"I hate being lied to more than anything. I trusted you so much,"
"I was wrong."
"You had the gall to just find some random place to placate me, and you even used my name to gather those idiots for a cocktail party..."
"I..."
"Recite your 'confession' again!"
"I am guilty, truly. I shouldn't have deceived the pure, kind, and amiable Officer Lisi. I shouldn't have used the banner of the most beautiful woman in the logistics department to sell tickets to a cocktail party..."
Marco's expression was a sight to behold. The pain from his face and body made him grimace as he recited his "confession."
His once chiseled cheeks were now a lumpy, swollen mess. His lips were particularly puffy, like steamed buns, and bruised black and blue.
His clothes were in tatters, with faint traces of blood visible underneath.
And this was the result of Lisi going easy on him, using only her standard-issue dagger...
If Wei'en hadn't reminded her at the critical moment about their insufficient budget, she would have used her Two-Handed Axe to chop him up directly.
"Captain, maybe we should just let it go..."
"Hm?"
Lisi shot him a glance, flipping the dagger in her hand a few times.
"..."
Wei'en forced a stiff smile. "Pretend I didn't say anything."
'If I say anything else, I'll probably end up with a couple of new holes in me. Women are terrifying when they're angry.'
'Can't afford to mess with her. Nope.'
Wei'en gave Marco a sympathetic look. 'You're on your own, buddy!'
As for the "snitch," the white-haired girl Tina...
She was currently staring blankly at Marco, puffing up her cheeks by sucking in air, as if studying how to make them swell into two "balls" just like his.
BANG!
Just then, the office door was pushed open.
"Lisi, what on earth did you say to Yegor to make him... Huh? Isn't that Marco? What happened to your face?"
A young man in the dark green uniform of the Logistics Department walked in, looking at the group in surprise.
Lisi stared at him coldly. "Ariana, is there something you need?"
"I... do, or maybe I don't?"
Seeing her expression, the newcomer flinched and gave a dry laugh. "Lisi, since you're all busy, I'll just come back later."
With that, he took a step back and even politely pulled the door shut behind him.
Marco's mouth hung open as he stared blankly at Lisi.
'It's over. I've been utterly humiliated.'
However,
that wasn't the most important thing...
'Damn it, she just unceremoniously kicked out Ariana, the captain of Investigation Department Two.'
'If I don't do something to save myself, I'm probably going to be leaving the Secret Investigation Department feet first.'
"Uh, Officer Lisi, you see, Ariana needs you for something. How about you deal with me after you're done with work?"
Lisi stared at him, expressionless, and didn't respond.
"Li-Officer Lisi, I already know I was wrong. Please give me a chance to change my ways?"
Marco did his best to look sincere, gazing at her pleadingly.
After a long moment, Lisi finally spoke slowly, "Marco, I'll let it slide this time. If there's a next time..."
RIIIIP!
With a sharp tear, Marco's already tattered shirt finally gave way, falling to the floor in miserable pieces.
"...I trust you won't dare to lie to me again, right?"
"N-no, I wouldn't dare! I promise, I swear."
Marco clutched his chest, a pained expression on his face... as he stared at the floral shirt on the ground.
That was his custom-made "Nocturnal City Divine Artifact," and it had cost him a whole month's salary! Gone, just like that.
"Hmph. Get up."
Marco quickly scooped up his "shattered Divine Artifact" from the floor, as if only holding it could give him some sense of security.
Lisi looked at him, annoyed. "Go see if that idiot Ariana is still at the door."
"Okay..."
KNOCK. KNOCK KNOCK.
Just then, a knock came from the door.
"Lisi, may I come in?"
"Get in here!"
The young man named Ariana pushed the door open and entered with a sheepish laugh. "Ah, everyone from Department One is here..."
Lisi looked at him impatiently. "Just get to the point. Since when did you become so polite?"
"I've always been very... Huh? This black-haired young man, is he a new colleague in Department One?"
Ariana spotted Wei'en behind the others and greeted him enthusiastically. "Hello, I'm Ariana Holmes, captain of Investigation Department Two."
Wei'en glanced at Lisi. Seeing no reaction from her, he replied, "Wei'en Loft."
'Captain of the Logistics Department's Investigation Department Two... isn't that the same rank as Lisi?'
"It's been a while since we've had a new colleague. Wei'en, actually, our Department Two is also..."
"Ariana, do you need a trip to the Gladiatorial Arena to remind you of your last lesson?"
"No, of course not."
Ariana withdrew his eager gaze from Wei'en and said with a hint of regret, "Lisi, you're really lucky."
"Hm?"
"Ahem, so, Yegor just told me to cooperate with you on a case... What kind of case is it that even you can't solve it?"
"Yegor said that?"
"You know me. If it wasn't an order from the Director, I wouldn't have come to you on my own."
Lisi frowned slightly. "Our Investigation Department One has no precedent for involving people from Department Two."
"Exactly! Ariana, you sure you didn't hear him wrong?" Marco chimed in teasingly, hiding in the back as he changed into an Investigation Department uniform.
Ariana shrugged. "As it happens, I wasn't too thrilled about accepting the transfer orders myself..."
As he spoke, he turned to walk out.
"Wait,"
Lisi stopped him. "Since it's an order from Yegor, you can come with us later."
"I knew it," Ariana spun around immediately, a smug look on his face. "Lisi, I told you a long time ago that you'd need me someday. See? Now isn't this..."
"Cut the crap. Go back and get ready. We'll meet at the entrance in fifteen minutes."
"...Got it, Officer Lisi~"
Ariana pouted, muttering things like "violent she-rex" under his breath as he turned and left the office.
After he left, Marco asked, "Lisi, what did you say to Yegor? Why is he having people from Department Two get involved?"
"We'll talk about that on the way,"
Lisi cut him off with a raised hand, then gave her orders. "Wei'en, Tina, you two get ready."
Wei'en was taken aback for a second, then nodded. "Okay."
The white-haired girl said, "Tina is ready."
"So, are you going to tell us where we're going?"
"Laos District."
It dawned on Marco. "We're going back to the scene?"
"You ask too many questions!"
Hearing this, Wei'en packed up his things from the desk and checked his gear.
'I can't believe it's my first day on the job, and I'm already going out on a case.'
Just then, a deep red notification appeared on the panel in his mind:
[You have learned the name of "Taboo Object 0-34: Casket of Revival." Your trajectory of fate has changed. Current encounter progress: 20/100.]
Evaluation: I've seen brave, but I've never seen someone as gutsy as you. Special Reward: Survival Points +10.]
'Progress: 20/100??'