“Thanks so much. I needed transportation!”
“‘Let’s take a drive,’ my ass.”
Rogue spun the wheel, feeling the vein on his forehead throb.
“Am I bothering you? By way of apology, you may ask one question. Anything you like. My childhood nickname? What I do with my free time? Anything at all.”
“……Will you actually answer?”
He was tempted to ask if she planned to commit any crimes—whether she really had nothing to do with this case. Her words had caught him off guard and were sending ripples through his mind.
But the witch was seemingly unconcerned.
“This is a rare opportunity. Seize it!”
The knot in his stomach tightened.
This was something he had to know. But he was hesitant to ask.
He waffled for ten seconds, maybe twenty.
“……What made you think it was worth dying to get the collar off?” he asked.
“Hmm.”
Miseria put a hand to her chin.
“Is that really what you want to ask?”
“……It is.”
“I expected something more compelling, but very well. You shall have your answer. Namely—”
“Namely?”
He gulped.
The witch offered a faint smile.
“—I’m looking for someone,” she said. “Outside the empire. If they were inside the borders, I could check in on them with the collar on, but this is the last place they’d ever be. My only option was to go to them. That’s why I ditched the collar.”
This was a bit of a relief.
He’d really been tensed up. He had a death grip on the wheel, and his right arm was feeling the strain. He pried off his fingers, opening and closing his right hand, easing that tension.
“What’s that about?” she asked.
“……Never you mind.”
“I expected a more dramatic reaction. Emotional waterworks.”
She shook her head.
“My eyes are dry as a bone.”
“That’s the problem! Oh, you can drop me off here.”
She was pointing at the entrance to a public park. It was the one green strip that ran across the heart of the city.
Is she sleeping there?
He gave her an alarmed look, and she scoffed. “Of course not. What do you take me for, a barbarian?”
“Well…I wouldn’t put it past you.”
“I would never!” Miseria cried. “If I can’t have a warm bed, I’d rather not sleep at all!”
He pulled over and stopped the car, and she got out, still shaking her head.
“So where are you staying?” Rogue asked, before she shut the door.
“What’s it to you? Oh, have we not talked enough?” She paused, grinning.
He made a strangled noise.
“Ha-ha-ha, you have work on your plate, Rogue. This is quite enough for one night. I’m afraid I already have a place to stay.”
She waved at him through the window.
“Good night, Rogue.”
She vanished, melting into the night. He squinted but had no clue which way she’d gone. Her disappearance was so thorough, it felt like she must have cast a spell.
He closed the door and settled back into the seat, then thumped his head on the steering wheel. He felt utterly drained. A lot had happened that day. Too much.
Maybe he should just sleep here.
That thought drifted across his mind and soon vanished. It wasn’t a good idea by any standard. He was about to start the engine…
…when two figures crossed the road in front of him.
His headlights picked them out. A woman in a suit, and a knight in armor. The sight of them banished all drowsiness. Why were the witch hunters here? His eyes lit on the greatsword, which he’d barely dodged the day before.
Should he just drive away? But then the suit spoke to the knight, who stopped. The woman turned toward him, bowing.
“Hello, Detective Rogue. How goes things?”
Auroch of the Headtaker Corps kept her hands visible, indicating she was not here for a fight.
That left him with no choice.
He cracked open the side window.
“……What do you want, Auroch?”
“So hostile. Who was your companion?” She grinned.
“What’s it to you?”
He kept a straight face. Miseria had on a disguise the whole time with her back to them, and she’d only faced their way for an instant.
“Just curious who the famous detective associates with.”
“Friends.”
“You seemed awfully close,” Auroch insisted.
“Do you gotta dig into everyone’s business?”
The headhunter shook her head.
“No, not my intent at all. I simply spotted you here…but this is such a busy area. I’ve been walking around here all day, and it’s left my ears ringing.”
“……Never been to Elayl before?”
“Not often. Our work mainly involves guarding VIPs. Which means we have few opportunities to frequent areas like this one.”
Noble dwellings were likely paradise compared with the squalor of the city. Yet he was not inclined to ever frequent them.
He looked past Auroch to the knight.
“Shocked your assistant can work as a bodyguard.”
She let out a dry chuckle.
“He’s certainly earned your ire. As long as witches aren’t involved, he’s very professional. Although, perhaps guard work isn’t his best suit.”
Even she knew it.
She shrugged, pushing her glasses up her nose.
“For sheer might alone, no one in the empire is his match. He’s likely in the running in the worldwide standings, too. Heh-heh, he was born into the wrong era. In the age of the witches, he’d have had a very different life. A fruitless speculation, but one I can’t help but indulge.”
Before Rogue knew it, he was blurting, “No human could ever beat one of them.”
Auroch nodded, not looking the least bit put out.
“It is but conjecture. I would certainly like to wipe them out, but that’s easier said than done. However, the corps as a whole is another matter.”
She didn’t bat an eye—is she that confident in the power of these magic swords? Or does she know something I don’t?
“I do pardon the interruption, Detective Rogue. Let us wish each other the best of luck.”
Auroch bowed her head.
“……”
She must not have expected an answer—she turned on her heel. The knight stood perfectly still a moment longer, glaring him down.
What?
“We’re leaving,” Auroch called. “Come.”
Only then did the knight budge. All that armor must weigh a ton, but his footsteps made no sound.