Chapter 34

I lunged to the side.

A goblin clad in tattered rags loosed an arrow from a crude bow; I avoided it by leaping and rolling across the floor.

“Take this!”

I thrust my hand forward, visualizing the air around the goblin instantly superheating.

“Gyagaah!”

The goblin burst into flames.

I had ignited it.

“Gih!”

However, while the goblin flinched as the fire enveloped it, it immediately scrambled away from me and rolled on the ground. The flames died out almost instantly.

Magic really isn’t suited for direct combat, is it? Even for someone like me, who’s supposedly top-class in the country, this is the best I can do.

But that was fine. That last strike was just a distraction to make it flinch and avert its eyes. This much was plenty.

“Burn through—Blade of Blue Embers.”

The moment she muttered the words, a shimmering powder rained down upon the goblin’s body.

“Gu?”

The goblin had barely enough time to look puzzled before a flash of high-intensity blue flame reduced most of its body to a crisp.

“Man, you saved me. Impressive as always. Your flames are in a completely different league than mine.”

Casting a sidelong glance at the slowly collapsing goblin, I clapped my hands in praise.

“Stop it. Are you making fun of me? You’re not even a specialist, yet you’re tossing out fire like that with no-chanting magic.”

The person glaring at me with a pout was the one responsible for the previous inferno.

A girl.

She was young, with a petite frame and a baby face that made her look younger than me. She had pointed ears and hair as crimson as fire. Her outfit was solid black: heat-resistant black-wolf leather gloves, boots, a miniskirt, and a cloak.

The flame elementalist, Eni.

“No, I’m just really feeling the weight of being a ‘jack of all trades,’ Eni. If I don’t master a specialty like you, I won’t be able to keep up.”

“Aren’t you supposed to be a detective? Isn’t solving cases your specialty?”

Struck by her perfect logic, I scratched my head.

It was true that I felt a twinge of regret for having studied and practiced magic with such a broad, balanced focus. If I were going to immerse myself in research like my master, Merlin, that would be one thing—but for practical work, I should have mastered one specific type of magic and developed the skills to apply it.

A flame elementalist. A specialist in fire who excels at and masters fire magic, combining it with techniques involving oils and explosives.

Despite her appearance, Eni was apparently a fairly well-known flame elementalist in this country, having used nothing but her specialized fire magic since she was a child.

By “this country,” I don’t mean my home, Shark.

Right now, I’m not in Shark to the west, but in Pace to the north. In terms of landmass, it exceeds Shark—in fact, it’s the largest of the four nations.

“Cough…”

The acrid smell of charred goblin drifted over, making me cough involuntarily.

There are no windows here. The smell just lingers.

“How pathetic. Just endure it for a second. It’ll disappear soon.”

Before Eni could even finish her sentence, the blackened remains of the goblin vanished into thin air, and the smell dissipated as if it had been a lie.

“Phew.”

Watching the monster’s corpse vanish according to the rules, I let out a sigh.

Why does a detective like me have to do this? Getting lectured by a flame elementalist who’s younger than me, rolling around to fight monsters, and having to put up with the smell of burning flesh on top of it all.

We were in a windowless hallway. A narrow corridor enclosed by floors, ceilings, and walls made of dark blue stone bricks.

To be precise, we were in a stone-brick castle—or rather, a castle-themed dungeon.

As for why I was in a dungeon with a girl named Eni…

The story goes back about five days.

“To Pace?”

Kirio Rahura, who had been sipping her coffee in tiny, cautious licks—perhaps because she was sensitive to hot drinks—widened her eyes.

At a cafeteria in the heart of the Shark Royal Capital, Kirio and I sat across from each other at a small table, sharing a pair of coffees.

Kirio was dressed in a pale pink shirt and white trousers. As usual, she showed no interest in wearing a skirt. That said, her appearance had changed significantly from the time she looked like a “cross-dressing beauty.” Her black hair had grown long enough to brush her shoulders, and her silhouette carried a soft, distinctly feminine grace.

“Why are you going to Pace, Van?”

“Orders from Director Geralt. Though I suspect the royal family’s intentions are behind it.”

Geralt Map. My superior and one of the Seven Detectives of Pangea. Known as “Silent Geralt,” he was the Director of the Shark Royal Detective Agency.

“Was a royal murdered in Pace or something?”

It was hardly appropriate small talk for a date, but since I, a detective, had been ordered to go to Pace, it was only natural for Kirio to jump to that conclusion.

