029 – Investigation (1)
Friday to end the week.
Tigris was called by the principal of Bastian and headed to the principal’s office.
The secretary knocked on the door and said.
“Instructor Tigris di Norberd has arrived.”
– Tell them to come in.
Tigris opened the door to the principal’s office and entered.
Bastian was wiping the naan with a dry towel.
“Is the instructor’s job worth it?”
“I don’t know because I haven’t given a lecture yet.”
“It must have been next Tuesday, wasn’t it? Aren’t you nervous?”
“it’s okay.”
Bastian put down the dry towel.
“That’s good. I was very trembling. I was supposed to teach fire-attribute magic, but I brought the textbook and hurried back to the office to bring the book. I still get hot when I think about how embarrassed I was back then.”
“I didn’t know that the principal had such a time.”
“I was 22 at the time. How terrified must a young bachelor, who had only studied magic and animals all his life, have been teaching students? I was even more nervous because I had to teach it to my juniors who were joking a few months ago.”
Bastian graduated early from the Imperial University in two years.
Usually wizards, after graduating from the Imperial University, enter the Magic Tower to study magic or choose an Imperial University Instructor.
Bastian chose the Imperial University.
It was because it was a tradition to serve for many years at the Imperial University after a great wizard was produced from the Duke of Lord Elim’s family from generation to generation.
“By the way, you are 19 years old. Making excuses for your age in front of you… I am so ashamed.”
“What does the instructor’s age have to do with it? I am young, but I do not think I can teach better than the principal Bastian of that time.”
Tigris truly thought so.
Because handling the sword well and teaching it well are completely different things.
“haha···. Thank you for saying that. It’s been a long chat, so let’s get to the point. I know you don’t have a job yet, right?”
“Yes. That’s right.”
Tigris was originally supposed to teach at least 8 credits, but because all the other instructors refused, he was only taking the course ‘Understanding and Breaking Down Hits’.
In such a case, he had to take on the heavy duty of a school security guard or a dormitory superintendent.
Bastian came with a navy blue box on the desk.
“Originally, I was going to give you a place as a security guard. But there is no need for that.”
Tigris predicted what was in that navy blue box.
It will contain an answer to the wish he had made to His Majesty the Emperor.
Bastian opened the box and showed it to Tigris.
Inside was a small snake made of silver.
When the snake saw the light as if it were alive, it blinked its red eyes and looked around.
Tigris knew the serpent’s identity.
An intelligence unit called the Eye of the Emperor, one of the agencies directly under the imperial family.
It was the symbol of the Inquisitor agent.
“Due to school regulations, you cannot take on an outside job that is not related to the Imperial University. But there is only one exception. It will be directly under His Majesty the Emperor.”
“Did your Majesty your Majesty have appointed me as an Inquisitor agent?”
“Yes. The correct name is Special Investigator belonging to the Inquisitor. It was originally a position that did not exist at all. It is no exaggeration to say that it is a rank created only for you.”
The authority of the Inquisitor is powerful.
Independent investigative powers, as well as the powers of summary judgment and immunity, are granted.
Because of this powerful authority, it consists only of those who are loyal to the imperial family, and it is not known exactly how they are elected.
‘And that’s where Rakan lived.’
Rakan achieved remarkable achievements in the Inquisitor and rose to ‘Yukdusa’, and was succeeded by the death of the current Inquisitor’s head, ‘Hydra’.
It was unbelievable that the ruthless Rakan had risen to the position of the Hydra, but Rakan was rumored to be quite capable within the Inquisitor.
The Inquisitor’s mission itself was a top secret, so little was known about Tigris, but Rakan was told that he was so good that he earned the nickname ‘Blue Flame Viper’ within the Inquisitor.
“They can use all the powers Inquisitor agents have, from the power of investigation, the power of summary judgment, the right of immunity, and the right of first-class requisition. Instead, I can’t get any support from the Inquisitor HQ, and I only have one immunity.”
Saying that you have the right to requisition but cannot receive support from the headquarters would mean that the cost of requisition is handled by the individual.
And to say that there was only one immunity meant that if Tigris made a mistake, he would look after him only once.
‘Perhaps on the day the immunity expires, the gift should also be returned.’
“Then do you have any obligation to carry out the orders of your superiors?”
“How can I be obligated to take orders when I am not receiving assistance? I don’t need to take orders from anyone except the Emperor’s orders. You are just a member of the Inquisitor, but you can think of it as a separate institution.”
Tigris nodded.
“understand.”
“I heard that the Justice Department officials gave a legal interpretation on this matter to make them spill nosebleeds for three months. If you ever have to go to the Justice Department, be careful not to get stabbed.”
Bastian said, pointing to the gift.
