◈ Episode 111 Rain and City (1)
Returning to the hideout, Alex immediately changed into his usual light clothes.
“ha. Still, this outfit suits me the best.”
“At least button up your front pocket properly.”
Even at Ludger’s point, Alex did not listen properly as he sat on the sofa.
Rudger was about to say something.
He knew very well that Alex was behaving like that because he was mentally pretty exhausted.
Just in time, the door opened and the members arrived one by one.
executives of a secret organization. She was the only one without Bella Luna, who was preoccupied with analyzing the werewolf medication Ludger had handed her.
“Everyone has gathered. Then let’s start the meeting.”
Rudger, who had checked all the people gathered, looked sideways at Alex.
“Alex.”
“okay.”
Alex shook his head and explained what he had seen at the Kunst Auction House and how things were going on inside.
In particular, he was completely familiar with the structure of the internal underground storage room, and every time he heard the story, the members’ expressions were colored with surprise.
“It’s over.”
“Hmm. Is it structured like that?”
Hans stroked his chin and asked Alex.
“Didn’t you say you were filming the interior in a total of six locations?”
“okay. Two artifacts were placed in each storage room safe.”
“Are all safes the same internal structure?”
“uh. All three are of the same standard. There are differences in the spacing of the objects, but remember that.”
said Rudger.
“Violetta. Do you know of any experts in architecture or interior design?”
“yes. You should ask Old Kids for that part.”
“Please, Sheridan. How is the production of the ordered items going?”
“Almost done. It will be finished in three days.”
“Please, as soon as possible.”
“I still think so. Besides, there are not one or two things to fix right now, aren’t you rolling me too much?”
Sheridan pursed his lips and grunted.
In fact, she was busy making portable communicators, shooting devices that imitated artifact tools, and other items.
She is probably the busiest in this organization.
But what can I do? It is the fate of a gongdori to make many things in a tight time frame each time.
“Isn’t that what you like?”
“That’s right!”
Sheridan couldn’t resist.
No matter what anyone says, isn’t it you who enjoys all of this process?
In fact, even now, I want to make things quickly, so my hands are itching to endure it.
“The auction will be held for a total of three days. This time it is held especially grandly, so the period is longer. And the items that come up for auction are different for each day of the week.”
“I checked the entry list, and what you were looking for was in safe number 3, which holds the most important items. So that means he’ll be serving it on the third day.”
On the first day, the items stored in safe #1.
On the second day, the items stored in safe #2.
“What we need to take care of is the things that are exhibited on the third and last day. Then, it would be appropriate to carry out the operation on the second day.”
“leader. Is there a reason why it was set as the second day?”
“Because the first day of the auction will be the most vigilant. They must be alert, too, in preparation for any unforeseen situation. At that time, if you noticed even a little bit, you would be suspicious right away. At least if you get through the first day safely, you’ll be a little bit careless from the next day, so that’s the best time.”
“It’s definitely plausible.”
“Would it be better than that?”
It was Violetta who opened her mouth.
“I heard that an article from the Security Agency came over there? The Security Agency’s Nightcrawler Knights have a reputation.”
“Even if that’s the case, it’s just one average knight.”
Alex answered, but Violetta snorted lightly.
“How can you be sure there is only one? More may come after that. Also, listening to Mr. Alex’s story, it seems that he was dating an article from the security agency. Wouldn’t this disrupt the operation?”
“… … .”
Hans and Sheridan also nodded in agreement with Violetta’s words.
Alex’s role is that of a con artist who imitates another identity, but if someone who knows his past is here, things will go wrong.
“It’s more surprising than that. You’ve been dating an engineer from the Security Bureau. How were you two?”
“What a joke. No relationship.”
“We were lovers.”
Instead, it was Rudger who answered.
Alex stared at Ludger with a hard expression.
“… … leader.”
“It’s a lie that will soon be discovered anyway. I also saw Pantos, who was at the scene, what does it mean to run away here?”
“Okay.”
Alex couldn’t help but let out a sigh.
He finally gave up, raising both hands and shaking his head.
“I only met a little while ago. They were lovers, but they didn’t last long and they broke up quickly. It’s just, that’s the story.”
Alex’s voice when he said that was so calm and heavy that he couldn’t find the usual frivolity.
“Did you even have an affair?”
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“… … Well, something like that.”
Alex smiled bitterly and did not deny Violetta’s words.
Because it wasn’t wrong.
“Still, I am confident that I will definitely do my part. So don’t worry.”
“… … Well, just looking at the information we brought today seems to be enough. I won’t doubt The owner seems to think so too.”
Violetta didn’t push Alex any further.
It was because Ludger, the ruler of this organization, was silent, and he, a mere subordinate, could not discuss it any more.
At that time, Arfa, who was just listening to the story, raised her hand and asked a question.
