Everyone doing their part

"Go ahead." Martin looked at Gordon.

"I heard you wanted to recruit trainee investigators," Gordon said earnestly. "I wanted to check how much the pay would be."

Huh?

Winslow slapped his forehead.

What happened to becoming Winslow's star pupil? To inheriting his finest techniques and unraveling the mysteries of source substance?

The moment he opened his mouth, he was still the same old Gordon.

Charlotte was silently fretting, too.

They were investigating a bizarre drowning!

Someone had died in his own bed with the Blackwater River in his lungs, an investigator had come in person, and the classroom was steeped in secrecy and dread...

Why were they discussing compensation now?

"...This is... a trainee investigator position." John pushed up his glasses. "Gordon, this work is extremely important. The pay doesn't reflect its value."

"I can't help it. I really need money," Gordon said.

"Will this question help you identify the sample?" Martin asked.

"Yes," Gordon said. "It'll give me all the motivation I need."

"Thirty gold pounds a year," Martin said.

Thirty gold pounds was a considerable sum.

The students exchanged glances. Now they all rather wanted the position. It no longer represented only responsibility, honor, and duty to the Empire, but a secure livelihood as well.

John was especially tempted. He badly needed money to help support his family.

"Oh, is that all?" Gordon, however, was deeply disappointed.

Everyone stared at him in silence.

Just how much debt did someone have to be in to consider thirty gold pounds a year "all"?

"Please give us your answer first," Martin said reasonably. "Trainee investigators primarily exchange merit for resources. The fixed salary is only a small part of their overall compensation."

Gordon returned his attention to the bottle.

"We all know this," Gordon said. "There's only one body of water in all of Lundenim that receives both industrial wastewater and domestic sewage, along with enough sunlight to sustain algae. It gives off a smell none of us will ever forget, and we live with it day in, day out. When the wind is right, it even comes looking for us. Sir, this is water from the Blackwater River."

The Blackwater River!

Everyone understood.

The sample contained algae, grease, and all kinds of debris. The Blackwater River ran through the entire city and was heavily polluted, making it the likeliest source.

But the sample before them... had come from a dead man's lungs.

Even those who had guessed were mostly afraid to trust their own judgment.

Gordon alone had stated it with absolute confidence.

"That means the victim drowned in the Blackwater River," Percy said instinctively.

"No, he said the man drowned at home," John said.

"Correct." Martin took out a report. "That's the problem. The victim's home was at least two kilometers from the Blackwater River. Identifying the sample isn't difficult. The question is, how did the Blackwater River cross those two kilometers and end up in someone's lungs?"

"Did anyone else enter?" John asked.

"We found no signs of that."

"Did he struggle?"

"Of course."

"Was there water only in his lungs?"

"His clothes, sheets, and floor were completely dry. He didn't even cough any up," Martin said.

He had answered several of the students' questions, only to deepen the mystery.

How was that possible?

Charlotte couldn't help pondering it.

A man had struggled and suffocated in a dry bedroom, yet water from a river two kilometers away had appeared in his lungs.

"...I don't think 'the victim had Blackwater River water in his lungs' is the key here at all," Gordon said. "I don't even think it matters."

"Hm?" That caught most people's attention.

"How can it not matter?" Percy pressed. "He drowned at home with Blackwater River water in his lungs. Isn't that strange enough?"

"What's your opinion?" Martin raised his pen, ready to write in his notebook.

Gordon glanced at everyone.

They were all waiting for his answer.

"-What I mean is," Gordon said calmly, "there are countless supernatural abilities in this world. Surely someone has the ability to stuff river water into another person's lungs. There's nothing strange about that."

The other students were still considering his words.

Martin, however, looked up.

He had keenly picked up on one fact.

Gordon was different.

He clearly knew about Lundenim's darker realities. He might even have reached the threshold of the supernatural world already.

The other students, sheltered as they were, had yet to realize this. Objectively speaking, that was the gap between them.

"That still doesn't solve the problem," Martin had to point out. "Source substance abilities vary enormously and are the hardest to trace."

"If this was a random killing, the case is unsolvable for now. We can only wait for the culprit to strike again. That's how a lot of cold cases come about," Gordon said.

The mood in the classroom immediately grew somewhat somber.

"But!" Gordon pointed at the sample. "People with source substance abilities are still people. People have desires and goals, and they might strike again. We can start with the victim's occupation, identity, and social connections, and look for leads. We might even be able to figure out who will die next. Besides, I suspect he's killed more than one person already."

The way Martin looked at Gordon had changed completely.

There were indeed other victims in the drowning case, and listing all their identities together did reveal a disturbing pattern.

He felt Gordon was someone worth bringing into the discussion.

But he went no further.

Too many of the clues should not be disclosed in front of a roomful of students.

"We won't discuss that line of inquiry for now," Martin said.

Gordon understood.

That meant he had guessed correctly, but lacked the necessary clearance.

"...There's one more detail. Near the scene of the death, someone spotted a large Aberrant. The description was something like 'a dragon's head and a snake's body, length unknown, moving rapidly.' I'd like your help investigating that as well."

The students soon offered several names: Ridgeback Demon, Giant Eel Demon... Winslow shook his head slightly. None satisfied him.

Gordon had no firm conclusion either, and planned to consult his anatomical atlas when he got back.

"In any event, it has provisionally been named the 'Shadow of Aston Street.'" Martin looked at the students. "I hope to recruit suitable candidates from the Royal Academy of Natural Sciences University. Those selected will be able to participate in active cases as trainee investigators."

He took a thin badge from his pocket.

[Trainee investigator badge. Grants a moderate amount of authority, but is very useful.]

