The Kids, Eric, Evan, and Emily (2)
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The blue dawn light spilled across the windows, and we began packing our bags.
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After staying up late last night talking, we had spent the night at James's place.
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I wandered around the kitchen hoping to catch a glimpse of coffee, but...
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“What are you looking for?”
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“Nothing... just... I figured a long journey might make me tired.”
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“Here, a potion.”
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“...”
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James handed me a perfectly ordinary potion.
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Coffee had vanished from my senses thanks to the beating from the Paje office yesterday.
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I had no choice but to sip the rest and step out into the courtyard shrouded in morning mist.
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The rising sun dyed the fog red.
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“I'll entrust the children to you.”
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We each ruffled the heads of the three siblings in turn.
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I handed James the money we were carrying, along with whatever else might prove useful.
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And I urged him to look after the kids carefully.
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“Mr. Detective, please contact us if you find my parents.”
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Somehow, I had promised the children I'd look into their parents' whereabouts.
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Emily waved her hand.
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A scar was visible on her palm.
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“Does this still work?”
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I muttered quietly and walked over to the girl, taking her small hand.
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Emily flinched at the unexpected touch.
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A warm body heat radiated from her palm.
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I closed my eyes, drawing the magic power inside me and sending it flowing to Emily.
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“Here... feel it. This is the flow of magic power. Do you feel that dull throbbing near your heart that's blocking it? Don't force it—breathe slowly and let it flow.”
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Emily trembled at the unfamiliar sensation but quickly accepted my magic power.
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But something felt off.
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‘Eh?’
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An unknown aura was fiercely resisting my magic power.
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It felt like something was snagging.
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Something strong was resisting from the girl's small body.
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“Try again. Relax your body.”
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I sent my magic power to Emily once more.
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But it blocked again, and instead, an unknown aura poured into me.
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The two auras clashed until Emily, as if giving up, accepted my magic power.
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“Prosecutor-nim, is there a problem?”
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Paje the secretary approached with a puzzled look at my unusual appearance.
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“No.”
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A bead of sweat formed on my forehead.
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I poured all my magic power into Emily while she braced her body to accept it.
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A brilliant light swirled through Emily's entire body, and a small orb of magic power appeared at her fingertips.
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Emily's eyes fixed on the glowing orb in awe.
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“Huh... well... this isn't the usual kind, but it's a lump of magic power. You shape it into whatever form you want, draw magic circles, or borrow the power of nature.”
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I had no idea what school of magic Emily's mother belonged to.
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But the aura flowing through the girl's body didn't seem like a standard one.
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At that moment, Emily stared at the orb on her fingertips, spread her fingers, and hurled it into the air.
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The round ball of light shattered into countless pieces and pierced straight through the statue James had carelessly left in the yard.
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No magic circle, no incantation—just raw intent releasing magic power.
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“Ouch.”
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James barely managed to catch the falling statue.
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The broken pieces of light connected into a single line and melted into the statue's surface.
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The fragments returned to their original shape.
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“Like this, huh?”
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Emily said while staring curiously at her own hand.
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It was extraordinary.
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No, actually incredible.
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Even the elder magicians of the Imperial Magic Tower probably wouldn't see an intuitive user like this.
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It was a level only reachable after years of training.
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I hid my surprise and asked.
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“That's right. But what were you planning to do originally? Why did you destroy the statue?”
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Emily paused for a moment before slowly lifting her head to answer.
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“I've always been afraid of that statue. I wanted it gone, but when I felt James-ajusshi's sad feelings, I tried to return it to normal.”
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Emily spoke calmly, yet she was using pure intent to cast magic.
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Casting magic with only intent was possible only for high-level mages.
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Normally, magic required carefully designing a magic circle, drawing it, and stacking it multiple times before activation.
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Well, my innate sense let me activate magic instantly from thought alone.
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But this child was special.
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I looked at Emily with careful eyes.
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“Magic always comes with a price, so be careful. Stop immediately if you feel pain. Understood?”
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Emily nodded with a pure, innocent face as I lowered myself to her level.
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She then handed me a small ring doll that had come from her mother.
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“Mama said not to take anything for free.”
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It was a pink little unicorn doll.
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I pocketed it and said to the children.
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“Thanks. I'll take good care of it.”
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“Yes, ajusshi. Thank you. And if you find my parents, please tell me.”
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“Yeah, I'll find them. And if anything happens, contact me right away.”
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Before leaving, I gave Eric, the eldest of the three siblings, my magic stone communicator.
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The kids had quickly learned to use it after just a short explanation.
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I glanced once more at James, who was swinging an axe to chop firewood nearby, and then set off on our journey.
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We walked across the endless fields for five hours.
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Finally, a proper road appeared, and we hailed a passing carriage.
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In the carriage, arms crossed, I closed my eyes and pondered.
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The sudden rise in Ruby Lab stocks, the suspicious movements at Jacob Department Store, and Emily's special magic power...
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I had a feeling all of this was somehow connected.
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“Guests, we've arrived.”
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At the coachman's words, I opened my eyes and stepped down from the carriage.
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We headed toward the Capital Defense Bureau without exchanging a single word.
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After passing through entry verification at the gate, our destination was the office of Bureau Chief Frida.
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“What's the matter with both of you? Did you roll around in the stables or something?”
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Bureau Chief Frida frowned and stepped back.
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“I'll start the investigation into Jacob Department Store.”
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I spoke bluntly to the point.
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“What are you saying? Speak clearly.”
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Frida gestured with her chin, as if telling me to talk with my arms crossed.
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Paje stepped forward.
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“I'll submit the necessary documents as soon as I finish investigating. However, I need your cooperation code to get assistance from the National Tax Office.”
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Paje bowed deeply to Bureau Chief Frida.
