"Next, you only need to answer 'yes' or 'no' to the questions I ask. Do you understand?"
The man who knocked me out by unknown means spoke.
"......Who are you?"
I looked at the other person: a woman. The scar above her eyebrow made her look a little older.
"Felinod...Felinod?"
When I saw Ferrinold lying next to me, I couldn't believe that he was dead.
He seemed to have just been in close contact with an explosion. His clothes were torn and his whole body exuded a strong, burning smell.
"Well, do you know his name? It seems that I found the wrong person."
"Felinod, Felinod...bastard! What did you do?!"
"Obviously, I killed him."
Ferrinold is dead?
impossible.
Absolutely impossible.
Did she kill the person I was trying to save?
impossible.
Ferrinold would not die so easily.
Absolutely impossible.
"He is a demon, why do you know him?"
The woman actually classified Felinold as a demon.
Damn madman!
"Nonsense!"
I roared at her.
The absurd information tore at my sanity wantonly, and I felt that everything in front of me became very unreal, as if it was just a nightmare.
No, I have to wake up quickly...
I tried to regain my composure, but I simply couldn't.
"If you have learned the most basic method of identifying demons, you will understand that what I am saying is the truth... The empire will not expel all demons. The harmfulness of the ability to find a partner is weak and degenerate.
If the demonic mate host with a very low probability of becoming a demon can provide help to the empire, then the empire will consider hiding its true identity..."
But the damn lunatic is still chattering.
She must have done it on purpose.
In addition to grief and anger, there was a faint voice that kept echoing in my head:
"Don't let her go...kill her..."
Gail...?
...
I tried hard to control my emotions, but in the end I failed.
After being released from the restraints, I resolutely fought with the woman in a seemingly meaningless fight.
Then she knocked me down and knocked me out again.
...
When I woke up again, the first thing I saw was still her.
I slowly stood up, this time she didn't cast a binding spell on me.
"Do you want to continue?"
"What?"
"I don't mind beating you up again."
The woman glanced at me, then threw a few pieces of parchment into the fire.
There is an extra band-aid on her forehead.
"Do you have the habit of collecting wounds? Then it's not like I can't satisfy you."
Although I deliberately showed an uncompromising attitude, I was actually exhausted and unable to deal with the madman in front of me.
"Stop being so harsh, I can kill a hundred of you in one go."
She snorted disdainfully and pointed to the burning parchment in the fire.
"I have obtained your relevant information and have a tentative understanding of your basic situation. No need to look around, this is just a hotel room, not a detention room."
"Hmm, so what exactly do you want to do? Why do you want to kill Ferrinold?"
I feel extremely calm at this moment.
"Shortly after the police station took away your cohabitant, the army inspected him and found that he was suspected of having liaisons with overseas demons."
"How can it be!"
I denied it subconsciously.
Ferrinold was actually imprisoned in the army...
"These are letters written by him and were found in the house where you live."
The woman threw me a stack of envelopes.
"The letter contains a lot of information about Fulworth."
With a look of disbelief on my face, I picked up a letter:
[Inspection at the East City Gate: one squadron and two squads, affiliated with the First Corps of the Guard; Patrol at the West Gate: four squads, affiliated with the Third Corps of the Guard...]
It's really Ferrinold's handwriting.
"The army is currently searching for the recipient...it seems you know nothing about it."
"..."
"He is a demon. The empire forged the identity of a divorced host for him because his grandfather was a noble. However, he committed the capital crime of collaborating with the enemy... The army wanted to kill him
He was escorted outside the city for execution, but he escaped. I happened to meet him, so I killed him by the way."
"this......"
I couldn't find any flaw in her words for the moment.
However, I don’t want to just accept the fact that Felinold is dead and that he is a demon.
"Ah, besides, you are right, I am indeed not an executioner, but a special inspector from the imperial capital."
"Special Inspector?"
"Well, you must have never heard of this title. After all, the content of my work is not convenient to be disclosed at will. For this reason, I hid something from you before."
"Then why are you telling me now?"
"You ask questions knowingly, of course because you have the obligation to assist me."
"...?"
"According to your information...you have already noticed that there is something abnormal in the lord's behavior, right?"
"Lord?"
"Lord of Fulvos. There is no point in playing dumb."
The other party seemed to realize that I didn't intend to cooperate with her properly.
"I came here this time to investigate your lord. I know that the person who killed the Earl of Normanstree was actually him. And I need to collect the corresponding evidence in order to convict your lord in the future."
The woman frowned and then changed her eyes to a playful expression.
"I also know that the demon you want to save is currently with the Traveler Alliance."
Demon clan?
Snow?!
