Chapter 143. Victoria Kazimieśi Domain (3)

I frowned unwittingly.

Her words were puzzling. Tilting my head, I asked April.

“What exactly does it mean that beasts had missing residents’ belongings?”

“Literally. Some human-shaped beasts in Victoria Kazimieśi’s outsourcing district were killed by freelancers.”

Sitting at the bar table, April leaned closer.

Her vibrant pink hair swayed before my eyes.

Her casual nature reminded me oddly of SIEG Industry’s heiress.

Pointing at the documents, she explained softly.

“First, unlike animals or plants, beasts decay rapidly when killed, right?”

I nodded.

In the original and past battles, I’d seen it.

Beasts’ hallmark was swift decay upon death.

“Turn to black ash and scatter.”

“Oh? Fought them before?”

“A bit. You?”

April smiled sheepishly.

“Not much beast-hunting experience, but I know that. Since they’re not Terra-born, demon rumors are famous.”

—Terra.

The empire’s name for their planet, like Earth.

I touched my metal mask at the familiar term.

“I’ve heard some.”

As she said, beasts appeared since the Last Sword Saint’s era.

But their true nature remained unknown, even with modern magic and engineering.

I concluded briefly.

“Demons? Pure superstition.”

“True. Since you’ve hunted, you’d know better. They usually appear in remote empire zones, right?”

“Usually.”

“Maybe that’s why?”

April shrugged in her tank top.

“Ordinary people rarely encounter them. Capturing’s hard, corpses decay fast, and appearance zones are high-risk, restricted… Superstitions are inevitable.”

Scratching her cheek, she added.

“…Plus, few survive those zones, slowing research.”

Logical. Nearly identical to the original story.

But I didn’t fully agree.

My experiences suggested otherwise.

Despite the empire’s advanced tech and mages’ obsessive research, it was odd.

Did no one truly know beasts’ nature?

Perhaps, given my glimpse of the Emperor’s past, I couldn’t be sure.

A sudden instinct hit—maybe the unknown wasn’t just slow research but another reason.

“Oops, got sidetracked. Back to why these items are odd.”

Clearing her throat, April shifted topics.

“Anyway, the human beasts killed in Victoria Kazimieśi decayed. But these came from their bodies.”

Leaning close, she flipped a document page.

“…”

Clipped photos followed.

Taken by the district’s sparse police, they showed items with evidence tags.

Missing persons’ photos, their rings, watches, devices, and small artifacts.

“Beasts ate the missing?”

April shook her head.

“Hm, I thought so, but it’s weird.”

“Weird how?”

“I’m no beast-hunting pro, but if they were eaten, shouldn’t remains be found?”

“True.”

“No missing persons, dead or alive, were found. If eaten, some items should be damaged. But they’re not.”

“No struggle traces either.”

The items, varied, were pristine. Too clean for devoured owners.

Eerily so.

April added, looking up.

“That’s why it’s odd. If not eaten, why did beasts have their stuff?”

“What’s the investigation request?”

“Simple. It’s all tied to that.”

Clasping her hands on the table, she rested her chin, adding.

“Investigate the beast incident in Victoria Kazimieśi’s outer district. Everything. The pay’s so good, you’d regret missing it!”

Her eyes sparkled.

Imagining jingling coins, I asked calmly.

“Why tell me?”

“Huh?”

“Can’t you take it alone?”

“There’s a condition.”

She tapped her duralumin case with her sneaker.

“It’s Victoria Kazimieśi’s rule. Two or more freelancers must register as a ‘pair.’ No solo.”

“Pair?”

In the original, freelancers often worked in pairs for higher success rates.

“Easy. It’s a rule to prevent lone wolves from hogging pay or slacking. Think of it like that.”

“…”

Made sense.

Curious, I asked.

“Last time, you worked with Arcto. Why me?”

“Ugh, that was SIEG’s separate call. Who’d pair with that sly old man? We don’t click. Combat styles either. I need a vanguard to draw attention…”

Staring as her chatter grew, I added.

“Just asking.”

“…”

“Ever feel like an outsider among freelancers?”

“…Urk!”

Her ears reddened, and she whipped her head away.

Simple logic.

If she had trusted office peers, she’d have asked them first, not me.

“Che, fine. Got a problem?”

Pouting, she glanced at me.

She admitted it.

“Half true, but not just that.”

Raising a finger, she pointed at my visor, arguing.

“Anyway, if you’re freelancing, I wanna help. Because of… Skia.”

“Looking out for me? Thanks.”

Blushing, she pulled her cap low, turning away.

Her kind of care, it seemed.

I nodded silently at her words. The last district job was vivid. Her sincerity felt genuine.

“One last question.”

“Ahem, what?”

“You said the deadline’s tomorrow. If I accept, when’s the start?”

“Didn’t I say?”

Realizing, she added.

“Tomorrow.”

***

Dawn.

A transparent red sunrise pierced the horizon, filtering through the window.

The high-speed train’s vibrations pulsed through my back.

Watching power lines flicker past, I zoned out.

How’d it come to this?

Accepting the job hastily, I was dragged by April onto the train, sleepless.

Unavoidable, but unexpected.

Such a rush.

“Sleep now. Victoria Kazimieśi’s far.”

Beside me, April, donning a sleep mask, spoke.

Victoria Kazimieśi was far from Elsyde.

But the target, an isolated outer district, wasn’t that far, apparently.

My first other Main House domain.

Sighing, I looked out.

I couldn’t bring Sirocco or Lien.

Sudden job aside, the risk was too high.

Sirocco’s unique magic was too conspicuous.

Few empire mages wielded body-enhancing magic at her level.

Plus, she wasn’t suited for stealth.

Last SIEG visit, she’d collided with Elena, revealing herself.

If that happened outside, my identity, linked to her, could be exposed to April or district folks.

That’d risk revealing I used a sword.

I wanted to avoid that worst-case.

—One concern was Lien.

Her emotionless gaze, vowing never to let me act alone, flashed in my mind.

“…”

No choice now. I steeled myself to focus.

I gazed at the crimson sunrise beyond the horizon.

Victoria Kazimieśi’s outer district.

Another city of the forsaken.

I’d investigate the events, find main storyline links, and respond aptly.

If my guess was right, tied to Tantalus’s beasts, this could be a major storyline’s starting point.

But I needed to uncover the world’s underbelly. Official history alone wouldn’t suffice.

Ahead of a major storyline event, thorough prep was crucial.

With blue-black eyes, I vowed, staring out.

It began now.

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