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* * *
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Normally, Paje never bowed to anyone.
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Bowing deeply was out of the question.
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The man who had survived life with nothing but arrogance was now bowing deeply to Bureau Chief Frida.
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It must have meant he wanted to investigate this case badly.
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Because of the children?
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Or a desire for revenge against those who had mocked him?
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I couldn't tell.
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But it didn't matter.
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I had decided to investigate this case until the end.
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On the way back to the office, I bought one more magic stone communicator.
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I stopped at a nearby magic communication goods shop and connected the circuit of my existing communicator to the new device.
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All previous contacts went to me, and I adjusted the circuit so only I could contact the three kids via the magic stone communicator I gave them.
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I tested it by contacting the kids with my new communicator number.
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- Ajusshi!
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The voice coming from the other side of the magic stone communicator was brighter than I expected.
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“Eric?”
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- No. It's Evan. The eldest!
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It was hard to tell them apart because their names were similar.
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The kids emphasized “eldest” and “second” every time, as if they wanted to make it clear.
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It was kind of cute.
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“…Oh, right. Evan. What are you doing?”
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- I'm cleaning the drainage ditch at James-ajusshi's house. The toilet's clogged. Emily-ajusshi just cast magic and burst the drainage pipe. Eeeek.”
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“...”
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Be careful with magic.
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Magic always has a price.
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- Ajusshi, why?
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“This is my new number. Contact me if anything happens.”
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- Okay, got it.
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“Are you near ajusshi?”
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- Just a second. James-ajusshi~ There's a prosecutor-ajusshi looking for you.
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A thudding voice, out of breath, came from the other side of the magic stone communicator after banging.
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- What's the matter?
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“Are you having the kids clean the drainage ditch? I haven't seen people like that.”
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- Haha! Have I gone crazy? Those brats started acting tough, and my toilet's all burst! Kids, don't touch that. Don't do it!!!
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A bursting sound came from the other side of the magic stone communicator.
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“...”
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A guilty feeling for asking someone to do something I shouldn't have entrusted in the first place.
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I headed straight to the office while feeling a bit uncomfortable with the faint smell coming from the communicator.
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Through the secret passage provided by Therion, we found Marian sitting at her desk with a messy appearance.
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“Prosecutor Marian, what happened?”
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Paje asked in surprise.
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“No, where did you two come from looking like that? By the way, how did you get in?”
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Marian asked while gaping at us.
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She still hadn't bathed, so she was still disheveled.
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But the reason for her surprise wasn't just our appearance—it was probably because we had suddenly appeared from the office wall.
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Reporters were still camped out outside the office.
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Paje looked out the window and pointed at the Therion statue on the wall.
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“Ah... I forgot to mention. A secret passage has appeared. You know, with the chaos outside.”
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“Ah... I was scared thinking Therion-nim had weird tastes.”
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Marian stood up and walked toward the statue.
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She touched the statue's window and went through the secret passage a few times.
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“This is definitely harassment.”
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Marian muttered to herself.
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She took a comb from the drawer as if she had made up her mind and began combing her tangled hair.
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It was like a vow never to be grabbed by reporters again.
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We each returned to our seats feeling an unknown sense of guilt.
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After organizing a few things, we called everyone to the center table.
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“Everyone, gather here.”
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* * *
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“From now on, we will begin the investigation into Jacob Department Store.”
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I continued slowly.
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“The charge is fraud. It is suspected that they deceived people through verbal promotion, registered them as members of Jacob Department Store, and received their membership fees as disguised internal funds.”
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I watched Marian and Paje jot down notes and assigned each of them their roles.
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“Paje, please investigate the cash flow, sales records, transaction network, and corporate structure of Jacob Department Store. Especially pay close attention to the flow of funds.”
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“Yes, understood.”
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“Marian, please look for any victims of Jacob Department Store and report anything suspicious to me immediately. Especially, make sure to check among those who committed suicide for financial reasons whether anyone is connected to Jacob.”
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“Yes, understood.”
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The two, busy writing in their notebooks, returned to their seats.
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Marian then came closer and whispered to me.
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“Senior, are you still investigating the case Bureau Chief Frida ordered?”
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I looked at her fixedly, and she slammed her desk.
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“What! Again! You forgot again. You always only bother Bureau Chief Frida! The mass disappearance case of the elven women! You said to investigate that!”
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Ah...
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Yeah, that was probably it.
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I had forgotten somehow, but I had to remember.
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But why is she so sharp today?
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“Marian, what's wrong?”
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“Nothing's wrong.”
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“Are you hungry?”
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“Am I the type to look like that?”
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“Then... did you break up with your boyfriend?”
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“I'm not a loser. You're really teasing me...”
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I couldn't figure out why.
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“Anyway, why are you like this?”
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“...Why didn't you take me? I was also really interested in investing in superconducting magic stones. I really need to earn money right now, but you only want to take the good information for yourselves...”
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Ah, I see.
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You guys went to Ruby Lab together, didn't you?
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“Marian.”
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“Yes?”
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“Just put money in a regular savings account. Don't invest in something like superconducting magic stones.”
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Investing in that kind of thing can ruin you.
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But Marian answered with a snort at my advice.
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“I can't save money even if it's just a little interest. Considering the rising prices, that's a loss.”
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Marian's investment illness seemed hard to cure.
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There are only two ways to fix it.
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Either go bankrupt in one day or be too busy to even have time to go bankrupt.
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“Compile the personal details of the mass disappearance case of the elven women and send it to me. Include age and physical features, as well as family relations and surrounding debts.”
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“Hik.”
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“Is that possible by tomorrow morning?”
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“No... how can you do that in just a few hours...”
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“Ah! Right. Don't forget the disappearance time and location.”
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“...Senior, you think tomorrow morning is around next Thursday?”
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