Chapter 30 - Where The Monster Disappeared (8)

Translator: Kimmy

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Diego’s anger towards the useless and corrupted people only grew stronger. 

He started becoming more violent and even participated in the anti-empire movement with his subordinates. 

There are hard-working people but those useless pricks are taking all the credit and the money!

They bought this job with their father’s money and were bribed by Lesa to look away!

How dare they practice sloth while citizens are disappearing!

If I become King, I shall punish them!

The young crown prince sharpened his sword without thinking to report this to Sabina.

And the result of that was this. 

Karlos obviously isn’t aware of such details so he focused on the current situation rather than focusing on Diego’s anti-empire behavior. 

Karlos asked the cowered crown prince. 

“So, in which gate did this happen?”

“G, gate 1.”

“Cartul’s gate 1…so gate 201 of Lesa’s west. Thank you for telling me. Ah, you can drink the juice too. I have some business to attend to so I’ll be leaving. Don’t go anywhere and stay here.”

The gate was in the west of all places. 

Karlos was not in a good relationship with the nobles of the west. 

They couldn’t let go of the distorted ‘honor’ they enjoyed during the reign of the previous emperor and were strongly against any kind of reformation. 

“Tch.”

Karlos clicked his tongue. 

They even managed to get it done without the Chancellor knowing. That meant this situation was more complicated than he thought. 

He sensed that something troublesome would happen and pushed open the door. 

The door opened without a single sound. 

“Wait, who are y–”

Karlos stopped midway and looked back at Diego who looked confused. 

“I’m the person in charge here.”

The heavy door shut behind him. 

*.·:·.☽✧    ✦    ✧☾.·:·.*

“Huh?”

They came home after dinner to find strangers in front of the house. 

Eva and Brigitta looked at each other. 

“Hey, are you expecting anyone?”

“No. Do you know them?”

“They don’t look like they are from the publishing company……”

After Eva shook her head, Brigitta started walking in front of Eva. 

She knew that this small housemate and house owner had difficulty talking to strangers. 

Even when buying something or ordering food, Eva couldn’t look at them directly. 

Brigitta wondered how the hell Eva could look at Karlos in the eye. 

After about 20 steps, the strangers standing in front of the house noticed them. 

The tall person with a sleek back hair approached first and showed them a badge. 

“Good evening. I am Inspector Billford of the 2nd Criminal Investigation Division of the City Hall. I apologize for visiting at such a late time. Do you know anything about the person living next door?”

“What? The City Hall?”

What business did we have with the City Hall this late?

Eva, who was hiding behind Brigitta, poked her head out and added on to Brigitta’s question.

“Ah, are the scammers caught?”

“Excuse me?”

Inspector Billford shared confused looks with the other shorter person. 

Do you know anything? No, not yet apparently.

Alex answered him with her eyes and looked over to Eva. 

“N, not yet? Uh, the thing is…..The person living next door scammed this knight. So I reported it to the police.”

“What? Eva, you reported it? When?”

“Uuh, t, the day we first met.”

“I am Lieutenant Alex of the 2nd Criminal Investigation Division. Do you know what they look like or the number of people in that household?”

Eva was taken aback. 

Was this not about the scammer? Then why are people from the City Hall looking for the person living next door here?

When Eva held Brigitta’s shirt more tightly, Brigitta turned one arm behind her and patted Eva’s shoulders. 

Ah, so gentle. She’s really a perfect prince-like knight.

Even at this confusion and surprise, Eva thought about her novel character inspiration. 

“I, I’m not sure. Uh, what’s going on….?”

Alex groaned a little. 

The officers already failed in blocking the reporters at the crime scene so it was only a matter of time for some absurd news to be published. 

“We are investigating a murder case.”

Brigitta and Eva’s eyes widened simultaneously. 

*.·:·.☽✧    ✦    ✧☾.·:·.*

“I, I don’t go out much so I c, can’t remember much…..”

Eva spoke as she placed tea and cookies on the table in front of Billford and Alex. 

Billford thanked her and reached out for the cookie before even having a sip of the tea. 

The only food he had today was that horrible coffee in the City Hall so it was about time for his hunger to kick in.

Ah, sweetness. Sugar was justice. 

