Chapter 181
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 181
Chapter Title: I Want to Hear More Details
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Rimon hadn't been most surprised by the fact that five witches from the 27 lineages of magic had died when he first learned about the witch murders.
It was that so few people knew about it.
These witches from the 27 lineages of magic had risen as heroes of the Great British Empire after the Demon God War.
No matter how mystically they lived, the deaths of not one or two, but five witches should have been headline news long ago.
Yet if this fact hadn't become known, there were only two possible reasons.
They'd pulled off a perfect crime.
Or someone had deliberately covered it up.
Either way, considering this was the Great British Empire—London, no less—the prime suspects inevitably pointed to the Azure Dragon Clan.
"There's only a limited number of forces in London capable of committing a perfect crime or covering one up."
[Still, isn't suspecting the Azure Dragon Clan just based on that a bit much?]
"If the victims hadn't all been witches from the 27 lineages, maybe."
Though magic was now treated like an archaic traditional technique compared to psychics or skills, it had once dominated the era.
A dime-a-dozen mage? Sure.
But witches inheriting the 27 lineages were beings who surpassed most high-level players on their own.
Killing them was no easy feat to begin with.
Let alone committing multiple murders so discreetly or covering them up—the difficulty skyrocketed several times over.
"Most importantly, Cir—that old hag—couldn't solve the case herself and came to me for help."
[Is that such a big deal?]
"Would you know it if I said she just sipped her tea and watched when the Demon God invaded London?"
[……Yeah, that sounds like big trouble.]
Yuna Kyung looked queasy.
She knew Cir wasn't an ordinary witch, but she hadn't realized it was that extreme.
"Taking that into account, the forces that could be suspects in the witch murders number two, maybe three at most."
[Who…… No, I get the gist.]
Yuna Kyung cut herself off and shook her head.
Setting aside motives or goals, just listing forces with that kind of power naturally revealed the answer.
[So you're saying the Azure Dragon Clan is suspicious? The police handling the investigation would make the perfect culprit, too.]
"Exactly. Even if they're not the killers, the Azure Dragon Clan would have noticed the witches vanishing."
[……If they really know about the witch murders and haven't made it public, that's pretty suspicious.]
"It could be part of the investigation."
Rimon said coolly.
As a former PAB agent himself, he knew investigations sometimes stayed secret to catch the culprit.
[So we have to look into the Azure Dragon Clan first, huh.]
"Whether they're guilty or not, they'd have the most clues about this mess."
[……But how do you plan to do that?]
"That's what I'm pondering right now."
Rimon, who'd answered Yuna Kyung's questions fluidly until now, shrugged this time.
He'd snuck into the Great British Empire hiding his identity to avoid the Azure Dragon Clan's eyes in the first place. Confronting them openly wasn't an option.
They weren't confirmed culprits yet, and for future relations, force was off the table too.
That left infiltrating secretly and extracting info somehow……
'Might as well rob Buckingham Palace.'
Rimon shook his head.
The Ciserpent Count's estate was a fortress rivaling Hotel Leviathan.
Slipping in undetected, guarded by the Azure Dragon Princess and their elite fighters—no easy task, even for him.
Unless he stormed in to kill them all.
'If only I had an inside man, it'd be simpler.'
He regretted the Black Dragon Clan's fall anew.
In their heyday, they could've manufactured a spy from thin air and uncovered any secret.
But now? The Black Dragons were too busy with internal cleanup to expect that much.
How to extract Azure Dragon Clan intel……
Rimon sat in a café with a view of the Ciserpent estate atop a distant hill, sipping coffee lost in thought.
Then a familiar voice called out.
"……Ri? Is that you, Ri?"
"Hm?"
[Huh?]
Rimon and Yuna Kyung turned, puzzled.
Hearing his alias 'Ri'—known only to a tiny few outside the Black and White Dragon Clans—here of all places was that surprising.
"Ri, what are you doing here?"
"……That's what I want to ask."
Rimon glanced at the caller and felt his doubts clear.
She not only knew his name 'Ri' but shared a personal connection.
