Bradley will definitely not be the target of the assassination, and the reason lies in his residence.
I noticed it when Manda and I went to see Bradley last time - his garden villa is located in the most prosperous residential area, with nobles and wealthy businessmen all living nearby.
Most of these people, including Bradley, have hired a lot of private guards. It is simply a fantasy to invade the villa alone.
It is impossible for the murderer to do such a thing to cause trouble for himself, so Mr. Bradley's safety can be said to be second only to that of the nobleman who lives in the Earl's Palace.
"By the way, what ability does your partner who can knit sweaters have? I haven't seen you use it yet."
"Um...why do you ask this?"
"Hey, hey, don't answer questions with questions."
"No! If you don't tell me the reason, I won't!"
"...Are you still serious at this time?"
"Um...! I want you to take care of it!"
Uh, this guy is so angry.
"I'm just confirming whether you have enough fighting ability - can you accept it?"
"Well...don't worry, I can protect myself."
"...Don't get me wrong, I'm worried about whether you can protect Mr. Stank."
A sentimental guy.
As a result, Manda's face suddenly turned red.
"Who, who misunderstood! Mr. Stank is a walker. With his strength, he doesn't need my protection at all, okay?"
"Well, that's right..."
"Don't forget, the Wanderer Alliance in Fulvos has extremely high registration requirements!"
"That's it...then I'll be relieved. What is Mr. Stank's ability to find a mate?"
"Huh? Didn't I say it? It is attached to the earth element. It can create different weapons and props made of earth according to the situation. It is very comprehensive and applicable... There are only hosts with such a strong mate-making ability.
, can you become a walker."
"It's really strict...Walworth's registration requirements for the Wanderer."
I remembered that when I applied to become a no-walker, I encountered obstacles at every turn.
"Well... this is one of the reasons why Woolworth is called the 'City of Blades'. In Woolworth, the Walkers themselves are already extraordinary."
Manda is quite familiar with this aspect. She rarely goes to the Wanderer Alliance.
When she said these words, there was obvious pride in her tone, but there was a hint of loneliness in the corners of her eyes.
This guy... must be dissatisfied with his own mediocrity again.
People who are flamboyant often have low self-esteem, and this guy is an example.
But among the people I met, the ones I can remember are all ordinary people.
"It seems that Mr. Stank is very powerful. When the time comes to fight the murderer, don't hold him back~~"
"I...I know!"
"However, since Mr. Stank is so powerful, if the murderer's target is him, his own strength should not be bad... Don't force yourself too much."
"Hmm... Got it."
Manda turned her eyes towards me and said seriously:
"I will do whatever you ask me to do, but beyond that, I will continue to investigate Xue and other suspects - I will not give in to this."
"Okay..."
Indeed, if we think according to the original thinking, the murderer can only be Xue.
As long as there is any possibility, we will take it seriously to the end. This is Manda.
Uh, I suddenly remembered... After all, I still don't seem to have figured out what Manda's mate-making ability is.
......
Two days later, Ferrinold got in touch with Mr. Hammons.
Although I don’t know what method Ferrinold used, it was really a good idea for him to get close to the big bank manager.
In addition, the price for making Ferinod obedient is to "give him one-third of the bounty."
......
The next day, I went to see Mr. Wyatt and wanted to enter the attic again.
Mr. Wyatt rejected me on the grounds that there was something missing in the attic since we left last time.
I asked why Felinold had money to buy wine recently... He must have gotten it from selling the things he stole from the attic.
That guy has a really bad character. I hope he won’t do the same thing to Mr. Hammons...
Even if I do it, I hope Mr. Hammons won’t find out...
......
Five more days passed, and Manda, who had not been waiting for Mr. Stanke, was still busy.
According to my understanding, she seems to be collecting information about Snow on her own, and her level of persistence is no different from that of a fan who is crazy about chasing stars in the world of technology...except that the person she is chasing is not a celebrity. As soon as I thought about it, Manda came to see me.
I listened to her proudly show me her investigation situation, and occasionally interrupted to say something to tease her, and finally succeeded in making her cry.
Since she said before, "Your apology is of no use at all!", I didn't apologize this time - I couldn't live up to her good intentions.
......
On the twenty-fourth day from the incident, the Wanderer team that cleaned up the Pingding District came back. I heard that the task was completed smoothly, which can be regarded as a triumph for all members.
Manda abided by the agreement she made with me and contacted Mr. Stank as soon as possible.
And I stayed in the room until night that day.
