Chapter 114 - "Investigating The Missing Records"

As soon as Sigmund informed them about it, they all hurried out of the office. In the middle of the road, they met Othello and other town guards.

"Good timing, we were about to go to your office," Mona told her husband. "The thief might be in the jewelry store beside yours."

"Huh? Are you sure?" but he just laughed. "That's impossible! The safest places are those near our office."

"Can we check?" Ivory asked.

Othello seemed confident, "Yes, of course," he then faced his wife, "Stay here with your colleagues, we'll handle the situation."

Mona agreed, then they left. They marched towards the jewelry shop. When the bell attached to the wooden door rang, the female shopkeeper immediately said, "Welcome!" And upon seeing the five town guards, she gave a bright smile. "Sirs! Are you going to loan for your wives once again? I have a new loan plan- Oh, hello again!" she said when she saw Ivory and Sigmund.

"Miss Vica, there's a thief around town who took the latest inventory reports of the inventory office. Have you seen anyone suspicious?" one of the town guards asked.

She shook her head, "Oh dear, that's troublesome."

Sigmund went to the counter and searched for the bright yellow silk cloth that was there before. 

When Vica saw him proceeding to the door, she said, "Sir, this area is a workshop, and it is not allowed for just anyone to enter."

Because he was quite near the door, Sigmund could hear faint rumbling sounds from the inside, thanks to his heightened hearing.

"Or perhaps, you'd want to loan once again for another set of jewelry?" the shopkeeper suggested.

He shook his head, then slowly walked to Ivory's side.

Ivory asked Sigmund discreetly as they stood near the door, "Did you find it?"

The Vampire furrowed his eyebrows and replied, "No. It's not there anymore, but I suspect it's in the workshop."

Sigmund also told Ivory that he could hear rumbling sounds inside.

"Thank you for your cooperation, Vica," Othello said, shaking hands with her. "I guess we're done here."

"You're welcome, Othello. You can ask for my help… anytime," Vica replied, and so one by one they stepped out of the store.

Othello told Ivory and her group to call it a day because they might get too cold and that he and the other town guards would be the ones to handle it. He said that they would heighten the security and inspect all carriages and persons going out of town.

But the falling snow did not faze them. Ivory and her group returned to the inventory office to report to Mona. The Gemstone Division did not waste any more time and so, they opened the stock room full of ores, identified and listed down the ores in new blank scrolls. They also computed their prices. The officials in the division were currently in the process of rewriting everything.

Even though Othello asked Ivory and the others to call it a day, they couldn't bring themselves to do nothing. After all, they also took effort in doing the inventory. 

While moving the ores to the table with the balance scale, Lucius asked Mona, "May I ask something personal, Miss Mona?"

"Yes," she responded. "What is it?"

"You and your husband… How long were you married?"

Mona giggled when she heard such an unexpected question from the blonde young man. She thought that he was already at an age wherein she'd get curious about getting married. "A month," she said, "But we dated two months before that."

"I see…" Lucius then panned her sight towards the ore. 

"It was quite a short time, wasn't it? We met when he saved me from an uncontrollable horse while I was walking on the streets," a sweet smile displayed from her lips. "I can still remember, it was a sunny day, and…"

While she was telling her story, he exhibited a bothered expression. To confirm his suspicion, he asked her after she was done speaking, "Do Sir Othello and the shopkeeper of the jewelry store know each other?"

It caught the attention of Ivory, Sigmund, and Lycus, and they all waited for Mona's answer.

"Yes, he knows him. Othello said that he's alone in the shop, so he would sometimes eat lunch at their office which is only next door," she replied. "What was the shopkeeper's name again… Ah, it's Vernon! Othello said that the shopkeeper is also the one who makes the jewelry, so he always gives discounts to him."

Ivory was saddened by this. Could her husband have been lying to her? She tried to tell her the truth, "But Miss Mona, the shopkeeper is a-" 

But before she could continue, Lucius cut her off and said, "Discounts are very convenient. How nice it is to have a shopkeeper-jeweler friend who owns a jewelry shop... Isn't that right, Ivory?"

