After they finished their meal, the person who came to collect the payment was Little John, the son of the missing tavern owner.
The boy was only thirteen years old, and his face looked haggard. His father's sudden disappearance had clearly taken a heavy toll on him.
"Sir, that will be 176 copper pennies in total," John muttered softly.
Link gave him two kingdom silver coins from his pocket and placed them on the table. "The rest is a tip."
John's eyes widened. He bowed deeply. "Thank you, sir!"
Link took out a badge—it was an Investigator's identification badge—letting it gleam in the dim tavern light. "I am the Investigator looking into your father's disappearance. I'd like to ask you a few questions."
John was slightly taken aback, his posture stiffening with respect. "Please, go ahead."
"Your father seems to have owed a lot of money recently," Link began. "Do you know what he was involved in before he vanished that led to such massive debts?"
"I'm not entirely sure about that," John replied, wringing his hands. "He was incredibly anxious for a few weeks before he disappeared. At the time, he only said that business at the tavern on East Street had opened and was stealing a lot of our business".
John looked around the bustling, tense room with a worried expression. "If the creditors hadn't come to our door, I wouldn't have known my father owed so much money outside."
He lowered his voice. "Several tables of people here are actually my father's creditors. They gave us a one-month extension. If my father's debt isn't paid in a month, they're going to take this tavern as collateral...".
What he didn't say was that even if they gave up the tavern, it likely wouldn't be enough to clear the debts his father had incurred.
Link rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "John, what about your mother? I remember she used to help out in the tavern a few years ago".
John looked down dejectedly. "My parents separated three years ago. Last year, she married Ryan and became Ryan's wife".
Damian's eyebrows shot up. Ryan was also one of John's father's creditors; the story seemed to be taking a bizarre turn.
"Oh? Did you know that Ryan is also your father's creditor?" Damian asked.
John's face paled, and he shook his head quickly. "I didn't know. I went to see my mother after my father disappeared, but she never mentioned it to me."
Anna asked, "Was there any conflict between your father and Ryan?".
John's expression darkened. "When my mother and Ryan got married, my father caused a scene at the venue. Since then, I haven't heard of them having any contact."
Link seemed to piece something together. He nodded gently. "If you remember any relevant information, you can contact the Security Office. We'll be going now."
As the three of them left the tavern and into the crisp air, Damian looked at the Investigator. "Are we going to investigate Ryan first?".
Link nodded. "Absolutely. In fact, that new tavern on East Street was an investment by Ryan".
Anna crossed her arms. "In that case, Ryan certainly has a strong motive. Perhaps he set a trap to make Old John fall into massive debt so he could seize his tavern."
Ryan lived in a residence on East Street. He was not a Wizard, so he had not inherited much of his father's estate.
Ryan's father was the same Old Baron White who had gifted White Stone Manor to Lady Alsha. After his death, the title of Baron was inherited by his older brother, Jack White, who was a Wizard.
At the residence, Damian and the Investigators were greeted by Ryan and John's mother, Trina.
After brief, tense greetings, Link cut straight to the point. "Ryan, I heard that you lent Old John a large sum of money before he disappeared".
Ryan sported an unusual shade of violet hair. It was said that one of their ancestors, a Wizard, had attempted to change the family bloodline through Magical Creature bloodline fusion experiments so that their descendants would all possess Wizard talent.
However, the White Family still produced descendants like Ryan who lacked Wizard talent; the experiments had only succeeded in permanently changing the color of the descendants' hair.
Ryan crossed his arms, his expression unreadable. "Yes. He disappeared after borrowing a sum of money from me."
As Ryan spoke, Lady Ryan glanced at him with a somewhat guilty look.
Trina appeared to be only in her late twenties. She had a lovely face, and one could not tell at all that she was the mother of a teenage boy. It was said she used to be a waitress at the West Street Tavern, and her age difference with Old John was nearly twenty years.
Link continued his questioning. "Then do you know what he used that money for?"
"Probably to pay off debts," Ryan scoffed, a look of profound disdain crossing his face. "I heard he developed a gambling addiction."
Link's expression hardened. "Do you know those people? The ones who got Old John addicted to gambling. They often appear in the East Street Tavern".
"Are you accusing me of something?" Ryan sneered, looking somewhat dissatisfied.
"I didn't do it!. They just like to drink at the East Street Tavern; that group are all members of the Mining Brotherhood".
"This is all what Old John told me when he borrowed money. The man is a complete waste of space!" Ryan continued, his voice rising in anger.
"He used to drink himself into a stupor and beat his wife and child. Trina only finally left him after he snapped her arm bone while he was drunk."
Ryan glared at the Investigators. "Now he's even got a gambling addiction. If it weren't for the sake of poor Little John, I wouldn't have lent him a single copper penny!".
Fortunately, this was a world with magic, and there were many more means of treatment than in the Middle Ages. Ryan had also been a regular customer at the West Street Tavern back then.
After Trina's divorce, Ryan began to pursue her, but the trauma of her first marriage made her hesitant. It took two years before she was moved by his sincerity.
"Mining Brotherhood?" Link muttered, falling into deep thought. The Mining Brotherhood was a cross-regional underground gang that developed its influence in areas with mines.
Realizing they wouldn't get much more out of Ryan, Damian and the others took their leave.
Damian asked, "What Ryan said might not necessarily be true. Should we invite him back to the Security Office to 'confirm' things?".
Link sighed, understanding what Damian meant. He said: "Although Ryan is not a Wizard, he is a noble with the rank of Sir".
"Wizard Regulations do not allow the detention of nobles without evidence". "These non-Wizard nobles are, in fact, descendants of Wizard nobles within one or two generations".
Link planned to find the members of the Mining Brotherhood first....
Late that night, back at Ryan's residence. The window of the master bedroom on the third floor suddenly opened, and cold air flowed in from outside.
An invisible barrier covered the room. Ryan was sleeping soundly, but the sudden, biting cold startled him awake.
Through bleary eyes, he noticed the window was wide open. Shivering, he pulled the heavy quilt higher over his sleeping wife.
He got up to close the window, muttering, "Is the wind really that strong tonight?".
"Ah—!" Trina, who had woken up behind him, suddenly let out a blood-curdling scream.
Ryan jumped, a cold shudder running down his spine. He spun around and saw a dark figure that had suddenly appeared behind him in the shadows.
"Who's there!?" he gasped in sheer terror.
"Good evening, Ryan," Damian said, his voice terrifyingly gentle. "No need to panic. I'm just here to confirm something."
"Investigator Sir!" Ryan recognized the newcomer and cried out, "I answered everything truthfully when you asked at noon!".
Damian's wand pressed against Ryan's forehead.
Legilimens!
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