Chapter 505 – Maze
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The city was sparkling with all kinds of colorful lights, creating a nighttime atmosphere.
We headed to the hotel first.
The room was taken as one.
Veronica wanted it.
Of course, not to share the same bed with me.
Is that advantageous in maintaining secrecy or something? .
“I didn’t know it would be such a luxurious trip…”
Veronica, who entered the hotel’s suite, said so and took out a detector that looked like a pistol from her bag, and she began moving around and scanning the suite’s orbs.
I guess they’re trying to find a wiretapping device or something.
I also tried spreading the word, but there was nothing like that.
“Is there a need to do this? It seems okay, so why don’t you take a break?”
“Mr. Bark! You’re so far back! Don’t you know how dangerous we are doing?!”
Veronica flashed her eyes and shouted at me.
“…”
She was scolded for even saying something to rest.
“Father, President Veronica is right. No matter how careful you are when fighting a great evil, it will not be enough.”
I gave Chaos a look that said, ‘You know, right?’, But she was pretending not to notice.
There was no one on my side.
“As expected of Chaos! You are my successor! Mr. Bark. I hope you take after your daughter. We don’t know anything about them. We don’t know how they will attack us. Furthermore, we have to prepare in advance.”
“…”
Since when did Chaos become Veronica’s successor? Is Chaos aiming for the position of president of the mystery research club?
Abandoning your father for power.
But isn’t it a father’s heart to be lenient and understanding even for such an obnoxious daughter?
I decided to step back.
Even if I won, there was a high possibility that it would be a fight that would only leave scars.
And even if Chaos agrees with my opinion, I don’t think Veronica will even listen.
She seemed like the type of person who wouldn’t believe it unless she saw it. In that case, it’s best to let her do whatever she wants.
It’s not that I’m having a hard time, it’s that I’m having a hard time.
Veronica’s eccentricities did not stop there.
A strange silver tent-like thing was installed in the center of the suite living room.
“Please come in here.”
Veronica comes out and calls Chaos into the silver tent.
“It’ll be okay here.”
As we enter the silver tent, Veronica unfolds a map on the table in the center.
At a glance, it looked like a map of this city.
Veronica points with her finger to the place where the place name Wrightville, west of Selby, is written.
And then I started briefing.
“Wrightville is a village created for the purpose of dark forest tourism. We must act as inconspicuously as possible. We don’t take camping cars because they are too flashy. There is a shuttle bus that goes to Wrightville. We will take it to Wrightville.”
“Is that the destination?”
“No. Our destination will be further west… Into the Dark Forest.”
“What’s in the west?”
Veronica was silent for a moment, caught her weight, and then opened her mouth.
“Helena’s Secret Laboratory.”
Finally, some interesting information came out.
“Is Helena there?”
“Probably not.”
“… Then?”
“We have to look for clues there.”
One question occurred to me.
“Veronica, how do you know all this when you say you’ve never left Zephia?”
“Huh… It’s finally time to bring out the story I’ve been hiding. Mr. Bark, if you hear this story, you may not be able to take it back. Still, will you listen?”
Veronica asked me with her serious face.
… Honestly, that’s not what I wanted to hear.
If she doesn’t want to talk, it’s just a guess.
But… Veronica was looking at me passionately with a burdened expression, full of her desire to tell her story.
When she saw that, she felt like she shouldn’t refuse.
“… Yeah, yeah. I’d like you to hear it.”
Upon receiving my permission, Veronica opened her mouth as if she had been waiting.
“… I understand. My mother was the one who originally investigated Helena.”
“Your mother?”
“Yes, my mother, who was interested in Helena, went to Selby to investigate Helena 11 years ago. And…”
“… Could it be… Dead? Or missing?”
“No. I’m doing well at home. I guess you’re rolling around on the sofa watching a drama right now?”
“Well, that’s right…”
As if laughing at my prediction, Veronica’s mother was doing well.
“She need not be so disappointed. Her mother has changed since she went to Selby. She no longer cares about Helena.”
“… Have you been mentally manipulated?”
“Yes, I guess they were probably hit by something similar. Tampering with the human mind is a serious crime. But they did it without thinking. Mr. Bark, now you know how dangerous they are.”
Veronica’s expression was calm.
