BXBX NOVEL Chapter 377 – Murder on a Rainy Night (Part 02)
Chapter 377 - Murder on a Rainy Night (Part 02)
Murder on a Rainy Night (Rainy Rainy Serial Killer) Part 02
Hikaru walked through the alleys in the pouring rain. Though he could locate living beings with his Detection skills, he couldn’t see his steps very well. Perhaps adding more points to his Sight would allow him to see more clearly, but he didn’t plan to use his available points at the moment.
Hikaru didn’t wander the night streets with some sort of evidence in hand, but there are things you can only see when you actually experience the same situation. While Mana Detection was an excellent skill, it allowed the user to sense someone whether they were hiding or not. Hikaru wouldn’t know if his target was actually using Stealth to hide themselves until he actually saw them with his own eyes.
It was dark. There was a high possibility he wouldn’t notice someone acting suspicious. But on the other hand, it also raised the question of how the culprit was able find people and kill them.
If I recall correctly, all the victims had nothing in common.
Reine showed Hikaru the information gathered by the Adventurers Guild. She seemed to expect Hikaru to make some kind of a deduction.
It sounds like the victims were chosen completely randomly.
The only thing the victims had in common was the circumstances surrounding their death. A rainy night. Alone in their rooms. Then stabbed. The authorities then warned the public to not be alone on rainy nights.
But this was Vireocean’s capital. Plenty of unmarried men and women lived here. Hikaru detected many people spending their nights alone, but there were hardly any people walking outside.
Hmm? Wait a minute. None of the victims were killed outside. Is it relevant? Maybe…
A hypothesis came into Hikaru’s mind. The culprit might be lurking outside, watching people who were going home alone. As if to back his theory, Hikaru’s Mana Detection caught a suspicious fellow lurking in the shadows.
「’Hmm~hmm~han~~~’」
A drunk man came staggering over. He was in a great mood, humming all the while. When he noticed another man closing in on him, he stiffened up. The man suddenly put his hand on the wall and threw up. The sound of his vomit hitting the cobblestones was drowned out by the drumming of the rain.
Holding his breath, the suspicious person kept his eyes fixed on the drunkard.
Then the man wiped his mouth and wandered off again, staggering past the fellow lurking in the shadows. Slowly, the suspicious person tried to tail the drunkard.
「That’s enough.」
Hikaru—now in his Silver Face persona—called out from behind the prowler and covered their mouth. He could see the person’s Soul Board displayed in front of his eyes.
【Soul Board】Alice Sunborn
Age: 17 Rank: 21
【Vitality】
…【Stamina】3
…【Immunity】
…【Toxic Immunity】1
…【Perception】
…【Sight】1
…【Hearing】1
…【Smell】1
【Physical Strength】
…【Weapon Mastery】
…【Throwing】1
【Agility】
…【Power Burst】2
…【Flexibility】2
…【Balance】3
…【Stealth】
…【Life Obfuscation】1
…【Mana Obfuscation】1
…【Imperceptibility】2
【Dexterity】
…【Dexterity】2
「What’s a Quinbland spy doing here?」
Alice Sunborn. A spy who learned from Unken, the previous guildmaster in Pond. Hikaru had met her three times in the past.
Kaglai, the Emperor of Quinbland, seemed to trust Alice, appointing her as liaison for him and Silver Face. Hikaru hadn’t seen her much since.
「Silsil?!」
「I told you to stop calling me that.」
「Ow!」
Hikaru’s chop landed on Alice’s forehead. Realizing she raised her voice, she quickly covered her mouth. But the drunkard didn’t seem to notice and kept on walking.
「Whew… The rain must’ve prevented him from hearing anything.」Alice said.
The truth was Hikaru used his Group Obfuscation. Though there was no need to tell her that.
Then Alice gave a start and looked at Hikaru.「Don’t tell me you’re the serial killer!」
「I had a feeling you’d say that, but from what you were doing just now, I’d say you’re more suspicious than me.」
「Don’t say any more. I don’t want to fight you. Please stop resisting and follow me to the station.」
「Are you serious? If I really wanted to kill you, you’d be dead by now.」
「Aha! You just admitted you’re a murderer!」
「Ugh, my head hurts.」
I forgot what kind of a girl she was, Hikaru thought. Devoted to her missions and quite earnest. But she valued herself the most. A hopeless spy with a few screws loose.
「Wait, y-you’re not the culprit?」
「Let’s take this somewhere else. I want to hear what you have to say.」
「Huh? But I have to follow that guy.」
「Forget him. There’s no point. 」Hikaru said.「That drunkard was a bait to lure and catch the killer.」
A few minutes of walking, and they arrived at a closed restaurant. Standing under the eaves to take shelter from the rain, Hikaru faced Alice.
「Silsil… What was that about earlier?」
「I get to ask the questions first. Why are you here? I think your response will also answer your question.」
「What? Um, well… I was investigating the murders.」
「A spy from a neighboring country investigating murders?」
「The Vireocean serial killer is getting a lot of attention.」
「Attention, huh? Don’t tell me you’re planning to recruit a murderer who could conceal their presence to work for the Empire.」
In this world, life is of little value. It was no wonder that leaders of countries would value mass murderers who could kill countless people than the victims.
「Oh, a minister said something like that, but Emperor Kaglai told him off. He totally deserved it! He ogles women’s butts and breasts. I hated that guy.」
Frowning, Hikaru studied Alice’s body. As always, she lacked the curves.
「What were you thinking just now?」she asked.
「Nothing. And you shouldn’t really just blurt out whatever was discussed in your own country.」
「I just thought His Majesty wouldn’t mind letting you know.」
I can see that, Hikaru thought.
「So Quinbland is trying to catch the killer, right? Why? Like I said, this is Vireocean, not Quinbland.」
「His Majesty said the killer might travel somewhere else if security in Ville Zentra gets too tight.」
So it would be bad news if the killer fled to Quinbland. I’m pretty sure there’s more to it. This is Kaglai we’re talking about. He’s probably wondering if I’m the one committing the murders. He just didn’t tell that to Alice.
「So, Silsil! What did you mean by that drunkard being a bait?」
「There were five other people following that guy. All from different affiliations. Their movements were completely varied.」
「Really…」
「Besides, there’s a serial killer lurking in this city. Even a drunk man wouldn’t go out alone. It wouldn’t be strange to find a man like that downtown, but I don’t see others at all. I didn’t run into one. It’s obvious that guy’s a bait.」
「I-I see…」
「If you followed him, you’d have been suspected as the killer.」
Alice turned pale.
「I don’t know what the other five guys’ intentions are, though.」
What would they do once they caught the killer? Kill him? Recruit him? Or perhaps something else?
Either way Hikaru got himself some great intel. Other countries were also worried about the serial killer.
「Are you planning to catch the killer?」Alice asked.
「Nah. I don’t intend to catch him.」
「Heh. So you’re just curious.」she said.「You can’t do that. This is serious work! Anyway, I’m pulling out for today.」She then turned away.
Her Stealth stats had gone up, Hikaru thought. Perhaps Unken’s teachings live inside her.
「Hey.」Hikaru called.
「Need anything else?」Alice turned around, her eyes wary.
「If it’s still raining tomorrow, I’ll let you meet the killer.」
Hikaru felt like giving her an interesting experience.
「I’m sorry, what?」Wearing a puzzled look, Alice cocked her head.「So you admit to your crimes! You really are the culprit!」
Hikaru hit her on the forehead.「If you really think about it, finding out the identity of the killer isn’t actually all that difficult.」
Hikaru then walked away, leaving Alice still holding her forehead.