A Mistake and a Thief

December 31st

Near the public square of the saint's statue, in a fine restaurant that looked out over the square, at one of the outdoor tables, three soldiers of the First King's army were sitting, their weapons left propped near the table while they ate their breakfast.

At that dining table all sorts of subjects and matters were laid out, until one of them said, "Did you hear they're saying the Fourth Division commander will be the one to take charge of this region?"

"Sadly, I think the easy days are going to end soon."

"I miss Commander Haizaki a lot. Why did he have to leave the army at a time like this?"

"Well, it was his decision. There's nothing we can do about it."

One of them raised his hand to summon the waiter. "Could we get some more water over here?"

"Right away..."

The waiter set the cups of water on the table. "Enjoy."

At the sight of that waiter's face, the three froze on the spot for several seconds. At the same time they stood quickly, at full attention, placing their hands at their brows in a military salute, and at the top of their voices said, "It's a pleasure to see you again, safe and well. Commander General of the Third Division, Sir Haizaki!!"

Haizaki laughed at their reaction, and answered them calmly. "There's no need for these formalities. I'm not a commander anymore. I don't even belong to the King's army now. I'm just an ordinary young man now."

"But... even so."

"But it makes me glad that you're this enthusiastic even without me. Try not to cause trouble for your new commander, if you can. And look after yourselves. Understood?"

"Yes, sir."

"That's all. Enjoy your meal."

Yol then entered the restaurant and heard them whispering about the nature of his work and the state he had come to, which made the marks of anger show on his face. He went over to one of the customers' tables and struck the table with both hands, leaning on it, following it with a broad sigh. Then he said, "Would you mind telling me what I'm doing in a place like this, Mr Sherlock?"

The girl who was sitting there answered as she finished a plate of fried potatoes with the last piece. "To earn money, of course. Without work, do you think we'd survive in a war like this?"

"And whose fault is that, do you think? I was always wondering what I'd do with all that money I'd saved over these two years. I couldn't think of a way that would make me need to work again for a whole year. Until you came along and spent it in a week."

The girl sighed, leaning on the couch. "What a child you are. Just because I borrowed a little from you, you started crying and panicking. And besides, I spent it on things of the utmost importance. You'll thank me later for spending it that way."

The coldness of the replies and the indifference in every answer made Yol angrier and angrier. He began striking the table with his palm several times as he said, "I'm telling you. Why should I be the one to work, when I'm the one who was robbed here? Shouldn't you be the one working to pay me back that money?"

"Are you asking a girl to do hard labour to support you? You're the worst, you tyrant. Just die."

In the midst of that argument, a tall man entered the restaurant, dressed in white that reached his feet, carrying a book in his hand. Several elderly men followed him in, heading for the table Yol was standing in front of. The moment they arrived they saluted Yol, saying, "Sir Haizaki, we're glad to have you back here again."

Wendy was taken aback by that grand welcome, while Yol smiled and answered them. "It's a pleasure to see you well, Mayor, and members of the executive council. But you know I no longer belong to the army, so there's no need for this formality. In any case, what's happening? It isn't usual for you to gather except on important occasions."

The elders kept silent, leaving the reins of the matter to the city's mayor. "In truth, a great problem has occurred. To keep it brief, the saint's keepsake has been stolen. It happened this morning, so the matter hasn't spread out into the open yet. I've assigned a number of soldiers to search for the thief, but at times like these I can only rely on you. I know I'm troubling you during your rest, but please, help us in any way."

It took Yol only a few seconds to answer him with, "I apologise, but I don't think I can help you with a thing like this. It's different from leading soldiers and fighting in a war. I have no experience in chasing thieves."

Disappointment showed on the mayor's face. Before he made to leave, Yol carried on speaking. "I may not be useful, but, what do you say to this, Mr Sherlock?"

