"Ano...Lina-san? Could you lower your voice?"
"I don't think anything can stop her right now."
"Lina-san is scaring me!" Amelia wailed.
"No," Gourry shook his head. "She isn't scary right now, she's down right terrifying."
"Shut up!" Lina roared, demon head towering over the other three. "I'm trying to have a conversation here!!"
"A conversation usually doesn't entail yelling loud enough to be heard across the street."
Lina glared at the cause of her current frustration. Slamming a hand on the table, she continued her 'conversation'. "And how long were you going to go around without telling us who you were?!"
"Gourry didn't seem so surprised."
"Like he cares!"
"And you do?"
"That's not the point!" Lina fumed. "You never told me you were a prince! An imperial prince to boot!"
"Why are you entitled to know that?" Actually, Zel didn't know he was a prince until he met his father after Rezo's final death. It had been about eight years since he last saw his father and the North Republic was only six years old.
"Because friends tell each other these kinds of things!"
"......"
"Lina-san, don't you think you've yelled at Zelgadiss-san enough?"
"No!" Lina snapped at Amelia.
"Sometimes the only thing you can do is let her work out her anger," Sylphiel advised. "She has been mad at him long enough."
"Several hours?"
"Try year," Gourry sighed. "Who would have thought she would get so angry just because he didn't say good-bye?"
"Eh? Lina-san was mad over that?"
Lina was listening to all of this. A flame flickered and grew in her hand. "Flare..."
"Wait a minute!" Zelgadiss yelled, restraining her from finishing the spell. "What do you think you're doing?"
"Think you can get away with talking about me behind my back!! Let go, Zel! I'm going to fry all of you!" Lina struggled to break out of Zel's grip.
"I don't have time for this," Zel grumbled. "I'm leaving."
"What? Itai!" The hanging spell singed Lina's fingers. "Where are you going?"
"I have some other business to take care of," he answered as he left.
"Don't think you're getting off that easy! Take care of the bill okay?" Lina called back to the other three as she chased Zel out the door.
"Us?!"
Even though Lina had spent a good amount of time yelling, she had also eaten enough food to have four stacks of plates halfway to the ceiling. Gourry looked at Sylphiel, Sylphiel looked back at Gourry. Then they both looked at Amelia.
"Why do I have to pay?"
"Because it was a victory dinner for justice has once again defeated evil?"
"That's right!" Amelia skipped over to the tavern master.
"She's sure easy to predict," Gourry sighed.
"Gourry-sama. Let's hurry and find Lina-san and Zelgadiss-san."
"Oh yeah."
"I told you I don't need any help."
"And I said that I won't believe that until I know what it is that you're doing. And if it's so important, then as your friends, we should help you."
Zelgadiss shook his head. She was the type that would pester him to the grave and beyond until he told her. However, he was quite sure that when he did tell her, there was no way Lina would agree to leave.
"Don't you have anything better to do?"
"This is on the top of my list," Lina retorted, trying to keep pace with Zelgadiss. Did he always walk this fast? Come to think of it, all of those times he saved her today, he had used his enhanced speed. His chimeric enhanced speed.
"Would you quit following me?" Zel stopped and turned to face the sorceress. She just looked at him with her deep red eyes. Just looking, and thinking. That was not a good sign. "What?"
"You...are completely human now aren't you?"
"If you're asking whether I'm still a chimera then the answer is no." Hopefully she won't dissect that answer to pieces and really try to dig up the truth.
Lina frowned, one finger tapping her chin. "So just how did you save me from Gilga that first time?"
Damn, he forgot about that.
"Well..."
"Excuse me," interrupted a non-descript person. "But would you happen to be the one who was inquiring about the whereabouts of a manuscript of the Clair Bible?"
"Clair Bible?!" Lina shrieked.
"Yes," Zel answered in a calm voice. "And you are?"
"I am a humble servant of Mr. Belzei, a wealthy man of these local parts. He wished to meet with you concerning your inquiries."
"Where is this Mr. Belzei?"
"If you would follow me...?"
"Of course."
"Hold on a sec," Lina hissed, grabbing Zel's sleeve. "What's this about a manuscript of the Clair Bible? Why are you looking for it? How can you trust this Belzei person? You're going alone?"
"I'm searching for one. None of your business. I don't. Yes." Zel answered, pulling his arm away.
"None of my...that's certainly a nice way to talk to a friend you haven't seen in a long time." Lina quickly fell into step with him.
"Where are you going?"
"With you obviously. This could be a trap."
"You just care about the information."
"Me?" Lina blinked innocently, doing her second best cute expression.
"Yes," he said shortly to cover up his confusion. Why would that face confuse him? His face felt suspiciously warm and he was glad it was now dark enough to hide that.
