The abnormality of the ‘Unlaws’ can be applied in various ways and its range of uses expands through training.
However, to do so requires stabilizing the core fundamentals of the abnormality itself.
For example—a name.
By giving it a name and treating it as such, the abnormality stabilizes. The ‘Unlaws’ researchers said so, and it was Norman’s own rule of experience. To redefine oneself as outside of this world.
If you don’t understand it, at least give it a name.
The unknown is frightening, but the known is not scary.
That applied to Norman as well as the culprit, surely.
Such a state was defined as ‘Hierarchy Category II’ by [Cartesius].
“The incidents occurred over three weeks, five times in total. There was a one-week interval between the first and third, but after that it was every four days, totaling three weeks. The decreasing intervals make it easier to understand.”
“They got used to the abnormality.”
“Or they learned how to enjoy it. They couldn’t hold back anymore, that’s fine too.”
“…I see.”
Elteel tilted her head slightly as if puzzled.
Whether Norman remembered or not.
He had no intention of touching on that subject.
“Um…if it’s the same culprit, that is. What if there were multiple culprits?”
“If it’s not an ‘Unlaws,’ we’ll hand it over to the police. The fifth one is confirmed, at least.”
He responded with a casual shrug of his shoulders.
“The fifth incident occurred the day before yesterday. It might happen again tonight.”
“So you’re aiming for an arrest on the scene?”
“That’s the quickest way. I’m counting on you, El.”
“Yes! Leave it to me in that case!”
“Yeah, I’m leaving it entirely to you.”
While Norman had some self-defense skills, he was at a disadvantage against ‘Unlaws.’
But as a bodyguard, Elteel Sirius Flame was the most trustworthy.
“…Even so, Norman sama?”
“Hmm?”
“You mentioned the incidents are occurring more frequently this time, but did the police officers also make similar deductions?”
“Ah…no, I don’t think so? Didn’t you hear about it from dear sister?”
“I didn’t ask her specifically.”
“I guess my dear sister omitted that part…well, never mind.”
He recalled the five victims.
“The first to third were [homeless]. The fourth was a working-class man.”
Up to this point was fine, even if it was an odd case.
The issue arose after that.
“The fifth victim was apparently a [nobleman]. A rather prominent one at that. An antique collector who bought and sold with other nobles, and had many customers.”
“…I see, so that’s how it was.”
“Yeah. There was probably pressure from above. In this city, it’s hard to ignore the intentions of the urban elite or nobility.”
“In other words, it sounds like they’re saying the homeless people don’t matter.”
“That’s pretty much it. Well, putting aside whether they were nobles or homeless, Hellcate Street has long been rumored to be where monsters appear. If grotesquely mutilated corpses actually showed up there, the citizens wouldn’t be able to sleep at night.”
“…I see. But why would the nobleman come here at night? It’s quite a distance from the upscale residential area in the north, and there’s no particular reason for them to visit this area, is there?”
“The records don’t mention that. Either they didn’t know or it was concealed.”
Norman shrugged his shoulders casually.
Then he looked around the nondescript intersection where five people had died.
“In any case, let’s come back here again tonight. The culprit should know the police have started moving.”
“To put an end to the serial killings…you mean?”
“No. They used the serial killings to stabilize their abnormality. They’ll definitely strike again.”
The question was when and where this “again” would occur.
“Hmm…alright, let’s leave here for now.”
“Where to next?”
“Since the initial victims were homeless people and laborers, let’s go ask around with those folks. We should be able to find some homeless in the back alleys the blockade hasn’t reached.”
“I see, gathering information. The basics of investigation!”
“That’s right. Though I don’t expect much from it, we’ll try what we can.”
READ THE ORIGINAL TRANSLATION AT LOCALIZERMEERKAT.PAGES.DEV
●
“Ugh…that was more than I expected…”
Norman let out a sigh laced with exasperation at the diner on Downey Street.
From the semi-private booth-like seating in the very back, the view outside showed it was already dark.
Norman had chicken shawarma and red tea.
“Cheer up, Norman sama!”
Elteel had two whole orders each of chicken kebab, beef kebab, and lamb kebab.
Instead of being cut into normal pieces, they were served in large chunks. The accompanying chips were thick, wedge-cut crescent moons – very hearty. She preferred her beef nearly raw and unseasoned with salt or sauce.
She certainly had a voracious appetite.
