Translator: Nox

Chapter 7

“How can I not? I was the one at the scene, no one else. And Cherry Sinclair takes up the front page of the newspapers every single day; it’s impossible to miss her.”

Eden replied, folding the newspaper with an incredulous expression. Inspector Marcel looked at him and shook his head.

“Why do you risk your life on investigations like this? Even if you just achieve moderate results, the path to becoming the Commissioner General is already laid out for you.”

Eden’s father, the Duke of Lancaster, disapproved of Eden’s decision to renounce his title and become a police officer.

However, his innate status didn’t simply vanish, so his special promotions within the police force were treated as a foregone conclusion.

“So, it would be best not to cause trouble by poking around the Sinclairs unnecessarily,” Inspector Marcel advised. Touching the Sinclairs was just that dangerous.

“I didn’t become a police officer because I wanted to be the Commissioner General. If I wanted honor, I would have just inherited the dukedom.”

Eden was a man with a profound sense of duty as an officer. He was also an eccentric man in many ways.

Forfeiting a dukedom to become a policeman was one thing, but the fact that not a shred of dignity expected of a high-ranking noble could be found in his conduct was another.

Yet, even if he had a somewhat delinquent and arrogant streak, everyone acknowledged his sheer ability.

A genius with the sword and a genius with a gun. Those were the nicknames that had followed him during his time at Lubridge Benton College, Graeden’s royal academy.

“More importantly, Inspector. Did you see today’s edition of the Benton Gazette? There isn’t a single word about that monster.”

At Eden’s words, Inspector Marcel let out a weary sigh.

“The orders from above were not to cause a panic until the truth is determined. You should try not to stir things up too much either.”

At the mention of ‘orders from above,’ Eden considered digging into who exactly had issued them.

However, he could guess who would do such a thing instantly. Somehow, he felt like he knew the answer before even looking for it.

Then, Inspector Marcel asked him a question.

“By the way, what is that brooch?”

A glittering brooch was held in Eden’s hand. It was an ornate piece decorated with a golden flower and a rubellite gemstone.

“There was a woman who hacked that monster to death with an axe.”

Eden was certain the person was a woman. That bright, lovely voice, sounding like rolling marbles, was unmistakably female.

The next thing he remembered were the eyes.

Since she had been wearing a mask, the eyes were all he could see.

Beautiful golden eyes, looking as if they were made of melted pure gold, were deeply etched into Eden’s mind.

“Hacked that monster… with an axe? Did you see the size of that thing?”

“It’s strange. I find it incredibly strange as well. My younger sister witnessed the scene herself. It’s a feat that wouldn’t be easy for an adult man, yet a woman killed that giant with her own strength.”

“A lone woman… that is indeed strange.”

Watching Inspector Marcel’s shocked face, Eden held up the brooch in his hand.

C. S.

Initials were engraved upon it.

Even if that woman was the savior who spared Aurora’s life, it didn’t change the fact that she was a suspicious individual who fled the scene. Moreover, though it was still just a hunch, he felt she might be connected to those mysterious monsters.

‘C. S… those are the same initials as Cherry Sinclair.’

The eye color matched as well.

The thought crossed his mind, and Eden let out a hollow laugh despite himself. That was a truly ridiculous imagination.

Cherry Sinclair was a woman who loathed such remote and rugged places; furthermore, her constitution was weak.

He handed the newspaper he was holding to a nearby constable on standby and walked out of the yard of the mansion at Notium Street 61.

Behind him, Inspector Marcel called out.

“Where are you going?”

“I received a tip that a large quantity of firearms was illegally smuggled in from the Kingdom of Briwood. Thanks to you, Inspector, it seems I have nothing more to do here, so I should go check that out.”

“Who gave you that tip?”

Eden pulled a chocolate bar from his pocket, unwrapped it, tossed a piece into his mouth, and replied.

“I’ll have to find that out starting now. I’ll be off.”

Though his attitude lacked refinement, he gave Inspector Marcel a proper enough salute and headed out.

---

Benton, Westmore, Honderf, then Kintne.

It was four stops in total from the capital’s Benton Station to Kintne Station. After getting off at Kintne, you had to take a carriage a bit deeper into the mountains to reach Brunel.

To think there were no cars or streetcars. It made me realize just how elegantly I had been living in the capital.

The good thing about the train was, of course, the convenience of travel. I left in the morning and arrived by the afternoon.

‘I’m finally here!’

At Brunel, the village where I would build the shelter!

I shaded my eyes with my hand and looked up.

A secluded mansion, situated like a fortress on a hill at the outskirts of Brunel village, came into view.

This was the only secluded mansion in the village where Vanilla lived, as mentioned in the novel.

Actually, it was so hidden behind dense trees that the most I could see was the mansion’s chimney. It was a bleak, grand estate that looked like it belonged in an American horror movie.

‘It looks like monsters would crawl out of here.’

I swallowed hard. A chill seemed to emanate from the mansion.

I had planned to be introduced to the owner, Vanilla, by the Village Chief of Brunel to purchase the estate.

