"Because no matter the answer you give , I hope you will be happy."
The mont I heard those words, I was left speechless, my mind went blank, and all I could do was just stare at her.
As I stared at her, the woman cared more about than herself, I felt sothing inside being fulfilled.
The warmth that spread within was similar to what I felt when I spoke with Stella.
It felt foreign to , but once more, I realized that I longed for it.
In a situation where we couldn't give any specific answer, all we did was simply lean against each other.
"Oh my, how shaful."
"They’re like a fairy tale couple."
"They must be newlyweds. They're certainly in their honeymoon phase."
For a mont, we forgot that we were in the middle of downtown. Hearing the people whispering around us, Erica was unable to stand it any longer and eventually turned around.
"Let's go, we're almost there."
"Alright."
I followed Erica, and indeed, we reached the dessert shop in almost no ti.
I an, considering the location of the dessert shop and the route we had taken, it was easy to notice that she had deliberately wandered around.
"..."
Realizing that I was staring intently at her, Erica seed to deliberately avoid my gaze as she stood in line in front of the dessert shop.
"I will just think of it as a cute prank."
We just wasted so ti, but it was not that important.
I tried to lightly dismiss it as just a prank, but Erica subtly glanced back at while turning her body.
"Was it cute?"
"It was just a figure of speech."
"..."
As I watched her return to her original posture, I couldn't help but let a slight smile creep up, but I suppressed it imdiately so that she wouldn't notice it.
"The line here is pretty long."
Indeed, perhaps because it was just past lunch, there was a pretty long line of people waiting for dessert in front of the shop.
I thought I'd have to wait for a while. However…
"B-by any chance, a-are you the Soul Whisperer?"
A man wearing armor approached cautiously. It was the captain of the Loberne guards, a familiar face I had seen in the passing several tis.
His thick mustache made him especially morable.
"Yes."
"Ah! S-Soul Whisperer! I am Paul, the captain of the Loberne guards."
Trying to prevent him from showing excessive courtesy to the extent of kneeling on one knee, I grabbed his shoulders and helped him up.
I didn't want to attract unnecessary attention.
"State your business."
Thinking there must be a reason he ca to see , I got straight to the point. Paul's expression darkened imdiately, and he occasionally sent wary glances at Erica beside .
"Well, you see, soone died in an apartnt1 on Glass Avenue yesterday."
"..."
"But you see... There are many strange aspects concerning the suspect. Actually, I was considering requesting for the Academy’s cooperation and bringing you, Soul Whisperer."
"Strange aspects?"
If he had planned on calling over, it must have been because he suspected that an evil spirit was involved in that case.
"Yes, it might be a bit difficult to provide an explanation here, but if it's fine with you, would you like to accompany ...?"
If we had to go to Glass Avenue, even though it was still a part of Loberne, it was located near the outskirts, so it would take a while to get there.
When I glanced at Erica, she already had her arms crossed and glared at the captain with the sa icy expression she used when dealing with students.
"We were just having such a good ti now."
Erica muttered while chewing on her lips.
She whispered softly, so the captain wouldn’t hear it, but standing right beside her, I was able to.
"Well, it can't be helped then. It seems like there’s sothing you need to do. I'll get the dessert myself."
"Thank you for your help."
After leaving Erica behind, I followed the captain to Glass Avenue.
Glass Avenue.
The dark side of Loberne, known otherwise for its good security; yet so called it a place that contained the necessary evil.
So aggressive parents labeled it a dumpster and called for the abolition of Glass Avenue.
It was the place that was persistently the subject of debates about how abolishing it would only cause the trash to spill out onto the other side of the street.
It was a restricted area where students were not allowed to enter, and professors patrolled it constantly.
Upon hearing the na 'Glass,' one might think of ceramics or works of art, but it actually simply referred to a street full of glass mugs of beer.
Although this place was relatively smaller compared to the other cities, it was still the most bustling area in Loberne, with bars, gambling dens, and brothels operating all over.
And in an apartnt located there, was the scene of a death.
It might have seed obvious, but if that were the case, the captain of the guard wouldn't have called for .
Guards were already stationed at the worn-out entrance of a small apartnt building, holding spears and maintaining control.