"This is my master's home."
Zelgadiss and Lina stood before a large mansion with gargoyles lining the entire length of the rooftop and fluted pillars between every set of windows. On both sides of the large wooden doors were statues of naked nymphs pouring water. Six panels of woodcarvings covered the door.
"And here I thought it couldn't get any worse," Lina muttered as they were shown inside.
Red plush carpets marked the walkways and all of the pillars and stair railings were made from a green and white swirling pattered stone. The stands for the displayed items were made of the same material, regardless of the color of the item itself. Did she mention the crystal chandelier and the bird made from an amber crystal? Everything had the look of being expensive, and in Lina's personal opinion, of being in very bad taste.
"Dazzled by the splendor of my home?"
Dazzled, maybe, but not by the splendor of the place. Now if he said disgusted...
"Mr. Belzei I presume?"
The fat bald man with big bags under his eyes and even bigger bags of skin below his cheeks and chin smiled. His clothes were straining to keep in his bulk which Lina was quite sure was not muscle. Of course, with a shimmering golden vest over a bright orange shirt, he was almost as blinding as the rest of his mansion.
"I'm so glad you could come."
"Your servant said you were interested in my inquiries."
"Yes, very direct, very to the point. I like you boy. Come into my study and we'll talk. Who is that with you?"
"Just - "
"His partner," Lina cut in, adding in a winning smile. "Whatever you wish to discuss with him can be discussed before me."
"Alright then."
Zelgadiss scowled at Lina behind Belzei's back. Lina grinned back, flashing her victory sign. He gestured to the front door. She just skipped ahead to compliment Belzei on his 'great' taste.
"If you liked the front hall, then my study will impress you even more." Belzei puffed his chest proudly. "In here."
Lina and Zel were quite speechless.
"That impressive hm?"
Lina swallowed. "Very..."
Zel finished. "...impressive."
They sat down on a pair of green and purple velvet armchairs as Mr. Belzei seated himself behind his desk. Of all of the extravagant, and probably never used, items decorating the desktop, the one that won the prize for utter outrageousness was a golden bust of Belzei showing off his muscular torso. Someone was taking artistic license to the limit.
"Now then, I believe you were asking around town today for the whereabouts of a copy of the Clair Bible."
"That is correct." Zel reclined in the chair, though Lina noticed his hand never strayed far from his sword hilt. Might as well let him play this out.
"I'm afraid you have come at a very bad time."
Zelgadiss waited for Belzei to continue.
"You see. There is a copy here in this city."
Here?! Lina barely kept herself from leaping over the desk and shaking the location of the manuscript out of him. To think, that one of the legendary Clair Bible manuscripts would be here!
"And it's been stolen?"
Belzei nodded his head, the flaps of skin shaking as well. "Yes, that is where the problem lies. As I am not a mage myself, I was going to donate it to the local Mage's Guild. Somehow though, this news leaked out and the copy was stolen."
"Do you know by whom?" Zel asked quietly.
Belzei nodded his head. "I'm quite sure it is Hactoh, a rival merchant house, who lives on the other side of the city. He would love nothing more than to bring me to ruin."
"If you know, why didn't you tell the authorities?"
Belzei fidgeted with the large gem-studded rings on his pudgy fingers. "Well...I don't have enough proof yet..."
"So why are you telling us this?"
"You want us to get the manuscript back for you?" Lina snorted. "We're not thieves for hire."
"You wouldn't have to do that," Belzei quickly reassured. "But it may help you as well as me to do so."
"The reason being?"
"Hactoh deals with some...black market business. He's probably very quickly closing a deal on the book now. And once it changes hands..."
The unspoken conclusion was quite clear. If the book changed hands, they'd lose all chances to track it.
"It has been in the family for years," sighed Belzei. "To think that it should be lost in this fashion, the knowledge it contains forever locked away in some mad but rich mage's library."
"Hypothetically speaking," Zel said slowly. "If we were to enter Hactoh's home and retrieve the book, you wouldn't have any guarantee that we would bring it back to you."
"Well, hypothetically speaking, I could have wanted posters for you put up, since you would be the highest suspects on the list."
That would be more of an annoyance than a threat but with Zel's current position, such things could reflect negatively on the country.
"So then, for curiosity's sake, if we did find the book and returned it to you, what kind of payment would we get?"
"Hmmm. You will get to read the copy to your heart's content."
"That's all?" Lina couldn't help but blurt out. It wasn't that she didn't think it was worth it, this was the Clair Bible after all. But her merchant side just couldn't stand working for no material profit.
"I suppose I could also add a small reward for its return."
"And you'll pay for our expenses?"
"Expenses?"