I peeled off the quilt I had been wrapped in for twenty-four hours and threw it on the bed. I slowly moved to the window and put my hand close to the glass. The coldness penetrated my bones through the glass and I couldn't help but sneeze.
"It's been down for so long..."
What I am referring to is the snow. It has been falling intermittently in recent days, and the momentum seems to be less now.
I changed out of my pajamas and went to the living room. Ferrinold was not there - he had gone out in the afternoon. I didn't expect him to be so motivated to spy on Mr. Hammons.
This shows that one-third of the bounty is quite tempting.
"By the way, Gale, how far can you hear sounds?"
"I don't know the specific range, but the smaller the noise around me, the farther I can hear it."
"...What now?"
"Now I can't even hear you clearly..."
"Ha?!"
"The wind outside is too noisy, and I can't do anything about it."
"Sure enough, you are of no use at all..."
"It's just you who boasted about Haikou, but I didn't say that I could hear the drunken knight and the little intern at any time."
"Eh~~Okay, okay, I didn't expect you either."
"...I'm very disappointed."
Sigh...but I hope Gale can be of some use tonight.
Forget it...
Let’s go there first.
I put on my coat.
The wind outside was not as strong as I expected, but I still started running as soon as I went out.
Ahhh! That guy from Ferrinold!
The coat's warmth mark has not been infused with magic.
I clearly reminded Felinold at noon, and even emphasized that I would go out at night.
Without the protection of magic, the not-so-thick coat has very poor protection against the cold. Even if I double my protection against the cold, it won't help.
I couldn't bear it anymore, so I had to use my double cold resistance to double my leg strength. Relying on my memory, I lowered my head and rushed toward my destination.
Five minutes later, the door of the tavern was opened by a trembling person covered in snow - that person was me.
There are still as many people in the tavern as before, and they are the same as the last time I came in - most of them are wanderers.
It didn't take me long to find the snow.
Of course, she saw me first, as if she had expected me to come.
"Yo..."
Even so, she just stared at me without saying a word, so I had to say hello.
"Why do you know I'm here?"
"I guessed."
This is where I first saw snow.
"It's been a long time no see, Mr. Stalking Pervert."
"This is a pretty good title."
"In other words, do you also think you have this image?"
"I feel honored to be called 'Mr.'..."
"So optimistic."
I didn't notice it just now, but when I sat across from Xue, I realized that Xue was wearing a turtleneck sweater.
"It seems like you are always well-dressed..."
I felt a little awkward as soon as I blurted out this sentence.
"In other words, have you been paying attention to my body? It's really you."
Unsurprisingly, I choked.
I really...Isn't it normal to dress like this in winter?
"Haha... I heard that you accepted the reward for cleaning up the pacification area. What did you do?"
"That's the literal meaning. Fulvos expelled the demons from an area last year and designated it as a pacification area. In order to prevent the demons from reoccupying it, they asked the Wanderer Alliance to be responsible for regular 'cleaning'."
"Hey~~So that's it."
"You said you heard about me. In other words, you asked the Wanderer Alliance about me, right?"
The perception is really strong...
"Well... I just passed by occasionally and asked some questions casually..."
"In other words, have you asked about other things about me? I think our relationship is not close enough to allow you to ask others about each other casually, what do you think?"
What he said was a discussion, but his tone sounded cold.
"What you said is absolutely true..."
For some reason, I felt an inexplicable pressure as soon as I answered the question with Xue, so that the initiative in speaking always belonged to her.
"However, if your behavior is for the purpose of handling a case, then that is a different matter."
"Ah..."
Xue actually took the initiative to bring up the murder case.
"So, Mr. Private Detective, how's the investigation going?"
"Ah~~ If I insist on saying it, I don't know what to say..."
"In other words, is it something you can't reveal to me? Then I won't ask."
...Hey, hey, if you are so considerate, you will make me look stingy.
"..."
"..."
"The snow has never stopped..."
Seeing the snow and looking out the window, I sighed.
"Do you like snow days?"
"Just from a viewing point of view, I like it the most."
"Really..."
"What about you?"
"Me too."
"...I didn't expect you to answer like this."
"In other words, you don't think I feel the same way you do?"
"Uh...that's pretty much what I think."
Even if there was, this guy probably wouldn't say it frankly...
"Why do you like it too?"
"...the shapes of snowflakes are different, but from a distance, they are all the same, and I don't hate this undifferentiated unity."
"Wow~~Sounds very philosophical."
"In that case, how about believing it?"
"Okay..."
I looked at the white flocs flying outside and nodded slowly.