Chapter 330: Trapping A Mouse-I

A tea? Elise asked in her mind. Knowing Ian, somewhere she could see him requesting for a tea as he had said if they do visit Heaven. Talking about Heaven pulled the memory of Beelzebub and Elise wanted to hear more of Ian's words which was interrupted last time. She moved her gaze faintly over Beelzebub who was quiet. Having decided to believe the Demon was a separate thing from discussing about what Lucifer wanted to know from having Beelzebub to find Heaven's location.

"How long have you two been trapped here?" Questioned Ian as they had taken a seat inside the room. The room was a simple one with two beddings and a small round table enough for four people to seat. Everyone had taken a seat while Beelzebub leaned on the window with his eyes watching the scenery outside the window.

"Yesterday, did you just came, milord?" Ernest who replied asked.

Ian nodded and he turned at the house with red roof that he could see from his seat. "The innkeeper was afraid of you two. He describes you as strange people but now I understand after seeing you, Alfred. Being a church member it would have been stranger if you still got scared after hearing about dark sorcerers."

"Did we frightened him?" Alfred asked as he didn't know he had given such an impression

"We have heard everything from Mr. Gabriel, how much have you heard about the ghost loop town, milord?"

"Most of it," Ian answered with his hand below his chin, "What have you people tried while staying here?"

"We didn't dare to break the four rules said by Mr. Gabriel but we did try scouting the vicinity. There is a large forest near the town that guarded the back of this town, we went there to look at it and find a way back home," Alfred explained what they did for the past few hours.

"Yet to no avail," Ian completed his words and hummed.

"Is it true that the Sun didn't rise in the morning?" Asked Elise to the man and Ernest replied with a nod.

"Yesterday, I have notified my older brother that I will be going with Mr. Alfred. I told him I should be back by two days at most. If I don't came back he would surely search for me, which why we decided to wait after two days," Ernest explained before Elise asked whether Mr. Dalton know of his absence from home.

"Will you be waiting here until the two days passed, milord?" Alfred asked.

Ian stretched his smile, his eyes curved while he lifted his chin just faintly upward, "Waiting is not my style. The human innkeeper from below had been missing longer than you two yet no one was searching for him and neither did I heard about a caravan missing out of thin air even though there should be enough report going on about the case. What do you think happen?"

"That the magic prevent others from outside to remember the people who are trapped in this town?" Alfred guessed.

Elise shook her head at the guess, "This morning we met Mr. Dalton but he didn't forget Mr. Ernest. I don't think the magic's effect was to erase the memory of them to others." With a faint pause Elise who are in thought wondered what was strange, "Could there be more of the dark magic's effect than manipulating then direction we took?— That the magic casted here isn't only loop magic?"

"Correct," Ian sided her opinion. "There is a possibility that the dark sorcerer had used two magic or a different kind of magic we had never come across before. Although I do not know what magic did this dark sorcerer is using, finding and asking them directly is the fastest approach to know what the hell is happening."

"Agreed!" Beelzebub clapped his hand and he walked from the window to the table. When his hand settled on the table, both Ernest and Alfred looked at him with their eyes blinking. "So what is our plan? Staying here and low isn't my style."

"Wait," interjected Ernest. The younger human man was confused with how fast things were moving on. "How would we be able to find the dark sorcerer? For the past few days we haven't been able to find them either and Mr. Gabriel didn't say he saw anyone during the time when the people from the caravan went missing."

"What if the dark sorcerer are amongst us?" came Ian sudden dark reply that had the room fell into silence as if a glass had fallen to the ground, shattering to pieces for others to be baffled by the glass's fall. How many people do you think is here?"

Alfred begin to count aloud, "Ernest, me, Miss Scott, milord, sir..." his words stopped while exchanging gaze to Beelzebub.

"Beel."

"Sir Beel, Mr. Gabriel, and the magistrate," said Alfred aloud.

"That is seven people," Ernest helped with seven of his fingers folded. 

"And among us the seven people who do you think is the most suspicious ones?" Ian gave his next question for Ernest and Alfred to look at each other. 

"The magistrate and Mr. Gabriel who stayed here?" questioned Alfred with uncertainty. While Mr. Gabriel had helped them by giving informations and warnings, the fact the man had survive longer while no one else did turns him to be one of the suspicious person.