"The commission is fine as is," Zel said with a state of finality. "We will return the manuscript to your possession provided that in return for our services, we will be allowed to peruse the entire book."
"But - "
"If you'll excuse me," Zel stood up. "It's best that we finish this as soon as possible."
"Now wait a minute, Zel!" Lina called, running after the departing prince.
"Lina-san!"
Lina looked up from her fifth plate of breakfast.
"We went all over town searching for you and Zelgadiss-san last night," frowned the princess.
"Sorry, sorry. It's just that we got a commission for a job."
"Really?" Amelia pulled out a chair and sat down. "Another purging of evil? A cleansing of darkness? The mending of injustice?"
Oh that's right. Lina had forgotten about the ultimate ally of justice who probably wouldn't take too well with a little jaunt down larceny lane. Amelia just might turn them in as well if she didn't help, and if she did help, the princess would likely just go up to the front door, demand to see Hactoh and mess everything up. Ah, it was all in the phrasing wasn't it?
"That's right, Amelia. You see, a book of knowledge that should be shared with everyone has been stolen from its rightful owner and being held prisoner in a hidden dark library where only the thief can peruse its great wonders. Zel and I have taken it upon ourselves to correct this oppression of knowledge."
Gourry heard this as he was coming downstairs.
"You're just doing it to get the book for yourself or for the huge reward out for its return," he muttered, only to come to a dead stop as a knife suddenly sprouted from the wall before his nose.
"Let us go at once!"
"No no no no, Amelia. We need to wait for night."
"Justice waits for no one!"
"But..." Lina took a deep breath to keep herself steady through the ridiculousness she was about to spout. "By doing it at night, the symbolism becomes even stronger as the night is associated with hidden unjust agendas and such. Our strike for justice will prove that good wins over evil any time, even during those times over which evil should hold reign."
Amelia's eyes were starry. "Yes, of course. I see it now."
Lina let out a sigh of relief.
"You really are manipulative, aren't you?" Gourry asked rhetorically, spearing one of Lina's slices of bacon with a fork.
"What do you mean manipulative? And that's my bacon!"
"Don't be stingy!"
"Mine!"
"It's mine now!"
"Here's the rest of your order," said the waitress putting down four plates of food.
"Breakfast!"
"Those are mine, Gourry!!"
"I didn't take it!"
"Ah! Amelia! What are you doing with my breakfast! Give it back!"
"Good morning, everyone."
Sylphiel sweatdropped as the three ignored her and concentrated only on the main battle of survival. Not that she wasn't used to it but it was a much bigger fight than usual with Amelia added in.
"Ahhh. I can't eat another bite," Lina sighed contented.
"Neither can I," Amelia added.
"That's probably a good thing, or neither of you will be keeping the same dress size."
Amelia and Lina simultaneously hit him.
"You shouldn't comment on a girl's figure, Gourry-san!"
"Who asked you?!"
"Gourry-sama, you should be more careful about what you say," Sylphiel scolded gently. "Ne, Lina-san, did I hear you say we have a commission?"
"Yeah, but it won't be until tonight. I'll tell you more later." Lina stood up and stretched. "Just take the day easy."
"Sylphiel-san! Lina-san! Let's go shopping!" Amelia grinned, grabbing the two by the arms and dragging them toward the door.
"Shopping? For what?" Lina asked, trying to get free.
"Oh you know. Dresses, cute accessories, window shopping!"
"I don't window shop!"
"Then this would be your first time? That's even better! All girls need to window shop once in awhile to unwind."
"There really isn't much in Lina that is girlish," Gourry commented.
"Shut up!" Lina grabbed the nearest empty chair and threw it in Gourry's direction. He ducked under the table and it struck the wall instead. Now she grabbed Sylphiel and Amelia and dragged them out. "Fine. We're going window shopping."
"Lucky!"
"And you're treating everyone because it was your idea, Amelia."
"What?"
Gourry remained under the table until Lina's and Amelia's voices died away. Then he figured it was safe enough to come out.
"Excuse me, sir?" asked the waitress. "The bill..."
"Just like her to leave it to me," he groaned. "And I'll probably have to pay for the chair too. Huh?"
On the floor near the broken chair Lina had thrown was a small gem. He picked it up and hid a smile. That Lina, just like her to pretend not to care and be the self-centered, greedy brat she always insisted she was. Okay, maybe there was some truth in that as well but she had a good side that was usually hidden.
"Will this do?"
"Ah, of course!"
"Hey, Zeldigas!" Gourry waved at the former chimera as he passed through the common eating room.
"Zelgadiss," he corrected absently, never slowing as he left the inn.
"Hey, wait up!"
"What?" Zelgadiss asked curtly as he kept walking through the bustling city.
"I just thought I'd hang around with you since all of the girls went off on their own."
