novelraw Chapter 25 : Chapter 25
Chapter 25 : Chapter 25
Chapter 25: Questions
"Son of a...!"
Cursing incessantly, Ered couldn't contain his fury.
At the moment he had entered the prison's main gate and when the alarm had sounded immediately after—at that point, his distance from Spark must have been only a few meters.
He had lost him right under his nose.
'How much must that bastard have been laughing at me in his head?'
Rage boiled within him.
He hurriedly left the prison and ran toward the pier like a madman.
'...Dammit.'
The Waverunner was nowhere to be seen.
In its place, he saw bodies in military uniforms floating helplessly upon the pitch-black sea.
His gaze fixed on one corpse staring at the night sky with hollow eyes.
It was the rookie who had looked at Ered with such admiration.
'Again, in this manner....'
He clutched his throbbing forehead.
'Spark left on the Waverunner we came in.'
Alkaz Island was a remote place with few visitors.
While a ferry operated regularly for shifting guards and visitors, it only came once every three days.
There was no time to sit around and wait.
Shamed as he was, he had no choice but to request assistance.
-Calling me at this late hour... I should interpret that as you being in trouble, shouldn't I?
As soon as Ered made the call, Jinfre hit the nail on the head.
Ered couldn't even lift his head.
He felt so ashamed of his past self who had blamed the Warden and officials for their incompetence.
"Actually...."
He explained the whole story to Jinfre.
-Invisibility. That is quite a bothersome ability. Well, discovering the specific timeframe of the escape isn't without merit. Though, of course, the best outcome would have been catching them before they left the island.
Jinfre's last sentence stuck in his chest like a fishbone.
He couldn't tell if the man was comforting him or mocking him.
Of course, Ered wasn't in a position to demand clarification.
-I've sent a separate vessel, so it will arrive there soon. I'll send support troops to the trade port area. Though at this hour, there's a high probability they've already disembarked.
Just as Ered was about to end the transmission after finishing his humiliating report.
-Wait a moment.
Jinfre's voice held him back.
-I'm told the autopsy results for Chief Justice Ivad and his grandson Joffrey just came out. I want you to check them.
Even if Jinfre sent a boat immediately, it would take hours.
'It’s too late to join the search at the trade port. He's telling me to investigate something else in the meantime.'
Jinfre's command was perfectly rational.
Nonetheless, Ered couldn't help but feel a lingering sense of unease—the feeling of being moved one step away from the center of the investigation.
Anyone can make a mistake.
Humans are no different.
But a Prominence is not human.
For a Prominence, mistakes are not permitted.
He had to make up for it somehow.
'I must catch Spark. With my own hands.'
***
Ered eventually returned to the trade port after many twists and turns.
The search forces at the port were fewer than expected.
It likely meant the search of that sector was already finished.
The lack of news was proof that Spark had not been caught.
"Isel. Find the identity and location of Ekano's family immediately."
According to Manu's testimony, Ekano missed his wife.
There was a possibility that Ekano, having successfully escaped, would seek out his family.
From Spark's perspective, having escaped Alkaz, Ekano was merely a chess piece that had served its purpose.
'Spark has no reason to continue traveling with Ekano.'
In fact, moving separately would be the wise move to disperse the attention of the pursuers.
Ekano was in a completely different, lower league compared to Spark and the invisible man.
A comparison would be an insult.
Conversely, that meant he would be much easier to arrest.
'If I catch Ekano, I might be able to find Spark's whereabouts.'
Of course, the probability was slim that the cautious Spark would have blabbered his escape plan to Ekano.
However, now was the time to grasp at even a straw.
"Will you be moving alone?"
"Yes."
Ered answered Isel's question briefly.
Every second was precious.
For now, it was more efficient to split up.
"Understood."
She followed the instruction without another word.
"Then...."
"Ered."
She stopped him mid-way.
"I am sorry I was of no help earlier."
Isel's expression was poor.
She seemed frustrated at missing Spark right in front of them.
It was an unusual sight, as she had always maintained her composure.
"That is an unnecessary apology."
"...Pardon?"
"This was a mission given to me. Therefore, the fault is also mine. There is no reason for you, who were merely an assistant, to feel responsibility."
Contrary to Ered's intention, his words came out cold.
...He admitted he was poor at expressing emotions.
It wasn't on purpose.
'This too must be a disadvantage of being a Prominence.'
Sadness, fear, compassion....
He had worked hard to exclude unnecessary emotions.
That was also the teaching of the instructors.
"Ah."
Isel's eyes widened slightly.
He felt a slight agitation from her.