“No, it’s nothing like that. Apparently, an influential noble in Pace is hosting some kind of event and is gathering skilled adventurers.”

“Heh, first I’ve heard of it. I didn’t know Van Holmes was an adventurer,” Kirio said, a playful smirk tugging at one corner of her mouth.

“I’m not sure of the details myself, but they’re supposedly recruiting detectives as well. Specifically, detectives who are ‘skilled’—meaning those with combat capabilities.”

“I see. So you’re a perfect fit, then.”

I’m not one to brag, but I felt the same way. When it came to magic, I had enough confidence to place myself among the top class in Shark. Of course, magical prowess doesn’t always translate linearly to combat power, but still.

“But still, it’d be one thing if you volunteered, but why were you ordered to go?”

Kirio’s doubt was valid. I’d wondered the same thing and asked Geralt myself.

“Apparently, the reason is that they’re having trouble figure out what to do with me.”

I sipped my coffee as I recalled Geralt’s answer from that day. It was bitter.

Due to certain circumstances, I had made a flashy debut as a detective with the backing of the royalty, the Church, and Geralt. Thanks to that, I was suddenly thrust into the position of Assistant Deputy Director of the Royal Detective Agency, and my fame was through the roof. My name had spread to other countries, and I was being called one of the Seven Detectives of Pangea before I’d even built a track record.

That was the problem.

“Since I have an official title now, my role is technically to give orders to subordinates rather than getting personally involved in cases to solve them. But if a greenhorn like me with zero achievements starts bossing people around, it’s going to rub everyone the wrong way. So, I’ve mostly just been sitting on my hands.”

“Eh? But didn’t Sir Geralt take on that case by himself back when he was Assistant Deputy Director?”

“That case had to be solved in secret. Director Geralt had the trust of the royals and a proven track record, so he was deemed the right person for the job. To put it the other way, normally, someone with a high-ranking title doesn’t go out to the front lines for every little investigation or deduction.”

In short, I had no way to accumulate actual experience.

“In the end, the people who pushed for my promotion are brilliant but totally out of touch with the world. They thought just pulling me up the ladder was enough; they didn’t consider these kinds of logistical headaches at all.”

Well, I suppose it’s too much to expect royalty to understand the stress created by a relationship between a younger boss and older subordinates with more experience.

“My condolences,” Kirio said, pressing her hands together as if in prayer.

“That said, they intended to use me as a figurehead for a revolution in criminal investigation. Moving from personal, intuitive investigations to universal, logical ones. So, those people are in a bind if I don’t start performing.”

“And that leads to Pace?”

“Since it’s another country, I have an excuse to go in alone on a ‘special mission’ and build a track record there. It allows me to promote my presence in Pace, and by having the ‘man of the hour,’ Van Holmes, participate, we can put the Treasure family—the influential nobles in Pace—in our debt.”

“‘Man of the hour’? You’re really calling yourself that?”

“I can’t help it; that’s exactly how Director Geralt explained the script to me.”

Feeling a bit embarrassed, I felt my face flush and gulped down the rest of my coffee in one go to hide it.

I’m a timid soul at heart.

“So, that’s why I’ll be heading to Pace for a while.”

“Leaving me behind?”

Seeing the shock on Kirio’s face, I was taken aback as well.

“Well, how am I supposed to take you with me? You have your own work to do, don’t you?”

“Yeah, well, I guess so,” Kirio pouted, her face suddenly looking quite childish.

“Don’t be like that. Director Geralt told me that the details aren’t clear yet, so just going to confirm what’s going on is fine. Though he did emphasize that if I can do the job, I should do it and rack up some achievements.”

Before I reincarnated into this world, back when I was a struggling detective, I used to hate being a bit player who never saw the light of day. Lately, however, I’ve realized that being shoved into a spotlight you don’t deserve is just as much of a struggle.

“Then… promise me?”

Kirio’s face suddenly went serious.

“A promise?”

“Yeah. Promise that even if you go to Pace, you won’t cheat on me.”

“Cheat? I mean, in the first place, you and I…”

We weren’t even officially dating. That said, it’s not like I disliked her. Just as I was about to finally work up the nerve to confess right here and now—

“If you do cheat, you know what happens, right?”

She flashed a smile so lovely it made my spine turn to ice.

“Ah… hahah…”

I gave a vague, hollow laugh and decided to postpone the confession for another time.