Receiving salutes from the guards as we passed through, we entered the first floor, which seed to only consist of a door and stairs, with no corridor.
It seed like it was structured to have a single unit on each floor.
"The scene of the accident is on the second floor."
We climbed the stairs littered with cigarette butts and spit. Upon entering the apartnt, the stench was quite strong, and it seed like it was managed poorly.
At the wide open front door to the second floor.
We passed the guard standing watch and entered the room.
The interior was much dirtier than any ordinary ho. It reeked really bad, and empty liquor bottles were strewn about.
When we opened the door on the right, among the two facing each other, there lay a corpse covered with a white cloth.
"There are no other external injuries. Cause of death is acute heart failure due to alcohol poisoning."
"The victim's na?"
"His na was Hansen. He worked as a staff mber at a nearby pub, but he was fired a few months ago after he fell in love with a hostess. Now he was currently unemployed."
"..."
"The cause was alcohol poisoning, but he didn't take any drugs or such. And... he had a roommate."
As the captain of the guard ntioned the roommate, his voice grew somber.
"This roommate, Ophelia, is the issue. As I ntioned earlier, she is the hostess Hansen fell in love with, and the scene of the incident is her room."
Based on what I heard so far, it sounded like Hansen was the man who lost his job and lived in a drunken stupor until his body eventually gave out; as for now, no external injuries were present on the body.
However, the words whispered by the guard captain as he leaned in were rather intriguing.
"This woman, Ophelia, is actually a widow. She lost her daughter and husband a year ago. I was the one incharge of the investigation back then, but unfortunately, it was an accident."
"..."
"However… in this one-year period, three n around her have died."
"Hmm."
"A young man living nearby, the host, and a veteran—These n were close to Ophelia. They either died in accidents or due to sudden illnesses. However, this is the first ti her partner died in this manner."
"From your words, it seems that you suspect this Ophelia woman to be the culprit behind all these serial incidents."
"....Correct. That's why we've dispatched the guards to search inside of the residence this ti."
No wonder. It seed a bit excessive to invest so much manpower into a simple case of heart failure.
"I might be suspecting a pitiable woman, but I still want to be certain this ti."
While listening to his words, I slowly approached Hansen's corpse.
Without needing to lift the white cloth, I just nodded slightly after staring at it quietly.
"It seems like you made the right call."
"R-really?!"
Paul looked dramatically surprised as he didn't expect to receive such a definitive answer. He then clenched his fist.
"Where is Ophelia?"
"S-she's currently staying with a resident on another floor!"
Even without saying anything further, Paul urgently gestured for Ophelia to be called over.
I was not a detective.
I didn’t have the ability to glance at a corpse and cri scene and imdiately point out the culprit or deduce the motive and murder weapon.
Perhaps the guards who had been handling such cases professionally would be much better at it.
Also, they didn't call because they expected that kind of skill from either.
It was about things that only I, the Soul Whisperer, could see.
Hansen's soul is gone.
Even if he had entered into eternal rest after death, he was still just a man who died the previous day.
At least a faint energy could still be felt from his body, however, the soul itself had vanished completely.
If he had beco an evil spirit, it would have left a more recognizable malevolent energy.
The soul itself has vanished completely.
This wouldn’t have been the case if he had simply died from heart failure.
Sensing there must be a story behind this man's death, I waited for a mont. Then, I heard quiet footsteps approaching.
"I've brought her."
Greasy black and skin that could be called pale rather than fair; despite looking quite thin as if she hadn't eaten properly, a relaxed smile hung on her lips,
However, perhaps because of that, the woman exuded a decadent beauty.
Along with Paul, who had brought her, the other guards also gazed at Ophelia with interest.
Thump.
Even I realized sothing stirring within my chest as I gazed upon her.
Along with these fuzzy emotions, the desire to protect her surged within .
The mont I recognized that the emotion I now embraced was affection, an intense wave of killing intent was unconsciously directed toward her.
"Soul Whisperer, Ms. Ophelia..."
Perhaps because my reaction was too intense, Paul was unable to speak properly. And even Ophelia, who walked in stiffly, had her mouth tightened at the corners.
"Let us talk separately."
