Elydes

Chapter 286 - The Missing

Belice drummed her fingers on the dark oak desk, the tapping echoing in the empty Hall. “Are you saying Harry burned down his own house?”

“Kea mentioned some kind of magic trap.” Niel took the burden of explaining the events. “The fire wasn’t intentional…”

Their words became an indistinct murmur in the background. Kai couldn’t shake the feeling that something was off. A thought fluttered at the edge of his mind—but no matter how hard he focused, he couldn’t pin it down.

Is she lying?

Belice’s explanation made sense: she was good at gathering rumors. It could be a quirk of her profession. He had no proof that she was hiding something aside from a vague hunch. Without her tip, they would still have no idea who was behind the disappearances.

“…Mat?” Niel tapped his arm. “Are you alright?”

“Uh… I’m fine.” Kai tried to recall the last bits of the conversation. “Sorry, what were you saying?”

“Is there anything else you need?” Belice gave him the polite smile of a clerk faced with an annoying customer. “I don’t mind the company, but I’ve got some paperwork to get through before lunch.” She peered at him, the golden frame of her enchanted glasses glowing with tightly woven runes.