Chapter 82
Episode 82
Once the tension eased somewhat, she opened her mouth.
"Oh, there's something I wanted to tell you. You know how they said there's a charity event in 7th Avenue?"
"Yeah."
"I went to drop off some items and met a woman named Shirley."
At her words, Viktor looked at Scarlett as if telling her to continue. And as she hesitated to say more, he said,
"Why are you stopping mid-sentence?"
"Don't get angry, just listen. I'm not saying this to make excuses."
Scarlett carefully continued, worried in advance about his reaction.
"I met a woman named Shirley there. And she's in a similar state to me."
"Similar how?"
As Viktor asked calmly, Scarlett said,
"First of all, Shirley also went to the police station, but she doesn't remember anything from that time."
"......"
Viktor listened to Scarlett without opening his mouth. Scarlett continued.
"Besides, I... my memory got better after the Royal Police interrogation, right? But she's much worse than me. She says she remembers everything and it's driving her crazy."
"......"
"Viktor?"
Viktor was silent for a moment, and Scarlett worried about how he would react to this. She wondered how she would prove it if he thought she was lying, but Viktor opened his mouth.
"I'll look into it."
"Really?"
"Yeah."
Scarlett looked surprised at Viktor's answer. She asked,
"You believe me?"
"I have no reason to doubt you until I confirm this Shirley."
Scarlett's face brightened at Viktor's words. She said,
"I feel relieved that you're going to check it out."
Feeling relieved, Scarlett gradually lowered her guard against Viktor.
Viktor sat for a while and then prepared to leave. He didn't refuse when Scarlett came out to see him off.
When they went outside, there was a small house made of snow on the street, probably made by a neighborhood kid. It was a house to call the snow fairy.
As Scarlett looked at it, Viktor put his hand in his pocket, took something out, and placed it in her hand. When Scarlett looked at her hand, it was a candy.
"Put it in there."
Viktor pointed to the fairy's house, and Scarlett asked with surprised eyes.
"You carry something like this? You only like stories with morals."
"It has a moral, good children get candy."
Scarlett burst out laughing at Viktor's nonchalant words.
After Viktor left, Scarlett squatted down and put the candy in the snow house. And not long after returning to the second floor, she heard a girl's voice.
"Oh, Mom! An Endere left candy! Look!"
Scarlett smiled at the excited voice.
Every time her ex-husband appeared, the heart she hadn't been able to completely lock away for him opened little by little. She thought it was inevitable. She didn't dislike that fact so much.
*
The date with Scarlett ended quite well. She laughed a couple of times, and the conversation flowed. After spending time with her and leaving the watch shop, Viktor headed straight to the slums without delay.
Arriving at the entrance of the slums, Evan, who had traveled with Viktor, got out of the carriage and opened his mouth.
"You're saying there's someone here with the same symptoms as the young lady?"
"That's right."
Viktor replied.
As the fancy carriage of a noble family appeared, people peeked out one by one. Evan asked.
"Is there a woman named Shirley here?"
"Yes, yes. She's in that house."
The people, feeling fear at the sight of two men in uniform who would never appear in these streets, pointed to where Shirley was. The two navy men headed to the tent made of animal hides that the people had pointed out.
The poorly tanned leather smelled bad even in winter. The two frowned and stepped inside, and Shirley, who had been trembling and drinking in the corner of the tent at the sound of footsteps, raised her head.
She looked at them and seemed to think something was wrong, so she jumped up. And she tried to tear the tent with a knife and run away.
Evan first showed that he had no intention of attacking by showing his empty hands and putting both hands behind his head.
"We just came to ask some questions."
"W-w-what questions?"
"We heard you have the same symptoms as Miss Scarlett. We're here to confirm the symptoms."
At Evan's words, Shirley stopped trembling slightly, then gulped down the rest of the liquor she had been saving and asked.
"D-do you have any more liquor, by any chance?"