"Close but not quite right," Ian stated and while others were confused, Elise that had been sinking in her mind for possible guess folded her thumb and shared a glance with Ian who sat right on her left side. "Find the answer?"

"Are you sure?" Elise asked him with another question and his smile instead widen. If there was a trait of Ian that makes him a Demon was that when he smiled upon other's misfortunes. Just like now.

With confidence, Ian casted his eyes away from her to look at the two human man across the table. "For us there are four strange people. That includes you two."

Ernest and Alfred were rendered speechless as they both blinked at Ian who had said the word without seeming to be joking. "Milord?"

Ian smiled, leaning back to the chair and placed his enclasped hands on his knees, "We came here together as a group but we don't know about you two. I guess you don't know this but dark sorcerer are always tricky why wouldn't they hide among you two if they can? For now I see you as humans and my doubt is still small but it doesn't mean you two have left my gaze. We will be going under different mission. Ernest, you can stay with Alfred and Beel to look around the left side of the town. We two will be taking the right side. Just knock on the door and if there was someone to reply your calling then talk to them. But if they don't," Ian's voice turned lower, giving a spine-chilling vibration, "You wouldn't want to disturb the family's rest unless you wish to break the rules the dark sorcerer have set up."

Beelzebub narrowed his eyes when Ian had give him the instruction and even though they both know Ian noticed the gaze, they didn't speak nor exchange the glance.

The two groups separated after they left the inn. Ian and Elise stayed there as the three left before them. In the silence, she looked at Ian who was humming a song between his lips as he folded his coat on his left arm. "Take your cloak with you, Elise."

"But the snow have went," Elise said as the dark magic had prevented the snow to enter the town.

"It did, but not for long," came Ian's all-knowing look that often encourage her to think if he could see into the future like the Demon, Asmodeous.

Before they left and when Elise had stepped her last staircase, she asked, "Were you serious about Mr. Ernest and Mr. Alfred being suspects?" She heard about the relationship Ian had with Alfred. He might suspect Ernest as they do not know each other but she can't see herself doubting someone who he had taken care since young.

Ian pulled the glove with his teeth and fold them aside to the pocket. His lashes fell on his eyes to cast a shadow and for a moment his smile lost its spark before it appeared again when he looked at her, "Take my advise, my sweet bride. In cases like the dark sorcerers, you would want to believe only yourself because what you see here is never the truth. The dark sorcerer could change and twist your vision in their will, they can also take other's appearances, and perform a fake wing like they did to Blanche. What you see isn't always the truth."

Elise took her time to take in Ian' words and did understood the possibility of the dark sorcerer impersonating the two, "But they know us, they also remember who we are." Impersonating people have limits especially when it comes to meeting people as although they could take other's appearance, they won't remember the person's memories.

"No, the dark sorcerers have magic that could help them to see through a dead person's memories. It's rare and need many sacrifices but it is possible. In exchange for the powerful magic, they can be a person who are clear from any suspicions. Trusting others is easy, more so if it was your family members or acquaintance but it would be better if you keep a small seed of doubt inside your heart. Doing so will save you some heartache when other betrays you." And after catching Elise's deep serious expression Ian smiled and took another step.

He was stopped when Elise asked him, "Have you always live that way, Ian?" And when she met his gaze a despondent expression appeared on her face as her heart goes out to him. She could only tell that the reason for his words were experience— sad experiences that he didn't have to suffer from.

"Suspecting others?" Ian went toward her and he took her hand. When his eyes lowered to admire her hands down to the smallest details of her endearing fingertips, Elise acclaim the way his hair fell on his eyes, and the burning gaze that always thrilled her with blazing sparks. "People survive from their experience and from what they think it's correct. I used to be like that but the past one month I became different. Although I may hold seed of doubt inside me, there is only one person who I will never doubt. It's you. My lovely bride, my sweetest wife, the only person I would love to the end of my life."

Elise returned his burning gaze with a warm one. She felt her heart overfilled with happiness from his words that always make her feel special and other seems like they would never be able to catch his attention. When she took a step closer to study deeper at his eyes that suck her in, Ian's smile widened and he lowered his face, "A kiss for me, Elise?"

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A/N: Among us beginning... this is two chapter in one (I update three chapter today *cheers*)