“There was a murder in the alley over there... By the way, you two, were you looking at the ledger?”
Henry shouted excitedly, then paused. I pushed Erne away slightly and straightened my hair for no reason.
It was tied up neatly, to begin with, and there was absolutely no way to mess with the hair.
I sighed, feeling that I would miss out on making progress today, but tried to act as if nothing had happened and asked.
“I was writing a letter. Or rather, a murder case, Sir Henry?”
“There was a murder near the glass workshop.”
On his way home from work, Henry stopped by a glass workshop to ask Judith to hand over the overdue payment for glass bottles.
But on the way out of the workshop, he saw a swarm of police soldiers rushing in.
He followed them to see what was going on, there was a corpse covered in blood, and people were standing there looking at it.
“But is that something that needs to be conveyed so urgently?”
Erne nervously ran his fingers through his hair.
Henry shouted excitedly, then paused. I pushed Erne away slightly and straightened my hair for no reason.
It was tied up neatly, to begin with, and there was absolutely no way to mess with the hair.
I sighed, feeling that I would miss out on making progress today, but tried to act as if nothing had happened and asked.
“I was writing a letter. Or rather, a murder case, Sir Henry?”
“There was a murder near the glass workshop.”
On his way home from work, Henry stopped by a glass workshop to ask Judith to hand over the overdue payment for glass bottles.
But on the way out of the workshop, he saw a swarm of police soldiers rushing in.
He followed them to see what was going on, there was a corpse covered in blood, and people were standing there looking at it.
“But is that something that needs to be conveyed so urgently?”
Erne nervously ran his fingers through his hair.
What on earth does that murder have to do with us? We can talk about that tomorrow, so why bother interrupting someone on your way home from work?
“News like this is usually shared right away, Erne.”
A look of displeasure was clearly visible on Erne's face, but Henry didn't care. It had only been a day or two since Erne had made that kind of expression.
“Sir Henry, who died? Tell me more.”
Judith was curious. She was slightly annoyed at having her time with Erne interrupted, but she also had a question.
The area near the glass workshop where Henry witnessed the murder was a place where such incidents often occurred.
It wasn't a black market, but there was an alley leading to it. Starting from Smith's office, one side was a bustling area with a blacksmith shop, workshop, and warehouse above, and the other side was the entrance to the black market.
“Has the nobleman died?”
In a place like that, the police don't rush in just because a commoner dies. Where could someone of high rank die?
"No."
Henry shook his head.
“A rather famous person, though not a noble, has died. I’m sure you know him, Erne.”
"Me too?"
“Yeah, that big mercenary named Mastu. Do you remember him?”
“He’s dead? That tough guy?”
Erne wiggled her eyebrows as if he was puzzled.
“Who is he?”
Judith looked between Henry and Erne and asked.
“He’s a mercenary who went to war with me before. He was much more useful than that guy and the high-ranking official over there.”
That was Henry, and the one who became high was Cain.
Henry nodded his head, not seeming offended at being called that by Erne.
“You’ve achieved a lot.”
Mastu was one of the longest-living survivors of that battle.
As a mercenary, he went to war on behalf of a nobleman. Although he did not achieve any outstanding achievements, he was recognized for his minor achievements and received a small reward from the imperial family.
If he had taken the right path at that time, he could have gotten a job at the police force, but Mastu fell into the underworld.
“Yeah, I heard he was living a life of gangsterism somewhere.”
“He wasn’t just any thug, he was a thug who ruled the alley. He was famous for forming a gang and extorting money from merchants under the pretext of protection money.”
At first, the amount was reasonable, but as the gang grew, the protection fee also increased. This caused a lot of complaints from the merchants, but the police could not easily touch it.
“Actually, they didn’t touch it. While Mastu was there as the leader, most of the incidents were resolved by him.”
From the police's standpoint, it was much more convenient to have Mastu, because Mastu divided up some of the police's tasks.
