Draksan's Disappearance
I had visited Draksan's house several times before.
Back when his condition was at its worst, he couldn't bring himself to go outside. Even the slightest glance in his direction, a light bump of the shoulder, or the sound of a child whining was enough to make his rage explode.
Fearing he might end up beating an innocent person to death, Draksan had locked himself inside his home. Since he couldn't stop treatment entirely, I continued his care by visiting him directly—conducting counseling sessions and delivering medication at his residence.
Now, following those memories, I was making my way to Draksan's house.
I hope his condition isn't too bad.
Or rather, I hoped it was the same as before. Not because some incident like self-harm or a suicide attempt had kept him from the office, but simply because his symptoms had worsened enough to make him hole up in his room.
I hadn't come with Erisa. Instead, I'd prepared several potions in case things turned violent—precautions against the possibility that Draksan's anger might suddenly turn on me.
Since I was heading out after finishing all of today's counseling sessions, the sky had already taken on the hues of evening. Orange sunset and deep blue night sky blended into a strange purple, and the streets faintly reflected that light, giving the city an almost mystical atmosphere.
The streets of Lumière were bustling with people finishing work and merchants closing up shop. Amid the crowd, I spotted a familiar face.
“Naikle?”
“Oh? Counselor Kain!”
Naikle, who had been hurrying somewhere, broke into a bright smile when she saw me.
“Counselor, have you been well?”
“Same as always. Are you on your way home from work?”
“No, I'm still on duty. There's someone I need to arrest... What about you, Counselor?”
“I've finished for the day. I'm on my way to meet a client privately.”
“I wish I could finish work soon too.”
Naikle gave a self-deprecating laugh. I smiled and nodded.
“Well then, I'll be going. Be careful with the arrest.”
“Yes, you too, Counselor! Take care!”
After our brief exchange, I turned back toward Draksan's house—only to realize Naikle was following me. At first I assumed we simply shared the same direction, but even after entering the alley, she continued trailing behind.
I stopped and turned around.
“Do you need something?”
“No, I'm heading this way too.”
“Ah, same direction then.”
“Indeed. What a coincidence.”
We reached a fork in the road. Again, Naikle went the same way.
“...You said you were going to make an arrest, correct?”
“Yes.”
“What kind of crime did the person commit?”
Naikle closed her mouth for a moment, clearly weighing whether she could answer. Eventually she spoke in a cautious tone.
“There was a fight in the downtown area yesterday. Between drunkards.”
“A fight?”
“Yes. But it wasn't an ordinary fight.”
It had been closer to a one-sided assault. Even the tavern staff and owner had fled without daring to intervene, and the violence had only escalated.
“When the investigators arrived, the assailant didn't stop—he seriously injured three of them instead.”
“The assailant wasn't an ordinary person, then.”
“He's a little over two meters tall with a bear-like build. His fighting skills were said to be extraordinary. He also appears to be a former hunter.”
“That's why you're handling it personally. Ordinary investigators wouldn't stand a chance.”
“Yes, that's right.”
Beyond the kingdom's southwestern border lay the Demon Wastes, a land thick with an energy called magi. Prolonged exposure to magi harmed humans and could even kill them. Animals exposed to it grew larger and more ferocious—these were known as demonic beasts. Hunters specialized in tracking and eliminating the beasts that occasionally crossed into human settlements.
Hunters were all large and immensely strong. Those who weren't had already been killed by demonic beasts. To arrest someone like that, Naikle—far stronger than most human races—would have to get involved.
Hearing the description, something clicked in my mind.
“Come to think of it, the client I'm going to meet is also a former hunter...”
“...What a coincidence. There aren't many former hunters around.”
“Indeed...”
I answered reluctantly. A bad feeling was creeping over me.
Surely not.
The Draksan I knew wasn't the type to randomly assault people. If anything, he was gentler than most. But Draksan suffered from intermittent explosive disorder. No matter how mild-mannered he was normally, once his rage erupted, it became uncontrollable. There was no guarantee he hadn't been the one to commit the assault.
I wiped away the cold sweat that had suddenly appeared.
I wanted to ask Naikle the criminal's name. Just as I parted my lips, she spoke first, her expression uneasy.
“By any chance, the name of the client you're meeting...?”
“...You first.”
“Huh?”
“Could you tell me first?”
“That's a bit... If you tell me first...”
In the awkward silence, I finally answered.
“It's Draksan.”
“Ah...”
Discomfort was plain on Naikle's face. Mine was no better. Her expression had already confirmed that the assailant was indeed Draksan.
A complicated mix of pity, despair, and anxiety washed over me. I had no idea what to do, nor could I begin to guess Draksan's current state.
“Counselor.”
As I tried to steady my thoughts, Naikle spoke again.
“Assaulting an investigator is a serious crime.”
“Yes. Assaulting an investigator is...”
Even in my previous life, attacking a police officer had been a grave offense. The authority of the kingdom's security bureau was even stronger. This crime was at least as severe—perhaps more so.
I understood exactly why Naikle had brought it up.
“If it were any other time... I would have let you meet him. Considering the favor I owe you... But...”
“I understand. Arresting him takes priority, correct?”
“That's right. Thank you for understanding... But why are you walking faster...? Counselor Kain?”
“Walking faster?”
“You are! No—Counselor!”
She was right. I had gone from quickening my pace to outright running.