“Norman, Norman sama.”
“Hmm?”
“Say ‘ahhh.'”
“Ahhh.”
He obediently took the offered piece of meat into his mouth.
It was a bit lacking without seasoning, but what mattered was her feeding it to him.
“…Alright. Let’s go over this in order. Ah, you can eat normally.”
“Yes, thank you.”
She carefully cut pieces with her knife and fork and brought them to her mouth.
Norman glanced at the two shawarma wraps in front of him, then said,
“We started asking around the homeless in that area, and while I didn’t expect much…”
“An astonishing fact came to light right away.”
“Indeed. Who knew there was an illegal brothel there?”
He sighed in amazement.
“It seems even the police were unaware of its existence. It was apparently being concealed by [the nobleman].”
“…Of course, nobles would conceal anything inconvenient for them.”
“Yeah. Well, in this case, they were concealing it with ill intent. An establishment that didn’t discriminate by age, gender, or anything – of course they’d hide that. There are proper establishments in this city, but I guess those didn’t satisfy them.”
“A terrible thing.”
“Right. The important point here is that [the nobleman] was a regular client of that illegal brothel.”
“The homeless people observe well.”
“They may get scowled at when seen, but that’s exactly what makes them useful for information gathering. Being treated as invisible has its advantages.”
First, the reason the nobleman was on Hellcate Street had been solved.
“Next, we went to the workplace of the fourth victim, [the laborer], to ask around.”
This is where the story took a turn.
“This man was – having his sister work at some brothel.”
Apparently he was a gambling addict constantly in debt, but was a good payer.
He had his sister sell her body somewhere to cover it.
“The issue here is that the police were again unaware of these facts.”
“Not that the police were incompetent, but rather…”
“It was concealed from them too. In other words, these facts were inconvenient for the powers that be. There may have even been some on the take within the police force itself. If so, the high likelihood is that the sister was working at the illegal Hellcate Street brothel – otherwise, those details would have been in the records.”
“So the fourth and fifth victims ended up being connected.”
“Exactly.”
On top of that,
“I contacted a justice-driven detective and we went to investigate that illegal brothel.”
The fury of Detective Harrison, who learned of the concealed illegal brothel, was quite something. A man of justice collaborating with [Cartesius], I liked that about him.
“Sure enough, the laborer’s sister was working there.”
The sister of [the laborer], made to work at the illegal brothel by her brother.
Her harrowing state was evident at a glance.
Bandages were wrapped all over her body, and the uncovered areas were covered in old scars.
Moreover, the other prostitutes were in similar conditions – some were underage children, others had missing limbs, regardless of gender, around ten people in all. They all had clouded, hollowed eyes.
She seemed to be their supervisor of sorts.
What left an impression was how she glared at Norman protectively in front of the children.
“How tragic.”
“Utterly. Though there’s nothing we could do about it. The key point is that [the nobleman] was a regular client of the sister. The elite sure are troublesome, to take pleasure in harming young girls like that.”
“The connections grew even stronger.”
“Right. If we consider the three homeless victims as practice for stabilizing their abnormality, then the sister was likely an ‘Unlaws.’ Selling herself while her brother gambled, then killing her own client. The motive is simple.”
Simplicity is good.
When the reason is resentment and hatred, it’s straightforward yet intense.
She hates, so she kills. It doesn’t get any clearer than that.
For most people, hatred alone isn’t enough to drive them to murder, but for an ‘Unlaws’ it’s easy.
All they have to do is manifest that hatred.
“However, if it was the sister, there’s something I don’t quite understand.”
“What is it?”
“She killed the client she resented and her brother who sold her. But then why did she remain at that brothel?”
“…Ah.”
“Exactly. After killing her brother, she had no reason to stay at a place like that.”
There was no need for her to commit the murders on Hellcate Street either – the brothel was just south of that street, practically next door.
“Money issues…perhaps?”
“No. Robbery would be easy for an ‘Unlaws,’ Whether it lasts or not.”
“Hmm. It’s perplexing.”
There were a few children at the brothel purchased by [the nobleman], but the sister was the only one with a direct motive.
So regarding the question of who the culprit is, based on what’s known, it seems to be just the sister.
As for how she committed the murders, that’s not a difficult question since she’s an ‘Unlaws.’
The remaining issue is just one.
Why is she staying at the brothel?
“Well, to be honest, I don’t really care.”
“Are you sure?”
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