Episode 176 – City Hunter (3)

City Hunter (3)

I arrived at Layla’s party venue. I had received an invitation, and I was curious about how she would be in the wake of the breaking news.

Boom─ Boom─ Boom─

But speakers were blaring from all directions. Loud enough to hurt the ears.

“……Ah, it’s noisy.”

A typical Layla-style party that teenagers would love. The faces here and there are familiar. Most of the invited people are from the upper class, well-known by name.

“……?”

Then suddenly, I spotted someone. She seemed to have noticed me too, turning her head this way.

I blinked and asked.

“You…… why?”

“What do you mean?”

Elise. She wore a gentle smile.

As if to say, why are you so surprised?

“No…… You’re different than usual.”

“Different than usual? Well, I guess.”

Her makeup right now is very unique. Her eyeshadow is too colorful, not matching at all, and too excessive. She even seems to have had a bit of alcohol, her cheeks slightly flushed.

What is she, a peacock?

Does that mean she’s having a lot of fun?

Elise slightly lifted her chin.

“Even so, don’t stare too blankly. It’s rude.”

“Uh…… Are you enjoying the party?”

“Not really. I don’t like this kind of noise. It’s just loud.”

“……It doesn’t seem like it. You look like a peacock right now. Not a female, but a male. You know, those with unnecessarily flashy feathers.”

“I didn’t intend to attend a party like this, but the college board exams are over, aren’t they? Would it be okay if I, the valedictorian of the second quarter, am not at a party celebrating that?”

She, as always, only says what she wants to say.

“Oh, okay. Where is Layla?”

Boom─ Boom─ Boom─

I asked, slightly covering my ears.

“She’s probably in her room.”

“Really? It’s noisy here, let’s go to her room for a bit.”

“Hmm…… Follow me.”

Elise guided me.

─Pour! Hey, pour more!

As we walked down the hallway, Kain’s robust cheer echoed from somewhere.

I glanced in that direction. Kain was pouring all sorts of alcohol into a large barrel.

“Kain is in the top 10. He received an unlimited card as a gift from his family to celebrate.”

“Lucky him.”

“……What’s your rank?”

Elise subtly asked. I shrugged.

“I didn’t check, but probably around 40~50.”

40~50 means a guaranteed admission to Edsilla National University.

Depending on the third quarter, i.e., the college interview results, admission to the knight school is also possible.

“You can get into the national university? You’re lucky.”

“Indeed.”

At the end of the third-floor corridor. Elise knocked on Layla’s door.

“…….”

“…….”

There was no response.

“Is she here?”

Abruptly- Elise just opened the door.

“Layla……. Huh?”

There was no one. The spacious room was completely empty.

“Layla’s not here?”

Startled-

I closed the door as I entered.

“……What? Wait a minute.”

At that moment, Elise turned to look at me. She glanced back and forth between the closed door and the empty bed, then asked in a strange tone.

“Why did you suddenly close the door?”

“What?”

“Don’t tell me you…”

Suddenly, she tightly grasped the lapels of my clothes.

“…Did my makeup make you lose your senses?”

“What are you talking about? You need to sober up.”

I sat down on a chair in the room.

I roughly had an idea of where Layla might have gone.

“Hey.”

“……”

I spoke to Elise, who was still looking at me suspiciously.

“Show me some Magic Spells.”

“…What?”

“You haven’t taught me this week’s lesson yet.”

The method for me to learn Magic Spells from Elise is simple.

Just observe. Whether it’s a 4th level spell, 5th level spell, or 6th level spell, I just need to observe with my own eyes and memorize the process of the formula working in my 「Notepad」.

After that, I can manifest it as long as my magic power and capacity allow.

“…Here?”

Elise asked with a slightly drained face.

“Yeah. Layla probably won’t be back today anyway.”

“How do you know that?”

“Anyway.”

I said with a smile.

“You’re like a human textbook. There’s no better teaching material than you.”

“……”

Then, Elise tilted her eyes slightly. She pouted her lips a little.

“Just showing you doesn’t mean anything, does it?”

“It’s not just showing, it’s observing and recording. That’s my 「Spectrum」.”

Elise looked a bit surprised.

Well, it’s the first time I’ve talked about my Spectrum.

“Just for an hour, show me about 4-5 spells. Preferably new ones.”

She quietly responded.

“…Alright.”

“And wipe off that makeup too.”

Elise made a slightly amused face.

“Pfft. So you were bothered by the makeup after all?”

“Yeah. In many ways.”

“Hmph. Wait.”

Elise removed her color makeup with telekinesis.

Now, she didn’t look like a peacock anymore.

……

“Wow, this is amazing.”

