"Thank you for your time," Morhan said politely to Erwin's neighbor, closing her notepad. They had confirmed his residence, but he was, as Forim had said, not in.
Morhan sighed, a cloud of frustrated breath in the cool afternoon air. "Shall we continue our own investigation for now? I have a feeling this Erwin guy is out there doing the same thing—retracing Elisa's last steps."
"Yeah," Celvise agreed, looking up and down the street. "Given the timing, there's a high chance he took the case from Elisa's parents. It's the most recent disappearance."
"Let's go," Morhan decided. "We need to speak with the parents anyway. It's long overdue." With that, the two detectives got back into their rune-car and drove toward the baker's small home in the lower-income district.
…
While the Watchers were still in the early stages of their official investigation, Erwin was miles ahead. He had already spent hours physically walking the routes of not just Elisa, but of all the missing children from the Theocracy refugee community. He configured their paths, their school schedules, their after-school activities, all the data points he had gathered.
Then, alone in the quiet of the Animus Hub, a breakthrough.
He had manifested a large, detailed map of the city on the floor. He traced each child's path home from their respective schools with a glowing line of light. They were all different. Different schools, different neighborhoods, different times of day. It seemed random, unconnected. But it wasn't. As he stared at the tangled web of lines, a single, undeniable pattern emerged.
There was one place. A single, unremarkable intersection of two busy streets, where a small park met a commercial road. Every single child's route, despite their different origins and destinations, crossed this exact spot.
It hit him with the force of a physical blow. This was it. This had to be the abduction point.
Erwin's consciousness snapped back to his physical body. He didn't waste a second. He burst out and began to run, his long coat flying out behind him as he sprinted through the city streets, heading for the intersection.
As he ran, a dark blue Watcher patrol car sped past him, going the other direction. Inside, Morhan and Celvise were focused on their destination, a map glowing on their dashboard. They didn't see the blond man running with a desperate urgency. And Erwin, his mind entirely consumed by the chase, didn't even notice the official vehicle or the two detectives who were now, unknowingly, searching for him as well as the missing child.
…
Erwin arrived at the intersection, his heart pounding not from the run, but from the thrill of the chase. He forced himself to calm down, to push aside the adrenaline and let the cold, analytical mind take over. The sun was already beginning its descent, casting long, distorted shadows across the small park and the adjacent street.
He began to observe. The detective in him took over, cataloging every detail. The intersection was strangely sparse for a crossing of two major roads. The way the buildings were angled, combined with the thick canopy of the park's old trees, created numerous blind spots. It was a place designed by accident to be unseen. He realized with a chilling certainty that this was a perfect abduction point. A child could be snatched in the brief moment they were obscured from view from either end of the street.
His eyes scanned the area, searching for the focal point, the place where the action would have happened. And then he saw it. A small, dark alley tucked between a bakery and a closed-down tailor's shop. It was dark enough to be overlooked by a casual passerby, and narrow enough that a carriage couldn't pass through, making it a pedestrian-only route. A perfect place to drag someone unseen.
He walked to the mouth of the alley, his eyes scanning the ground. He knelt, his gaze sweeping over the cobblestones and the grimy brick walls. And there it was. A tiny, dark red speck on the side of the wall, almost at ground level, just inside the alley's entrance. A single drop of dried blood.
Erwin closed his eyes. In the Animus Hub, the high-resolution memory of the bloodstain appeared on his investigation board. He connected a glowing red thread from it to the map of the intersection. As he did this, his real body remained kneeling and still, his eyes closed in concentration. He was so focused that he didn't hear the soft, approaching footsteps behind him.
A sudden, jarring yank pulled Erwin's consciousness back to the real world. He opened his eyes to see two women standing over him—a human and an elf, both in the practical attire of the Watchers.
The human introduced herself, her voice firm but not unkind. "I'm Detective Morhan Valerius. Watchers, Detective Division."
The elf smiled, a hint of professional curiosity in her eyes. "I'm Detective Celvise Kaelen, also a detective. You're a hard man to find, Mr. Smith."
Erwin sighed, pushing himself to his feet. The game was up. "I'm Erwin Smith," he said. "Is there something you need, Detectives?"
"Not much," Celvise replied. "We've just been noticing your actions. From what we hear, you've been making quite a name for yourself."
Erwin didn't have time for pleasantries. "Look," he said, his voice cutting and urgent. "I know I'm just a private citizen in your kingdom's eyes, but I have a strong lead on the missing child case. We need to make this an official investigation, now. I don't care about formalities, so I'll ask you directly. Do you want to help?"
Morhan, realizing the gravity of the situation and not wanting to complicate it further, made a decision. Her partner was already on the same page. Celvise had her transponder in hand. "Control, this is Detective Celvise, badge seven-one-four. We're entering the Third Alleyway off Opal Street, possible Code 5 in progress. Requesting a patrol unit for backup."
The three of them entered the alley, forced to go single file due to its narrowness. Erwin took the lead, his eyes scanning every inch of the passage. He pointed out scuff marks on the wall, a dropped button from a child's coat—the subtle signs of a struggle. His deductions impressed the two detectives; from the state of the dried blood, he was able to give them a rough estimate of when the child was taken.
They came across several splits in the alley, a confusing maze of back passages. But Erwin, his mind working at an incredible pace, saw the trail. He pointed them down a path, and they went further and further into the city's dark, forgotten underbelly than either of the two detectives had expected to go that day.
…
Back at Café LeBlanc, the last of the celebratory "month anniversary" customers had departed, leaving a happy mess and a full cash box in their wake. Soma flipped the sign on the door to 'CLOSED'.