“Then reach out to the snake. I’ll teach you how to use it.”
Tigris reached out to the gift.
Then the little snake tilted its head and licked Tigris’ fingertips with its small red tongue.
And slowly got on Tigris’ hand.
It was the size of an earthworm rather than a snake, and the weight was barely felt.
The snake rubbed Tigris’ hands as if it were a fool.
“haha. It seems that the gift is very fond of you.”
“Can Artifacts Have Emotions?”
“It is magically woven into the behavioral patterns of a soulless but gentle snake. The Inquisitor’s missions are somewhat mentally difficult, so I made them as cute as possible to take care of their minds. See you.”
Bastian said to the gift he was playing with Tigris’ index finger.
“Eunsa, run.”
Then Eunsa rolled her body like a spring and jumped on Tigris’ palm.
For the belt- For the belt-
“Look. Isn’t it very cute?”
Bastian was smiling happily, as if watching her granddaughter play tricks.
“I wonder if you made this artifact…”
“That’s right. It’s me.”
Come to think of it, Bastian was not only talented in elemental magic, but also in artifact making.
“There are three magics on this child. Shape change, communication, barrier. Among them, the communication magic made it only transmit, not receive. If there is an urgent need to summon the Inquisitor, I’ll just say ‘communication’ and explain why I need to summon it.”
“What kind of barrier is the barrier hanging on?”
“There is a triple barrier of 5 circles. If you use it once, you can use it again if you feed 10g of Intermediate Manastone.”
Tigris learned how to use the gift and changed the shape of the gift.
“Turn into a pocket watch.”
The gift turned into a small pocket watch about half the palm of Tigris’ palm.
The design is also simple, so it will not stand out no matter what clothes you wear.
Tigris hung the ring on the button of his suit and tucked the pocket watch into his bosom.
“You look good with anything you wear. I once had something like that… Do you really want to meet my granddaughter?”
“Let’s get up.”
When Bastian looked like he was going to spend another hour talking about his granddaughter, Tigris got up first.
“Ts. I’m really sweet. My granddaughter will cry.”
“Your Majesty the Emperor has given you the job of an investigator, shouldn’t you hurry up and work?”
Bastian asked with a serious expression.
“What kind of problem are you planning to solve first?”
“I plan to start with the serial disappearance case.”
In the case of Gray Town, which is located south of the river, the ecliptic is very wide, and because various criminals are in power, disappearances and murders that are not well known often occur.
However, this serial disappearance case was special.
The criminal was only targeting Auror users who had Auror rings such as nobles, knights, and mercenaries.
“It won’t be easy. The police and the Inquisitor are investigating. Nevertheless, for more than half a year, no clue was found.”
“If I do, it will be different.”
It was because Tigris already knew the true culprit in this case.
* * *
next day.
Tigris wore light light armor.
Although the defense was low by covering only the chest and wrists, it was easy to move, so Tigris favored light armor even in war.
He tied the sword of the Salamander around his waist, put the gift that turned into a pocket watch in his pants pocket, and went out to the living room.
“Where are you going today?”
Linia tilted her head, wondering if it was strange for Tigris to take off her light armor over the weekend.
“I am going to investigate this disappearance case.”
“ah···.”
Linia heard that Tigris had become an agent of the Inquisitor yesterday.
I was also told that I would be busy for a while to solve this disappearance case.
Linia wiggled her fingers.
“Is it a nuisance if I follow you…?”
Linia wanted to help Tigris.
“I won first place in the entrance exam for the swordsmanship academy this time. And swordsmanship has improved a lot more than before…”
“I am grateful for your heart, Linia, but this is very dangerous. If you do it wrong, you could be seriously injured.”
“okay···.”
Linia’s shoulders drooped like a grassy puppy.
“I guess I still don’t have enough…”
Tigris grabbed Linia’s shoulder and said.
“When the time comes, I will ask you. So, go ahead until then.”
“···All right.”
Tigris looked at Jane and said.
“Jane. If anything happens, let me know right away.”
“Okay. If anything happens, Leiana will let you know right away.”
A white flower in the vase flew out and swayed gently in front of Tigris.
“Leiana! If you keep messing around, I’ll change you to another girl!”
Then, the white blossoms quickly fell into the vase! went in
Lenny handed Tigris a small bag.
Inside the bag were potions and first aid kits that Tigris had been talking about.
“Have a safe trip.”
“okay.”
Tigris tied the bag Lenny had given her around her waist and went outside.
The place to go was decided.
It was Gray Town.
Victory can be divided into two areas north and south of the river, and can be divided into 7 districts.
First of all, in the region north of the river, there is an uptown where the aristocracy and bourgeoisie live, a middle town where commerce is concentrated, and an academy town where schools and various high-tech industries are being developed and researched next to it.