"Oh?"
"Yeah," Gourry nodded, looking around the lively town. "Window shopping."
Zelgadiss almost stopped. "Window shopping? Lina?"
"I thought it was pretty strange too."
"What's so strange about that?"
"I don't know, Lina just doesn't seem like the type to go for that kind of stuff."
"You...know her pretty well."
"The three of us have been traveling around for nearly a year."
"Many things can change in one year."
"That's right. Like you. Did you dye your hair, get a haircut? There's something different about you."
Zelgadiss was beginning to understand why Lina was always getting short-tempered, more short-tempered than usual that is, around Gourry.
"I'm not a chimera anymore!"
"You don't need to yell," Gourry said pleasantly. "Lovely weather today."
"I have some private business to take care of so will you leave me alone?"
"I'll just cover my ears. That's what I always do with Lina."
"Do you ever get the feeling that you aren't wanted?" Zel asked bitterly.
Gourry thought about it. "No, not really."
Zelgadiss sighed in resignation.
So Gourry tagged along after Zelgadiss through midmorning until mid afternoon. As he said, he covered his ears whenever Zelgadiss hinted that the conversation was private. But it was all very interesting, the kinds of people Zel was meeting. Not at all the types of people a prince would normally associate with.
"Ah, Gourry! Just the person we were looking for."
Question marks floated above Gourry's head. "Huh?"
"You know, tall, handsome, strong," Lina listed off the attributes. "Perfect for carrying all that stuff Amelia and Sylphiel bought. Hey, Zel, you here too? Good then both of you - "
"I have my own matters."
Lina glared at Zel's back disappearing into the crowd. "What's up with him?"
"Come on, Lina," Gourry pushed her in the direction she had been pulling him at first. "He needs some time alone."
"Alone? He's always alone. Even when there are tons of people around him!"
"Hmmm. You noticed?"
"I,I,I," Lina stammered. "Forget it! Just come and carry our purchases!"
"Yes, ma'am. So where are the...boxes..." Gourry's eyes bulged at the armloads that Amelia and Sylphiel dumped on him. "What's with all of this?!"
"Some cute toys, a souvenir for my father, a souvenir for my uncle, a souvenir for my cousin, a souvenir for my grandfather, a really pretty dress that doesn't quite fit but I can get it altered at home, a..."
Amelia continued listing all of her purchases as they returned to the hotel. Since Gourry couldn't see very well through the piles of boxes in his arms, Sylphiel served as a guide through the afternoon crowd.
"And just where are you going to put all of this?" Gourry's voice came out muffled from behind the purchases.
"Don't worry. I'll have them sent home by post tomorrow," Amelia grinned. "I don't think you'll fit through the door as you are, Gourry-san. Guess we'll have to take some things off of him."
Each girl took one box.
"You'll have to take more than that!"
"You're so lazy," Lina sighed.
"Me?! I didn't even buy any of this!"
"But Gourry-sama, I bought some things for you," Sylphiel said, removing some more boxes and bags.
"Yeah," Lina snickered. "Like some pretty hair ribbons and a nice dress."
"What?!" Gourry almost dropped everything.
"Be careful, Gourry-san! Some of those things are fragile!"
"Lina, you had better be joking about that!" Gourry sputtered.
Lina just grinned as she sauntered into the inn.
Eventually, they were able to get everything inside and sorted. As expected, about 90% of the boxes and bags belonged to Amelia. Gourry had no idea how she had paid for all of that. Of the rest, all but one purchase belonged to Sylphiel. Lina had kicked him in the shin when he asked what she had bought that was in the white and silver box. Limping through the common room downstairs, he wondered again just why he was still traveling with her.
Because he had nothing better to do, Gourry wandered into the dimly lit bar attached to the inn's main eating room. And of all the people he ever expected to see there and of all the people he never expected to see there, there he saw Zelgadiss slumped over the bar.
"Hey, Zel. What are you doing here?"
Zelgadiss didn't reply.
Gourry leaned over. "You weren't drinking were you?"
"Yes he was," replied the barkeep. "He finished that bottle in no time and got floored."
It hadn't been that long since Gourry left him.
"You a friend of his?"
Gourry scratched his head. "I guess."
"Better take him back to sleep it off. He'll have one heck of a hangover when he comes to."
"I'll bet. Hey, Zel, get up. This isn't a place to sleep."
Zel only mumbled incoherently.
"Honestly."
Gourry supported Zel under one arm to get the besotted prince on his feet. If he went up the front stairs, everyone else would see this.
"The back stairs for the staff is around the corner."
"Thanks."
Gourry slowly made his way upstairs with the stumbling prince. Thankfully, the hallway was also empty. He had the gut feeling that Zelgadiss didn't want anyone to know about this.
