Book 1: Chapter 6.3

Book 1: Chapter 6.3

Taking a break at a nearby coffee shop, Matoba immediately retrieved his portable terminal, glossing over the numerous documents stored within.

The place was a chain you could find just about anywhere. It resembled a traditional Viennese caf; the ceiling was excessively high. Perhaps as dusk had not fallen just yet, the number of customers remained at an all-time high.

As Tilarna had pointed out earlier, machines capable of such precise craftsmanship were certainly few and far in between within the city. Given their hefty price tags, records on these tools were strictly kept. He had asked HQ to look into the matter, and results turned up before thirty minutes passed. Notable locations that came up were the Maxwell Group Workshop, the Caliena Arms Testing Grounds, the San Teresa University of Engineerings Laboratory, and so on. Mostly large businesses and university premises where such deliveries took place. Whether or not these facilities were the source of the aforementioned Goldsmith, there was no choice but to seek out the information themselves.

However, before Matoba could even decide where to go first, a single name on the list caught his eye. The document listed the company as Krawan Electronics. Every other place he saw he had somewhat heard of, and yet this name eluded him.Read latest chapters at novelhall.com Only

When he looked them up, it turned out they had already gone bankrupt.

Kay. A shady one came up.

He took a sip out of his fifth coffee of the day. Sitting across from him, Tilarna was sniffing her cup in suspicion.

In addition, Matoba searched the records left behind on the government website. The establishment and bankruptcy of the company both occurred in the same year last year. In other words, Krawan Electronics operated solely over the course of a few months. Address, capital stocks, number of employees, etcetera, etcetera. All were half-assed to some extent.

Your intuition might have been right on the mark, kiddo.

What do you mean?

Its a dummy corp. Probably made it to buy the machines they needed. If this pans out, we can finally put a mark on that magicians back. Plus, theyre rich.

Their representatives name was Alan Quaid. Most likely just an outsider lending their name to the group. The problem was the investors. After going through a couple other documents, he was slowly but surely approaching the heart of the matter.

In the past, detectives would go around the place speaking to all those involved, reading paper documents en masse and the like. The entire process took up several days worth of time. With regard to this case, computers had doubtless played a tremendous role in their work.

Soon enough, the name of a man floated up to the top of the list.

Dennis Elbajhi.

Semani. Club manager. 26 (in Earth years). No records of arrest. No traffic violations either. And consequently, no mugshots.

Its him.

Flipping the screen of his portable terminal to his name, Matoba said.

Goes by Dennis, it seems. Bastard, trying to pass off as an Earthling What use is a club manager working in a factory?

Let me see.

Almost as if she was just about to snatch it from him, Tilarna peered into the portable terminal.

Elbajhi. Was there such a member of the Elbajhi family in this city?

Yknow him?

No. However, the Elbajhis were a well-known military family back in our world. In the wars of days past, they brought dishonor to themselves through their conduct in battle. The head of the family, Lord Bayard Elbajhi, was summarily executed, their lands forfeited, and the entire household disbanded. That is what I have heard.

Trying to reclaim his house, huh? A refugee?

Hmm

Many of the Semani who come here were trying to escape that war over on your guys end. This disgraced family of theirs might have arrived here in all that confusion.

By that war, he meant The Second Farbanian Conflict as it was mostly known to the Semani. The conflict took place about ten years ago, in Earth time. Initially, the war only occurred between fellow Semani nations. However, under the mandate of world peace, a coalition army from Earth was dispatched to end the conflict. The Americans were a given, but the Russians, the English, the Germans, the Australians, and the Japanese a military alliance of no less than twenty nations crossed the Mirage Gate, setting foot on the Semani battlefield.

Despite their designation as a Peacekeeping Force, in the end, they were simply just pushing their one-sided beliefs onto the Semani. It was a sordid affair. Less than a year after the Earthling Army was stationed in the region, they became the target of universal condemnation from the warring parties, ultimately being dragged into their fierce guerrilla warfare.

What about you, Kei Matoba. Would you be fine with the death of this fairy?

Dont treat me the same as them, will you? Of course, Ill feel a sense of responsibility.

Responsibilityresponsibility, huh?

Looking down, Tilarna mumbled aloud.

I, I have a responsibility towards that fairy.

Cant be helped. After all, Tilarna had come to San Teresa for the express purpose of protecting that fairy.

No.

Was it simply for that reason? She seemed abnormally flustered. This could not be explained with mere words such as duty and responsibility. Perhaps there were more personal feelings involved?

In the end, it was only his intuition talking. He had no basis for his claims, so he chose not to pursue the matter any further.

Anyways, dont worry yourself over it. Once we get our troops in order, I plan on bringing him down. Lose your cool, and you lose yknow.

Having said his piece, he stood up from his seat.

Toilet. Drink some water, and cool your head down.

Leaving the quiet Tilarna alone with her shoulders drooped, he headed for the shops toilet.

After having done his business, he washed his hands, checking himself in the mirror.

Gonna be even busier after this. First of all, he would have to contact the Chief. Then, he would need to dial up his contacts. It would probably be best to strictly limit recruitment to those on the Special Vice Squad, for fear of potential leaks and the like. Tonight, he would gather up his men to knead out a plan. At the same time, it was necessary to request permission for the wiretap, and arrange vehicles for their use. Plenty of other things to do as well. Most likely there would be no time for him to go home; he would also have to ask one of his neighbors to feed Kuroi for the night.

I swear Ill fucking track you down. I swear.

As he returned to the table, he noticed Tilarna was nowhere to be found.

(She go to the toilet too?)

On top of the table lay her sheathed longsword, with a white handkerchief covering the scabbard. It was almost as if she had layered the face of one of those corpses on top, judging by how it looked.

Strange. Tilarna had always carried this longsword with her. That sword was the reason she was turned away from her lodgings just the other day, leaving her stranded in the cold. For her to just leave her sword like this.

Did you see where my companion went? The Semani girl.

He asked the waitress passing by.

She left. Looked to be in a hurry.

I see. Keep the change.

Shoving her a ten-dollar bill, Matoba grabbed his portable monitor and the longsword before running straight out of the shop. He could not spot Tilarnas figure anywhere on the main street. The car was gone too.

The Semani girl, who equated the value of her sword to her own life, had left it behind, disappearing into the night.

What the hell are you thinking?

Standing in the sparsely crowded street, he cursed under his breath.

Translators Notes:

A dummy corporation is an entity created to serve as a front or cover for one or more companies. It can have the appearance of being real (logo, website, and sometimes employing actual staff), but lacks the capacity to function independently. (Source: Wikipedia)