CHAPTER 13:
An Unwelcome Reunion of Fates… Still Continues
Shen Hua Lan flicked his fan shut with a crisp snap. He let out a soft sigh before turning his gaze toward Arata. "Shadow Controller… why is His Majesty not allowing you to enter the mortal realm?"
Arata's expression did not change.
"I don't know," he replied calmly.
Shen Hua Lan's eyes narrowed slightly, a glint of thought passing through them. "I see… then that masked one is likely the reason."
Arata gave a faint nod. "I think so as well."
Lan Fa let out a scoff, folding his arms with clear disdain. "Hmph. Even there, people don't want you."
Arata glanced at him, his expression unchanged, though he restrained himself from rolling his eyes.
Shen Hua Lan ignored the exchange, his tone turning thoughtful. "My guess is… that village was slaughtered on New Year's Eve."
Arata's gaze sharpened. "What makes you say that?"
Shen Hua Lan tilted his head slightly, as if recalling something.
"Because on New Year's Eve… in the morning, I received a letter from one of my men stationed there."
Arata's eyes flickered. "Then why didn't you inform the Emperor?"
Shen Hua Lan parted his lips to answer—
—but Arata interrupted him, his voice low, precise, almost cutting.
"Let me guess… you didn't realize the letter was from that village. You only figured it out just now… after we left the palace."
For a brief moment, Shen Hua Lan was silent. Then he let out a dry laugh, lifting his sleeve slightly.
"Correct," he said. "It was tucked away in my sleeve."
"Why New Year's Eve?" Lan Fa frowned, clearly unconvinced. "It could've happened after that."
Shen Hua Lan cast him a sidelong glance, his expression calm, almost indifferent. "The massacre occurred on New Year's Eve," he said slowly. "After that night, I received no messages from the village."
His fingers lightly tapped against the closed fan in his hand as he continued, "My men are stationed there. I regularly receive reports—mostly trivial complaints about maintenance or disputes. But this time… nothing."
He paused briefly, his gaze darkening. "No letters. No messages. No signs of life."
Then, with a faint, almost ironic smile, he added, "Except for this one letter… of course."
Lan Fa's brows furrowed deeper.
"Didn't you find it strange? Not receiving anything at all?"
Arata let out a faint scoff, his tone laced with dry sarcasm. "Hmph. He probably thought the villagers had finally grown tired of complaining."
Shen Hua Lan fell silent for a moment… then nodded slightly.
"...True."
Lan Fa glanced between the two, clearly dissatisfied. His gaze then settled on Arata, sharp and probing.
"Shadow Controller… why aren't you handling these cases?"
His voice carried both confusion and challenge. "Aren't you the one who's solved every case assigned to you?"
Arata's steps did not slow. His expression remained calm, almost indifferent, but his voice carried a quiet edge of pride.
"I am someone who emerges victorious in every battle I fight," he said.
"Not merely someone who solves cases."
A faint pause followed, then he added coolly, "Though, the cases I do take… are naturally resolved without fail."
Lan Fa narrowed his eyes. "Then why haven't you been assigned these?"
Arata gave a small shrug, as if the matter held no weight in his mind.
Then, turning his gaze toward Lan Fa, a faint smirk tugged at his lips.
"Wait a second…" he said lazily.
"Aren't you the one who's always had a problem with this beautiful, handsome face of mine?"
His eyes gleamed with quiet amusement.
"Why are you suddenly so interested in talking to me?"
"Hmph! You're just jealous," Lan Fa scoffed. With a flick of his hair, he quickened his pace, walking ahead with arrogance written in every step.
Arata and Shen Hua Lan exchanged a brief glance—silent, knowing—before following after him.
The streets of Eruna were bustling with life. Vendors called out their wares, children ran laughing through the alleys, and the air carried the scent of food and incense.
Prosperity was etched into every corner of the city.
In Eruna, beggars were a rare sight—almost nonexistent. Ever since Tian Jun rose to power, whether it had been hundreds or thousands of years, the empire had known peace. Crime had been nearly erased, order absolute.
And yet…
Now, disappearances. Killings.
Shadows creeping into a land once untouched.
A threat with no face. No name—
—or perhaps… a name whispered in fear.
Shen Hua Lan's voice broke through the noise of the street, calm yet probing. "Do you know Aoba's past?"
Arata did not slow his steps. "No. Do you?"
Shen Hua Lan shook his head, his expression growing more serious.
"Have you tried tracing his origin? His first appearance… or his first kill?"
Arata's gaze remained forward, indifferent on the surface. "Of course I did," he replied. "But there's nothing. No history. No trace of when he appeared… or where it all began."
For a moment, the sounds of the city seemed distant.
Shen Hua Lan's grip tightened slightly around his fan. "That Aoba…" he murmured, eyes narrowing faintly. "I wonder what kind of connection he has with Eruna."
He let out a quiet sigh before continuing, his tone heavier now.
"If this continues… Eruna itself may fall into unrest. The people will not stay silent forever. Their fear will turn into blame… and that blame will reach the Emperor."
Arata gave a slight nod, his expression finally darkening.
"There's no pattern to his killings," he said slowly. "Not a single one."
His voice dropped, colder.
"And the way he kills…"
A faint pause.
"It's too brutal."
His eyes narrowed, a shadow passing through them.
"He doesn't act like someone with a purpose. No strategy. No clear goal."
Another step forward.
"At times…" Arata continued quietly, "I even wonder if he has any goal at all."
The air seemed to grow heavier.
"As if…"
He paused, then finished in a low voice—
"He's simply killing… for the sake of it."
A brief silence followed.
Then—
"Like a madman."
Lan Fa walked ahead of them, his steps brisk, yet his mind anything but calm. A strange thought lingered, clinging stubbornly to the corners of his mind, refusing to fade.
Suddenly, he halted.
Arata and Shen Hua Lan stopped as well, their gazes shifting toward him. Shen Hua Lan was about to speak, but Lan Fa's voice came first—low, uncertain, yet carrying an unusual weight.
"Have you ever thought… maybe he kills for revenge?"
Shen Hua Lan's brows lifted slightly. "Revenge?"
Lan Fa turned halfway, his expression no longer arrogant, but oddly serious. "What if something terrible happened to him in the past… and this is his way of taking revenge? That would explain the brutality."
Arata's eyes narrowed faintly, his tone indifferent. "What kind of revenge involves endless slaughter? Entire families… whole villages… with no connection, no pattern. That's not revenge."
His gaze sharpened.
"That's madness."