Before Arthur could finish his silent blessing, he unexpectedly saw a figure appear before the girl.
It was Amy.
The receptionist from the Jorjok Swordsmanship Club.
Clearly, Amy knew her. After holding her and comforting her for a while, she led her back to Garden Street.
Before the door closed, Arthur saw clearly from the shadows as Amy dragged Woolt's body into the Washroom, then fetched a kitchen knife and an axe from the kitchen.
The sounds of chopping flesh and splitting bone mingled with retching.
It wasn't Amy.
It was Woolt's mistress.
And Amy?
Not only was her breathing steady, but her chopping had a distinct rhythm.
This isn't her first time!
Arthur narrowed his eyes.
The receptionist from the Jorjok Swordsmanship Club had certainly given him a huge surprise. If he hadn't seen it himself, he would never have believed she was capable of dismembering a corpse.
At the same time, he began to question his initial guess that she was a country girl from somewhere near South Los.
A country girl wouldn't dismember a corpse so efficiently.
No wonder she instinctively avoided me after learning I was a Medium.
Was she afraid I'd see something?
Then why did she come to see Woolt's mistress tonight?
The questions in his mind made Arthur listen closely.
Fortunately, even through the door, the hearing granted by his 1.7 [Physique] allowed him to clearly hear the conversation in the Washroom-
"A-Amy, I'm sorry! I'm sorry!"
"It's all my fault. I'm to blame!"
Sobbing, Sarah threw her arms around Amy, who had put on an extra coat and an apron.
Amy set down the axe and raised a hand to comfort her friend, but drew it back when she saw the blood on it-the extra coat and apron kept blood from splashing onto her clothes, but her hands were another matter.
Her hands, which held the kitchen knife and axe, were already covered in blood.
"It's not your fault. I'm just repaying a debt."
"You saved me when I first came to South Los."
Amy spoke calmly as the kitchen knife and axe in her hands continued chopping.
"B-but..."
"I actually came tonight to say goodbye. I met a very frightening Medium who can communicate with the dead. I don't know whether he noticed anything, but I have to leave-it's my good fortune that I could help you get rid of this bastard before I go."
Amy turned her head and smiled, her face flecked with blood.
Sarah slumped to the floor, sobbing quietly.
"You're innocent. You killed them because they wanted to hurt you..."
Sarah defended her friend.
Amy merely smiled and shook her head.
Killing was killing.
And she had killed more than one person.
Even if she'd had good reason, why would those high-and-mighty people care? They were just like the headman of her village.
She still couldn't forget the way he and his three sons had looked at her.
And after she fought back against her adoptive father, she had guessed what those four intended to do.
So she killed them all.
During the process, however, she had first dismembered her adoptive father and hidden him in the cellar. She had then done everything she could to ambush the other four, but the last one had stabbed her.
Afterward, she gritted her teeth and fled to South Los, hoping to start over.
But she had barely arrived before her severe injuries made her collapse. If kindhearted Sarah hadn't saved her, she would have died long ago.
That was why she had come to say goodbye to Sarah before leaving South Los.
Of course, she had other things in mind, too.
She could tell that bastard Woolt didn't love Sarah at all. He was just deceiving her with sweet talk.
She had originally wanted to do something about it.
Now there was no need.
Amy quickly chopped Woolt's body into the smallest pieces she could, then spoke faster. "In a moment, I'll clean up any blood I missed, then leave with these pieces. After I'm gone, shout for help. When someone comes, tell them someone broke in and Woolt went after the intruder!"
"Remember-"
"You didn't see the intruder's face, and nothing valuable was stolen!"
"Those bastards will fill in the rest for you!"
Under Amy's emphatic instructions, Sarah nodded repeatedly, but her hand clung tightly to Amy's sleeve.
The clever country girl immediately realized something was wrong.
"Woolt wanted me to keep the Chief of Dort District company."
"Bastard!"
Sarah spoke timidly, and Amy immediately cursed, swinging the axe down hard into Woolt's skull once more.
The axe lodged in it.
Amy was furious at Woolt's shamelessness.
But she was even angrier that, even with Woolt dead, her friend still wouldn't be safe.
That bastard in Dort District would never let her friend go.
In fact, he would cling to Sarah relentlessly.
Because only then could he seize Woolt's property in Sarah's name.
Clearly, Sarah knew this too.
"Can I leave with you?"
"I'm going to the Inner Bay, and life will be hard."
Faced with her friend's request, Amy didn't refuse. She merely warned her.
Sarah nodded repeatedly, then picked up the kitchen knife beside her and hacked down at Woolt.
The girl made her promise in her own way.
Afterward, they packed the valuables into one trunk.
Woolt went into the other four trunks.
