The Blue Radiance
Boom! The headless corpse gushed a fountain of blood. The puddle pooling across the floor slowly spread outward.
Oddly enough, as Ellyse Bertman stared at it, the memory of blowing off Inspector Thomas’s head flashed through her mind. The sight of a head vanishing without a trace right before her eyes had been a rare experience, so recalling that moment was inevitable.
The difference this time was that she had not been the one to kill it. The creature had deserved death, true, but it should not have died here. Unlike the laboratory, which had contained only operational personnel, this place was crowded with countless pedestrians.
“──Kyaaaaaaaaaaaaah!!”
The confusion and terror that had been momentarily suppressed exploded through the crowd in an instant. A man had died in the middle of a major avenue, killed by a sniper shot from an unknown source.
Some citizens who realized what was happening threw themselves flat to avoid further shots, while others sprinted toward nearby buildings. Others simply screamed. Some lost their reason and fled in blind panic. Still others were knocked down and swept along by the surging mob. The square teemed with every kind of person, each one feeding the growing disaster in their own way.
Whether they had lain down to dodge sniper fire, tripped and fallen, or simply been in the wrong place, those on the ground were trampled by the fleeing crowd. Children separated from their parents by the human wall became lost. In the midst of the chaos, pickpockets and thieves went to work.
Screams rang out so loudly it was hard to believe the area had been peaceful only moments earlier. It was absolute pandemonium.
Ellyse Bertman looked back and forth between the corpse at her feet that looked exactly like her and the crowd fleeing into the distance, her face clouded with confusion.
…What on earth is happening?
Ellyse could not make sense of the situation. She did not understand why the doppelganger had suddenly delivered that long speech, nor could she guess who had sniped it.
Had personnel from the Special Affairs Division arrived after receiving the support request? Or was it military police from another department? Even though she had been holding a pistol, had they simply opened fire? Or was she being too soft again?
She frowned deeply. A corpse that looked identical to her collapsing dead was unpleasant enough, but the fact that it had spilled every detail of her personal information before dying was far worse. She disliked both the doppelganger’s propaganda and the sniper who had killed it without hesitation. No—the entire situation was thoroughly distasteful.
The circumstances were messy in every respect. Civilian rumors and newspaper outlets hungry for a story would certainly mention her name in connection with today’s incident. The daughter of the Minister of Military Affairs had died in the public square. By a sniper’s bullet, no less.
She could protest and have the matter suppressed soon enough, but that did not improve her mood. The news of her “death” spreading across the entire city? Senior officers at the Metropolitan Police Department who had never known her family background suddenly learning everything? All of it was unpleasant.
Yes, it was definitely unpleasant, but what made it even more so was that she could not understand why the doppelganger had said those things. ‘To stir up a ridiculous rumor that would be buried soon anyway?’ It had thrown its life away for that? A selfish demon had gone out of its way to appear on a public street in front of citizens just to die?
Did that make any sense? Did doppelgangers possess a different disposition from other demons? Did they prefer instilling fear over slaughter…? Even then, it hardly seemed like something they would willingly die for.
If it had simply allowed itself to be captured, none of this confusion would have occurred.
…Or had it been worth attempting even if it meant being taken alive? If not, then it had planned to die from the beginning. For example, by an untraceable sniper shot….
In that fleeting instant, having followed her thoughts that far, Ellyse Bertman instinctively scanned the surrounding high-rise buildings.
“Calm down, everyone!”
“There are people on the ground!”
“We are conducting a counter-terrorism operation! There will be no further sniper fire, so please remain where you are!”
Ellyse decided not to join the effort to control the crowd. She did not know whether an actual operation was underway or what the correct response should be. Plenty of people were already shouting—pedestrians, support personnel from the Metropolitan Police Department, and officers from nearby stations. Since she did not yet possess the Mystery to amplify her voice, she chose to leave the task to them.
Instead, she resolved to meet the sniper herself.
…It smelled fresh and blue, like peppermint.
She did not know whether it was always the right guidance, but it was the scent that had once saved her. It was the path that had given her an opportunity. And it was instinct.
Therefore, Ellyse Bertman decided to trust her senses once again.
Thump. Thump. Thump. Thump.
She focused on the heartbeat that differed from the one driven by unpleasant tension and bewilderment. This time she could not afford another foolish choice.
Thanks to that concentration, she no longer felt the pain in her forearm.
The inspector surveyed the surrounding buildings with a fierce expression.
—Her eyes throbbed for some reason.