"On my way to Fulvos, I happened to meet a legion of the Traveler Alliance. Their leader told me the whereabouts of the demon and the merchants who were traveling with her. Here.
, this is their seal.”
The other party handed me a dark object.
"No need, I don't know you anyway...but you know quite a lot."
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After some struggle, I sighed and decided to be a little more honest.
At least it was initially determined that she and the police department were not on the same team.
"The special inspector can transfer any information privately, but I will not ignore anything related to the lord. Besides, I -"
"No need to waste your time on the other unimportant parts."
The more information I learn, the greater the responsibility I will bear when the time comes. I know this very well.
"...Do you think I'm nagging?"
"Yes."
As soon as she finished speaking, I vaguely saw a few veins crawling up her temples.
"Tell me what you've been through these past few days."
Then he started giving orders to me.
...
"You can still curry favor with gangsters?"
The woman showed a slightly surprised expression.
"Flatter? I'm too lazy to please those guys. We're just taking advantage of each other."
Her choice of words made me a little embarrassed.
"In other words, you told them about the demon?"
"Um."
"...You are really unscrupulous."
"Thanks."
"I'm not complimenting you."
The woman pointed at me:
"Then you might as well use me instead, just like you use them. Anyway, it's just a change of leader."
"Your request is obviously much more troublesome. Besides, I don't think I can afford the consequences of failure."
I looked at the woman.
Only now did I realize that she was actually very young, seemingly only a year or two older than Manda.
Why would the empire allow her to serve as a special inspector... Is it to lower the vigilance of others?
Or is she lying to me again?
"Really? But you have already violated many laws of Fulvos. No matter what happens to your lord, you will not be able to escape unscathed."
The opponent's attitude is still very tough.
"If you don't agree to help me, then I will tie you up and send you to the police station."
"...Aren't you afraid that I might regret it temporarily and avenge Felinold?"
"Not afraid at all."
She answered without any hesitation.
"Because you still have to rely on me to save other people."
...
"Why do you know the martial arts of the army?"
"Teach yourself."
"You have never joined the army and you are not a warrior. Why should you learn fighting skills?"
"Coping with emergencies."
"Ordinary private investigators would not be so cautious."
"Ordinary people don't become private investigators."
After resting for nearly twenty minutes, I regained some strength.
Looking at the murderer of Ferinod in front of me, I still had the illusion that I was dreaming.
Felinold, who I had been with for so long, was killed by her, and yet I could still chat with her as if nothing had happened?
Extremely ridiculous.
"There is no point in investigating my information. Compared to the lord, my experience is not worth mentioning."
"I know, and I've already investigated it. The strange thing is, I didn't find anything wrong."
"This is not surprising at all. What are you suspecting?"
"You have been living with the demons for more than a year. I need to confirm whether you know that he is having an affair with the demons outside the country."
"If I had known, I wouldn't have lost my mind when you killed him."
"What if this is just you pretending?"
"There is no need to pretend. Because running away is the best solution at that time. If I didn't care about Felinord, I would never attack you."
"You think you can run?"
"Yes, at least I can avoid those physical pains."
The woman suddenly seemed to understand something and then breathed a sigh of relief.
"That's all, you and I need to establish a little foundation of trust."
The foundation of trust? A fantasy.
With whom to build what kind of relationship... I can't seem to tell.
From Bradley, to Hammons and the gangster "White Prison", to this special inspector...
So far, I have attached myself to various people in order to obtain the so-called "salvation".
But I still couldn't do anything, and I even got Felinold killed.
It is estimated that more innocent people will be implicated in the future, and all of this will be my fault.
"Don't expect me to be of any use."
"You only need to be a qualified witness, and I will take care of the rest."
However, I don’t even have anyone to whom I can apologize.
How sad.
"Can you do it on your own?"
"What? You want to help me?"
Will I continue to fail in the future and then fall into endless regret?
Why am I the unlucky one?
Perhaps...this is not misfortune, but God's mercy.
God imposes punishment on the corresponding sinners, but when it was my turn, God deliberately made the punishment "softer".
But great God, even if it is a "soft" punishment, the total amount is not reduced...
The long wait is even more unbearable.
Such punishment is unfair.
Take a look.
Even gods will have moments when they are unable to do what they want.
"I'm just expressing doubts to you."
"Since the empire sent me to Fulvos, it means that I have enough means to convince the empire."
The woman replied calmly:
"Don't forget, the empire has given me many privileges."
"The empire is really tolerant of young people."
"You can call me sir."
"I don't like playing role-playing games."
Unless someone wants to play god.
Alas, let me see the result quickly, Lord God.
Stop torturing me.
...
"Your demon friend left a message before he died."
"...?"
"It is the custom of a knight to keep his promise—so he said."