Chapter 1

Prologue “Well, Norman Hamish, we shall now begin your interrogation!” An unnaturally cheery voice rang out in the cold, stone room. “What a blast this is! Just the best, huh, Norman?!” “Not a blast. Not the best. This just sucks, Jim.” The two boys sat at a long table opposite each other, their words as different as could be. There was another long table at the far end of the room, on which a communicator and a variety of items were laid out: a black felt hat, a threadbare long coat, a wallet, a handkerchief, a lighter, an unopened pack of cigarettes, a magnifying glass, a ruler, a lockpicking tool, a geography book, a planner, a binder with papers wedged in it, a revolver, a folding cane, and more. A little farther away hung a telephone. Behind the bound, gray-haired boy, the vast darkness of night blacked out four windows. “Look at me. What’s wrong with this picture?” “Your hands and feet are tightly bound to the chair! I learned how to tie impossible knots just for this! It was quite enjoyable, really!” “I’d enjoy it more if you untied me.” “No can do!” “That’s not very hospitable of you. Normally, you pester me over and over with offers of tea and sweets.” “Well, we’re not in my laboratory! Besides, you hardly ever touch them. Do you remember when you last came to see me?” “…When was it again? I’ve been out of town for a while.” “Thirty-seven days ago! I told you I was going on a business trip to the capital, and you left in two minutes flat. Like, geez! Here I wanted to catch up while I had the chance!” The boy wasn’t quite beaten to a pulp, but he had certainly seen better days. His outfit was simple—a white shirt, suspenders, black trousers, all dirty, bloody, or both—and he was covered in small cuts. His hair was slightly long, brushing his neck, and his clothes were disheveled. Evidence of violence was etched across his exposed collarbone. He sighed, his lethargic, sullen face giving him the look of a haggard vagrant sprawled on the street. “This is the first time I’ve seen you like this. C’mon, gimme a show, Norman!” The blond flashed a wide smile. He laughed from the bottom of his heart with the radiance of the beau of the ball, despite how his fine-quality tailcoat clashed with the white lab coat he wore on top. “You have awful taste in clothing, Jim Adamworth.” “You’re the last person I want to hear that from, Norman Hamish.” Though Jim was supposedly interrogating Norman, the atmosphere was more like that of a casual chat at a roadside café. “What’s with that outfit anyway? Who wears a lab coat over a tailcoat?” “Whoa, you don’t get it, Norman?” Jim rose, dramatically flipping up the hem of his lab coat. “I’m famous in high society as a stylish dandy, you know! I have to question you for work, though, so I must look the part! I put in quite a bit of effort since you’re my friend. Of course, I am a researcher at heart! And for a researcher, looking the part means wearing a lab coat…!” “Are you familiar with the word ‘coordination’?” “Pfft…good grief. What a shame. Innovators like myself are doomed to be misunderstood…” “…” Through half-lidded eyes, Norman glanced at Jim, who’d sat back down and was muttering softly to himself. Jim paid him no mind and shrugged. “To be honest, as delightful as it is to see you tied up, it’s also distressing to think I’m putting my only friend through this, Norman.” “You say that after having your lackeys jump me, put a sack over my head, kidnap me, and truss me up?” “Yes… Oh, how this pains me so, Norman.” He nodded deeply, gravely, and slowly as he let the smile drop from his face. “But what can you do? That’s just the way the cookie crumbles, right, Norman?” “…Guess so.” Jim’s smile snapped back into place in an instant, while Norman looked as sullen as ever. The bound boy stared up at the ceiling. “Where are we?” “Heh… Do you really think I’d reveal the exact location after I went to the trouble of snatching you off the street? Just think of it as a suitable venue for a chat!” “…I guess it doesn’t really matter.” “Hmm, I wish you cared a little more, Norman…!” Jim clenched his fist, frustrated. “Anyhow!” He quickly switched gears. “Let’s hear it! It’s still my official duty to interrogate you on behalf of Cartesius, Norman.” “…For starters, can you stop ending every other sentence with my name?” “We’re here to talk about the Unlaw surrounding Bardium Walled City, Norman!” There was a smack, punctuated with a sigh from Jim. He crossed his legs and straightened out the collar of his lab coat, psyching himself up. “You’re aware that this city—Bardium—is walled in, right, Norman?” “That’s your starting point?” “Please