031 – Investigation (3)
Rakan headed to the Leviola Teahouse.
Tigris was waiting in the tea house.
“Did you check everything?”
“Yes. Here you go.”
After turning the vase to activate the artifact, Tigris compared the manhole cover number to the sewer map.
Tigris’ prediction came true.
“Again, the chimera only came out from the Great Sewers No. 27, 29, and 35.”
“So, is the problem solved now? Can I take this and report it to the police?”
“It’s not that easy.”
“We couldn’t build such a gigantic laboratory without the cooperation of at least two institutions,” Baiton said.
First, the water bureau.
The Waterworks Bureau is required to inspect the major sewerage once every two years.
They would have tried to prevent water bureau officials from even accessing major sewers 27, 29, and 35.
and the Ministry of Home Affairs.
All construction permits for large sewers must be approved by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, and at least one supervisor must be present at the time of construction.
He probably blindfolded the inspector with a bribe when constructing a sewer near the chimera lab.
In addition, administrative agencies and various companies related to this water supply and sewage system are related to each other like a spider’s web, so it is highly likely that many people know about the chimera laboratory.
That was equivalent to saying that the eyes and ears of the Chimera Lab were spread throughout the ecliptic.
“The moment you inform the police or water bureau of this information in haste, it is no different from hastening the zodiac massacre that will take place three months later.”
“…then what do we do?”
“When it is difficult to identify a pia, it is right to ask a certain ally for help.”
“Are you sure your friend?”
At that moment, the door to Leviola’s teahouse opened and a woman in a robe and a strong man entered.
Tigris folded the map and returned the vase.
When the cognitive impairment magic was lifted, the woman and the man approached Tigris directly.
“I’m sorry I couldn’t show you the courtesy because I have a seat.”
The woman opened her mouth.
“it’s okay.”
The woman turns the vase and casts the recognition inhibition magic and the sound block magic.
The woman took off her robe.
As soon as she took off her robe, her pink-gold hair fell like a waterfall.
Rakan’s mouth didn’t close.
If God created humans with the words nobility and nobility, I wondered if this would be the case.
“Princess Rain Rover. This is Rakan. I am a student at Imperial University who helped with this investigation.”
“Nice to meet you. Rakan.”
A stupid voice came out of Rakan’s mouth.
“ah···. That… big! uh···. nice to meet you This is Rakan. It is an honor to meet the Princess.”
The princess smiled as if the trembling Rakan was cute.
“Initially, this kind of reaction is normal. Tigris.”
“···········?”
“No. That’s Okay. We didn’t come here to talk like this.”
Rain Rover opened his mouth with a serious expression.
“I heard about the connection between this series of disappearances and the sewers from Baiton. It’s something I didn’t expect at all, so I’m getting a little dizzy.”
I never thought that people could go through the sewers.
“Are you sure the culprit in this serial disappearance went to the sewer?”
“Yes. That’s right.”
Tigris unfolded a map of the sewer system.
“To be precise, the criminal moved to the sewer connected to the number 27, 29, and 35 major sewers. As a result of comparing the investigation records of the police, there must be a manhole connected to the sewer near the expected missing point.”
Rain Rover looked at the map with a serious expression.
Indeed, as Tigris said, there was a manhole near the expected point of disappearance.
“Isn’t it possible that it was a coincidence?”
“There is another piece of evidence. All manhole covers are designed to be heavy so that civilians cannot steal them, and there is a specially crafted fixation enchantment on them. However, after checking, all the manhole covers where the disappearance occurred showed signs of forcibly loosening the fixing magic.”
Tigris pointed to manholes 27-113 on the map.
“Just go to the nearest manhole and you’ll know the magic is out.”
“Is there a possibility that the officials of the Waterworks Bureau checked it?”
“If the water bureau officials had checked it, they would have put the fixation magic back on.”
“···okay.”
Rain Rover once again checked the map against the investigation record.
To be honest, it is a secret known only to those in the know, but when Tigris was given the position of Special Investigator of the Inquisitor, it was done with the intention of borrowing a cat’s hand.
No one expected Tigris to be of much help in this case.
