Paradigm Parasite

Chapter 126: "Persuasion"

It was morning and the hustle and bustle outside had calmed down, albeit somewhat.

Adolfo and I were listening to Pasquale at the breakfast table.

I heard that here and there in the city, officials and knights are going around explaining about last night's incident.

"A hundred people, big magic?"

"Yes, they say it's a preparation for the invasion of another country that they've been preparing for some time."

Is that preparation?

The word preparation is not connected with the thing we saw yesterday.

Adolfo also looks surprised.

"I heard that the favelas have been cleared thanks to the preparations. The rest of the city, to my dismay, is virtually unscathed. At best, they say, there were only a few broken windows. If you believe the rumour, the Darzain nest in Royal Capital has been swept away and the evil has been nipped in the bud, right?"

Pasquale lets out a small breath.

"Well, it's not really our business. That's all we know about yesterday, for now."

She says this and prefaces it with 'Well'.

"What are you guys going to do after this?"

"We are thinking of finding Sister Ettore and talking to her."

"To that woman? I can just imagine her saying, 'I'm not interested, so why don't you do it yourselves' and sending you away."

Adolfo looks indescribable when she hears this.

Pasquale laughs a little when she sees this.

"I can think of a few places she might go. I don't think she's there, but you might be able to find some clues."

"Okay. Thank you for everything, Sister Pasquale."

"It's all right. I'm sure you'll be the head of the family soon and you can make things easier for me."

The sisters laugh at each other.

I felt a warm feeling when I saw them being so friendly.

"Come on! Let's go to Sister Ettore's place!"

After leaving the mansion, we were heading towards the place where the eldest sister, Ettore, often goes.

We had a map drawn up before we left, so there seemed to be no problems with the road.

Even watching from the side, her gait is light.

The fact that she didn't have to fight with her sister seems to have had quite a positive effect on her.

I hope she makes it through the day without incident...

It might be a bit difficult given what's on the way.

The atmosphere around me is changing as I go along.

Some kind of sexy lady is giving a hot look to a man walking by, and a dishevelled-looking uncle is seen holding a woman's shoulder and disappearing into an alleyway. ...... What can I say... it's that kind of place.

"It looks like this place!"

We arrived at a house.

I let Adolfo back down and approach the door.

There is a presence inside. I knock lightly on the door.

"Yes? Who is it?"

A presence approaches with footsteps.

Is it going to be all right?

"Excuse me. I'm looking for someone called Etore, and I heard you might know where to find her."

The door opens and a slightly overweight man comes out.

"Etore? Ah... come to think of it, I haven't seen her recently."

I wonder if she's not here?'

The look on the uncle's face suggests he's not lying...

"Do you have any idea where she's going?"

"Hmm. I'm sorry, but I don't know. I heard she'd been doing well recently, so I heard she might have hooked up with a new guy or something."

... nothing to report.

We thanked him and left the place.

"We struck out this time, but there's more than one place we've been told about! Let's go on to the next one!"

Adolfo walks away, not particularly discouraged.

Her expression is full of motivation and somewhat smiling.

I hope we can find it at this rate -.

"............"

--I've been thinking...

I thought so as I looked at Adolfo, who had completely lost her speech.

Unfortunately, all the places we were told about were struck out.

We couldn't find Ettore.

However, it is a relief that it was not a complete waste of time as I was able to hear what they had to say.

It was the common understanding of the people we asked that she must have found a new place to live, as she had been doing well for a while.

The woman, Ettore, was exactly as Pasquale had described her: a spendthrift, and her family had thrown her out early on.

I thought she might come back and cry because she was penniless and couldn't do anything, but to my surprise, she said she was living an elegant life, moving from one man's place to another, not just eating and drinking.

She is an amazing person....

She is a very great person who does not work and lives only on other people's bread, and she does it without using her status, but only on her own charm.

"...Where did big sister go..."

Seeing Adolfo's shoulders drop, I break off my thoughts.

"If we don't know where she is, let's go back to the inn once. We won't find her if we wander around aimlessly..."

"Um...!"

Adolfo suddenly raises her voice.

"What is it?"

"Um... I'm thinking of going to Brother Grimm's place and trying to persuade him..."

"..."

For a moment, I didn't know what she was talking about.

Persuasion? Grimms are the motivated ones, aren't they?

You bother to go to that person?

"...... I don't know that Grimm person very well. But from what I've heard, I think it's pretty dangerous to go to that person."

