Arthur naturally knew that carrying the Marionette Doll made him look strange, even frightening.
After all, Old Charlie had made the Marionette Doll specifically to scare people.
It was creepy enough on its own, let alone being carried around on a rainy day. Arthur would not have been surprised if it scared children to tears.
But with that Beggar to deal with, how could Arthur leave his "secret weapon" unused?
In fact, if time had allowed, he would have commissioned more Marionette Dolls and Scarecrows. He intended to "surround" that Beggar with a whole collection of them.
Of course, the one in his arms would do.
There were ways to use many, and ways to use few.
So although Arthur felt sorry for the people he frightened, he had no regrets.
Yet the sight before him left Arthur puzzled-
The Marionette Doll could frighten most people, but definitely not babies.
Especially babies only a few months old.
At that age, their eyesight had not fully developed. They were effectively extremely nearsighted and could not see their surroundings clearly.
Much less the Marionette Doll in Arthur's arms.
Besides, even if a baby saw it, would he or she understand what made the Marionette Doll frightening?
No!
Babies that young feared only two things.
Hunger and pain.
Only those two things would make a baby cry at the top of their lungs.
Which was troubling the baby before him?
Arthur narrowed his eyes as he studied the man, the woman, and the baby. The two adults were dressed like members of the middle class, but their clothes were somewhat worn. The man's cuffs were frayed, and the woman's dress had been fashionable several years ago.
A middle-class couple on the verge of bankruptcy!
Anyone who saw their clothes would think that.
And overlook the coarse cloth wrapped around the baby.
Wrapping a baby in coarse cloth was something a commoner's household would most likely do.
The middle class, even those on the verge of bankruptcy, were far better off than ordinary families. They would never wrap their child in such inferior cloth.
Especially those nearing bankruptcy, who would do everything possible to preserve their last shred of respectability, making coarse cloth even less likely.
Most importantly, a mother would not tighten her grip out of nervousness and hurt her own child.
Even an exceptionally careless mother should have held her child close, sheltering the baby against her chest, rather than clutching the baby like an object she might throw away at any moment.
An object.
Not a child.
As [Keen Eyes] and [Reading People] flashed, Arthur took everything in. When he saw the man and woman panic after their initial fright, he was fairly certain of their identities.
Child traffickers!
Child traffickers who stole babies, no less!
Stealing babies was a serious crime in South Los, punishable by death!
Yet some people still took the risk.
Because the profits were enormous.
A healthy baby could easily fetch ten Gold Tickets. After all, certain buyers with special requirements did not care about the price, and would pay even more if their need was urgent-everyone knew of babies' purity. In South Los, there were even rumors that drinking a baby's blood could banish disease and restore health. Some people believed eating a newborn could extend their lives.
Although such atrocities had largely subsided after the "witch hunts,"
there was never a shortage of reckless villains where profit was concerned.
The man and woman before him were clearly among them.
Arthur exhaled.
He withdrew his gaze, took a gentle breath, and slowly put away his umbrella. He set the Medium's Case beside his feet, seated the Marionette Doll on his lap, then tapped the carriage.
The public carriage's driver heard the sound and stopped at once.
Arthur spoke quietly to Wiggins.
"I need a little time."
Although Wiggins did not understand what Arthur intended to do, he immediately jumped out, closed the carriage door behind him, and began buying Arthur time.
That was easy enough. Passengers paid their fares when they got off a public carriage. Refuse to pay, and the driver would argue for quite some time, followed by a barrage of condemnation from the other passengers.
Of course, the most important point was that public carriage drivers were all strong young men.
When public carriages first began operating in South Los, there had been no clear requirements concerning a driver's age or strength. But several carriage robberies had changed that. Young, strong drivers, particularly those skilled with a sword, were welcomed and given preferential treatment.
Wiggins, however, needed none of that.
His identity alone was enough to make the driver show him the appropriate "respect."
Compared with ordinary citizens, public carriage drivers knew far better whom they could afford to offend and whom they could not.
A Golden Fingers like Wiggins belonged to the category best left alone.
With the carriage door closed, Wiggins's conversation with the driver became barely audible. Arthur, meanwhile, carefully adjusted the Marionette Doll.
He turned the Marionette Doll toward the man and woman, raised her arm to point at them, and asked softly.
"Hmm, was it them?"
"Did you feel pain?"
"Don't worry. They'll hurt much more in a moment!"
Arthur's voice grew low, with a sinister edge. Rain drummed incessantly against the carriage, each drop seeming to strike their hearts. Both the man and woman's expressions changed drastically. The woman had gone deathly pale and begun trembling all over. The man was frightened too, but still drew a dagger and pointed it at Arthur.
