บท 8: After a robbery comes a murder, how fun.
A week has passed since Spade Echo's heist and I already adjusted to the new world. My routine consisted of training with Temma early in the morning and then doing paperwork for the rest of the day. I was proud to say that the 13th unit no longer had any backlogs with the reports and our expenses were properly accounted for. According to Captain Noel, the higher ups were impressed by the quality of my work.
Everything was fine until Captain Noel and Temma arrived at the office with grim expressions.
"Should I ask what's wrong?" I asked.
"You know the murder case that happened yesterday?" Temma asked me.
I nodded since I was the one who read that report and submitted it to Captain Noel who had to decide the proper course of action. If I remember correctly, a guy was murdered that night. There were no witnesses and a claw mark made from the victim's blood was left in the scene.
"Have you heard of the Familiaran and the Kageyama Clan?" Captain Noel asked and I nodded.
They were called informal groups but in my world, they could be considered as mafias. They have influence over Westa's politics and have military might that rivals the Westa Knight Order. The Familiaran's territory was the southern and western districts while the Kageyama Clan's territory was in the east. Although I heard that the Kageyama Clan here in Westa was a branch group and their main headquarters was at Miyako, a city in an eastern country called Yamato.
"The victim is one of the executives in the Familiaran. And the claw mark formed from the blood of the victim is one of the symbols of the Kageyama Clan", Captain Noel said.
"The Familiaran has a strong bond among its members and that executive was a personal friend of Arurandeisu, the boss. And they are pressuring the Kageyama Clan to surrender the murderer or they would declare war on them", Temma added.
If I was correct, the Familiaran was as strong as several knight units. But what's special with the Kageyama Clan is that all of its members were beastmen and beastmen had the strength of several normal humans.
"If they would go to war, there would be multiple casualties and the streets would be littered with bodies. And I don't think the knight order could stop them if they ever decide to go to war", Captain Noel said.
"And what did the Kageyama Clan say?" I asked.
"They denied having relations with the murderer. We received orders from the higher ups that we are supposed to defuse the situation. Although I don't know if we could calm both sides down", Temma said.
"Which brings us to this... Mikage, I want you to help in the investigation", Captain Noel said.
"Wait, me? Why?"
"All knights will have increased patrols especially in the evening which means that we're understaffed. You could use any resources you could have since this is a high priority mission. Temma will assist you."
"It seems that the higher ups were counting on you since you are performing well", Temma added.
"But that's administrative work! It's like saying a monkey should swim while a fish should climb a tree! I have no experience in investigating!"
"Well... The real reason is that when the higher ups consulted an oracle, she said an irregular guest would help solve the problem. And you're the only irregular guest from another world here. Don't worry! You can do it!" Captain Noel said.
"It's okay if I ask for help from anyone, right?"
###
Temma and I were in front of a two-floor building. We climbed up the stairs and knocked on the door that had the sign "Watson Detective Agency."
"Welcome, welcome! It's nice to see you again", Amelia greeted us as she opened the door.
"Hey, Amelia. How are you?" I asked her.
She was fuming with rage the last time I saw her since Spade Echo made a fool out of her. I sure hope she was taking things well.
"Fine. I swear that I'll catch that damn thief the next time. But you're not here to talk about that, are you?"
"We got a case for you."
Temma and I sat down on a couch while Amelia sat on a chair opposite to us. I told her everything about the case and the rising tension between the Familiaran and Kageyama Clan. Amelia also looked over the pictures of the crime scene and the autopsy report of the body.
"So all we got is that there are no witnesses and it was the dead of night. Hmmm, our main suspect is the Kageyama Clan. Can we arrange a meeting with them?" Amelia asked.
"If we contact them in advance, we could question them since we have the authority of the knights", Temma answered.
"Then let's go!"
We were in front of a huge wooden gate. Temma already informed them of our arrival and we were invited inside. After a few minutes of waiting, a woman entered the room.
She had long gray hair and gray eyes. Animal ears were on her head which showed that she was a beastman. The girl was wearing a black fur coat with a black sleeveless shirt with white stripes. A golden necklace was hanging on her neck.
"Good day, I am Temma Kishido, vice captain of the 13 unit of the Westa Knight Order. This is Mikage Kamishiro, the lead investigator of the case and this is Amelia Watson, a private detective helping out", Temma introduced ourselves.
"My name is Botan Shishiro, the head of Kageyama Clan Westa Branch. You must be here because of the murder case, aren't you?"
"Yes. A claw-shaped mark was made from the victim's blood. We believe it's the victim's dying message saying that someone related to your clan is behind this", Temma said.
"As I've said before, we have no relations to the murder. We are not stupid enough to pick a fight with the Familiaran."
"And did all of your members have alibis last night?"
"Not everyone has alibis. If you truly want to suspect us, here is a list of our clansmen and where they were last night", she handed a brown envelope to us.
"Nah. There's no need for that. I also think that it's unlikely for the Kageyama Clan to be the murderer", Amelia said.
"What do you mean?" I asked.
"You see... I looked over the pictures of the crime scene. The victim was stabbed in his right lung with a sword. The sword was immediately pulled out so the victim died of blood loss. It's normal to think that the victim wrote it since it was near his body but his fingers were clean and had no blood in it. So in other words, the one who made the claw mark was the murderer. Someone's trying to pin the blame on the Kageyama Clan", she explained.
"So why are we here if you think that they are not involved?"
"I didn't say they are not involved. I'm guessing that the murderer is someone who holds a grudge against the Kageyama Clan. The Familiaran is too powerful and could wipe out this clan if they wanted to. Although they'll also suffer heavy losses. Which brings us to my question, do you know of anyone who might have a grudge?"
Botan thought for a while.
"In our business, we have many enemies", she said.
"How about former members? Is there someone who was kicked out of this clan and possibly is holding a grudge?"
"Since coming here in Westa, we haven't removed anyone."
"Well. If you ever have an idea on who might have a grudge, contact us. Even if it's just a hunch."
We left the Kageyama Clan and walked to the crime scene. Amelia said that she wanted to see the scene for herself since there might be overlooked clues.
When we arrived there, Amelia began snooping around.
"With no witnesses, this job is going to be hard. We can't even narrow down our suspects except that they have a grudge against the Kageyama Clan", Temma said.
"Yeah. This area is not a place normal people pass by late in the night. I wonder what the victim was doing in this place", I replied.
Amelia walked towards us after a few more minutes of looking around.
"Found anything?" Temma asked.
"Nope. There are no clues left in this place. And there are no signs of fighting so either the murderer overpowered the victim or it was a sneak attack... But I think the former is the case", Amelia said.
"So you're saying our guy is a skilled swordsman?" I asked.
Amelia nodded, "It's hard to think that someone could do a sneak attack using a sword. If I were the murderer, I would use a knife since it's easier to use in this situation. Not to mention that they attacked from the front. If they were using a knife, it'll be easier to hide it in the darkness and stab the victim. But they used a sword which meant they easily overpowered the victim in seconds and stabbed him."
"So the murderer is a skilled swordsman... That narrows it down... Somehow", Temma said.
The sun was already setting so we decided to end the day. We will meet up again tomorrow to continue our investigation.
However, we were met with another murder.
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