“Co-Counselor Kain? Counselor! Hey...!”
Ignoring Naikle's desperate voice behind me, I broke into a full sprint. I intended to reach Draksan before she did.
“You can't do this! Counselor, the law...!”
“I just want to check his condition first—just his condition!”
“Arresting him comes first! Counselor!”
A strange chase unfolded. Naikle was fast—unsurprising for a werewolf investigator. But I wasn't slow either. My physical abilities had never been lacking, and I had the advantage of starting first.
Thus, I reached Draksan's house ahead of her. I pounded on the door.
Bang bang bang!
“Draksan, it's me! Please open the door!”
There was no response. Not even the smallest sound came from inside.
Surely he didn't... take his own life...
A chilling thought flashed through my mind. I remembered Deputy Sigrid. If I had been even a little later back then, she would have died.
My body moved before I could think.
Crack!
“Draksan!”
I forced the door open and called his name. Still no answer.
“Draksan, I'm here to arrest you on suspicion of assaulting an investigator...?”
Naikle's voice, arriving moments later, echoed emptily through the vacant room. Draksan was nowhere to be seen.
“Co-Counselor Kain, did you hide Draksan...?”
“That's impossible. I'm not insane... Besides, there's nowhere to hide him.”
Draksan's home was a single studio. There were no other rooms, and his massive frame could never fit inside a wardrobe or under a desk.
“Then...”
Naikle's face went pale. I struggled to keep my own expression under control.
Damn it.
Draksan had disappeared.
“Let's find him.”
This wasn't the time to stand around in shock. The real problem was how. The kingdom of Lumentea didn't have surveillance cameras on every corner like my previous world.
“Does the security bureau have any way to locate missing persons?”
“There is a technique that tracks unique mana signatures to find criminals or missing people, but...!”
“It takes time, I assume.”
“Yes. It takes at least two days just to secure a mage and begin the pursuit.”
On average, locating a missing person took around seven days. We couldn't afford that. Draksan suffered from intermittent explosive disorder—who knew what he might do while missing?
“For now, searching directly seems fastest.”
“Y-Yes... Just a moment.”
Naikle sniffed the air.
“...There's still a scent.”
I had forgotten—werewolves had excellent senses of smell. Even in human form, hers was far superior to a normal person's.
“He hasn't been gone long, then.”
“Two days... at most three. Th-Though I'm not entirely certain.”
She was almost certainly certain; her timid nature simply made her add the disclaimer.
“That's a relief. I know the labor office he used to frequent—'Hunter Labor Specialists.' It's not far from here.”
“L-Let's go!”
We ran and reached the office in moments. The director looked us up and down with a bored expression.
“You don't look like job seekers. Here to hire someone?”
“I-I'm Investigator Naikle from the security bureau. I have a question.”
“Eek—what brings you here...?”
The director visibly tensed at the word “investigator.” Naikle showed him a photograph.
“Have you seen this person before?”
It was a picture of Draksan. The director's eyes widened.
“This guy! I know him. He was here two days ago. His hunting skills are incredible—people have been dying to hire him...”
“If he was here two days ago, does that mean he accepted a request?”
“Huh? Ah, yes. He took a demonic beast subjugation job and left right away.”
“Where did he go?”
I cut in. The director blinked, trying to recall.
“Uh, well, I don't remember the exact village name, but it's a settlement bordering the southwestern Demon Wastes. There's a troublesome demonic beast there—he probably went to deal with it.”
“A village bordering the southwestern Demon Wastes...”
I occasionally glanced at recruitment notices in the newspaper for hunters to subjugate beasts in affected areas. One name surfaced in my memory.
“Could the village be called Sauhin?”
“Sauhin—yes! That's the one.”
Correct. Naikle's eyes widened.
“Wait, h-how did you...?”
“I have a good memory. But this isn't the time. Let's move.”
“Yes, I'll arrange transportation...”
Before leaving, I turned back to the director.
“How was Draksan's condition when he was here?”
“Condition? Now that you mention it... he did seem off. His eyes were bloodshot, and he kept glancing around like he didn't know where to look. It was unsettling. But he's always looked intimidating, so I didn't think much of it... Ah!”
The director's eyes widened as if remembering something.
“He kept muttering something like a madman. That's what really scared me.”
“Do you remember what he was saying?”
“I wasn't listening closely, but... Hadler...? It sounded like he was repeating some name like that.”
“Hadler... Thank you.”
Outside, Naikle was pacing anxiously.
“His condition seems bad. We need to hurry.”
“Y-Yes! I just called for a carriage.”
“A carriage at a time like this?”
“It's the only ride I could get on short notice...”
Magitech vehicles or carriages made little difference in speed these days; modern carriages used magically enhanced horses. My rear might suffer, but that was a minor concern.
The carriage arrived quickly. We climbed aboard without ceremony, and it departed with a rhythmic clatter.
Naikle fidgeted, eyes darting nervously, until something seemed to dawn on her.
“Wait—Hadler? You mean the 'Beast Tamer' Hadler?”
“You know him?”
“Of course! I was the one who arrested him.”
It was an odd coincidence.
“But why would Draksan be looking for him...?”
“Hadler is Draksan's... well...”
I chose my words carefully inside the rattling carriage.
“...You could call him his nemesis. He's the reason Draksan developed intermittent explosive disorder.”