MTIHIS | CHAPTER 07

CHAPTER 07

“Madam, do you really have to catch that wanted man?”

“Yes. It’s a perfect chance to earn 100 gold at once.”

“I still think it’s a bad idea. If we get tangled in something dangerous, it could end badly.”

He lowered his already deep voice further, trying to persuade me.

“I’ll handle the money. You just focus on your studies—”

“Shh.”

I lifted a finger to my neat lips.

“There’s nothing more stressful for a sick person than worrying about money. Don’t try to carry it all alone.”

My father’s illness had worsened quickly from that kind of stress. I didn’t want Aizen to end up like him.

Really. Truly.

When I lightly patted his shoulder, Aizen flinched. In the end, he gave up trying to talk me out of it and quietly chose to accompany me.

We arrived at the alley behind the shopping district, where the first crime had taken place, and looked around.

Scattered trash littered the ground. The narrow path split into two, but neither direction looked complicated.

Unless you were a rat, there wasn’t anywhere to hide.

“Hmm. Where on earth could that scoundrel have disappeared to?”

“Given his familiarity with the area, he must be a local of the Duchy.”

“How did he even know the victims were carrying money or gold that day, when they normally didn’t?”

“He either knew them personally or had been observing them. The first seems unlikely since none of the victims shared any acquaintances. The second is still under investigation.”

I blinked in surprise at his machine-like, precise answer.

“Wow, honey. How do you know all that?”

“I read it in the paper.”

“Which paper? Greta gathered all the articles for me, and I didn’t see that one. I want to read it too.”

“…Actually, I overheard it somewhere.”

“From who? I heard this case falls under Duke Kalrad’s jurisdiction. Don’t tell me you’re the one in charge?”

Aizen spoke like someone directly involved in the case, so I’d only said it as a joke—

But instead of laughing, he suddenly stopped walking.

“Ow!”

My face bumped right into his broad, stone-like back.

Rubbing my sore nose, I looked up to find him turning toward me. His hands came up to gently cup my cheeks, tilting my face upward.

I was about to complain, but the pain vanished the moment his face filled my vision.

A miracle cure, apparently.

Feeling shy, I lowered my gaze and lightly tapped his shoulder.

“If you blow on it, I think it’ll stop hurting…”

Wait—

That’s when something suspicious caught my eye.

“Hold on. What’s that on the ground?”

In a corner of the dead-end alley lay a brown wooden board.

When I got closer, I saw it was actually a locked hatch.

“What kind of door is that?”

“It’s an entrance to the sewer.”

Aizen crouched beside me and explained.

“It’s dark and dangerous down there, so they keep it locked. Only sewer workers have the key.”

“Oh, really?”

I tugged on the lock, but it wouldn’t budge. It was too sturdy to break by force.

Dusting off my dress, I stood up again—only for my legs to wobble from sitting too long.

Tap.

“Careful.”

Aizen steadied my forehead with his palm and straightened me up.

Honestly, what a man. His hands were so big and warm.

We inspected the alley one last time before walking out.

“Where’s our carriage?”

When I looked around, Aizen pointed to the roadside where several carriages were lined up.

“Over there.”

“There are quite a few waiting.”

“Those are public carriages. By law, they can only stop at designated areas, so they tend to gather in groups.”

Ah, I see.

I glanced at the passengers and then got into our carriage.

We visited all the other crime scenes too, but in the end, found nothing unusual.

‘…No common features, except maybe one.’

On the way home, with my arm looped through his, I thought quietly.

Pieces of a theory started forming in my head.

“What are you thinking about, my lady?”

“…”

“My lady?”

I opened my eyes wide like a detective from a mystery novel.

“The culprit.”

“Truly?”

Aizen’s eyes widened slightly. I corrected myself quickly.

“Well, I’m not certain. It’s just a theory. But I think it’s worth looking into.”

“Then let me help—”

I held up my hand and shook my head.

“No. You need to rest. What if your illness gets worse?”

“This much is—”

“Shhh. Dear husband, a good man always listens to his wife, you know that?”

I gave him a mock-stern look, and Aizen closed his mouth without protest.

Satisfied, I lowered my hand and smiled.

Just wait, 100 gold. I’m coming for you.