Rain Rover said to the man sitting next to him.
“What do you think of Bergan?”
Rakan was startled to find out that the person sitting next to him was the Black Meister Bergan von Einwolf.
Berghan nodded.
“It’s not certain because it’s just circumstantial evidence, but I think we can get some proof by examining the sewage system. But I can’t figure out why they only used the number 27, 29, and 35 sewers.”
“okay. Do you know the reason?”
Tigris pointed to an arbitrarily drawn line on the map.
It used to be a sewerage system that had been under construction in the past.
“It is not shown on the map, but there is one abandoned sewer that crosses the 27, 29 and 35 Great Sewers. Kale Construction, which was working on it, went bankrupt and was stopped and disappeared from the sewer map.”
“…if this place is used as a hiding place for criminals, you can go through all of the 27, 29, and 35 sewers.”
“Yes. That’s right. Most likely all the missing people are here.”
“Is this information reliable?”
“If you check past construction data from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, you will be able to get more accurate information.”
“her···.”
Rain Rover gave a disappointed expression.
At that moment, a message appeared in front of Rakan’s eyes.
＜Quest accomplished!＞
Locate and announce the secret laboratory that is researching chimeras.
20,000 points earned!
＜Currently Remaining Points: 22,450 Points＞
“ok?”
Rakan was suddenly puzzled by the message that the quest had been resolved.
“Why?”
“Oh, no.”
Rakan let out a silent cheer.
‘It’s 100% here that the Chimera Lab is here!’
Although he did not get the maximum reward of 50,000 points, what Rakan did was just write down the number written on the manhole cover, so even if he only got 20,000 points, it was a relief.
＜Linked Quest!＞
You’ve located the Chimera Lab!
Now, find out and report the vicious swarms that help you experiment with the Chimera!
The number of points you earn will increase based on your contribution!
Rewards: 0 points up to 50,000 points.
There was even a linked quest.
Rakan was on the verge of a happy death.
Rain Rover felt strange that Rakan’s expression had clearly brightened, but since he knew some of Rakan’s rumors, he ignored it.
Tigris got a rough idea of why Rakan’s expression suddenly brightened.
‘You seem to have broken the quest.’
He seemed to have broken the quest just by notifying the imperial princess who was influential in the empire.
‘···for a moment.’
A strange thought ran through Tigris’ mind.
Because Tigris returned, he noticed that the Chimera Lab was underground, but Rakan was different.
Rakan had been suspicious of sewers from the start.
Neither the police, nor the Inquisitor, nor even His Majesty the Crown Princess had even thought of it.
This meant that if Tigris had not returned, only Rakan knew that there was a secret laboratory in the underpass of the ecliptic.
‘Maybe the Hwangdao Massacre…’
The Huangdao Massacre happened really suddenly.
No festivals were held in the zodiac, and no celebrities were scheduled to visit.
The massacre just happened for no reason.
There was no reason to abandon the laboratory, where the chimeras and lab researchers could be reliably supplied with a body without suddenly going crazy.
That said, there was an incident that forced the laboratory to be abandoned.
Rakan blinked and looked at Tigris strangely.
“What’s on my face?”
“···not.”
There was no need to mess around with Rakan by saying anything.
It was first and foremost to solve this case.
“Further investigation is necessary, but I think it is highly likely that the perpetrator traveled through these sewers and held the abductees here. Does Instructor Tigris know the identity of this criminal?”
“no. I do not know.”
The current circumstantial evidence alone cannot prove that the Chimera is the culprit.
“But there are things that are suspicious.”
However, I could help guide the investigation.
“Up until now, all the people who have been kidnapped have been nobles, knights and mercenaries. What they all have in common is that they all have Auror rings.”
“…So, you mean that it wasn’t aimed at a specific class of nobles or knights, but someone with an Auror ring?”
The Inquisitors and the police, including the princess, had so far thought the culprit was a gang tainted with republican ideology.
To be honest, who would have imagined that a chimeric laboratory could exist beneath the ecliptic?
Tigris needed to break their stereotypes.