“Then, are we going to proceed with the operation as it is?”
“It should be. There is an article from the Security Bureau, but there is only one. It is still an element within the assumption.”
“Then there is no problem?”
“okay. If only annoying people show up, there won’t be any problem.”
Rudger stared out the window.
Dark clouds were gathering in the sky, and even though it was broad daylight, a light shadow was cast over the son-in-law.
Seeing that the sky let out a loud sound as if it had an upset stomach, it seemed that it was about to rain heavily.
Is it a dark cloud from the north?
Ominous.
“As long as there are no annoying people.”
* * *
Lederbelk train station.
The dark clouds gradually thickened, and the citizens intuited that heavy rain would soon come and moved in a hurry.
The entrance of the train station, which would normally have been crowded with crowds like clouds, was quiet as if a war had broken out.
At that moment, cheerful footsteps echoed in contrast to the desolate place.
“We are finally here!”
A light blue side tail like a clear drop of water swaying in sync with your footsteps.
Wearing a short beige trench coat that was refined for ease of movement, the woman looked back with a bold smile.
“Hey, assistant. It will rain soon. If you act so late, you’ll end up like a rat soaked in water?”
“Now, wait! Casey! Don’t keep going alone like that! I have a lot of luggage!”
What came out with such a protest was a girl with a smaller body than the woman named Casey.
A blond short-haired girl of an ambiguous age who looks between a teenager and an adult.
She looked as if she had the perfect shape like a doll, and was carrying a huge load that could be three times her size on her back and under her armpits.
“Why don’t you be late if you leave this kind of burden on me!”
“Yes, because you are strong. Isn’t it natural for a more capable person to lift heavy weights? It is an efficient distribution of work.”
“Sophistry! I’m traveling in the first place, so what’s the point of packing so much luggage? Even most of them are useless!”
“It’s useless. Can you tell me that it is a tool to relieve my endless burning inspiration?”
At that moment, part of the bag the blond girl was holding was thrown to the side and the contents inside spilled onto the ground.
It was a lot of papers.
“iced coffee! really! What else is this! To not throw away the newspapers and case materials that had been collected from all over the continent for the past five years, but to pile them up one by one in the bag. Did you know that this alone is over 30 books? Do I have to carry all of these with me!”
“Everything you need, everything you need. So Betty. Aren’t you going to move quickly?”
The girl called Betty had her face distorted.
“why.”
“Why? That’s because it’s going to rain soon.”
it’s raining? That’s definitely not good.
Betty doesn’t like being in the rain. It was something related to her birth, and she couldn’t help it.
“When are you coming?”
“Hmm. The place is dark, the wind blows lightly, and the humidity is like this. … ?”
“5 minutes? It’s not too late for that!”
“4, 3, 2, 1.”
As soon as her count ends.
Knock.
A single raindrop fell from the sky onto the top of Betty’s head.
“ah… … ?”
Betty’s complexion turned pale.
Her gaze turned to the sky. Raindrops fell one by one through the cracks in the dark clouds, as if a herd of black beasts were running in droves.
“Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa Casey! It’s raining! It’s raining!”
“I know.”
“It’s not that I know, it’s that we have to avoid it now! Alas! Even paper that has fallen on the floor will get wet!”
Seeing Betty screaming, Casey opened the black umbrella she had prepared in advance.
“uh? When did you bring your umbrella? What about mine?”
“I only have mine.”
“yes?! Now, wait! I mean, it’s not okay if it rains! You know how delicate I am!”
Looking at Betty, who became contemplative and desperate, Casey grinned, revealing his knocked teeth.
“I’m kidding.”
The moment she said that, Casey’s magical power was manifested.
The rain falling from the sky flows down as if blocked by an invisible curtain.
And surprisingly, even the paper spilled on the ground was avoiding it.
The raindrops that had fallen one or two were pouring so much that it was difficult to see an inch ahead, but Betty and Casey were the only ones who were fine.
Betty, who was in tears, glared at Casey.
“really. If you were going to do this, please do it sooner!”
Despite Betty’s annoyance, Casey just laughed at how funny it was.
If a third person had seen this scene, especially a person with some level of knowledge in magic, they would have been shocked.
Casey wasn’t using magic to create water, but he was using magic to interfere with the raindrops falling from the sky.
It can only use one attribute, but only a wizard who has reached the extreme of that attribute can do it.
A skilled person who can interfere with water that exists in nature beyond creating water in the air.
Her name is Casey Selmore.
The holder of the title of <Color of Water>, one of the modifiers that only a handful of magicians in existence can acquire.
Even though she is a wizard, she is an eccentric adventurer who wanders around the world without setting up a workshop, and is the blood relative and granddaughter of Serokion Selmore, a very famous detective in the past.
And finally.
A genius private detective who defeated the notorious ‘Professor James Moriarty’ in Delica Kingdom.
