Just then, the fortress door opened, and a handsome blond man in fine clothes walked in.
At the sight of Dick, the man looked momentarily startled.
From behind Dick came Kebi's delighted cry. "Little Odin, my brother, you're finally back!"
Kebi went around Dick and pulled the blond man into a tight embrace.
The man called Little Odin hugged Kebi back, his face full of delight. "You've been away with the knight order for so long, and you finally thought to come home. I'd been away these past few days, but when I heard you'd returned, I hurried back."
"We'll catch up later," Kebi said happily.
Then he turned and introduced Dick to the blond man. "This is Dick, a witcher. Our castle has a little trouble at the moment, and he's here to deal with it."
Little Odin smiled. "Hello, witcher. I'm Odin III's son. Just call me Little Odin."
"Hello, Young Master Little Odin," the witcher said in a low voice.
"And this is a warlock apprentice. Her name is Xiya. She's a prospective warlock, and she's here to help too."
"Hello, Lady Xiya."
Odin gave a courteous gentleman's bow, and Xiya responded with a slight nod.
"Are you heading out now, then?" Little Odin asked.
"That's right," Dick interjected. "We're going to the maids' quarters to investigate the evil spirit case."
"Would you like me to come along?" Little Odin looked at Kebi.
"No need, brother. How about this? We'll be ready to eat once we've looked over the room. Could you tell the servants to arrange it?"
"Of course. Go ahead, and don't worry." Little Odin waved a hand.
After saying goodbye to the young master, the three went outside and headed straight to the left across the courtyard.
On the way, Kebi explained, "My adoptive father, Odin III, originally thought he couldn't have children, so he adopted me.
"My birth father was a soldier under his command. He died taking Jatu down with him in the war. My mother had passed away long ago too, and I came to this fortress when I was just born.
"But a year later, my adoptive father had his own child, my younger brother, Little Odin. Everyone said I'd brought the gods' blessing, and that the gods granted Baron Odin this child because he'd done a good deed."
"It seems you really are fortunate. You have a father who cares deeply for you and a younger brother who respects you greatly. That's a pretty good life."
"Of course."
At the witcher's words, delight instantly spread across Kebi's face. "And in a little while, I'll be taking my advancement trial. Then I'll be a true knight."
"Then let me congratulate you in advance," Dick joked.
But Kebi failed to catch the teasing in Dick's words. Instead, he nodded firmly and offered a sincere "Thank you."
Dick looked a little taken aback, but then he reconsidered:
This boy has always had a smooth life. Born into a noble family, he naturally never needed to rack his brains trying to read people.
At that thought, he felt too embarrassed to tease him further. After all, who could bear to make things difficult for someone so innocent?
Since the maids' quarters were not far from the fortress, the three reached the entrance in less than two minutes.
A soldier stood by the door. Seeing Kebi, he hurriedly said, "Young Master Kebi, these are the professionals you've brought? Should I open the door now? Won't that let the evil spirit out?"
"Don't worry. It won't. They're all professionals. I can vouch for them."
"All right, then." The soldier seemed reluctant, as though some terrible danger lurked inside, but he still obeyed and opened the door.
Dick spoke again. "Perhaps you two should stay outside. I'm ninety percent certain there's nothing wrong inside, but..."
At this, Kebi looked at Xiya, who replied, "Dick, I'm no frail little girl. Although I've already cast one major spell and can't cast another now, I can still help you with a few cantrips.
"Don't worry. I won't wander around. I know witchers hate having people disturb their investigation scenes."
Hearing the warlock apprentice say this, Kebi quickly nodded at Dick. "That's what I was thinking too. Don't worry. I'll protect Miss Xiya."
"All right. Come in with me, but remember, you can only go as far as the doorway, or a step or two inside. No farther."
Without another word, Dick opened the door and went in first.
The room was quite dim. Odin III had sealed all its windows with wooden frames.
Perhaps he thought this would prevent the vengeful spirit from escaping the room at will and give him some peace of mind, though it actually did nothing.
Drawing on his witcher's senses, Dick's eyes glowed faintly, allowing him to make out the sparse furnishings inside: several neatly arranged wooden beds and a few small wardrobes against the wall.
A rope hung from the beam above one of the beds. That was where the girl had killed herself.
Dick slowly approached the hanging rope and looked up at it for a while, but found nothing more.
He paced back and forth in front of the bed twice, then noticed that a strip of wood beneath it, with a gap beside it, seemed quite out of place among the surrounding floorboards.
He bent down and gently wiggled the strip. With a crack, it came free of the boards, revealing a narrow crevice underneath.
Dick reached two fingers inside and felt an object, cold and hard to the touch.
Hooking one finger around one end of the object, he slowly lifted it until he had drawn it onto the floor.
An exquisite bracelet.
"Strange," Dick murmured.
"This bracelet is made of gold and jewels. Given her station, this girl shouldn't have been able to afford it at all. How did she come by something like this? And she deliberately hid it away too. Could it be...?"
Dick held the bracelet in his hand thoughtfully and headed for the door.
He kept feeling as though the temperature in the room had dropped a little. It was terribly cold and damp.
He wasn't sure whether it was because the sealed windows kept out the sunlight.
Seeing that Dick had finished investigating, the prospective warlock and prospective knight hurried outside.
Both felt that the room was truly uncomfortable.
After closing the door, Dick looked at Kebi and took out the bracelet.
"Do you know whose bracelet this is? Or rather, who would know whose it is?"
"Did you find that among the maid Rose's things?
"I don't live at home very often. The steward here should know, perhaps?"
"Who would have thought the girl was a thief too?" Kebi snorted.
The soldier beside them smiled. "Take care, Young Master Kebi. Don't worry. I'll keep a close watch on this place."
"Thanks for your efforts," Kebi replied casually.
A short while later, the three returned to the fortress.
When they opened the door, a lavish spread of food was already waiting on the long table.
Little Odin sat in a chair in the middle of the cave, his chin propped on his hand, staring blankly at a plate on the table.