"Never thought to see you drunk like this. But then, I don't think I think much about you at all."
He eased the prince into the not very princely bed.
"How do you expect to work tonight like this?"
Zelgadiss didn't answer.
"If you're not ready to go and Lina blows down your door to drag you out, don't blame me."
Just before closing the door, Gourry said one last thing. "I won't tell Lina about this. Everyone has their secrets after all."
Perhaps it had been his imagination but just before the door completely closed, Gourry thought he heard someone say, "Thanks."
"There must be a spell to get rid of the effects of a hangover," Zelgadiss grumbled, getting ready for tonight's trip down memory lane. It's been years since he's worn a nightsuit, years since he's had to pack the tools he was packing now, years that he thought he would never have to need or use these skills again. Well, that just shows how much he really knew.
Alright, now if he flicked his wrist like so...a dagger sprung into his hand. He reset the spring-loaded wrist sheath. Couldn't carry a sword with him on this expedition. So he had made sure to have a good supply of throwing blades secreted in the various hidden pockets on the dark nightsuit. Now he just had to get out before Lina and the others noticed.
As he had dressed in the dark, there was no light to snuff out. Quietly, opening the window of his room, Zel waited until a cloud passed over the full moon. Then he slipped out, landing quietly on the ground below.
"Told you so."
Someone else grumbled.
Zelgadiss slid the blade in his hand back into its hidden sheath with a resigned sigh.
"Moonlighting, Zel?"
"Funny." Zel looked at Lina. She was also dressed entirely in black without any of the usual fancy ornamentation she wore to proclaim to the world her profession. "What, did someone steal all of your other clothes?"
"Probably the same person who stole yours," Lina retorted. "Trying to cut your partner out of a deal isn't very professional."
"I don't recall ever having a partner."
"Could this wait until later? Amelia and Sylphiel are probably already at that Hector or whatever his name is place."
"Yeah, yeah. Let's go Zel."
"Just where are you going?" he asked as they ran toward Hactoh's mansion.
"Inside with you obviously."
"Do you know anything about resource re-allocation?"
"Resource what? Oh, I get it. Isn't that a mouthful for saying stealing?"
"Don't need to announce it to the world. So then what are Sylphiel and Amelia doing?"
"Sylphiel is playing scared helpless damsel at the front gate and Amelia is giving a justice light show on the west wing."
"So you've figured out where the manuscript is supposed to be."
"Of course," Lina tossed back her hair. "I am a genius after all."
"So how do you propose we get in?"
From the rooftop of the neighboring house, they could see the guards patrolling the perimeter of Hactoh's mansion. Sylphiel was talking to a group of them near the front and in the distance, Amelia's speech of justice was waking up everyone in a city block with its light.
"We're going to fly in of course."
Zelgadiss rolled his eyes but followed. Did she think all thieves could use magic? There were at least three ways that he knew of to break in to a second story window which was what they were heading for. But then, in his old days he wouldn't have chosen to go by the windows if they were all magic locked. He kept an eye out for the guards as Lina unlocked the window.
Like two shadows, they slipped into the mansion's east wing. It was a striking difference to Belzei's home, almost spartan in appearance. Zelgadiss had no problem adjusting to the dim light. Lina however was having a harder time.
Something clicked under her foot.
Zel immediately threw himself forward as the floor beneath dropped.
"Levitation!"
Lina let out a big sigh of relief as she hovered over the open trapdoor.
"Can't you be more careful?" Zel hissed under breath.
"Well, excuse me if I don't have night eyes," Lina retorted in an equally hushed voice.
"Not just that. The Hactoh who owns this house is the son of the previous director of the local Mage's Guild branch. There are probably magical alarms on all of the traps."
"If they were smart, they would have added them on all of the magic locked windows and doors as well."
"Intruders!" rang the call down the hallway.
"Great," Zel growled. "You set off the trap, you deal with them."
"Where are you going?" she demanded.
"To collect what I came here for."
"You think I'm just a distraction?!"
"No."
Lina calmed down a bit.
"You are a distraction."
"Why you - " A Fireball was forming in Lina's hands.
"Try not to set off any more alarms."
"Fireball!" Lina fried the first four guards coming down the hallway. That was fine with her. She needed to work out some frustration and trashing the bad guys physically was always better than magically.
"She's just a little girl," rallied one of the guards.
"But she used magic!"
"Don't worry about that," Lina growled. "I can beat you all up just fine without magic."
And she proceeded to do exactly that. Lina once again gave a silent apology to her father who was the one who taught her how to fight. Wouldn't he be happy that daddy's baby girl wasn't using that blasphemous magic.
"You are all a bunch of wimps!"
