Chapter 39: The Logic of the Strong (2) "That went well, didn't it? You even exchanged numbers."
We were walking back from the restaurant, the night streets shimmering with the lights of the night market.
I shrugged at Ezel's remark.
"What do you mean, 'well'? This is just the beginning."
"Oh, come on. That 'Head-Eater' thing—that's a lie, too, isn't it?"
"It's real. I really was assigned to it."
Ezel pulled her robe's hood over her head as she trotted along. She darted off somewhere for a moment and reappeared with a candied fruit skewer in one hand.
"And yet, you're more interested in the fringe benefits than the case?"
"Well… something like that."
Crunch. Ezel bit into the fruit. The candy coating shattered with a crisp sound. She munched like a squirrel, then covered her mouth and chuckled.
"...So, do I have to keep playing along with the act?"
Her words stung.
"What are you talking about?"
"Hey. Do you think I don't know you?"
"I'm asking what you mean by that."
Crunch. Crunch. Cra-crunch. The candy broke apart inside Ezel's mouth. She waved the empty skewer around as she spoke.
"Max. When you like someone, or when you're happy or excited, your hands don't shake. Instead, you become unnervingly calm on the outside. But in exchange, you stop listening to what other people are saying. It's like your ears get blocked while you're trying to suppress the heat."
"..."
My footsteps halted. Ezel took a step ahead of me and spun around to face me.
From my perspective, it was absurd.
"You knew all along?"
"Knew what?"
"That I used to like you."
"I'd be an idiot not to. It's not like that anymore, anyway. More importantly…"
Ezel's tone shifted.
"Why are you approaching Pexy?"
Suddenly, her gaze turned sharp.
I debated my answer for a moment, but I felt I could tell her my true intentions.
"I suspect her. Of being the one."
"...The Head-Eater?"
"Yeah."
Ezel fell silent for a moment. She crossed her arms, lost in deep thought.
She was never one to jump to conclusions. That was just her nature. She wouldn't say it was impossible, nor would she say it was likely.
"Do you have a reason? I don't see it at all."
"A hunch."
"...Seriously?"
Ezel's eyes narrowed. I let out a short laugh.
"Pexy von Arjen first came to the center three years ago. Coincidentally, that's exactly when the murders began."
"That's it? It could just be a coincidence."
"The method of murder was far too unique for that."
At those words, Ezel gave a quiet nod.
"The heads were severed in an abnormal way, so there's a high probability the killer is a mage. And since mages are few in number, it's relatively easy to narrow down suspects?"
"Right."
"It could be a swordsman, a mercenary, or even a vagrant who learned mana on their own. Especially swordsmen—if they use Sword Aura or whatever, that kind of amputation is—"
"I'm a knight. The residual traces of Sword Force are distinct from magic or mana; they're easy to identify. And it's not a vagrant. The cross-sections of the bodies have changed from the first murder to the most recent ones."
"The cross-sections?"
"At first, they were messy, as if torn apart by a beast. But recently, they've become as sharp as if cut by a razor."
"So the killer has been growing while committing the murders."
"Yeah. It's hard for vagrants who learned mana in the Underground City to grow. Their mana properties become fixed… Besides, if it were a vagrant like that, they'd be much easier to identify. They couldn't stay hidden for three years."
"Fair point."
We continued walking down the street as I spoke.
"Also, there is no noble family named Arjen in the East."
"Huh? Are you sure?"
"There was, but they're all dead. Of course, Pexy von Arjen is listed on paper as the sole bloodline of the Arjen family, and the birth and death dates of her parents match up perfectly."
"But?"
"That's all within the range of what can be forged. After all, everyone who could verify her identity is dead, right?"
Ezel stroked her chin, muttering to herself.
"...Honestly, I find it hard to believe."
"I'm sure you do. She must be completely different from the Pexy you know."
"Nooo—"
Ezel furrowed her brows.
"Who said I don't believe that? I'm talking about the evidence, not Mage Pexy."
"...Evidence?"
"Does it make sense that nine people were killed and not a single shred of evidence was found? There must have been something. Even the tiniest clue would have been left behind. It's just that ordinary detectives or knights didn't notice it."
With that, she suddenly held out her palm toward me.
"Share it. The case file."
"I thought you said you were busy with your thesis."
"Friends can help each other out this much."
Friends.