Things like periodically eliminating pickpockets, mediating fights, or calming down unruly nobles and sending them home.
It seemed like no one would dare touch Mastu, who was carried on his back by the security forces.
“But isn’t it surprising that he was found dead, and on the street at that?”
“Did he die?”
Henry shook his head at Erne's question.
“He was stabbed to death. But he died in a rather brutal way.”
Henry was able to get a closer look at the body because the security guard who came to collect the body looked familiar.
“It looks like he was stabbed with a dagger. The culprit must have had a grudge against Mastu, he left it in a very messy state.”
There were so many wounds that the skin on his stomach was tattered. It was impossible to tell which wounds were fatal.
“But strangely enough, there was no sign of resistance.”
“No sign of resistance? Are you seeing things wrong?”
“No, the clothes were clean.”
Except for the slashed stomach and chest, Mastu's clothes were not wrinkled or torn.
If you fought an opponent with a dagger, you should get torn somewhere.
“Could it be that it was a fatal wound from the first time?”
“If he had died instantly, that would have been the case, but it would have been difficult to inflict a fatal wound with a dagger.”
“At least he tried to crawl and escape.”
As soon as Henry finished speaking, Erne added his explanation.
“So, that guy named Mastu just stood there and did nothing while someone stabbed him with a knife?”
It seemed strange that a seasoned mercenary turned gangster who had been to war was defeated without even putting up a fight.
“Were you drunk? No matter how drunk you are, don’t you know that someone is poking your stomach?”
Erne frowned. Judith tilted her head as if she had heard about such cruel methods somewhere.
“Anyway, I heard that with Mastu dead, the gangs under him might start fighting for power. Please take care, Ma’am.”
“Don’t worry, Sir Henry. I have Erne.”
This time, Henry, who was truly ready to leave work, grabbed the doorknob and smiled at Judith and Erne.
“Then I will go with peace of mind.”
“Yes, go ahead and go.”
“I will not be coming back today, Ma’am.”
Judith blinked at the rather meaningful words. Henry smiled at her, wrinkling his nose.
“Then, you two, please take a look at the ledger.”
“...!”
Henry gave a thumbs-up and left the store.
Damn, did you notice what I was trying to do with Erne earlier? Then what does that thumb mean?
Judith fanned her flushed cheeks.
She wanted to continue what she was doing earlier, but the mood was already broken. Judith looked up at Erne to try to get the mood back, but for some reason, she felt incredibly embarrassed.
Finally, Judith turned her gaze to the letter.
“...I’m going to send a letter, Erne.”
“Why don’t you use magic?”
An empty room on the first floor of the Rhineland Mansion. In the middle of the desolation, on an old wooden table, Shadin's knife and mirror were placed together.
The mirror was too normal. In the past, it would often use evil spells, but now that I'm telling you to, it doesn't use them. What kind of symbol is that?
“Where could he be hiding?”
After the Mastu murder, the police got busy. Cain got busy too.
Still, he did not forget and sent me new information he had found about the three dead Followers, including Akan.
According to the information Cain sent, it seemed that even the three Followers had betrayed the priest.
Akan and other Followers went around the village to buy food, but they said they only bought enough for three people.
After killing the three traitors, Shadin did not cast any spells.
“Melting is a high-level curse. There may have been some trouble with Shadin while casting that curse. He is on the weak side.”
Tia guessed so. There was some truth to what she said.
If so, Shadin will be even more cautious. How can I make Shadin use magic?
“He needs to take some medicine.”
It's about slowly increasing the dose and making him really feverish. It's such a mean thing to do that he'll want to curse.
“What could that be?”
Shadin is trying to deal with the traitor somehow. He is greedy for money. He didn't get what he wanted from Viscount Wilbur, etc.
I recalled everything Eli knew about Shadin.
“I did the work but didn’t get paid, that’s it.”
I just had a good idea. This would make most people angry.
