183. raymond (2)
Under the security office.
Inside the archives.
Zervia turned the key.
I pushed the thick iron door with all my might and went inside.
Dede-
The dust that had accumulated on the handle turned cloudy as if there had been no recent entry and exit.
Files were stored one after another on a number of high shelves that reached to the ceiling.
“Uh-huh.”
She took a short deep breath and then stepped inward.
I walked around the aisle between the shelves, carefully examining the recording paper on the file.
There was only one material she was looking for.
It was about the explosion that took place in Area 31.
It was always a question.
Why is only the incident that occurred in Area 31 classified as a top secret, unlike other explosions?
‘There’s something I don’t know.’
Area 31 explosion.
The bridge leading to the outside of the area collapsed, causing a lot of money loss and casualties.
However, it was not reported properly in the media, and it became a joke.
Even though it was never an event of such a scale to be buried.
‘It must have worked on someone’s breath.’
At the time, she was a cadet at the Knights School.
I tried to dig into the case, but I felt like I was blocked by a wall because there was no information I could get.
I had just been hired by the police and had access to the archives, but it was also when I realized there were restrictions on access to the material.
But now it was different.
With the authority of the Chief of Public Security, all materials could be viewed.
Steps through the aisle and fingers skimming through the files became busy.
Then at some point it stopped.
「Case No. 3812」
「September 13, 1067」
「Area 31」
「Classification – Explosive Terrorism」
Her fingers pulled out the file and quickly turned the page.
‘The outline of the case is also different.’
At that time, the media reported that the bombing was the work of a simple social misfit.
However, the file documented the cause of the explosion as an armed conflict between criminal organizations.
The two major tissues of the negative field.
The conflict between the Blue Serpent and the Red Skull.
‘I thought there must be something hidden.’
My heart started beating harder.
The analysis and recording of the incident was handled by the Secret Service, an independent agency within the National Police Agency.
As it was not affected by any external forces, it was fortunate that there was at least a record of the incident.
She continued to read the log.
“… At the bottom of the pier, a time-limited explosive device was installed on each of the 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th pillars, and all but 1 of them were blown up.」
This coincided with her memory at the time.
A spiral staircase winding around a column.
A large space located in the middle.
Cain stared at his brother who had fallen there, dropped his blood-stained sword and disappeared down the stairs.
At the same time, she vividly remembered the sound of an explosion coming from the other pillar.
“The model of the bomb used is WB-004, and it is presumed that it was installed by the Blue Serpent to steal Red Skull’s cash transport vehicle. The evidence in this regard is … .”
This was the first thing I found out.
A number of attached pieces of evidence added credibility to the analysis.
On the back page was a list of civilian casualties from the explosion.
Seeing the length of the list that would have been enough for a hundred or so, Zervia raised her eyebrows.
‘I guess it doesn’t matter what happens to civilians in their war.’
A disgusting and ugly way of thinking.
He would not understand the thoughts of criminals for the rest of his life.
shook his head.
No, I didn’t even want to understand.
‘By the way, it was the Blue Serpent who installed the bomb.’
A character that came to mind right away quelled her hatred of criminals.
Cain.
The place where I met him was at Pillar No.
He was soaking in the Blue Serpent at the time.
So, is this the story of the person who installed the bomb on the pole?
“… … .”
I thought it wasn’t.
No explosion occurred at Pillar 1.
When the police arrived at the scene, only the bomb that had already been dismantled remained.
I also recently learned that Cain is extremely reluctant to inflict damage on civilians.
That is, it was a contradiction.
Cain was there.
An inference flashed in her silent head.
His eyes widened and his lips parted.
Without realizing it, a slurp came out.
“To defuse the bomb… ?”
The bomb on Pillar 1 did not explode.
Cain was coming down from above where the bomb was placed.
He has previously proved that he has the ability to disarm bombs.
If Cain dismantled the bomb without the organization’s knowledge to reduce civilian casualties.
It was a pretty plausible inference.
Each piece of information given was also consistent with each other.
“… It cannot be.”
She denied it once.
Could there be other possibilities that he hadn’t thought of?
“… … .”
But I couldn’t completely shake the reasoning out of my head.
The desire to believe in reasoning.
The desire to reject reasoning.
The ambivalence made her mind confused.
‘He’s different from other criminals. But the fact that he is a criminal cannot be rationalized.’
It felt like being immersed in deep water.
She turned the file to the next page with a hardened face.
gracious.
「List of on-site items and evidence」
Analysis data such as items or bloodstains at the scene appeared.
Her gaze stopped at one picture.
「Evidence No. 8」
「Cold Steel 62cm Sword」
In the analysis written below, her eyes fluttered wildly.
“There are bloodstains on the tip of the sword. As a result of the forensics, it is inconsistent with that of Javir Kalta, who was lying at the scene.”
‘What?’
It felt like being hit in the head with a hammer.
I had always thought that Cain had killed my brother.
But if the blood on his sword wasn’t his.
“The blood stains on the sword match those found around WB-004 at the top of the stairs.”
“There are traces of battles around WB-004, and it is presumed that ice magic and swords were used in the process.”
The analysis continued as if supporting her thoughts.
Feeling my heart beating faster, I tenaciously looked at the attached photos of the scene at the top of the stairs.
When I was concentrating to the point where my eyes were blurry.
She found something in the corner of the picture.
‘line? No, this is… .’
Something long and thin and shiny.
Its shape is unknown, but it most resembled hair.
It’s also silver.
I looked through the list of evidence just in case, but there was no hair.
“… … .”
Most likely it wasn’t the hair.
Rather than the possibility that forensic team personnel could not find it at the scene.
