Hunter

Had it ever occurred to you that political allegiances were never absolute, and that different parties could sometimes exchange favors...?

You really lack political awareness. No wonder you're still just an inspector after more than a decade... Lorry silently grumbled, with no intention of spelling it out.

By comparison, he still trusted his own judgment more:

Cyril hadn't seemed to be lying that day.

And his spiritual intuition had also told him that Cyril was telling the truth.

"Anything else?"

Lorry pressed him further. "About Baron Percival."

"I'm mainly responsible for Hillston District."

Inspector Gana shook his head. "I only heard about these things while drinking and chatting with an old colleague. He was promoted to inspector in Empress Borough six months ago."

Well, at least today's visit wasn't a waste... And I can cross-check this against the information from the buyer of the Bird's Beak...

Lorry gave a slight nod, rose from his chair, and prepared to leave.

At the sight, Inspector Gana instinctively breathed a sigh of relief.

But just then, he saw Lorry suddenly turn around. His newly relaxed body tensed again, and he reached out to clutch the glass of water on the coffee table.

"That old man..." Lorry paused briefly before asking in a slightly hoarse voice, "your former partner, I mean. What was his name?"

"...You don't even know his name?"

Inspector Gana's eyes filled with disbelief. For a moment, he almost thought he was hearing things. "...Yet you risked being discovered and came to Backlund to avenge him?"

The corners of Lorry's mouth lifted slightly.

"We never brought any of that up during those few days.

"Besides, does knowing his name matter? It's only a label. What matters most is that he took me in and intended to help me."

At those words, Inspector Gana fell silent for a long time, as though turned to stone.

"His name was Perry. We usually called him Old Perry."

"All right. Thank you for your cooperation, Inspector Gana." Lorry nodded. "Once this is completely over, I'll buy him a burial plot."

"As long as you don't move, you should receive its location."

"Also..."

He took out his wallet, counted out a hundred pounds, and held the money out. "I remember he had a son in the service. Sorry for the trouble, but please send this to him."

Inspector Gana stared deeply at the stack of notes, then shook his head bitterly.

"Take it back.

"Little Perry died in the line of duty a year ago, in a local armed conflict.

"Ever since then, all the letters that old fellow received were written by a swindler I found who was good at copying handwriting. I put the money inside them myself, too."

Lorry's hand froze in midair.

Half a minute later, he pressed his lips together, silently tucked the notes back into his wallet, and gave Inspector Gana a slight nod before turning toward the door.

Suddenly, Inspector Gana called out urgently:

"Wait!

"I'll do my best to find out who pressured the chief, but I can't guarantee I'll succeed. If I do manage to find out who he is, how should I contact you?"

"Apartment 713, 198 Neeson Street."

Lorry gave the address without looking back, then suddenly added thoughtfully, "Why do I get the feeling you two were more than just colleagues and partners?"

Inspector Gana remained silent.

Lorry grinned, opened the door, and strode out.

Investigating someone, especially a noble, wasn't easy. Lorry hadn't expected quick results.

So, on the twenty-ninth and thirtieth, he mostly stayed home studying mysticism and researching ritual magic, apart from going out for food.

The reason for "mostly" was that he went out on the evening of the thirtieth to attend a new Beyonder gathering. He had bought the information from a member of another gathering for one pound.

Unfortunately, after wasting half the evening, he had only managed to buy two pages of Emperor Roselle's Diary. He hadn't found a single clue about the Marauder potion.

"I remember now. There didn't seem to be many Beyonders of the Marauder pathway in the original novel, and most of them belonged to secret organizations.

"No wonder I haven't heard anything despite joining several gatherings.

"The only ones whose names I can remember and who are in Backlund seem to be Lanevus and the daughter of some member of parliament named Ma-something.

"The former is connected to the True Creator, and the latter has a demigod for a teacher.

"What a headache..."

Lorry sighed in frustration and put the two diary pages, filled with the emperor's steamy court escapades, into a drawer, stacking them with the three he already had.

He collected himself and continued experimenting with ritual magic.

The next day was the thirty-first.

During the day, Lorry continued cramming knowledge of mysticism.

By dusk, however, he had a vague feeling that he ought to visit the apartment building at 198 Neeson Street.

Sure enough, Lorry found a letter in the mailbox marked "713."

It was from the buyer of the Bird's Beak.

Its contents were roughly divided into two parts:

The first covered Baron Percival's political background. This was almost identical to Inspector Gana's account, only much more detailed.

The second covered Baron Percival's movements over the past few days.

These included, but were not limited to, attending balls and salons, enjoying fine food, visiting department stores with a female companion, and going to the Quelaag Club.

There doesn't seem to be anything wrong with it. Most nobles in the kingdom who hold no actual office live indulgent lives like this...

But judging by Baron Percival's support for gangs and his attempt to cultivate a Marauder, he clearly isn't one of those idle nobles simply waiting to die...

So the fact that nothing seems wrong is the biggest problem of all...

Lorry frowned in thought, and suddenly considered a possibility:

Could the buyer have been spotted by Baron Percival's bodyguards while tailing him? Is he deliberately putting on this act to conceal what he's really doing?

"This feels familiar. Deliberately showing himself in public when he's actually baiting a trap... Didn't Cyril do exactly that back then?

"No, I need to write to the buyer and warn her that she may have been discovered. She needs to stop following and investigating Baron Percival immediately.

"I need to lie low too, in case they trace it back to me."

Lorry muttered to himself, his frown deepening.

Deep in his heart,

a sense of danger gradually brewed. After sending a reply to the return address, he immediately boarded a public carriage bound for the outskirts.

I'll leave the city and hide from any trouble that might be coming... And deal with Old Jack while I'm at it...

Lorry lifted the curtain to his right and gazed at the star-studded night sky and the crimson moonlight spilling over the land, his expression betraying none of his thoughts.

After getting off at a crossroads he remembered passing, he followed his spiritual intuition and successfully found the sewer from before.

After two hours of lying in wait, he finally spotted Old Jack on patrol.

There was an innocent person beside him, so Lorry didn't rush to strike. He followed them silently until the two parted ways.

It was nearly midnight by then.

Not another soul could be seen in the empty countryside.

Lorry held back no longer. He slowly emerged from the darkness and swiftly approached the hunched figure ahead. With a slight flick of his wrist, a streak of green light flashed past.

Blood gushed out.

Old Jack's head continued rolling forward with its momentum.

All this disaster started with you. Such a quick death was too good for you... Lorry cast a loathing glance at the headless corpse before him, wiped the blood from the Serrated Dagger on its clothes, and tossed both the body and the head into the drainage ditches on either side of the road.

He let out a long breath and prepared to find temporary lodging in a nearby village.

But just then, applause abruptly sounded from a large tree nearby. Its branches and leaves rustled, and a figure leaped straight down.

"You're quite good.

"Plenty of patience, and ruthless enough, too. You have real talent as a Hunter.

"Now, why don't you guess which role you played today? Were you the Hunter, or the prey in a Hunter's eyes?"