(This book is fundamentalist fanfiction. If you don't know what that means, check the related work section. If you want a re-creation in the same world setting, or a story unrelated to the original protagonist, you needn't read any further.)
Early in the morning, in an elegantly decorated room, a handsome man sat quietly by the window. He held a finely bound copy of the Creation Myth and read it carefully, looking like a beautiful oil painting.
Sunlight streamed through the window and fell over him, adding a touch of holiness to that elegance and beauty.
But the next moment, a cold, sinister aura suddenly spread. The once warm and elegant room abruptly lost all color as an ashen gray crawled across every corner. A pale Monster poked its head out of the floor.
It could barely be considered humanoid. Its limbs were twisted into unnatural, spring-like shapes, while a long vertical maw filled with sharp teeth stretched from the top of its head to its chest. Blood-tinged saliva trailed into fine threads as the mouth opened and closed.
Yet the elegant and beautiful man showed no negative reaction to the Monster's appearance. He continued holding the Creation Myth as though he had seen nothing.
No, he had seen it, because the Monster respectfully raised its twisted arms and offered up an old-looking notebook and an envelope.
The handsome man took both items. The Monster vanished from the room, and the cold, pallid atmosphere returned to normal once more.
The man placed the notebook on the table, casually tore open the envelope, and shook out the small stack of letter paper inside—
"Respected Mr. A:"
"Please allow me to defend my actions in killing my fellow associates."
"Heinason Farsent and Sirius Arapis were both complete idiots. Their stupidity could even make a curly-haired baboon laugh!"
"Heinason Farsent foolishly wrote the secret incantation in his notebook."
"His Apprentice peeked at the incantation and brazenly performed a magic mirror divination under the watch of the Night Watch Heretics!"
"I trust you can imagine what happened next, so I will not elaborate further."
"To protect our other lambs in Tingen City, I killed him first. I believe that was the correct choice."
"Sirius Arapis was even more foolish than Heinason Farsent. Despite knowing that the Night Watchers had begun investigating the Antigonus Family Notebook, he still swaggered into the library to borrow journals related to it. That such reckless behavior continued for over two months before being discovered was already a blessing from the Lord!"
"To avoid implicating more people, I killed him after the Night Watch Heretics traced the matter to the library. That was a reasonable choice."
"Additionally, during the battle between the Night Watch Heretics and the Secret Master Association, I recovered that Fourth Epoch notebook. According to Heinason Farsent, it likely contains a treasure left behind by the Antigonus family."
"I offer this notebook to the Lord, hoping it can atone for the sin of killing the Lord's Secrets Suppliant."
"Finally, Sirius Arapis seemed to have taught the ritual for the Lord's descent to a Con Sman of unknown origins. Do I need to provide assistance?"
"The Lord's loyal servant, Sno von Pandax."
"Heh..." With a slight rub of his fingers, the handsome man tore the letter in his hand into scraps with a sudden gust of air. He reached out and opened the notebook. As the words entered his eyes, a faintly wicked smile appeared on his beautiful face.
...Tingen City...
"Captain, is this the last suspect's residence?" Leonard looked through the carriage window at the hotel outside, lowered his head to pull out a pocket watch from inside his police uniform, and glanced at it. "It's still pretty early. Looks like it won't delay Klein's joining mission."
"Don't let your guard down." The middle-aged man with gray eyes seated beside him frowned. The wrinkles at the corners of his eyes were obvious, and light brown hair could be seen beneath the edge of his hat.
He was holding a sheet of paper covered in words and spoke in a voice that was not loud, but very clear:
"Sno von Pandax, a Backlund native and veterinarian. Half a month ago, he visited the Diviner Club and asked Heinason Farsent for a divination. Since then, he has remained in the hotel without going out. According to intelligence from Backlund, before this, he had an affair with the mistress of a gang leader. He likely left Backlund to avoid being hunted down."
"That does sound suspicious." Listening to Dunn's account, Leonard gave a frivolous whistle, then turned to look at Klein.
Before he could speak, Klein nodded in understanding. He took a sheet of paper from his bag and wrote a line on it. Then, just as he had before investigating the other suspects, he removed the pendulum from his wrist, closed his eyes, and silently recited:
"Investigating Sno von Pandax is dangerous. Investigating Sno von Pandax is dangerous. Investigating..."
After silently reciting it seven times, Klein opened his eyes. The citrine pendulum was slowly rotating counterclockwise.
He relaxed slightly before saying:
"Captain, there should be no danger. But considering that he may possess Counter-divination ability, we should still be careful."
"Mm. You stay in the carriage. Leonard, come with me." Dunn nodded gently, pushed open the carriage door, and climbed down, heading toward the hotel.
In a room on the second floor of the Aromatic Tree Hotel, a young man in a white shirt and black vest was teasing a black Rune Shorthair Cat that looked less than a year old. He was the target Klein and Dunn had come to investigate—the young veterinarian named Sno von Pandax.
At the very instant the pendulum divination in the carriage began, Sno's spirituality reacted. However, he did not stop shaking the cat teaser in his hand. He merely adjusted his state of mind and waited quietly.
Then...
Why did I suddenly feel a little sleepy?
The instant the thought arose, Sno jolted all over. Immediately afterward, he heard a somewhat hurried knock on the door.
"Who is it?"
Sno picked up the little black kitten and placed it on his shoulder before walking to the door. Outside, a steady and powerful male voice answered:
"Me, Dunn Smith."
So it really was you. Sno sighed inwardly and opened the door. A middle-aged police officer with deep gray eyes appeared before him.
"Officer, what is this about..." Sno frowned slightly, a trace of suspicion flashing through his eyes. Dunn did not waste words. He pulled out his identification and displayed it before speaking directly:
"We suspect you are connected to a murder case and hope you can assist with the investigation."
"A murder case?" Sno froze briefly, then suddenly became agitated. "I haven't left the hotel for half a month! The hotel staff can testify for me!"
"I know. It's only routine procedure." Dunn offered a soothing remark, then looked into the room and said:
"Aren't you going to invite me in to sit?"
"All right, come in." Sno nodded and stepped aside to clear the doorway, then spread his hands and said:
"This is only a hotel. There isn't any decent tea."
"That's fine. I'll leave once I'm done asking." Dunn found a seat, took out a stack of documents, and said:
"Do you know Heinason Farsent?"
"Yes. Half a month ago, when I went to the Diviner Club, I asked him to perform a divination for me. His divination said that I should not leave home recently, so I haven't left the hotel for over half a month." Sno nodded without hesitation, apparently deeply impressed by the diviner.
"Why would you trust the word of a diviner you had only met once?" Dunn's gray eyes stared fixedly into the young man's. Sno sighed and said helplessly:
"If someone could determine your entire life from a simple divination, I believe you would listen to his advice as well. Especially when it concerns your life."
"Concerns your life?" Dunn's gaze sharpened. Sno immediately realized he had misspoken, and a bitter smile appeared on his face...
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