Chapter 1: The Witch Cannot Be Collared
The walls of the headquarters’ director’s office were lined with framed portraits—the faces of the [Two Great Nobles]. Every single one of them had golden eyes, eerie as a cat’s. Unnerving as they were, removing them wasn’t permitted.
“Congratulations, Rogue! You should be thanking me!”
The moment he was summoned, his superior, Velladonna-Villard, declared.
Director of the Royal Capital’s Ireil Branch Bureau—that was Velladonna’s title. She always delivered news abruptly.
“Thank you very much.”
He bowed formally.
Seeing this, Velladonna swept back her wavy golden hair as if showing it off.
“I was the one who personally recommended you, you know? Even with your achievements, things wouldn’t have gone this smoothly otherwise. The Drakénia family is strict with their evaluations~”
Her voice was sickeningly sweet.
The top two buttons of her blouse were undone, revealing flashy lingerie. Rumor had it she’d climbed to this position through “colorful means.” Of course, this wasn’t a position someone could hold solely through “colorful means.”
The [Two Great Nobles]—composed of the Righton and Drakénia families—oversaw the 〈Magic Crime Investigation Bureau〉, with the latter in command. The Drakénia family upheld a ruthless meritocracy, leaving no room for incompetence. It was common knowledge that corrupt investigators were exiled to the frozen wastelands.
“Yes.”
He nodded without smiling.
“You should be more grateful~!”
“Thank you very much.”
“More~!”
He averted his gaze as Velladonna raised her voice. Hopefully, his expression hadn’t soured.
“…Thank you very much.”
“Ugh, you’re so frustrating! I could just eat you up~!”
Velladonna pressed her hands to her cheeks as she said it.
Rogue seemed to fit her aesthetic preferences. Her favor had helped him many times—including this promotion. It was best not to oppose her.
His eyes drifted to the windowpane, where his reflection as an investigator stared back.
Slanted eyes, a mouth still carrying traces of boyishness, and the height that had earned him endless teasing at the academy—how many would even recognize him as an investigator on the streets? The fur-trimmed coat he wore was purchased solely to intimidate criminals, if only slightly.
“You’d like to be eaten by me too, wouldn’t you, Rogue~? Rawr!”
Velladonna struck a playful pose, but Rogue responded flatly.
“Please spare me the jokes, Director.”
“Oh? Really?”
“Yes.”
“But deep down, a tiny part of you wants it, doesn’t it? Hmm~?”
“No, Director. Please proceed with the matter at hand.”
“Who cares? All men are just starving beasts anyway. When you dangle bait in front of them, they’ll just desperately jump for it. So just hop around like a good little idiot, you uptight bastard.”
“Director, what was that?”
He hadn’t caught the latter half and asked for clarification.
“Oh, nothing~”
Velladonna puffed out her cheeks, though the expression didn’t suit her. Just as Rogue pretended not to notice, her terminal beeped.
“Hellooo, this is Vella~! Yes, yes~~”
She answered in her usual honeyed voice.
“Mhm, another victim, huh?”
She nodded along to the call—likely from her superior, someone far beyond Rogue’s rank. He waited silently until—
“Okay~! Vella will take care of it! Bye-bye now… Ugh, stop dumping your problems on me, you bastard.”
Her voice suddenly dropped to a mutter.
Rogue stiffened.
“…Is something wrong?”
“Oh, nothing that concerns you, sweetie~”
Yet, resting her chin on her hand, she flicked a pen holder dejectedly. Whatever trouble had been thrust upon her, she made sure he heard her groan, “Ugh, what a pain…” It was an awfully blatant attempt to evade reality.
As he maintained his blank expression, a glint of light caught his eye—the reflection of something on her desk monitor. Though it only flashed for a second, Rogue recognized it.
(The 〈Life-Taker〉 case…?)
A high-profile unsolved mystery currently gripping the public. He’d heard whispers about it.
Two months prior, an anomalous corpse had been discovered in Dilo’s commercial district. Identification was quick thanks to the victim’s ID.
Jim Foley—a 25-year-old office worker with no criminal record, a model citizen. Investigations turned up no grudges against him. He had no severe medical history either; he was perfectly healthy.
