Ken yo, kaku katariki – 93
01 – Hiding in the Shadows
The imperial capital, Alekheim was also called the city of ten thousand flowers.
In recent years, technical developments and the construction of buildings made the city undergo changes every day.
The development of Alexander Street was changing especially fast. The giant billboards, cinema halls, and six-story shopping malls. It would have been unthinkable a decade ago.
A place where even during the night, the lights shone brightly, and there was plenty of traffic.
But it was because there was light—that the shadows were deep.
And on that day, one such shadow…
“This guy…”
In the Conswell district.
It was a back alley that was usually deserted, but on that day, several figures could be seen.
But they were no ordinary people.
The armbands bore the Olfilia, which showed they were imperial police.
“Mr. Drake. Do you need the victim’s profile?”
“Of course, I don’t.”
They were standing around a single corpse.
No matter how you looked at it, it was murder. A shot through the head. A well-dressed man.
Drake recognized the face as well. Not that they were acquainted. But he was well-known.
“What was the viscount doing in an alley like this?”
Asked the young detective who stood behind him. Drake just muttered, ‘Who knows?’ as he squatted next to it.
In the capital, criminal incidents happen every day.
If you included lighter crimes like robbery and fraud, there would be no end to it.
However, this one was strange.
Because the victim was a well-known nobleman.
“And this is the second one…”
—A serial killer, perhaps.
Drake let out a troubled sigh.
Tomorrow’s papers will have a field day with their sensational headlines. And then they will all find fault with the imperial police department.
And there would be pressure from his boss.
Just because the victim was a noble, it did not mean the crime was more serious. Murder was murder.
However, the people who worked at the floor level would still be pressured to prevent any other such attacks.
And this was happening in the middle of the twin moons festival.
“Is it really the same killer?”
“Well, probably.”
Drake’s eyes went down to the victim’s hand.
The letter ‘A’ was written in blood. Just like with the first victim.
This was a detail that the press had not been told. So there was no chance it was a copycat killer.
“What if it is a dying message?”
“Don’t be ridiculous.”
Drake pointed at the head with exasperation.
“Clearly, he died immediately after being shot.”
So the culprit had deliberately used the victim’s blood to write it.
“And yet, there is no evidence left. No witnesses.”
Drake was not able to grasp the criminal’s profile.
“A…nobles…hmm…”
He felt an eerie chill crawl up his neck.
It seemed like this was just the beginning of something more terrible. Like when his cat died, and then he lost his first day off in four months, and then accidently spilled coffee on his boss’s head…
…And when his partner had died.
“This will probably continue…”
“What? You can’t be serious!”
The young detective groaned.
“I have a date! My girlfriend wants to go to the festival!”
“…You should forget about that then.”
He shook his head and then looked out at the city from between the buildings.
Even though the festival had not started yet, the city was filled with excitement. It was like this every year, but celebrations were held not just a week, but a month in advance.
But there was no rest for the imperial police who protected the people.
And during the festival, there was a rush of visitors and tourists, so the number of crimes increased. It was common sense that an officer could not rest during this time.
The light, and the shadows born from them.
The shadows spreading in front of their eyes now—were terribly deep and smelled of blood.
