Lances and Daggers

22. The Client

After the short battle, Demetrius and I rejoined Marie and Reinfried. The four of us traversed the forest, heading to the place that Demetrius had called his "hideout." Occasionally, we heard a noise somewhere in the thickets, and the wild birds flew toward the sky. These two signs betrayed the location of our pursuers, and we adjusted our path to avoid them—just as caravans do to evade brigands.

In the end, we arrived at a clearing, the perfect spot for a camp. No matter how I looked at it, it seemed artificial. There was nothing to prevent the trees from growing or the bushes from mushrooming, yet not a single seed germinated in the area.

"This is the place," Demetrius said.

Pausing for a moment, he recited an incantation. A magic circle covered the ground of the entire clearing. Then a small house appeared in front of us, fading in like a phantom. It was nothing but a wooden shack, yet it was impressive how Demetrius had concealed it with magic. It made me wonder again: who was this man, and why was he here in Ashenbrook?

He pushed the flimsy door open and entered. Reinfried followed, looking above his head as he passed through. And Marie and I walked in last, holding hands because she was afraid. The door closed on its own, and Demetrius said, "The shack is invisible again. We're safe here."

Marie sat on a chair, while I jumped on the desk next to it and settled there. Reinfried, who seemed exhausted, chose the corner of the room. He lay down and said, "I'll take a breather, but I'll be listening."

Demetrius watched us settle down without any apparent intention to do the same. Then, increasingly restive, he paced across the room like a prowling feline. When I tried to say something, he stopped in front of me, took a deck of tarot cards out, and began to shuffle them. As the cards moved swiftly in his hands, he met my eyes and said, "Who are you?"

"I'll have to ask you the same question, Demetrius."

"Are you really an adventurer from the guild?"

"Yeah."

"But you're a Void Mage."

"I just discovered that today. I answered your question, so tell me who you are."

Demetrius picked a tarot card. It was The Magician. After he flashed it, he returned it to the deck and said with a mischievous smile, "I'm a professor of the history and theory of magic. I work for the Imperial School of the Elements."

"A professor? At your age?"

"It's not rare. The school favors talent and ability."

"Hmm." It took me some time to picture Demetrius in a lecture hall. "Do you wear this weird hat because you're a professor?"

"Weird? I thought it was fashionable."

"Yes, it's very fashionable," I said quickly.

"I'm hurt!"

"Come on, it's futuristic! Anyway, what's a magic professor doing here?"

"I'm the one who submitted the quest to the guild."

"You're the client."

"Yes. I was studying the Cult of Belphegor as part of my research. I came here to access Faust's library, but when I arrived, I heard about the disappearances and the rumors."

"And you realized what was happening."

"Yes. I hid my real identity and submitted the quest, hoping that professionals would arrive to investigate. But the guild officials sent you."

"Well, I'm sorry it was me!"

"The stars had misaligned," Demetrius said. "I couldn't trust a kid like you."