“If I were you, I would avoid those two swindlers.”

“Oh? May I ask why?”

Arthur slid a single Blakin Silver Coin toward the shop owner as he continued his inquiry. Happily, the elderly mustached man snatched the coin and answered,

“They are err- how to say it? Not particularly good at their ‘job’. Almost no one hires them anymore due to their inability to solve even easy cases. Anyway, why do you need them? I’m sure, if you have troubles, the Militant Guard Office can help you free of charge… if you have appropriate identification, that is.”

“Ah, I was just curious. My thanks.”

Arthur smiled and, along with the maid, left the shop thereafter. Although Evelyn had been here before, the layout of the city wasn't easy to memorize during her past brief stays.

As for Arthur, he was completely unfamiliar with the place, therefore, he had to rely on asking the passerby or shop owners while inquiring about this ‘Auxilium et Adiutorium Investigation Office’.

Unlike Wilsden, Blackcrest had dozens of intersecting streets, filled to the brim with sellers, buyers, and a few patrolling city guards with the unique emblem of the local lord, the Duke of Blackcrest.

In Wilsden, the few stationed guards were working for the Baron and wore the basic set of armor. However, the ones in Blackcrest were clad in glistening black armor with golden half-sun engraved right at the center of the chest as well as the side of the right shoulder.

Since they set off toward their destination, Arthur and Evelyn spent at least half an hour asking for directions before finally arriving at a noticeably quieter road. The pungent and dirty entrance to the slums, which were close to the towering walls was but fifty meters away and, clearly, the people roaming this area were that well-off, which was strikingly clear from their outfit.

Nevertheless, neither the parasite nor the maid met with any trouble apart from inquisitive gazes from shady figures lurking here and there.

They looked around then proceeded to pass through an alleyway to shorten the route. However, as they left the main road and entered the narrow alley, both were surprised to see a man running toward them from the other end.

He was gasping for breath and holding his bleeding abdomen, but after a couple of steps, he tripped and fell on the ground. He tried to stand up again but the pain made him groan and fall back down, blood profusely gushing out.

Arthur and Evelyn looked at each other then approached the unknown man, who was relieved to see them. In desperation, he slowly raised his bloodied thin hand, attempting to say something but it was too late.

He drew his last breath and died from the gaping slash wound that ripped his abdomen and, quite literally, eviscerated him.

“See?” Arthur pointed at the dead man while sighing, “I’m not the one looking for trouble! It’s the other way around!”

Instead of answering, Evelyn took out her blades and dashed toward an ominous dark green mist that seemed to have followed the man. It swirled around then instantly changed into a ghastly humanoid silhouette that momentarily clashed with the maid’s dual blades.

Evelyn did not hold back her strength and successfully pushed back the unknown entity. However, instead of retaliation, the mist changed forms for the second time and hastily dashed away, soon dispersing into emptiness.

“What a pleasant surprise. We just witnessed a murder.” Remarked Arthur as he crouched near the corpse and nonchalantly stored it in his bag, which now had enough space to store a corpse after he had discarded the Hollow Alligator.

“Master?”

Evelyn was confused by his questions and demanded an answer with her usual piercing gaze.

“The less you know, the better.”

“Isn’t it too late to be saying that? I thought we were clear on that.”

“Ha!” He scoffed in retort and then examined the empty and inconspicuous alley.

“We were clear on a few things… not everything. If you indulge me with your story, I will reciprocate. If not… then you’ll have to keep guessing.”

“..."

“Alright! That’s enough brooding for one day. Let’s continue.”

Current circumstances notwithstanding, the two acted as if they had seen nothing and reached their destination before long; It was a small stone building with a crude old wooden plaque that said ‘Private Investigation Office’. The door was creaking every few seconds and was riddled with dozens of small holes, the wall had scratches on them and you could even see unreadable yellow posters that seemingly merged with it.

Arthur climbed the two unnecessary steps and, after knocking once, stepped inside. He was instantly welcomed with an unpleasant smell and a bit of dust. The inside was as unremarkable as the outside, and with the addition of stacks of papers on a corner, books scattered on the dirty ground, and disorderly furniture.

There was only one person in the office, a man with ruffled long brown hair and round spectacles that did not suit him. He was noticeably thin, pale-skinned, and had visible freckles on his cheeks.

His eyes, which were initially half-shut, sprung open as he heard footsteps. The uniquely emerald eyes of the man focused on the parasite and the maid, displaying surprise as the man was, apparently, expecting someone else.

“Greetings. This is the ‘Auxilium et Adiutorium Investigation Office’, yes?”

The man rubbed his thin dry lips and enthusiastically nodded once, “Y-yes! I am Addy, the co-founder as well as a certified Private Investigator.”

“Certified? Nevermind. We came here to… ask a few things, if you don’t mind.”

As he uttered those words, Arthur curiously walked around the cramped office and scrutinized everything. Meanwhile, Evelyn inspected Addy with a slight frown on her face.

“Of course! I’ll be happy to help.”

“Why, that’s very kind of you. I don’t know how much information costs so just name your price.”

Not expecting this, Addy was silent for a couple of breaths before raising his hands and shaking his head.

“No no! It’s fine. As long as it’s not confidential information, I can answer free of charge.”

