The Possessor Mistook the Genre for 20 Years

48 – There is a Cultist in the Mountain Behind the Hero’s House.

When the sun rises in the Duchy of Ishtar, the sleeping dragon awakens.

It was a code extracted from the cultist.

When he mentioned it, Yuna said she thought she knew.

To that, Franz shouted Eureka.

He had somewhat expected it, but he never thought she would actually know.

It was truly an unexpected windfall.

Of course, she wasn’t certain, but she spoke as if she might know, making a guess.

The only way to be sure was to check it directly based on her words.

But it was probably correct with a high probability.

Franz thought so.

People from that area know the most about it.

Moreover, she immediately associated it with just one sentence, so it must be correct.

“Yuna, will you live in the Duchy of Ishtar?”

Franz wanted to grant Yuna’s request first.

He couldn’t tell her to wait because he had business, after she had worked so hard to come to the Magic Tower.

And once they knew the code, the rest would be simple, so there was no need to rush.

“Yes, I think that’s best. My father’s grave is in the Duchy of Ishtar.”

“Alright, let’s go right away.”

Franz used teleportation, and soon they arrived in the largest city within the Duchy of Ishtar.

The city was quite lively for having lost its lord.

The shop owners loudly promoted their goods, and quite a few people were walking around taking care of their business.

First, they needed to find out where the real estate was.

“Excuse me.”

Franz grabbed a passerby.

A stranger, someone he had never seen before.

The man tilted his head in confusion.

“Yes?”

“Excuse me, where should I go if I want to buy a house… I mean, real estate?”

“If it’s a house… Ah, just go straight ahead from here and turn right once, you’ll see it right away.”

“Thank you.”

Franz bowed his head lightly to express his gratitude.

Then he started walking along the path that had been mentioned.

Of course, Yuna was with him.

How long had they walked like that?

Suddenly, a delicious smell wafted by, and when he turned his head, there was a stall selling something similar to chicken skewers.

“Get your Cockatrice skewers here! Sweet flavor, spicy flavor, we have it all!”

A voice that sounded like it belonged to a taffy seller rang out.

At that familiar sound, Franz’s steps came to a halt.

He was already hungry, so he intended to buy some Cocka-whatever.

“Mister, give me two of those, please.”

“Oh, welcome. Sweet… huh? I’ve seen that face somewhere before.”

The stall owner, who had been greeting customers with a bright smile, furrowed his brows when he saw Franz.

Then, as if realizing something, his eyes widened.

“Ma…tower…”

Snap-

As soon as the ‘Ma’ sound left his mouth, Franz snapped his fingers.

He had used a soundproofing spell on him.

Franz’s finger slowly rose to cross his lips.

No need to say anything, it meant to keep his mouth shut.

Surely, he understood this much.

Fortunately, the meaning seemed to have been conveyed well, as the stall owner nodded repeatedly.

Seeing his reaction, Franz lifted the soundproofing spell.

Then he spoke in a low voice.

“Ma, aren’t you the Master of the Tower?”

“That’s right. I apologize for the earlier rudeness, but I don’t like attracting attention.”

“No, no need to apologize. I should be the one apologizing. But the person next to you…”

Suddenly, he shifted his gaze to Franz and let out a gasp, “Huhhh-,” as if he was out of breath.

It seemed he had realized that Franz was a hero.

Sure enough.

“Y-You’re the hero…!”

“Yes, nice to meet you.”

“Oh, my… It’s an honor to meet both of you. I’m the one who conquered the market with these cockatrice skewers in the capital. I’ll serve you with my newly developed special sauce.”

He confidently made the skewers with skill.

Steam rose up, and a sweet yet spicy aroma wafted through the air, making them look quite appetizing.

“How much is it?”

“Oh, no need for money. You saved the world from the Demon King, how could I take money from you?”

Franz decided not to refuse his kindness.

Surely, he would feel proud doing this.

Franz and Yuna started walking down the street again, eating the pseudo-chicken skewers.

The street vendor recognized them immediately, which made them a bit nervous, but fortunately, not many people recognized them.

