“That envelope and stationery are packed with clues about the culprit. It’s like she’s saying, ‘Notice me.’ It would have been easy for her not to include any hints at all, and yet she sent a warning note. Putting all the information together, you could say she’s living up to the words— ‘we look forward to your valiant efforts.'”
Grin—grinning.
The passersby shuddered and made way for that hideous grin, but she didn’t care.
It had been a while since he’d seen Lonzder looking this excited.
Despite her sharp tongue, an envelope alone was enough to get her like this.
He could only imagine what would come next, but it would probably surpass his imagination anyway.
Not that he minded.
“Norman. I’m thirsty, give me a drink.”
“Yes, yes.”
He took out a skittle of medical alcohol from inside his coat and handed it to her. An ordinary person would likely pass out, but she was no ordinary person. Not just her deductive ability, but her very existence.
“Hahaha, what about her ‘Unlaws’ ability?”
“You’re probably more knowledgeable about that than me. But you can just ask me to explain it in my lovely voice.”
“I’d love to hear Lonzder’s lovely voice and a full explanation.”
“Very well. If I were the phantom thief, I’d do the same thing. Her personality is clearly unstable.”
“……..”
He wished he hadn’t asked.
“Even a cheeky ‘fairy’ would do it. Well, in her case the personality disorder would be even worse. A hikikomori or a ‘Tear Flower’ trying to act all innocent like a ‘Hellhound’ probably wouldn’t, though. That’s what I mean.”
“……..I plead the fifth.”
“If you want a lawyer, I’ll do it. How about the crime of toying with a woman?”
“In a way, that’s an honorable crime. But don’t lawyers decide the charges?”
“I am the law. Rest assured, guilty or not guilty.”
Lonzder laughed, and Norman shrugged.
“But Lonzder, you’ve made deductions about ‘Unlaws’ abilities before, haven’t you?”
He wasn’t quite sure why,
but she must have.
If it exists, it can be observed. If it can be observed, it can be deduced. She had said that before, and he had seen her make such deductions many times. His words carried that expectation, but Lonzder just shrugged.
When Norman did it, it only sounded half-baked, but when Lonzder did, it seemed more plausible.
“I dislike putting mere ideas into words without the necessary information.”
Clack, making a sound with her feet, Lonzder stopped walking, and Norman followed suit.
Their gaze landed on the Balldlum Museum, where the phantom thief would come to steal the next night.
“The culprit could just be an ordinary person, depending on the circumstances. No, let me rephrase that. An extremely intelligent person with a bad personality. If she has an ‘Unlaws’ ability…well, how about time stopping? That would explain the details and reasons for the incident, wouldn’t it?”
“But I thought you disliked spouting ideas?”
“Kukuku.”
“…You seem to be enjoying this.”
“Do I?”
“Pretty much.”
“Fufun. This isn’t some novel, it’s a real ‘phantom thief’, you know? I’ve wanted to take one on.”
It was an unusually high level of excitement, even for her.
She often got sarcastic when it came to deductions, but it was rare to see her cracking jokes about it or hopping around like earlier.
Well, it was good that she was motivated.
Though he did worry about her overdoing it.
Harrison was at the museum entrance, his usually expressionless face looking vexed as he watched them approach.
“One last confirmation, Norman. Between the phantom thief and the treasure, which should we prioritize? Should we kill the culprit or spare her life?”
“For now, prioritize Lonzder’s life. But feel free to kill her if it means saving you.”
And she gave him her biggest smile of the day.
“Then let’s begin our investigation with that policy.”
●
READ THE ORIGINAL TRANSLATION AT LOCALIZERMEERKAT.PAGES.DEV
“…Enhanced, huh?”
The moment he saw Lonzder’s face, Harrison frowned even more severely than his usual Buddha-like expression and muttered bitterly before entering the museum without a proper greeting. In one hand he carried a somewhat thick file.
It was clear he didn’t want to talk much.
Inside the museum, a tense atmosphere filled by several security guards and police officers prevailed. It was closed today and tomorrow due to the forewarning, leaving it eerily quiet. Being so close to the predicted crime time, the guards all had tense expressions, eyes already alert.