“Yes. That’s right. I think this case is highly likely to be a crime targeting the body of Auror users, not terrorism.”
“Aiming at the body means that there is even a warlock lab in the basement?”
“The fact that they were kidnapped rather than killed, and that no bodies were found among those who disappeared, it is highly probable that human experiments are taking place under the ecliptic. Chimera experiments are a prime example.”
At the news that there is a huge chimera research facility under the emperor’s palace, the princess and Bergang clenched their fists as if they were shocked.
“That is ridiculous! Experiments require specimens, but reagents and various experimental tools are also needed.”
“We even kidnap users to come to the sewer, so it would be easier to airlift the necessary items. All you have to do is match up with an outside collaborator.”
“···Oh my gosh.”
The princess chewed her lips while looking at the countless manholes.
“If it’s a chimera lab, you have to approach it very carefully. If you accidentally touch it, the chimeras can pop out of the manhole cover and mess up the ecliptic. In the meantime, the researchers will flee by teleporting scrolls or other escape routes.”
However, there was a high possibility that the laboratory would immediately notice the moment the city was sealed off and a large-scale operation was carried out.
“This is not a problem we can solve on our own. It looks like we need a detailed operational plan.”
Tchrist did not intend to solve this problem right away.
When I thought of T-Christ, there was no strategy that came to mind.
Instead, I knew someone who could help me solve this problem.
“I think it would be a good idea to give this information to the Inquisitor’s Hydra as well.”
The unit Inquisitor was born with the purpose of finding and eradicating wizards who study forbidden magic.
If he was the head of the Inquisitor, he didn’t know if there was a sharp number.
You must have done a lot of these illegal laboratory clean-up operations.
“All right. I take advice.”
Rain Rover glanced at Rakan and opened his mouth.
“By the way, who knows this information?”
“There are only three of us, Baiton, I, and Rakan who have contacted Princess Rain Rover directly.”
“Is Baiton a reliable person?”
Tigris nodded.
“He is a trustworthy person.”
Tigris believed in the situation, not in Bayton.
If Baiton had been in the same gang of Chimera Labs, he would not have told Tigris the location of the stopped sewer.
“Lakan.”
“Yes! His Majesty the Princess!”
“Maybe I misunderstood you. I heard that he was a very strange and light person, but I had no idea that he could devote himself to the Empire like this.”
Rakan listened to whether the princess’s compliment was good.
“thank you. His Majesty the Princess!”
The princess smiled afterward.
Rakan didn’t notice the intent mixed in her smile.
“So, can I ask you a favor?”
“What kind of request are you talking about?”
“I don’t know if it’s Tigris, but you’re a little insecure.”
Rakan tilted his head.
“Yes? What do you mean by that…”
“I heard that you are an unusual person who flirts with any woman and walks around the parade in panties, don’t you?”
“no···. No, that’s…”
Rakan’s expression turned red like a tomato in real time.
His face was about to explode in shame.
“There are no studies showing that people with unusual temperament have a light mouth, but I am still anxious.”
Rakan couldn’t keep his mouth shut as if he was shocked by the word ‘unusual wall’.
It seems that he had no idea that everything he had done to break the quest would return in this way.
“So you should stay with us for a while until this case is resolved. I’m so sorry.”
“Princess. I… ahhh!”
Bergang hit Rakan in the back of the neck, and Rakan was stunned.
Tigris was not surprised, for he had already foreseen this would happen.
Rain Rover is usually friendly, but when it comes to work, he prefers to handle it in a controlled way.
Because of that, the princess and Tigris often collided.
This was because Tigris was a powerful ally and at the same time a variable that the princess could not control.
Rain Rover got up with his robe on.
“I will take care of the Rakan problem. You can just roll down the stairs and be admitted to the hospital.”
It didn’t make sense for an aspiring knight to be hospitalized because he fell down the stairs, but it could have been better.
“Princess.”
“yes?”
“Rakan is a talented person. Without Rakan, I would not have been able to report to the princess so soon.”
“I know. You mean to report Rakan’s achievements to His Majesty the Emperor?”
“That’s right, but if Rakan says he wants to help with this investigation, please let him help.”