Gordon stared at it.

Status.

With that octagonal badge on, he could make Essence Hunters cooperate with investigations, force nobles to open their doors, and have those arrogant patrolmen bow their heads and follow his orders.

Very useful.

In other words.

If he became a trainee investigator, he could openly investigate anyone he wanted.

Plus a fixed annual salary of thirty gold pounds.

"...!" Charlotte also looked at Gordon, anticipation lighting up her eyes.

She knew better than anyone what this meant.

When a commoner grew too close to an earl's daughter, people assumed he was looking for a ladder to wealth. All her relatives worried that a poor man would taint the Montfort bloodline.

If Gordon put on black, things would be entirely different.

Who would dare question an investigator's social standing?

At present, the emperor valued only two kinds of people.

The first wore military uniforms and helped him control the world outside.

The second wore black and helped him control the Empire within.

"Have you already chosen Gordon?" John did his best to remain calm, but everyone still heard the bitterness in his voice.

As the top student in his year, John dreamed of joining the Aberrant Affairs Bureau, working at a hospital, or becoming a civil servant.

Now an opportunity had finally arrived, but it seemed to have passed him by and headed toward Gordon instead.

"...I won't stake everything on one person, especially someone I haven't gotten to know well yet. Besides, you're only one year's students in the Department of Biomedical Sciences. I'll also be visiting the other three years and other departments. Everyone has a fair chance," Martin said.

At that, a faint spark of hope rekindled in everyone's hearts.

Given an open competition, they felt they might still have a chance.

They were all university students, after all.

"In short, the anomalies in the Blackwater River have put the Empire on high alert. We need manpower to fight Aberrants and the Esoteric Cult," Martin said. "Logris expects everyone to do their part."

Apart from Gordon, the students all straightened their backs.

Logris expects everyone to do their part!

It was one of the Empire's most famous exhortations.

During the Battle of High Noon over three hundred years ago, the fleets of various nations had burned at sea, armies had advanced through artillery fire, and high-ranking Essence Hunters had clashed on battlefields beyond mortal comprehension.

Shouting those words, the people of Logris had fought their way out of encirclement to emerge as the sole victors.

The Battle of High Noon had established the world order of today, while the heroes of old had receded into the depths of history.

Even now, those words could set university students' blood racing. They represented the grandest narrative of all: the relationship between an empire and its people.

Winslow nodded.

He knew everyone in the classroom needed a chance to prove themselves.

"In that case." Winslow surveyed the room. "I'll devise a special end-of-term project. The topic is simple: 'Investigating the Blackwater River.' Write a paper, design an experiment, put an idea into practice. Whatever you do, we'll hold a public presentation session. I, the headmaster, the Bureau of Affairs, and even the military may send representatives to attend."

"So we don't have to write our end-of-term paper this term?" Gordon asked curiously. The university required a paper every year.

"Correct. This will be your end-of-term paper," Winslow said. "Solving the Blackwater River's mysteries is currently the top priority for this city's residents. You're no exception."

Everyone focused intently.

The students whispered among themselves, considering suitable topics.

Some planned to analyze water samples; others wanted to investigate Aberrant ecology. Percy and the other noble students planned to contact factories, dockyards, and river management companies for firsthand information.

"Oh, military representatives." Cecilia smiled, immediately thinking of those Imperial Navy officers in their crisp uniforms, with boundless prospects and, quite often, no fiancées.

"Is your research topic matchmaking on the Blackwater River?" Charlotte asked.

"What? It's not as if you're going to research with me anyway." Cecilia pursed her lips.

"You know me so well."

Charlotte walked over to Gordon.

"Gordon, what are you going to research?" Charlotte asked with interest.

"I'm thinking," Gordon said, mulling it over.

This was actually an excellent opening.

From now on, if he needed to commission equipment that looked less than legal, or make preparations that seemed less than normal... he could say it was all for his Blackwater River project.

Perfectly reasonable.

"Gordon." John came over to seek his advice. "I want to investigate the living conditions of residents along the Blackwater River. Do you have any suggestions?"

"When I think of the Blackwater River's true residents, all I can think of are Deepclaw Demons," Gordon said.

John left thoughtfully. Right, he should investigate Water Monkeys. But where should he start?

Before considering that, however, John decided to finish the Aberrant detection report on the university's behalf and send it to the factory. Five families were still waiting for an answer. As the top student in his year, this was one of the few things he could and should do.

"Gordon, how about helping me?" Percy also came over to recruit him. "My family owns four factories along the Blackwater River, a freight company, and a private wharf. I can get loads of information on the river. All I'm missing now is someone like you, who can work... wonders."

"I think you should be more concerned about your wastewater discharge," Gordon said seriously. "Your family might have something to do with how filthy the Blackwater River is."

"..." Percy's expression darkened, and he turned and left.

Charlotte watched the other students run into Gordon's rebuffs, some blunt, some gentle.

"Hey, Gordon." She planted her hands on her hips. "You're not going to keep me out of your research group, are you?"

"You're essential," Gordon said without looking up. "I haven't decided on a topic yet, but I want to make a name for it with you. Let everyone know we've discovered the Blackwater River's great secret."

"Ah~" Only then did Charlotte lower her hands from her hips. "Since you insist, I suppose I'll have to see it through."

What worried her most, really, was that she had always given Gordon a special place in her heart, while he might not have given her a special place in his.

Now, at least, it seemed she was "essential."

As for what "essential" meant, and exactly what he wanted her to do, she could ask later.

People gradually dispersed, all heading toward their two-week holiday, while Gordon felt he was walking into an ever-growing web.