NOVPUB“We’ll hear the details after the investigation begins.”
Terrina, Enya, and three Nightcrawler Knights made their way into the interior of the mansion.
Thus, the investigation began.
The Nightcrawler Knights pulled out an artifact they had prepared.
It was an oval sphere about the size of a human fist.
It shimmered faintly with a golden hue, resembling some kind of egg.
“Captain, what is that?”
Enya, seeing it for the first time, tilted her head curiously.
“Ah, that’s right. You’ve only been stationed here in Rederbelk—you wouldn’t have seen this before. It’s a new artifact recently issued.”
“An artifact?”
“It was developed at the New Mage Tower using Memory Storming theory. Still in its prototype phase, doesn’t even have an official name yet—but its effect is certain.”
“What kind of effect?”
“It lets us read the memories of a perpetrator in magic-related incidents.”
The artifact reads residual mana left at the scene and absorbs it into a special paper inside.
When mana is then channeled into the paper, fragments of the caster’s memory can be viewed.
It was a truly revolutionary artifact.
It meant they could analyze nearly every incident caused by magic.
Enya’s eyes lit up.
“That’s amazing! We could solve cold cases with this!”
“There are limits. Residual mana dissipates after 36 hours—if that time passes, there’s nothing to extract.”
And the artifact also requires a mage capable of handling mana to operate it.
“Still, it’s powerful enough to outweigh those drawbacks.”
Terrina placed the artifact on a nearby shelf.
Click.
The golden egg-shaped artifact split into four, revealing a mana stone inside.
Surrounded by pure white sheets of paper, the stone began to hum, releasing rippling waves of mana.
“Is it working?”
“Yes. Now the artifact will scrape the residual mana, and the paper will start to discolor. If it does, we’ll know for certain this was a mage’s doing.”
One hour passed.
The paper surrounding the mana stone showed no change.
Terrina frowned.
“Captain... the artifact hasn’t reacted. It’s not just me, right?”
“I’m seeing the same thing.”
“No way, that means...”
Terrina gave a grim nod.
“Yes. This disappearance incident has nothing to do with magic.”
“That doesn’t make any sense.”
Over a hundred people had vanished from the mansion overnight.
One only needed to glance around to see they’d been here just yesterday. The kitchen, with its half-prepped ingredients, was one such clue.
“Enya. How many people were supposed to be staying here?”
“Estimates put the number at no less than one hundred.”
“One hundred people vanished without a trace overnight. And without magic. Do you think that’s even possible?”
“...It shouldn’t be. Not without magic. That’s physically impossible.”
“Exactly. That’s the problem. Something physically impossible... happened.”
It seemed any further investigation here would be meaningless.
Terrina recalled her earlier conversation with Enya.
“Enya, about what you said earlier—about the slums. What did you find {N•o•v•e•l•i•g•h•t} there?”
“Do you remember the day we discovered a body in the back alley while investigating the death of Belvotte Rixon?”
“I remember.”
It had been a unique case—Terrina remembered it clearly.
Even the Kalsapha assassins had shown up in what was initially a street brawl among vagrants.
“Right after that, the Kunst Auction raid broke out, so we had to drop it. But I’ve recently had a chance to follow up.”
“So something did happen in the slums.”
“Yes.”
Enya nodded firmly.
“That alley fight a while back—it was the remnants of the Red Society.”
“The Red Society? The gang that once controlled Rederbelk’s underworld?”
“That’s the name they were known by, yes. But behind that name... was this place.”
“Silver Sun.”
Terrina muttered the name as she looked around the eerie, silent mansion.
“The mafia the Rederbelk mayor turned a blind eye to. Parasites eating away at this nation.”
Terrina, who loathed villains, scowled openly.
Criminals protected by the law—wriggling eels who slipped through every net.
Honestly, the news that Silver Sun had been wiped out in a single night was somewhat satisfying.
But the real issue was how alien the whole event felt.
Even magical detection artifacts couldn’t pick up any traces.
Naturally, Terrina couldn’t just be pleased.
“You think the key to this case lies in the slums. But how could a bunch of castaways wipe out an entire mafia syndicate?”
“If it were just an ordinary slum, they couldn’t have.”
“You mean it isn’t an ordinary slum anymore.”
Enya laid everything she’d discovered before Terrina.
“The slums have been expanding rapidly.”
