The Inspector

Hesta fell silent for a moment. She understood Ligo's equal hatred for every abolitionist, but when she thought of the old man's impassioned speech at the round table by the street that afternoon, it seemed incredible.

"I'd never really thought about this before," Hesta said softly. "What exactly are people like them... thinking?"

"Me neither," Ligo replied. "But I don't care what these people think."

That night, Hesta's mind was filled with tangled thoughts. She tossed and turned, unable to sleep.

That afternoon, she had looked up Packart Bododale's life story and discovered that the tale Ligo had told had a sequel. After the murderer was imprisoned for killing again, the victim's mother began a long campaign to hunt Packart down. Yet Packart was remarkably lucky, escaping death every time through accidents or coincidences—during the closest attempt, the mother had practically stood right in front of Packart and opened fire, but for some reason, the shot had missed.

And every time, Packart had chosen to forgive the victim's family without exception.

The mother had died several years ago. Packart was supposedly seen at her funeral, and some reports called it a declaration of victory by the living over the dead. But Packart had never responded.

Near midnight, Hesta sat alone in the living room. She opened the window a crack to let the night breeze into the room.

"...Still not asleep?" Eucali emerged from her room, bleary-eyed, and poured herself a glass of water.

"I'm waiting for news from Ligo."

Eucali looked quite surprised. "She's not here... Where did she go?"

"At dinner, she said she planned to go straight to Emangria and urge them to come to Saint Lom and pick us up as soon as possible. Preferably within the next couple of days."

"Within the next couple of