INFILTRATING A CRIMINAL BASE

That night, the palace:

Rem and Oliver were trying to find a way to collect evidence against Dalton.

"Oliver, to collect evidence we need to get into Dalton's room."

Rem spoke first.

"What? Entering his room? But how can we do that?"
"I have a plan. You go distract him while I get into his room and check."
"What? But how am I supposed to distract him? I was with you when we caught him red-handed, so he'd suspect me too."
"Just find a way somehow. Also, where's Dalton's room, looking from outside?"
"His room is on the floor below yours — third room from the left, right beneath your own."
"Fine. Now go distract him somehow."

Rem left while Oliver stood there, puzzled.

(Thought)
"What should I do now? There's no point thinking too much. Let's just try something."

Oliver went to find Dalton, who was standing in the garden. Dalton spotted him approaching.

(Thought)
"That Oliver is coming toward me. Is he here to catch me?"
Dalton clenched his fist, bracing for anything.

"Lord Dalton......"

Oliver spoke first.

"What?"
"Lord Kane called for you."
"Why?"
"I don't know. Go find out yourself."
"Okay."

(Thought)
"That damn Rem, and this brat! Did they tell Kane I'm the culprit? What should I do? Let me go check for myself."

Dalton went to see Kane while Oliver quietly followed, unnoticed.
Meanwhile, Rem returned to his room. Niko was there, lying on the bed.

"Hey, you're a little early for bed today......"

Niko said to Rem.

"I'm not here to sleep."
"Then?"
"Let's do some investigating."

Rem climbed out through the window onto the ledge outside. Niko sat up, watching without quite understanding what he was doing. Rem carefully lowered himself onto the ledge of the floor below with some struggle, then made his way toward Dalton's room, the third from the left. Most people had already turned in for the night, so no one was outside to spot him — but two of the rooms in between still had their windows open, and he had to move carefully past them. He finally slipped into Dalton's room through the window.

(Thought)
"Now, let's see what's in here."

Rem searched the room in a hurry.
Meanwhile, Dalton arrived at Kane's office.

"Kane, did you call for me?"

Dalton asked.

"What? Lord Dalton, I didn't call for you. It must be a mistake."
"What?"

Dalton turned and headed back.

(Thought)
"That brat Oliver! He tricked me. He and that Rem suspect I'm the culprit. Thankfully, they haven't told Kane or Brother Romeo yet. I still have time."

Oliver saw Dalton leaving the office and hurried outside by a different route. Meanwhile, Rem was still searching Dalton's room but hadn't found anything important — until he checked the shelves and found a package of white powder.

"What's this?"

Rem took a pinch of the powder and smelled it, then checked the writing on the package.
By then, Dalton was already on his way back to his room. Oliver reached outside just in time and gave Rem the signal with a whistle. Rem understood at once — but with no time left to put Dalton's things back in place, he jumped straight out through the window. Oliver, with his quick reflexes, caught him safely, though both of them still tumbled to the ground, unhurt.

"Ah, my back!"
"Sorry, Oliver, I didn't have enough time. Anyway, thanks for the help. You did great."
"Did you find something?"

Oliver asked, curious.

"I didn't find the seal in his room. He probably sold it off already. But I found something interesting..."

Meanwhile, Dalton reached his room and found everything in disarray. He clenched his fists, teeth gritted in anger.

(Thought)
"Rem! You son of a...... you went through my room while I was out, didn't you? I'll make you pay for this!"

Next day, a café in the capital:

Rem and Oliver were having breakfast there. They could have simply eaten at the palace, but they'd decided to carry out a plan here instead.

"So you're saying you found some kind of constipation medicine in Dalton's room?"

Oliver asked.

"Yeah. Remember what that old man said — he took a week off because of diarrhea. The package says a high dose of this stuff causes exactly that."
"Wait a minute...... you're telling me Dalton planned all of this? Arranged for the cleaner to take leave, then stole the seal at the right moment? Is he really that clever?"
"That's what I keep wondering. He doesn't seem clever enough. If he were, he wouldn't have let the truth slip so easily. I think someone else is behind him. But for now, that medicine itself is evidence against him."
"How do you know he hasn't already thrown it away, after you went through his room?"
"We'll worry about that later. Don't you think everyone around us has been staring for a while now?"
"What?"