"Be smart! We don't want trouble!"
The man shouted, his bluster masking his fear.
That reaction dispelled Arthur's last trace of doubt.
Everything up to that point had merely been conjecture.
No matter how many clues supported it, conjecture could still be wrong.
But threats could not.
Arthur smiled at him.
The next moment, a faint golden hue spread through his eyes, and his round pupils began to lengthen.
As gold filled his eyes, the gleam of his slit pupils turned icy.
The man and woman screamed when they met Arthur's gaze.
"A snake!"
"A snake!"
Terrified beyond reason, they tried to flee the carriage.
But Arthur was faster. First, he snatched the baby from the woman's hands, then took the dagger from the man.
And then?
The dagger swept across their throats.
Splat!
Blood sprayed, staining the carriage crimson.
When Wiggins heard the noise and opened the carriage door again, he nearly fell to his knees.
"Kr-Kr..."
"These two stole a baby. They were probably repeat offenders."
Facing the stammering Wiggins, Arthur carefully cradled the baby and deliberately lowered his voice.
He was afraid of waking the baby. If the little one started crying, that would be trouble-his efforts at soothing a child were merely imitations of what he had seen others do. If the baby really cried, he would be all flustered and utterly helpless.
Wiggins nodded numbly. He knew he should fetch the police, yet he could not help lingering, watching Arthur sit upright amid the crimson with a baby in his arms.
At the man's feet, blood still poured from two corpses, while the baby slept soundly in his arms, breathing evenly.
That man treated a baby who had only just entered the world with unprecedented tenderness.
Gentleness and purity shone with a faint radiance in the rain.
The strange scene held Wiggins's gaze.
What a gentle man!
That was what Wiggins thought.
But the next moment, he shook his head vigorously.
Because...
Blood from the two traffickers had dripped onto his shoes.
It was not that he pitied the traffickers. In this Golden Fingers's eyes, such people deserved no pity at all. But the shoes were his.
Still, Wiggins knew what mattered most right now.
The Golden Fingers turned and ran to find the police.
After a twenty-minute delay, once everything had been handed over to the police, Arthur took another carriage and continued on under Wiggins's guidance.
Inside the carriage, Scott, who had been drawn there by the case, exclaimed in admiration.
"Arthur, you really are a gentle person. That baby didn't cry or fuss at all in your arms."
Beside him, Wiggins secretly curled his lip.
Gentle?
Are you blind? Didn't you see those two corpses with their throats slit?
Sure, those two deserved to die, but Arthur, gentle?
Even if that gentleness existed, it was lit by crimson.
Wiggins grumbled inwardly.
Scott paid no attention to any of that. He asked Arthur for a detailed account of what had happened, since it would feature in tomorrow's supplement.
"Arthur, how did you realize something was wrong?"
"Anna told me."
"Anna?"
Scott froze, then saw Arthur point at the Marionette Doll in his arms-Arthur was well versed in how to earn more XP.
The "Medium" Arthur had appeared repeatedly before the public of South Los, and newspaper readers would eventually tire of him.
People, by their very nature, sought novelty.
Knowing that well, Arthur naturally intended to keep things fresh.
And so the Marionette Doll received a brand-new name.
Scott, however, knew none of this.
The young reporter glanced somewhat nervously at Arthur. Upon seeing Arthur nod slightly, his gaze full of encouragement, he immediately nodded a greeting to the Marionette Doll.
"Hello, Miss Anna."
The dress the Marionette Doll wore prompted the young reporter to address her that way.
Naturally, the Marionette Doll gave no response to his greeting, but the young reporter found a reasonable explanation on his own.
"Hmm, I must lack the gift, so I can't hear Miss Anna's reply, even though she has already answered me."
"My sincere apologies, Miss Anna."
As he spoke, Scott bowed slightly, looking thoroughly apologetic.
Watching this, Wiggins felt his scalp prickle and shifted uncomfortably several times.
He had always thought Scott was a little off.
Now he had proof.
Being with someone who was not quite normal, along with that terrifying doll, and especially a Medium who looked normal but was anything but, left the Golden Fingers feeling overwhelmed by pressure.
Inwardly, the Golden Fingers prayed they would reach their destination soon.
But Wiggins's prayers did nothing to shorten the journey.
It still took fifteen minutes before the carriage stopped.
Before it had even come to a complete halt, Wiggins pushed open the door, jumped down, and announced-
"We're here!"
Before you continue