'It seems I've unintentionally wounded her feelings.'
Isel was usually expressionless, but that didn't mean her heart was the same.
She was human, after all.
She could be hurt.
'...It doesn't matter. I didn't become a Prominence to build friendships with coworkers.'
Just as Ered dismissed it as such.
A subtle curve formed on Isel's lips before disappearing again.
"Thank you for the consideration, Ered. I will begin the investigation at once."
Isel turned immediately and ran in the opposite direction.
Soon, her figure vanished from sight.
'Was she not hurt by my words?'
Ered tilted his head.
Far from being hurt, she seemed, if anything, grateful.
"...Consideration?"
He felt strangely annoyed by a pebble lying on the ground and kicked it away.
***
Two naked corpses lay side-by-side, staring at the ceiling.
An old man and a youth.
Chief Justice Ivad Wiga and Joffrey.
'So it came to this.'
Ered gazed at the two corpses with a complicated heart.
Joffrey was one thing, but to think even the Chief Justice was being toyed with by the Unnormal.
They were playing on a larger stage than he thought.
"The definitive cause of death for both bodies is a gunshot wound to the head."
The medical examiner pointed to the body parts in turn.
Ivad had a hole in his forehead, and Joffrey between his eyes.
Though the locations of the wounds were slightly different, it didn't seem like a significant point.
"These are presumed to be the final traumas that caused fatal injuries. However...."
"However?"
"One question remains."
The medical examiner's brow narrowed.
"It is almost identical to a gunshot wound, but no gunpowder residue was found on the bodies."
Certainly, from a medical examiner's perspective, it was suspicious.
There are no guns that don't use gunpowder.
'It’s not a gunshot wound.'
It was a 'Wind Gun'.
The Unnormal who manipulated wind freely.
'The culprit is definitely that guy.'
He recalled the ability of the man who fired compressed wind as if it were a machine gun.
Ivad and Joffrey.
The two dead men were scheduled for a public trial.
Even if they were blackmailed by the Unnormal, it was a fact that a high-ranking noble family had cooperated with a criminal group.
It would have been a trial that drew the full attention of the Imperial citizens.
'In all likelihood, they wouldn't have escaped execution.'
Yet, the Unnormal went out of their way to find and eliminate them.
Because they wanted to kill them with their own hands?
Or to flaunt that their power stood above the law?
'Is that really the only reason?'
Joffrey had tried to tell Ered the truth about Spark.
In other words, he betrayed Spark.
If the goal was punishing a traitor, Spark would have murdered Ivad and Joffrey more brutally.
Very painfully.
So that they would bitterly regret their betrayal.
That would have served as a proper example.
It was the same even if the intent was to flaunt power.
The more gruesome the state of the corpses, the more effectively they could have imprinted the existence of the Unnormal upon the public.
'Spark is a guy more than capable of doing that. He's a crazy psychopath.'
But he didn't.
Spark granted the two of them a clean death.
With their heads pierced in a single shot, the pain would have lasted only a moment.
'Why show such mercy?'
It made no sense.
He had reached a dead end.
'My head is throbbing.'
Ered irritably tapped his forehead with his palm.
If he had known it would be like this, he would have studied his criminal psychology lectures at Redstone more diligently.
'...Wait.'
Double Time is not an ability that improves combat power itself, but one that draws out high-level concentration.
There was no reason to use Double Time only during combat.
'Focus. Let's focus.'
He repeated the words internally.
This was currently the most intuitive trigger.
During his three-day leave, he had been practicing the trigger Jinfre told him about whenever he had a spare moment.
Though he was still far from the level of activating the trigger with a simple snap of the fingers like Jinfre.
'There.'
His time began to flow slower.
'Let's retrace everything.'
Why did the Unnormal deal with Chief Justice Ivad and Joffrey quickly and without pain?
As if they were pressed for time....
'...Pressed for time?'
Was there a reason they had no choice but to eliminate the two in a hurry?
'They didn't want them to stand trial?'
Ivad was the Chief Justice.
The trial would have inevitably been intense.
A man in judicial robes had backstabbed the Empire.
All sorts of conspiracy theories would have popped up in the process.
With so many eyes watching, the judges wouldn't have been able to show consideration for Ivad, their senior.
They would have had to push him even more mercilessly than usual.
Of course, Ivad wouldn't have sat still.
He would have struggled desperately for his and his grandson's survival.
It was highly probable that Ivad would have tried to trade using all the information and secrets he knew.
'The Unnormal didn't want that.'
In other words, they wanted whatever secrets Ivad and Joffrey held to be taken to the grave.