Amy moved everything away in two trips. When she returned for the third time, she set the house on fire.
The flames sprang up like a flower blooming beneath the night sky.
The blaze drove back the darkness.
It lit the road ahead as Amy and Sarah walked away in the distance.
Neither of them looked back.
And so they didn't see Arthur watching them leave.
Nor did they see the smile curl at the corner of his mouth.
Arthur was in quite a good mood.
If Woolt's death had previously promised a favorable outcome for him, the result now was almost perfect.
And that last little bit?
Naturally, his partner would have to take care of it.
He trusted the man to make everything perfect.
Then Arthur took a step back and melted into the shadows again. The neighbors had already come out to fight the fire.
He didn't want any misunderstandings.
He wasn't some villain who murdered people and burned down houses.
He was merely a Medium passing by.
The blaze on Garden Street caused no further damage. The neighbors extinguished it before it could spread.
But when the patrolman who arrived reported the fire to the officers on duty at the Police Station, both officers froze.
Milde and Gitt looked at each other. Though they were both marginalized within the Police Station, they knew who lived at the address that had caught fire.
More importantly, they knew what would happen if something really had happened to Woolt.
The two of them on duty would definitely become scapegoats!
No!
Three!
There was also Maltz.
Instinctively, they both looked toward Maltz's office.
Inside his office, however, Maltz took a deep breath.
Naturally, he had heard the patrolman's panicked report.
He exhaled.
Has it finally begun?
Maltz rose from his chair and reviewed his plan once more. Only after confirming that everything was in order did he walk out, wearing a grave expression.
Outside the door stood Middle and Gitt, their expressions equally grave.
Both were Fifth-Rank Police Officers. Unlike the traditional officers, they had entered the Shire District station through a selection process after the new law took effect. Naturally, they didn't fit in with the officers under the Constable system.
As a result, both had been sidelined and assigned difficult, thankless work.
Just like now, when they had been sent to keep watch while everyone else slept soundly.
It wasn't that they hadn't fought back. It had simply been useless.
The officers under the Constable system were not only numerous but also "experienced." They were far beyond what rookies like these two could handle.
After being taught several harsh lessons, the two finally wised up and stopped fighting.
Maltz knew all of this perfectly well.
That was precisely why he had chosen them.
"To 4 Garden Street!"
Without saying anything more, Maltz headed straight outside.
Middle and Gitt followed him.
Soon, after inspecting 4 Garden Street, all three looked even grimmer.
The good news was that they hadn't found Woolt's body.
The bad news was that all three would definitely take the blame.
Middle and Gitt could already imagine the excuse those bastards would use: Middle and Gitt had killed Woolt to obtain the position of Shire District Chief, then destroyed his body and all evidence!
That excuse would inevitably become evidence.
And there would be witnesses and physical evidence alike-despite being ostracized, they had seen far too many of those bastards' tricks over the past three years. Both knew that if they let themselves be framed, they could only wait to be convicted!
What if Woolt wasn't dead?
Impossible!
At this point, Woolt had to be dead!
Even if he wasn't, they would declare him dead.
After all, by then, his position and the property he left behind would already have their new owners.
What do we do?
The two Fifth-Rank Police Officers exchanged a glance, their minds in turmoil.
Just then, a wallet was suddenly held out before them.
They looked up to see Maltz watching them with a complicated expression.
Before either could speak, Maltz lowered his voice-
"Run!"
"There are three hours until dawn. Hurry!"
"If you leave South Los, you still have a chance to survive!"
Looking at the wallet before them, the two Fifth-Rank Police Officers froze.
What was going on?
Does he really think we killed Woolt?
"It wasn't me..."
"What about you?"
Middle tried to explain, but Gitt interrupted him. The Fifth-Rank Police Officer watched Maltz's expression closely, then saw him smile.
It was a smile of relief.
A smile of release.
And there was a hint of...
Savagery?
Gitt froze. Before he could work out what was happening, Maltz shoved the wallet into his hand and said in a low voice, "You've done enough. Naturally, I'll handle the rest-why did they have to push me? I'm just an old man who wants to retire, so why do they keep coming after me... heh! Then they can all die!"
A cold smile appeared on Maltz's face. The naked killing intent in his expression made Middle and Gitt shudder.
But as their fear quickly receded, both gritted their teeth and made a decision.
Run?
Perhaps they could survive, but after abandoning everything and leaving South Los, how would they live as wanted men?
They would probably be worse off than vagrants!
Then life would truly be worse than death!
Better to...
Risk it all!
Maltz took in their expressions and felt a little relief.
With Middle and Gitt dragged into this, his chances had improved by another twenty percent.
Now-
Only that one person remained!
Before you continue