Chapter 21:

The zombie uprising orchestrated by the noble vampire Drakel—later known as the “Night of Blood Incident”— came to a conclusion when its instigator, Drakel, was subdued.

Acknowledged for the danger he posed, Drakel was confined in Nastrond, a special detention facility for high-risk criminals.

This facility was strictly managed by one of the Transcendents, the Dragon Mayor.

With such tight oversight, it was likely Drakel would never again see the light of day.

“Are you seriously going to request a second-class citation?! Capturing a noble vampire hiding in the city—this is definitely first-class honor material! If it were me, I’d never give up the reward!”

Several hours after Drakel was apprehended…

In front of the brightly lit main entrance of Nighthaven’s central police station, even late at night,

a female police officer raised her voice incredulously at Alice.

Given the traces left at the scene and the witness statements:

This Night of Blood Incident was clearly a Code Orange, a second-degree disaster.

Although the entire city wasn’t in direct peril, it was a terrifying situation where, if mishandled, countless lives could have been lost.

And yet, in the midst of this, the culprit had been swiftly subdued and handed over to the police.

Now Alice was declining first-class recognition, stepping back instead.

Even though it wasn’t her business, the officer couldn’t help but feel regret over the missed commendation and reward.

“Haha… to be honest, I didn’t do it all myself. The ghost did most of the work, and I just finished things up. I don’t feel right about taking all the credit. Besides, being on the news is a bit too much for me.”

For Alice, this was a natural choice.

She was a proper, upright woman who couldn’t rest easy without returning even a single lost coin to its owner.

Moreover, the only reason she could capture Drakel was that the ghost had already beaten him to the brink of death.

Thus, she insisted, almost stubbornly, that the police include the ghost’s name in the recognition for first-class merit.

Unable to overcome Alice’s tenacity, the police had no choice but to designate her as the second-class honoree and write down the ghost’s name instead—even though the ghost was oblivious to all of this.

“Ugh… well, if that’s how you feel, there’s nothing we can do. Then, I’ll be on my way now. See you next time!”

“Yes, take care.”

Satisfied that she’d repaid the favor, Alice turned her back without hesitation, though the officer still seemed regretful.

As she took a step onto the street, her mood lightened, but a familiar male voice called out to her from nearby.

“Yo, Alice. All done with work? You’re not hurt, are you?”

“Ah, Jin! You waited for me?”

“Who said I was waiting? I was just passing by and saw you, so I figured I’d say hi.”

The man’s name was Jin Crowley, the head of Crowley Problem-Solvers, where Alice worked, and a fixer with a precariously valid license.

Dressed in black from head to toe, even his hair was jet black.

Because of this, people who knew him sometimes called him Raven.

“Hm~ My sister once told me that male tsunderes aren’t in demand. Something about them feeling like unsellable, defective goods.”

“You should tell your sister to stop reading so much manga. Seriously, tsundere? Who even says that anymore? It’s like a term from seventy years ago.”

Chuckling lightly, Alice couldn’t help but laugh at Jin’s awkward but considerate pace as he walked alongside her.

Despite his seemingly carefree attitude, his natural attentiveness to his surroundings always stood out in his actions.

For a while, they walked side by side in silence before Alice spoke up first.

“By the way, Jin. I actually met the ghost Victor mentioned earlier.”

“…Really? What was it like?”

“Well, I didn’t see them use powers or anything, but… I don’t think they’re a bad person, just like Victor said.”

Alice recalled the moment a few days ago when Victor, Jin’s friend, had visited their office unexpectedly.

Victor, with his spiky blond hair, had made quite an impression.

“Raven, I have a sudden request. I need you to investigate the ghost. It might be connected to your… missing sister.”

“…Explain in detail.”

“The Nexus Project—a large-scale paranormal research experiment that claimed tens of thousands of lives. I believe the ghost is linked to it.”

The attempt to implant powers from another world into humans had been tried hundreds of times over decades since the arrival of otherworldly races.

The Nexus Project had been the closest to success.

And it was led by an enigmatic group suspected of involving Jin’s missing sister in its inhumane experiments.

“Why are you so certain? The Nexus Project was carried out by a shadowy group even the Dragon couldn’t catch. How can you tell the difference between high-level spellcasting and psychic powers…?”

“Ah, I know. But what if the ghost is… a small child?”

“A child?”

When Jin’s eyes widened in shock, Victor continued with unwavering conviction.

Jin agreed to investigate the ghost before Victor left Nighthaven, his resolve rekindled by the possibility of a connection to his sister.

As Alice replayed those moments, she chuckled softly.

Victor and Jin might seem like opposites, but their shared passion reminded her of how like-minded people often find each other.

Their camaraderie mirrored the fiery determination Jin now poured into his quest to uncover the ghost’s identity.

“By the way, Jin, I’m thinking of going to the Black Order to protest. It’s unfair that the ghost didn’t get proper credit for protecting the labyrinth.”

“Ah, well, good luck with that. The Black Order’s probably too busy dealing with the angry bounty hunters to care.”

Jin explained how the Order, which had put bounties on zombies’ heads to defend their territory, now faced backlash because the zombies’ bodies had vanished.

Without tangible proof, the hunters accused the Order of deceiving them.

After some lighthearted banter, the two eventually parted ways at the office.

But the next morning, Alice and Jin found themselves facing unexpected visitors.

“May I request your assistance?”

Standing before them was an imposing muscular orc and a delicate maid wearing a fox mask—a duo whose combination defied logic.

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