Which sparked new questions he voiced awkwardly.
"Julia, what are you doing here?"
A world-class violinist reigning without skills, earning her the moniker "Witch of the Violin."
Also the very woman who'd taught him violin.
Facing Julia Franke, Rimon could only gape in disbelief.
He tapped the table briefly.
Then, after calmly sorting through what he'd heard, Rimon spoke up.
"You got fired from your professorship at Frankfurt Music Academy?"
"I quit, I told you."
"Why, though?"
Rimon knew little about music academies, but he grasped that a professorship wasn't something to toss lightly.
Julia holding one was proof enough.
Yet why abandon it voluntarily?
Julia gave a wry smile at his baffled look.
"Honestly, Ri? It's because of you."
"……Then you should've just taken the lesson fee. No need to cover hotel bills too."
"Not like that."
She'd sold her house to cover Leviathan's insane rates, true—but unrelated to quitting.
Julia lifted her teacup and continued softly.
"After teaching you, Ri, I couldn't teach other students properly."
"Should I apologize?"
"No need. My standards rose because of you, but failing to treat students fairly is my own shortcoming."
Julia shook her head.
Then she smiled faintly at Rimon.
"Above all, you proved my teaching wasn't wasted. That's enough."
"Proved?"
"The concert with Singing Pure White."
"You saw that?"
"Of course. How could I miss a broadcast with that 'Pure White'? Never expected to see you there, though."
Truly enviable.
Julia thought inwardly.
Aynsha longed for top performers to join her skill-free singing, but she was the hardest for them to match.
As the Sacred Federation's High Priestess and White Dragon Princess, she rarely sang for money or conditions.
Yet Rimon chose her for his debut.
Without his phenomenal skill, even as her student, Julia might've felt jealous.
That's why she teased playfully.
"Oh, right. Heard you got a fun nickname from it?"
"Nickname?"
"The enigmatic performer, 'Violinist of the Abyssal Black.'"
"……What's with that childish name?"
"Should've performed more publicly. Go too mysterious, and weird nicknames stick."
"It wasn't a concept…… Never mind."
Julia chuckled at Rimon clicking his tongue.
Actually, it proved the concert's massive impact.
Without skills rivaling 'Pure White,' no one would've bothered with a grandiose title like 'Abyssal Black.'
As his teacher, that satisfied Julia fully.
"Anyway, quitting the professorship I get, but why London?"
"Personal greed. I want to study violin more."
"Yeah?"
"……You're not surprised? Most are when I say that."
"Learning has no end."
"Wise words."
Julia smiled softly.
Others had stared like she was crazy—a top violinist quitting to study more.
Rimon's calm reaction soothed her.
Aware or not of her feelings, Rimon nodded evenly.
Now he understood why she was in London.
The Great British Empire was Europe's cultural heart.
Post-Demon God War, London led the continent, offering much to see and learn.
"Looks like you don't need pep talks. You're doing fine."
"Doing fine……"
Rimon spoke casually, noting her neat attire—no need to force lesson fees.
But Julia smiled bitterly.
"True, my generous employer's treating me well. Some tricky stuff, though."
"Tricky?"
"Employer asked for an important concert, but I can't find the right performers."
"London's overflowing with top talent."
"Not just top—superlative. Even here, rounding them up quickly is……"
Then.
Julia paused.
Her eyes landed on the blue-haired newbie already at world-class—or beyond—level, a monster in talent.
She wore a strange expression.
"……Ri, want to perform where I'm working?"
"Politely decline."
"Pay's generous, I promise."
"Not hurting for cash."
"Figured."
Julia sighed.
Knowing he treated Leviathan like home, she hadn't banked on money swaying him.
Still, regret tinged her murmur.
"Too bad. Performing at the Ciserpent estate is rare, money aside."
"……Hold up. Where?"
"Oh, didn't I mention? I'm staying at the Ciserpent Count's estate."
Broke after selling her house, but lucky—a generous employer with fat pay and room/board.
Rimon eyed her smiling explanation oddly, then asked seriously after a pause.
"Can I hear more details on that?"