The Club and the First Lesson
Sia watched the pair with open delight, clearly entertained by their lively exchange. With a teasing smile, she brewed a fresh pot of black tea and brought it over.
"Come now, come now! Don't get too worked up~ Have some tea and cookies!"
"Oh, cookies!! Yes, please!!"
The noisy, cheerful daily routine at the Moriarty Detective Agency drew to a close that day just as it always did.
The next day.
Seong-il was killing time at the detective agency as usual, getting ready to head home when an unexpected visitor arrived at the Moriarty Detective Agency.
"Huh?! Officer Ilina?!"
"Hello! Master Seong-il, Detective Sir!"
"...Could you please stop calling me Master? And I'm only the detective's assistant. If you keep messing up the titles, it'll be rude to Detective Charlotte."
"Ah...!"
Ilina, who hadn't realized that using the title of detective might offend Charlotte, quickly corrected herself and answered.
"I'm sorry! Master Seong-il!"
"...You need to drop the Master part too. Sigh... Forget it."
Seong-il, already exhausted from arguing with her, asked about the purpose of her sudden visit.
"Anyway, why did you come so suddenly? Is it for training...?"
"Yes... That's the main reason, but I also have a request from the Metropolitan Police to deliver."
"Ah... a request..."
It had been quite some time since he'd last heard anything about his role as Special Advisor to the Metropolitan Police. Seong-il's interest was immediately piqued.
"If that's the case, could you wait a moment? I'll go upstairs and bring down Detective Charlotte and Sia."
"Yes!!"
After saying that, Seong-il went to fetch Charlotte.
"Great Detective! Are you there, Great Detective?!"
"Hmm...? What is it, Seong-il?"
It hadn't been long since she'd left the office, yet Charlotte had already changed into comfortable pajamas and was relaxing at home. Seeing her like that, Seong-il let out a small sigh and informed her that someone from the Metropolitan Police had come looking for them.
"Ooh...!! Finally...!!"
Charlotte's face flushed with excitement over her first official duty. She spoke to Seong-il, cheeks burning red.
"Could you wait downstairs for me?! I'll change and be right down!!"
"Sure, sure...!!"
After replying, Seong-il waited for Charlotte on the first floor. He sipped the tea Sia had served while chatting with Ilina.
"By the way... Training starts today. Did you manage to find a suitable location?"
"Of course! Master Seong-il! I've secured the perfect spot that will satisfy you completely...!"
"...Alright. I'll take your word for it. If it's disappointing, you'd better brace yourself."
Seong-il, who found her presence incredibly bothersome, secretly decided he would find every possible fault once they reached the training ground.
"Ooh...! I'm so sorry for making you wait so long!!"
"Not at all. It was my fault for showing up right at closing time! Great Detective."
"Oh ho ho..! How modest of you! So, what brings you here today...? Another letter from the phantom thief, perhaps?!"
Officer Ilina shook her head at Charlotte's words. She pulled a bundle of documents from her coat and handed them over, beginning her explanation.
"Could you please take a look at these documents...?"
At her request, the staff of the Moriarty Detective Agency naturally opened the envelope and examined the contents.
"This is..."
When unfamiliar women's montages and profiles emerged from the envelope, Officer Ilina began explaining to the puzzled group.
"These are the missing women."
"...Missing?"
"Yes... Recently, single women—mostly from the lower classes—have been disappearing at an alarming rate. At first, the initial one or two cases were assumed to be the usual: slum residents fleeing their debts in the middle of the night to another city."
"Hmm..."
"That made sense because there were no preceding signs of murder or violence. There weren't even any reports of harassment..."
At Officer Ilina's explanation, Charlotte asked with a puzzled tilt of her head.
"Then why do you consider them missing?!"
Ilina gave a bitter smile as she answered.
"Because a woman was recently discovered on the magic train."
"Then it's not really a disappearance, is it...?"
Seong-il's puzzled counterquestion made Ilina shake her head vigorously as she continued.
"Of course it would be—if she'd been found under normal circumstances. But she wasn't."
