Contact! Contact!

Arthur frowned.

It wasn't just that the abduction of the baby he had rescued would affect his XP gains. There was also something wrong with this whole affair.

He had held that baby.

It was just a child from an ordinary working-class family, with nothing special about it.

So why was someone so fixated on that baby?

They had even gone straight into the police station to snatch it!

And another thing!

Four other babies had already gone missing.

Seeing Arthur merely frown without lashing out, Maltz breathed a sigh of relief. When he first opened his mouth, he had imagined Arthur immediately calling them useless.

Because when he himself had learned about this earlier, "Useless!" had been the first word out of his mouth.

The baby had been snatched right from under the noses of at least twenty people at the Shire District Police Department, and a patrol officer had been shot dead.

From beginning to end, none of the frightened police officers or patrol officers had fired a shot or drawn a sword.

What were they, if not useless?

Especially when they had solemnly insisted afterward that they had been afraid of accidentally hurting the baby.

If he hadn't wanted to retire in peace, he would have slapped them right then and there.

They were nothing but "Krosso donkeys"!

Krosso donkeys were a local breed, small and lacking both strength and endurance. Apart from their delicious meat, they had no redeeming qualities.

Of course, whenever they were slaughtered, their braying was exceptionally loud.

In South Los, plenty of useless people who refused to admit their failings were called "Krosso donkeys."

After cursing them a few times inwardly, Maltz took several deep breaths and forced himself to calm down before explaining the case to Arthur-

"Early yesterday morning, the first report came from the Kofis on Pea Lane, followed by the Neils on Pipe Lane. Around noon, the Nandes on Olive Lane and the Puttons on Milk Thistle Lane reported theirs."

"There were no more than twenty minutes between the first and second reports, while the third and fourth came in almost simultaneously."

"At the time, the Shire District Police Department sent out every patrol officer."

"There were no further baby thefts after that, until the incident on the public carriage just now."

"Several witnesses identified the bodies. Both of these men had been seen near the scenes of those baby thefts, so they were probably responsible for the earlier cases too. They only stopped yesterday afternoon because there were more patrol officers around. Today, they took advantage of the rain to strike together again."

As the Third-Rank Police Officer recounted the case, he offered his own interpretation.

Arthur didn't contradict him.

His explanation was reasonably sound, and witnesses supported it.

That only made Arthur more interested in whoever had snatched the baby.

After all, for those two traffickers to take such desperate risks, someone must have offered them a fortune-a price worth gambling their lives for.

What were they trying to do?

Arthur pondered that, then asked.

"Did anyone get a good look at the person who took the baby?"

Maltz's expression immediately darkened.

There had been more than twenty people present, yet not one had clearly seen the attacker's face, and they had even lost a colleague.

"Did none of them get a clear look?"

"Or was the attacker wearing something that concealed their face?"

Arthur asked.

In either case, they hadn't seen the attacker's face, but the difference was enormous.

In the latter case, something had concealed it.

But the former?

That was worth thinking about.

According to his predecessor's memories, the Shire District Police Department had more than twenty police officers and patrol officers regularly stationed there.

One or two people failing to get a clear look was understandable in the confusion.

But more than twenty people all failing to see clearly was impossible.

Either those officers were in league with the attacker and deliberately concealing the truth.

Or the attacker had used some trick.

The former was unlikely. Although the police officers and patrol officers of South Los were hardly good people and could be bought for the right price, bribing that many people at once would be far too difficult.

And the latter?

Naturally, it would involve the mystical side, or some special method that produced a similar effect.

Combined with the robber's fixation on that baby.

A word immediately surfaced in Arthur's mind-

A ritual!

A ritual of the mystical side!

He could think of no other explanation.

At the same time, he finally understood why Maltz had come to him.

It wasn't simply because he had rescued that baby and was connected to the case. There was something uncanny about it.

That was why Maltz hoped to make use of his abilities as a Medium.

But Arthur knew his own limitations.

He knew exactly what his abilities as a Medium amounted to. Given time to prepare, he could certainly put on a miraculous performance.

But sudden incidents like this were the hardest to handle.

Even Old Charlie had been unwilling to deal with such unexpected situations.

Yet Arthur didn't refuse.

Because...

XP!

To protect the XP that was almost in his grasp and earn even more, Arthur quickly calmed himself and considered the information Maltz had provided.

Drawing on certain experiences back home, Arthur knew the key now was to find what the cases had in common.

All babies, the same gang of traffickers, and Pea Lane, Pipe Lane, Olive Lane, Milk Thistle Lane...

Hmm?!

Suddenly, Arthur narrowed his eyes.

Aside from the common factors Maltz had mentioned, Pea Lane, Pipe Lane, Olive Lane, and Milk Thistle Lane were all in the Shire District...

No!

More precisely, they were all near Kirk Street!

Moreover, the four addresses formed two parallel pairs. Joining them together would make a trapezoid.

But adding one more point would turn it into a pentagon, or perhaps...

A pentagram!

With a mystical-side ritual already in mind, Arthur naturally thought of a pentagram.

The five babies represented its five points.

What about the very center?

A building stood right there!

That was...

14 Kirk Street!

Almost the instant he marked that point in his mind, Arthur's eyes narrowed.

It was far too close to 2 Kirk Street.

Close enough that their residents would constantly run into one another.

Close enough that a basket used by the grocery store, butcher's shop, milk shop, or bakery might simply be passed along to the next business.

Contact! Contact!

Recalling his earlier conjecture, Arthur's narrowed eyes glinted coldly.

Toad!

It was that Toad!

He was using the babies' pure blood to heal himself!

Arthur was at least eighty percent certain.

And the reason Toad was so fixated on that baby was that its home stood at one of the pentagram's points.

Without a doubt, Toad had carefully selected all five babies.

Why not Beggar?

Because the babies had gone missing early yesterday morning, which didn't match the time when that unknown entity had "left Beggar's body"!

However, Arthur didn't act immediately. Instead, he continued listening to Maltz-

"They didn't get a clear look!"

"That's the strangest part!"

"That person shot the patrol officer watching the baby, then picked the baby up and left. It all happened in plain sight, yet not one person got a clear look... Hmm, perhaps it would be more accurate to say they saw the face, but afterward, they couldn't remember it."

Maltz began to sound uncertain.

As he spoke, he studied Arthur's expression.

Then the Third-Rank Police Officer began shifting uneasily-because Arthur looked rather frightening just then.

In the dim, empty room, with rain pouring outside, the handsome, neatly dressed young man held an eerie-looking puppet in his arms, his gaze exceptionally tender.

Then he raised a hand and began combing the puppet's hair.

The sight made Maltz's scalp prickle.

And just then-

Whooo!

A cold gust carrying raindrops blew through the gap in the door.

Maltz shuddered.

Not only did the hair on the Third-Rank Police Officer's back stand on end, but he darted to the doorway in a single stride, clearly intending to flee.

But Arthur's voice behind him stopped him.

"Anna, did you hear the cries of anguish from Charcoal Street?"

Charcoal Street?

Where the fifth baby's family lived!

Maltz turned around, staring intently at Arthur and the Eerie Puppet in his arms.

Seeing Maltz turn and the expression on his face, Arthur felt reassured.

He knew he had guessed correctly.

Then, naturally, what came next was...

His time to perform!