Early in the morning, within an elegantly decorated room, a handsome man sat quietly by the window. He held a beautifully bound volume of 'The Myth of Creation' in his hands, reading intently. To an observer, he appeared like a character from a stunning oil painting.
Sunlight filtered through the window, draping over him and adding a touch of divinity to his grace and beauty.
In the next moment, however, a sudden chill began to spread. The cozy, elegant room abruptly lost its color as a grayish-white hue crept into every corner. A pale, monstrous creature emerged from the floor.
It was vaguely humanoid, though its limbs were twisted into unnatural, spring-like coils. A massive vertical mouth filled with jagged teeth extended from the top of its head down to its chest. Blood-colored saliva dripped from its jaws, stretching into fine threads as the mouth opened and closed.
Despite the appearance of this nightmare, the handsome man showed no sign of distress. He remained focused on the 'Myth of Creation', appearing as though he saw nothing at all.
But he had seen it. The monster was currently holding up its twisted arms with deep respect, offering him an aged notebook and an envelope.
The man reached out to take both items. As he did, the creature vanished, and the cold, pale environment returned to its original, warm state.
Setting the notebook on the table, the man tore open the envelope and pulled out a small stack of letters.
"Respected Mr. A:"
"Please allow me to offer a defense for the killing of my colleagues."
"Hanass Vincent and Siris Arippi are unmitigated fools. Their stupidity is enough to make even a Curly-Haired Baboon laugh!"
"Hanass Vincent was foolish enough to write secret incantations in his personal notebook."
"His apprentice peaked at those incantations and had the audacity to perform Mirror Divination right under the noses of the Nighthawk heretics!"
"I believe you can imagine what happened next, so I will not dwell on it."
"To protect our other 'lambs' in Tingen City, I took the initiative to kill him. I believe this was the correct choice."
"Siris Arippi was even more foolish than Hanass. Despite knowing that the Nighthawks had begun investigating the Antigonus family notebook, he continued to visit the library to borrow related journals. That he managed to do so for two months before being discovered is truly a blessing from the Lord!"
"To avoid further complications, I killed him after the Nighthawk heretics traced his trail to the library. This was a reasonable decision."
"Additionally, during the battle between the Nighthawks and the Secret Order, I recovered that notebook from the Fourth Epoch. According to Hanass Vincent, it likely contains treasures left behind by the Antigonus family."
"I offer this notebook to the Lord, hoping it may atone for the sin of killing His Secret Supplicants."
"Finally, Siris Arippi appears to have taught the ritual for the Lord's descent to a swindler of unknown origin. Should I provide assistance?"
"Your Lord's loyal servant, Snow von Pandrax."
"Heh..." The handsome man's fingers rubbed together slightly, and the letters in his hand were instantly shredded by a sudden gust of wind. He reached out and opened the notebook. As the words reflected in his eyes, a slightly wicked smile appeared on his beautiful face.
...Tingen City...
"Captain, is this the last suspect's residence?" Leonard Mitchell looked out the carriage window at the inn before checking his pocket watch. "It's still quite early. It looks like this won't delay Klein's induction mission."
"Don't be careless." The middle-aged man sitting beside him frowned. He had deep wrinkles at the corners of his grey eyes, and strands of brown hair visible beneath his hat.
He was currently holding a paper covered in notes, reading in a quiet but clear voice:
"Snow von Pandrax, a native of Backlund, veterinarian. Half a month ago, he visited the Divination Club and requested a reading from Hanass Vincent. Since then, he has stayed in this inn without leaving. According to intelligence from Backlund, he was previously involved with the mistress of a certain gang leader and left Backlund to escape their pursuit."
"Sounds suspicious enough." Leonard whistled lightly at Dunn Smith's explanation and turned toward Klein.
Before he could speak, Klein nodded understandingly. He pulled a piece of paper from his bag, wrote a line of text, and--just as he had done for the other suspects--unfastened the spirit pendulum from his wrist. Closing his eyes, he chanted:
"Investigating Snow von Pandrax is dangerous. Investigating Snow von Pandrax is dangerous..."
After repeating the phrase seven times, Klein opened his eyes. The yellow crystal pendulum was rotating counter-clockwise at a slow speed.
He sighed in relief and said, "Captain, there shouldn't be any danger. However, considering the possibility that the target possesses anti-divination abilities, we should still be careful."
"Understood. Stay in the carriage. Leonard, follow me." Dunn nodded, pushed open the carriage door, and headed toward the inn.
...
In a room on the second floor of the Fragrant Tree Inn, a young man in a white shirt and black vest was teasing a black Ruen short-haired kitten that looked less than a year old. He was the target of Klein and Dunn's investigation--the young veterinarian, Snow von Pandrax.
The moment the pendulum divination began in the carriage, Snow's spirituality sensed it. However, he didn't stop the hand moving the teaser wand. He simply adjusted his state of mind and waited quietly.
Then...
'I feel a bit... sleepy?'
As the thought arose, Snow felt a sharp jolt of alertness. Immediately following that, he heard a firm knock on the door.
"Who is it?"
Snow picked up the little kitten, placed it on his shoulder, and walked to the door. From outside, a steady and powerful masculine voice replied:
"It's me, Dunn Smith."
'So it really is you.' Snow sighed inwardly. He reached out and opened the door, revealing a middle-aged police officer with deep grey eyes.
"Officer, what can I do for you...?" Snow frowned slightly, a hint of suspicion flickering in his eyes. Dunn didn't waste words; he produced his identification and said directly:
"We suspect you are involved in a murder case. We would like you to assist with our investigation."
"A murder case?" Snow blinked, then suddenly became agitated. "I haven't left this room in half a month! The hotel staff can testify to that!"
"I know. This is just a routine inquiry," Dunn said reassuringly, then glanced inside the room. "Won't you invite me in?"
"Fine, please come in." Snow stepped aside to let him through, then shrugged. "This is just an inn; I don't have any proper tea to offer."
"It's fine. I just have a few questions," Dunn stated, sitting down and pulling out a folder of documents.
"Do you know Hanass Vincent?"
"I do. I went to the Divination Club half a month ago and asked him for a reading. His advice was that it was't suitable for me to go out recently, so I haven't left the inn for over fifteen days." Snow nodded without hesitation, appearing deeply impressed by the diviner.
"Why would you trust the words of a diviner you've only met once so implicitly?" Dunn's grey eyes fixed intently on the young man's. Snow sighed, looking helpless.
"If someone could judge your entire life story through a simple divination, I believe you would choose to listen to their advice as well--especially when it's a matter of life and death."
"Life and death?" Dunn's gaze sharpened instantly. Snow immediately realized he had misspoken, and a bitter smile appeared on his face...
[Translated and Rewritten by Shika Kagura]