But for some reason, he couldn’t shake the thought that the shiny thing was his hair.
If it were the hair of one who fought Cain.
Silver is not a very common color.
Judging from the length, it is more likely to be female than male.
Suddenly, a person’s face popped into my mind.
“Raina… ?”
The silver-haired secretary who was doing business in the space in front of him whenever he visited the office of the head of the office.
‘A sergeant appeared at the scene of a terrorist attack and fought Cain?’
It didn’t make sense.
Even if I understand the previous premise somehow, I haven’t heard of her as a wizard in 5 years as a police officer.
The incident felt more and more immersed in a labyrinth.
She scrutinized the files once more, put everything in her head, and exited the archives.
***
Wee-
When the elevator door opened, a long horizontal hallway appeared.
There is only one door there.
It was the office of the Chief of Police.
smart.
─Come in.
When I knocked, I heard a voice from inside.
Zervia turned the doorknob with a familiar gesture and went inside.
It was a spacious room with an old-fashioned atmosphere.
The walls on either side were full of weapons of all kinds, and the front wall had a door leading to the next room.
At one desk, a silver-haired woman with glasses was working.
She raised her head and said with a smile to Zervia.
“Did you come with an appointment? The chief is now absent.”
“I made no promises. But it’s always time to visit… .”
Zervia blurted out the end of her words.
Her gaze turned to the secretary’s silver hair.
Secretary to the Commissioner.
Raina Michelle.
The doubts she had felt in the archives yesterday smoked in her mind once again.
“Have you ever got something on my face?”
“no. sorry.”
He looked like he was staring at his face too much.
Since it was an rude act, Zervia nodded her head slightly as an apology.
“When did the chief say you would come back?”
I glanced at the clock and it was 2:00 PM.
“I don’t think I can be sure. You left about an hour ago, but unlike usual, you didn’t reveal your destination. When I get back, I will tell you that the chief of public security has been there.”
“okay. All right.”
Reina bowed her head again and concentrated on her work.
Zervia hesitated to return.
terror. ice magic. silver hair. bloodstains.
Area 31. Leg. Blue Serpent.
Several words tied together in a chain flashed through my mind.
It was a time when Zervia was contemplating whether to pose a question to Reina.
Clap!
Reina took the file out of the display case and dropped the glass plate on top.
“Are you okay?”
Zervia was startled and approached Reina.
“it’s okay. Except for a little cut on the back of my hand. It’s probably better because the chief’s plaque is broken.”
Drops of blood were dripping from the back of Reina’s hand as if scratched by the sharp edge of the glass plate.
But she seemed more concerned about the floor full of broken plaques and debris than her own wounds.
“I’m going to clean it up, so it would be better if you give first aid.”
“thank you. Please.”
Reina headed to the other side of the showcase to find the first aid kit.
Zervia took a cleaning tool that was nearby and took a stance to sweep the floor.
Then he saw a piece of glass stained with blood and stopped moving.
“… … .”
By entrusting it to the forensics team, they were able to find out the unique pattern of blood.
And if you contrast it with the bloodstains left at the scene of the terrorist attack.
I turned my head to look at Reina.
She was disinfecting the wound, so she didn’t care.
Zervia took out a ziplock bag and carefully placed a piece of blood-stained glass into it.
***
Zervia left the director’s office and took the elevator straight to the first floor.
ding-
when the door is open.
I couldn’t help but be startled when I saw the person in front of me.
“Cain?”
“Long time no see.”
Impeccable appearance.
As if revealing the owner’s personality, a suit without a single inch of disorder.
Zervia said with a bit of caution.
“I didn’t know you were going to come to the police station in person. Did you come to see the chief?”
“No, I came to see you. Security officials told me that I went to the chief’s office. Let’s go and talk.”
Cain said as he glanced at the CCTV inside the elevator.
Zervia seemed to know why Cain had been looking for him.
‘It must be to notify the next target of annihilation.’
All of our recent conversations have been about crime outside the wall, so it must be the case this time as well.
Cain and Zerbia went out of the main office and headed for the security bureau.
“Are you the chief of public security? The person next to you… .”
“You are John. The one who received the commendation last time.”
“You get along so well. You two are good boys and girls.”
With every step I took, I could hear the voices of people passing by.
It was natural to draw attention as the two most talked about people in the capital are walking together.
In particular, after the rumors spread that they attended the royal ball together, there were quite a few people who looked at ‘two people’ happily.
Of course, there was no sound in Zervia’s ears now.
Should I ask Cain directly about terrorism?
That thought was all in her head.
“… … .”
heinous criminal.
An enemy who killed blood.
The hatred of Cain was largely for two reasons.
However, recently he realized that he was different from a typical criminal, and the first reason was greatly shaken.
‘By the way, if it wasn’t him who killed my brother.’
Then even the second reason will be shaken.
If such a thing happens, what will happen to the hate that has become less meaningful?
Will it lose its place to go and perish?
Perhaps with a very high probability.
She was afraid of such a future.
It was his hatred of Cain that kept him running non-stop for years as a police officer.
When hatred shakes, you shake yourself.
When the hatred disappears, the self also disappears.
Because of this, she could not ask Cain directly.
Was it really you who killed Xavir?
“The organization we need to capture this time is large.”
Cain’s voice lifted Zervia’s mind from thoughts.
When he turned his head, he and Cain had arrived at the office of the chief of security.
“It’s an organization. Where are you this time?”
Zervia spoke in a voice that pretended to be calm.
However, after hearing Cain’s subsequent words, I had no choice but to be greatly agitated.
“Blue Serpent.”
Cain opened his lips once more and spit out the remaining words.
“And Red Skull.”