Chapter 61

Kijiitsu.

Instantly, the image of that man who concealed his entire body with feathers flickered back into my mind.

“It’s a trade secret, but I suppose I have no choice now that things have escalated this far.”

Looking weary, Django let his shoulders slump slightly.

“I don’t know the fine details myself. Apparently, it’s a system centered around the old man and Rose.”

Though his gaze remained sharp and unfriendly, Hauser leaned forward with interest.

“Indeed. Then, allow me to explain the system myself.”

After moistening his throat with a sip of tea, Hayanosin began his explanation anew.

“From what I’ve been told, ‘Kijiitsu’ is the name given to a doll created by Lady Rose.”

“A doll?”

I couldn’t help but speak up. That thing was no doll. Definitely not.

“Calling it a doll is a bit misleading,” Rose explained matter-of-factly, her words chilling me to the bone. “It’s a human being created through medication, torture, and brainwashing—someone who can do nothing but obey imprinted instructions while in a state of constant stupor. You could call it a byproduct of my experiments.”

I was horrified by the casual tone Rose used to describe something so sinister.

“To supplement that, since they are constantly dazed, they have almost no power of judgment and cannot react spontaneously to shifting situations.”

“Ah.”

I remembered Kijiitsu’s sluggish reactions. So, it was because of that state of stupor.

“To compensate for that, I’ve installed gimmicks to catch opponents off guard during a counterattack.”

“You mean that thing where blades sprout from his entire body?”

“Oh, impressive, Van. You’re quite well-informed.”

“Hey, the conversation is drifting. What exactly is this ‘investigation using Kijiitsu’?” Bob shouted, growing irritable.

“The Kijiitsu System is an investigative method used against organizations that utilizes that doll. One has Kijiitsu approach the organization and deliberately lets him be killed. Then, afterward, one catches the murderer. Since the murderer is a member of the organization, one then… well, ‘interrogates’ that murderer to dismantle the organization by following the trail. That is the Kijiitsu System as it was described to me.”

“Wait, isn’t there a gap in that story?”

Neitz cut in bluntly. She was right; even if we accepted the part about letting him be killed on purpose, the process of how they actually caught the murderer hadn’t been explained.

“I see. You have them carry a ‘compass’ in advance.”

Ray nodded then, as if it all made sense. Contrary to his calm outward reaction, his cold killing intent grew more concentrated.

“A compass?”

No one explained it to the puzzled Bob. Hayanosin stopped speaking and searched everyone’s faces. Rose and Django did the same.

For a few moments, the gazes of everyone in the room intersected in a complex, countless web.

“What a pointless game of probing,” Ray spat out.

“Fine, I will explain. However, this is strictly an explanation of the ‘rumors’ that the country of Pace has gathered. Is that acceptable?”

“Yes. If you are willing to explain the… rumors, then that would be for the best.”

Django bowed with polite insolence, and the explanation was handed over to Ray.

“There have long been rumors that Django secretly possesses a Holy Relic known as ‘The Compass.’ While its specific function was never made public, based on how it is used, it seems to be a compass that points toward a murderer.”

“Ah!”

I stood up, shouting before I could stop myself.

I finally understood the reason why Ray, a Holy Relic Appraiser, was here. And more than anything…

That thing Django had held when he accused me of being a member of the Blue Wolves. Was that, perhaps…?

Everyone looked at me with suspicion as I suddenly stood up and shouted, but I didn’t care.

How I had been accused, and the reason so many people were gathered here—I felt like I was starting to see it, if only faintly.

“Well, I wouldn’t know if that’s truly the case.”

Django spoke with a voice that was flatter than flat, his face an expressionless mask.

“I imagine not. The moment you admit it here, I will kill you.”

The tone Ray used to say something so dangerous suggested he wasn’t joking.

“There are even stories—no, rumors—that the Holy Relic was obtained from a dungeon within Pace’s borders,” Neitz added, fanning the flames.

“Regardless, we will find out with this case. Django, you gave us your word that you would accuse Van of being a part of the Blue Wolves and present your evidence. You cannot retract it now. You understand that, don’t you?”

“Now, now, let’s just move the conversation along. You know the rest of the ‘rumors,’ don’t you? Please continue your explanation.”

With a face like a Noh mask, Rose prompted him in a nonchalant voice.

“Brazen woman. However, I don’t know much more in detail. It’s just that the period when Django started receiving a significant number of requests regarding organized crime—both above board and in the shadows—coincides almost perfectly with the period when rumors spread that he had obtained a Holy Relic. In fact, regarding the Blue Wolves, it’s said there are quite a few members whom Django captured in secret and then turned over to various national detective organizations. Conversely, I’ve heard that nations have handed over people they’ve captured to Django’s group so that Rose could extract information through her ‘interrogations’?”