***

Here’s my reasoning for the string of robberies targeting women.

Each crime scene had two things in common: a sewer entrance and a public carriage stop.

The culprit probably escaped through the sewers and picked his victims from among the carriage passengers.

If he took the same carriage every day, he could easily observe them over time.

So the suspect could be either a sewer worker or a carriage driver.

But I suspected both.

Or rather—someone who used to work in the sewers and became a carriage driver.

That seemed more likely. He could’ve stolen a key and used his job to learn which passengers carried money.

To test my theory, I visited both the labor office that managed sewer workers and the trade guild that operated the carriages.

When I asked if anyone had recently quit or switched jobs, only one name came up.

Coincidentally, he drove the exact route where all the crimes occurred.

‘The problem is, I have no proof.’

Then there’s only one way.

‘I’ll use myself as bait and catch him in the act.’

If I nab him red-handed, there’ll be no denying it.

I picked a spot on his route that had a sewer entrance nearby.

It turned out to be next to a fairly large confectionery shop.

Since all the victims were commoners, I told Greta to stay at a distance and pretended to be one myself.

‘Please, let this honest face make him greedy.’

I’d even prepared a little something special, so if he appeared today, it’d be perfect.

By 2 p.m., I got ready to head out. I took the family carriage to the main street, then walked over to board a public one.

“As usual, I’ll follow twenty steps behind,” Greta said.

“Okay. If I get attacked, report it to the guards first. The bounty’s what matters most.”

“…Your safety comes second, then? Understood.”

Greta fell back, and I climbed aboard the carriage.

Clink.

Coins rattled loudly from the pouch tied to my waist, drawing a few glances.

I could feel the driver’s eyes flick toward me too.

When I arrived at the confectionery, I bought a small frozen treat and walked into a quiet alley to eat it.

‘He should be taking the bait soon.’

I couldn’t keep spending money like this forever.

‘Come on, show yourself…’

Just as I made that wish—

Rustle.

A presence behind me. My breath caught.

‘Finally…!’

I reached for the small pouch tied beside my coin purse—

But wait. It wasn’t there.

Where did it go?

Footsteps approached, quiet but close.

Thud.

“…!”

A hand landed on my shoulder. My body froze. I spun around, ready to scream for Greta if needed.

But—

“My lady, it’s me.”

“…Greta?”

It was her.

She handed me the missing pouch, looking concerned.

“You dropped this.”

“Oh, I did? Thank you.”

“There were no deaths, but several injuries from previous attacks. Please be careful. Don’t overdo it alone.”

“It’s fine. I’m not really alone. Knowing you’re behind me is reassuring.”

Having worked together as bounty hunters, I’d seen firsthand her impressive physical skills.

She could twist an arm, kick a man off his feet, or throw someone to the ground like it was nothing.

I gave her a thumbs-up.

Then—

“Hey! A lady shouldn’t be wandering somewhere this dark—”

A man in a mask burst out from the corner, finishing his cliché line.

“…Huh?”

“…Huh?”

We pointed at each other, both startled.

“There’s two of you?”

“You cowardly scum, preying only on women!”

My words made the masked man’s brow twitch.

Ha. Guess I hit a nerve.

“What did you just say? A lowlife parasite who picks on the weak, huh?”

“…I didn’t say all that.”

Well, not out loud anyway.

As I scratched my head, Greta stepped forward.

“Please stay back, my lady. I’ll handle this.”

“Okay!”

I moved aside so I wouldn’t get in her way.

The bandit snorted, amused.

“Ha! Two women instead of one? Makes no difference. I could—”

He waved his fist in the air arrogantly. Greta didn’t even blink.

Thinking we were scared, he swaggered forward—

“Hand over everything you’ve got if you want to live—urk!”

Wham!

Greta’s punch landed squarely, and he fell flat on the ground.

Calmly flexing her knuckles, she glanced back at me.

“Just a moment, my lady. Five hits should be enough to knock him out.”

“Don’t hurt your hand, Greta!”

She nodded, rolled her wrist, and advanced on the groaning thief.

Crack.

The sound of bone made him jolt to his feet and bolt in panic.

“E-eh!”

He sprinted away. But I instantly knew where he was heading.