“The slums?”
“Groups that used to be scattered in threes and fives have united. They’ve launched multiple businesses simultaneously—and succeeded. The trend’s still growing.”
Terrina crossed her arms, her eyes narrowing.
“That’s odd. What kind of money do slum dwellers have to start businesses? Is the city pouring redevelopment funds into it or something?”
That was the only logical explanation.
But Enya shook her head.
“Rederbelk still doesn’t care about the lower classes. If anything, they wish they’d disappear—they ruin the city’s image. Shockingly, this transformation wasn’t led by a noble or councilman. It was all done... by one man.”
“Just one man?”
An intrigued smile formed on Terrina’s lips.
It was clearly not the answer she expected.
“And who is this?”
“‘Owner.’ That’s what people call him.”
“That’s no real name. Did you learn his actual identity?”
Enya stayed silent.
Terrina looked at her with surprise.
“Surprising. I thought you’d have found out by now. So he’s good at hiding his tracks.”
“...I hate to admit it, but yes. The man they call Owner suddenly appeared in Rederbelk and took over the underworld. There’s no trace of his past. It’s like he’s a ghost.”
And it wasn’t just a takeover.
He had unified the small and mid-sized gangs, launched successful ventures, and begun making aggressive moves.
Enough to make neighboring powers nervous.
“Incredible. One person, doing all that?”
“You may find it hard to believe, but it’s the truth. That Owner guy... he’s something else.”
Terrina surveyed the lavish interior of the mansion.
Now a ghost house in a single night—once the headquarters of a mafia syndicate.
The rise of this mysterious Owner... and the collapse of Silver Sun.
Could they be connected?
It was too early to say he was the culprit—but he was certainly a prime suspect.
“I’ll have to meet him myself.”
“I’ll make arrangements right away.”
“Retrieve the artifact. Keep the area sealed off. I’m not letting those damn reporters run wild.”
Terrina looked out the window.
A crowd of journalists had already gathered at the mansion entrance, their noses twitching.
Terrina clicked her tongue.
“They swarm fast, like hyenas.”
Then, in an instant, she unsheathed her sword and pointed it into the empty air.
“C-Captain?!”
Enya and the other knights flinched in surprise.
But Terrina glared fiercely into the seemingly empty space.
“Come out. Don’t sneak around like a rat.”
“Knew you’d catch me.”
A voice emerged from thin air—
The distorted veil of water magic disappeared, revealing the woman who had been hidden within.
“Your instincts are sharp as ever. No other knight spotted me.”
The moment she appeared with a smile, Terrina’s face lit up with joy.
“Casey!”
“Yeah. Long time no see, Terrina.”
“D-Detective Casey?!”
Enya finally recognized her and nearly jumped.
Terrina sheathed her sword and strode toward Casey, extending a hand.
“How many years has it been? You’ve been well, I hope?”
“I’ve been the same as always. Oh—and Enya Joinas, right? We last saw each other at Kunst, didn’t we?”
“Y-Yes! It’s been a while, Detective Casey!”
“Excuse me, Casey. Who’s this with you?”
Terrina belatedly noticed the blonde girl standing next to Casey.
“This girl?”
“Ah. Let me introduce her. Terrina, this is Betty, my assistant.”
“I’m Betty. I’m a diligent assistant who works hard next to this unpredictable Casey.”
Betty struck a proud pose with her hands on her hips.
“Betty, this is Terrina Lionhowl. She’s the Marquess of House Lionhowl and the current Captain of the Nightcrawler Knights.”
“A pleasure to meet you, Miss Betty.”
“Wh–What? You’re a noble?! I-I’m so sorry! I didn’t realize!”
Betty’s demeanor changed in an instant, prompting awkward smiles from both Enya and Casey.
“So, Casey. What brings you here?”
“What else? Does a detective need a reason to chase a case?”
“...Fair. But even so, you went too far. This area is restricted to civilians.”
“Which is why I snuck in. And besides, I’m not just a civilian—I’m a state-certified detective.”
Casey winked playfully.
Next to her, Betty muttered in an almost apologetic tone.
“I–I tried to stop her. This was all Casey’s idea.”
It wasn’t an excuse—it was straight-up betrayal.
“...Well, I don’t expect you to act normal anyway. But at least give a heads-up next time. I nearly drew my sword on you.”
