"Excuse me, but when can I go home already?"
The woman who had seen the body was a postgraduate student of Czech origin, majoring in biomechanical medicine, Elena Kasner.
The officer standing by the door exchanged a glance with his partner before answering.
"We're still finalizing a few reports, Miss Kasner. Please be patient."
"Patient?" she repeated with a frustrated laugh. "I've been here for six hours. I already told you everything I know. I walked into the lecture hall, saw Professor Herschel hanging from the ceiling, and screamed like anyone else would! What more do you want from me?"
The officer didn't respond, only adjusting the holo-slate in his hand as her statement replayed in text across the projection.
Elena leaned back with a sigh. "If I knew the professor was going to kill himself, I wouldn't have gone in at all."
Hours passed, and no one came to speak to her again. By the time the door finally opened, her patience had long run dry.
The officer stepped inside, holding a tablet. "Alright, you're free to go."
"Ugh, finally… I swear to God, I'm going to sue all of you," Elena muttered, grabbing her bag from the chair and slinging it over her shoulder.
The officer gave a tight smile. "We appreciate your cooperation, Miss Kasner."
"Yeah, sure you do," she shot back, walking past him without another glance.
As she stepped out of the precinct, the night air hit her immediately. The city of Munich never truly slept.
Elena pulled her coat tighter around her shoulders. "Six hours for nothing… unbelievable."
If she hadn't been told that the professor was holding personal thesis consultations, she wouldn't have gone at all. Everyone knew Professor Herschel never entertained one-on-one reviews.
Her boots clicked against the wet ground as she made her way down the empty street. But halfway down the block, she stopped.
Something felt off.
She turned, her eyes scanning the quiet street behind her, but there was nothing.
"Paranoid. Great."
* * *
"So, is your business here in Munich done?" Gabriel asked. They had returned to their hotel room after treating Michael to dinner.
"More or less," Julius replied, loosening his tie as he settled onto the couch. "It appears Michael isn't part of the Revolutionary Army."
"You're sure the kid isn't lying?"
"Positive. His body reactions told me enough."
Gabriel raised a brow. "Since when were you able to tell that just by looking at someone? No, how would you even know?"
"They taught it when I was in my third year," Julius said, feigning ignorance.
"Political science?" Gabriel stared at him. "You're joking."
Julius shrugged. "Observation is a transferable skill."
"Right. And next you'll tell me they taught interrogation tactics in your economics electives too."
"I wouldn't say tactics," Julius replied. "Just… ways of reading people."
Gabriel looked unconvinced. "You're terrible at lying, you know that?"
"On the contrary," Julius said, leaning back against the couch, a smile crossing his lips. "I'm very good at it. You just happen to know me too well."
Gabriel shook his head and turned toward the window. Outside, neon signs flickered across the glass towers. Hover trams glided along their maglev tracks. A massive blimp drifted above the city with its holographic screen cycling through the latest corporate ads.
"If you've got no other business here, Young Master, then go home," Gabriel said. "Munich seems like a shithole at the moment."
"Shithole is exaggerating—" Julius began, but he stopped short when Gabriel turned to face him. Gabriel's expression was unusually serious.
Julius couldn't tell whether Gabriel was genuinely worried or just afraid of what would happen to him if Julius got hurt. Either way, his concern was evident. Gabriel wasn't joking this time. He was dead set on sending Julius back to Berlin.
At that moment, Gabriel's phone rang. Gabriel stepped out and took the call.
"Report."
——Knight Frederick reporting. Current location: Rosenfeld Strasse, Block 9. Suspect confirmed, Elena Kasner. Currently operating under the alias Lena. Occupation: street-level escort, registered without authorization.
Gabriel nodded. It wasn't much of a surprise. Most students at the Europa Institut only attended because of its low tuition.
Many of them juggled side jobs, some harmless, others less so. Munich's lower sectors weren't kind to those without family connections or sponsorships, and for some, survival came at a higher price.
"Has she made contact with anyone?" Gabriel asked.
——Negative. She's been stationed near a local bar for the past hour. No known associates have approached her yet.
Given the nature of Gabriel's position, reinforcements from the Revenant Knights Corps had been dispatched to assist him in the ongoing operation to track and eliminate the Manticore.
However, with the university case earlier that morning, Gabriel redirected part of his team to cooperate with the local police instead.
In hindsight, it had been the right call. The discovery of Elena Kasner, his prime suspect, had shifted the focus entirely. Her background, and now her work as an unregistered escort, added a new layer to the investigation.
The last victim of the Manticore had been an escort as well. In total, there were nine confirmed victims, all sharing a similar profile, individuals living deep within Munich's underbelly.
This pattern led the Revenant Knights to believe that the killer was someone, or something, operating within the same world as its victims.
"Keep me informed. I can't move much with the Young Master around. Once I send him back to Berlin, I'll join you."
——Understood, Knight Gabriel.
With that, the line went dead. Gabriel let out a long, weary sigh, rubbing the back of his neck. He didn't want to work. Having Julius around was, in a way, his excuse for a break. Guarding him was simple compared to the Revenant Knight operations.
Still, priorities were priorities. Julius had to be sent back to Berlin soon.
"Gabriel! They have no toilet paper here! What the fuck?! How is that even possible? This is the VIP room!"
Gabriel closed his eyes.
"..."
Yeah. It was definitely time to send Julius back to Berlin.
Gabriel stepped back into the room, ready to say something, when a sudden chill crawled up his spine. Instinct kicked in. He started to move, but froze as the sound of energy echoed in his ears.
"...."
A saber blade hovered inches from his chin.
Gabriel's gaze turned sideways. Julius was holding the weapon with a calm smile.
"I get that you're doing this for my sake," Julius said. "But you're starting to piss me off, Gabriel."
"...."
"When I join the Revenant Knights, are you still going to keep me locked away somewhere safe? Pretend I'm better off sitting behind a desk in Berlin while you handle everything out here?"
Gabriel remained silent for a long moment before finally exhaling a deep sigh.
"You're not joining the Revenant Knights."
"...What?"
"The Master, your father, did not approve of it," Gabriel said evenly. "So, I never submitted your application."
Julius blinked. "What are you talking about? Father gave me the green light when we spoke on the phone!"
Gabriel met his gaze solemnly. "And you really believed him? I was told to lie to you. To keep you on edge until you find something else to pursue."
"...."
For a brief moment, Julius said nothing.
It was painfully familiar. In his younger years, he had been like that. Always chasing every interest that caught his attention to find something he would excel in.
His father would always indulge him, funding each new pursuit. However, Julius, after realizing it was just not possible, would often lose interest and move on to the next.
But that was twenty-one years ago.
Julius's expression darkened. That may have been true once, but not anymore.
Not after everything he had lived through.
——Officer Schneider! We've captured over a dozen Glasshearts. Orders?
——Kill them all. Leave no one alive. It's not like they left any of us breathing in the first place.
The experience, the memories of blood and war, far surpassed anything Gabriel or his father could imagine.
"Alright, forget it. I'm not joining your little club anymore."
Gabriel frowned at the jab toward the Revenant Knights but chose to let it go. "At least you understand."
Julius shook his head and walked ahead without another word.
In his previous life, he had never joined the Revenant Knights. That much was true. But he had always wondered, if he'd been given another chance, would he have chosen a different path?
Perhaps this time, he wanted to try. To see what it would have been like to stand alongside them instead of watching from the outside.
Yet, of all people, it had to be his closest friend who stood in his way.
"Where are you going?"
"Don't follow me."
Needless to say, Julius had been a dignified member of the Secret Police.