Whenever someone did recognize them, they quickly subdued them with a soundproofing spell.

How long had they walked like that?

Franz and Yuna finally arrived at the real estate office.

“Welcome.”

As they opened the door and entered, the owner bowed his head in greeting.

“We’re looking to buy a house.”

“There are many types of houses. There are houses built up to the third or fourth floor, and there are wide single-story houses. What kind of house are you looking for?”

Franz looked at Yuna.

This was a decision for the homeowner to make.

Yuna furrowed her brows in thought, then nodded and said,

“I’d like a reasonably large two-story house with a spacious yard.”

“A two-story house with a spacious yard…”

He pulled out a stack of documents and quickly spread several sheets on the table.

Although there were no photos like in the 21st century, there were plenty of detailed descriptions.

“I’d love to show you around all of them, but given the distance, it might be difficult. For now, my top recommendation is…”

The distance made it hard to visit them all in a short time.

In fact, it was a story that held no meaning for Franz.

“Excuse me for interrupting, but could you mark the location on the map?”

“Ah, yes….”

He looked through the documents and then promptly pointed his finger on the map.

Click-.

With the sound of his finger snapping, the background changed.

They had arrived at the place he had pointed to with his finger.

“This, what on earth…? Ah, never mind. This way, I can show you everything. Please, come inside.”

Despite his surprise, he acted naturally as if not to miss the opportunity.

His demeanor felt professional, which instilled trust.

“First, here we have a yard with a pond….”

They toured the first house.

“This one is cool even in summer because it’s backed by a mountain….”

The second house.

“This one has a huge bathtub….”

They checked the third, fourth, and finally the fifth house.

Now, all that was left was for Yuna to decide which house to purchase.

“Ugh-.”

Yuna furrowed her brows, deep in thought.

Well, buying a house is indeed something that requires careful consideration.

Still, they had done everything they could.

They checked if the mountain was too close, which could bring bugs, ensured the magic stones worked well, and even checked the water pressure.

‘But everything was good.’

According to Franz’s inspection, the houses were spotless without a single flaw.

That’s why Yuna was having a hard time deciding.

If there were any flaws, it would have been easier to choose, but there weren’t any.

He was quite grateful to the nameless passerby who recommended this real estate.

If they had recommended another place, they wouldn’t have seen such good houses.

It was then.

Yuna’s eyes widened, and she nodded as if she had made up her mind.

“I’ll take it here now.”

“Then we need to draft the contract first….”

His gaze turned to Franz.

It was an unspoken request to use teleportation.

Since it wasn’t particularly difficult, Franz snapped his fingers right away.

At the same time, the three of them returned to the real estate office.

“Truly impressive. I almost want to suggest a partnership.”

Partnership…?

Come to think of it, he had never mentioned the words tower master or hero.

It seemed he didn’t know that important fact.

Well, who in the world would suggest a mere real estate partnership to a tower master?

He must have said it because he didn’t know.

Eventually, Yuna and he drafted the contract while conversing.

“Then please bring the payment by tomorrow.”

“Thank you for today. I’ll definitely bring the payment by tomorrow.”

With that conversation, Franz and Yuna left the real estate office.

This successfully resolved Yuna’s request.

Now it was time to talk about Franz’s matter, the code.

Just as Franz was about to bring it up.

“Oh, right. Franz.”

“Yes?”

“Remember the rocky mountain behind the house I chose? That’s the place you mentioned. You said the dragon that sleeps in the Ishtar Duchy wakes up when the sun rises? At dawn, the shadow of the rocky mountain looks just like a dragon.”

…?

The moment she spoke, countless question marks filled Franz’s mind.

He understood everything she said.

So, somewhere in that rocky mountain, Belphegor is hiding.

But why, of all places.

Why is the place where the cultist is hiding so close to Yuna’s house?

‘Please….’

Franz earnestly hoped in his heart.

Please, please let this matter pass safely.

If Yuna’s house were to collapse, the world would surely not be safe.

Whether Franz knew this or not, Yuna just smiled happily.