Tigris looked straight at the Rain Rover, who was looking at him with strange eyes, and said.
“Although Rakan’s actions are a bit light, he is definitely a talented person to help solve this case.”
“…you’re saying that, let’s take a look at the situation and try to believe it.”
“thank you.”
* * *
And three days later, the Rain Rover came to visit Tigris.
Tigris took the car out of the office and handed it to the Rain Rover.
“thanks. Instructor Tigris.”
“no. By the way, are the results of the investigation already out?”
“yes. Right. The Inquisitor investigated this weekend, and Instructor Tigris was right. Various reagent substances mainly used in the chimera experiments were found in the sewer, and we also found clear evidence that the chimeras were moving through the sewer.”
Tigris said, taking a sip of tea.
“Has an operation been established?”
“There are so many escape routes and the number of chimeras has not been accurately confirmed, so I have no idea how to set the scale of the operation. I think the operational plan will take some time.”
“Then can I help?”
Rain Rover nodded.
“yes. there is.”
“What can I do for you?”
“Please praise me for doing well.”
Tigris’s head went blank for a moment.
“···yes?”
“Puha! You know how to make that expression too!”
Rain Rover waved his hand and said.
“just joke. Joke. In the meantime, I had to laugh because I had lost my head over this problem. I’m so sorry.”
“···no. So is there anything I can do to help?”
“yes. Sorry but no. No, you should never move to help.”
“May I ask why?”
“Instructor Tigris got a lot of public attention. You showed up in Gray Town a few days ago and checked the manhole cover, didn’t you? That is why there are rumors all over the floor that Instructor Tigris is suspicious of the sewer.”
“…was that rumored that much?”
Rain Rover looked at Tigris as if it were rather ridiculous.
“Don’t you know how famous you are? You know the adventurer fashion you wore in the past, right? That’s a pandemic right now in the zodiac. In the fashion industry, it’s called ‘Tigris Fashion’.”
“…is that much?”
“Absolutely. An undisputed genius who completed 4 rings at the age of 19. He is handsome and tall, he has a good family, and he is single and not yet engaged, so how popular he must be.”
The princess took a sip of tea and spoke again.
It was a serious look with no playfulness.
“So you better stay still. For nothing, the Chimera Lab might react sensitively to the moment you frequently go in and out of the Imperial Palace or move toward Gray Town. I have come to tell you this.”
Stay still.
Tigris was very familiar with this spell.
It was because the Rain Rover was talking to Tigris until his ears were worn out before returning.
Before the return, Tigris had never heard of this until the final war.
But···
“Yes. Okay. I will be quiet.”
The changed Tigris is different.
It was because he now knew that immobility was also an action.
“I listen to women very well, so I am the number one groom. Shall we get married?”
“It is against the law.”
“It’s a very stiff yangban. Forbidden love! How heartbreaking are these words?”
“You seem to have watched too many plays.”
Rain Rover’s eyes widened.
The last line was a famous line from the recently popular romantic comedy play ‘The Beggar Count and the Rich Servant’.
“Do you know this famous line?”
“I’ve seen it with my sister before.”
“Watching this with my sister… After all of this is over, come see me.”
“Are you talking about the same play?”
“When I see a play for the first time, I feel completely different from the second time I see it.”
“Yes. All right.”
“You promised? Be sure to go see it.”
Rain Rover stood up.
“Then see you later.”
Rain Rover suddenly thought of something and left the office to stop.
“ah! Rakan was more capable than I thought. I can understand why you asked me to believe it.”
“Looks like Rakan helped. Fortunately, the.”
“They said they wanted to help, so I took them to the site, and they picked up three factories that were handling the chimera lab.”
‘Also···.’
As expected of Tigris, Rakan seemed to have contributed greatly to the investigation.
Tigris’ prediction that Rakan’s real talent might lie in ‘Investigation’ came true.
Rain Rover said with a frown on his face.
“Of course, the very next day, I broke my jaw while flirting with the court lady in panties.”
“·················ogue.”
I knew it was unavoidable, but…
This could not cover the t-christ.
Poor hero.