"I understand."

"You don't understand! Have you forgotten that you were almost killed yesterday? I swore to help you and I'm employed. Let me tell you in both my private and public life! It's dangerous!"

You're getting weirdly confident now that you and Pasquale have come to an understanding?

You think you can get through to a Grimm in the same way?

You know, they could be the ones who tried to kill you, you know.

...That's ......... what!?

I shouldn't.

I swallowed as I was about to say it and shook my head inwardly.

I decided to help her.

Help her, not force her to do something.

Breathe slowly and calm your mind.

"So... you're serious."

"Yes, I am. If Brother Grimm agrees to talk to me, then this stupid fight will be over."

"If it goes badly, no, you'll die even if it does not, okay?"

"I think it's worth a try."

"......... All right. Let's go."

It's her decision.

I will respect it as much as possible.

If push came to shove, it was just a matter of me doing my best.

The second son Grimm's mansion was not far from where we are now, so we got there quickly.

It wasn't as big as Pasquale's mansion, but it was a fine-looking enough mansion.

From the looks of it, there was no gatekeeper and no sign of anyone.

... no?

I came to the gate, but nothing happened.

I look in through the latticed gate, but there is really no one there.

I look to Adolfo next door.

"No matter how much I look, it's odd that there's no one there."

It is, isn't it?

I touch the gate and it opens without resistance.

I go in through the gap that has opened.

Adolfo follows suit.

I proceed cautiously, but nothing happens.

I arrive at the mansion. The door is slightly open.

I go inside and -.

"...ugh..."

"...what is that smell?"

-The smell of blood.

Inside, the walls and furnishings had been completely destroyed, and there were quite a few bodies scattered around.

The bodies all had one thing in common: they all looked like they had been smashed with some kind of blunt object, and none of them were in pristine condition.

I heard Adolfo vomiting behind me, but I concentrated on being alert to my surroundings.

There is no ...... sign of... anything in particular.

It's very quiet in the mansion.

I check the corpse close at hand.

The blood had completely clotted, indicating that some time had passed since the attack.

Decomposition has not started, so maybe half a day since the death.

I can tell that it was human because of the things scattered about, but it is unlikely that I can identify who it was because of the terrible state of the body.

I'm sorry for Adolfo, who is having a hard time, but I take her around the mansion.

It is not good to leave her alone in this situation.

Adolfo looks pale, but she follows me without complaining.

I went from one end of the room to the other, but everywhere, without exception, was destroyed, and it was impossible to determine what state they were in originally.

And there are no survivors.

The bodies were all smashed and, like the one before, it was impossible to identify who they were.

--The only thing that was different was the last room we entered.

The last room we entered was different.

The furnishings and walls had been destroyed, but unlike the others, the corpse in there was relatively unscathed, and it was possible to identify who it was.

"Brother Grimm..."

The corpse had a huge hole in its torso and was obviously dead, but only from the neck up was it intact.

It appears that he was Adolfo's brother, Grimm.

...What does this mean?

Grimm's death means that the only candidates left at present are Pasquale, Ettore and Adolfo.

Who did this?

The simple answer would be Ettore, but in this case, Pasquale is also suspicious.

Who sent the first attack on Adolfo?

...Let's think about that later.

First of all, we have to get out of here.

We left the mansion and settled down in a nearby square.

After a while, Adolfo's mood calmed down and her complexion improved.

"What in the world is going on? Why is my brother Grimm...?"

"I don't know either. But since he was killed, it must have been one of your sisters who did it."

"You think it could have been my sister Pask?"

I say nothing.

Adolfo looks at me and turns over silently.

"What am I supposed to do..."

"Sorry. I probably should say something if it's true, but I think this is something you have to decide for yourself."

"Let me... think about it a bit."

"All right. I'll be in sight, so you can take your time and think about it."

I can't leave her alone, but I'll at least give her some space.

I gently move away from her and stand in a position where I can quickly run to her if something happens.

...I want to get my own head out of the sand.

First, the death of the second son Grimm is confirmed.

As long as Adolfo has assured it, there is no doubt about it.

The question here is who did it.

If we think honestly, it was either Ettore or Pasquale.

If it was Ettore, it is in a way easy to understand.

It simply makes the enemy clear.

...But if it was Pasquale, it's .......

We might as well be prepared for it.

The opponent will be Gnosis.

...The rest is up to Adolfo.

I continued to wait for an answer from the girl who was troubled at the other end of my gaze.