At that word, I suddenly found myself doubting her. If we became close enough to help each other and share case details, wouldn't she try to use that information for the benefit of the Revolutionary Group?
"If Mage Pexy really is the killer…"
In this world, there are those who have cultivated even firmer convictions while enduring the pressure of the Empire. Those who have risen for a greater cause.
Like Julian, Edmond, and Ezel.
If it weren't for Izenheim, they would have been remembered as pioneers and heroes of history.
"She's someone who shouldn't be in the Magic Tower."
I nodded.
"I'll send it to you. Come by my knight's office sometime."
"Okay. I'll tell my secretary to—"
"Come yourself."
"..."
Ezel looked at me quietly. A sudden breeze blew her robe's hood back. Her black hair, tinged with a hint of blue, fluttered. In a scene that looked almost like a painting, she raised her middle finger.
I smiled.
"I'll break that finger."
"...No, I'm serious, I'm busy with my thesis. Why do I have to go in person? Do you still like me or something?"
"Just get lost already."
We happened to be in front of the Sentio Magic Tower.
I asked Ezel as she was about to leave with a beaming smile.
"By the way, will you be okay?"
"With what?"
"I'm almost certain it's her. You might be disappointed."
Ezel gazed at me with her transparent eyes, then slowly tilted her head.
"Why would I be disappointed just because Mage Pexy is a murderer?"
"...Weren't you two close?"
"Oh, please. We've only known each other for six months; how could we be close? It's just…"
Ezel gave a bitter smile.
"I'm just acting like we are."
Then again, she wasn't ordinary either. No ordinary person born into a Great House like the Luncelot family would dream of revolution.
"Right. We're all living a performance. I'm off."
I waved my hand and turned away.
"Max."
Ezel caught me.
"But not with you. I'm actually close with you."
To her, as she smiled brightly while saying that, I looked back and smiled in return—and gladly…
Raised my middle finger.
Ezel's expression instantly soured.
"...I'm going to break your finger."
I quickly turned away from her, as she looked ready to fire off a spell at any moment. I couldn't help but laugh as I walked away briskly.
I learned another thing from Ezel today.
You shouldn't judge people too easily. Even if that person is Ezel, you must always be suspicious. You can never let your guard down.
Because our paths are different.
Ding—
Right on time, a message came from Schatz. It was an encrypted text.
[Lorenzo rescue successful. Fleeing toward the South.]
* * *
"How dare they! Which piece of shit was it?!"
Valerius Listman received an urgent contact while on a business trip. It was the news that Lorenzo had escaped.
"We are doing our best to pursue him, but the mercenaries we hired were all…"
The mercenaries had been taken down, rendered incapable of combat. It was very clean work.
"That worthless vermin. He dares to touch House Listman?"
He felt his blood boiling with rage as he stood up.
"Send word to Acarius."
Acarius. A mercenary group that operated across the entire continent, beyond just the Empire.
"Yes, yes. And the mission details…?"
"One million if they bring him back alive."
He didn't know where that old relic got his sudden burst of confidence, but it was a foolish choice.
This is why if you go easy on them, they think they're something and start climbing over you. He should have crushed him from the very beginning. He should have kept him locked up and made him do nothing but research.
"Tell them he doesn't need to be in one piece."
"Yes. Understood."
Perhaps he had become too merciful in his old age. There was no need to show this much respect.
Valerius pulled out a cigar and bit down on it, trying to cool the heat rising from within.
"..."
Suddenly, he noticed a crumpled photo in his drawer. It was a photo taken with Giorgio Chirico, who had been his advisor during his days as a researcher.
"...No."
Valerius stared at it for a moment before changing his mind.
"Tell them his two arms and one leg must be intact. If his body is in too much pain, his mind might go dull."
* * *
Before I began the reinvestigation of the 'Giorgio Chirico' case, I first summoned the witnesses from the past.
The first was Jerome, a mage who had been Lorenzo's colleague.
"Nice to meet you, Mr. Jerome."
"Yes. Hello."
He was living a prosperous life in a rather nice mansion in District 4 of the capital. Though he had left the Magic Tower, he seemed to have acquired the wealth and prestige he desired as the president of a solid magic business.
"What brings a knight to see me…?"
"It's nothing major."
Nothing major.
At least, not yet.
"Do you remember the name 'Giorgio Chirico' from fifteen years ago?"
"..."