But I could feel a subtle anger in her eyes.
“If it’s a serious crime… Have you reported it to the Zefia Public Safety Office?”
The Zeppia Police Agency was famous for suppressing crime better than any other city.
Perhaps the demons also pay more attention since it is their capital.
“I tried, but it was no use. It was so cleverly done that even the hospital said it was normal. My testimony was the only thing that proved that my mother was abnormal. Of course, that wasn’t enough to move the police. I thought, Indeed, Was the test carried out properly? Could it have been a cover-up? If so, it’s terrifying. Mr. Bark, do you know now how dangerous we are? .”
Veronica’s excessive suspicion seemed to have originated from her mother’s affair.
“By any chance… You don’t believe me?”
After finishing her story, Veronica looked at me and asked.
“… Of course, I believe it.”
Actually, I just thought it was like that.
Still, you can pay lip service to her likeability.
“As expected! My eyes weren’t wrong!”
Veronica seems glad that I told her that she trusted me. The way he looked at me seemed to have become a little softer.
“Then… What information do you know about Helena…”
“Yes, this is the material my mother researched at the time. There was quite a bit left at home. I started researching based on that. Fortunately, I was able to find my mother’s Selby investigation plan as well. For now, we plan to proceed according to the same plan as my mother. Mr. Bark, do you have any other opinions? If there is a better way, please feel free to tell me.”
This is my first time coming to a city called Selvi, and this is the first time I’ve heard of Veronica’s plan.
There was no way I had anything to say.
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We took a nap at the hotel and took the shuttle bus to Wrightville as planned.
Wrightville was a pretty town surrounded by a dark forest.
It was crowded with quite a lot of tourists.
The village was made up of bungalow-like buildings, and it gave the impression that it was a village built for tourism.
Just like in the city, here, too, the streets were brightened with all kinds of lights, so I couldn’t feel any discomfort from the darkness at all.
Our group broke away from the crowd of tourists and followed Veronica to a quiet place.
“It looks familiar even though it’s my first time here.”
“I’ve been to the virtual reality road view a few times, so I’m familiar with it.”
If it’s a road view in virtual reality, the sense of reality will be no joke. I also understood that Veronica was so good at finding her way.
If you think about it, if you use a virtual reality capsule, you might be able to see many famous tourist attractions…
Nevertheless, seeing so many tourists, it seems that fake can’t beat the real thing.
The border between the village and the forest.
I saw a low barricade and a sign hanging there.
“Danger. No entry allowed. Control area.”
Veronica came out in front of him and looked at Chaos and said.
“I’ve done a thorough investigation, but from here on out, it’s unknown territory even for me. This is my last chance. I won’t begrudge you even if you die here.”
For the first time, I found a clue that could be related to Helena.
I’ve come this far, how do I get back to work?
To me, this wasn’t even a risk in the first place.
“How could I leave you behind? Now we are in the same boat.”
“Heh, President Veronica, we didn’t come here with half-hearted determination.”
“Mr. Bark, Chaos… I feel like I’ve finally met the right colleague.”
Veronica looked a little touched by Chaos and I’s answer. She then rummages through her backpack and gives me and Chaos a pistol each.
“It is a self-defense gun with no lethal power. I know that there are wild beasts in the Dark Forest. Although it is a self-defense gun, it will be effective against wild beasts as well.”
It wasn’t necessary, but I accepted it considering Veronica’s sincerity.
So we entered the Dark Forest, each carrying a pistol and Veronica leading the way.
The forest at night is quite dark.
But the Dark Forest was not dark.
Trees that look like I’ve never seen before.
The tree itself was sparkling everywhere, as if it were a Christmas tree.
Since the numerous trees provided their own soft lighting, it seemed that even if an ordinary human were to move through the forest, there would not be much visual discomfort.
Did you walk for an hour or two?
Veronica, who was walking confidently in front of her, stops.
“Uh, hey… Mr. Bark.”
“…?”
After meeting me, President Veronica’s voice, which was always holding a heavy weight, felt fragile for the first time.
“I think I’m lost. What should I do?”
Veronica told me her sad news in a hushed voice, her face blushing as if she were embarrassed.
“…”
The mystery research club got lost in the middle of the dark forest.