"...Then?"
"She was discovered inside a cargo crate, gagged, blindfolded, completely naked, with her limbs bound in chains."
"!!"
"She had been thoroughly conditioned into a sex slave through various aphrodisiacs and torture. Normal thought was beyond her."
"...How bad exactly?"
"Exactly as it sounds. She showed absolute obedience to anyone who might become her owner—man or woman. Especially toward whoever held the bracelet that had been enclosed with her in the box."
"...How?"
"Simply... If someone was holding or wearing the bracelet, she would recognize its owner as her master and obey without question. She was so completely broken that even when we tried to stop her, it was useless."
"...Oh my god."
"When we attempted to interrogate her to understand the situation, she would wet herself, drop to the ground in prostration, bang her head against the floor, and beg while licking the officer's shoes. I can't imagine what kind of atrocities could reduce a person to that state."
"Hmm..."
"After the Metropolitan Police and the Magic Department conducted a thorough investigation, we suspect she was subjected to intense behavioral conditioning through powerful drugs, magic, and tools."
"Which means..."
"Yes. We believe a human trafficking organization is behind this. They kidnap women, break them, and sell them."
At her words, Seong-il's expression hardened as he thought to himself.
This is definitely the final main quest—'Eliminate the Logan Gang'!
Seong-il could feel the endgame quest of Magic City and the Great Detective drawing near. Pretending ignorance, he asked her.
"An incident of this scale seems like something the Windom Metropolitan Police should handle directly. Why come to us...?"
Ilina nodded at Seong-il's question and began to explain.
"We will devote every resource to investigating the case. However, there are certain districts that are... difficult for us to enter..."
Exactly as expected. It's the main quest.
As Seong-il fell silent with certainty, Charlotte answered for him.
"I understand!! It's Kowloon Walled City, isn't iiit?!"
"Correct!! We've identified one location within Kowloon Walled City as a likely slave training facility."
"Where iiis it?"
"It's an SM club called The Club."
Charlotte frowned at the words "SM club." She immediately began asking questions about The Club.
"SM...? What kind of place is that?!"
"Exactly what the name suggests... A place where adult men and women wear masks and engage in obscene acts. Humiliation play, anal training, spanking discipline..."
"!!!"
"It's famous for thoroughly concealing identities while satisfying the secret desires of the wealthy. As a result, it's notorious as a gathering spot for nobles, bourgeoisie, and other powerful figures looking to indulge their filthy lusts. I've even heard that many noble daughters visit to 'enjoy themselves' there as well."
At her explanation, Seong-il pretended not to know anything and frowned as he replied to Officer Ilina.
"Hmm... You're not seriously suggesting we send Detective Charlotte to such a disgusting place, are you?"
"Ah... Of course not! Simply visiting Kowloon Walled City to gather information about the surrounding area would be more than enough. We have no intention of making unreasonable demands."
At her words, Seong-il gave a sly inner smile.
Of course you'd say that... but our Great Detective isn't going to settle for just gathering information, is she...?
Whether she sensed his thoughts or not, Charlotte answered Officer Ilina with a face full of determination.
"Don't worry iiit!! Seong-il and I will thoroughly investigate The Club ourselves!!"
"Um... It's not investigating The Club itself but the surrounding area..."
"Anyway!! Don't worry about it!!"
"Yes...? Yes..."
She's completely hooked~~
Seong-il inwardly wore a wicked grin at the thought of the enjoyable days he would soon share with Charlotte. Unaware of his smile, Officer Ilina took Charlotte's hands in gratitude and continued.
"Thank you so much!! However, please don't begin investigating the location immediately...! We need time to prepare as well... It would be best if you could start in about one to two weeks."
"Understood!!"
"Also, please keep this matter confidential..."
"Of course!!"
After speaking, Officer Ilina smiled lightly, rose from her seat, and turned to Seong-il.
"Master Seong-il!! Today's first lesson! I look forward to your guidance! With that in mind, could we go together?"
"Huh? Yes... Let's do that..."
"Then... Great Detective! I'll see you next time!!"