I left the empty room and headed to Erne. I had somewhere to stop by before going to work at the store.
A good idea occurred to Judith, and two days later, new posters were posted all over the capital, including in the square.
The content was that Gary and Tia were given a reward for actively cooperating with the investigation. Gary even received a pardon.
“That would be great, Gary. It would be rewarding to be the first to jump in.”
Shadin chuckled as he read the poster. Unlike Judith, who would be furious if a traitor received a pardon and a reward, Shadin didn't seem to care at all.
His attention was drawn to the sound of conversation behind the poster.
“He’s a hero.”
The bakery owner's voice rang out loud.
“Hey, but he still killed a person.”
“People are people, what kind of person was that guy Mastu? Even if we don’t know who killed him, he’s a hero, a hero. We should erect a statue for him.”
The corners of Shadin's mouth went up when he heard that voice.
“News like this is usually shared right away, Erne.”
A look of displeasure was clearly visible on Erne's face, but Henry didn't care. It had only been a day or two since Erne had made that kind of expression.
“Sir Henry, who died? Tell me more.”
Judith was curious. She was slightly annoyed at having her time with Erne interrupted, but she also had a question.
The area near the glass workshop where Henry witnessed the murder was a place where such incidents often occurred.
It wasn't a black market, but there was an alley leading to it. Starting from Smith's office, one side was a bustling area with a blacksmith shop, workshop, and warehouse above, and the other side was the entrance to the black market.
“Has the nobleman died?”
In a place like that, the police don't rush in just because a commoner dies. Where could someone of high rank die?
"No."
Henry shook his head.
“A rather famous person, though not a noble, has died. I’m sure you know him, Erne.”
"Me too?"
“Yeah, that big mercenary named Mastu. Do you remember him?”
“He’s dead? That tough guy?”
Erne wiggled her eyebrows as if he was puzzled.
“Who is he?”
Judith looked between Henry and Erne and asked.
“He’s a mercenary who went to war with me before. He was much more useful than that guy and the high-ranking official over there.”
That was Henry, and the one who became high was Cain.
Henry nodded his head, not seeming offended at being called that by Erne.
“You’ve achieved a lot.”
Mastu was one of the longest-living survivors of that battle.
As a mercenary, he went to war on behalf of a nobleman. Although he did not achieve any outstanding achievements, he was recognized for his minor achievements and received a small reward from the imperial family.
If he had taken the right path at that time, he could have gotten a job at the police force, but Mastu fell into the underworld.
“Yeah, I heard he was living a life of gangsterism somewhere.”
“He wasn’t just any thug, he was a thug who ruled the alley. He was famous for forming a gang and extorting money from merchants under the pretext of protection money.”
At first, the amount was reasonable, but as the gang grew, the protection fee also increased. This caused a lot of complaints from the merchants, but the police could not easily touch it.
“Actually, they didn’t touch it. While Mastu was there as the leader, most of the incidents were resolved by him.”
From the police's standpoint, it was much more convenient to have Mastu, because Mastu divided up some of the police's tasks.
Things like periodically eliminating pickpockets, mediating fights, or calming down unruly nobles and sending them home.
It seemed like no one would dare touch Mastu, who was carried on his back by the security forces.
“But isn’t it surprising that he was found dead, and on the street at that?”
“Did he die?”
Henry shook his head at Erne's question.
“He was stabbed to death. But he died in a rather brutal way.”
Henry was able to get a closer look at the body because the security guard who came to collect the body looked familiar.
“It looks like he was stabbed with a dagger. The culprit must have had a grudge against Mastu, he left it in a very messy state.”
There were so many wounds that the skin on his stomach was tattered. It was impossible to tell which wounds were fatal.
“But strangely enough, there was no sign of resistance.”
“No sign of resistance? Are you seeing things wrong?”
“No, the clothes were clean.”
Except for the slashed stomach and chest, Mastu's clothes were not wrinkled or torn.
