Chapter 111 October 13, 2022
Chapter 111 – Rain and City (1)
Alex changed to his usual clothes once he returned to the hideout.
“Haah. Still, these clothes are the most suitable for me.”
“You should at least fasten your buttons.”
Alex was drooping on the sofa and pretended not to hear Ludger’s comment.
Ludger was about to say something.
Ludger knew very well that Alex behaved like that because he was so mentally tired.
Just in time, the door opened, and the other members arrived one by one.
The executives of a secret organization, U.N. Owen. It was only Bellaruna who wasn’t present, but she was absorbed in analyzing the werewolf drug that Ludger had handed her.
“Everyone’s gathered. Then, let’s start the meeting.”
After he confirmed that everyone was present, Ludger glanced at Alex.
“Alex.”
“Okay.”
Alex nodded his head before he began explaining what he’d seen in the Kunst auction house and how things worked there.
He was especially well-informed about the interior of the underground storage room’s structure, but when they heard his story, their faces were full of astonishment.
“That’s it.”
“Hmm. So the structure is like that, I see.”
Hans stroked his chin while questioning Alex.
“You said that there are a total of six interior monitors being supervised, right?”
“Yeah. There are two monitoring artifacts placed in each storage vault.”
“Are all interior structures of the vaults the same?”
“Yeah. All three of them have the same standard. There’s a difference in space on how the items are arranged, but I remember all of them.”
Ludger spoke.
“Violeta, do you maybe know a professional in architecture or interior design?”
“Yes. I can ask the Old Kids about that part.”
“I’m asking you a favor. Sheridan, how is the production of the product I ordered you to work on?”
“It’s almost done. It’ll be completed in three days.”
“I beg you to be as fast as you can.”
“I’m already planning to do so anyway. Moreover, what I had to repair this time was not only a thing or two, don’t you think you overworked me too much?”
Sheridan complained while pressing her lips.
In fact, she was busy creating shooting equipment, artifact tools on top of portable communicators, and other goods as well.
She was probably the busiest in their organization.
However, it couldn’t be helped. It was the fate of an engineer to create many things within a short amount of time.
“Still, don’t you do it because you like it?”
“That’s true!”
Sheridan couldn’t bring herself to refute him.
She was the one who enjoyed the entire process regardless.
In fact, her hands were itchy, and it was hard to hold it in because she wanted to create something.
“The auction will be open for a total of three days straight. Considering that they’re opening it so grandly this time, the period is longer than usual, and the goods that will be up for auction will be different each day.”
“After I checked the entry list, the most important item that you’re looking for is stored in vault number three, which means that it will be presented on the third day.”
The goods that were stored in vault number one were for the first day.
The goods that were stored in vault number two were for the second day.
“What we need to take care of is the third day, the goods that are exhibited on the last day. Keeping that in mind, it’ll be suitable for us to proceed with our strategy on the second day.”
“Leader, do you have a reason for why it has to be the second day?”
“It’s because the vigilance on the first day of the auction is the highest—they will also be alert to prepare for possible situations. At that time, if we stand out even a bit, we will gain some suspicions. At least, after the first day passes safely, they will lower their guard for a bit, so that’s the most suitable time.”
“It certainly makes sense.”
“Rather than that, is it going to be okay?”
Violeta opened her mouth.
“I heard that a Security Department Knight came there? If it’s the Nightcrawler Knight Order from the Security Department, they are highly reputed.”
“Even so, it’s just one Knight.”
Alex answered so, but Violeta snorted lightly.
“How can you be so sure it’s only one? We don’t know if maybe more of them will come afterward. And listening to your story, it seems that you’re acquainted with the Security Department’s Knight, doesn’t that mean that she’ll cause a setback to our plan?”
“…”
Hans and Sheridan nodded as they agreed to Violeta’s words.
Alex’s role was a swindler who mimicked another status, but if there was someone who knew about his past, then things were bound to go awry.
