"Whoops? My hand slipped..."

Wei’en held his gun in one hand and Tina in the other. "Butler Collins, it seems you’ll only be able to interrogate the remaining four."

"You...?!"

Elno’s eyes were stretched so wide the corners tore, streaking blood down his face. The pus that had sprayed from Tiki’s shattered head splattered across his front, eating bloody holes into him.

But he seemed to feel no pain. His eyes, full of hatred, were locked on Wei’en. 𝙧𝙚𝙚𝔀𝒆𝓫𝓷𝙤𝓿𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝙤𝓶

Meanwhile, the three men closest to Wei’en glared at him as if he were the devil, then roared and charged.

"I’ll take you down with me!"

"No, don’t, sto—"

Collins, having just snapped back to his senses, had barely opened his mouth to stop them when he saw that damned bastard Investigator calmly reload his gun and pull the trigger on the three men...

He couldn’t help but shut his eyes in despair. ’I’ll kill you. I will definitely kill you!’

BANG, BANG...

Regardless of his thoughts, the sound of gunshots followed.

THUD, THUD, THUD.

Then came the sound of three heavy objects falling to the ground.

"Oh, well. Now there’s only one left,"

Wei’en said apologetically, "My apologies, Butler Collins. I hope this doesn’t interfere with the Ceres Clan’s business?"

But the corners of his lips were turned up slightly. Where was the apology in that?

’He’d thought it through clearly. He’d already offended Butler Collins from the very beginning, so Collins couldn’t blame him for being ruthless!’

Collins opened his eyes, his gaze dark as he stared at him. "Investigator Wei’en, I need an explanation."

Wei’en gestured with his chin toward the weapons in the dead men’s hands. "Didn’t you see? They were trying to kill me."

In reality, he was bursting with joy on the inside.

’The haul was so massive this time, it was well worth the risk.’

[You have hit Tiki Vazquez with a gun, triggering Death Trait - Aging. Instant Death progress 1/10. Evaluation: ? Reward: Survival Points +2.]

[...]

[You have hit Tiki Vazquez with a gun, triggering... progress 10/10. Evaluation: You can do that? Reward: Survival Points +2.]

[Tiki Vazquez has triggered Death Trait - Instant Death. Evaluation: I give this move full marks. Special Reward: Survival Points +12, Marksmanship +4, Spirit Level +3, Resilience Level +3.]

[...]

[Javi Gals has triggered Death Trait - Instant Death... Special Reward: Survival Points +4, Marksmanship +2, Spirit Level +1, Resilience Level +1.]

[Devourable Essence discovered. Use Soul-Devouring Magic?]

Marco looked at Tiki, who had been reduced to a pool of liquid, then at the three other gruesome corpses. "Wei’en, your marksmanship..."

Damn impressive.

Then he turned to Collins and explained, "Sorry, he just joined the Secret Investigation Department. It’s his first time encountering a situation like this, so it’s understandable that he’s a bit nervous."

Even he didn’t believe the words coming out of his own mouth. Who gets nervous and guns down four people in a row?

But Wei’en went along with it.

"Right, right, I was just too nervous. Sorry, sorry."

"You’re fak—"

Just then, Elno stared at him, as if to burn his face into his memory, and said, "Wei’en, is it? The Black Pearl won’t let you get away with this!"

"Oh? By that, do you mean news of today’s events will reach the Black Pearl?"

Wei’en looked at him, feigning a thoughtful expression. "Could it be that you have others hidden within the Ceres Clan? Butler Collins, do you need us to find them?"

Collins quickly stepped in front of Elno, blocking Wei’en’s view. "As agreed, the rest of this is for the Ceres Clan to handle."

To be on the safe side, he ordered the guards to take Elno away, ignoring Wei’en’s groundless speculation.

’Even if there were people hiding in the estate, that would be his... and the Ceres Clan’s affair.’

"It’s not that simple. Now that my life has been threatened, I feel compelled to continue the investigation..."

Collins cut him off. "10 gold pounds. I’ll give you an extra 10 gold pounds in compensation."

"What?"

Wei’en looked at him in surprise. ’Is he starting to throw money at the problem already?’

’Well, in that case... He didn’t have any proof that Collins was their accomplice, so he might as well fleece him first.’

’Money? Yes, please. More of it.’

"Our captain is seriously injured, Marco is exhausted, and I’m badly hurt myself..."

"You’re injured? Take a look at yourself!"

"Ah, oh, it’s all healed..."

Wei’en looked down. Sure enough, his injuries had healed completely. Only his tattered uniform and the bloodstains proved he had indeed been injured.

’Is this the effect of Tina’s Calamity Seed Contract?’

’What a waste.’

"Still, we are in your debt. If it weren’t for you, this group... they would have escaped the estate. I will suggest to Mr. Sayam that we increase your compensation."

"How much?"

"One hundred..."

Wei’en nodded. "Two hundred gold pounds, you say? Hmm... Marco, do you think that’s enough?"

A hint of a smile flashed across Marco’s face. "Two hundred gold pounds isn’t enough, is it? Lisi’s injuries will take at least a week to heal."

’Two hundred?’

’Do you two have any idea how much money two hundred gold pounds is? How many people would sell their lives for that?’

Collins felt his years of cultivated composure being sorely tested. He glared at the two bandit-like Investigators. "Three hundred gold pounds!"

Marco and Wei’en exchanged a look.

’That’s probably his limit, Marco. I doubt the old man can afford any more.’

’Right. Add the 55 gold pounds from before, and we’ve made a decent haul on this trip. Enough to live large in Nocturnal City for quite a while.’

"Ahem, then let’s sign the contract."

Collins had no choice but to have someone bring the contract and stamp it with the seal of the Ceres Clan.

Although three hundred gold pounds wasn’t much to him, the sheer frustration of it all nearly drove him mad. He just wanted to get these people out of his sight as fast as possible.

Marco took the contract and glanced at it. "Are you sure you don’t need our involvement in what comes next?"

Collins gritted his teeth. "I am certain, and I am positive!"

"Then we’ll leave after Captain Lisi has recovered a bit."

Lisi had just drunk a healing potion and was lying motionless on the ground, recuperating. Under the Magic Potion’s effects, her flesh was rapidly regenerating.

Collins: "Fine."

"So, uh, about these on the ground... can we take them?" Wei’en asked, pointing at the corpses he had mangled beyond recognition.

"Hmm?"

"You see, my Summoned Creature was injured too."

Shawa obediently came forward, limping. Her dress was torn in several places, revealing flesh that had been peeled back by a blade.

Collins’s jaw muscle twitched as he fought to suppress his rage. "You can only take three!"

Wei’en pouted. "Three? So stingy... Shawa, go ahead."

’But he knew he couldn’t take more. Many of the dead shared a surname with Collins.’

"Can I?" Shawa asked, her ghastly white eyes wide, pointing at the three nearest corpses.

Wei’en nodded. "Drag them over there."

’The corpse-eating ability of Undead Creatures... yeah, better not to watch.’

"Okay."

Shawa pierced their chests and abdomens with her claws, skewering them together, and slowly dragged them to the other side of the lawn.

"Wei’en, your Miss Zombie is pretty sharp," Marco asked thoughtfully, watching her retreating figure.

"She’s decent. Pretty low-maintenance."

Wei’en looked at the other corpses with some regret. He still wanted to try out his Soul-Devouring Magic.

’But seeing Collins’s murderous glare... better not. If I push him any further, we might not be able to leave at all.’

Before long, Shawa walked back, licking the blood from the corner of her mouth...

"That fast?"

P.S. A big thank you to Elio and to reader 20221204185522384 for their generous support! Thank you.