don’t interrupt. Setting the mood is crucial for this kind of thing, Norman!” Jim asserted and tilted his head. “…You know, I’m getting a little sick of saying your name.” “Yeah, well, I’m sick of hearing it.” Norman shrugged, and Jim continued, deflated. “Norman, you’ve been in this city for a year and a half, so naturally, you see the wall every day—nearly a hundred meters tall and wrapping around the entire city. No one knows when it was built, but it’s been here for so long that no one even wonders why it’s there anymore. Ah…what was it you used to say?” “There’s no wind in this city.” “Yes, that! Rather poetic! Personally, I see it as a miniature garden—a miniature garden of Unlaw.” The aristocratic-looking boy leaned forward with a grin. “Unlaw!” He repeated the word with emphasis. “Unlaw, huh?” Norman muttered dismissively. It wasn’t the word itself but Jim’s enthusiasm that rubbed him the wrong way. “I’ve given some thought to how to begin here, but I guess it’s best to start from the beginning. What are Unlaw?” Jim spread his arms wide in a theatrical gesture. “Magic, miracles, illusions—we believe in them as children, but they don’t exist! “However!” The blond boy’s smile deepened. “There exist monsters that defy the very laws of this world—transforming them, deviating from them, and distorting them…!” “…” “As you know, I’m researching Unlaw!” “You’re also researching them, you mean?” “Ha-ha-ha! How about we save that for later? You might say Unlaw are like wizards, but they’re not the heartwarming sort you’d find in fairy tales… In fact, they’re the complete opposite!” Jim’s lecture was only just getting started. “They’re mad!” he declared. “They’re either mentally deranged to begin with, or perhaps they’ve been broken. Of course, there’s no shortage of people like that. But here in Bardium, there are those who awaken to strange, magic-like powers due to that mental instability and become monsters. We call them Unlaw!” “That’s a superficial explanation.” “Now, to the matter at hand.” Jim snapped his fingers and pointed at Norman. “You’re harboring Unlaw in this city despite being an agent of Cartesius, under direct supervision of the government! I want you to tell me about the incidents you witnessed. I’ll vet your story and report it to the higher-ups. Take a good look at the situation you’re in and know your place! “For starters…” Jim flung his arms wide. “There was disturbing the peace, then there was property damage, and now you’re suspected of betraying Cartesius!” “That’s not fair. I’ve been doing my duty. When my sister recruited me into Cartesius, I never imagined I’d end up like this… Well, maybe it crossed my mind, but I didn’t think it would actually happen. And not with you in charge of my interrogation.” “Who did you think it would be?” “My sister.” “Ha-ha-ha!” Cartesius. Like Jim had said, he, Norman, and Norman’s sister all belonged to the same organization, either as researchers or agents. “As you know, our role is to research, investigate, and respond to incidents involving the paranormal beings known as Unlaw—me as a researcher, and you and your sister as field agents.” Jim rose and grabbed a binder from the desk. “Given the threat they pose, Unlaw are supposed to be kept hidden. I mean, that’s a given. They’re fundamentally indistinguishable from humans, which makes them even more dangerous. That’s why Cartesius agents like you control and harness them.” He pulled out four documents from the binder with photos attached and arranged them before Norman on the table. “…” Norman narrowed his pale blue eyes and stared at them while Jim invoked their names. “Teardrop—Tear Blossom.” The first picture showed a girl wearing a silver hood, her yellow eyes refusing to meet the camera. Her gaze said she was uninterested, like she’d given up on the world. “Siriusflame—Hellhound.” The next one depicted a tall woman with long, blond hair, her head tilted, and a modest smile that seemed to be apologizing for even appearing in the photograph. “Enhancedia—Jewel.” A woman with brown skin and dark hair with a single streak of red in the bangs, wearing a fearless smile. She seemed to think of herself as the center of the universe. “Airystep—Fairy.” A girl with flaxen hair, winking and flashing a peace sign beneath her chin. Her smile said that no matter what happened in the world, she’d still be laughing. “That makes four—I want to hear about your pet monsters.” “They’re not monsters, they’re human beings.” Norman’s stormy blue gaze clashed with Jim’s brilliant gold. A shrill beep rang from the communicator. “…Ugh, what a buzzkill. Mind if I take that, Norman?”