Chapter 64 - Volume 4 (1/2)

“… And your efforts in stabilising public order as representatives of Isaac, the Lord’s Representative, have been acknowledged by the Empire. We now acknowledge you all as the official militia of New Port City, and the Empire will reimburse you for the fallen militia member.”

Isaac’s rosy prediction didn’t even last three days. Unlike his expectation that Rivelia would take the credit, it was the syndicate bosses who received its glory. In return, the syndicate bosses became the official militia of the city. Isaac couldn’t help but feel frustrated that the notorious criminals that everyone knew about had became official peacekeepers, and Rivelia was still pecking at his side all the while, pestering him to find the murderer.

“What do you mean, ‘do an investigation?’ Isn’t Central involved now?”

“Central won’t be getting involved in this incident.”

“When I’ve just suffered through that interrogation of theirs?”

Isaac asked Rivelia as he remembered the arrogant agent of Central, who questioned him about the most trifling facts and his past as if he was interrogating the culprit. Rivelia answered Isaac with a smile on her face that would make the hearts of men pound furiously.

“I put a good word in for you. If your report is correct, the victim is just an apprentice warlock, and Central doesn’t have the free time to deal with such a minor subject.”

‘So you just want to see me suffer.’

Isaac felt the urge to flick Rivelia’s forehead, whose bright smile would steal the hearts of any who witnessed it. It wouldn’t have mattered much if it was anywhere else, but the people of the slums lived desperate lives whose daily wages allowed them to survive barely another day. In the last three days since Central received the report of the wyvern’s appearance, they turned the city upside down, and most of the residents in the area were left prisoners in their own homes and starving, unable to leave for work. Plus, many of them took to the streets, worried to death that their houses weren’t safe. They became easy prey for pickpockets and muggers, so Isaac had to put more pressure on the syndicate bosses as the frequency of these crimes increased.

Reaching the limit of his temper, Isaac turned serious and spoke to Rivelia.

“Even if Central won’t be investigating the murder, they will still try to find the warlock responsible for the black magic, so how am I supposed to report on that?”

“Y, you can simply report to me.”

The sudden s.h.i.+ft in tone befuddled Rivelia, and she stuttered her answer. Isaac took the opening to continue his aggression.

“Am I supposed to report to the Mayor instead of Central when the killer is a mysterious figure that managed to kill an apprentice warlock?”

“…”

This spoiled damsel must have insisted on her way without considering the political aspects behind this issue. Rivelia began to ponder about the subjects that she seemed to have not thought about and soon came to a simple conclusion.

“Report to both Central and me.”

“… Who am I supposed to report to first? Do I report to Central first, then report to you, Mayor? Or the opposite?”

“T, that’s…”

Rivelia hesitated, and Isaac quickly pressed on without giving her the time.

“Who do we ask for reinforcements? What will the work schedule be for the squad investigating this incident? Is that squad going to be solely dedicated to the investigation or will that just be support for Central? Do we dictate the investigation, or do we take orders from Central? How and which method will we use to maintain contact with Central, since we will require regular contact for the investigation?”

“That’s… I mean… eek! Do I have to tell you everything! You’re the man in charge of the administration!”

I knew it.

Isaac sighed. He didn’t come in with expectations anyway. He only said those things to deal a blow to Rivelia. Rivelia’s face was bright red, her pride seemingly wounded. She glared at Isaac and shouted annoyingly.

“Squad 3 will follow emergency duty protocols until the murder incident is solved!”

s.h.i.+t! Did I tease her too much?

Isaac regretted slightly and shrugged.

“Whatever.”

‘c.r.a.p! Reisha’s going to get mad again.’

Isaac left the Mayor’s room composedly, keeping his frustration bottled up. He didn’t know why he, the Lord’s Representative and Administrator, had to run about the field personally and appease Reisha – all the while having no idea as to what everyone else was doing at this point.

‘I’ll hold back just this once.’

Although her motive was impure, it was thanks to Rivelia that they managed to prevent a disaster. What if Axlon’s minions opened the door? And if the wyvern was summoned then? Just imagining how much damage it would have caused until the knights arrived at the scene brought a chill through Isaac’s spine. Even if he was used to death, it still left a bad taste to watch the slaughter of innocents. So Isaac was going to go along with Rivelia’s stubbornness just this once. Although his body would suffer the consequences.