Lina stormed off to find Zel, leaving behind a pile of severely beaten, and some burned, guards. He was probably heading straight for the Clair Bible manuscript. When she got her hands on him...
"Was that an explosion?"
"Explosion? I don't recall hearing anything." Behind her back, Sylphiel was crossing her fingers. Lina-san should be more careful. Wasn't Zelgadiss-san keeping her in check?
"Leave it to those house guards. They need to earn their keep. Besides, we have something much more interesting out here."
All of the guards nodded. Sylphiel sweatdropped as she began to step back. Okay, maybe she took that helpless damsel thing a bit too far. What these men had in mind probably was not her personal safety at the moment.
"It's very late and I think I see one of my friends over there. Bye now." Sylphiel quickly turned to escape but one of them roughly grabbed her arm.
"Hey now sweetheart, no need to rush. We'll all take care of you," he leered in close. Yuck, bad breath.
"No thank you," Sylphiel said firmly. "Let go of my arm."
"Perhaps you want me to - "
The usually very mild-mannered priestess slapped him hard across the face. Then she jabbed the side of her hand into his neck, causing him to let go. Lina had given her a very rigorous course on self-defense. Right now was the time to run.
"Get her!"
Maybe she could lose them down an alley.
"My, my. What do we have here?"
The guards and Sylphiel looked at the third party. In the darkness, Sylphiel could only make out that he had hair cut around his shoulders and carried a staff. Whoever he was, he came to a stop between the guards and their prey.
"Who the hell are you?"
"Me?" The man pointed to himself. Suddenly, light illuminated from that hand to reveal a young man with purple hair. "Why, I'm just a mysterious priest," he smiled cheerfully.
"Whatever. Don't get in our way!" The guards tried to get past him but the self-proclaimed mysterious priest shook his finger.
"Ah, ah. I'm afraid I can't do that." The priest continued to smile. "And I would recommend that you do not cross me. It could be detrimental to your health."
"Six against one?" scoffed one of the guards.
"Then at least will you allow me the first blow?"
"What a joker."
Gourry ran through the dark city streets, finally waking up and realizing that he was very late. It was odd. He didn't feel particularly sleepy so why had he been napping? Lina was going to kill him if she found out. There was the mansion up ahead and was that Sylphiel?
"Hey, Syl...phiel..." Gourry's call trailed off as it was obvious that the priestess was too busy paying attention to something else. The light spell hovering in the air made it quite easy to see what was going on. Some hired swords, probably guards for the mansion, were getting the whipping of a lifetime at the hands of a man with a wooden staff.
Gourry's eyes narrowed. That man...
"I did warn you not to cross me," the priest reminded the guards laying on the street. His smile never wavered. "Are you alright, miss?"
"Yes, thank you."
"Hey, Sylphiel."
"Gourry-sama!"
"Is the friend that you said you saw? Well then, I can leave in an unworried state of mind."
"Who are you?" Gourry asked, using that completely clueless face that was guaranteed to drive Lina up the wall.
"Just a mysterious priest. Good night."
He walked down the street away from the mansion.
"Did he do anything to you?"
"Eh?" Sylphiel was surprised that Gourry-sama was concerned, though she was very happy that he was. "Nothing. He saved me from those men."
Gourry winced in chagrin. "Ah, I'm sorry. I would have been here sooner but I fell asleep."
"That is very like you, Gourry-sama," Sylphiel giggled.
"So what about everyone else?"
"Lina-san and Zelgadiss-san are already inside I think. There was some disturbance in the mansion early, which I took as my cue to leave. Amelia-san is probably still preaching on the west end."
"Still? We'd better get her. Knowing Lina, she'd probably be due for a big explosion soon," Gourry sighed as he began to run to get Amelia.
"Perhaps Zelgadiss-san will keep her from doing that?"
Gourry and Sylphiel looked at each other. They picked up their pace. Soon they reached the western wing where Amelia was supposed to be creating a distraction. But where was she?
"Ya-ho! Gourry-san! Sylphiel-san!" Amelia yelled, running up to them.
"Will you be quiet! Decent people are trying to sleep here!!" screamed a person before slamming the window shut.
"Amelia-san, are you alright?"
Amelia nodded. "I and my ally of good soundly punished the evil guards who sought to silence the voice of justice."
"Ally?"
"Yes, he's right over...there?"
There was no one behind Amelia. She scratched her head.
"He was just here."
"Who, Amelia?"
"Hmmm, I don't know his name but he said he was a mysterious priest."
"Mysterious priest?!" Sylphiel and Gourry both exclaimed.
"You know him?"
"Well, we met someone who also called himself a mysterious priest. Would he have purple hair, a wooden staff, and a permanent smile?"
"Hai."
