Chapter 199 Chapter 44.1 - Investigation
"How was it?"
"It can be said it was good."
In the office room of the Local Awakened Society, two officer partners sat at their desks, each of them holding a coffee in their hands.
"Really?" Harlan asked, looking at Margareta.
Since Margareta had returned from the hospital and interrogated the two students involved in the accident, she had been busy reporting everything to her superiors.
For some reason, it seemed the higher-ups were pressuring the Local Branch for information coverage, and they wanted the case to be assigned and transferred to the central branch.
"Yeah. The kids were shaken, but they provided good details for the case."
"They should at least do this much. They are the students of the Arcadia Hunter Academy, after all."
"Yeah. It seems it is not only in the name."
"Then, what was your conclusion?"
"I don't know. Even though everything is pointing towards the internal dispute, I had a hunch that it is not how it looks like."
"Hmm…Why do you think so?"
Margareta leaned back in her chair, a thoughtful expression on her face. "I don't know. It is just…..Everything seemed too swift and clean for only an internal dispute between two shady groups."
Harlan raised an eyebrow, intrigued by Margareta's instincts. "But, is it just because of that? You know, even the mafia has some strong guys under their hands."
Margareta nodded, acknowledging Harlan's point. "True, but it's not just about strength. Of course, we couldn't investigate the scene clearly, but from what the victim named Sylvie had said and what I had seen, I think it was way too brutal for a simple dispute. It was as if the killer was taking his anger out of the other demonic guys."
Harlan leaned forward, absorbing Margareta's analysis. "Well, that might be true. But that alone won't be enough to reach that conclusion, you know?"
"Right, it was just a feeling anyway."
"So, what about the other kid that was attacked?"
"Ah, that one. Astron Natusalune."
"Quite an eccentric name."
"Yeah. What about him?" Margaretta asked.
"How was his condition?"
"Well, he was already healed when I was in hospital."
"I see. Thank god that he was in a good condition."
Margareta couldn't help but smile at the memory of the scene where Sylvie was hugging Astron. "He's quite something. Stood alone against a group of attackers and still managed to hold his ground quite a long time. Sylvie, the girl who was with him, was also surprisingly capable."
Harlan raised an eyebrow, intrigued. "Sylvie, huh? That girl seemed pretty dead when we found him, though?"
"Well, I think she assumed Astron was dead."
"Ah…." Then Harlan realized and smiled slightly. "Then, it makes sense."
"Yeah. They seem to have some unique abilities. Sylvie, in particular, has this healing power. She practically mended Astron's injuries on the spot."
"Really?"
"Yeah. Astron recounted that she was the one who healed him from that fatal injury."
Harlan's expression turned more serious as the implications of Sylvie's healing ability sank in.
"If that is the case, it makes sense why higher-ups are so interested in this case. A healing power like that could be a game-changer."
Margareta nodded. "Exactly. The Academy might be trying to protect their students and the information about these unique abilities. It wouldn't be the first time they've kept such things under wraps."
"Indeed."
"But that kid, Astron…..He got what it needs to be an officer."
"Really?"
"He got what I had thought at the first try himself."
"You didn't give any hints?"
Margareta leaned back in her chair, her gaze distant as she recalled her impression of Astron. "None. He has a natural instinct, the kind you can't teach. The way he handled himself in that situation and the conclusions he made—it was like he had the instincts of a seasoned officer. Not to mention, his quick thinking and ability to assess the situation were remarkable."
Harlan raised an eyebrow, intrigued by Margareta's assessment. "And you're saying he did all of this without any prior training or experience?"
"That's right. It's like he was born for this. If he chose to become an independent detective, he could climb the ranks pretty fast."
Harlan chuckled. "Well, well. Looks like we've got a natural talent on our hands. The higher-ups will be pleased to hear about this."
RING!
Just as they were talking amongst themselves, suddenly their phone rang. They were still using this old-school way of communication even now; it was a tradition.
"Here we go again." Harlan rolled his eyes, grabbing the phone.
RING!
Harlan answered the call, expecting routine information or updates. However, as he listened, his expression shifted from casual annoyance to a sudden jolt of surprise. His eyes widened, and the color drained from his face.
"What?!" Harlan shouted into the phone, unable to believe the information he was receiving. He exchanged a quick glance with Margareta, who had leaned forward, sensing something was amiss.
"Two in one day? Are you kidding me? What are the odds?" Harlan's frustration boiled over, and he slammed the phone back onto its receiver.
Margareta raised an eyebrow, concern evident on her face. "What happened?"
"Maya Evergreen, one of the Arcadia Hunter Academy sophomores, is missing too," Harlan grumbled, running a hand through his hair. "First, we have a mysterious attack on their students, and now one of their seniors disappears. What the hell is going on?"
Margareta sighed, realizing the situation was escalating. "Looks like we're in for a long night, partner."
"Tch….Now I regret applying for extra shifts."
Harlan grunted in agreement, the weight of the unfolding events pressing heavily on the two unlucky shoulders, and the two officers left their room just like that, heading to the students who had seen Maya last time.
*******
Being able to remember what you had seen is a very important strength, and it came in handy in this situation quite a lot.