“Rather than that, it’s unexpected. I can’t believe you’re acquainted with a Security Department Knight. What kind of relationship did the two of you have?”
“What do you mean ‘relationship’? There wasn’t any.”
“They were lovers.”
Ludger answered instead of Alex.
Alex stared at Ludger with a rigid expression.
“…Leader.”
“It’s a lie that will be caught soon, anyway. Pantos saw it on the spot, too, what’s the use of evading it here?”
“Heung…”
Since Ludger’s words were irrefutable, Alex could only remain silent.
In the end, he seemed to have given up, as he raised his hands while shaking his head.
“I only knew her in the past for a bit. We were lovers, but it didn’t last for long, and we separated soon after. It’s just that kind of story.”
Alex’s voice was so serene and heavy that they couldn’t find his usual flirtatious tone when he spoke.
“Did you cheat on her?”
“…Well, of course.”
Alex smiled bitterly and didn’t deny Violeta’s words.
—Because she wasn’t wrong.
“Still, I have the confidence that I will be able to proceed with the role entrusted to me, so don’t worry.”
“…Well, at least that much can be seen from the information that you gave us today. I won’t doubt you. I think Ludger is thinking the same, too.”
Violeta didn’t corner Alex any more than that.
Ludger, the leader of the organization, stayed still, so she couldn’t argue about it when she was only a subordinate.
Arpa, who was silently listening to their conversation, raised his hand and threw a question.
“Then, is the plan going to proceed unchanged?”
“Of course. There’s only one Security Department Knight, anyway. Though that’s still a matter of assumption.”
“Then, there’s no problem, right?”
“Yeah. There won’t be a problem so long as there aren’t any more troublesome people who show up after this.”
Ludger stared out the window.
Dark clouds were emerging in the sky, and although it was midday, there were thin shadows cast in the surroundings.
Just as though the sky was having a stomachache, there were loud noises, it seemed that a huge rain would fall.
Were they the dark clouds from the North?
It was ominous.
‘As long as there aren’t any more troublesome people…’
Leathevelk’s train station…
The citizens had a hunch that a heavy rain would pour down from the clouds, which were getting darker, moving over the city.
The entrance to the train station, which was usually crowded with people, was quiet as a no man’s land.
At that moment, rhythmical footsteps echoed in contrast to the desolate place.
“Finally arrived!”
A sky blue side-tail that resembled clear droplets swayed in tune with the footsteps.
A woman wearing a short beige trench coat which had been refined so it would be comfortable to wear smiled daringly while looking over her shoulder.
“Hey, assistant. Rain is going to pour down soon. If you’re slacking off like that, you’re going to turn out like a completely drenched rat, you know?”
“W-wait! Casey! Don’t keep going on your own as you please! I have a lot of baggage!”
A girl with a small body was calling out to Casey in protest.
She was a golden-haired girl with a short cut whose age looked vaguely between a teenager’s and an adult’s.
She looked akin to a perfectly shaped doll, and huge pieces of luggage which were three times larger than her body were hanging under both of her armpits and on her back.
“You left me this kind of baggage, so why did you tell me not to be late?!”
“That’s because you have good strength. It’s obvious for people who have more skills to bear heavy stuff, right? It’s an efficient distribution of work.”
“It’s sophistry! We’re having a trip, but why the hell do you have to bring this much luggage? Moreover, most of them are useless things!”
“What do you mean by useless? Won’t you say that those are tools to relieve my endlessly burning inspiration?”
At that moment, the blonde girl leaned some of the bags that she held to her side and poured the contents out over the ground.
—Revealing a myriad of document papers.
“Aah! Really! What are these?! I can’t believe that you didn’t throw away newspapers and case data regarding cases from all over the whole continent over the last five years and piled them up. Do you know that this exceeds the equivalent of 30 volumes of books? Do I have to carry them around?!”