In front of the door to the third floor of Layla’s mansion, where Elise and Shion had entered.

‘Someone’ was eavesdropping on the voices coming from inside, clenching his fist tightly.

He had followed them because they went together, thinking they might do something.

“‘Human textbook’, huh? ‘There’s no better teaching material than you?’ Hahaha.”

Such a bold pair.

He immediately picked up his smartphone.

[Editor, I think I’ve caught something, can I explain?]

He was a reporter. When he heard that the seniors were having a party, he sneaked in pretending to be a scout, wondering if there might be some news. He was a reporter from The Moon.

[Douchebag: What is it? And where did you run off to? You had an interview with Mr. Ralmus today. He lost his cat.]

[No, it’s not about the cat. You know Elise Petra, right?]

[Douchebag: So where are you, you bastard, hurry up and come back?]

[Ah, listen to me. That Elise Petra, she’s in a romantic relationship right now. Right in front of my eyes.]

He pressed his ear against the door where the two had entered.

─Watch carefully. Don’t miss a thing.

He was about to send another text message when he suddenly stopped. A security guard had appeared.

“Identification. Please present it.”

The hulking security guard extended his hand towards him.

“Ah… I’ve already entered, do I need to show my ID again?”

“Yes. We received a report that you are suspicious.”

“Ah haha… Me? I’m suspicious?”

“Yes.”

He had already heard all he needed to. He had taken pictures of everything, their backs as they walked down the hallway together, their faces as they looked at each other.

“Oh, right. I left my ID. I’ll just leave.”

Elise Petra and Shion Ascal.

These days, college students are as famous and hot as celebrities, so he came in case something happened.

He hit the jackpot.

This was worth more than an S-class celebrity scandal.

“Please leave quickly.”

“Ah, okay, I’m leaving.”

He walked out on his own before he was dragged out.

* * *

At the same time, Trick City Section D-44.

“Yes. We’re investigating.”

Edsilla’s inspector──’Rena Heller’ is currently at the scene of a murder in Trick City’s D Section.

─This is a case that’s attracting public attention, so solve it well. Trick City is still part of Edsilla. Even if it’s an autonomous district.

“Yes, yes.”

─Yes, yes, huh? Report anything you find right away. Help me get back to the center. Huh? Help me, help me.

She was originally from the Edsilla Central Inspector Office, but she was exiled to Trick City’s D Section due to a certain incident.

─You get it? Don’t mess with useless people this time.

“I got it.”

─You little brat-

Click.

She scratched her orange hair and looked at the scene.

“……They cut it so cleanly. How did they cut the body like this?”

Two people, cut in half.

‘Lexton Welton’ and ‘Raphael Bartra’.

The scene itself was well preserved. But there was no evidence.

No fingerprints, no footprints, just a witness statement about a fencing mask.

Ah, there’s one more thing.

[Mila. Do you know the sins of this man?]

A message left by the culprit himself.

“What sin should I know?”

Why is a murder case in Section D-44 getting so much attention? This is Section D-44 where one person dies every two hours.

She casually looked behind her.

There was a woman in the darkness. Like in a horror movie.

“Ah!”

Rena was startled. Her heart dropped.

“Who… Ah, you surprised me.”

She quickly reached for her gun, but stopped.

This woman who suddenly appeared was a lawless woman in a blue suit, a famous person in Trick City, ‘Mila’.

Rena knew her too.

“Did you come because I called you?”

─……

Mila didn’t say anything. She quietly looked down at the red letters carved on the church floor.

[Mila. Do you know the sins of this man?]

─What happened?

Her voice trailed off.

“Just as you see. It seems like a crime targeted at you… Do you have any connection with this church?”

─A few times. I’ve dealt with criminals trying to extort donations.

“Hmm. And you also had a connection with the orphanage run by ‘Berrieda Ren Casano’?”

─…Yes. I’ve been there to give gifts to the children.

“Well then. It seems like you were the obvious target. They even left a message to make sure it was clear.”

Rena Heller pulled out a notebook and recorded the keywords of the case.

[Mila and Raquel Dra. What is their relationship?]

─But why are there two bodies?

Mila asked.

“Ah. The other guy, besides the priest, is ‘Lexton Welton’. He’s a mercenary with a criminal record. It’s still a mystery why he died here. Whether he suddenly converted to religion, or if there’s something else shady going on… we’re still investigating.”

Rena pointed at Mila with her pen.

“Anyway. This crime might have occurred because of you.”

─…Do you really think so?

“Somewhat. The crime rate in D Section is the same whether you’re here or not. You’re useless on your own.”

─……

Mila was expressionless, and Rena smiled.