That’s how she arrived at Ledervelk.
“Casey. What did you come to Ledervelk for?”
Betty, who was watching in amazement as the falling raindrops moved away from her, suddenly couldn’t hold back her curiosity and asked.
She was picking up the materials she had spilled on the ground and putting them back into the case.
snap.
Casey, who was leading the way, kicked a puddle of water on the floor with her leather boot and said,
“It smells like an incident here.”
“What is the smell of that incident… … .”
“Betty. I know that? It is said that several incidents have recently occurred in this city called Leedervelk. A typical example is the werewolf attack.”
“You are a werewolf. But the appearance of the cryptid is not really a problem, right?”
“Because it’s not an ordinary cryptid.”
“yes? Isn’t that normal?”
Instead of answering the question, Casey
“and… … The last trace is heading this way.”
“Whose sign is it?”
“James Moriarty.”
Betty asked again if she hadn’t heard something wrong.
“Who, who?”
“James, Moriarty.”
“So, who is it?”
“Ah, James Moriarty!”
“Oh, why are you screaming! And if it’s James Moriarty, you said Casey caught it! No, did he say he killed him?”
“Do you still believe that bullshit?”
“I don’t know. It was after that that I met Casey.”
“Ugh.”
Casey Selmore let out an uncontrollable sigh.
“That’s just what people say. It’s all nonsense without any logic or evidence.”
“Well, then, was it a lie that we fell together as if we were together at the end of the final fight between that man and the fate of Delica Kingdom from the cliff where the waterfall falls?”
“no. It’s real.”
“… … What is it. that is.”
“The only difference from what is known is that the man is not dead.”
“why? I heard you fell down a cliff. That there was no body left. Did you see that man escaped alive?”
“no. Just my senses.”
Betty frowned.
“Are you feeling it again? Where do you put all your brilliant reasoning skills?”
“I passed it on to a friend I met a long time ago, but I might have been a little influenced by her too.”
“A friend?”
“there is. A friend I can’t easily meet even though I want to meet now. And I didn’t just say it by feeling. In fact, there is evidence that the man is alive.”
Casey pointed with her slender finger to the case that Betty had just stored papers and newspapers in.
“There are newspapers and case materials in the case you carry.”
Betty pursed her lips.
It was because he had never imagined that this tomboy girl had a meaning in these scraps of paper that she had collected so far.
“Really?”
“Five years ago.”
“… … ?”
“There was an incident in Durmang Kingdom where countless cryptids multiplied abnormally and attacked citizens. It was an incident called the Night of Blood.”
“ah. I heard that too. At that time, there was a huge monster who led the Cryptids.”
“The monster of Jebodang. It is known that it was a bigger and more terrible monster than any cryptid that has ever appeared. It must be shocking to see that only the Cryptids ate a whopping number of elite knights belonging to the royal family.”
“Right, right.”
“And there was a hunter who defeated such a beast.”
“i know. Abraham Van Helsing, the greatest hunter. Are you famous?”
“okay. Abraham Van Helsing built a great reputation hunting the monsters of the Seebodang. But he suddenly disappeared.”
“Why is that?”
Casey said something else instead of answering.
“Four years ago, the Kingdom of Fatalli adjacent to the Empire. It is a country that has been ruined to such an extent that the aristocrats exploited the people to enrich themselves and the national finances became difficult. A thief appeared there. An elusive phantom thief clad in a black shadow, people called him <Arsene Lupin>. He stole a lot of stuff, and after a year or so of activity, he suddenly disappeared.”
“Casey? What are you talking about?”
“Three years ago. A huge conspiracy was wriggling in the shadows of Delica Kingdom. A man tried to unite all the organizations in the underworld, take control of the military industry, wage war and wreak vast amounts of wealth. That infamous <James Moriarty>. And he, suddenly, disappeared.”
“… … .”
Betty noticed what Casey was about to say.
“Now, are you saying that they are all the same person?”
“According to my guess, yes.”
“Isn’t that too speculative?”
“I hope so, but I heard another interesting news recently. Do you know that there was a civil war in the Northern Kingdom of Utah not too long ago?”
“yes? yes. It was. The faction of the prince started a civil war and the faction of the princess fought against it. In the end, the fight ended with the victory of the princess faction.”
“okay. But there’s one little-known piece of news out there. It means that there was a man who was responsible for the victory of the princess faction.”
“… … yes?”
“The man’s name is Machiavelli. After the end of the war, he suddenly hid his identity and disappeared. Like, like the others I mentioned.”
Casey smiled and stared at the landscape of Lederbelk, where misty water rose.
People were not seen because of the shower that even an umbrella could not stop.
The only thing reflected in the retina is the image of the city getting wet in the rain.
“The last place he supposedly went to is this Leatherbelk.”
Her blue eyes seemed to be staring at something else beyond the city.
