The interior they entered following the guidance was filled with savory smells as expected. Olive oil, chili, bacon, butter, various spices. Though he couldn't tell the main menu from those mixed aromas, the chef seemed skilled. From beyond the door at the far end of the corridor, noisy sounds could be heard as if there were many customers even at this hour.
Having confirmed that most shops were closed today, the contrasting atmospheres inside and outside the building felt alien, as if dividing the world.
"Wait, wipe off the moisture before coming in."
The woman leading the way turned around and pointed to the mat laid on the floor. Soon she went up the steep stairs beside it, rather than the long corridor.
Leonardo, who had stopped walking briefly, pretended to rub his feet while appropriately drying off the rainwater. Even so, not knowing where the woman was leading him, he remained tense throughout following her.
Creak, creak. The crying sound of the old wooden stairs was somewhat muffled by absorbing moisture. After quietly climbing about two floors, another door appeared, and soon a dim attic was revealed.
The ceiling height itself was high enough to stand fully upright with back and neck straight. The woman only closed the door firmly and lit the lamp after bringing both people inside.
"How do you know the old man?"
She asked while bending down to pull out a chest hidden under the table. Though it looked quite heavy and seemed burdensome to pull out alone, it didn't appear particularly difficult.
Watching her unlock even the padlock with a key, Leonardo glanced at Tergio. When he nodded once, Leonardo looked forward again and spoke.
"I stopped by the magic shop before. I did some business then, and received some help too."
"What kind of help?"
"...That's a bit difficult to say. Is this also part of the verification process?"
At the somewhat sharp-sounding question, the woman who was about to open the chest stopped her hand and looked up. Leonardo, lowering his eyes, added.
"I still don't know anything about you."
"Ah, I see. I thought you already knew since you two are companions. My name is Dott. As you can see from the nameplate, I'm the owner here."
"...."
"And don't speak so stiffly. I didn't let you in because I wanted to either."
At the equally sharp answer, one of Leonardo's eyebrows rose.
"If it wasn't for the old man's request, I would have turned away that person too when he came."
Dott said while glancing at Tergio. Leonardo's gaze naturally shifted as well, but Tergio only shrugged without any particular response.
"That old man made a request? What? Before he died?"
Leonardo bent his legs to match her eye level. Dott answered somewhat cynically but fairly kindly.
"Of course he made the request while alive. Just two days ago. He said when he dies, the owner of that card would come from outside, and told me to give it to them then. While asking me not to tell the Council or anyone else."
As she finished speaking and flipped back the chest's lid, reflected lamplight momentarily covered their vision with dazzling brightness. Both Leonardo and Tergio simultaneously squinted and turned their heads.
"Oh, sorry. I should have warned you beforehand."
An immediate apology followed, but the tone wasn't particularly apologetic. Inside were strangely shaped charms, fancy ornaments, and parchments that one might have seen at least once in Grimbleton's shop. The metals and gems attached to the ornaments sparkled brilliantly, holding light despite being covered in dust.
'Could he have meant to give me all of this?'
As he looked on puzzled, Dott pulled out an envelope sealed with wax from among them. The envelope's surface bulged as if something other than paper was inside.
"Take it, it's what he left for you."
She said, mimicking Leonardo's stiff way of speaking as she handed it over. Then she also pulled out an amulet made from Siculus mineral. It was the amulet Leonardo had made for the shop owner before leaving the magic shop.
"This is..."
Leonardo, having received the two items, fingered the envelope's outer surface and asked.
"What's inside?"
"I don't know the details either. I didn't open it. I only heard it was some kind of address."
'Address?'
The voice of the shop owner, who had promised to introduce someone versed in curses, suddenly crossed his mind. Had he kept his promise before dying? Leonardo asked Dott in a low voice.
"...Besides you, who else knows about these items?"
"Since the old man passed away, it would just be you two besides me. Why, going to kill me?"
Saying something terrifying as if it were nothing, Dott closed the chest again and locked it. Leonardo furrowed his brow and moved his lips as if dumbfounded.
"What do you take us for?"
"It's a joke."
The woman's joke code seemed a bit strange as she chuckled. Dott added that she had neither reason nor desire to disclose the requested matter elsewhere, so he could rest assured about that.
"Is this all you have to tell me? What about the other things inside?"
"Don't be greedy, those are what he left for me. He said the item left for you has strong energy and needs to be sealed with charms. That's why it was placed together with other charms."
Strong energy? Leonardo tilted his head. To this, Dott continued as if explaining.
"Since you said you've been to the old man's shop, you know what the atmosphere inside was like, right? Honestly, there were many creepy things too. It's better to be careful."
