The flames enveloped the three-story building, spreading rapidly in all directions until the entire block was a raging inferno.
The fire was fierce.
By the time it was completely extinguished, it was already early morning.
「The Patrol Bureau.」
Someone pushed the door open, sat down opposite Carl, and handed him a steaming cup of milk coffee.
"This matter has had a huge impact. Even the City Lord has been alarmed, so it's unavoidable to ask a few more questions."
The newcomer said gently, "You don't have to worry, though. The course of events has been thoroughly investigated, and it has nothing to do with you. You should be able to leave soon."
Carl sighed. "Who could have thought that place would turn out to be a Fire Thieves' hideout?"
Since returning to the Patrol Bureau, he had been questioned alone several times and was not surprised this time either.
"Indeed!"
The person leaned back, half-shrouded in darkness. His face, intermittently illuminated and then shadowed by the flickering kerosene lamp, as he asked, "When Miles died, only you and Dana were there. Did you find anything on him?"
"Or rather, did *you* find anything? After all, you regained consciousness before Dana did."
Hmm?
Carl frowned and looked up at the person.
Under the dim light, the other person's features were shrouded in a mist, indistinguishable no matter how hard Carl tried to see.
After a moment of contemplation, Carl spoke, "I passed out after activating the sleeve arrow. By the time I woke up, a large fire had already started nearby. I was too busy trying to escape to have time to search for anything."
"Is that so?" Resting his chin on his hand, the person said, "You claimed Miles's techniques were peculiar, yet he died from a single shot to the throat from your sleeve arrow. That seems illogical."
Carl chuckled lightly. "I don't think so."
Compared to killing someone with a sleeve arrow, the techniques Miles had employed were what was truly incomprehensible.
"Alright!" The person sighed, sat up straight, took out a book and placed it on the table, gesturing to Carl. "Examine this book. If there's nothing amiss, you may leave."
"A book?"
Carl looked surprised and then scrutinized the book carefully.
It was a leather-bound book, about two fingers thick, with a tawny cover tied with two strands of dark red silk.
The front cover featured a somewhat blurry painting.
Staring intently, it seemed to depict a woman holding a wooden staff, her features obscured by a light mist.
Carl didn't open the book. Instead, he gazed at the woman in the painting, lost in thought, his brow furrowing unconsciously.
WHOOSH...
A breeze, seemingly from nowhere, rustled through the closed room.
The flame of the kerosene lamp flickered gently, and the woman on the book's cover seemed to twist her body, as if coming alive.
"Come!"
"Come over!"
Whispers echoed in his ears.
Carl looked dazed. His gaze was fixed on the woman on the cover, who appeared to be stepping slowly out of the mist.
As she drew nearer, her features became clearer, so much so that even the fine pores on her cheeks were distinguishable.
But strangely, the specifics of the woman's appearance—her overall countenance—remained elusive. Only her eyes, drawing ever closer, became increasingly evident.
RUSTLE...
A breeze wafted through trees and fallen leaves, bringing strange sounds to his ears. His nose picked up the fresh scent of the wilderness.
The wilderness?
Wasn't I in a room at the Patrol Bureau?
"Hmph!"
Carl shuddered, his vision clearing. His back was inexplicably covered in cold sweat.
CLANG...
He knocked over the wooden table in front of him and scrambled backward frantically.
"Get away!"
"Get away!"
"What is this thing?"
Carl was breathing heavily, his heart pounding wildly. He instinctively looked around for a suitable weapon.
CLAP! CLAP!
The figure opposite stood up and clapped his hands lightly. "The fact that you could break free from the mental influence of the Wizard's Book shows you have talent. No wonder you're resistant to the siren's wail."
He then said, "Follow me!"
"Go?" Carl, who had not yet regained his senses, asked, "Where to?"
"To the place you ought to be." The other man put away the book and stepped out from the darkness, revealing the face of a middle-aged man. "I forgot to introduce myself. I'm Tim Morton, but you can call me Tim. I'm an Intermediate Wizard Apprentice."
「* * *」
Dozens of candlesticks, arranged in rows, illuminated the spacious hall as brightly as day.
This was the Yager family manor.
Dana stood in the center of the hall, her expression grim. She couldn't recall how long she had been standing; she only knew her legs had lost all sensation.
CRASH...
The sound of porcelain shattering came from the inner hall.
"We shouldn't have let her become an Inspector in the first place. After all the effort we expended, look at the trouble she's caused!"
"What's the use of saying that now?"
"How is it useless? If you had listened to me back then, we wouldn't be in this mess now!"
"Alright, alright."
"..."
"What a disgrace!" a sharp female voice, full of resentment, cried out. "Wasting family resources, accomplishing nothing. She'd be better off marrying some man and staying out of our sight!"
"That's enough," a man's voice deepened. "She is my daughter, after all."
"Hmph!"
CRACKLE...
When the commotion subsided, a tired-looking man walked out slowly.
"Father!"
"Ah!" Shaxon Yager waved his hand. "Don't just stand there. Sit down, let's talk."
"Father," Dana said, her cheeks tight, "I was investigating the desiccated corpse case and traced it to that location. If we hadn't eradicated that group of Fire Thieves, they could have caused even greater trouble."
"There's some truth to what you say," Shaxon Yager didn't deny it. He added, "But this operation resulted in the deaths of three inspectors and seven civilians, and more than a dozen houses were affected."
"All of this is your responsibility."
Dana lowered her head, unable to retort.
"The civilians don't matter. They're dead, so they're dead. Just compensate their families with some money," Shaxon Yager sighed. "But each of those three inspectors had connections. Their families have already raised a storm at the City Lord's manor, and there's not much I can say."
"Your punishment is inevitable."
"Father!" Dana's voice rose.
"You are my daughter, and I will certainly help you." Shaxon Yager raised his hand, interrupting her. "And it's precisely because you are my daughter that I don't want you taking such risks. If something were to happen to you, how could I possibly face your deceased mother?"
Dana's eyes reddened.
"Remember," Shaxon Yager admonished, "don't be so reckless in the future, and more importantly, don't cause your family to worry."
"Yes." Dana slowly bowed her head.
"I know you're eager to achieve something significant to receive a Life Potion and be promoted to Knight," Shaxon Yager continued. "But you were too impulsive this time."
Not only did this operation fail to earn any praise from her superiors, but it also guaranteed she would be punished. It was, without a doubt, a complete failure.
For Dana to become the Inspector of South City at such a young age, she hadn't relied solely on her own abilities; her family background had also played a significant part.
Her incompetence in handling affairs would also reflect poorly on the family.
"And about that Carl," Shaxon Yager said. "Although he's not very capable, he is a noble. He has accused you of framing another noble to take credit for an achievement. You need to find a way to placate him."
?
Dana opened her mouth as if to speak but then stopped, knowing she was in the wrong.
"In a few days, your cousin Will is coming to Sigerno City for a visit. Take a few days off to accompany him."
Seeing his daughter's displeased expression, Shaxon Yager's voice deepened. "This is an order!"
"You must go!"
"Yes," Dana nodded reluctantly.