Norman found it amusing how Lonzder was squinting at Elteel.
Since yesterday—or perhaps after their recent bath—something between the two seemed to have shifted.
Even if only slightly, it made Norman happy.
“Well then, Lonzder-san, El. We’ve identified their weapons and traits. We’ve grasped the situation.”
“All that’s left is to take down Whisper. The question is where he is now. I didn’t expect much, but from what we just heard, it’s unlikely he died in the collapse.”
“Vee.”
When Norman called out quietly to Vee, who had been waiting in silence, an immediate reply came.
“There’s someone matching the description in the southern catacomb of the city. The clothes… should be dry soon.”
“As expected. So, we know where he is. All that’s left is to go finish him off.”
With that, Norman posed a question to the two of them.
“Should I come along?”
“Unnecessary. You stay at the office.”
“Please rest assured, Norman-sama.”
Their responses were perfectly synchronized.
“This is between me and this foul-mouthed, ill-tempered hell hound. Not your fight.”
“This person is unexpectedly sentimental and troublesome, you see. I’ll handle the babysitting this time.”
“Ugh. Just thinking about having to deal with this in the future gives me a headache. Anyway, that settles it, right?”
“Of course.”
In that case, Norman had only one thing to say.
“Go safely.”
●
“Hmm hmm hmm, hmm hmm, hmm hmm~”
Whisper’s humming echoed through the deepest part of Balldlum’s southern catacomb.
He was splashing murky, weed-infested liquid from a bucket all over the place.
Though underground, the space was vast—easily large enough to hold a hundred people. Stone pillars stood at even intervals, supporting the high ceiling, while dim light came from torches hung between them and wax candles placed along the edges of the pillars.
It was strange, Whisper thought candidly, that such a place had been left to decay without repair. A catacomb should have religious murals, carvings, or at least some kind of decoration—but there was none.
What a weird town.
Above ground, it was enclosed by massive walls, while below lay spaces like this.
Yet, the townsfolk neither found it odd nor tried to make use of it.
Well, Whisper couldn’t care less.
“…Alright, looking good.”
He tossed the bucket aside at the center of the hall and called out,
“I worked hard to set this up—you better enjoy it, alright?”
Turning around,
his gaze locked onto the pair who had just emerged from the passageway at the far end of the hall.
About twenty meters away, the two exchanged glances.
“What do you think of a guy who says stuff like that?”
“Since he’s not Norman-sama, I don’t care.”
“Oh? I think I agree with your fanaticism for the first time.”
“Cold as ever, ain’t ya? Slaney and Little Puppy Princess~”
The moment he used that name and nickname, the two visibly grimaced.
“Don’t call me that. I threw that away long ago.”
“Mine isn’t even a real name—how rude can you be?”
“Harsh, harsh!”
With a hyaha!, Whisper laughed.
“Names don’t matter anyway. So, Detective, you really did a number on me earlier. I had a hell of a time. Lost some important cargo too. Honestly, that pisses me off.”
“Yeah? Don’t care. Should’ve just stayed dead.”
READ THE ORIGINAL TRANSLATION AT LOCALIZERMEERKAT.PAGES.DEV
The detective blew smoke from her cigarette, sounding thoroughly unimpressed.
Truthfully, Whisper had lost some potentially useful items in the earlier collapse. He considered retrieving them after killing these two.
“Would’ve been a real buzzkill if you’d died back there. But hey, as long as I’ve got this—”
He hefted the mechanized club strapped to his back and gave it a light swing.
Lonzder spoke its name aloud.
“[Viblade].”
“Oh? Already looked into it? Impressive! So, you’ve figured most of it out, huh?”
“Mostly.”
“Great! Then let’s skip to the fun part, Detective!”
“Hah?”
“Don’t play dumb! It’s exposition time! When you caught me a year and a half ago, you went through everything—motive, process, methods, the whole nine yards!”
“Lonzder-san, do you always do this?”
“Shut it. It’s the detective’s big moment.”
Ignoring Elteel’s skeptical squint, Lonzder shrugged.
“Flattered you’re so eager, but there’s nothing to explain.”