"It must be here."
The first location I headed to was where we had clashed with demon followers. It was a backward alley where not many people were walking even in the morning, so this was the case, especially at night.
Even some of the houses were abandoned and empty.
The lighting wasn't actually that good, either. Western Uxbridge's slightly nostalgic atmosphere made it that way.
"Hmm…."
As I stepped into the alley, the fight started playing in my head again, how the demon followers moved on the roofs of the buildings.
SWOOSH!
I first jumped to the roofs and started looking for the traces left by the demon followers.
"They didn't leave many traces."
It was expected. The unit was probably focused on trailing and kidnapping. But, my focus wasn't on the path that demon followers had taken anyway.
I walked around the roofs with my [Shadowborne] activated without making any noise. My presence was also pretty faint, so no one would notice me unless they were exceptionally strong.
"These….."
And walking around the roofs gave results immediately.
There were subtle signs of disturbance on one particular rooftop. Broken tiles scattered in an irregular pattern hinted at a less-than-graceful landing.
I crouched down, examining the shards of ceramic under the dim moonlight. The fractures indicated a lack of finesse as if the individual who landed here wasn't particularly adept at rooftop maneuvers.
'It might be Senior Maya.'
She was a mage, a mage that mainly focused on fighting from range. Most of the time, mages like her don't have the acrobatic ability to land that gracefully.
My [Perceptive Insight] heightened my senses, allowing me to pick up on the faintest details.
The displaced dust particles, the slight misalignment of the broken tiles – these were the traces left by someone unfamiliar with the art of silent landings.
Mana Observation.
Putting mana into my eye, I started resonating my eye with the environment. This was to observe the leftover mana prints around the place.
I traced the trajectory with my eyes, trying to envision the descent, and soon, the faint wind psions on the place led me.
It seemed like the individual had landed at a slightly awkward angle, perhaps stumbling upon arrival.
"However, she regained her balance immediately."
After that, there weren't many traces of the walking. Senior Maya seemed to stop on the roof for a second after landing.
"Was she looking for demon followers?"
That would make sense. If I were in her position, I would do the same. However, since I hadn't encountered her, that meant she was late.
"In that case, she would have gone to the place where the fight happened." Since Mason and other demonic humans used demonic energy, the traces would still be available.
The rooftops guided me through the maze of abandoned structures until I reached the epicenter of our confrontation with the demon followers.
"This was the place."
The location I had chosen was specifically good to avoid fatal attacks, so it was a courtyard. "But…."
However, upon reaching the small courtyard, I had noticed something.
"These marks…."
There were already marks of clashing on the ground and many others, and most of them stemmed from us.
As I replayed the fight in my head, I could pinpoint which one of those marks came from our fight.
"But, there are more."
However, on the location, there were more. A small crack in the ground especially got my attention.
"Wasn't this place where I had collapsed?"
The ground was where I had collapsed, but there weren't any traces of blood. It would make sense if it was cleaned, but this place was a desolate alley, and it didn't seem to be cleaned specifically.
"Something doesn't match."
I thought and continued looking.
"Hmm?"
SLICK!
Then, a small, shiny thing got my attention, and I pushed my finger to the ground.
"Saliva?"
The mixture on the ground reminded me of saliva, and I couldn't shake off the uneasy feeling that crept over me.
I cautiously touched the substance with my finger, and an odd sensation made me flinch. It wasn't like any saliva I had encountered before, and its unnatural texture sent shivers down my spine.
"But why?" I pondered, examining the shiny residue on my finger, and then I realized.
"My blood was there, and this feeling…It is demons."
Whenever something related to demons appeared, [Vengeful Bane] would remind me. And this sensation coupled with that…..
"Did a demon lick my blood…."
Disgust rose….If it was demons, that could be possible. Those dogs would do such a thing since many of them are anthropophagous.
"Tch."
The courtyard had become a battleground not just for our clash with the demon followers but also for an unseen confrontation that had taken place after it.
The cracked ground signaled a dash and an intense force.
"From the damage on the ground alone, I can easily say whatever this demon is, it is a lot stronger than your usual one.
The enemy's level was high. In my head, I envisioned how this crack occurred and in which direction the demon jumped.
Then, my eyes turned to the rooftop.
"Yeah…."
SWOOSH!
Immediately climbing to the rooftop, I put mana into my eyes.
'This….'
Faint traces of a mixture of demonic energy and a variety of mana psions could be seen.
However, the levels of energy were low, and the rooftop wasn't even damaged too much.
"This happened in an instant," I muttered, imagining the swift and overwhelming power that had left its mark. A demon capable of generating such force was undoubtedly abnormal, a threat that demanded further investigation.
As I continued to survey the rooftop, my [Perceptive Insight] caught a glimmer of something amidst the traces of demonic energy. I approached cautiously, and there, tangled in the architecture, I found a piece of fabric.
"Yeah…" Recognition struck me as I carefully retrieved the cloth. It was a fragment of Senior Maya's distinctive attire. The intricate patterns and design matched her unmistakable style.
"She was here." This final attire confirmed all my hypotheses. From there on, I continued to search the scene for any other details that I could have missed.
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