‘So this was the mansion Vanilla owned.’

As I mentioned before, the mansion was a fortress stably positioned on a hill, with the village in front and mountains behind where various foraging was possible.

Furthermore, although it was a small village, it was equipped with everything necessary for survival: a grocery store, a general store, a medical center, a weapons shop, a restaurant, and an inn. It was good enough to use the entire village as a survival camp.

‘I wish I could just buy the whole village.’

Of course, I knew that was impossible. There are many things in this world that money cannot buy.

After taking a walk around the mansion, I decided to wait for the owner, Vanilla, to finalize the purchase.

However, even after waiting for a long time, Vanilla did not show up. After asking around, it seemed Vanilla was away today and I wouldn’t be able to meet her until tomorrow.

‘This isn’t a good start. I hope nothing bad happens tomorrow.’

Shaking off the ominous feeling, I had no choice but to spend the night at the village inn.

---

That night, in the capital of Benton.

Eden grabbed the scruff of a man who was fumbling about in a dead-end alley. Then, he pulled an extendable baton from his waist and swung it.

Thwack!

“Urgh!”

The man hit by the baton collapsed to the ground.

With a weary face, Eden wiped his hand over his face and sat on the back of the fallen man.

“Hey, do you know who I am?”

Eden muttered, irritably ruffling his hair. The man beneath him could only let out painful groans.

Pulling a revolver from his pocket, Eden opened the cylinder. There were only three bullets in the six chambers. Eden took out new rounds from his pocket and slotted them into the empty holes as he spoke.

“I’m not exactly at the rank where I should be coming out to catch someone like you myself. But what does it mean that I came personally? It means you’re screwed.”

Coarse profanity spilled from the mouth of Eden, who looked like the type to adhere to gentlemanly and old-fashioned etiquette.

The man Eden had just caught had been apprehended at the scene while making contact with an illegal arms dealer.

“Speak. I heard most of the firearms smuggled illegally from the Kingdom of Briwood are scheduled to go down to some backwater countryside. And I don’t know where that backwater is yet.”

In the Kingdom of Graeden, it was illegal for civilians to possess firearms. From Eden’s perspective as a policeman, this was clearly a matter worth investigating.

Eden spun the cylinder, now fully loaded with bullets—whirrr. Hearing that sound, the man groaned in terror.

“I—I really don’t know! I’m just a messenger who receives the goods and delivers them!”

“You expect me to believe that? You were caught red-handed, you bastard.”

Eden irritably tapped the man’s head with the muzzle of the revolver. The man’s neck went stiff with tension. His shirt collar was already soaked with sweat.

“I’ve confirmed that Lawyer Howard is involved. Isn’t this the Sinclair family’s doing? Answer me.”

In Graeden, the name ‘Sinclair’ held as much power as Eden’s Lancaster family.

If it was the wealthy Sinclairs, smuggling firearms was well within the realm of possibility. If they had the will.

He had told Inspector Marcel he received a tip, but Eden had seen it with his own two eyes. Recently, he had seen Jose, an illegal weapons expert from the Kingdom of Briwood whom he had been monitoring, making secret contact with Harrison Howard.

There was no evidence, but the suspicion was absolute.

‘And Cherry Sinclair is avoiding my calls.’

Whether she knew something or not, it was difficult to even get her on the phone. It was as if she were intentionally avoiding him.

“The Sinclair heiress suddenly disappeared after taking out a loan for 100 million gold. Is it related to this case?”

Despite Eden’s questioning, the man remained silent, only letting out agonizing groans.

Eden pulled a notebook from his uniform pocket. When he opened it, a photo clipped from a newspaper caught his eye.

Eyes that sparkled like crafted gold and loud, curly hair the color of cherries—a deep pink. The woman, wearing a cute cocktail hat and smiling brightly with her white teeth showing, exuded a bubbly vivacity.

He felt like he understood why she was called by the horribly embarrassing nickname ‘Star Candy Lady.’ She had such a flashy and lovely impression that one’s gaze would naturally be drawn to Cherry, no matter who she was with.

‘But…’

The rumors concerning Cherry Sinclair mostly described her as a socialite.

A gossip girl who loved extravagant parties, spent money like water, and was always surrounded by scandals.

Furthermore, they said that unlike her picky personality, she was indecisive and lacked the ability to lead the Sinclair family. She was exactly the type of person Eden despised most.

And now, she seemed to be involved in a firearms smuggling case.

‘Cherry Sinclair…’

Eden loathed it when things didn’t go according to plan. He also hated leaving unresolved questions behind. It was true for the monster incident, and it was true for this smuggling case.

However, the Commissioner General was already hushing things up, suspecting the case was related to Harrison—and by extension, the Sinclairs.

‘It makes sense, since it was the Sinclair family that made the current Commissioner General who he is.’

Cherry Sinclair was getting on his nerves. And Eden was the type of person who had to bring whatever was bothering him right before his eyes to examine it.

Eden’s cold gaze turned to the man pinned beneath his feet.

“I just had a great idea.”