"Maybe he ran very fast over here?" Sylphiel suggested.
"Maybe." But Gourry didn't really buy that explanation. For one thing, the priest hadn't even been heading in this direction. Second, it was too big of a coincidence that he happened to save both Sylphiel and Amelia. "I hope Lina and Zel finish up soon."
He smelled it first. The smell of roasted meat. Or maybe that was fried. Differentiating smells had never been his strong point.
"Well, here you are," Lina grumbled.
"Took you long enough," Zel replied calmly.
"Mr. I'm-a-great-mage here," Lina disdainfully kicked the unconscious guard at her feet. "Actually tried to fry me with a Fireball but blackened an entire hallway instead. This Mr. Hactoh needs a good talk with whomever is doing the employee hiring."
"There's a fifty-fifty chance that he's behind this door," Zel muttered, studying the lock and then pulling out the appropriate lockpick.
"What are you doing?"
"Picking the lock of course."
"It wasn't magic locked?"
"It was. Now it isn't."
"Where did you learn how to pick locks?"
"A long time ago." Something clicked. "Still haven't lost it."
"What, your mind?"
"Someone is bitter tonight."
"Let's go!" Lina hurried.
"I'm surprised Hactoh hasn't woken up yet," Zel muttered, easing the doors open. "Looks like a bedroom."
Lina poked her head in. "Of course. The room where the manuscript is locked up can only be reached from Hactoh's bedroom."
"The roasted guard?"
"Fried. I used a Mono Volt."
"That must be the door."
"Magic locked?" If it wasn't, Lina would have been surprised.
Zel frowned, running a hand above the magical lock. "Yeah, but it isn't responding to the Unlock spell."
"You're probably just too weak. Let a real genius through."
But the lock didn't dispel for her either.
"What were you saying about 'real genius'?"
"Be quiet. It's probably tied to Hactoh then or some special item that only he knows."
"You aren't seriously considering waking him up are you?"
Lina had already grabbed the sleeping Hactoh by the nightshirt and was shaking him like crazy.
"Get up, you low-down scum of a book thief! This great beautiful genius sorceress Lina Inverse is going to make you pay!!"
"Must you always announce yourself?"
"Wh-who are you?" Hactoh stammered, sleep still floating in his eyes.
"Don't play dumb! Open that door and all of the other locks to the manuscript you stole and you'll be lucky to live until tomorrow!"
"Manuscript?"
"Yes, manuscript! Do I need to spell it out for you?" Lina yelled, giving Hactoh a hard shake.
"There aren't any stolen manuscript in there!"
"Eh?"
Hactoh looked between the two black garbed people in his room. "Wait, just how did you get past all of the guards, magic locks, and custom locks?"
"Don't avoid the question! What do you mean you don't have the stolen manuscript? Didn't you steal the Clair Bible manuscript?"
"Why would I steal what I already own?"
"Let him go," Zel told Lina. "Explain."
Hactoh straightened out his nightshirt. "What is there to explain? If you already know I have a Clair Bible manuscript."
"We were told it was stolen by you."
"It's been in my family for generations. I'm the one who should be worried about it being stolen!"
"Someone is lying. The question is who?"
"Perhaps the better question is whether there really is a manuscript here," Zel corrected.
"Of course it's here."
"Are you sure?"
"I can show you."
Hactoh pulled on a robe and unlocked the door that neither Zel nor Lina could open earlier. The door opened to a room lined with books on all walls. Lina couldn't help whistling at the collection. Some of these books only existed in several countries in the entire peninsula.
"My family has always collected and protected magical knowledge in this room," Hactoh explained, moving to a spell-locked cabinet.
"By keeping it away from the eyes of everyone else?" Lina asked archly.
"No. This room is only used for emergencies like now. There have been a rash of book thefts as of late and all of them were ones rumored to be nearly a thousand years old."
"A thousand years old? The Kouma War."
"And the Clair Bible and its manuscripts," Lina finished with a scowl. "Either Hactoh or Belzei is playing us for fools."
Hactoh paused in his unlocking of the cabinet. "Belzei? Who is that?"
"That's your rival merchant across town!"
"No, I don't know anyone of that name," Hactoh frowned. "Though there is a large manor over there that is rented out to whomever has the money."
"Seems like we found our culprit."
"I'm going to wring every gold coin out of his fat hide," Lina growled, flames flickering around her.
"Don't worry about them," Zel reassured Hactoh who was worriedly looking at the books near her. "It's purely illusionary in nature."
"If you say so. That's the last lock."
"Finally!" Lina hadn't seen a manuscript for a very long time.
Hactoh opened the cabinet to reveal the plain leather bound book nestled inside.
"Can I see it?" Zelgadiss asked.
"It is pretty fragile so...what?!"
