Chapter 56: A Brilliant Move? Was There Such a Thing? (1)
Imperial Year 372, November 11th.
“Your connections are quite unique. Are you really the second son of the Duke?”
“Do you have a problem with that?”
“No. It’s just strange. The second son of a Duke being the hidden mastermind behind a dark organization……Even though it’s a plausible story……A priest, an incredibly strong sworn brother, and an exceptionally skilled swordsmanship teacher……It’s an impossible combination. Are you aspiring to be an adventurer?”
“I’m thinking of entering the Gray Forest soon. Why?”
I retorted to Lucy’s words with a sarcastic tone.
Since Lucy had become my guest, I had to introduce him to the others who were also guests.
A little while ago, I introduced him to Old Man. I asked him to look into the murder case, and as a mage, Lucy would be helpful. Jay said he was out on an errand to investigate the matter.
Thus, Lucy, who came into contact with my network, started looking at me with a strange gaze. Certainly, it’s not the kind of connections an ordinary second son of a Duke would have. (Excluding the fact that being the second son of a Duke is extraordinary in itself.)
I shrugged and said,
“I’m also having strange thoughts. Why is a mage so muscular? And you have so many scars.”
“Well, mages are supposed to be healthy. If you keep fiddling with things in a dark laboratory, your health deteriorates. It’s a profession where you always have to take care of your health. The importance of health to a mage is like a doctor not getting hurt in any situation to treat patients……”
“It’s not the same. How do you even come up with such a strange idea……”
There was only one thing I could know about Lucy’s personality from the moment we first met.
It’s a personality that’s ‘incomprehensible’.
I looked up at the night sky and sighed.
Why do I have to have this conversation with this guy while looking for a serial killer?
The night was deep, and the surroundings were quiet. The night sky, with a few clouds, was full of stars. At times like this, I just want to spread a small table on the terrace, put out some wine and snacks, and have a light drink. With a beautiful lady in front of me.
Levidian, Aila, and Namias momentarily came to mind as candidates, but I was frustrated that there were only three of them.
Levidian only knows swords, Aila is difficult to create romance with, and Namias, aside from the fact that she doesn’t drink, can’t even hold a conversation.
All three are outstanding beauties, but they are all lacking in some way to be suitable for such an occasion.
Ah, why are all the women around me like that? I’d rather go to a hostess club run by the organization.
Sigh, let’s stop thinking useless thoughts. Anyway, since I’m physically a minor, any act involving ‘alcohol’ is something I shouldn’t do.
I scratched my head and led Lucy.
“This way.”
“Ah, okay.”
I don’t know if the culprit has come down to the 3rd Security Office’s jurisdiction. The place where Lucy and I were wandering was also near the border between the 3rd and 8th Security Offices.
According to what I’ve heard, the 8th Security Office is working hard on security by receiving additional security personnel from nearby security offices, excluding the 3rd Security Office.
The 3rd Security Office is putting as many people as possible on night patrol, as Permed Hendi, whom I met yesterday, said. So there’s a possibility that the culprit has moved to another area.
“By the way, do you really think the culprit is moving around, mindful of the investigation? Risel, what do you think?”
“What do I think? If I knew, I would have caught him already.”
The culprit’s behavior was like Lucy’s personality. I could only tell that I didn’t know what he was thinking.
Looking at the culprit’s actions, it’s unclear whether he’s calmly gone mad or just blatantly gone mad.
After some discussion, Lucy and I agreed to lean towards the former.
There are the following reasons for this:
One. He hasn’t been caught yet.
At the very least, the culprit has the rationality to avoid the investigation and the intelligence to make the security officers work hard. Besides, if he were just a madman, he would have been caught when two crimes were committed.
Two. The brutality of the corpses.
Judging from the shape of the corpses, which are uncomfortable to mention during mealtimes, it’s not something a simple madman could do. The human body is surprisingly soft yet firm and tough, so to make it that way with a saw requires considerable effort and determination, rather than just madness.
Three. The appearance of the culprit witnessed was relatively clean.