If you fought an opponent with a dagger, you should get torn somewhere.
“Could it be that it was a fatal wound from the first time?”
“If he had died instantly, that would have been the case, but it would have been difficult to inflict a fatal wound with a dagger.”
“At least he tried to crawl and escape.”
As soon as Henry finished speaking, Erne added his explanation.
“So, that guy named Mastu just stood there and did nothing while someone stabbed him with a knife?”
It seemed strange that a seasoned mercenary turned gangster who had been to war was defeated without even putting up a fight.
“Were you drunk? No matter how drunk you are, don’t you know that someone is poking your stomach?”
Erne frowned. Judith tilted her head as if she had heard about such cruel methods somewhere.
“Anyway, I heard that with Mastu dead, the gangs under him might start fighting for power. Please take care, Ma’am.”
“Don’t worry, Sir Henry. I have Erne.”
This time, Henry, who was truly ready to leave work, grabbed the doorknob and smiled at Judith and Erne.
“Then I will go with peace of mind.”
“Yes, go ahead and go.”
“I will not be coming back today, Ma’am.”
Judith blinked at the rather meaningful words. Henry smiled at her, wrinkling his nose.
“Then, you two, please take a look at the ledger.”
“...!”
Henry gave a thumbs-up and left the store.
Damn, did you notice what I was trying to do with Erne earlier? Then what does that thumb mean?
Judith fanned her flushed cheeks.
She wanted to continue what she was doing earlier, but the mood was already broken. Judith looked up at Erne to try to get the mood back, but for some reason, she felt incredibly embarrassed.
Finally, Judith turned her gaze to the letter.
“...I’m going to send a letter, Erne.”
***
“Why don’t you use magic?”
An empty room on the first floor of the Rhineland Mansion. In the middle of the desolation, on an old wooden table, Shadin's knife and mirror were placed together.
The mirror was too normal. In the past, it would often use evil spells, but now that I'm telling you to, it doesn't use them. What kind of symbol is that?
“Where could he be hiding?”
After the Mastu murder, the police got busy. Cain got busy too.
Still, he did not forget and sent me new information he had found about the three dead Followers, including Akan.
According to the information Cain sent, it seemed that even the three Followers had betrayed the priest.
Akan and other Followers went around the village to buy food, but they said they only bought enough for three people.
After killing the three traitors, Shadin did not cast any spells.
“Melting is a high-level curse. There may have been some trouble with Shadin while casting that curse. He is on the weak side.”
Tia guessed so. There was some truth to what she said.
If so, Shadin will be even more cautious. How can I make Shadin use magic?
“He needs to take some medicine.”
It's about slowly increasing the dose and making him really feverish. It's such a mean thing to do that he'll want to curse.
“What could that be?”
Shadin is trying to deal with the traitor somehow. He is greedy for money. He didn't get what he wanted from Viscount Wilbur, etc.
I recalled everything Eli knew about Shadin.
“I did the work but didn’t get paid, that’s it.”
I just had a good idea. This would make most people angry.
I left the empty room and headed to Erne. I had somewhere to stop by before going to work at the store.
***
A good idea occurred to Judith, and two days later, new posters were posted all over the capital, including in the square.
The content was that Gary and Tia were given a reward for actively cooperating with the investigation. Gary even received a pardon.
“That would be great, Gary. It would be rewarding to be the first to jump in.”
Shadin chuckled as he read the poster. Unlike Judith, who would be furious if a traitor received a pardon and a reward, Shadin didn't seem to care at all.
His attention was drawn to the sound of conversation behind the poster.
“He’s a hero.”
The bakery owner's voice rang out loud.
“Hey, but he still killed a person.”
“People are people, what kind of person was that guy Mastu? Even if we don’t know who killed him, he’s a hero, a hero. We should erect a statue for him.”
The corners of Shadin's mouth went up when he heard that voice.
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