Chapter 11

Interval Two “Hmm… So, the Hellhound… You’re fine with a carnivore like that licking her chops in front of you?” “Men like to flirt with danger, you know.” “But actual, physical danger? That close?!” Norman nodded slowly, making it impossible to tell how serious he was. Jim recoiled. He distanced himself slightly, reviewing the case file. “Hmm. Not bad for an incident caused by a Category Two. Getting off with only five dead is great. The real issue is the complaints from those antique-obsessed nobles, the city’s big spenders. That distinguished noble you mentioned, Blount Byron, was quite accomplished. I’ve bought furniture from him a few times before.” Jim continued monologuing. “Thanks to that roar of hers, the commonfolk are terrified there’s some kind of beast out there. The rumors that already existed were only intensified by the slasher, and now the mysterious roar. It’s another useless urban legend in the making. That’s a real problem for Cartesius and its efforts to keep the existence of Unlaw hidden.” “That’s none of my business. Cleanup falls under my sister’s jurisdiction.” “What a shame! The field agents always get stuck holding the bag, Norman!” “…” Norman sighed as Jim’s enthusiasm increased. “Now then. ‘Canonical Five,’ huh? It doesn’t follow Cartesius’s naming style, but it’s not bad. I guess we’ll call her ‘the Ripper.’ A twisted sense of justice born from a damaged psyche. The warped expression of someone oppressed. Well, it’s par for the course. The claws are plain but practical. They’d especially have lots of practical applications for a prostitute.” Jim glanced at Norman to gauge his reaction, but his smile had faded, and he now slumped listlessly in his chair. “Oh?” Jim nodded and continued. “As you know, the weakest Unlaw we can use are Category Twos. Even if they’re provisional, those with stabilized powers and poor mental states are nothing to sneeze at. We can give them orders, at least. Whether they obey or not is up to them.” “That doesn’t sound great.” “Precisely!” Jim shouted, throwing his arms open. “That’s exactly why Cartesius prefers Category Three Unlaw whenever possible! They’re more useful than Category Two, but honestly, they’re unreliable. You might be able to nudge them a little, but Category Three is the real deal!” “You’re really fired up.” “Of course I am! At Category Three, you’re really cooking with gas! When their minds and abilities are stabilized, their powers can be used in manifold ways. Range extension, designated targets, and more. An incident caused by a Category Three is in a whole different league from that of a lower Category.” Norman recalled the visions of the past and future from Shizuku’s Echo Howling and Eltiel’s capability for human speech in her black dog canine form and her blast roar—both flexible applications of their Category Three abilities. Jim’s enthusiasm and ramblings were annoying, but the man knew what he was talking about. “Lo and behold, a Category Three Unlaw appears, which caused your third case, the phantom thief incident. As a result, many valuables were stolen across Bardium, and the damage caused the Bardium Museum to close. That, of course, is one of the reasons you ended up here being interrogated by yours truly.” “Uh-huh…” “Don’t you think the scale of these incidents has gotten bigger than a little street slasher rumor? We’re already shorthanded, what with our agents mysteriously dying and disappearing lately. How do you explain that?” “It was bound to happen.” “Ha-ha-ha! That’s exactly what a guilty man would say! All right then, Norman, moving on to our next topic, the phantom thief who appeared in the city! How did you face them? How did you, bearing your Jewel, frolic with that rogue?” In response, Norman flexed his hands against their bindings several times. They remained in place, of course. “Frolic, huh? Funny you should say that.” Because— “This is a tale about youth.”