Generally, mentally ill people who are described as ‘crazy’ are very dirty if left alone. This is because they don’t have the rationality left to care about their appearance. However, the culprit we saw yesterday was wearing clean clothes and seemed to be properly shaved.
“It’s like……if he were just left alone, he wouldn’t look like a murderer. Thanks to that, it was easy to create a composite sketch.”
“Ah, this?”
I pointed to the composite sketch and wanted poster on the wall. The name, age, and occupation were unknown, but a high-quality composite sketch was posted on the wall.
At first glance, it’s a face that would be associated with intelligent crimes like marriage fraud, loan sharking, illegal gambling, and fraud, rather than a gruesome serial killer. He has a very ordinary appearance, the so-called ‘boy next door’ look.
Blonde hair, black eyes, brown skin, height about 160 to 170 centimeters. Estimated age mid-20s. Average build. Expected occupation is construction or woodworking.
Based on appearance alone, it’s as standard as Mr. Smith.
Lucy tore off one of the wanted posters that were posted side by side.
“I don’t think we can easily catch the culprit with this, but it will have some effect. At least if the culprit has a brain, he won’t be walking around in broad daylight with his face exposed.”
“That’s why we came out at night.”
In addition, we have a destination.
It’s the place where the hostess who experienced the attempted murder yesterday works.
Considering the culprit’s obsession with the corpses, I thought he might focus on one victim.
I advised her, almost like a warning, to stop wandering around at night for the time being, but in a profession where you live day-to-day, taking a few days off work is a critical blow to your livelihood.
Naturally, she’ll go to work today. She seemed quite strong-willed and didn’t seem too scared. She said she’s used to being attacked at night.
Her workplace was a hostess club on the border between the 3rd and 8th Security Offices. The name is ‘Night Blooming Rose’. Anyway, it’s quite cheesy. Who even came up with that name?
Lucy and I walked through the alleys, looking around.
This is because there might be suspicious individuals.
However, it seemed like we were the most suspicious people today.
“Ah, I told you we took the wrong way! He’s so strict!”
“Please wait a moment. Hmm, done. I’ve confirmed your identity.”
“Geez. Are you saying we can’t even have fun at night? Tsk! Hey, assistant! Let’s go!”
“Be careful.”
The two security officers finished the stop-and-frisk and moved away.
Thanks to Lucy being there, they definitely didn’t ask about my identity and let us pass. And since the culprit is said to be acting alone, a mage recognized by the association and his assistant are just subjects of investigation.
Still, it seems they still find us suspicious. We were stopped and questioned three times per kilometer on our way to the cheesy hostess club.
Just as we were about to get neurotic, we arrived at the street where the club was located.
It was a fairly large entertainment district, and Lucy muttered blankly,
“Is this heaven?”
“Shut up.”
I gave him a scornful look and scolded him.
Businesses with hostesses and hosts can only be established within the areas designated by Imperial law. The place Lucy and I arrived at was also such an entertainment district, and it was clearly different from residential areas.
The buildings were all lit up, making it impossible to think it was 1 a.m., and people who were drunk or about to be drunk were walking around the streets.
There were also many carriages going around. Rental carriages that take drunk people home operate until 4 a.m., the time designated by Imperial law. The reason the hostess walked yesterday was because the rental carriage operating hours had passed.
Well, at least it seems like no crime will happen here. There are too many people.
“Come on! Come here! The best service!”
“Hey, handsome! How about a drink?!”
“You look tired, right? I’ll entertain you! Come here!”
Each store was fiercely soliciting customers.
The smell of alcohol and strong perfume mixed with the cold night air. In addition, since physical sexual acts are legal under Imperial law, the smell of musk permeates the air.
“This place……is truly paradise! Ri, Risel, can’t we just have a little fun?”
“Go die. Come on, quickly.”
I grabbed Lucy’s robe and dragged him along as I led the way. Mages usually pour all their power into magic, but is this guy overflowing with energy?
“Hey, handsome! You there! I’ll give you great service!”
“Oh! That sounds good, ugh!”
“Shut up. Come on, quickly.”
