Chapter 4

The long-haired man—Samuel—picked up a worn-out bag from the floor, took out a few sheets of paper and a slender piece of lead, and placed them on the table. He pushed the hair that had fallen over his face behind his ear, revealing a surprisingly young face.

"I will ask you about Quintus's facial features, part by part, and I want you to describe them in as much detail as you can remember."

As Baker and I began our questioning, Samuel held the lead between his fingers and began to draw on the paper. His movements were fluid and confident, a stark contrast to his earlier suspicious behavior.

I have always admired creators. My feelings border on envy. I think Eli, who designs clothes, and Mash, who composes music, are amazing, but I also envy their talent. They create something from nothing, rather than building on theories. They are almost god-like. How divine it is to see an artist create a work of art!

He drew several candidates for each part, and I chose the one that most closely resembled Quintus. We repeated this process, gradually bringing the image closer to the real thing. It felt like a strange conversation through words and pictures.

"According to a certain graduate student, Quintus had unusual eye color. The student was on stage, so they could clearly see the eye color. When I spoke to you earlier, Roy, you didn't mention anything about his eye color. Have you noticed anything about that?"

Baker, who had been watching Samuel draw, casually spoke up. I had been in the audience the whole time, so I hadn't seen Quintus's eye color clearly.

Unusual eye color—my memory of the first time I encountered Quintus, during the summer break of elementary school, came back. When Quintus passed by after being repelled by my father, our eyes met for a moment, and I remember thinking his eyes had an unusual color. I couldn't have recognized the eye color of someone moving at such incredible speed, so I had always assumed it was just a reflection from the sun or something. But was it just an illusion?

"---Gold"

When our eyes met, I thought Quintus's eyes were like those of a golden reptile. Golden eyes—this phrase seemed familiar, but where had I heard it? I tried to recall the memory, but just as I was about to remember, Baker's voice pulled me back to reality.

"Gold, you say? I see, I see. That matches the testimony. This is interesting."

"Interesting? What do you mean?"

"Well, there was an unexpected match with the information we obtained here."

"You're being mysterious."

I tried to indirectly get him to reveal the information, but Baker only smiled.

Turning my attention back to Samuel, the sketch was nearly complete. I had thought it would be a difficult task to align images with such vague memories, especially with someone as difficult to communicate with as Samuel, but thanks to his exceptional talent, the sketch on the paper perfectly captured the Quintus in my memory.

"So, how will this drawing help in the search for Quintus?"

I asked Baker.

"We will reproduce the drawing using lithography and distribute it among the patrol officers to make Quintus's face known."

Lithography—wasn't that the name of the latest printing technology?

"Will that be enough to find Quintus?"

No matter how skilled they are, the organization is still in its developmental stage. Even if all the officers memorize Quintus's face, I doubt they could find him. Even in the 21st century on Earth, where science has advanced, finding a fugitive who has gone into hiding is extremely difficult.

"---Yes, it will be difficult."

Baker sighed, looking unusually discouraged.

"Why not try selling the sketch to 'Alchem Street Journal'? If it's published in a newspaper or magazine, we can use the citizens to search for him, and it might help bring him out into the open."

"That's a good point. It's worth considering. Personally, I don't trust that publisher, though."

Abagnail, who had been sitting in a chair looking at Samuel's drawing, stared at Baker in shock.

"Why not, Inspector! 'Street Journal' is a treasure trove of information. You're missing out if you don't read it. You should definitely buy it."

"I didn't say I don't read it, Abagnail. It's just that the information you get can vary depending on the perspective."

"Ah, I see... I guess that's true, but..."

Abagnail, a devoted reader of 'Alchem Street Journal,' seemed unconvinced by Baker's lack of trust. Given its high circulation in the capital, it likely has many fans like Abagnail.

On the other hand, Baker, whether due to his profession or his nature, is quite suspicious. In a world where information literacy is underdeveloped, there are few people who can approach information with the same level of skepticism as Baker. I wonder what he did before joining the patrol force.

"That place seems to have strong nationalism. A more neutral option would be 'Facade.'"

I mentioned my favorite publisher.

"Ah, that's a good choice! Roy, you have a good eye."

Baker said happily.

"You seem to enjoy reading it too, Inspector Baker."

"Yes, it's the most balanced publisher."

"Exactly. The lack of visible emotion in the journalists is excellent."

"Their writing is so detached and focused on delivering information, it's almost mesmerizing."

The last time I met Baker, I thought he was a nasty detective who interrogated me relentlessly, but we unexpectedly found common ground.

"Hey, you two? Weren't we talking about putting Quintus's face in the newspaper?"

Abagnail interrupted our newspaper discussion, clearly upset at being left out. Reluctantly, we returned to the topic of Quintus.

"While I suggested it, there's a risk that if the sketch is found by Quintus, he might become more cautious, making it counterproductive. It's doubtful that a brute like him reads newspapers or magazines."

Killing a researcher means robbing humanity of both the wisdom accumulated so far and the technology that will be created in the future. It's not something a cultured person could do.

"Well, that's debatable. The readers of newspapers and magazines are usually nobles or citizens with some economic means, but given that we don't know Quintus's social position, it's premature to rule it out. I can't imagine Quintus reading a newspaper, but how he's supporting himself in hiding is a mystery."

Baker folded his arms and pondered.

"Probably a day laborer."

Abagnail said lightly. Months have passed since the incident, and it seems the investigation into Quintus has made no progress.

"Have you narrowed down the suspects yet?"

"---Unfortunately, no. We investigated the university and its students, given that the lecture at Alchem University was targeted, but we found no leads."

"Who else could have access to information about the lecture?"

"One of the coffee houses on Alchem Street had the lecture flyer, and it was also mentioned in a well-known academic journal. We've been conducting inquiries at the coffee house, but since the lecture wasn't particularly confidential, it's difficult to narrow down the suspects."

"I see. What about the other victims in the reception hall incident? That mass murder was an exception among Quintus's crimes. Up until then, his modus operandi was to leave victims alive but with their limbs severed."

"We've tried to get as much information as possible from the noble victims, but they all say they don't know why they were targeted. I have a feeling they're hiding something, though. Just a hunch."

If Baker's hunch is correct, the victims must have some idea why they were targeted. But if no one is willing to speak up, there's nothing we can do.

It seems we have no choice but to rely on the sketch. If we could track the culprit with surveillance cameras, it would be a different story. In such moments, I truly appreciate the power of science. Given Quintus's speed, it would be difficult to catch him in the act, so the best we can do is follow his footprints—footprints?

That's it. I already have the perfect technology to track Quintus!

"Hmm? What's the matter?"

Baker tilted his head in confusion, probably because I had been staring at him absentmindedly.

"---We might be able to pinpoint Quintus's location."