“Excuse me.”
The figure who looked like the cavalry squad’s captain sat astride their mount and looked down at Itefeil, who was still gazing dreamily at them.
“Are you the inspector in charge of examining the crime scene?”
“Huh? Oh, yes. That’s me.”
“Good. Please get ready to come with us to the crime scene in a bit.”
The cavalry captain’s sudden question left Itefeil a little confused. To put it simply, she was only leading a team to survey the scene. If they wanted a detailed investigation, shouldn’t they be asking the technical staff instead?
At that point, the captain added one more thing.
“Remember to bring your team.”
“Oh...”
And so, Itefeil found herself at the police station, still not quite sure how she’d gotten there. The Chief Superintendent was standing by the entrance on the first floor, apparently waiting for someone.
“Itefeil, come over here. I need to talk to you.”
“What is it, sir?”
First, the captain of the Woodpecker Cavalry Regiment had ordered her to gather her team and prepare to assist at the scene, leaving her completely baffled. Now her own superior was standing here, beckoning her over with a mysterious look, as if he had something to tell her.
This is suspicious!!
“You’ve already met those Woodpecker Cavalry Regiment officers who were at the entrance earlier, right?”
Officers...?
“Yes, sir. Their captain just asked me to bring the crime scene investigation team along to help with their investigation.”
“Good. Take your team and assist them. Do your best to meet any requests they make, and follow their orders the whole way. Understood?”
Itefeil’s doubts only grew. As far as she knew, the Woodpecker Cavalry Regiment was an elite force trained by the Empire, but the Chief Superintendent was giving them an enormous amount of authority. However you looked at it, the whole thing seemed suspicious.
“Yes, sir... Sir, could you give me a hint about what’s going on...?”
Itefeil edged closer to the Chief Superintendent and asked in a low voice:
“Who are these people, really?”
The Chief Superintendent shot Itefeil a sidelong glance.
“Don’t ask questions you shouldn’t. I can’t afford to offend people like them.”
Ah, mystery solved. The Chief Superintendent was one of the top-ranking police officials in one of the Empire’s nine major cities, with a rank roughly equivalent to an imperial general. If even he couldn’t afford to offend these people, then there was only one place higher up the ladder: the imperial family.
The Chief Superintendent thought for a moment, then leaned close to Itefeil’s ear and whispered.
“Do a good job this time, and I’ll promote you to superintendent. If you mess it up, you’re going back to the front lines.”
At that, Itefeil’s eyes lit up. She’d been stuck at senior inspector for years, and honestly, she’d be lying if she said she didn’t mind. She’d put a lot of effort into solving cases, after all. Being held back from a promotion just because she was bad at managing her personal affairs had left her a little disgruntled.
“Yes, sir! Itefeil will complete the mission!”
The Chief Superintendent nodded in satisfaction.
“Go on. The Woodpecker Regiment has full authority over this case. Just stay nearby and provide support when needed.”
“Yes, sir!”
Itefeil saluted her superior, then turned and went to gather her team...
Meanwhile, at Itefeil’s house, La Luna was wandering aimlessly around the large mansion.
“Meow, meow, meow...”
(The decor in this world is pretty interesting.)
La Luna was getting terribly bored at home. As she studied the decorative patterns around the rooms and the way the interior was laid out, the habits from her previous life came back to her.
(This interior design leans a little toward the European style. And the rooms are so spacious that they really bring out one of its defining features: luxury.)
Of course, the place might have looked even more luxurious if it weren’t so messy.
Thinking that, La Luna kicked aside a mysterious white bundle of cloth that had been rolled into a ball.
(But still, who puts marble pillars indoors? The outside looks so modern, yet the interior is this classical.)
La Luna glanced at what looked like a load-bearing pillar. She couldn’t tell whether it was actually made from one solid piece of marble, but it certainly looked luxurious.
“Meow?”
(Hmm? What’s this room?)
As La Luna wandered around the house, she came across a door made from high-quality wood. Its carved design was completely different from the doors to the other rooms, which piqued her curiosity.
“Meow...”
(But that lock is a bit much...)
La Luna looked up at the handle. It had an elaborate design, and there was even an extra security measure: several iron chains looped around it, their ends fastened with a fine copper lock.
(I wish I could go in and take a look...)
Thinking that, La Luna reached out a paw and gave the door a push.
Creeeak—
“Meow, meow??”
(Meow, meow??)
The door slowly swung open in the direction La Luna pushed. Honestly, apart from feeling a little heavy, it hadn’t seemed locked at all. La Luna stared speechlessly at the layers upon layers of security around the handle...
All show, no substance. Just a bunch of pointless frills.
Then she squeezed her body against the door to widen the gap until she could fit through. The room beyond was pitch-black; she couldn’t see a thing. But after crawling inside, La Luna realized that one entire wall was hidden behind thick curtains. She hooked her little paws into the fabric and tugged hard, pulling it apart just enough for the sunlight outside to stream in.
“Meow, meow...”
(Wow... What is this...?)
Once sunlight filled the room, La Luna stared in shock at the walls around her.
Books. Nothing but books. All four walls were lined with them!
“Meow, meow, meow, meow???”
(That little girl looks like the kind of person who’d read this much????)
