. And Elshan would never teach him.

Which meant—the one who took him, Gray Arlens, must have deliberately driven off the spirit.

And why would he do that?

The reason was obvious.

A guys’ night out to some sketchy place.

Unacceptable.

Once a spirit loses sight of its target, tracking them down again is nearly impossible.

Most spirits can’t even properly distinguish humans from one another. Unless they were specifically trained by Elshan, their reports are little more than:

Uh, yeah, that guy. Wait, was it that guy?

And with the possible use of a spirit deterrent, regaining the trail was even less likely.

Which meant the only thing Elshan could do—was hunt down Noil Arlens herself.

Senpai, senpai senpai senpai senpai senpai senpai senpai senpai senpai senpai senpai senpai senpai senpai senpai senpai senpai senpai senpai where are you senpai senpai senpai senpai senpai senpai senpai senpai senpai senpai senpai senpai senpai senpai—

Not far from Elshan, Fiona Mabel, wings spread wide, was scanning the city below with bloodshot eyes, muttering obsessively while gnawing on her thumbnail.

That’s not good, Elshan thought.

She had no room to talk, but Fiona had completely lost it.

Well, she couldn’t blame her.

After all, Milis Albama had destroyed her precious 《Ai Lover》.

Elshan would have loved to say, serves you right, but this time, Fiona losing her 《Love》 was an issue for Elshan as well.

If they didn’t find Noil soon, his life could be in serious danger.

But there were no leads.

Noil’s movements after leaving the mansion were completely obscured.

I should have stopped him.

I should not have respected his father-son time.

Elshan clenched her teeth in frustration, but it was too late.

…Sierra, any leads?

…Even if I had one, I wouldn’t tell you.

Elshan questioned Sierra Arlens, who had just returned from the ground, her massive black wings unfurled. But Sierra only scowled at her in annoyance.

She had been using 《Binding Chains》 to track Noil, but so far, nothing had triggered.

Sierra’s Magis Gear was rather conspicuous, but thanks to her skillful movements and the darkness of the night, no city-wide commotion had been raised.

Elshan briefly considered it—maybe causing a public disturbance would help.

But she couldn’t.

If she wanted to spend the rest of her life with Noil, she couldn’t afford to be reckless.

More than anything—she couldn’t let Noil see her in a bad light.

Elshan shook her head.

She had to stay calm.

And yet—Noil was nowhere to be found.

She had already checked every inappropriate establishment she could think of.

Still, nothing.

She must be overlooking something.

Could Noel Sialsa, searching on the ground, have found anything?

No… she was nothing more than a commoner.