The bomber frowned in disbelief as the detective continued, sounding bored.
“If you wanted an explanation, you should’ve planned something better. You’re just lurking in a catacomb again, here for revenge. That’s it. What’s there to explain? Frankly, as a case, it’s utterly uninteresting.”
“…Harsh. That stings. I thought you’d at least gloat
and monologue like usual.”
His ideal scenario had been her smugly declaring the case solved—right before blowing her to smithereens. As revenge for ruining his perfect murder back then, it would’ve felt so satisfying.
Kill because he wants to kill. Ruined once, so now he’ll kill in the most gratifying way possible.
But the avenger’s simple wish seemed doomed to fail.
Fine then. He tilted his head back toward the ceiling.
“Guess we’ll go straight to the instant-explosion route.”
With that, he slammed the [Viblade] into the ground.
Instantly—the entire hall was engulfed in flames.
●
“Uh, Lonzder-san! Your half-assed taunting just caused a literal inferno!?”
“Stop nitpicking everything I say—!”
Shouting, Lonzder quickly assessed the situation.
Whisper had struck the ground with [Viblade], and the hall had ignited. True, blood had splattered, but that alone shouldn’t cause such widespread flames.
This wasn’t an explosion—just combustion.
Similar to [Viblade]’s known traits, yet different.
As she pondered this—
“No exposition? Fine, I’ll do it myself!”
From within the flames, the avenger roared.
“You already know about my blood, right!? Normally, it detonates on contact with air or impact—but after some experimenting, I found diluting it with water just makes it burn! I spent all morning spreading it around this hall! Mixed in dirt and grass to throw off the mutt’s nose too! Surprised!? Man, ranting like this feels great—now I get why detectives love their dramatic speeches!”
“Y-You went through all that… for nothing!?”
“And there’s more!”
The avenger raised his club again.
“Know what happens when I drop pure, undiluted blood into this burning mess?”
He swung down. Fresh blood flew.
Lonzder and Elteel dodged easily—the spray wasn’t fast.
But behind them, pillars of fire erupted, reaching the ceiling.
“Ta-daa! An extra-spicy explosion!”
Even as he spoke, more blood arced toward them.
“Tch—move, Elteel!”
“Woof!”
The hell hound and the gem charged forward.
●
The hall blazed, fire pillars roaring as Elteel—now a massive black hound—raced through with Lonzder.
“Hyahahahaha! Beautiful, ain’t it!? Gorgeous!”
The avenger laughed maniacally. His blood flew wildly yet precisely, homing in on the two.
Twenty meters—normally, they’d close that gap in seconds.
But—
“What’s wrong!? Can’t reach me!?”
Whisper backpedaled at full sprint, still swinging [Viblade].
“Lonzder-san! For a lowlife, he’s weirdly thorough, isn’t he!?”
“That’s just how he is! Incoming—!”
On cue, Elteel leaped low and sideways.
Speed alone wasn’t enough—her large frame made her an easy target for the explosive blood.
“This is annoying—getting hit hurts, right? My fur’s tough, but still…”
“One or two hits might be fine, but a barrage’ll wear you down! Say goodbye to that prized coat!”
She really didn’t want that. Zigzagging midair, she glanced at Lonzder.
In stark contrast, the detective didn’t dodge—flames, blood, explosions, nothing.
Relying on the durability of [Unsullied gem Anvil Maiden], she bulldozed forward.
Each blast slowed her slightly, but never stopped her.
Result? Elteel and Lonzder crossed the hall at nearly the same speed.
Meanwhile, Whisper had already reached the far wall.
A few more seconds, and they’d be on him—
“Tch… bad sign…!”
“What is!?”
“Do you see ANY good signs right now!?”
“No, that’s why I’m asking!”
“Ooooh…! Norman! I take it back—I want a new assistant!”
“Hyahaha! Looks fun! Let me join!”
Five seconds from Whisper, the bomber raised [Viblade] high.
“Gh—is that the bad sign!?”
“If you get it—JUMP! Straight up! And forgive me!”
A lot of demands at once, but the hound obeyed without hesitation.
Whether she’d forgive her? That was decided instantly.
●
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