CHAPTER 50: WHAT COULD HAVE GONE WRONG? [1]

District 10 — Shinra, Liora Kingdom.

It was past afternoon, the market alive with chatter and the rustle of merchants. Both natives and foreigners crowded the stalls, haggling over goods.

A lonely, dark alley.

Two women stood with infants in their arms, surrounding a young man with crimson hair and glossy red eyes. He leaned against the wall, arms crossed, dressed in a classy outfit consisting of a half top hat, three-layered suit, and a cane in hand.

The two women stood at opposite ends, their clothes were plain.

To any passerby, they looked like ordinary citizens of Shinra. But the truth was far from it. Behind those masks, they were part of an undercover network, a group known as the ’Ghosts’ by the [Authority].

Their main objective is to gather hidden, micro-level information from deep inside the capital and relay it back to [Authority].

The red-haired man, Ryuke Tyson, was one of their handlers, a sub-commander in [Authority].

[Authority] was an underground criminal and demon investigation bureau reporting directly to the King of Liora. Their duty was to detect and dismantle any unusual activity across the capital.

And right now, Ryuke had been tasked with investigating the "Shinra Incident."

According to [Authority], the incident was no coincidence. The sudden appearance of letters, the attack on Eclipse, the emergence of a Primordial-ranked demon, and the involvement of the Twilight Order... none of it felt isolated.

The way the "Shinra Incident" unfolded didn’t match the usual patterns of the Twilight Order’s work.

That could only mean one thing: that they weren’t the only ones behind it.

They knew that much, but they lacked the final piece to prove it.

"Anything?" Ryuke asked.

"..."

"..."

After receiving Ryuke’s cold gaze, the two women shook their heads in unison.

"Despite our search in District Four, we heard the same story from every mouth."

"Yes," the other woman added, "they all claimed they saw several men and women in black cloaks running across the rooftops. From the description, we’re certain they were referring to the Twilight Order."

Ryuke fell into thought before asking.

"Were there any other anomalies?"

"Anomalies? Like what?"

Ryuke explained.

"Meaning... any unusual person who stood out."

The women exchanged a look, then shook their heads again.

"Nothing like that," one said, glancing at her partner. "Right?"

"Yes. And honestly, I don’t think anyone paid enough attention."

She was right.

Most of the citizens nearby had hidden themselves the moment they saw shadowy figures darting across the roofs. Naturally, they missed most of the details.

Ryuke clenched his teeth, muttering,

"They’ve started playing quiet... strategic, all of a sudden."

This wasn’t a coincidence. Someone, somewhere, was pulling the strings. Whoever it was...

"...might be even more terrifying than the Twilight Order. Or perhaps the one who knew about the primordial demon."

Anything was possible.

"Sir Ryuke," one of the women spoke up, "are we done? My husband will be back soon, so..."

"Ah, right." Ryuke waved them off. "You may go. Reach out to me as usual if you find anything important."

The women bowed slightly and left, leaving Ryuke alone in the alley.

He stood still for fifteen minutes, then finally turned and made his way toward the market.

On both sides of the road, stalls and showrooms stretched endlessly from small vendors to grand establishments.

Ryuke walked along the pedestal, ignoring the calls of nearby shopkeepers. After half a kilometre, he stopped in front of a shabby-looking, three-story building.

A wooden nameplate was nailed neatly at the top.

[Shinra Detective Agency]

From the outside, it looked like an ordinary private detective office. In reality, it was the headquarters of [Authority].

Glancing at the empty entrance, Ryuke sighed.

"Captain’s going to lecture me today..."

With that thought, he pushed the door open.

Jingle-!

The bell above rang as the frame nudged it.

"Ah! Welcome back, Ryuke."

Behind the reception desk, a young woman with snow-white hair and clear blue eyes looked up, smiling warmly. She was dressed neatly, but the slight tilt of her head and the way she spun the pen in her hand made her seem more playful than prim.

"Morning, Lilly," Ryuke replied in his usual flat tone. He walked over and leaned slightly on the desk. "Any news from Captain?"

"Yes," she said with a little shrug. Then she tilted her head the other way. "But... are you sure you want to meet him?"

"I have to." Ryuke exhaled through his nose. "It’s already been three days since I was assigned this task."

"This is about the Shinra Incident, right?"

He gave a short nod.

"Yes. And for the past few days, I haven’t gotten a single useful lead."

"By them, you mean the TO?"

Ryuke blinked.

"...the what now?"

"Twilight Order," she replied. "TO for short. Saves my breath."

Ryuke stared at her.

Saves breath for what, exactly? So you can live two seconds longer?

"Yes... the TO," he muttered.

"Mm." She tapped her pen against her lip. "You know, I was thinking—"

"Please don’t think," Ryuke cut her off, dead serious.

"Ehh?! That’s so rude!" Lilly puffed her cheeks dramatically.

"Hmph!" She turned her head away with a little flick of her hair.

She puffed her cheeks and turned away with exaggerated sulkiness.

Ryuke raised an eyebrow. "You done?"

She peeked back at him with one eye, still pouting. "You’re no fun."

"You’re annoying."

"You’re grumpy."

"You’re still annoying."

She straightened up with a little smirk. "I’m adorable."

Ryuke turned toward the door. "I’m leaving."

"Wait!" she blurted, nearly tripping over her chair as she leaned forward. "Fine, fine—I actually have something for you."

Ryuke paused, halfway turned toward the stairs. "...I’m listening."

She pulled out a thin file from beneath the desk and handed it over.

"One of the field agents sent this in this morning. It’s a list of unsolved murders from the past four months. I thought it might help."

He blinked in surprise, taking the file.

"You... actually did something useful?"

Lilly smirked, resting her chin in her hands.

"Hey, I do work, you know. I just make it look effortless."

Ryuke flipped through the file, scanning the pages.

"You’re also thinking that these may be connected?"

"Mhm," she nodded.

He looked up at her, impressed.

"...Good work, Lilly."

She blinked, eyes wide.

"Oh? Did you just praise me?"

"...Don’t let it go to your head."

"Oh, it’s already there," she said with a grin. "I’ll be unbearable for the rest of the day."

"Be my guest."

He turned to head upstairs, muttering under his breath.

"Oh, and Ryuke?" she called after him.

He glanced back over his shoulder.

"What now?"

"You should smile more. You’re handsome when you’re not scowling."

He stared. "...I’m reporting you to HR."

"I am HR," she called sweetly.

"..."

With that, Ryuke shook his head and headed up the stairs. His steps stopped in front of a wooden-framed cabin.

Two bold words were engraved beside the door handle.

[Ezra Holmes]

[Chief Detective]

"Captain, it’s me," Ryuke called.