“My bad. But the case was just too interesting to resist. I mean—an entire group disappears overnight?”
Terrina sighed, realizing there was no point hiding it.
“Yes. I suppose that would draw your attention.”
“Judging from your reaction, you came up empty. But hey, you never know—I might be able to help.” 𝓷ℴ𝓋𝓅𝓊𝒷.𝒸𝓸𝓶
Terrina hesitated, just slightly.
Casey Selmore was the only person she truly considered a friend—and one of the most brilliant minds she knew.
Terrina had found no clues. But Casey? Maybe.
A small part of her wanted to believe that.
But duty was duty.
“Sorry. Even for you, I can’t officially request assistance.”
“Hmm. That’s a shame.”
Truthfully, Casey hadn’t expected much.
She’d already scouted the scene herself.
And she knew—this was not a case solvable by ordinary deduction.
Instead, she turned her attention elsewhere.
“That’s an interesting item you’ve got.”
“Oh. You mean the artifact?”
“That’s the one developed recently by the New Mage Tower, right? Based on the newly emerging theory of memory storming?”
“You really do know everything, don’t you.”
“Just something I heard in passing. You’ve got a few of them, right? Think I could borrow one?”
At that, the knights’ eyes widened.
They had let her be because she seemed friendly with the Captain—but now she was asking that?
They began to bristle, but Terrina silenced them with a glance.
“So this was your real goal.”
“Not really. It just felt like the right time to ask. So, what do you think? Just one?”
“Well, one shouldn’t be a problem.”
Terrina handed her the artifact, and the knights looked on in horror.
“C-Captain! With all due respect, giving that to an outsider—!”
“It’s fine. She’s not just any outsider.”
With Terrina’s word, the knights could say nothing more.
After all, it was a decision from the one they respected most. Surely, there had to be a reason.
Even Casey looked surprised to receive it so easily.
“Huh? I thought you’d make me work for it.”
“You would’ve found a way to get it anyway. Better to just hand it over.”
“Wow. You know me too well.”
“You’re too strange not to understand. And frankly, it’s cheaper to give it to you now than to deal with the fallout.”
Casey gave a sheepish smile at that.
Next to her, Betty glared and muttered, “Just how much trouble have you caused?”
“Well, I’ll accept it gratefully, then.”
“Judging by your reaction, you’re tracking something too, aren’t you?”
“Something like that.”
“But what exactly do you plan to use the artifact for? I know you well enough to know you’re not just taking it for fun.”
“Of course I have a use for it. I’ll explain everything later—privately.”
Casey’s tone had shifted—her gaze was serious for once.
Terrina could tell she meant it.
“Alright. If you say so, I won’t ask further.”
“Anyway, it’s a shame we couldn’t talk longer after such a long time.”
“Don’t worry. If you’re staying in this city, we’ll find time soon. Let’s plan something next time.”
“Yeah. Then, I’ll be off for now.”
With that, Casey stirred up a mist of water—
And in a blink, she and Betty vanished like a mirage.
Terrina let out a soft chuckle at the fading sensation of their presence.
Her old friend was just as unchanged as ever.
“Let’s go. We’ve got work to do.”
“Yes, Captain!”
* * *
Ludger was fast asleep in the hideout.
It was the recoil from using divine power.
Hans and the others knew he was exhausted, so they let him rest undisturbed.
Even if they were worried, there was too much to do.
They had to take over the Silver Sun’s business holdings as quickly as possible.
Analyzing their ledgers and tracing the flow of laundered funds wasn’t easy work.
Other forces had already caught the scent and begun to move—it was a race against time.
The morning passed in a blur, and by noon—
Ludger, who they thought would sleep much longer, came downstairs.
“Sir, you’re awake?”
“Welcome back, Owner.”
“You slept so deeply, Boss!”
Hans, buried in ledger analysis, greeted him along with Violetta and Seridan—who was busy teasing Hans from the side.
Ludger didn’t respond to the greetings. Instead, he gazed silently out the window.
“Sir? Something wrong?”
“Get ready.”
“Huh? Ready for what?”
“We’re about to have visitors.”
And not just any visitors.
The kind you really don’t want to deal with.
The Nightcrawler Knights—operatives of the Empire’s Intelligence Bureau.
To the people of the underworld, they were a symbol of fear. And they were coming.
