'Wait, people have been disappearing, and the previous high count prime minister was from the Aquilia family' Hal resisted the urge to scratch his head as he calmed his voice.
"Please, I beg you to elaborate on the matter" The butler threw him a cautious look, making Hal lean back in his seat.
He knew that the high count prime minister was chosen by the king from a group of high-ranking nobles, but how could that be connected to the disappearances? What did he mean by the blue moon would soon rise?
Mr Faizo examined the two boys intently before going on to say
"Every ten years, the current High Cunt Prime minister dies a mysterious death, commencing the selection rights, and each time all the nobles in the selection disappear apart from one, it has been one of the biggest mysteries, one that still isn't solved"
Tai stroked his chin carefully as if thinking of the suitable words to say to the butler, "Is this why you called us here, to solve this mystery?"
Mr Faizo shook his head before answering the young swordsman's question, "No, you are here to protect the duke, not get involved in the capital's matters; that job is for the detectives, not for hunters like you"
The butler let out a simple sigh before looking out the window and saying, "Hal, your ability can help us keep an eye on things, and Tai, your swordsmanship is quite remarkable. That's why I placed you next to the duke, but still, I wouldn't want kids like you to ruin your futures, so don't get involved"
The carriage drew to a halt as the three of them got out of the market and entered the market area of the capital.
It was less noisy and cleaner than the market zone of Ortario and reminded Hal more of the shopping plazas back at home.
The butler handed them each a paper with different things that the mansion needed before turning to his pocket watch.
He fixed his glasses and spoke in his usual humble tone, "We meet back here in exactly two hours, so off you go, gentlemen, and please beware of scammers"
And so the three of them set off in different directions. Tai was tasked with getting the wheat, oil, and most of the ingredients needed in the mansion's kitchen"
He made his way to the food section of the market area, making sure to keep time because there was nothing scarier than Mr Faizo's pettiness when it came to being punctual.
He pulled out his own pocket watch before hastening his own steps. He walked by different butlers and maids who had come to shop for their own masters.
He rushed and made his way to all the shops, buying and ticking everything off the shopping list until he finally finished it all.
He struggled with the heavy bag of wheat and all the other materials as he slowly made his way back to the carriage and packed them at the back.
He looked around and saw no one before turning back to the pocket watch "One hour early, huh? Take that, Tai. Let's see you beat that"
He sat down and waited for Mr Faizo and Tai's return, but soon enough boredom gripped his soul. This was a big place after all, and even though they had been shown around on previous visits, Hal had not seen everything this place had to offer
He looked at the pocket watch again and decided to go for a walk around the marketplace place "Forty minutes is then enough for me to take a look around"
He set off to a new area of the market, one designated for the butlers and Maids. There were mostly butler and maid outfits in the shops around the area, with some other clothes and accessories here and there, though they did not hold a candle to what the nobles had.
But the thing that actually brought him here was not just the love for adventure, but also the delicious, sweet rolls that were sold in this area.
He had heard other servants talking about it, and the curiosity to try them just took hold. He moved in the streets, fascinated by the roll's beauty, only to bump into a butler in front of him.
He stood up and apologised, only to realise that there was a group of butlers and maids all standing in a giant crowd that was murmuring about a mad woman.
He knew that this place was big enough to avoid being crowded, but for some reason, there was a bunch of servants like him collected in the area.
"The king will soon arrive; he has amassed enough souls. Listen when I tell you the end is near. Stop the selection, stop the blue moon's rise lest our world be painted in blood"
The words met Hal's eyes, who pushed through the crowd and finally reached its centre, where a woman in rugs of a maid's outfit was lying on the floor.
She had dirty brown hair, and her eyes were filled with madness. She pulled at her hair and cried loudly, causing all the maids and butlers around to point fingers in unease.
She stood up and began running around, trying to grab the butlers and maids who kept jumping back to avoid her, until she reached Hal, who froze as he put him in her grip.
"Listen to me, let the blue moon's splendour not fool you, it is a symbol of power for a demonic being that seeks to prey on our world, it came for my master the same way it will come for yours. I saw him, the king"
A group of guards arrived in the area and grabbed the mad woman, plying her from Hal, who was left with a cut on his arms. He winced and turned back to the woman.
"Listen, someone needs to save us, someone needs to stop him, he wishes to bring that thing into our world, he is, he is…"
The woman tried to pronounce the last words in her mouth, but the words failed to form. Hal stared at her as fear gripped his heart.
Others may not have been able to see it, but as a scholar, he did; she let off the same golden glow as all the books that contained forbidden knowledge.
That knowledge illuminated the books the same way it illuminated her, "Was she about to say something forbidden? Does she possess some sort of forbidden language?" Hal whispered under his breath as he trembled slightly, remembering the words.
[This world's origin is madness, and to madness it will soon return.] The words rang through his head as he made his way back to the carriage, where Tai teased him for being late
What did this all mean? What did the blue moon represent, and who was the king? Forbidden knowledge had driven that maid mad, but where had she found it?
Hal entered the carriage and sat, his mind completely absent from the scene. He felt the hunger of knowledge surge within his soul as a smile curled his lips.
"I'm sorry, Mr Faizo, but I will have to get involved in these disappearances, and I must speak to the woman again, but how?" The question lingered in his mind as the carriage set off again towards the mansion, as in just two months, the selection would begin