Yet, Jim had died of [old age] in a back alley.
READ THE ORIGINAL TRANSLATION AT LOCALIZERMEERKAT.PAGES.DEV
His skin had shriveled like a mummy’s, limbs emaciated to sticks. Worst of all, his face was twisted in terror and agony, rendered unrecognizable even to his family.
No traces of 〈magic〉 were found at the scene, but the authorities classified it as homicide. A 25-year-old dying of old age? That wasn’t possible without 〈magic〉.
The investigation into the person who used magic—dubbed the 〈Life-Taker〉—began.,
However, to this day, the culprit has not been found, and there has been no progress.
“Well, if the Director insists, then so be it…”
Either way, Rogue was set to leave fieldwork starting tomorrow. Even if there was a connection, it’d be handled through subordinates. No need to concern himself.
Just as he thought that, Velladonna’s groaning stopped. She was staring at him.
“…What is it?”
She grinned impishly.
“Hey, Rogue~? You were just thinking this doesn’t involve you, weren’t you?”
“…No.”
“It might~”
She burst into giggles. Rogue wasn’t amused.
“Director, what exactly involves me?”
“Oh~? Want me to tell you~?”
“…No. I’m fine.”
Asking outright felt like conceding defeat. But just as he tried to change the subject— Velladonna ducked her head, shoulders shaking. She’d been unable to hide her glee—no, she was flaunting it at him.
What was she scheming?
Or worse—had the scheme already been set in motion? Was she laughing because she was about to reveal it?
The moment it clicked, Velladonna dramatically swept back her hair and stood—
“You’re being transferred to Navaco Island! Congratulations, Investigator Rogue!”
She clapped excitedly.
“What?”
The uncouth response slipped out, but Velladonna continued unfazed.
“Navaco’s lovely~! The drinks are delicious, and… oh! The drinks are delicious! And—wait, the drinks are really delicious!”
—Navaco Island?
Rogue’s blood ran cold.
A “nature-rich” island with barely 500 residents, thirty minutes from the mainland by boat. What kind of crime even happened there? No—this wasn’t about avoiding criminals. It was outright exile.
He imagined himself working there.
Helping elderly locals with back pain, occasionally being treated to sweets, whiling away days with nothing to do. The sheer mundanity would wear him down until he accepted it.
The more he pictured it, the clearer it became—Navaco was a nightmare. His voice cracked.
“Director, I can’t accept this. What’s the reason—”
“Oh, come now~! ‘Home is where you make it,’ right? Besides, a serial killer stalks the night there~!”
“That’s absurd—”
“Of course it’s a lie~”
Cutting him off, Velladonna smiled like a mother indulging a playful child. In that instant, Rogue knew resistance was futile.
“…Is there no way to change this?”
He practically growled. Pressing a finger to her glossed lips, she cooed:
“Hmm~… Seeing you so pitiful almost makes me reconsider~…”
Her eyes raked over his body—slowly, deliberately—before she licked her lips and blew softly into his ear.
Paling, Rogue watched her smirk deepen.
“I could make that kind of deal… but sadly, there’s another option~”
“…Which is?”
He barely managed.
“Ever heard of the Sixth Precinct?”
“The Sixth Precinct?”
He parroted dumbly.
The capital only had up to the Fifth Precinct. He’d never heard of a Sixth.
“Director, are you serious?”
“How rude~! Of course I am.”
“Then why—”
“Ordinary investigators aren’t supposed to know. But high-ranking officials like me do~. It does exist.”
It made no sense.
His disbelief must’ve shown, but Velladonna tapped her desk, indifferent.
“It’s a top-secret division. Handles cases too… special for regular precincts.”
“I see.”
“So~! You’ll be temporarily assigned there as Chief. Not a bad deal, right~?”
If true, it wasn’t just “not bad”—it was a dream. Chief was the highest managerial rank, commanding hundreds of investigators, far removed from the blood-soaked frontlines. The authority it granted was immense.
“…That sounds almost too good. May I ask one thing?”
Rogue spoke up.
“Oh~? What is it~?”
“…You mentioned ‘special duties.’ What exactly would I be doing?”
Half-certain, he pressed—
“Sharp as ever~”
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!
