Half an hour later, the fierce winds abated, and heavy rain began to fall from the sky.
Konehl-Ghervil and Esli stepped out, holding canvas-and-bamboo umbrellas.
They hadn’t walked far before they were thoroughly soaked.
These umbrellas, with their frames crafted entirely from bamboo, were not particularly sturdy; their primary purpose was to shield against ultraviolet rays.
Umbrellas were, in fact, rare commodities, difficult to procure.
The desert dwellers, never daunted by rain, were drawn out by the morning downpour, many reveling in the unexpected deluge.
Under such circumstances, the two women holding umbrellas appeared conspicuously out of place, especially since carrying one only prolonged the inevitable soaking.
They soon abandoned their umbrellas altogether.
Enduring the discomfort of her stockings clinging to her legs like glued fabric, Konehl-Ghervil persevered until she reached Martina-Sali’s doorstep and knocked.
Penelope, opening the door to the young woman’s serious expression, asked no questions, simply nodding them inside.
Martina-Sali’s residence, compared to the ordinary homes they had passed, was significantly more substantial, boasting an independent wall and multiple stories, its interior meticulously decorated and partitioned into a bathroom, guest room, and reception area.
It was also one of the few electrified homes in the town.
Given that she had been raised by the mayor, such amenities and conditions were hardly surprising.
“You two go bathe and change into dry clothes first; I’ll go fetch Dr. Blumberg.”
Penelope, holding a white long dress and a warm coat, instructed them from the bathroom entrance.
She was aware of Esli’s general condition and had prepared suitably thick clothing.
“Let’s wait until the rain stops before we go,” Konehl-Ghervil interjected.
“There’s no rush.”
Rain in the desert typically didn’t last long.
Dr. Blumberg’s residence was some distance away.
She hoped to first explain the situation to Penelope after their baths, then proceed together, as the doctor’s home was secluded and ideal for a confidential discussion.
“I understand,” Penelope said, nodding gently, having discerned Konehl-Ghervil’s intentions.
After showering for about fifteen minutes, Konehl-Ghervil found herself lost in thought as she gazed at the long dress Penelope had prepared.
She was content to have a long dress to wear, her only regret being the absence of white stockings, a rarity in a place where even formal skirts for women were uncommon, let alone hosiery.
She faced a dreadful choice: either don her still-damp clothes or go bare-legged.
Both options were equally dire.
Three minutes later, having changed and styled her hair into what she considered a capable, neither-long-nor-short ponytail, Konehl-Ghervil entered the reception room.
Esli was already there, sipping a hot drink, having rushed her bath to combat the cold.
Outside, the rain persisted, though it showed signs of lessening.
Gathering her skirt, Konehl-Ghervil sat on the sofa, feeling a restless urge to press a cushion from behind her against her legs, hoping to alleviate the discomfort of her skin’s direct contact with the dress and the cool air.
“The notes outside have been fully transcribed; it’s roughly like this…”
Glancing at the two women awaiting her words, she began to describe the illustrated notes from the first page.
The entire explanation lasted over ten minutes.
Mindful that Penelope might be concealing something, Konehl-Ghervil refrained from revealing every detail of what had transpired in reality, focusing instead on the majority of the notes’ contents and her interpretation.
“Do you recall anything, Ms. Sali?” Konehl-Ghervil inquired cautiously.
“There’s no one else here; please just call me by my true name,” Penelope replied, slowly shaking her head as she rubbed her temples.
“I have remembered some things, but I need to organize my thoughts.”
“Are you saying the entire town is inside that mythical creature’s belly? Is that why we couldn’t find it?” Esli whispered, leaning closer to Konehl-Ghervil, her face etched with bewilderment, while they awaited Penelope’s contemplation.
“That seems to be the case.”
“That’s too exaggerated! How massive is its body, then?”
“Mythical creatures cannot be explained by ordinary understanding,” Konehl-Ghervil patiently elaborated.
“Its size might be linked to the lives it devoured upon awakening; the higher the tier, and the greater the number, the larger its body becomes, but what the naked eye can observe is limited, as most of its body remains hidden.”
