Klein the Police Officer

Tingen City Hospital, behind the Tingen City Police Headquarters, Awwa County, Loen Kingdom.

Monday, 9:30 a.m.

Leon lay sprawled on the hospital bed, bandages wrapped all over his body. He paid no attention to the three extraordinary-looking police officers standing before his bed.

After trying to return several more times, he had nearly been noticed by a certain existence of comparable status. At that point, he understood that he couldn't go back for the time being.

Something was very wrong with this world. It was unlike any of the other worlds he had invaded.

Leon glanced at the three people in front of him. Every one of them had "I'm no ordinary person" written on his face.

As expected, these people were official law enforcers. Their strength was nothing special, and he could have slipped away without a sound last night. But on second thought, since he couldn't leave this world for the time being,

This was the perfect opportunity to gather information. His predecessor's level had been too low, and the knowledge he possessed had been too basic.

Naturally, the churches of the orthodox gods had the most comprehensive knowledge. Making contact with them would do more good than harm, especially since he was nominally a victim.

"Mr. Kaspar? May we begin?" asked one of the officers, reminding him. The man had brown eyes and looked more like a university student as he sat in front of Leon's bed.

"Of course," Leon replied.

"Let me introduce myself. Klein Moretti," the man said in a gentle voice.

"Good morning, Officer Klein."

Leon straightened up slightly, pretending to wince in pain. "I'm sorry I can't return the greeting," he said helplessly.

"It's all right." Klein paused, apparently not expecting the person involved to be so calm. "This happened because we failed to protect the public."

"Will the city government pay compensation, then?" Leon asked casually.

"Huh?" Klein was taken aback.

"Shouldn't the government compensate people when it fails to protect them?" Leon said with a touch of humor.

"Unfortunately, no." Klein shook his head. "As far as I know, the inheritance your parents left you amounted to at least tens of thousands of pounds. Do you really need that little bit?"

Who would ever complain about having too much money? Of course, Leon didn't say that.

"Just kidding." Leon smiled. "Is there anything I can help you with? I should say again, I really don't remember anything that happened yesterday."

"There's no need to be nervous. This is just routine questioning. All you need to do is tell the truth. It will be put on record."

"Of course. It's my duty as a citizen of Tingen City."

"Name."

"Leon Kaspar."

"Sex."

"Male..."

"Occupation."

"Private detective." Leon added, "A private detective who specializes in catching adulterers."

"Are you certain you don't remember anything that happened last night?"

"Yes. I, Leon Kaspar, swear in the Goddess's name that I don't remember anything that happened last night," Leon said firmly.

The real Leon is already dead! So of course he doesn't know. As for Leon's oath, what does that have to do with me, Li Ang?

After saying that, Leon noticed Klein and the gray-eyed officer behind him nod. Klein continued.

"Then do you remember how you came to be near that basement?" Klein asked with a smile.

"Three days ago, a lady hired me to investigate her lover. The details concern a client, so I can't disclose them," Leon said, narrowing his eyes slightly as he read his predecessor's memories.

He had to admit, although his predecessor had been utterly useless in a fight, he had arranged things quite well.

He had used a technique similar to something called montage on Earth to cleverly conceal his movements.

That day, he really had gone to the area under the pretext of conducting an investigation, and he had left quite a few eyewitnesses.

Moreover, he hadn't been in the cult for long and hadn't taken part in any other operations. The only people who had seen his true face had all died in accidents.

It was practically flawless.

Klein casually tapped the space between his brows and looked at him without speaking.

Leon searched his memories of the commission and was just about to speak when Klein suddenly said:

"Sirius Arepis, right? He died in that basement last night. It was a horrific death. His entire upper body was stuffed into his chest cavity."

Leon coughed lightly. This was indeed the target of the commission in his predecessor's memories, but he really hadn't known that Sirius was the man he had killed as soon as he arrived.

"Are there any other details? For example, the person who hired you?" Klein asked again.

Leon gave them the name of the lady in his memories, but when they heard it, they all looked suspicious.

Klein paused and said, "She died mysteriously the day after she hired you. Her body is still at headquarters."

Leon fell silent for a few seconds, reflecting on how troublesome it was to deal with things that required thinking. Why not just kill them all and be done with it?

But on second thought, he wasn't the sort of person who liked to slaughter innocent people in broad daylight. If it came down to it, he was the hero who had saved the Lands Between.

"I'm very sorry to hear that. A beautiful life has passed away just like that." He put his hands together in prayer, though to whom he was praying remained unknown for the moment.

"You're a kind person." Klein made a few notes in his notebook. "Where did you follow him that day?"

"Howes Street," Leon recounted. "It was evening, and he happened to be going out, so I followed him."

"And then?"

"And then..." Leon frowned. "Then I don't remember."

There was a blank in his predecessor's memories.

All he remembered was that his predecessor had learned the organizer's identity in advance and followed him. He couldn't remember at all how he had reached the ritual site afterward or what had happened in between.

It felt like coming across a book with missing pages. What came before and after didn't connect, and a crucial chapter had been torn out of the middle.

Leon decided to just tell the truth about it. You can't expect a victim to remember everything, can you?

If every answer were truly flawless, it would be strange if there weren't something suspicious.

"Then let's move on to the next question."

Leon went on to answer the other questions.

Half an hour later, the three officers finished questioning him and prepared to leave.

Klein and the other gray-eyed officer, a man named Dunn Smith, stood at his bedside and smiled politely.

"Thank you for your cooperation. We'll be going now. I wish you a speedy recovery, Mr. Kaspar," Dunn said, looking Leon in the eyes.

As he spoke, Dunn bowed slightly and shook hands with Leon, who lay in the hospital bed.

At that moment, Leon noticed a ripple like water flicker around Officer Dunn's body.

"Thank you." Leon watched the man's little trick with some amusement, then smiled and saw them out.

Time slowly passed into the afternoon.

Leon underwent his hospital treatment as usual, ate, and stared into space. He watched the Sun slowly set, then gradually fell asleep.

Just as Leon was about to fall asleep, the tightly shut window suddenly flew open.

A piercing buzz sounded in his ears, growing steadily louder.

A shrill cry, like a despairing wail after unbearable torment, rang out. A corpse missing most of its body was pounding on the window.

"Aaaah!" Leon seized the blanket and screamed, his fear unmistakable, like a little girl frightened to tears.

Meanwhile, Dunn, standing at the edge of the dream, watched Leon sink completely into a nightmare. He appeared in the corner of the room and slowly walked to the side of the bed.

Just as he was about to interrupt the nightmare and question Leon, he suddenly discovered that Leon had vanished from the bed.

"Are you looking for me, Officer Dunn?"