"Ah, yes. Of course. You'll never have a day without it."
Evan replied and looked back at Viktor. Then Viktor took out the hip flask he always carried and poured liquor overflowing into Shirley's empty glass.
Shirley took a sip of the top-quality whiskey, which was usually hard to drink, and admired it, then drank the glass dry. Only then did she begin to speak with a more normal expression and tone.
"Miss Scarlett?"
Viktor frowned as if the smell of the tent was unpleasant and gestured.
"Let's go. I'll let you drink as much good liquor as you want."
"......Really?"
Shirley quickly followed.
Evan followed behind her and said.
"You shouldn't just follow strangers like that, you know?"
"Live like me. Do you have the mind to worry about that?"
Shirley said, and Evan gave a light smile as if he understood. As they came out of the tent and headed to the carriage, her neighbor, Jens, ran up in surprise.
"Sh-Shirley! Where are you going?"
"These people said they wanted to talk."
"No, it might be dangerous!"
"I'm not in the state of mind to worry about danger right now."
Shirley said that, and Jens couldn't hold her back any longer when he saw the two navy men, who were much bigger than him, looking at him.
Soon, the carriage carrying Shirley headed to the Dumpelt Family.
Inside the carriage with the three people, Evan spoke to Shirley.
"I heard these symptoms started last summer."
"Th-that's right."
"Do you remember which police station in the capital it was?"
"It was a place with a plaza......"
It was where the Headquarters was located. Evan looked at Viktor and said.
"I think we definitely need to raid the Headquarters once, just like the Captain said."
Viktor only nodded slightly in response, then took out a cigarette and put it in his mouth. Shirley said, trembling.
"Could you give me a cigarette too......"
Then Evan gave her a whole box of his cigarettes and said.
"You can smoke all of these."
"I already think I made the right decision to follow you."
Shirley said, taking out a cigarette and putting it in her mouth.
After five hours, the carriage arrived at the Dumpelt Family. Shirley, who got out of the carriage, was speechless at the threateningly large mansion.
"Wh-what is all that......"
Only then did Shirley begin to wonder where she was entering and looked around.
Evan asked Viktor.
"Did they use the same drug as Miss Scarlett?"
"They must have experimented. Before using the drug on Scarlett."
"......Wow."
Evan shook his head in disbelief.
Certainly, Shirley was similar in build to Scarlett. Since she had no connections, she would have been a suitable test subject for the Royal Police.
Viktor was almost certain of his thoughts as he saw the Bestina spies repeatedly mentioning Scarlett Crimson. And Shirley's existence proved it.
The reason they used the drug may have been because they needed the skills in Scarlett's memories. The Royal Police may have intentionally given her a memory-restoring drug. And it was likely to be a gift for Bestina.
*
As soon as Shirley disappeared, her neighbor, Jens, ran straight to the nearby town. And he ran to a store with a telephone.
"I want to call the Royal Police."
Because it was something he had arranged in advance, the store owner gestured to the phone.
Jens immediately called the Royal Police Headquarters. And soon, the Royal Police answered the phone.
-Yes.
"I-it's Jens."
Then there was a sound of connecting the call on the other end, and soon someone answered the phone.
-Speak.
"T-they took Shirley."
-......Who?
"I think they were navy men. I don't know for sure, but......"
And then, there was a bang from there.
-Is it that hard to watch one woman? How much money did I give you?
"I-I couldn't help it! There was no way I could have done anything with my strength...... They were big and burly......"
-Damn it.
A curse was heard from the other end of the phone. And the other person, Hugh Gun Hunter, said.
-Put the store owner on.
"Y-yes!"
Jens hurriedly switched to the store owner. The store owner answered the phone and only said yes, yes, then hung up.
He came out from behind the counter. Then he walked to Jens and immediately stabbed him with the knife he had brought. Jens fell to the ground without even having time to scream, and his breath was cut off in an instant.