Nevertheless, she soon spotted a blue light flickering from the construction site ahead. It was not even the middle of the night, yet the blue flame glowed with an alien intensity. Staring fixedly at that strange radiance, Ellyse began to move. She broke into a run.
Had her premonition been correct after all?
Just as she reached the building, boom!boom! Heavy noises rang out once more.
Hearing the gunshots coming from directly overhead, she widened her eyes and kept running. She paused briefly amid the scattered materials of the construction site, spotted a staircase on one side, and raced up the steps.
Boom!Boom!
Climbing the stairs with everything she had while the heavy sounds continued, she pushed herself harder than she ever had in her life.
Boom!Crash!
Yet as she listened, she realized something was wrong. At some point the sounds from above had shifted from gunshots to something closer to explosions. Even allowing for sniper fire, the difference was subtle.
…Boom!Booooooooom!
Ellyse kept climbing, head tilted in confusion but legs never stopping.
After what felt like endless movement she finally reached the floor where the noise originated.
There she saw someone beating a construction worker as if pounding a dog.
“Wow! I finally feel like my stress is easing up a bit!”
Ellyse Bertman blinked as she surveyed the scene littered with chunks of flesh. It had not been a single sniper; several corpses lay scattered across the floor. The most intact among them—though every part was still crushed—was the one currently being pummeled.
A doppelganger whose green eyes were dimming like a dying light, and the inspector gripping the monster’s collar with one hand and slamming it down repeatedly.
Witnessing the gruesome sight, Ellyse called out cautiously.
“……Inspector Bastard?”
Ellyna Bastard turned her head with little surprise and looked at her. The senior smiled brightly and greeted her in a cheerful voice.
“You’re a little late, junior?”
Ellyse Bertman could not argue. The statement was not wrong, and her mind had been momentarily distracted anyway.
She had not yet fully understood her own Mystery, but there was one thing she could say with certainty.
……It’s blue.
What she saw upon arriving was almost unbelievable. Before her eyes stretched a vast sea. It was deep and profoundly blue.
A vivid blue radiance surged from every inch of Inspector Ellyna’s body, which was splattered with blood across her face. The glow was so intense it could not possibly belong to a human.
Faced with such an overwhelming sight, Ellyse felt a fresh wave of unease.
The restaurant where the on-site orchestra played. Desperado. It was one of the most prestigious establishments on a street famous for its wealth even within the capital of Central City.
A dining venue where one could experience cuisine from the Western Continent as well as the East. It stood apart through elegance and gastronomic excellence rather than mere variety, and its reservation policy admitted only the highest strata of society.
The guiding principle was that when refined guests, superb dishes, and beautiful music came together, the dignity of the moment could only shine brilliantly.
“……Um, did you hear some kind of sound just now?”
Yet Ashily Dolores was having unusual difficulty concentrating today. Though the music and food were excellent, the man before her radiated such profound indifference that she found herself listening even to unnecessary noises from outside.
Boom!Boom!
For some reason the sound felt ominous and dull, so she tilted her head.
“I don’t hear anything.”
Demian Cloud, however, seemed to have no interest in conversation. He gave a vague reply and simply continued slicing the meat on his plate.
…He had been the one to suggest they meet, so what was this attitude?
Ashily Dolores frowned at his refreshingly rude behavior. Demian had maintained this demeanor the entire day. She had already been planning to refuse, but this moment pushed her decision even further.
“……Ahaha, I see?”
Still, he was her father’s valuable business partner. She could not simply walk away. Forcing a smile, Ashily tried to continue the conversation. As expected, his replies remained curt.
She let out a quiet sigh and took a bite of steak. Wondering when she could end this meeting, she raised her head.
And met a gaze that had been watching her intently.
Ashily Dolores felt her heart grow cold and unconsciously touched her wrist.
For the first time that day, Demian Cloud looked at her properly and spoke.
“I have a deal to propose.”
“……A deal?”
What was this all of a sudden? Ashily could not hide her astonished expression.
“……I do not yet hold any authority within my family.”
“It is not about business. It is a transaction concerning our future relationship.”
“……Pardon?”
“For the time being, we must remain together.”
“Wait, what do you……”
This went beyond incomprehensible; it was downright rude. Ashily considered standing up and leaving at once, but she hesitated. His cold gaze remained fixed on her.
Staring into his flickering blue eyes, Demian Cloud declared with absolute certainty.
“If you do not accept the deal,”
you will die.
Without fail.