As Yol looked towards her, a faint smile formed on his face. But Wendy showed no important reaction to the matter and answered calmly. "We don't have the time to worry about others. We need to work now to pay for this meal too."

"I'm the only one working here while you laze about... And what do you mean by ordering food on my tab as though it were the most natural thing? I really will kill you..."

Yol was bursting with anger in Wendy's face every five minutes. Then the mayor spoke. "In fact, there's a monetary reward for whoever finds the necklace."

At the word reward, Wendy's attention was caught completely. With a confident smile she raised her thumb to confirm the matter and said, "Don't worry, Mayor. I'll find the thief within a single minute."

"You really are the worst."

"But I can't believe a girl like you is able to uncover the thief's identity this easily."

Yol stopped his mockery and said with a serious face, "Well, she may look like a spoiled, irritating child. But she's the most intelligent person I've met in my life so far. I think you can trust her words."

Neither the mayor nor anyone standing there seemed convinced by this. Even so, the mayor said, "If that's what you say, Sir Haizaki, I see no problem with at least hearing what she has. So, may I know how you'll find the thief, madam...?"

"She's Sherlock," Yol answered at once to the mayor's query. Wendy answered him with the same speed. "Shut up, assistant. And there's no need to know my name. There's no point to it, because the case is over. I've already found the thief."

Everyone was taken aback by that declaration, Yol among them. Words of doubt began to increase all the more. Then Wendy stood, folding her arms, and said, "I might say thief, but he didn't actually do anything. The whole matter is that the thief gave it to him."

"What do you mean by that?"

"The necklace is with a small orphan boy who lives near this square. He has thick black hair and two green eyes. He's called Maro. Is that enough for you, Mayor?"

"Let's suppose what you said is true and it's with the boy. How do you know he isn't the real thief? How did you arrive at all this information in such a short time?"

"That's extremely simple. The whole matter is that I saw what happened."

"What!"

Then Wendy carried on her talk in a mocking manner. "But who would have expected that old necklace to be the saint's keepsake? It doesn't look expensive, and it doesn't have that lovely shape. Are you sure it's this valuable? You sanctify something this trivial. Are you fools to this degree?"

Yol felt the atmosphere souring with every word coming out of her mouth. But he did nothing. The mayor answered her in great anger. "Be quiet. Don't talk as though you know everything. We'll look into what you've said and whether it's true. If we find the necklace, you'll get your reward. Is that fine by you, Sir Haizaki?"

"Yes, I see no problem with that."

"Then we'll see you later, Sir Haizaki."

The group left, curses and expressions of contempt never leaving their tongues. Yol didn't grasp the point of Wendy mocking them that way. And seeing her sly face smiling like that drowned him in a heap of other questions about who this girl was.

At the public square, the Fourth Division commander stood beside the mayor, who was welcoming him and praising him for finding the thief and punishing him. A crowd of people was around him, welcoming him and celebrating his arrival. On the edges stood Wendy and Yol, both of them looking towards that scene.

"A little while ago, when I was talking that way, you did nothing to stop me. Do you know why I did that?" Wendy asked, to stir that strange silence in the air.

"I don't know. Honestly, I don't even like to think about this matter."

Wendy laughed a little, then said, "Because you have the same way of thinking I do. You can't help but feel pity for these people. They can't find anyone to turn to, so they delude themselves with myths like this. But as for me, I can't sympathise with them. Not with people who surrendered to their fear and started believing their own lies."

The sounds of cheers filled the place, and yet all this clamour didn't seem to reach them. That silence surrounding them moved Wendy's eyes to look at Yol's face, which was watching, worry plain upon it. Then she turned her gaze back towards that celebration. "I realise I didn't look much into the Fourth Division commander. What was his temperament like? Did you know him before this?"

"The Fourth Division commander, Miral, despite being unpopular with the people, his achievements in the war can't be overlooked. He has a high sense of justice and always aims for equality and giving everything its due. He was diligent and serious, seldom joking, and at times stern."

