A lead.

As agreed, the next day Will and Ishtar went on their own to meet with Belphegor. They, as usual, met at the old man’s restaurant of choice, meaning Will had to put his suit on. He really didn’t feel in the mood for it, but no use complaining about it.

Belphegor was already waiting at the table with a bottle of wine on the table and a half-emptied glass in hand. He turned his gaze towards Will the moment he sensed him, and what started as a smile turned quickly into a frown.

“What’s this? Feeling alright, boy?”

Will chuckled humorlessly but without any malice or annoyance. “What, you read minds, too?”

“The Devil knows so much because he’s old, not because he’s the Devil,” Belphegor said. “I don’t need to read minds to notice that a light that was there in your eyes seems to be missing, kid.”

Will sighed and took a seat across from the old demon. “And suddenly everyone seems to know me better than I know myself,” he said with some held back bitterness.

“Fair enough. I won’t pry. Your problems are your own, not mine.”

Will’s lips curled into a genuine smile. “Thanks.”

“No need. Now, I have a debt to pay, and while I sincerely wish you’d just let me have a steady supply of your elixir for free, a deal is a deal.”

“So you know where to find what we’re looking for, then?”

“Ugh, yes…” Belphegor groaned and almost slumped down his chair with sudden exhaustion. “I had to actually work for this. Makes me long for the days when I was king and had thousands of subjects to do my work.”

“Wow, you actually went out and looked for a mirrorkin?”

“What? No, of course not. Why would I do things myself? I gathered all the dogs, cats and birds I could and sent them out to be my eyes and ears.”

Will blinked. “But… You just said…”

“That I had to work, yes. You know how much of a drag it is to use magic?” He pulled out his smartphone from his pocket and smiled fondly at it. “Human technology is so much more convenient. You just push a button and it’s done. The only reason magic still has a place is that your technology still can’t achieve what spells can. I swear, if that idiot Lucifer wasn’t such a warmonger I could’ve spent my country’s budget on technology research instead of a useless army.”

Hm. If put on scales, Will didn’t know which would win between the internet and mind control. Then again, the internet was…

No, better not go there.

Will cleared his throat. “So… Cats, dogs and birds?”

“Yes. At least mind controlling animals is a lot simpler than controlling humans. The biggest annoyance was actually the sensory connection.”

“S-Sensory connection? Meaning… You could see what they saw?”

“And hear what they heard,” Belphegor confirmed. “Had to do it this way because not one information broker knows anything about where to find a mirrorkin. I, at least, know what to look for, so for once I had to do things myself. I expect a lifetime supply of the elixir for this, boy.”

“The deal was struck already, Belphegor. You’ll get your supply so long as you continue helping us.”

“Tsk. I tried.” The old demon sighed and shook his head. “Anyway. I have a single lead, but it’s one worth pursuing.”

“A single one… No, Actually, I’m surprised you could find something at all.”

“Hmm, haven’t you ever wondered, William?”

“Huh? Wondered what?”

“Why Ishtar is here, why I’m here, why Johana is here, why there are spirits crossing over here, why there are underground organizations gathering and doing business here of all places.”

“...”

He had a point. Were these coincidences? Ishtar’s and Belphegor’s presence, maybe, but that this city was the ground of operations for underground hospitals, weapons dealers, hunters and even investigators like Aoi and Nanami had to mean something more.

“The gate under your building is not the only one, boy. This city in particular has many. It overlaps with what used to be Inanna’s territory in the other world, basically the place where the Queen of Lust and the King of Pride fought each other to ****. Their magic ripped through space itself, leaving tears all over. This city is one of the best connections between the two worlds, for better or worse. Finding things here is not a coincidence.”

Will swallowed. “And… What did you find?”

“People. Many people. All of them men, none of them the same. And more importantly, I never saw any two or more of them at the same time.”

“Huh?”

“It was difficult to notice, but once I did, I began to follow these men. Honest, hard working men, all of them. Several, different part-time jobs. Delivery boys, waiters, warehouse workers… Yet when one of the cats saw one of them working, the other animals couldn’t find these other men anywhere else in the city. Odd, is it not?”

“Only one of them at a time…”

“Caught one of these men making bulk purchases at a supermarket. Food, water, even blankets. Saw another one buying sacks of firewood. I had the animals track them. They all disappeared inside different buildings.”

“Disappeared?”

“As in, they never came out. I had some dogs and birds keep watch over these buildings. Houses, shops, public bathrooms, hotels… Time after one of these guys disappeared, another would pop up someplace else.”

Will grinned wryly. “So either we have a shapeshifter coming in and out of different gates around town, or a strangely coordinated group of men.”

“The latter is not impossible, but I’d still put my money on the former. Then again, I’ve already lost a good chunk of that money in the casino.”

“I’m telling Cynthia.”

“Please don’t. I’ll write down the address to the places the men disappear and reappear for you.”

“Thanks, that’ll help.”

“Just… Remember this, William. Mirrorkin are crafty and underhanded, but good and evil are separate traits. Avoid killing unless your own life is on the line.”

“I’m not a killer.”

“And I hope it stays that way.”