New Scandinavia, Night Watch Bureau.
"Eleanor, go and get-never mind."
Luke sighed, stood up, and thumped his slightly aching lower back.
He was getting on in years and would be retiring in a few years. He had planned to coast peacefully through his remaining days, never expecting to run into something this big.
"Come with me. I'll explain on the way-"
Luke took his old felt hat, its edges worn shiny, off the coat rack and casually put it on.
Eleanor hurried after him at a light jog, glanced nervously from side to side, and leaned closer, lowering her voice. "Detective Inspector Luke, that incident in the East District—what exactly—"
"The theater's gas pipeline exploded."
"But I heard the entire theater was reduced to rubble-"
"The theater's gas pipeline exploded violently." Luke's voice was as flat as if he were reading a report.
"All right-" Eleanor lowered her head, looking somewhat disappointed.
"Heh, what did you think it was?"
"Well, a relic going out of control, a fight between supernatural people-that sort of thing."
Luke sighed silently. "That's why I came to tell you this. The investigation concluded that the theater's gas pipeline exploded, but do you know who issued that conclusion?"
Eleanor froze.
"It was an emergency statement jointly issued by Night Watch Bureau headquarters and the Silent Sanctuary! It happened right here in our jurisdiction, yet the New Scandinavia Night Watch Bureau wasn't even qualified to take part in the investigation. Do you know what that means?"
"That it has nothing to do with us?"
"Heh heh." A hint of coldness crept into Luke's laughter. "New Scandinavia isn't some backwater. Our branch's authority is second only to headquarters in the imperial capital! We're qualified to handle catastrophe-level anomalies and only need to report them afterward. And now? They've