“Don’t misunderstand. I don’t mean you’re useless. I mean you shouldn’t be alone.”

─’Shouldn’t be alone’?

“Yes. Actually, I was going to approach you first. I’m grateful that you came first.”

Rena put her notebook away.

“Mila, I’ve been exiled here. I’m an inspector in the damned D Section that even the locals of Trick City don’t want to deal with. To return to the center of Edsilla, I need to leave a clear record.”

─…So?

“I’m going to tolerate you. In return, let’s cooperate.”

Mila looked at Rena. Rena smiled faintly.

“No matter how I think about it, this Raquel Dra guy is strange.”

─What’s strange about him?

“I’m getting requests from all sides. To catch him. They insist I must catch him.”

─He’s a criminal, so that’s natural.

“Haha.”

She laughed as if it was amusing.

“I can guess your age range. You’re at least not in your 30s.”

─Wh, what?

Mila was embarrassed. The hairs on her back stood up.

“Anyway. Do you know how much the underground cartel lobbies politicians?”

─Hmm……

Rena sighed.

“Over a billion Ren each year. They throw money around in Trick City and Edsilla. They hope for chaos on the surface. The cartel, more than anyone, hopes that D Section doesn’t get cleaned up.”

─…I know that the cartel interferes with public authority.

“Right. But this time, they’re not interfering. Rather……”

Rena Heller has been trapped in this D Section dump for three months. As a price for digging up the corruption in Magic Tower and putting a guy named ‘Shelton’ in prison.

“My request for reinforcements has been approved.”

The public authority in D Section was a mess. Above all, there was a lack of manpower. Despite daily requests for reinforcements, they were cut off from the top.

That in itself was the influence of the cartel, but this time it had been approved.

Coincidentally, just a day after the Raquel Dra incident occurred.

“The cartel also wants this ‘Raquel Dra’ caught,” Rena said, a smile of interest on her face.

“So it’s fascinating. This guy, somehow, seems like he could become a big shot.”

Big shot.

There were no villains in Trick City worthy of being called big shots. Even if they were villains, or rather, especially if they were villains, they were ultimately in the palm of the cartel.

Therefore, a ‘big shot’ signifies a threat not only to the Trick City Council but also to the cartel.

─That won’t happen.

Mila shook her head.

─Because I’m going to catch him.

“Whatever you say. Anyway, here.”

Rena handed Mila a USB.

─Is this a receiver?

“Oh. You know well. If you connect it to a transmitter, you can eavesdrop on the police and prosecutor’s radio.”

Mila took it.

“Deploy whenever you feel like it. Just report where in the Section you’re deploying to is. That way, we can move efficiently without overlapping.”

─…And then?

“I will build a record of dramatically reducing the crime rate in D Section with your help. You will win the heart of the city.”

Rena crossed her arms.

“In the end, we catch this ‘Raquel Dra’ and put him away. Win-win. Okay?”

─……

Mila pondered for a moment before putting the USB in her pocket.

* * *

On a clear day in September.

Elise woke up with a clear mind.

“……Today is the end.”

She looked out the window and smiled faintly.

Today, the combined scores for the first and second quarters of the College Board are finally announced.

Now all she has to do is write the application based on those scores and ‘directly’ submit it to the respective university.

Her aspiration is, of course, the ‘Department of Magic Studies, Edsilla National University’.

Soon, she will officially become a student of the Department of Magic Studies, which is rated even higher than the Department of Knight Studies.

It was a matter of course for her, but she was somewhat excited.

“Ugh.”

She got up.

After finishing her bath in the bathroom, she sat at the dressing table.

“……Hmm.”

Makeup.

Until now, the maids had done it for her, but considering Shion’s reaction at the party that day, she seemed to do it better herself.

Not just Shion, almost everyone couldn’t take their eyes off her face.

-Just as Elise picked up the makeup sponge with that thought.

“Miss──!”

A loud noise echoed from outside.

Startled, Elise turned towards the sound. A maid was rushing towards her, eyes wide with alarm.

“What, what’s happening?”

“It’s a disaster, a huge disaster!”

“Shh. Keep it down-”

“Look at this!”

The maid thrust a smartphone towards her. Elise sighed and reluctantly took it.

“Whatever it is, next time don’t make such a fuss……”

However.

The moment she saw the internet article on the screen.

[Exclusive] Petra’s successor, Elise Petra, in a romantic relationship? The partner is speculated to be a senior within the top 50.

Along with the unbelievable headline, there was a photo of her walking side by side in the hallway of Layla’s mansion.

“……”

Elise’s complexion turned ashen. The breath from her nostrils trembled.

Soon after, a roar like that of Godzilla erupted from her Magic Core.

“What──is this────!”