“Isn’t that just Pace you’re talking about?” Bob smirked audaciously.

“No, I’ve heard that Shark and Isu are also involved. Though, naturally, those are just rumors.”

At Ray’s chilling words, there was another moment of silence and a crossing of gazes.

Everyone was watching to see how the others would react.

“In short, the system involves creating a person like Kijiitsu specifically to be killed, letting them be murdered by someone from a group like the Blue Wolves, identifying the killer with a Holy Relic, and then torturing them until they cough up info on their comrades. But… hmm.”

Amidst the tension, Kirio summarized the situation bluntly, then tilted her head as if something didn’t sit right.

She certainly had nerves of steel.

“Surely, no one is going to make a fuss about it being ‘inhumane’ or ‘illegal,’ right? After all, this is just an introduction of rumors.”

Maintaining her usual expressionless face, Rose let a trace of amusement seep into her voice alone.

“No, even before that… I don’t know, it’s just that something feels off. Like there’s a loose thread I can’t quite pull.”

Kirio was twisting her head, visibly puzzled.

“In any case, that is the situation. Acting on Master Hayanosin’s request, I have been hunting the Blue Wolves for a long time. My conclusion that Van is a member of that gang was part of that process.”

“I never imagined things would turn out quite like this,” the old man added. Looking at his bewildered face, I couldn’t spot a hint of a lie.

“This is tedious,” Watch muttered quietly from beside Hayanosin.

“And? Is the explanation of the situation over? If so, present the evidence for your suspicion of Van immediately. Right here, right now.”

Ray’s words were like a blade.

If Django tried to brush this off with some half-baked excuse now, it would lead to a diplomatic incident with Shark. And if he admitted the rumors were true, Ray would kill him on the spot.

“Such an impatient fellow. You never change.”

Django struck an exasperated pose, deliberately relaxing his body, but it was purely for show.

If anything, the room was now wrapped in the most skin-pricking tension I had felt yet.

“Lirina.”

“Eh? Ah—”

Rick moved smoothly to Lirina’s side, put an arm around her shoulder, and led her out of the room. He must have judged that they shouldn’t be present for this.

“Very well, I’ll give you an answer. A brief one. The reason I concluded that Van is the culprit is…”

With a casual motion, Django pulled a palm-sized, golden, shimmering compass from his breast pocket.

“Because this compass pointed to him.”

In an instant, Ray leaped onto the table and lunged straight for Django.

Hauser had already stood up and taken an unarmed combat stance to intercept him, and Watch gripped his spear in one hand.

However, Rose’s crossbow was faster than any of them. She must have had it aimed from under the table the entire time. Several bolts were already flying toward Ray.

A small-scale explosion blew all the bolts away.

Neitz had simply thrust out her left hand. It was a signature move of Flame Elementalists—she likely used a minute amount of explosive magic.

That in itself was fine, but annoyingly, the bolts deflected by the explosion were now flying toward me, Kirio, and Bob.

“Tch.”

Clicking my tongue instinctively, I used wind magic to instantly solidify the air in front of Kirio and myself at a ‘diagonal’ angle. If I had simply created a flat wall, the hastily made barrier of air would have been easily pierced by the bolts.

By creating a slanted wall, I deflected the bolts away.

Since I was annoyed, I didn’t bother making a wall for Bob. In fact, I directed the bolts I deflected right toward him.

“Geh!”

Grimacing and twisting his body to dodge, Bob swatted away the bolts he couldn’t avoid with his sword.

As expected of a Knight. He’s actually pretty good. Or rather, the speed with which he deflected bolts with a sword was superhuman. He must have been enhancing his reflexes with magic from the start, anticipating trouble.

“Calm down, Ray.”

Even in a situation where Hayanosin had drawn his blade, Django remained perfectly still, holding the compass out while soothing Ray in a low voice.

“I am calm. And in my calmness, I am intending to kill the man who is illegally possessing a Holy Relic belonging to the country of Pace.”

“That’s why I’m telling you to wait.”

Django waved his left hand dismissively, looking bored.

“The fact that I identified a member of the Blue Wolves with this compass and the claim that I am illegally possessing a Holy Relic are not one and the same.”

“What?”

One of Ray’s eyebrows twitched.

“This compass isn’t a Holy Relic. It’s just a rare item,” Django said with a smirk.