Before their three astonished pairs of eyes, the manuscript spontaneously burst into flames and reduced to ashes. It had happened so quickly that none of them had been able to try to douse the fire.
"Wha-what happened?!" Lina screamed. "Hactoh you - "
"It wasn't me!" he protested. "I know as much as you do. Nothing!"
"All I know is that the manuscript is now dust and one of you has been using me like a fool and I don't like being used as a fool!!" Lina grabbed Hactoh and dragged him behind her. "I'm going to get answers and I'm going to get them now!"
"Just where do you think you're going?"
"Dam Bras!" Lina blew a human sized whole in the wall of the bedroom. "I'm taking both of them!"
She flew off to the other side of town with Hactoh alternating between yelling at her or clinging to her arm to prevent himself from falling. Zel noticed two other people with a third between them also rising from the ground and following Lina. With a shrug, he followed. At best, he may learn what happened. At worst, Lina would destroy the city with a Dragu Slave.
Another pair of eyes, unseen by everyone else, watched their progress. What thoughts ran behind them were a secret. This had been a most amusing night, even with following orders. Perhaps it could only get better?
Something exploded on the other side of town.
Oh yes, it smiled. Things probably could get better.
It was a new day and once again, Lina was angrily stuffing herself full of food. Everyone except Zelgadiss looked a bit worse for wear and a bit more than that angry at Lina.
"Lina-san, that was mean!" Amelia pouted.
"It's not my fault you couldn't get out of the way in time."
"You should have warned us!"
"Humph. Since it wasn't a Dragu Slave, you should be thanking me for my consideration!"
"You caught Hactoh, Belzei, the house, and everyone else in that Mega Brando. No matter what spell it is, it's still going to hurt."
"Shut up, Zel."
"But what made you so angry, Lina-san?" Sylphiel asked.
Lina didn't answer but just fiercely attacked her food.
"She was probably so embarrassed at being wrong that to cover it up, she made everyone think about something else." Zel answered for Lina.
"Who asked you!" Lina snapped.
"So, what did you learn from that Belly or whatever guy?" Gourry asked timidly, not wanting to incur Lina the Fiercesome's wrath.
"He was the fake," Lina grumbled. "Apparently, he's one of many people going around trying to collect ancient manuscripts that are possibly manuscripts of the Clair Bible."
"Blair what?"
"Clair! Clair Bible! Legends say that it contains the infinite knowledge of the destroyed Water Dragon King! And don't ask me what the Water Dragon King is either!"
"Uh okay."
"But it isn't the actual Clair Bible that we were looking for," Zel continued Lina's explanation. "There are supposedly many manuscripts of the contents of the Clair Bible and not all of them contain the same passages. That is what most people search for. But I never heard that legend that the Clair Bible is from the Water Dragon King's knowledge."
"Eh?" Lina sweatdropped. "Um, well, I heard it a long time ago. When I was very young." Just don't ask how young.
"You are certainly very well informed."
"Who?!"
Seated behind everyone at his own table was a purple-haired man who was familiar to everyone but Lina.
"You!"
"That mysterious priest from last night!"
"That ally of good!"
Zelgadiss kept a very tight grip on his sword and a tighter grip on himself. How could this Mazoku be here? The one that killed Zolf and Rodimus and nearly killed him. Why was it here? Did it recognize him?
"Just who is he?" Lina demanded.
"I'm very sorry not to have introduced myself yet," bowed the man, placing his cup of hot milk on the table. "I am the mysterious priest."
"I was looking for a name."
"Then you may call me...Xelloss."
"Xelloss huh? And just why were you eavesdropping on our conversation?"
"Oh I wasn't. I just couldn't help overhearing that you are also searching for the Clair Bible manuscripts."
"You know something about them?"
"A little. You see, my church was guarding one of the manuscripts but it was recently stolen so I was sent to find it and deal with the thieves."
"Really." Zelgadiss crossed his arms, completely not believing Xelloss's story. What Mazoku would belong to a church anyway.
"Stolen huh? Not the only one it seems. Do you have any clues?"
"Actually, I just received one today," Xelloss smiled. "It seems that there is a large reward going out for any authentic old manuscripts. The people offering it call themselves the Western Church of Saint Ajura."
"Western Church?!" Lina nearly shrieked.
"Oh, you know of it?"
"Uh no, not at all," Lina lied.
"But didn't that other guy - "
Lina quickly covered Gourry's mouth.
"What was he saying?"
"Oh nothing, nothing. Gourry was just going to say that the other guy we found last night who was trying to steal a manuscript claimed he was working on his own," Lina laughed nervously.
"But it is very dangerous for me to go alone and seeing as how you have the same aims as myself, perhaps I could hire you to help?"