'For now, this is all I can figure out.'
Ered stepped out of Double Time.
'Trigger.'
It was quite useful.
It seemed it would be helpful in various situations, not just combat.
"Um, are you alright...?"
The medical examiner asked Ered cautiously.
He had been so focused he had briefly forgotten the examiner's presence.
"The cause of death for both is a gunshot wound to the head. However, no gunpowder residue was found. Is that all for the autopsy results?"
"I don't know if this information will help the investigation, but...."
The medical examiner scratched his head and spoke.
"While there are no gunpowder marks or combustion residue around the wounds, looking at the skin rupture and tissue damage, it is estimated that they were fired from a very close range."
"Close?"
"Yes. At most, the firing distance wouldn't have exceeded 3 meters."
Which means they were killed almost face-to-face?
Something is strange.
Weren't they sniped safely from a long distance?
'There were no witnesses to this murder.'
The bodies were merely discovered later.
It means the culprit committed the perfect murder and then leisurely left the scene.
Among the Unnormal, there is someone capable of such a stealthy murder.
The damn invisible man.
'But that guy was hunkered down at Alkaz Prison since the day before the two were murdered?'
Conversely, this murder occurred at the same time as Spark's prison break.
In other words, it means the invisible man physically could not have been involved in the two murders.
'They broke through a thorough surveillance network just to approach within 3 meters and kill them?'
Even granting that it was possible, there were no witnesses?
'Who was responsible for their security?'
Who was it that stood by and let things reach this state?
Were they merely incompetent?
'...That can't be.'
It was a point just before the public trial of a Chief Justice.
There's no way someone incompetent was responsible for the Chief Justice's safety.
'Is there another guy in the Unnormal group with a stealthy ability like the invisible man? Did he help the Wind Gun?'
...Even if there were, is there a reason to approach within 3 meters to use a Wind Gun?
It would make the sound of wind?
Besides, why would the Wind Gun, capable of long-range attacks, assassinate from close range?
It’s an unnecessary act.
'Perhaps....'
The dead Chief Justice and Joffrey aren't the end.
There might be more collaborators of the Unnormal.
***
-An interesting deduction.
After hearing Ered's reasoning, Jinfre calmly stated his impression.
-Though, as you said, it is still merely a deduction. There are no direct clues.
"I believe the outline will become clear if we interrogate the security officer who was responsible for the safety of the two deceased."
-I agree. Proceed.
Immediately after finishing the transmission with Jinfre, his communicator rang again.
-Ered.
It's Isel.
-I've found the location of Ekano Little's family.
"Where is it?"
Ered carved the address Isel gave him into his mind and left the autopsy room.
Time had moved from late evening, through the night, and into the early dawn.
The mission was still ongoing.
'Perhaps the real start is from now.'
Despite the late hour, pedestrians were still plenty in the bustling district.
Drunken people with reddened cheeks were staggering and chatting noisily.
It was a common sight in the downtown area.
Thump.
While walking the street, someone bumped shoulders with Ered.
Ered had been so deep in thought he hadn't noticed someone approaching from the opposite side.
"...I'm sorry."
The other party apologized to Ered first.
A heavy male voice.
A metallic sound like nails scratching a blackboard.
After a brief apology with a slight tilt of the head, he moved away quickly.
It was so sudden that Ered couldn't even complain.
Though it was only for a moment, the man's appearance remained in Ered's memory.
Eyes that lacked focus as if he were dazed.
He was the owner of parched skin, like someone who hadn't slept for several nights.
The tracks of dried tears were clear on the man's cheeks.
His bloodless lips were firmly shut.
Whatever it was, he looked to have had a damn hard day.
"……."
The man's voice strangely grated on Ered's nerves.
Not simply because the tone was unpleasant.
It felt like... I've heard it somewhere before....
'...Wait.'
Ered stopped walking.
A name suddenly came to mind.
'Sailo Wiga. The company commander I met on the front lines.'
He was quite broken compared to back then, but it was undoubtedly his voice.
It hadn't even been half a year since he parted ways with him on the front.
Sailo's family had fallen, and his father and only son had been murdered.
His life had turned into an utter hell.
The face of Sailo he had briefly encountered looked ten years older than at that time.
Perhaps that was why he hadn't recognized him immediately.
The face of Sailo, who had smiled contentedly while thinking of his child, rose in Ered's mind.
'Is he being pursued?'
By now, he must have become a target of the Empire's pursuit.
He looked back in the direction Sailo had gone.
Sailo, buried within the crowd, was nowhere to be found.