The silver-haired Master was dumbfounded at first, but seeing Lucius raise his brow, she responded with a yes. Lucius might have something in mind to ask personal questions to their supervisor.

When they went back to Precious Inn, they greeted Fiora, who was sweeping the floor.

"Good evening!" she exclaimed, but when she saw Sigmund, she averted her eyes in fear. Lycus, who knew what happened, glanced at Sigmund, and the Vampire just shrugged.

They passed by the lobby and the hallway, and then entered Lucius' room for a short meeting. 

Ivory and Lucius sat on the stone stool by the window, while Sigmund and Lycus stood leaning on the wall near their Master.

"Let us analyze the whole situation, starting from the beginning," Lucius was the one who spoke first as their pseudo leader, "The stolen scrolls are all the latest ones. That's a three-month list of excavated ores. Meaning to say, the thief wanted to know which are the recent ores. I don't believe it is a coincidence that the excavated ores in the stockroom are exactly three months old. The thief might have known this."

Ivory nodded, "But because the thief did not have the key to the stockroom, the ores were not taken?"

"Yes," he responded. "Someone who knows about the contents inside the locked room, but doesn't have the key. The thief could be someone from the Gemstone Division, or someone they know, but I have another suspect in mind."

"Let me guess… It's the town guard chief, isn't it," Sigmund uttered.

"You're right."

"When Lucius asked her for some details a while ago, I also had a hunch," Ivory said. "But you, Sigmund, how did you come up with that conclusion?"

"That shopkeeper and the town guard chief called each other by first name basis. At first, I thought they might just be close, but then I also noticed how different the two looked at each other," the Vampire explained.

"I think Mister Othello never let his wife go near their office. How else could she not know that a woman was also in the jewelry shop?" Lucius added. "Any thoughts on this?"

"Wait. I think there might be someone else in the shop," Sigmund said. He crossed his arms, "The back door, which she called a workshop… I heard something noisy there. But she kept on blocking my way whenever I got near."

"So there is a possibility that the only way to find out… is to sneak in there," Ivory suggested, and Lucius narrowed his eyes on her, "What? You'll also be with me, so it'll be safe."

Lucius facepalmed. "You're just as stubborn as Sigmund."

"Why compare her to me? She's more stubborn than I am," the Vampire retorted, and Ivory shot a glance at him, and he smirked at her to tease her.

Knowing that they'd soon commence the plan, Lycus said, "We should devise a good plan on how to avoid the town guards. It will be challenging because that area is heavily guarded."

"You're right, Lycus!" Ivory uttered. As if a light bulb lit atop her head, she excitedly said, "Okay, I've thought of something! So here's what we're going to do..."

Later that night, Ivory walked towards the town guards' office alone. The night was cold, and not all torches around the streets of the town were lit. Thanks to the pot of hot potato soup she was carrying, she somehow managed as it warmed up her cold hands underneath her gloves.

The guard stationed near the office asked who she was, and what she was doing there. Ivory said she cooked a lot of soup and she wanted to share it to the hardworking guards. She requested to go in because it was so cold, and the pot was heavy. And because she's quite pretty, the guard let her in!

Inside the guards' office were a few men who were sitting in front of the wide fireplace at the side. She greeted them, and then placed the pot in front. Due to its aroma, it did not take long before they finally got bowls and spoons from their pantry. 

As the guards were eating, Ivory asked, "Where is the town guard chief?"

"Oh, you wouldn't find him here. He's at home," one of them said.

But the other man, who had just arrived, said, "He's not at home! We parted ways away from his house. He went to that place."

"Ah, the chief's at it again. He's always in that place," another one commented. "I can't blame him though. Although I pity his wife. She's too trusting."

The silver-haired Master got curious and asked, "What's in that place? And what do you mean his wife is too trusting?"

"Well… He said that it's a secret or else we'll be fired, but you look harmless. Since you've given us such delicious food, we'll tell you," the guard placed down the empty bowl and said in a serious tone, "Chief Othello has a mistress."