Volume 7 Chapter 7 Chester Ville
As the night grew denser, like a living thing, the town fell silent, as if it had died.
A lone man walked through the streets, scowling at the town's stench, his shoes making a scraping sound with every step, like a cat's claws on a chalkboard.
"Hey!"
"A-ah, I apologize, Commander Chester Ville!"
The inquisitors standing in his way hastily saluted and stepped aside.
The man accepted this as a matter of course.
Chester Ville.
He was the young man who stood at the top of the inquisitors in the Ravenyard district. If someone displeased him, even an inquisitor's head wouldn't be safe. In this town, no one dared to defy Chester Ville.
Or rather...no one had, until now.
"Phantom..."
As he recalled that name, Chester gritted his teeth in frustration.
Phantom――it was an existence that had recently appeared in Ravenyard.
According to the investigation...at night, it would suddenly appear like a crow, and steal cursed equipment from the citizens, playing the hero.
Its purpose was unknown, but it seemed to be mimicking the inquisitors. It didn't use the cursed equipment for evil, and instead, seemed to be judging the "cursed" in place of the inquisitors.
If the cursed equipment disappeared, the town would certainly become peaceful.
At first glance, it seemed to align with the inquisitors' goals.
But that was no good. Just making the cursed equipment disappear wasn't enough...
"Damn...damn it..."
He couldn't help but recall the scene from earlier with the phantom.
He had finally managed to catch up to the phantom. Just a little more, and he could have caught them.
But the phantom had escaped, 'terrified' of Chester's equipment.
That was proof that Chester's strength surpassed the phantom thief's.
If he could just have a proper fight with the phantom, he would have brought their head back as a trophy by now.
But thanks to his incompetent subordinates, they had escaped.
...only 2 weeks left until the Memorial Festival.
Thet have to hunt down the Phantom before then, or else the 'entire plan' will fall apart.
Chester was pacing back and forth, biting his fingers in frustration.
"Commander"
A businesslike woman's voice came from behind him.
It was Vice-Commander Roreis Vallet.
With an expression as cold as iron, devoid of emotions, she stood at attention. Due to her duties, her arm was bandaged, with bloodstains seeping through the sleeve.
A serious and diligent worker, that was Chester's evaluation of her.
"What's the result of the investigation?"
"Ah, yes... it seems that the cursed equipment was indeed stolen."
"Stolen, you say... hmm, what kind of trickery are they using?"
Chester dismissed the idea of the cursed equipment being stolen.
It was impossible. The cursed equipment was absolute truth created by God.
There must be some kind of trick involved, but it was a trivial matter.
"Is there any other information?"
"There is, but..."
Roreis hesitated, which was rare.
"Speak up. This is an order."
"...ah, yes..."
Roreis straightened her posture, looking intimidated, and reported.
"According to the testimonies of nearby residents, a girl's voice was heard at the scene of the crime."
"Hmm"
This was valuable information. Yes, this was what he had been looking for.
Chester leaned forward slightly.
"What kind of voice was it?"
"...it was a loud laugh."
"What?"
"It seems the girl was laughing loudly."
"Why?"
"That's unknown."
Was there something that funny?
"And 2 phrases were heard as well."
"What were they?"
"'Ram wants a pat too'... and 'The tension was too high'."
"Hmm"
Chester stroked his chin, deep in thought.
"Does that ring any bells?"
"I think so..."
He blurted it out without thinking.
Ram wants a pat too? The tension was too high?
...it made no sense at all.
No way, he can barely understand the meaning of the words. However, he doesn't think it's just a straightforward meaning. At the very least, it's not something they'd shout out loud during a crime.
That "Phantom" business must have some kind of meaning.
"Maybe it's a code or something."
"Is that so...?"
It seems like they were exchanging messages with their friends, making it look like casual conversation.
This is crucial information that leads to the Phantom. No mistake about it.
"Heheh... the Phantom has finally shown its tail."
The Phantom, always slipping away with a smirk.
No matter how hard he chases, no matter how far he stretch out his hand, they vanish like a mist. With their raven-like mask and cloak that blends into the darkness, he can't even make out their features.
It's just like a real raven.
But this futile game of cat and mouse will soon come to an end.
"Roreis, investigate 'Ram' and 'Tension was too high' for me. Make it quick."
"Yes, sir!"
Roreis salutes and gives orders to her waiting subordinate.
Meanwhile, Chester lets out a confident laugh.
"――I won't let you get in the way anymore, Phantom!"
Please bookmark this series and rate ☆☆☆☆☆ on here!
Donate me
Support Me with USDC
(ERC20)
Support Me with XLM
(Stellar Lumens)