“All of them are necessary, necessary. So, Betty, won’t you hurry and move?”
The girl called Betty distorted her face.
“Why?”
“What do you mean? That’s because rain is going to pour down soon.”
Rain was coming? That was certainly not a good thing.
Betty didn’t like being drenched in rain. Since it was something related to her origin, she couldn’t do anything about it.
“When is the rain going to come?”
“Hmm. The surroundings are dark, the wind is slightly blowing, and looking from the humidity, it will be in about five…?”
“Five minutes? It’s not too late yet, then!”
“Four, three, two, one.”
Right when the woman finished her countdown…
Drop.
A single raindrop fell from the sky onto Betty’s crown of hair.
“Ah…?”
Betty’s complexion turned pale.
Her gaze headed toward the sky. Raindrops fell one by one amidst the dark clouds which resembled a countless black flock of beasts rushing through.
“Aaaaaargh! Casey! It’s raining! Rain is pouring!”
“I know.”
“You should have avoided it instead of saying that! Aaht! The papers on the ground will get wet as well!”
Casey opened a black umbrella she had prepared earlier while looking at the screaming Betty.
“Oh? When did you prepare an umbrella? Rather than that, where is mine?”
“There’s only mine.”
“What?! W-wait! I can’t get drenched by rain! You know how fragile I am!”
Casey showed her snaggletooth as she grinned upon seeing Betty, who turned ghastly pale and had become desperate.
“Just kidding.”
Casey cast a spell as she said so.
The rain pouring from the sky flowed down around them as if it was being blocked by an invisible dome.
And surprisingly, even the papers scattered on the ground avoided the rain.
The raindrops falling one by one suddenly poured down so hard that it was difficult to see an inch in front of them, but it was only Betty and Casey who stayed intact within the rain.
Betty glared sharply at Casey as she was about to cry.
“Really. You should’ve done it beforehand if it was going to be like this!”
Casey just laughed as if she found Betty’s annoyance funny.
Maybe if a third person had seen the scene, and if they were someone who had some knowledge of magic, they would have been appalled.
Because, right then, Casey hadn’t used magic to create a barrier but had instead interfered directly with the raindrops falling from the sky using magic.
It was only possible for a single-element wizard who had reached an extreme level of control in their elemental attribute.
A talented person who could not only create water from the air, but also directly interfere with the water existing in nature.
Her name was ‘Casey Selmore’.
She was the owner of a nickname that could only be obtained by the most skilled of wizards, Blue Water.
She was an eccentric adventurer who traveled around the world and didn’t manage a workshop even though she was a wizard, and she was also the bloodline and granddaughter of an extremely famous detective in the past, Serochion Selmore.
And lastly…
She was a genius private detective who’d foiled the notorious ‘Professor James Moriarty’ in the Kingdom of Delica.
Such a woman had arrived in Leathevelk.
“Casey, why on earth did you come to Leathevelk?”
As she watched the falling raindrops avoiding her marvelously, Betty couldn’t retain her curiosity and asked.
She picked up and gathered the papers scattered on the ground and put them back into the suitcase.
Splash.
Casey spoke as she kicked a puddle of water welled on the ground with her leather boots while walking in the front.
“I smell a case in this place.”
“What on earth is the smell of a case…?”
“Betty, you know what? I heard that various cases have happened in this city recently—one of which is the case of werewolves attacking.”
“Werewolves, huh? Even still, a cryptid appearance isn’t much of a problem.”
“They weren’t ordinary cryptids.”
“Pardon? What do you mean?”
Instead of answering her question, Casey continued.
“And… from his last trace, he was heading this way.”
“Whose trace?”
“James Moriarty.”
Betty asked again to make sure she hadn’t heard it wrong.
“Wh-who?”
“James… Moriarty.”
“S-so who is it?”
“Ah, I told you it’s James Moriarty!”