Meanwhile, Alex questioned before having neither the tea or the cookie. 

“Pardon me, but she is….? You mentioned she was a knight and that she was a scam victim right?”

“Ah, excuse my manners. I am Evangeline. I, I am the owner of the house. And she is uh,”

“Brigitta Emmerich. I am the temporary Commander of the 2nd order of the Royal Knights. Thank you for your hard….word? Ah! hard work.”

Kek. 

Billford almost choked on the cookie.

Alex ignored Billford’s coughs and looked at Brigitta with surprised eyes. 

No way, she is ‘the’ Brigitta Emmerich? The Emperor’s student? A friend of a friend? Really? How did she get scammed when she’s the sword master? Why is she even here?

Numerous thoughts passed her mind but unlike Billford who was coughing even harder now, she was a veteran inspector. 

There was no emotion detected in her poker face. 

“I finally got to meet the famous sword master.”

“Please, don’t embarrass me.”

“This is just a matter of form, but where were you today at around 4 pm?”

Eva flinched at Alex’s question and started rapidly talking. 

“S, she was with me. We left the house at 3:30 past the park so there must be some witnesses. There are a lot of street vendors because it’s Harvest Festival season too. We were in the park cafe from 4:20 to 5 and after that we went to the Ryun Restaurant in the square and had dinner. There was someone playing a higipa when we entered so you would be able to know the exact time if you ask the restaurant staff or the player himself. The time we came out is , uh, the receipt should be somewhere–”

Brigitta blankly looked at Eva who was suddenly speaking so well. 

How is she remembering all that anyway?

She never saw Eva speak this much at once ever since they lived under the same roof. Especially not her speaking this accurately and fast!

Why is she even telling all these details?

On the other hand, Alex smiled bitterly and dissuaded Eva to stop searching her bag. 

Alex felt bad that she unnecessarily frightened the young lady. She felt uneasy. 

Alex waved her hands. 

“No, no. Sir Emmerich is not our suspect. It was just for the sake of formality. I apologize if I frightened you.”

Eva stopped digging in her bag and blushed. She ducked her head and looked sideways. 

“Ah, ah. Yes. Yeah…I, it’s fine……”

“What’s going on? You said it’s a murder case. Did the person next door kill someone?”

Brigitta asked in confusion.

Inspector Billford finally stopped coughing and cleared his throat and started explaining. 

“Earlier at around 6 pm under the Underhat Bridge, the body of a middle-aged man and woman had been found. We have not identified their identities yet but we found a note in their belongings with the address of the house next door. So we visited to ask some questions. It could be the people living next door that are the victims or the house could have been just involved in it.”

Eva’s face became paler and paler as Billford spoke. 

That’s when Billford realized he should have been more careful. 

If she lived in this town she could perhaps be a noble lady of a bankrupt family. 

He focused his senses to be prepared to catch her if she collapsed but despite her looking like she was going to faint any moment, Eva spoke calmly. 

“This is just in case of anything but you should know that this knight here didn’t even think of reporting to the police even after getting scammed.”

Eva held Brigitta’s hands tightly. 

It seemed like this big and innocent knight wasn’t aware of what’s going on. 

How was Bri planning to live in this cruel world being this innocent?

Eva contemplated if she should teach the sword master who was just a year younger than her about the cruel world. 

“I was not close with them so I don’t know for sure, but they didn’t have any children. It’s just a guess because I never saw children-related things in this block’s garbage. They were certainly not nobles so you wouldn’t be able to find them with the nobles name list. I saw them throw out a Callaheim University towel, but guessing by the color of it they must have graduated from Callaheim more than 22 years ago. Since the symbol color was purple until it changed 22 years ago. You better continue your investigation there. Also, I am certain they are at least 40 years old. Married or siblings, they looked like they were family and they moved away a month ago. There was nothing odd after that.”

Brigitta, Alex, and Billford all widened their eyes. 

Billford stiffened with his notebook in one hand and Brigitta was lost between Eva’s words because it was too fast for her to comprehend.

Only Alex studied Eva with intriguing eyes. 

“I already mentioned all these when I reported it to the police so you could ask further to them. It’s already late so we want to rest. Could you leave us now?”

Eva didn’t care about any of their reaction and firmly asked them to leave with a pale face. 

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