“Brother, you look tired, why don’t you rest here!”
“Ah, yes. I’ve been feeling tired lately……Ugh!”
“You look healthy enough.”
Thanks to the countless requests coming from all around and Lucy’s attempts to respond to each one, my irritation level soared higher than during the stop-and-frisks. Perhaps if that cheesy club wasn’t nearby, I would have exploded on the street.
“Welcome! Welcome to Night Blooming Rose, where the most beautiful flowers in the world bloom! Is this your first time?”
The club’s doorman greeted us enthusiastically. He seemed quite bulky, but his face was full of friendliness, probably from doing this job for a long time. This type of person turns into a demon when you don’t pay later.
“It’s my first time……Is Maria here?”
“Ah! You mean Maria! Of course! But where did you hear about her? She’s the most beautiful woman in our store! Haha! Huey, escort the guests! The request is for Maria!”
“Yes!”
A young man who had just come of age popped out from inside and guided us with a bow.
“Maria is working in the hall on the 3rd floor. I’ll show you the way.”
“Okay.”
Looking at the rough structure, it seems like a 5-story building with a basement and 4 floors above ground.
Business seems to be doing quite well.
The hallway leading to the stairs was full of rooms, and noise was coming from every room.
I wish our organization’s place was doing this well. But what was the name of that place? I don’t even remember since I didn’t pay attention to it.
Up to the 2nd floor was full of rooms. However, the 2nd floor had much larger rooms compared to the 1st floor. The atmosphere was much quieter.
On the other hand, from beyond the huge door on the 3rd floor, an oppressive noise was pouring out.
The young man who was guiding us asked the doorman on the 3rd floor,
“Hey, is Maria free right now?”
“A request? Oh dear, what should we do? She’s been called by the master and is over there right now.”
“The master? Oh, this is troublesome. Alright. Prepare two seats for now.”
“Okay.”
The doorman seemed to be saying something inside after slightly opening the door. However, the moment the door opened, an explosive sound erupted, making my ears ring.
The sound of music and people laughing and chatting were all mixed together.
It was an incredible sound effect. It seems like they’re using simple magic to create the effect.
Lucy stroked his chin with interest.
“Oh, judging by the sound, it seems like magic?”
“Yes. That’s right. In the hall, wouldn’t the noise from the next table be bothersome? So we made the music louder. After that, the complaints decreased.”
“Must have cost a bit.”
“Hahaha! What can’t we do for the convenience of our customers?”
The young man who was guiding us answered cheerfully. Ironically, as he said, the place that prioritizes customer convenience the most is this kind of entertainment business. Their service spirit is unmatched even by the food service industry.
Hmm, should I tell Old Man to pay more attention to our club like this? No, before that, I should visit at least once. I need to see how they’re operating.
A little later, the door opened slightly and a young man’s face appeared. I couldn’t hear clearly due to the noise, but it seemed like the preparations were finished.
The two doormen grabbed the doorknob, and the young man who guided us stood in the attention posture like the other young men lined up next to the door. He tightened his stomach and shouted loudly,
“Taste all the beauty of the Night Blooming Rose!”
“Welcome, guests!”
The other young men shouted along, and the door swung open at the same time.
“Ugh……!”
“Wow!”
I frowned and slightly covered my ears from the tremendous noise, and Lucy exclaimed in admiration as if he was very familiar with this kind of thing.
Indeed, the sight was something to admire.
Candles were brightly lit on the tables, and on the walls, candles in fancy candle holders were emitting bright light. In the center of the hall, a splendid chandelier was emitting a soft glow.
Overall, it was dark, but it wasn’t gloomily dark. Light and darkness blended appropriately, creating a pure yet glamorous atmosphere.
Beyond the opposite side of the door, a stage and an orchestra were visible, and seats were arranged with wide spacing on the left and right sides of the path leading there.
Most of the tables were full, and ladies of various tastes were clinging to the men, showing off their charms. The men’s faces were constantly filled with laughter or satisfied smiles.
Lucy exclaimed with a delighted face,
“Oh! Paradise!”
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