“Ah, why are you yelling like that?! And didn’t you already catch James Moriarty?! No, didn’t you kill him?”
“Do you still believe that bullshit?”
“I don’t know. I met you after that case.”
“Phew.”
Casey Selmore let out a sigh.
“Those were just words that people went around saying as they pleased. It’s bullshit without any logic or proof.”
“Th-then was it also a lie that you fell from a waterfall with him, prepared to die together at the end of your fight as you bet on the destiny of the Kingdom of Delica with that man?”
“No. That’s real.”
“…What?”
“However, if there’s something that hasn’t been confirmed yet, it’s the death of that man.”
“Why? Didn’t he fall off a cliff? And there wasn’t even any corpse left. Did you see that man live and flee?”
“Well. It’s purely my gut feeling.”
Betty distorted her expression.
“A gut feeling again? Did you leave your deduction ability behind?”
“There was something I gave to a friend I met in the past, but I think I was also influenced by her.”
“Friend?”
“Yes. A friend I can’t meet again easily even if I wanted to. And it wasn’t just based on a gut feeling, I have proof that James Moriarty is still alive.”
Casey pointed her slender finger at the suitcase which Betty had put the documents and newspaper into a while ago.
“There are newspapers and data inside the suitcase that you’re carrying around.”
Betty opened her lips.
She couldn’t even imagine that the scraps of papers that had been gathered neatly by that tomboy lady had a meaning.
“Really?”
“Five years ago.”
“…?”
“There was a case where a countless number of cryptids multiplied and attacked the citizens in the Kingdom of Durman. The case was called ‘The Blood Night’.”
“Ah. I also heard about that. They said that an enormous monster led the cryptids back then.”
“The monster of Jévaudan. It was known as a demonic beast more enormous and terrible than any cryptid that had ever appeared before or since. What should have been a mere cryptid could eat six royal, elite Knights.”
“Right, right.”
“And there was but a single hunter who defeated such a demonic beast.”
“I know. The best hunter, Abraham van Helsing. He’s famous, right?”
“Yeah. Abraham van Helsing gained a lot of fame from hunting the monster of Jévaudan. But he vanished all of a sudden.”
“Why is that?”
Casey continued her speech instead of answering.
“Four years ago, there was a Pātali Kingdom adjacent to the Empire. It was a kingdom where the aristocrats exploited people and filled their own stomachs to the extent that the national finance was getting tough and was almost ruined. There was a thief that appeared in there—he was an elusive thief who wrapped himself within a black shadow, the people called him Arsène Lupin. He stole many belongings, and he was active for one year before he vanished.”
“Casey? What on earth are you talking about?”
“Three years ago, there was a great mischief maker wriggling within the Delica Kingdom. One person gathered all the organizations of the underworld into one, he took control of the war industry, triggered a war, and attempted to sweep away a great amount of wealth. He was the notorious James Moriarty, and he also vanished.”
“…”
Betty had figured out what Casey was about to say.
“Are you saying that all of them are the same person?”
“According to my assumption, yes.”
“Aren’t you just jumping to conclusions?”
“I hope so, but I heard one more interesting rumor recently. You know that there was a civil war in the northern Utah Kingdom, right?”
“Huh? Yes. Of course. The prince’s faction raised a rebellion and the princess’s faction resisted it, so they fought. In the end, the battle ended with the princess’s faction’s victory .”
“Yeah, but there’s one rumor that isn’t well known there. It was that there was a single man who led the princess’s faction to victory”
“…Pardon?”
“The man’s name is Machiavelli, he disappeared abruptly after the end of the war—just like the other people I mentioned.”
Casey grinned and watched the rising mist of Leathevelk.
She couldn’t see anyone else because of the rain shower that she couldn’t even block with her umbrella.
The only thing she could see in her retina was the city drenched in rain.
“The last place that my intuition is telling me he headed to is Leathevelk.”
Her blue eyes were seemingly staring at something else beyond the city.
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