Hearing those words, Wendy's face went very pale, and she suddenly began looking around her in great worry. "What's the matter? Are you looking for something?"

Yol's words didn't reach her ears. Then she said at the top of her voice, "What nonsense is this?"

Leaving everyone around her looking at her with worry, she rushed out from among the crowd with everything she had. "Wait, where are you going?"

Yol followed her quickly, though he didn't understand what had happened to her. He began calling to her while trying to catch up, but there was no answer.

How could I forget a thing like this? Why didn't I think of searching for information on him before? Was it coincidence, or did I not give it enough attention? How could I fall into a grave mistake like this? Don't fail me, my legs. I need to get there as fast as I can.

Her breath was cut short from exhaustion, and every step began to grow heavier little by little. And yet her mind didn't stop thinking for a single moment. The moment she saw the entrance of that deserted alley, she felt a little relief, then doubled her speed.

Please, let him be all right!!

The instant she arrived in front of the alley, she stopped in her place without a single movement, as though her breath had been cut off entirely. Several seconds later, Yol reached the place and took a deep breath to rest his lungs a little. Then he began asking her what was happening, but got not one reply. "What's happening to you? What are you looking at with that face?"

When Yol turned his face, he was at once terrified by that scene. The sight of the small child swimming in a pool of his own blood, and the shape of his shattered, severed hand, stirred terror in his heart. "Wendy... what happened here? You know, don't you? Otherwise you wouldn't have acted that way. I've never seen you this tense before, so..."

The moment the exhaustion left and she heard those words, she returned to her usual calm and said, "It's my mistake. I didn't give the matter much importance from the start, and that's why this happened. I'm sorry."

"I don't understand a thing from what you said. Explain it!"

Yol was shouting with his voice without being aware of it.

"Normally, when a task or a responsibility is assigned to someone, there's more than one possibility for how he'll act. But to keep it brief, when that person has high confidence and a strong self-awareness, he tends to achieve results at once to prove his worth. And it turned out that Commander Miral is of this type."

"And what does this have to do with this boy?"

"Calm down a little and remember our talk with the mayor this morning. Who was the thief?"

Wendy's words from that morning came back to his mind.

The necklace is with a small orphan boy who lives near this square. He has thick black hair and two green eyes. He's called Maro.

"Wait, do you mean... that this boy... is the one who had the necklace?"

"Yes."

"Does this mean the one who did this to him... was Miral himself? But... he's a child...!"

Yol was muttering those words in a faint voice, while Wendy confirmed his suspicions. After a silence that lasted several seconds, Yol burst out in anger, saying, "That scoundrel!!"

He left running towards the city square, intense anger drawn across his face. At that moment he didn't think to look behind him a second time, and he didn't realise then that the instant he left the place, Wendy vanished from her spot without a trace behind her.

When Yol reached the square, a huge throng of people came at him, running and fleeing towards the city gate. The scene stirred terror in Yol, so he stopped a little. After remembering what he'd been doing, he carried on running through that crowd. He reached the empty square with no trace of anyone. At the end of that great square stood two people. "Is that Miral!! And the person beside him?"

Yol's eyes widened when he saw that familiar black hair, and that outfit that looked like a tracksuit. "That person. That's Itsuki, isn't it?"

Yol stood, unsure what to do next while he watched from afar, until this unexpected meeting nearly made him forget the purpose of running all this distance. And while the questions occupied his mind, the sight of Itsuki grabbing the commander by the mouth and leaping with him in that way left him in a shock and bewilderment greater than before. Without realising it, his feet were running after them at great speed, crossing all that empty space of the city square until he reached the narrow outskirts and the old houses. And at the end of that long alley, Hiro appeared out of nowhere, standing in his path, which made Yol stop in his place, stunned by what he saw. Until Hiro noticed his presence. Then he said, shock plain on his face, "You're Yol, aren't you?"