~Chapter 10~
“So what if I’m like this? You don’t look good sitting like that out on the street.”
At my comment, Jin squinted at me for a while, then finally sat up properly.
A second later, that handsome face of his broke into a grin, and he snapped his fingers while looking right at me.
“Anyway, I’m planning to head to the riverbank where Miss Raniell’s body was found.
What about you, Lady? You could rest at the inn, or you can come with me.
Most noble ladies tend to choose the first option.”
“I’ll come with you.”
I answered without hesitation, and Jin looked a little put off.
Then he asked again, more seriously.
“Seriously… hasn’t anyone ever told you that you’re kinda unusual?”
What, is he annoyed I’m tagging along?
I frowned and tilted my head, and Jin quickly waved his hands.
“Ah, I meant that in a good way! A good way. Well then, shall we?”
With an overly dramatic gesture, Jin bowed and offered his arm to escort me like some fancy nobleman.
Was this his way of pouting because I haggled over his pay?
But oh well, what can I do? I’ve got no power. I’m basically the guilty one here.
“Near the temple is clean because paladins patrol the area, but the riverbank behind it… might not be the nicest sight.”
“People live there too.
It’s fine.”
Jin shrugged like he was saying, ‘Alright, I warned you.’
As we went further away from the temple and down into the poor neighborhoods, I started to see what Jin meant.
Every city has a slum.
The deeper we went into the alleys, the stronger the stench of rotting food hit us.
Raniell’s body had been found downstream—very different from the pristine temple area.
It stank.
It was filthy.
Makes sense, I guess.
Sanitation isn’t exactly a thing here, so people dump every kind of waste down here.
Plus, all the filth from upstream just flows down and collects here.
“This is where the body was found?”
“Yes, that’s right.
Are you alright, Lady?”
Jin glanced me up and down, then stared at the hem of my dress.
I looked down too.
Honestly, I’d rather be wearing pants, but I’m a noble.
I don’t really have a choice.
Especially in Leton Church territory, looking the part is kind of a must if you want to be taken seriously.
“What’s there not to be alright about? Let’s just get this over with.”
“Just out of curiosity… was the Estella family always this friendly toward commoners?”
Where did that question come from? Jin looked at me like he genuinely couldn’t figure me out.
“Well, finding Miss Raniell’s old place aside, I do appreciate how down-to-earth you are—it makes my job easier… But I am the curious type, haha!”
I folded my arms and stared at this annoyingly cheerful pretty-boy mercenary.
Something was definitely off about this guy’s personality.
But then again, all the top dogs in any field are always a little weird.
Still, am I really that weird? I feel like I’m acting perfectly normal…
Then again, I’ve never really had a deep relationship with anyone besides Catherine, so maybe I wouldn’t know.
“If you want specifics: my two older brothers couldn’t care less about commoners, and my father’s the type who happily sucks the life out of them.
Me? I’m neither here nor there.”
“…”
Jin froze mid-smile.
“So if you’re trying to test me, cut it out and just do your job.
Or if you really want to dig into your client’s background, I’m willing to give you a proper introduction.”
Ugh, my head started to throb.
“Tsk… Sure, Leton Church doctrine says suicide is the worst sin, but honestly, it’s probably hard to live here without breaking some kind of rule.”
Skritch skritch.
A mutant rat scurried through the alley and disappeared.
A rotting potato rolled across the ground with little sprouts growing out of it, and some kids nearby kept eyeing me nervously, stuffing those same potatoes into their sleeves when they thought I wasn’t looking.
“This area’s actually better off than most, Lady.”
“Doesn’t mean it’s good, though.”
Even though I’d known all this in theory, this was the first time I really felt the reality of it.
I mean, my life had just been balls and banquets and being stuck in a mansion, so of course I’d been sheltered.
“If I look shocked, just ignore it.
I’m having that classic noble-lady reality check moment, like in all those stories.”
Jin gave me a look like I was the strangest person he’d ever seen.
What? Why’s he looking at me like that?
“Got something to say?”
“No, it’s not that… Just, um.”
Jin laughed awkwardly.
Then suddenly, with his usual exaggerated flair, he strolled ahead and dramatically pointed both hands at the gross river.
“This right here is the spot where your sister died! Ta-da~”
I instantly frowned.
This place?
The only thing I could think was, No wonder detectives are professionals.
I have no idea what I’m supposed to figure out just from this mess.
It just looked like a plain old abandoned house—or more like a ruined plot of land, honestly.
The house was tiny.
The door was gone, stolen or fallen off, who knows.
You could see straight inside.
And shockingly, there was absolutely nothing inside.
Jin must’ve read my face, because he came closer, held his chin, and nodded.
“Mhm.
All traces are completely gone.”
“It’s been two years.”
“Right.
It’s natural that all evidence is gone by now.”
Jin walked into the house, and I heard scuttling noises—some creatures scattering at the sound of footsteps.
“Hm, based on my experience, I thought at least some trace of the person who lived here would still remain…”
He sniffed the air, then muttered,
“Nope, nothing.
But you’re from the Estella family, so you’d know how this works, right?”
I frowned, deep in thought. In this world, everyone’s born with mana.
If you can control it, you’re a mage.
If not, just a regular person.
And mana is inherited, of course.
Each person’s mana has a different attribute.
The Estella family was known for simply having a lot of mana.
Other families might specialize in fire, earth, etc.
Basically, nobility is passed down like some RPG stat tree.
And since nobles are almost always capable of using mana, it’s not really a surprise.
“Usually, traces of mana stick around for about three years… but if different kinds get mixed, it’s hard to tell them apart.”
At that, Jin smugly raised his chin.
“Ha! I, Jin Blake—number one most-requested mercenary! Number one most huggable mercenary! Number one for best after-service—am very good at this kind of thing!”
Something about that list felt a little off, but I ignored it.
He was already pretty eccentric, and clearly had a sensitive nose for mana.
“If the body really was found here and there’s no trace of mana left, then we have two possible explanations.”
Jin held up his fist, then extended a finger dramatically.
“One! She was killed somewhere else and her body was moved here.”
Then the second finger.
“Two! Someone erased all traces of mana on purpose.”
His thumb and forefinger waved in front of my face.
“Starting to get the picture?”
My frown didn’t go away.
“…So you’re saying she was definitely murdered?”
At that, Jin gave a dramatic sigh.
“Ahh~ As expected of a noble lady from a distinguished family! So smart!”
He even clapped his hands.
“So then, who? Why? Of all people, why your sister?”
Jin’s voice suddenly turned serious.
He stepped closer.
“…Lady.
Are you absolutely sure your nephew is still alive?”