"Let's do thaaat!!"
Leaving behind Charlotte, who waved goodbye, Officer Ilina and Seong-il headed toward the training ground.
"Gasp...!"
Seong-il was stunned by the level of the training facility Ilina had prepared.
This... This is supposed to be the training ground?!
It was called a training ground in name only, but it was on the scale of having rented out an entire elementary school gymnasium. Seeing Seong-il standing there in a daze, Officer Ilina fidgeted anxiously and asked.
"I-it doesn't displease you, does it? I truly don't think there's a better training location than this..."
"Ah... Yes... Let's go inside first."
At his words, she nodded and the two entered the building.
"Wow....."
The interior facilities were even more impressive than the exterior. When Seong-il unconsciously let out a sound of admiration, Officer Ilina smiled brightly and asked.
"How is it? Is this level acceptable?"
...Fuck. At this level, I can't find a single fault. Isn't this cheating?
The building was spotless, without a speck of dust, and the sparring area was vast. The wooden floor and cushioned floor were perfectly divided, while mirrors covered every inch of the four walls and high ceiling, allowing a 360-degree study of the instructor's posture. Faced with such a flawless training facility, Seong-il wanted to praise it, but in order to shake Ilina off, he deliberately found fault.
"Hmm... With mirrors on all sides like this, wouldn't it be dangerous if someone accidentally ran into a wall?"
To Seong-il's comment, Officer Ilina answered with a beaming smile as if she'd been waiting for the question.
"Hehe..! They're magic mirrors, Master Seong-il! They may look like glass, but they're artifacts with elasticity closer to rubber."
"!?!?!??!?!?"
Startled by the unexpected answer, Seong-il approached the mirror and pressed his palm against it.
Fuck, it really does feel like rubber?!
Her skill in surrounding him with such absurd magical items left Seong-il speechless. Overwhelmed, he had no choice but to nod.
".....It's perfect."
"Thank you! Master!!"
Fuck, that damn "Master" again...! No choice then. If I can't drive her away by finding faults, I'll have to sexually harass her until she quits...
Seong-il reluctantly acknowledged that her preparations were flawless. He then spoke to her.
"Alright. Then for today, I'll simply demonstrate the forms and stances of my martial art and briefly explain the origins of the combat techniques."
"Wow..! Thank you! Master!"
"Yes..."
Having said that, Seong-il began explaining the origins, power, and characteristics of the Mountain Shattering Divine Fist, adapting the explanation appropriately to fit the world of Magic City and the Great Detective.
"First... The combat technique I am training in is called 'Mountain Shattering Divine Fist.' The name comes from how it appears as if it's shattering mountains."
"Wow...."
"This martial art was not originally created by a fist fighter. Therefore, it's somewhat inaccurate to call it a perfect fist technique."
"!!"
"So if it doesn't appeal to you, feel free to give up now. I won't hold it against you even if you curse me."
"No! I absolutely love Master Seong-il's fist technique! Please allow me to inherit it without fail!"
Fuck, look at how stubbornly determined she is...
Sighing at Ilina's resolute attitude, Seong-il continued the explanation.
"Well.. anyway.. Since it's a combat technique created by a swordsman rather than a traditional fist master, it feels more like insurance. How should I put it... It's the kind of thing you'd use if you lost your sword in the middle of battle...?"
"Aah....!!"
"Therefore, it's a combat technique with very short, explosive forms. There are only eight forms. Of course, there are many variations and derivatives, so despite having only eight core forms, the possible applications are practically endless..."
Caught up in the pace of Officer Ilina, who was listening with utmost seriousness, Seong-il began generously passing on everything he had realized about the Mountain Shattering Divine Fist over the past two months.
"...Anyway, that's the gist of it. Today I'll demonstrate the forms, so memorize them and try to follow along. If you get them wrong, you'll be scolded. Well.. I mentioned the penalty last time, right? If you can't do it, you'll have to get your butt spanked. If you think you can't handle it now, we can just go back...."
"I'll do it! Please demonstrate!"
"...."