Zero pulled off his veiled hat, let out a long groan, and stretched his arms high above his head. "That was a good day, huh?" he said, a weary but satisfied smile on his face.
"So," Soma said, a triumphant, smug look in his eye. "A 'month anniversary' is a thing now, isn't it?"
Zero let out a defeated sigh. "Fine," he conceded. "As long as it keeps bringing in money like that, you can call it whatever you want. Hehehehe."
Soma smiled. "Anyway, what's the final tally?"
Zero walked over to the old cash register and checked the holographic screen. The number glowed with a satisfying light: 2076 Gacha Points.
"We can celebrate with an 11-pull right now!" Soma said excitedly.
"No," Zero said, his voice firm but not unkind. "Let's wait. We open the packs together, when Erwin and Sebas are here." He sighed then, a flicker of disappointment crossing his face.
"What is it?" Soma asked.
"It's just a shame," Zero lamented. "All those Sols that Sebas is going to be... acquiring... from the Vipers' operations. None of it can be converted into Gacha points. Only money earned directly through the café."
Soma laughed, clapping him on the shoulder. "Well, at least with Sebas around, we won't have to worry about our real-world finances. Though I doubt it will be what you'd call 'legal money'."
Zero steeled himself, his practical side taking over. "Yes, you're right. Sooner or later, I'll need actual money for the clones who need to branch out and establish themselves. Let's focus our 'slow living' on this café, and let our more ambitious selves run the world."
"Alright, alright," Soma said, grabbing the wooden vote box from the counter. "Shall we count the votes, then? I'll bet you it's the lasagna that's going to win a spot on the fixed menu."
"Okay," Zero countered, a competitive glint in his eye. "Then I'll bet it's the Pork Katsu Curry."
The two of them sat down at a table, emptied the box of its folded paper slips, and began to count, their friendly argument filling the quiet, peaceful café.
…
Erwin stopped. The trail of subtle clues—a scuff mark here, a dropped button there—ended abruptly in a small, forgotten clearing at the heart of the alleyway maze. Before them stood a dilapidated, windowless hut, looking as though it might collapse in the next strong wind.
"I think it's that hut," Erwin said, his voice low. He looked at the two detectives. "Do you require a search warrant to enter?"
Morhan and Celvise looked at each other, then back at him, completely baffled by the question. "A what?" Morhan asked. "We're Watchers. We just enter if we need to investigate."
Erwin's mind wanted to facepalm. Of course. These Watchers didn't have or need warrants. The very concept of such a legal protection probably didn't exist here. Well, he thought grimly, I guess their broken system makes it faster to save these kids.
The two detectives pried open the flimsy wooden door. The hut was small and completely empty. Not a single piece of furniture, not a single scrap of trash.
"It's too empty," Morhan said, her hand instinctively going to the hilt of her sidearm. "It's clean."
"Let me investigate," Erwin said, his voice taking on a tone of command. "You two will act as witnesses, to ensure I do not alter a potential crime scene."
Morhan and Celvise were once again taken aback. There was no official procedure for having one officer witness another to prevent evidence tampering. The very idea was foreign. But this strange man's confidence was infectious. They just nodded.
Erwin stepped inside, his eyes scanning every inch of the small space. He didn't touch anything. He just looked, his mind a whirlwind of deduction. Then he saw it. A slight, almost imperceptible bump in the rough-hewn floorboards. He knelt.
"There are strange symbols on this," he said.
Celvise knelt beside him. She saw the faint, arcane markings carved into the wood. Her face went pale. "Shit," she whispered. "This is more serious than I thought."
She reached into a pouch on her belt and pulled out a small, treated piece of parchment. She carefully placed it over the bump. The paper instantly smoldered, then burst into a flash of smokeless, green flame. In the fire's afterglow, a complex circle of glowing runic patterns appeared on the floor, and the clear outline of a hidden trapdoor became visible.
Erwin didn't hesitate. He pried open the heavy door. A sudden, pungent smell, the cloying, sweet scent of decay, struck them like a physical blow.
"Fuck," Morhan swore, stumbling back. Celvise covered her nose and mouth with her sleeve.
Erwin didn't hesitate. He jumped down into the darkness below.
The moment his feet hit the damp earth of the cellar, he saw them. Lined against the far wall were several small, lifeless bodies. The missing children. Erwin's chest tightened, a cold, crushing weight settling in his gut. His fingertips went numb. "No..." he muttered, the word a choked whisper.
Then, amidst the still, motionless figures, he saw it. A flicker of movement.
A single girl, Elisa, was barely breathing. She was weak, her small frame trembling, but her eyes were open, just barely conscious.
Erwin rushed forward, scooping her fragile body into his arms. Her pulse was faint, a tiny flutter against his fingertips, but she was alive. Without wasting another second, he bolted for the exit.
"Morhan! Celvise!" he yelled as he burst out of the hut. "Secure this location! I'm taking her to the hospital!"
Morhan snapped out of her horrified shock. "Go! We've got this!"
Celvise was already on her crystal transponder, her voice rapid but clear. "Control, this is Celvise, seven-one-four! We have found the missing children, repeat, we have found them! Code 10-54! We have one survivor, a child, Code 10-45 critical, being rushed to the nearest hospital by Private Detective Erwin Smith! Requesting immediate backup and a clean-up team to our location!"
The radio crackled with a response, but Erwin was already gone, sprinting through the dark, labyrinthine alleys, his coat billowing behind him like the wings of a vengeful angel. As he ran, the small, frail weight in his arms the only thing in his universe, he muttered, "Stay with me, kid. You're going to make it."
**A/N**
~Read Advance Chapter and Support me on [email protected]/SmilinKujo~
~🧣KujoW
**A/N**