“Man, one wrong move and I might get stabbed in my back.”

Isaac smiled bitterly and muttered, being the target of malicious stares from all around him. These residents of the slum, who stayed motionless like rats hiding from a cat when they were in the presence of the agents from Central, seemed to have lost their sanity when the agents left and were openly hostile towards Isaac and his squad.

Isaac was innocent, but he wasn’t interested in trying to prove it; he didn’t feel irritated by their actions anyway. Central wouldn’t have left a single stone unturned regarding the surrounding area and its residents, so there was no need for Isaac to do the same again.

“Everyone except Reisha and Kunette are to visit every house and tell them to get back to their lives from tomorrow onwards.”

Everyone in the squad looked at Isaac questioningly. Seeing the gravity of the murder incident, all of the slum residents should be treated as suspects until the investigation was solved. That was why they established a quarantine around the area and announced that any who broke the rule would be treated as a main suspect.

“I’m sure Central would have investigated all of it already. The fact that they left means that none of them were of help in the investigation. Let’s not keep these poor fellas suffering anymore. The city won’t run properly if there’s a sudden absence of workers.”

All of the squad members shrugged and split off in different directions.

“Are you sure you can do this, sunbaenim? Rivelia-sunbaenim won’t stay put if she finds out.”

“Ah, who cares. I’ll just take the hit if she says something about it. I’ve got to let these people eat.”

Reisha smiled brightly and hugged Isaac. Kunette seemed to follow Reisha and clung onto Isaac’s left leg.

“Hehe, this is why I like you, sunbaenim!”

“Can you stop acting like this and go up the stairs? At this rate, you’ll start baseless rumors.”

Isaac tried to maintain his composure, trying to distract himself from sinking into Reisha’s warm and soft body. He pushed Reisha and Kunette away from him.

“Uum, I was told that humans like it when we do this. Was that wrong?”

“Who told you that?”

“Hehe, it was my mum!”

“Just what do they teach in an elf’s household? What are you going to do if an incident… I guess that won’t happen.”

Anyone who had ulterior motives and ambushed Reisha would see another face of hers. Who was it again? That man who misunderstood Reisha’s innocent act and jumped at her, only to become a husk of a man whose body and mind were broken beyond recovery?

As Isaac walked up the stairs, he remembered that arrogant and proud knight that was carried out of the city in a stretcher just two days after the police force arrived in the city. He left as a b.l.o.o.d.y pancake at the hands of Reisha.

“Tsk, how could there be no one guarding the scene of crime, even if it’s dangerous to do so.”

Isaac grumbled as he remembered Axlon’s minion, who disappeared with great haste once he saw Isaac and his squad arrive. Warlocks were the symbol of evil, and even killing them was problematic. They were the most common antagonists in fairy tales.

Their most common weapon in the stories were curses. Curses that brought misfortune, curses that would drive someone mad. There were many different kinds of curses; curses of impotence often showed up in adult novels. The equation of warlocks to curses was engraved deeply in everyone’s minds. This was perhaps the reason that n.o.body wanted to remain near an apprentice warlock’s room.

“But don’t you think it’s very traditional? It’s got everything it needs.”

Every artefact that was mandatory for a warlock was present in the room.

“Ugh! Can you stop just watching and help me?”

Reisha, who had been shuffling through the room for evidence, complained to Isaac, who was simply watching from the corridor blankly.

“Are you going to take responsibility if I get cursed?”

“But you said that there weren’t any curses!”

“That’s just a comment I made to rea.s.sure the public.”

“So are you saying it’s fine if I get cursed?”

“I think it’ll be easier to believe in a dwarf giving up on alcohol than to believe an elf getting cursed.”

“… Isaac, what about me?”

“You can just watch too, Kunette. I’m sure Reisha can take care of it.”

Reisha’s constant grumbling echoed from the room as Isaac made his comments.

Suddenly, a small voice came from behind Isaac – a voice so faint that he barely noticed.

“U, um… Sir Isaac.”

“Hm?”

Isaac turned to see the owner of the voice. In front of him stood a number of slum residents in the corridors who lived on the same floor as the apprentice warlock. Surprisingly, they were still lingering around their homes.

“What?”

Isaac said with disdainful tone, which made the man even more careful with his words.

“Um… there isn’t any more issues right?”