Even though it seemed meaningless to be honest, the police probably couldn’t abandon their work either.
“What should we do?”
“Um…Ms. Lonzder?”
“I want to see the location where the diamond was placed, and the spot where the necklace was first reported stolen. And Harrison, do you have a floor plan of this museum?”
“Yes, I do.”
“Good.”
According to the floor plan handed over, the museum had three floors: one basement level and two above ground. The basement housed storage rooms and offices for staff, while the upper floors were mostly exhibition spaces.
“Return it properly.”
“Got it memorized, so don’t need it anymore. Let’s go, Norman.”
Lonzder carelessly returned the floor plan and started walking.
A gorgeous woman strode confidently through the quiet museum, her footsteps echoing. The security guards and police officers watched with surprised expressions, but no one stopped her. Harrison must have cleared it with them beforehand.
“…Ugh. My head hurts. It’s ridiculous to desperately guard some diamond they call priceless.”
“Even disregarding its reputation, doesn’t it still hold immense value?”
They first headed to the first-floor exhibition space.
The spot where the initially stolen necklace had been.
This museum had small rooms along its route, and the necklace’s location wasn’t particularly important. Not the museum’s centerpiece, just a spot you could easily pass by without notice. In the center of the small room was a bench, with a display case by the wall – nothing noteworthy.
Did Lonzder see it differently?
After glancing around for a few seconds, she said,
“Okay, next.”
“Haa…”
They promptly moved along the route to the second floor.
The exhibit of the “Blood Diamond Ring” that prompted Norman and Lonzder’s involvement was quite different from the necklace’s unassuming spot. Located at the very back of the route, in the center of the museum’s largest room, the ring was encased in glass. The diamond was relatively large, about the size of a small coin. Even from a distance, its brilliance reflecting the lights was apparent.
Despite its name, the diamond didn’t look red at all, instead radiating a clear, sparkling shine.
A few people were gathered around the diamond case.
Two police officers, an elderly man in an expensive suit, a middle-aged man in workwear, a gentle-looking old woman and a squinty-eyed woman, plus a bespectacled adorable young girl.
Seeing them surrounding the case, Harrison furrowed his brow and stepped forward.
“Hey, hey…Mr. Oliver. What are you all doing? This is troubling.”
“Leonard, huh?”
The middle-aged detective glared at Harrison when called out.
Slightly stout with a stern face and thinning hair, he glared at Harrison, then Lonzder and Norman in turn.
He stared at Lonzder a bit longer, carefully expressing his hostility towards her.
“The troubling one is you. Sure, you have your circumstances, but we also have security protocols to follow. Having our hands tied like this is a problem…especially by some woman playing detective.”
“You’re as stubborn as ever, Chief Inspector Oliver.”
In response, Lonzder replied politely, unusual for her.
Oliver was the police chief of the Balldlum precinct, a rigid man with a boots-on-the-ground approach. His suit was decent quality, and he usually looked well-groomed – uncharacteristic of his gruff demeanor. But today, he seemed rather haggard.
As a police chief, he was Harrison’s superior officer in a sense. But the situation here was complicated.
As a collaborator of [Cartesius], Oliver’s authority extended beyond regular police jurisdiction.
This allowed him to provide Norman’s group with case files and grant them access to crime scenes regarding the [Unlaws] incidents, after regular investigations concluded unsuccessfully. So Norman rarely clashed with active police operations, except for occasions like this.
Despite organizational approval, having outsiders meddle at an active crime scene clearly didn’t sit well with Oliver.
“That stubborn attitude is why your wife left you. No matter how much you indulge in your vices like spoiling your dog or overeating your favorite foods out of loneliness, she won’t come back unless you acknowledge your faults and apologize.”
“…Mind your own business.”
Though Lonzder casually revealed his personal information, Oliver just bitterly retorted.
Visit the request page If there’s a Japanese Light Novel (LN) or Web Novel (WN) you’d like me to translate
When the donation goal progress bar above hit 100% one novel will be chosen for translation
| Table of Contents | Next* |
Support the Author by Buying the Original Books!