I led Ophelia to the victim's room on the left. Despite being wary, she followed behind, albeit being pushed by Paul from behind.
Thud.
Click.
As I locked the door, the confusion in her eyes deepened.
However, there was no room for consideration, nor did I plan on doing so either.
"How dare you."
I gritted my teeth and glared at Ophelia.
The reason I was swept up in a whirlpool of intense emotions was none other than because this woman had provided a strong answer to what the affection I had been diligently seeking truly was.
"Is it fun? Playing with the emotions of others."
"N-no, it's just..."
"The mont I saw you, I felt a surge of affection towards you."
Even though I was unable to precisely understand the emotion called love, the mont I saw her, I felt compelled to label it as such.
Soone might say they fell in love at first sight.
However, due to my shallow emotional range, I was able to imdiately recognize it as false and contrived.
And especially because I had just had a conversation with Erica regarding this before coming here.
It was a compelling urge that seed to dismiss all the emotions I held, not only towards Erica but the others as well, as false.
The anger that flared up like a wildfire showed no signs of subsiding.
"Since you have soured my mood considerably, you should answer carefully and precisely."
"Th-there's no way..."
Bewildered, Ophelia observed cautiously. Since her intentions were very clear, I reached out and grabbed her chin, exerting force.
"Uoghhhh!"
Ophelia was unable to articulate her words properly because my grip on her chin hindered her. Trying to confirm if I was indeed a male, she lowered her gaze towards my lower part, an act that was frankly disgusting and repulsive.
"Do not try to play silly gas with ."
Even now, the desire to save this woman, who was still suffering in my hands, surged up within .
Struggling to restrain the strong urge to release the strength in my hands imdiately, I exerted more force, as if to crush Ophelia's chin, and slam her against the wall.
Thump!
"Tell what trickery you are up to and how you killed Hansen. Do not leave anything out."
When I let go, Ophelia, who hit the back of her head against the wall, looked at with teary eyes.
Upon seeing her expression, which clearly indicated that she couldn’t believe I had taken such actions towards her, I was about to warn her again.
However, seeing reaching out to her, Ophelia hurriedly kneeled and prostrated herself.
"I-It's a tattoo! The tattoo on my chest has an enchanting effect on n!”
The tattoo she spoke about was not visible now as she threw herself flat on the floor. However, when I had grabbed her chin earlier, I definitely saw a heart-shaped tattoo.
"A-and! I'm not the one who killed Hansen! Really!"
"Do you really think I will believe that?"
With killing intent strong enough to stir the mana in my entire body surging with , I warned Ophelia. However, she shouted back, insisting it was real while lying face down.
"My-My daughter! It’s my dead daughter! She’s killed all the n I loved!"
Not only odd, but several parts of her story bothered to the point where they beca annoying.
First, the fact that she ntioned her deceased daughter was going around and killing people could be considered a sign that her daughter had beco an evil spirit.
However, what I found more annoying than that was…
"Loved?"
The fact that she was speaking in the past tense.
If the deceased daughter was going around killing her mother's lovers, shouldn't she have done it when her mother was still in love with those n? Why did she do it after her mother’s emotions had cooled?
Filled with doubts, I asked such questions, but Ophelia was too flustered to even listen to my questions and continued speaking.
"She has been killing the people I once loved! And my husband too! My lover too! They were all killed by that child!"
The woman suddenly raised her head, shouting with a tear-streaked face, as if venting her resentnt towards .
"Clair's General Store! It all began after I visited that store!"
"…Clair's General Store?"
The re ntion of that na made the woman tremble with fear, but I couldn't help but have so doubts because I was a bit familiar with Clair's General Store.
It was more commonly known as the secret shop that appeared in [Retry].
In [Retry], you could only visit that place if you were lucky enough, and there was a helper in the shop from whom you could obtain rare items.
That shop was run by Clair, who was always lively and cheerful, and loved antiques.
Sothing seems off.
It seed like, once again, the story of the continent was unfolding differently from the ga I knew.
1. Although the term used in the raws ans villa, a villa in Korea doesn't have the sa aning as a villa in Arica or English. In Korea, villas are apartnt buildings with at most five floors. Also, villas are found away from city centers, as this is where larger buildings containing apartnts and offices are located.
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