CH 180.1

Chapter 180.1. The Absent Female Detective

-Masatoshi’s POV-

Masatoshi and Sena were walking through the back alleys of a city, near the slum area.

It was a section filled with mixed-use buildings, where narrow paths crisscrossed like a maze.

Even during the daytime, it’s dimly lit, and the windows of the surrounding buildings are dirty with dust, making it impossible to see inside. They either appeared abandoned or shattered, creating a desolate and quiet atmosphere. There were discarded broken buckets, and various piled-up garbage on the side.

Occasionally, rats would peek out, notice Masatoshi and Sena, and scurry away. The area was dominated by a solemn silence, with only the footsteps of the two echoing in the surroundings.

“Um… Sena-san, it’s unfortunate, isn’t it?”

Masatoshi spoke to the silent Sena walking beside him. Masatoshi’s current appearance made him look like a tired middle-aged man with little income, while Sena appeared like a weary woman in her 30s.

Since the usual disguise is not good enough to see the female detective, she uses a high-ranking [Disguise] magical tool that Sena-san brought out of the treasure room, which cannot be released or detected without a magic attack.

They couldn’t rely on their usual disguises to meet the female detective. So Sena-san borrowed a high-level [Transformation] magical tool from the treasure vault.

It was an ancient artifact that emitted a mana wavelength resembling a [Disguise] magical tool at first glance. Sena-san had made a request and borrowed it from His Majesty the Emperor. As a result, Sena-san’s usual radiant beauty and celestial voice also transformed.

Sena-san frowned and fell into deep thought, wearing a serious expression. But when she heard Masatoshi’s voice, she lifted her lowered face.

“There doesn’t seem to be a detective agency over there…”

“Yes, it seems so. Perhaps it has gone out of business.”

“…I didn’t consider that possibility… I’m sorry, Masatoshi-san.”

Apologizing with a look of remorse as an older woman, I waved my hand lightly, knowing it was still Sena-san on the inside.

“Oh no, don’t worry. Detective agencies are like that sometimes. It seems they tend hastily retreat when things get dangerous.”

In anime and novels, detective agencies are usually depicted as being burned down or blown up. I casually expressed a biased opinion, speculating that they might move approximately every 6 months, and comforted her with a light wave of my hand.

If I could place my hand on her shoulder and flash a bright smile to comfort her, it might have positively impacted my likability. However, as a timid person, I was incapable of such actions.

I also secretly thought my current appearance as an old man might be a factor. Indeed, outward appearance is important.

Even Masatosi, the god didn’t know the location of Loki’s detective agency.

Well, that’s understandable. If the author provided the specific district and address, fans might visit the place as part of their pilgrimage. It would be a tremendous inconvenience for the actual residents living there.

Therefore, Loki disguised as a female detective and set up her agency in a rundown apartment building in a neighborhood close to the slums with poor security. That was the extent of the information mentioned in the setting materials.

Sena-san knew the location, though. It might be presumptuous to assume that the female detective is Loki, but it’s highly likely.

Loki possesses information that no one else knows. And Sena-san mentioned that if she were that female detective, she would have something valuable.

However, when we arrived at that location. It had become a small miscellaneous goods store. No worn-out business desk or creaking chair as described in the novel. Instead, the clean interior is filled with accessories made from scrap stones, handkerchiefs embroidered with delicate patterns, and homemade-looking bags.

Masatoshi didn’t think much of the scene, assuming it might be the wrong place. Although Sena-san had guided me there, there were similar apartment buildings around, making everything look the same.

However, Sena-san was confident that this was the correct location, and she confronted the store clerk, visibly shaken, questioning if this was indeed the detective agency.

The store clerk gets surprised by Sena-san’s confrontation and replied that they did not know the previous store, leaving us perplexed.

“What should we do from now on? Should we ask a real estate agent?”

“No, going to a real estate agent would be pointless. We need to reconsider this from the ground up. My father and the others promised to investigate seriously. But it seems difficult to investigate without the other nobles finding out.”

“The national intelligence agency must have connections to some noble families…”

Nobles can be troublesome, I sigh. Perhaps it’s because this is a novel world. Even intelligence agencies have ties to noble families, making the risk of leaks high. It’s on a level where they barely understand the concept of counterintelligence.

Seeing Masatoshi exhales tiredly, nods with a serious expression.

“That’s right. And I want to obtain concrete evidence with this information. We’ve managed to push through this far because we need to be cautious.”

This time, the two of them came to this unsafe place without any guards is a testament to how serious the Emperor is.

Otherwise, even with their powerful magic abilities, it would be impossible for Masatoshi and Sena to come here alone.

Masatoshi doesn’t want to think about how his information might get passed on. It’s terrifying. He has a premonition that it’s attached to something incredibly fishy.

“Well, there’s no other choice. Seina, let’s leave it to the intelligence agency here. I’ll subtly ask my da, no, father if there’s any other information. It might be better to refrain from doing so…”

I’m asking my father subtly. Impossible. He’ll probably latch onto the topic like a piranha.

And even if I communicate it in broken language, he’ll grasp the content and act in his self-interest. Masatoshi understands that he can’t escape his father’s pursuit.