Wei'en got up, walked to the window, and gazed outside. If he didn't find something beautiful to distract himself soon, he was afraid he'd drown in all that misfortune.
'So it's this close...'
The Dumitru District wasn't far from the city center. From his office, he had a clear view of the nearby Krimms Cathedral.
He could see many people dressed in the garb of Dawn Church followers heading toward the cathedral. Smiles lit up their faces, radiant and beautiful.
On a nearby street corner, even more people were gathered in twos and threes.
Gentlemen in formal suits walked side-by-side with ladies in elegant long dresses, chatting and laughing as they entered various storefronts.
With his heightened senses, Wei'en could faintly hear them discussing clothing, food, city laws...
But most of all, they talked about the Holy Sacrifice bestowed by the Dawn Church yesterday, and the lucky Holy Favored who had received it.
'I'm starting to understand why so many people become followers of the Dawn Church.'
In a world this dangerous, the Extraordinary had some ability to protect themselves, the power to make their own choices.
But for ordinary people, especially the poor and destitute, it would be difficult to carry on without something to place their faith in.
To some extent, whether it was the Dawn Church, the Storm Church, or any other church, they all represented the hope these people needed to survive.
Even if those churches weren't guaranteed to bring them good fortune...
CLICK.
"Huh, Wei'en, you're here already?"
Hearing the voice, Wei'en turned and glanced at the clock on the mantel—eleven o'clock sharp!
"I just got here a little while ago myself."
"I did tell you that work at the Secret Investigation Department starts at eleven, right?"
Wei'en calmly nodded. "Yes."
Having just gone through a grim ordeal, he had no desire to waste time arguing over whether she'd mentioned the start time.
"Good."
Lisi set down her briefcase, looked him over, and smiled. "Wei'en, I have to say, that outfit really suits you."
"Thanks."
"So? Have you looked over those files I gave you?"
Noticing her gaze fall upon the files on the desk, Wei'en smiled. "I have. Captain, your performance in these cases was very, very admirable."
"Oh, is that so? I'm hardly as brilliant as you make me sound. Hahaha..."
Huh?
'Did I say "brilliant"?'
'And even if she is being complimented, is such an exaggerated laugh necessary? ...I guess I'll have to get used to her.'
In truth, he was quite lucky to have such a straightforward and genuine colleague.
As Wei'en inwardly marveled at how easygoing his captain was, he gathered the files and placed them on her desk.
"I saw the photos in that cabinet over there. Are they all my colleagues?"
"Oh, those? Yes."
Lisi filed the documents away and replied casually without turning around, "Aside from one old-timer who's retired, that's everyone."
"I see."
"They all look pretty reliable, don't they?"
"No,"
The word slipped out, and Wei'en immediately felt it was inappropriate. He quickly added, "No, I mean, they do all look reliable. I was just surprised... Roger's smile is so handsome in the photo, but yesterday he was so..."
"Cold and grim?" Lisi supplied.
"Something like that..."
Lisi looked up at him and said seriously, "You don't have to be embarrassed for being so blunt. Roger brought this on himself."
'So something happened?'
Wei'en said nothing, waiting for her to continue.
"In fact, he's leaving today."
"Hm?"
"His Spirit has been polluted. Here," Lisi pointed to her head, "his brain is fried!"
Wei'en stared at her, astonished. 'She knows?!'
Last night, he'd been agonizing over whether to report this information. He never thought it would be an open secret.
"How did he... How did Roger get his Spirit polluted?"
"And that's the part where he deserves no sympathy." Lisi's expression was a complex mix of exasperation and anger. "He fell in love with a Fallen One."
Wei'en's mouth fell open. "A Fallen One? He fell in love with one?"
He'd expected to hear an inspirational story about pursuing power and selling one's soul, not some damn tragic romance.
"I can tell you about it, but you have to promise—no, you have to swear you won't tell anyone outside the Investigation Department."
Wei'en nodded eagerly. "Yes, yes, I swear!"
'You can't resist good gossip, no matter what world you're in.'
"Sigh," Lisi let out a breath. "At the same time, I hope you don't end up like him. Honestly, it's a real tragedy..."
"Roger is only twenty-three. He just completed his third year with Investigation Department One. I still remember what he was like when he first arrived—cheerful and handsome, and an excellent shot..."
As she spoke, Wei'en began to understand the full story of how Roger had become the way he was.
It turned out that for the first two years, Roger had been Lisi's partner. The two of them worked together under Old Jack, who had since retired.
But in his third year—last year—Roger started taking on cases by himself because he wanted to outperform Lisi.
During one of those cases, he met a young woman.
According to Lisi, the girl was very plain-looking; she even compared the girl to herself.
She said the girl had an average figure, a round face with a smattering of freckles, and was even two years older than Roger...
Wei'en glanced at her impressive bust and silently agreed. It was true that few women could compare to Lisi's figure.
But this very ordinary girl somehow caught Roger's eye—or more accurately, his heart.
Every day after work, he would go far out of his way to 'accidentally' run into her. He would bring small trinkets as gifts, or sometimes a tasty treat.
Before long, the two had fallen in love and began officially dating.
Of course, Lisi's actual words were: "It was all a scam by that Fallen One! She deceived an honest, brave Investigator with a bright future ahead of him!"
Although her tone was filled with resentment, Wei'en could still hear the sorrow in her voice over Roger's Spirit being polluted.
At first, their time together was full of joy and happiness.
The only fly in the ointment was that the girl's family didn't approve of their relationship. They even tried to obstruct it at every turn.
When Wei'en expressed his confusion, Lisi replied nonchalantly, "That's the typical impression ordinary people have of Investigators: we confront misfortune, and we bring ill omens."
He didn't know what she was feeling when she said that, but regardless, Wei'en was stunned.
'So this is how ordinary people see Investigators!'
But back to Roger... After that, neither of them gave up.
Roger, especially, was head over heels. He threw himself into his missions for the Secret Investigation Department, hoping a promotion would be enough to win over the girl's family.
But...
One night, missing her terribly, Roger took a risk and went to her home to see her.
He left in a hurry, carrying only a standard lantern sold by the Dawn Church.
And it was on that day that Roger witnessed a horrific scene.
That plain-looking, gentle girl transformed into a demon of the night right before his spying eyes.
She brutally murdered everyone in her home, including her parents and her little sister, who wasn't even two years old.
"Roger, look... No one will ever stand in our way again."