Chapter 20 (1/2)

Translator: larvyde    Editor: Sauv

Note: Once again, thank you larvyde for giving us your drafts of chapters 18-24, they are much appreciated.

Without further aideu, please enjoy chapter 20.

“— Random killer, huh?”

“That is correct, Doctor s.h.i.+zuru.”

One day, a few nights after the job in the slums.

s.h.i.+zuru blinked his eyes hearing the words that came out of the mouth of Rosa, who had dropped in unannounced as usual.

“There have repeatedly been strange things happening around the East Ward lately. The reports had even reached me in the Royal Guard.”

“Well that’s … unsettling, huh.”

Maintaining order in the capital was largely the job of the Garrison.

It was not often that something occurred that had to go over the heads of the Garrison, and onto the Royal Guard, who were the dagger of the Kingdom.

It was not that the Garrison Guards were incompetent, they were in fact troublesome opponents, even for that roughneck Casca.

Though the East Ward that comprised of the slums were hard to thoroughly patrol every corner of, due to its relatively complicated structure, it would’ve been three times more of a lawless place if it weren’t for the efforts of the Garrison.

“Doctor s.h.i.+zuru, did you hear that the syndicate which was on the rise around the east ward was annihilated recently?”

“Eh? Ah, y-yes … I, uh, heard rumors.”

Not only did he know, he himself was the one of who did them in.

But s.h.i.+zuru wasn’t so stupidly honest to admit as much; he only nodded.

“Ah, please don’t make a face like that Doctor s.h.i.+zuru …! But of course, it must be heart-wrenching for such a gentle-hearted one as yourself when people die, even if they were perpetrators of atrocity! I beg your forgiveness for not thinking this through … aa!”

“Rosa-san, um, you don’t have to lower your head … really, I’m fine, uhh …”

“And what a generous heart you have! Doctor s.h.i.+zuru, you are truly an angel come down upon this world! Please marry me!”

“Where did that come from …”

Rosa turned to face s.h.i.+zuru and knelt, producing a bouquet of roses and a box containing a platinum ring.

Because she was higher than him, and because she could look like a pretty boy depending on what she wore, she looked the part … but normally it should have been the other way around.

To begin with, just when did she measure the size of s.h.i.+zuru’s left ring finger?

But anyhow, to handle the situation without rubbing anything the wrong way, he changed the topic.

Even though s.h.i.+zuru had recognized himself as inhumane, it hurt his heart a little to make a person so honestly in love with him dance in his palms.

— And even more so in Rosa’s case.

“Random killer … this criminal we call the Chopper appeared, I think, about a month ago. The first case was when they found the bodies of three men completely mangled in a back alley in the East Ward.”

They say that there had been more discoveries of bodies killed the same way ever since;

it was not a big leap to conclude that they were done by the same person.

“Besides that they were all in the East Ward, the victims had nothing in common. Men and women, old and young, they were all indiscriminately killed.”

“… Indiscriminate killing, is it?”

“All are circ.u.mstantial reports, though. Then, just a few days ago, the Garrison Guards who went to the location the syndicate I mentioned were annihilated were all killed by the Chopper in under an hour after the incident.”

” … “

“In under one hour” s.h.i.+zuru’s eyes widened at what she said.

The Garrison Guards, who had plenty enough fighting power.

And among them, the ones a.s.signed to the East Ward, who all had above average abilities, were all annihilated in such short a time. This killer was no ordinary one.

It would’ve been impossible unless they had a strength that borders on the upper levels of fighting abilities within Black Maria, at least around Beth’s level.

“But in the case of the syndicate, the state of death was different so that was a different case, I suppose that the Chopper just happened to be in the area …”

… ah, about that, please don’t think too much about it.

If possible, please leave it as an unsolved mystery while we have matters at hand, or even forever.

Preferably, you could also dismiss it as something the Chopper also did.

s.h.i.+zuru thought so by reflex, but the syndicate annihilation was a direct request from Richelieu-

Ludmila’s formal entrance test was just an additional bonus, not the main part, the actual job was a publicity stunt for Black Maria.

Therefore that treatment was not something they would stand for.

“… but to even destroy an entire platoon of guards … this is unsettling”

“Yes. But please rest at ease, my Doctor s.h.i.+zuru!”

s.h.i.+zuru hazarded a guess.

Whenever she called his name she would always prefix it with [my], but he basically just replied with an insincere smile or just ignored it altogether, though he does it with Lady too.