Chapter 93

### The Night in the Capital City

After the sun had set and I finally finished the interrogation of the fake puchi Eri, I returned to the shop. I had beaten up the men, but since there were no injuries and multiple witnesses, my counterattack was considered justifiable self-defense.

The shop was closed, but when I used the key to enter, Edgar was there. He gave me a slight nod as soon as he saw me.

"Good work, Alec."

"I'm sorry to have kept you waiting. And I apologize for calling you here so suddenly. I really appreciate your help."

"No problem, it's nothing."

"So, you said you had something to tell me?"

At my words, Edgar looked around the empty shop before speaking.

"Those thugs earlier, they were low-level members of an underground organization."

"They're not ordinary people, I see."

"The boss of that organization, he has a statue of an evil god."

"Huh?"

I didn't understand and asked him to repeat it. Edgar's black eyes, hidden under his messy bangs, gleamed.

"I said I investigated the countries around here, and they have the statue of the evil god. And in the capital, there are three of them—one is Thomson."

"So, the counterfeit puchi Eri and the cultists are working together... or maybe they have the same roots?"

"Probably, they are. You catch on quickly. As expected of Alec."

"What about the last one?"

"It's the Medicis, the drug dealers."

"Drugs... are they connected?"

"I thought so too and investigated, but the underground organization and the drug dealers are not connected. They operate separately."

"They're targeting me—puchi Eri—separately? So, they have different motives but the same mastermind?"

The drug dealers targeting puchi Eri makes sense. If they can steal the formula, which isn't public, they can make it their own.

At my words, Edgar nodded.

"The mastermind is probably—"

"The creator of the evil god statue, the artist Scrall."

"Scrall might be one of the collaborators, but he's a mysterious figure."

"Then, should I go meet Scrall?"

"Ultimately, that's the only way."

"Ultimately? What do you mean?"

I voiced my question. Edgar shook his head and said,

"Not yet. It's not the right time."

"I see. If I leave the capital, the mastermind's henchmen will attack all at once, right?"

"Exactly, Alec. It's dangerous. We should strike after we've weakened them a bit."

"Right... what about the drug dealers?"

"They haven't moved yet."

"Then, let's start with the underground organization."

Edgar's eyes gleamed.

"I'll investigate all the members."

"Good... but if there's evidence to arrest them for other crimes, that would be helpful."

At my words, Edgar tilted his head.

"Other than puchi Eri?"

"Preferably, if we can prove they're cultists... with the statue, we can raid them for the crime of worshiping the evil god. We can involve the church as well as the royal knights. Thomson was a coincidence, but we can make it a certainty."

"Got it! That's a good plan! I'll investigate."

"Thanks."

Edgar left the shop with a casual tone but a brisk movement.

### The Quiet Shop

As the shop became quiet, I walked to the entrance, locked the door, and sighed.

"This is getting complicated..."

The underground organization probably does illegal things, so finding evidence shouldn't be too hard. The problem is the drug dealers. I don't want to be on the back foot, but if they hide the evidence cleverly, it will be hard to catch them.

—If they were monsters, I could just charge into their lair and cut them down without any trouble. Dealing with humans is a hassle.

Feeling a bit tired, I shook my head and headed to the back of the shop, where the dungeon entrance was.

### ◇ ◇ ◇

While walking through Kou's dungeon towards the mansion, I saw Lanna, the girl with the holy white dragon, in a square along the way. She spotted me and ran over.

"Rek, rek! Kyai!"

Her white hair fluttered as she pounced on me with great speed. I stepped back a bit and firmly held her small body.

"Good job. Did you guard the dungeon today?"

"Kui! Mama!"

"Hmm? Oh, you also guarded the garden of the house where Mirene lives. Good job."

I stroked her head, and Lanna smiled.

Then Teti arrived.

"Welcome back, Alec! What happened with the fake puchi Eri?"

"Ah, it's been stopped from being sold. The two of them will go to jail for a lot of other crimes besides insulting the king."

"That's great! The Crown Seal is amazing! Now we can be at ease!"

"…Not yet. So, Teti, don't go out alone."

"Eh?"

"Lanna, you too. Always be with someone."

"O-Okay, I got it." "Kui!"

Teti nodded seriously, and Lanna nodded with determination.

—There's a risk of being kidnapped. We need to be careful.

The atmosphere became serious, so I laughed to lighten the mood.

"Let's have dinner, then."

"Okay!" "Kyai!"

I held hands with the two girls and headed to the mansion.

### ◇ ◇ ◇

Before dinner, I took Lillith to the garden. The angel spread her white wings and held out her hands.

"—Detect dark magic."

A white wave spread out like ripples and disappeared into the surrounding forest.

After a while, Lillith lowered her hands and relaxed her pose.

"There are no holy beasts in the forest except for wild boars."

"Okay. Please check in the morning and evening in case any appear suddenly."

"Understood, Master. I want to help any poor creatures like Spica as soon as possible."

Lillith folded her white wings and nodded. Then a voice came from under our feet.

"Good evening, Master Alec."

Looking down, I saw Spica, the white rabbit Almiraj. Her white fur was clean and fluffy.

"When did you—"

"I was in the stable just a moment ago."

I and Lillith squatted down to talk to her. Spica stood on her hind legs and puffed out her chest proudly.

"Listen, Alec. I can move both quickly and slowly now."

"Really? Quickly and slowly?"

"Like this~"

As soon as she finished speaking slowly, Spica's form blurred. She appeared all over the garden, fields, and fences.

She was creating afterimages by alternating between high-speed movement and stopping. The proof was the wind and leaves swirling around.

"Wow! That's amazing, Spica. You're truly a holy beast."

"I'm glad Spica is doing well."

At Lillith's words, I nodded.

"No one can catch her now."

"Even you, Alec?"

"No way. She's too fast. Amazing."

"Yay, I got a compliment~"

Spica wiggled her horn and created afterimages in joy.

—Hmm. This speed could be useful.

"Spica, can I ask you something?"

I held out my palms, and Spica quickly hopped onto them. Her white fur was longer and softer than I imagined. She seemed to have grown a bit since the first day, but she was still small.

She tilted her head on my palms. Except for the horn, she looked like a regular rabbit. So cute.

"What is it?"

"Can you use your speed to patrol the forest?"

"Yes, I can~"

"Can you patrol a few times a day and check if there are any humans or suspicious people around the mansion? If you find anyone, don't get close and immediately inform Mirene. Also, be careful of wild boars. Can you do that?"

"Okay! I'll do my best~"

She spoke slowly but her big black eyes sparkled.

"Don't overdo it. But I'm glad you're doing well."

Lillith stroked Spica's back and smiled.

"You're eating well, too, I see."

"Yes, Mama's milk and puchi Eri~. The fruits are delicious~. This might be heaven~"

"Are you getting along with everyone?"

"Shiell and Teti are very kind~"

Spica narrowed her eyes and smiled. Lillith smiled back warmly.

After checking on the other holy beasts, we returned to the mansion for dinner. I would ask them if anything happened while I was away.

Thank you for the bookmarks and ★ ratings!

The next chapter will be updated soon.

→ 94. A Noisy Dinner