Jerome's complexion instantly stiffened. I handed him a document containing Giorgio Chirico's profile.
"He would have been your contemporary during your time at the Magic Tower."
"Yes. Of course I remember. But that man…"
Jerome gave a bitter smile.
"He was disgracefully expelled for trying to steal the theory of a magical engineer who was his subordinate. I don't know where he is or what he's doing now. I haven't heard from him once since then."
It seemed he was under the impression that I was hunting Lorenzo down.
"No. I'm not interested in Giorgio Chirico's whereabouts. I plan to conduct a reinvestigation of the entire case."
"...A reinvestigation, you say?"
"Yes. Looking closely, the testimony from back then and the internal records of the Magic Tower don't seem to align at all."
Jerome blinked. He looked quite flustered.
"The [Mana Magnetic Field Induction] theory, which is directly linked to mana coils, has records of research and experiments conducted by Mr. Giorgio long before Valerius Listman announced it."
"Ah~ well, those are records that can be forged at any time, aren't they?"
He claims they can be forged. He was brazenly lying to my face, but I had already expected as much.
I placed a file on the table. Thud. I pushed the thick stack of documents toward him.
"What is this?"
"Mr. Jerome. You've been doing some money laundering recently."
"...Excuse me?"
His face turned as dark as stone. My administrative officer, Dieter, was an expert at tracking funds. It seemed that when he looked at documents, those flows were visualized and diagrammed in his head.
"My, it seems your household has become quite comfortable as a reward for selling out an old colleague."
"S-selling out! I merely testified to the truth—"
"You must have been jealous, too. Since a mere commoner was always above you."
I leaned back in my chair and gestured toward the documents with my eyes.
"Go ahead and read it."
"..."
Jerome didn't move. He just sat there like a snowman. I furrowed my brows.
"I said, read it."
Only then did he reach out and take the documents.
The Empire was desperate to secure tax revenue, and money laundering was one of the most dangerous crimes in this day and age.
"You set up a paper company and funneled funds out by making it look like you were purchasing artwork from abroad. A classic method. However, if one of the many companies involved in this money laundering has even the slightest connection to a 'subversive group'…"
Money laundering is a complex process. Even the person who ordered the laundering doesn't know which companies are involved or how. It's just something that comes out when you start digging.
Because of that, there was a method the Imperial Guard loved to use.
"For example, if your funds passed through a company that secretly supports the Revolutionary Group."
Jerome's face turned pale.
It must have felt good when he sold out his colleague. He must have been happy when he took the money. He probably even felt relieved, thinking that a mere commoner had finally learned his place.
"I swear on the name of Ebenholtz," I told him.
"You won't be going to prison; you will simply disappear quietly from this world."
Now, it was time to pay the debt.
...
Thud— Thud— Thud—
In Southern Hermes, a factory where machines for refining mana stones operated with heavy thuds.
Dieter asked Lorenzo and Armand as he showed them around the interior.
"By any chance, do you see a way to further increase the efficiency of this refining process?"
Lorenzo examined the machine's structure closely, while Armand ran around everywhere, looking incredibly excited.
"The current method is focused only on increasing the purity of the mana. If we apply the 'Phase Transition Catalyst Theory,' we could reduce the mana loss rate by more than 30% while doubling the production speed. Of course, more detailed research would be needed."
"Yes. I will relay that to the boss exactly as you said."
Ring— Ring—
Just then, a call came from Maximilian.
"Yes. Yes, understood."
Dieter spoke a few words with him before handing the device to Lorenzo. Lorenzo cleared his throat with a nervous expression.
"Yes. This is Lorenzo."
—How is the factory? Do you see room for improvement?
"I'll need to look into it more closely, but—"
—Do whatever you want. There are no restrictions. Whether it's millions, tens of millions, or hundreds of millions, use as much as you like.
At the mention of 'hundreds of millions' from an Ebenholtz, Lorenzo felt dazed for a moment.
"Whoa! Whoaaa!"
Armand's exclamation snapped Lorenzo back to reality. He didn't know why that little guy loved machines so much.
"Ah, right. And there's something the knight mentioned before. Armand's invention, the Mana Stone Waterwheel. It looks like it could be used to some extent in the mines here… Is there any risk of it violating the law?"
A small chuckle came through the line.
—No. It won't violate any laws. Research and install it to your heart's content. I'll have a workshop built for the two of you in no time.
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