Hunter's Acting Rules

"At a deeper level of acting, prey should no longer be limited to beasts or Monster. It could also be a person. More precisely, anything I regard as a hunting target is prey."

"Furthermore, so-called traps are no longer limited to their literal meaning, nor to any specific object. They can be adapted to local conditions, making use of every available factor in the surroundings and turning them into an environment that benefits me. That, too, is a kind of 'trap.'"

Sifa let his thoughts wander. His inspiration was more active than ever.

"Just like tonight. After noticing that Lunatic's condition and understanding his way of thinking, I turned the captain's cabin into a trap."

"He stepped into that trap exactly as I had expected, allowing me to shoot him."

"Afterward, the leader of Black Tie also became a trap in a certain sense. I used him to distract my opponent, successfully closing in and launching an attack."

"And in order to bring out the effect of the Shadow Glove, I deliberately stood in a dark place. That was a trap as well."

"I made use of the environment aboard the ship, forcing the prey to step into one trap after another, which was why I could easily drive him back."

"From this, it seems that traps are not limited to tangible things. The surrounding environment, usable methods, even words and actions—anything that can put prey in a difficult situation can be regarded as a 'trap'!"

Sifa nodded, extremely satisfied with the Hunter's Acting Rules he had summed up. He reminded himself to make greater use of traps in future hunts. If he did, perhaps he could digest the potion in another two or three months.

The next day.

Sifa had just finished breakfast when the butler informed him that Inspector Lewis and the others had come again and wished to see him.

In the first-floor hall, Sifa met the inspectors and discovered that, besides Lewis and his two companions, there was one more person.

He was a young man of around twenty-five or twenty-six, about the same age as Miss Martha. He had short, slightly curly brown hair, wore a proper suit, and looked somewhat shy.

"This is my friend, Warren. He's a profiler. Since we still haven't caught the culprit and time is pressing, I asked him to come help."

While Lewis made the introduction, Sifa noticed that the inspector was not wearing his black-framed glasses today. Instead, he wore a round, single-lens monocle.

Tiny symbols were engraved on the frame of that lens. If not for Sifa's exceptional eyesight, an ordinary person would have found them difficult to notice.

Whenever Lewis looked at him through those glasses, Sifa felt vaguely uncomfortable, as though the inspector were scrutinizing him and might uncover his secrets if he let his guard down.

Since his father, Bison, had left early that morning, Sifa was the only one receiving the guests today.

He had the servants bring tea, then smiled. "Officer, what can I do for you?"

Lewis straightened in his seat. "Mr. Sifa, a terrible incident occurred on a nearby beach last night."

"A sailing ship caught fire. The police found quite a number of bodies in the cabin. Although most had been burned beyond recognition by the fire, the autopsies revealed that some of them were missing their internal organs."

"We have reason to believe this was the site of some kind of evil ritual."

Though Sifa already knew about it, he still put on a moved expression. "Officer, are you saying this was the 'large number of sacrifices' mentioned in that diary?"

Lewis nodded. "That's what I believe, and I think this is only the beginning. Oh, take a look at this."

He took an envelope from his pocket and pulled out a piece of parchment, which the butler handed to Sifa. "I wonder if you recognize it."

Sifa accepted it and saw that it was the parchment he had obtained from old Mrs. Paris's home. It bore an incantation praying to an evil god.

Using the identity of Duke, he had had a child deliver it to Saint Witte Church. Now that the parchment was in Lewis's hands, it indirectly proved that they were a team of Nightwatchers.

He's testing you!

Sifa was about to say that he did not recognize it, but the words reached his lips when an idea suddenly came to him.

Lewis knew he had been to Mrs. Paris's basement. Taking out this parchment now seemed to be a test.

So he changed his answer. "I don't recognize it, but it seems to be written in Hermesian. I've studied this ancient language, though I'm not very proficient in it. Wait..."

Sifa looked up. "Could this be the evil incantation for Mrs. Paris mentioned in the diary? But when I was at her home, I didn't find anything like this. How did it end up in your hands, Officer?"

Lewis took off the monocle, wiped it with a handkerchief, and put it back on. "We always have special channels through which we can obtain what we want."

"By the way, Mr. Sifa, I'd like to ask you a few questions in private."

Sifa caught the meaning behind his words and gave the butler, Sebas, a look. The classically featured butler with graying whiskers waved his hand and led the servants out of the hall.

Lewis gave a dry cough and lowered his voice. "Mr. Sifa, do you know about Beyonders?"

Testing me again?

Sifa nodded openly. "I've been to West Balam. During my journey, I heard adventurers aboard the ship mention them."

"Are you interested in becoming a Beyonder?"

Lewis posed another question and raised a hand to adjust the monocle.

Sifa coughed dryly, spreading his hands with a helpless smile. "Of course I'm interested. I yearn for the extraordinary and long for mystery. Unfortunately, my parents have warned me more than once that they will not allow me to enter this circle."

"Especially my father. He often tells me that my goal should be the Upper House in Backlund, not some gloomy, mysterious Beyonder gathering."

I wasn't lying about that. Mother really did not want me to enter the mysterious world, and Father truly hoped I could assist him in his career. They simply respected my choice.

Lewis sounded somewhat relieved, yet somewhat disappointed. "I see. Well, I've gone off topic. Let's return to business. Because of last night's tragedy, we carefully reconsidered the suggestion you gave us and have decided to adopt it."

Sifa knew he meant the matter of using him as bait.

They would use the diary owner's hatred for him and desire to eliminate him to lure the other party out from the shadows.

In fact, Sifa suspected that the Lunatic aboard the ship last night had very likely been the diary's owner.

If that was the case, then being the bait would put him at considerable risk. After all, under this plan, he had to appear as the baron's son, not as a Beyonder or the bounty hunter Duke.

"I'm glad to hear that, sir. In fact, I've been preparing for this over the past two days."

Sifa leaned forward slightly, displaying great interest. "So, do you have a plan?"