Night.
Van looked up at the neon sign that said "Dorothy's House".
The neon signs shine in pink, but it's definitely not that kind of shop.
This is a fortune-telling shop.
Van entered the store mindful of his surroundings.
Fees are paid in advance. There was a man in the reception who gave his name and presented the receipt, and he was immediately taken to the waiting room.
I paid in advance because the price here is not an amount that I can easily bring here and pay.
If you bring cash, you'll need to hire a few people to carry the attachment case and a bodyguard.
Healing music was quietly flowing in the waiting room. There are no other customers.
Van sat down on the sofa and then took the report from Guren's Knight - the investigation report of the Forest of Despair - out of his bag.
I have read it many times, but I will only read it again in preparation for the fortune-telling that will take place.
--Two facts were discovered.
Let's start with one. Named monster, Yuha.
I tend to hide in the shadow of the demonic monkey Karamity Barel, but that serpent-shaped monster Yuha is also a considerable threat by world standards.
It was discovered that Yuha lived with her head alone.
Although there should have been only Karamity Barel in the woods who could have cut the body of the serpent, the scars on the serpent were very sharp, as if they had been scratched with their nails at the same time.
It is obvious that it is not the magical monkey's trick.
In that case, it would be natural to think that it was the monster who defeated the monkey.
What we can see from this is that it has an attack method that can cut off the body of Yuha - for example, a huge nail or magic similar to it - and it has a property that was missed without killing while cutting it off.
Another report is that there were traces of intelligent life lurking in the hole leading to the dungeon.
The floor was covered with a leafy carpet, the "carpet", and there was something like a pillow that was supposed to be made of plants.
The craftsmanship was delicate and a substitute that could not be made without dexterity and intelligence.
Though it may have belonged to past adventurers, it was clear that the leaves and stems had not yet rotted and had been made recently. In fact, I saw Van, but it was exactly as described in the report.
I can deduce from the missed serpent and from this trail that there was an extremely intelligent monster.
Depending on the need and size of the pillow, it can also be thought that it is close to humans.
The attack force turned that area into a wilderness.
I'm sure Van isn't the only one who reads this report and thinks of the Dragon Man.
The ice cream ice field has a different trail.
Worst of all, it is natural to think that something else has emerged.
If you're a dragon man, nod no matter how much you look for it, you won't find it. He's like a human being, lurking somewhere.
"--Thank you for waiting. Please open the door and proceed inside."
The speaker heard a woman's voice and Van cut out his thoughts.
When I put the report in my bag, as I was told, I opened the door behind the waiting room and went inside.
The room was dark and smelled as if it had burned incense.
A woman in a triangle hat is sitting in the middle of a room.
She is the witch of fortune, Dorothy. It is the world's leading unique key holder.
"Come on, have a seat."
My hat is shadowy and I can't see my face, but it's a younger voice than I thought.
Van sat across from her, as the witch told him.
A map of this country is spread out on the table.
"You're looking for something, aren't you?
"Yes, I'm looking for monsters and humans."
"I see. Isyo, do you bring more?
Yeah.
Van took two things out of the bag in a clear bag.
One is a pillow that the monsters mentioned above thought to have made.
The other is a bear stuffed toy that was left in the house of Charlotte the Witch in the box "Hako".
If the object was a creature, it needed something deeply related to that creature.
Although the conditions are vague, as a reference, I was told in advance that if there is something that the subject has touched for a long time in the past few months, it may occupy.
So Van brought in these two items.
Of course, the bear's stuffed animal has been scientifically proven to be the one that Charlotte recently touched.
"Well then, this way...."
Van took them out of the bag and handed them over to the witch.
The witch touched the pillow and the stuffed animal for a while, then reached over the map.
Then...
"This is...."
A part of the map shined.
I didn't feel the magic waves. Is this her unique skill?
"There must be something to look for around this glorious area."
The brightest center is the city.
"This is the Adventurer City of Merrill Star?"
But this is the only point that shines. It seems that either fortunetelling has failed.
Van thought so.
"Who are the monsters or the humans?
That's what I asked. But the answer I returned was different from what I expected.
"... fortune-telling is both successful. So you're both there."
Van exclaimed.
Is there such a coincidence?
Drop your eyes on the map again.
This is where the Forest of Despair is located, and Merrill Star is east of it...
And the place where Sujaradra was sealed is at its midpoint.
Van remembered something.
There was a report the other day that Charlotte was saying strange things from someone who was watching Charlotte.
She heard a strange call from a witch at night.
I made a friend. He says he'll take down the monster, so can I unseal it?
There was a report that the witch was saying that.
- Yes, that's not all.
Van felt the pieces of the puzzle assemble one after another.
In that mansion, there was another painting that Charlotte could not have painted in any way - a painting of a design that could not have been imagined by normal sensitivities.
I didn't even notice at that time, but now I wonder if that was a picture of another existence?
That crazy combination of shapes. I can be convinced if it is not a human drawing.
Moreover, when the brave rhinoceros arrived, the seal on Sujaradra had already been lifted.
Perhaps that's not a lie either...
It's hard to believe, but every situation tells the story. Definitely.
A monster from the Forest of Despair, most likely a Dragon Man, is with the witch in the box.
Van felt something terrible running through his body.
"Um, that's the end of divination. I'm sorry it took so long, but there's nothing more to know."
"- Yeah, I'm sorry. Useful information."
Van got up.
After thanking her, she left the room and left the store.
Much shorter than eating, I spent enough money to buy a luxury car.
But what I got instead is huge.
Merrill Star.
There must have been that freak in that city.
--I don't want to rely on that, but I can do my job.
I will ask for a confidential investigation. Find the Dragon Man and the Witch of the Box.
... oh, my God.
Van sighed heavily as he was still busy.