And the Imperial Palace where His Majesty the Emperor was located was also located in the northern region.
Therefore, the image of the northern region as a well-to-do neighborhood was strong.
In the south, there is a Treasure Town where mercenaries and adventurers live, and there is a Purple Town where various factories are concentrated.
And in the meantime, there was a town where the poor lived, Gray Town.
Gray Town was originally planned as a residential district for the workers of Purple Town.
However, there were not enough houses to accommodate people from all over the empire.
Since they could not sleep on the street, they stole building materials and started to build shacks illegally.
The complex shantytown that could not even be drawn on a map naturally became a den of crime, and various gangs reigned as kings of the Gray Town and were committing various crimes.
Tigris passed the Rainbow Bridge connecting Gray Town and Middle Town.
Then the stench that stung his nostrils tormented Tigris.
There was trash everywhere, and beggars were rummaging through the piles of trash.
Police officers armed with spears and swords stood at the entrance to the Rainbow Bridge.
It was because of complaints from the nobility and the bourgeoisie that the beggars of Gray Town had come to the north and harmed the aesthetics of the city.
As the disappearance case overlapped, the boundary became even tighter.
“Can I know what you are here for?”
“The purpose is to investigate the disappearance.”
Tigris took out his pocket watch.
As the pocket watch turned into a silver snake, the police looked at Tigris with a slightly startled look.
“Inquisitor…!”
Since the Inquisitors are usually invisible and work secretly, they are the first to actually see the gift.
Tigris had no intention of hiding that he was investigating, nor was he an Inquisitor secret agent, so he proudly showed his gift.
chuck!
The police salute Tigris.
“Take it hard!”
There was no need to salute because they were not their direct superiors, but the police did unknowingly.
“To suffer.”
Tigris passed through the entrance and entered the Gray Town.
Then the beggars flocked in like piranhas.
“lily! Just give me a penny! I need some medicine for my child.”
“Give me one money to buy bread! please!”
Tigris drew his sword relentlessly.
“Hey!”
Beggars were scattered everywhere like fish that met sharks.
It is true that they are pitiful, but I did not intend to give them money.
The distance that Tigris could reach was 2.3 meters in all directions.
He was a knight who could cut through anything within 2.3m, not a politician who could cut through their chains of poverty.
Tigris looked into the eyes of the poor beggars.
Those with open pupils despite the midday were the placenta.
They were the ones who took the drug ‘red powder’ that made the poor worse.
It was clear that throwing them money would go into buying a drug to turn their heads away from their miserable reality, not the antipyretic that would cure the child’s fever.
And the money will go into the pockets of criminals.
Tigris went deeper into Gray Town when the beggars couldn’t get any closer.
The alleyway was winding and very cramped.
The street lamps were all broken, and there was a big hole in the pillar as if the magic stone in the lamp had already been seized a long time ago.
Tigris paused.
Tigris stopped in the middle of the road, not in front of the building.
‘I found it.’
Tigris bent down and looked at the ground.
When I lifted off the rubbish rolling on the ground, something round appeared.
It was a manhole.
The direction of the investigation by the Inquisitors and the police was towards the gangs in Gray Town.
The violent crimes of the gangs were easy to hide because of the special geographical characteristics of the shantytown, and in fact, knights and nobles who had entered the Gray Town without knowing it had disappeared without a word.
For that reason, it was not unreasonable for the police and the Inquisitors to think that this serial disappearance was the work of gangs who embraced republican ideas.
But the culprit was underground, not above ground.
Tigris bent down and looked at the manhole cover.
Because there were many beggars who stole the manhole cover and tried to sell it to a junk store, it was designed to be heavy and rigid so that it could not be opened with any force.
He even fixed it securely with fixation magic.
The guideline was to mobilize an Auror user with at least two rings or a wizard capable of performing telekinetic magic of 3 circles when leaving the Waterworks Bureau for inspection.
However, this manhole cover had been forcibly destroyed by magic, and there were traces of recent movement.
‘You were moving along this sewer.’
Tigris, of course, knew who the culprit was in this disappearance.
The chimeras were created in an illegal chimera lab located in the sewer.
Chimeras were ordered by researchers, and they shut up and kidnapped Aura users.
At first, the mercenaries were gone, so the police didn’t pay any attention, but when the central nobleman’s self-discipline disappeared, they rushed into an investigation.
Tigris wrote the number on the manhole cover.
Comparing this number with the sewer map would give you an idea of which sewer the chimeras roamed the most.
Tigris decided to look around to see if there were any more moving manhole covers.
“uh? Instructor?”
At that time, I was able to meet an unexpected person here.
It was Rakan.