That night...
Xiris City seemed even quieter and darker.
From atop the city's clock tower, Moss silently watched a patrol squad hurry past below.
Perhaps because of that man-eating monster, Xiris City had now imposed a curfew. No one was allowed to linger outside.
Even the patrol squad did not seem very eager to patrol at night.
Their footsteps were hurried, and their faces were tense...
"Master."
Whoosh!
Moss withdrew her gaze, raised her head, and looked down over the city beneath the night sky. Her tone was calm as she asked:
"Any results?"
"Yes! I investigated the incident records from the past two months in the City Guard."
Umeilu slightly raised her head. Beneath her cloak's hood, a pair of dim vertical pupils glimmered faintly.
"How was it?"
"Over the past two months, Xiris City had a total of 147 missing-person cases and 326 murder cases. As many as 873 people were killed."
"Of those, the City Guard determined that 353 cases were the work of monsters—58 missing-person cases and 295 murder cases."
"More than two-thirds of the recent cases seem to be related to that man-eating monster."
Moss could not help frowning as she listened to Umeilu's report. She murmured:
"Missing-person cases?"
She turned to look at Umeilu, who was kneeling on the ground, and asked:
"What about the people who died?"
"According to the records, there was a large amount of splattered blood around every crime scene."
"The corpses bore numerous marks from blows and bites, and parts of their organs and limbs were missing."
As Moss listened to Umeilu's description, an amused look appeared on her face.
"That's strange, then. Why would such a terrifying monster be connected to missing-person cases?"
Splattered blood, attacks involving blows and bites...
With only a little thought, Moss was already