“Hidden where?”
“In the caves.”
As Konehl-Ghervil improvised, drawing from Govet-Ghervil’s shared knowledge, she observed Penelope’s reaction.
Penelope’s expression remained largely unchanged.
She simply continued to ponder deeply.
Esli, utterly confused by this point, didn’t have a chance to probe further before Konehl-Ghervil continued her explanation.
“Currently, its known method of attack is its heart; the curse might merely be an unconscious act, or perhaps the consequence of knowing this creature and the name Thrale-Erg-Gunoorse.”
“We are unharmed now because we have not truly encountered its existence.”
“After hearing you, I feel like we’re utterly doomed…” Esli slumped back onto the sofa, then sat upright with her legs crossed, not forgetting to take a sip of her hot milk before lying back down.
“Did you glean all this information from the notes I drew?” Penelope finally interjected.
“Not entirely,” Konehl-Ghervil responded, her eyes fixed on Penelope.
Penelope’s gaze did not waver.
“…Though I haven’t fully recalled the contents of the notes, I do remember one of my initial reasons for leaving them behind.”
“To prevent anyone from continuing to investigate the town.”
“Did Father Aylmer and Dr. Blumberg know about this?”
“No, I never mentioned the notes to them.”
“Father Aylmer died yesterday,” Konehl-Ghervil stated abruptly.
“What?” Esli shot upright.
“Wasn’t he just missing?”
“Ah, I see…” Penelope said, her eyes half-closed, a hint of dejection visible, though she didn’t seem particularly surprised.
“Could you please tell me if Father Aylmer left any last words before his sacrifice?”
“I wouldn’t know; after all, I wasn’t present.”
Regarding Father Aylmer, she decided to conceal as much as possible.
“The rain has stopped.”
Ignoring the slight annoyance of being overlooked, the female knight rushed to the window, opening it to peer outside.
“Let’s go. We should find Dr. Blumberg now. Father Aylmer was his teacher; he deserves to know this.”
Konehl-Ghervil silently rose, saying no more; this probing had not yielded the desired results.
Govet-Ghervil, too, was unsure what Penelope was hiding and could only caution Konehl-Ghervil not to lower her guard.
After a quick tidying of the table and Penelope changing her attire, the three women departed the residence.
The paths, soaked by the rain, were treacherous, so they opted for a less frequented route.
Such paths had fewer potholes and ruts carved by camels and carriages.
Despite their careful steps, Konehl-Ghervil’s newly changed white dress still acquired a number of mud splatters.
She had intended to offer Penelope payment for the dress, but Esli merely teased her for being so serious in a dream, even jumping into a small puddle to splash mud at her.
Penelope, influenced by the lighthearted atmosphere, managed a faint smile.
Konehl-Ghervil, however, found no humor in it. For a moment, she truly wished to crack open the carefree knight’s head and see what made them so optimistically oblivious.
Upon reaching their destination, Penelope knocked directly, deeming further inspection unnecessary.
After waiting for over a minute, no sound emanated from within.
“Not home?” Esli asked, stepping forward.
“I had discussed with him reducing his outings unless absolutely necessary.”
“Could it be that last night…”
Konehl-Ghervil left the latter half of the sentence unsaid, implying he might have been captured by angry town residents or old Genipa-Berber.
Penelope remained silent for a moment, then twisted the doorknob; the door was unlocked.
Inside, the house was neatly arranged, not a chaotic dump, indicating someone had been there recently.
“No one in this town could capture the doctor.”
Penelope walked to the table, staring at an unfinished piece of parchment, on which were notes recalling details about Sausy-Alamany.
“What if… it was an outsider?”
At Konehl-Ghervil’s prompting, Penelope’s eyes widened.
With Father Aylmer’s death, the mayor’s identity was now narrowed to one of two possibilities.
A powerful premonition arose.
No one explicitly stated it, yet even Esli harbored suspicions.
Genipa-Berber was the outsider who had taken Dr. Blumberg.