Book 1: Chapter 3.1
In the end, Roth and the chief got their way.
Sick and tired of trying to argue with his superiors, Matoba had given the situation a second thought, deciding that there was some truth in his bosss words. In a city that was home to over 500,000 Semanian immigrants, they had to get a Semanian officer at some point.
Only the Semani could understand the Semani.
That was just the truth. It was a truth that Matoba had seen and experienced many times throughout the years.
However, his biggest surprise was with how Tilarna had acted.
Matoba had desperately hoped that by losing his temper in front of his boss, he would convince that Semanian to adamantly refuse to pair with him. Despite his horrendous attitude, Tilarna had eventually agreed to his bosss request. That fairy must have been really important to her. Tilarna had told the chief that she would allow Matoba to accompany her as a guide for now, as long as he was really the distinguished bolice warrior that they claimed him to be.
She shouldnt have said anything.
They clearly despised each other, and that would have been the perfect opportunity for them to finally be freed.
Though he kept his mouth shut, Kei Matoba radiated an aura of immense displeasure as he left the chiefs office. He told Tilarna to wait in the break room on the 10th floor and walked off to the Document Center. He came back with a thick folder full of papersa list of former convictsthat he proceeded to shove onto her.
What is this?
Run your eyes over it. I have something that I need to get done, he said, leaving Tilarna and heading toward his office.
The office of the Special Vice Squad was located on the 10th floor of headquarters, but the room could not be found on a floor map. The entrance was similarly difficult to find, consisting of an incredibly plain-looking door that had a Resource Management Department sign hanging above it. Because this was the department that handled investigations of organized crime, security was always tight.
The detectives that worked in the department would typically never enter headquarters through the front doors of the building. They would enter the subway station located one block away, head toward the entrance labeled employees only, and pass through an underground tunnel that led into headquarters. It was reminiscent of the secret bases that often appeared in spy movies, but these were serious measures that needed to be taken. Many of the departments officers frequently worked undercover, assuming separate identities as pimps or drug dealers. If any of their business partners happened to catch them walking into the police building in broad daylight, things could get ugly.
He walked into the Special Vice Squad office.
Inside, it looked like any other typical San Teresa Police Department office. Eighteen desks were placed throughout the room, separated by thin blue boards. Aside from the old PCs placed on every one of them, each officers desk was arranged differently. Hanging on the walls were calendars, schedules, attendance records and other things of the sort. At the very back of the room was the bosss office, sectioned off with glass panels.
Matobas eyes met his colleagues. He was subsequently told sorry about Rick around fifty times or so. Exhibiting inhuman mental fortitude, Matoba politely replied to every colleague with a simple yeah, me too.
The sixth person to tell him this, detective Tony Magby, wrapped his arms around Matoba, tears flowing down his face. Its so cruel. This must be hard for you, Kei, he cried, though what he said should have been obvious by now. Tony was a great guy, but he was also gay, and Matoba felt a bit awkward as he stroked his shoulders in consolation.
Matoba walked over to put away the items that were left on Rick Furys desk.
Countless thoughts began to flood his mind, but he cast every last sorrow out of his head. If he really wanted to avenge Rick, he couldnt let his feelings of grief get to him. He kept his mind blank as he stored Ricks belongings in a cardboard box. He picked up a gold trophy, a family photo, an unfinished novel, an old iPod, a shoe polishing kit, et cetera, et cetera
Wrapping up the cleaning and paperwork in just an hour, Matoba left the office. He returned to the break room, where Tilarna sat waiting for him. Each of the officers that walked by shot her a glance of curiosity and fascination.
Did you find anyone you know?
No, Tilarna answered blankly, the bulky folder still resting on her lap.
We have fifty more files like that, with names all the way from A to Z. You see that room over there? You can find them in that room. Ill give you three days to look through all of them. Easy work, huh?
Tilarna looked at him dejectedly.
And Im guessing that youre going to spend that time doing your own work?
That is none of your business.
I see that youre doing everything you can to annoy me, Keh Imatooba. However, make no mistake, though I did agree to work with you, I dont remember saying that I would follow your orders.
Is that so?
I will not waste any more of my time staring at these rows of ugly faces. Im not some sort of rustic that would be amazed by mere pictures. Now, you shall take me with you.
He knew it would come down to this.
Shrugging his shoulders, Matoba walked down the hallway.
Then come along and take a look with me.
At what?
Umm? Excuse me, who is this pretty young lady right here?
Shes a noble from the other side. She came here to search for the fairy that this dead man had brought with him.
Oh, is that so. My name is Cecil Epps. Nice to meet you, young lady.
My name is Exedilika, not young lady. I dont know anything about Dorini medicine, but I sense the smell of Fiel coming from this mans body, Tilarna said, staring down at the face that peeked out from the opening in the bag.
Smell?
Yes. It is the scent of the Rahtena emitted by the fairy.
Uhh What is Rahtena? Cecil asked, sniffing the air as if to catch the scent.
Rahtena is Rahtena.
Not a very good explanation
Sensing Cecils questioning gaze, Matoba opened his mouth.
I dont really know, either. Ive heard that its some sort of magical energy used by the Semani.
Ahh, so its like mana, Cecil said, understanding immediately.
Mana? Whats that?
Havent you played any fantasy RPGs, Kei? A lot of them involve a form of magical energy with that name.
No idea.
Matoba had no interest in those types of games. When he heard HP, he thought of hollow point bullets, and he heard of MP, he thought mystery police. That was the extent of his RPG knowledge. There was no way he knew a word like mana.
So? What is this scent of the Rahtena that you speak of? Itd be great if you could track down the fairy just by its smell. Then we could just have one of the police dogs smell the body and take it for a walk around the city, Matoba said.
Tilrarna let out a sigh of frustration.
Do you not have a brain? When I said that there was a scent, I was just using the word closest to what you Dorini can understand. To put it in different terms, its more like a feeling, not something that you can actually smell with your nose.
Okay. And how are you able to sense it?
A Mildeeta (sorcerer) can easily tell, Tilarna said coolly.
So you can use magic?
A little.
Hmm. Then use those magic powers of yours to find out where the suspect is. Then our entire case will be solved.
Instead of getting angry at Matobas sarcastic response, Tilarna stared at him with an expression of heartfelt pity.
It seems that you have no critical thinking ability, Keh Imatooba. The request that youre making right now is like asking a Dorini to write words using a frying ban. The Mildi is powerful, but it is not omnipotent. Now, pound that knowledge into your puny little brain.
As you wish, your highness. I will forever remember your noble, generous, and utterly useless words.
Tilarna glared at him. Matoba looked away. Cecil watched them, not doing anything to help lighten the abysmal mood. Instead, she stared intently at Matoba and spoke in an off-key manner.
Umm, So you two dont get along well, huh?
If it looks that way, its probably true.
If youre asking if I hate this man, then the answer is yes.
Ah, okay, Cecil nodded. She pointed at the dead body that lay on the rack. So, setting that aside for now, what did you mean by the scent of the fairys Rahtena that you sensed on the body? You never finished your explanation.
Realizing that their arguing had detracted from an important point, Matoba and Tilarna awkwardly cleared their throats.