But the shop owner's remark today, combined with his mentor's previous comments, made Isaac somewhat concerned.
He seemed to have received some kind of etiquette education, developing many speech and manner habits that ordinary people wouldn't develop, habits that likely came from that lost memory.
So, who exactly was he in the past?
Isaac initially thought this was a question that didn't need to be explored, and that he could simply live his life as it was. However, various signs—the eerie dream in the wilderness, Vicania's unexpectedly forgiving attitude towards him—suggested that he should try to understand that forgotten past.
Although there are currently no leads to draw upon.
Forget it, he has to deal with the calamity tomorrow, there's a ton of stuff he needs to familiarize himself with at the Joint Investigation Bureau, and those books are waiting for him to read... Right now, he has many more important things to deal with, instead of standing in front of the mirror and letting his mind wander about his past.
With that thought in mind, Isaac put his hat back on and left the guest room.
Fenri still hadn't returned, so Isaac decided to go to the Joint Investigation Bureau to find Carlo first.
Upon arriving at the Joint Investigation Bureau, Isaac was about to head down the corridor when he noticed a figure.
It was a person with their back to him, with long, silver-white hair hanging down. Isaac hadn't been with the Joint Investigation Bureau for long, but he didn't recall ever seeing anyone with that kind of hair before.
Is it someone from another department? I have a feeling that this figure looks unusual, but it also looks strangely familiar...
As he was thinking this, the man seemed to notice his gaze and turned around.
Isaac recognized the other person's face and his mind went blank for a moment.
That face without eyebrows was clearly that of Chief Patrick.
On Chief Patrick's head, Patch was lying steadily, its long silver-white fur hanging down, covering the chief's bald head, and its tail swaying gently as the chief turned his head.
... From a distance, from the back, it looks like a head of long, silvery-white hair, which, combined with the director's upright back, gives him a rather elegant air.
The two, one human and one cat, create a perfectly natural look, as if it were the director's hairstyle.
Isaac composed himself and nodded to the director. "Good afternoon, Director Patrick."
Patrick was talking to someone else, nodded in response, and turned away.
What you see now is one of the Joint Investigation Bureau's Seven Mysteries—the back view of the silver-haired beauty.
Carlo's voice echoed softly.
"Boss?" Isaac turned around, Carlo appeared out of nowhere.
"They returned fairly quickly; it seems they were wise enough not to harass Grayson any further. What a pity."
"... What's there to regret?"
"You've lost your chance to enjoy Grayson's private space." Carlo glanced at Isaac from head to toe. "Tsk tsk, you've changed into new clothes so quickly."
"I just put it on while I was getting it," Isaac explained briefly. "Boss, you came back from outside too?"
"Didn't I say I had something to take care of? I went out for a bit. Let's go to the office."
Isaac followed Carlo, and as the camera panned past Chief Patrick, he also noticed the person talking to the chief.
The man was tall and thin, and his gaze lingered on Carlo for a longer time than usual.
That look in his eyes...
Isaac glanced at him, and Director Patrick, sensing something, coughed lightly.
The tall, thin man was awakened by the sound, looked away, and continued talking to the bureau chief. His expression returned to normal, as if what had just happened was merely an illusion.
But Isaac was certain he wasn't mistaken; the way the man looked at Carlo carried a certain...
"Boss, that guy just now..." Isaac whispered.
Which one?
"The one who was talking to the bureau chief."
" Morris, the head of Section One."
Section One, Isaac remembered as the department that handled Spirit Body matters. "He seems to have... a problem with you?"
"That's normal. After all, not everyone can understand my charm; he belongs to the type who can't appreciate it."
"Uh, but I think that look was more like..." Isaac tried hard to recall the gaze he had just received, attempting to find a suitable description for it.
"Of course, it's also related to me messing up his resurrection plan." Carlo pushed open the office door.
"... ah?"
Isaac's mind nearly failed him. Carlo sat down in a chair and said, " Morris's son died young from an illness. In the period immediately following his death, he was completely devastated and began searching for ways to resurrect the dead. In the end, he actually came up with a plan and put it into practice."
"He made many preparations and arranged the ceremony venue, but there was still one crucial step he couldn't complete, so he came to me for help, believing that I could fill that last gap and ensure the ceremony's success."
Isaac vaguely guessed the ending. "And then you helped him get certified?"
"I'm a kind-hearted person, so I rolled the dice for him." Carlo shrugged. "The check value was low; after all, resurrecting the dead is absurd, but it's not entirely impossible."
What happens in a major failure?
"The body exploded."
"... It exploded?"
"Yes, ever since then, Morris has always had this look on his face when he sees me."
Isaac was momentarily speechless.
The idea of resurrecting the dead sounds dangerous, and the fact that Morris was able to come up with a solution shows that his research in this area has reached a level that is difficult for ordinary people to understand.
But Carlo's disastrous failure caused the corpse to explode, shattering Morris's hopes as well, making it understandable that hatred took root.
Carlo put his hands behind his head. "However, although he gives me the cold shoulder, when it comes to research on Spirit Body, there are few in the entire Western Territory who are better than him. He's like a necromancer. Many of the Spirit Body- related cases handled by the Section One require his intervention."
"Necromancer?" Isaac had never heard of this term before, and could only guess from its meaning that it was related to the dead and the souls of the dead.
"I was just saying it offhand; I was referring to people who manipulate the dead and spirits," Carlo said. " Morris is very knowledgeable in Spirit Body research. In preparing for the resurrection plan, he collected a lot of knowledge about the boundaries of death and Spirit Body transformation, and even ventured into some strictly forbidden areas."
"Moreover, although he himself is not a true superhuman, he possesses a Wonder that allows him to command subdued Spirit Body to serve him."
"You could say that if he weren't on the Joint Investigation Bureau's payroll, he'd be a wanted criminal, good enough to be burned at the stake seven or eight times over. But the Joint Investigation Bureau values his abilities, allowing him to research Spirit Body within the bounds of the church, which is much more worthwhile than pushing him to the opposite side."
Isaac understood that the Joint Investigation Bureau provided a place for people who could not be accepted within the church system, allowing them to utilize their talents within the system without being forced to the opposite side.
"Anyway, just keep your distance from Morris in the future. He won't cause you trouble, but that guy is petty and might take his anger out on you," Carlo added.
Was this considered getting caught up in a dispute between leaders...? Isaac noted this down.