"...You, no. What exactly was your relationship with the old man? Why did he ask you to do this?"
"Hmm, would it be difficult to answer?"
Leonardo was momentarily at a loss for words. Dott straightened her bent legs and stood up, brushing off the dust on her apron with both hands.
"He was like a father to me. He treated me like a daughter too. I don't have family."
"...Ah."
"Though I didn't do it expecting this kind of repayment, I always took care of his meals. Even though he always complained about the side dishes, he came down here regularly. It's been 10 years already, so he must have trusted me a lot."
Watching the chest go back under the tablecloth, Leonardo recalled the story he had heard from Signe. Including Grimbleton who had treated her like a daughter, the people of this town had all taken care of war orphans together.
He wondered if the woman before him also had such pain, but he couldn't muster the courage to ask. He didn't particularly want to know either.
Instead, Leonardo brought up something he had been curious about all along.
"I heard the residents talking outside. That you were the first witness to the incident. ...How did the old man pass away? It seems like he anticipated his death day, so did he take his own life or was he threatened by someone..."
"He wasn't that kind of person. Though people might call him eccentric, he wouldn't do anything to earn resentment, and he had such a strong mind. Moreover, when I first found him collapsed, I didn't even know the situation was serious. He was lying on the shop floor with both hands placed on his stomach. As if he were sleeping."
Dott, who had finished organizing by lowering the tablecloth, approached near the small window in the attic. Though gloomy, the light coming from outside softly illuminated her face.
"I remember what he said during meals recently. 'I think I've finally finished all the things I had to do'... He always used to say he had the fate of wanting to die but not being able to. But lately, he said he'd been having good dreams."
Her eyes held both composure and bitterness. The shadow of raindrops flowing down the window ran along her cheek. Though she looked like she was crying, Dott showed no expression.
"Good dreams?"
To Leonardo, who simply asked back, she only continued the story calmly.
"The Mother of this world told him it was okay to rest now. So he felt relieved."
Whoooosh—
For a while, only the fierce sound of rain striking the attic roof echoed. The three people maintained silence for several seconds. Occasionally, the sounds of customers crowded on the first floor rumbled through the floor.
For a first witness, her words and actions were quite composed, which seemed strange. When investigating death cases, there were often cases where witnesses who seemed innocent were actually the real culprits.
He had also harbored suspicions since quite a lot of expensive-looking items from the magic shop were hidden in here. However, judging from the brief conversation they'd shared, this woman didn't seem like she would have harmed him. That old man wouldn't have had poor judgment about people, and deep emotions that couldn't be hidden were evident in her composed-looking profile.
Leonardo stared at her with relatively calm eyes. At the same time, he organized his complex thoughts.
If the circumstances suggest a low probability of murder... was it unrelated to the tail following him?
Did he really pass away when his 'time' came?
When people age, do they gain the ability to sense such things themselves...?
Around then, Dott, who had been looking at the window, turned and approached Leonardo. Then she pushed him toward the door, urging him.
"Now, I've done my job, so please leave. Honestly, I don't want to meet anyone on a day like today, and I especially dislike unknown outsiders."
Leonardo, who had been inadvertently pushed, looked back at her and replied.
"Wait, wait. There's still a lot I haven't heard—"
"I'm tired. Please understand."
"You served the dining customers though."
"Is this the same as that? If I don't run the restaurant, people living alone will starve. Especially on days like today. This is my livelihood, and I have no more business with you. And the Council's investigation team will come soon. Though I'm blameless, I don't want to be suspected of letting in strange people."
Dott reopened the closed door and extended her hand outward.
"Go carefully. And keep quiet about having been here."
When did she ask them to follow, yet now such cold treatment. Leonardo gripped the door frame with an incredulous expression and held his ground. However, soon Tergio placed a hand on his shoulder and gestured as if to say they should leave for now.
"The proprietress is right. If we encounter the Council unnecessarily, it might look suspicious."
He caught Leonardo's hand gripping the door frame and pushed his back. Leonardo moved his mouth as if to protest, but for now had no choice but to step forward.
As he was about to be pushed outside, he hesitated and turned back. Soon he asked in a serious voice.
"...Did he pass away peacefully?"
Tergio frowned as if annoyed. Dott stood behind the two while adjusting her cardigan.
"Only he would know that. But I think so."
Because his final expression looked peaceful, her following voice was small but extremely clear.
Leonardo, who had been standing there blankly, slowly nodded. Soon he stared at the gray sky beyond the window visible behind her.
It seemed the rain honoring the deceased would fall all day.
"Thank you."
Leonardo finally moved his steps.