“Fantastic!” Sounding elated, Arthur approached Addy and sat across him. He had a broad and kind smile, which made the latter feel a bit at ease.

“I am Edward, a humble traveler. This fine young woman is my close friend Anna. We happened to see your poster about the Bloated Murderer and, to be honest, it picked our interest.”

“You saw that?! I didn’t expect people to be interested.The bodies have been piling up but even that wasn’t enough to warrant the Militant Guard Office to investigate… ah! Excuse my rambling!”

“It’s fine! We came here to know about the case and we are willing to assist you the best we can.”

“Assist?”

“Indeed. I know it’s a bit sudden but I see no reason why we shouldn’t cooperate. Innocents are getting brutally murdered and we have the strength to stop the perpetrator, so why not do it, isn’t that right?”

Arthur accelerated the pace of the conversation, so much so that Addy was left confused and slightly surprised. He did not know how to respond and just sat there, silent and staring back at the parasite.

“We may not have the ‘resources’ you have but, not to boast, we are qualified or, better say, certified fighters. Meaning, we have the means to stop the murderer if we cross path with him. With your help and investigative skills, I’m sure we’ll catch him in no time, what do you say?”

“Ehmm… I…”

“What’s there to hesitate about? I’m not asking for any compensation. Justice is what I seek and I’ll be relieved when the criminal is put behind bars… that way, I can sleep in peace!”

‘What bullshit is this?’ Thought Evelyn as she clicked her tongue and glared at her master’s back.

She knew he did not mean what he had said but refrained from voicing her thoughts for obvious reasons.

Nevertheless, Arthur’s barrage of words left Addy completely speechless. Soon, however, his green eyes shone and a faint smile appeared on his tired face.

“I-I think so too! But I have to discuss this with my partner. He should be back soon…”

“Sure. I’ll come back tomorrow morning, okay? That way, you’ll have ample time to talk with your partner and, hopefully, agree to my proposal.”

With that said, Arthur stood up, after shaking hands with Addy, exited the office.

Addy sat back on his chair in a daze, still processing what had just happened. He just met the man and barely uttered a few words. Furthermore, this unexpected ‘proposal’ was totally out of the blue and reeked of suspicion, which was why Addy did not agree on the spot.

He had to investigate ‘Edward’ and ‘Anna’ and thoroughly converse with his partner and, only then, would he come to a decision. Still, as a private investigator, his duty was to hunt down the criminal and look for evidence and the notion of partnering up with strangers was wholly unfamiliar to Addy, who was used to working with his friend since the beginning.

He was in charge of paperwork and planning whereas his partner would do the tedious fieldwork.

“Wait… wasn’t he going to ask questions?”

Only after they left did Addy realize this. He scratched his head and looked at the documents stacked on his desk, getting more and more perplexed.

…

“Either spit it out or stop that.”

“I have no idea what you are talking about, Master.”

As he half-turned his body and stared at her, the maid averted her eyes and feigned ignorance, as ever before.

“I know you’re itching to say something and whenever that happens, you keep staring holes into my back. If I didn’t know better, I’d say you were infatuated with me.”

“...”

Seeing that she kept her counsel, Arthur shrugged and gave up but after taking two more steps, she talked.

“I find it pointless to show our faces to him. You were awfully persistent and unquestionably suspicious… was it on purpose?”

“Hmm, yes and no. I wanted to seem genuine and righteous rather than suspicious. Admittedly, having a stranger barge into your office and offer to cooperate definitely warrants suspicion, but, in times of desperation, people get blinded by… other thoughts.”

“Vaguery will avail you nothing, Master. I think you’re the one who should spit it out.”

“Alright! Let’s think for a second and evaluate the known facts. On the way here, we witnessed a murder, correct?”

“Yes.”

“This region is not particularly known for its safety but, for a city like Blackcrest and the regularly patrolled roads, there’s no such thing as wanton killing, especially not in broad daylight. Therefore, that mist or whatever it was, that is the bloated killer. The victim was killed so close to the investigation, which is off and undeniably bold of the criminal. He had killed a decent amount of people already and wouldn’t risk getting caught now, which could only mean that he had to kill that man there and then. Additionally, in case you failed to notice it, that man’s attire was similar to Addy so…”

“He’s the partner.”

“Bingo! We witnessed the death of Addy’s partner, who, I think, must’ve found out something important about the killer, consequently getting himself killed. Now, with his friend missing, Addy, as an investigator, would think logically and suspect that something had gone awry. And since they were investigating the Bloated murdered, it’s only natured to link his partner’s disappearance, and supposed death, to the case. Saddened and stricken with grief, I wager that, despite his suspicions of us, Addy would agree in order to exact a semblance of vengeance.”

“Our appearance coincides with his partner’s disappearance. There’s still a chance he will think of us as the murderers.”

“Possible but highly improbable. I don’t know for how long the two had been handling this case but they should have ‘basic’ knowledge about the Bloated Murderer.”

“..."

“I’m sensing that you’re getting engrossed into this, my dear Evelyn. I guess the case is not as boring as you had thought, right?”

“I suppose so. That… thing I attacked earlier, it used sinister magic. It was both corporeal and incorporeal.”

Arthur chuckled and softly patted her back as he urged her to continue walking,

“It’s going to be a fun game of cat and mouse. I wonder which one we will be.”