Both of them looked around. Everyone at the nearby tables was watching them. Then a huge, well-built, dangerous-looking man walked up and rested a hand on Rem's shoulder.

"Rem Worthswords, isn't it?"

The man asked.

"Yeah. What do you want?"
"You're coming with us."
"And if I don't?"

The man laughed, then shoved Rem out of his chair. Rem hit the ground.

"Aaah......"

Oliver didn't waste a second — he leapt up and kicked the man. Despite his size, the man stumbled sideways from a single blow.

"Aaaahhh......"

Oliver pulled Rem back to his feet. By then, the rest of the men had already closed in around them.

"This isn't good. I think they're Dalton's men. What do we do?"

Rem said, a little panicked.

"Don't worry, boss. My essence control is good. I can handle them."

Oliver said, confident.

"What? What's essence?"
"What? You're a detective and you don't know about essence? That's strange. I'll explain later."

By then, the men had already charged. Oliver drew his twin gladii, still sheathed, and struck. There were about ten of them, but they were unarmed and nowhere near his level. Three came at him from three sides at once — he struck one across the foot to drop him, hit another on the head, then shoved the third aside with the flat of his blade. Two more came from either flank, but he parried both and knocked them out in turn.
Rem stayed back, watching it all unfold.

(Thought)
"I underestimated Oliver. I didn't think he'd be this good in a fight. His strength and speed are well beyond a normal human's. How is that even possible?"

Just then, another man kicked Rem from the side. He got up and tried to dodge the incoming attacks, but there were too many. He snatched a walking stick from an elderly woman nearby and tried to fight back with it, but was quickly overwhelmed. Oliver arrived just in time, pulled him clear, and took down the remaining nine on his own. Only the big, well-built man was left standing. His raw strength clearly outmatched Oliver's, but he was unarmed, and Oliver was far more skilled. The man threw a punch, which Oliver easily dodged before striking back. The man landed one hit in return, but Oliver answered with a quick exchange that finally dropped him to the ground. Oliver crossed his sheathed swords against the man's neck and held them there.

"So... why did you attack us? Who sent you?"

Rem asked.

"No. I won't say who sent us, no matter what."

The man replied. Oliver tightened his grip.

"Oh, come on, we already know it was that noble."

Rem said.

"No, Lord Dalton isn't the one who sent us."
"Oh, I never said which noble. So it was Dalton after all, huh?"

Meanwhile, inside the palace:

Dalton sat in his room, lost in thought.

(Thought)
"That Rem...... he's a real threat to me. I need to get rid of him, no matter what. I hope my men handle it. But...... why am I so worried? There's no way he could take down ten men at once..."

Just then, a knock came at the door. He opened it to find the man he'd sent lying in a heap, thrown into the room. Rem and Oliver stood casually in the doorway. Rem stepped inside, clearly furious.

"Dalton! What were you thinking? Did you really believe those men could get rid of me? Trying to have me killed, huh? I already have enough evidence against you. I'm reporting to the king that you're the seal thief."
"Oh, so you already found out? You could've just reported it straight away. Well, I won't let you report anything else. Rem, your game is over!"

Rem just smiled.

"Dalton, do you really think you can stop me?"
"You bastard! How dare you threaten a noble?"

Dalton clenched his fist.

"Oliver......"

Oliver drew his swords, and Dalton flinched. As Oliver stepped closer, Dalton, certain he was about to be cut down, dropped to his knees in fear. Rem leaned in close.

"Want him to cut you in half?"
"No! Please, forgive me. I made a mistake......"
"Dalton, that's not a mistake. But I'll give you one more chance. Tell me what you did with the seal."
"I sold it to an outlaw named Goldbrone. He gave me half the payment and said he'd pay the rest later."
"Fine. Then let's go find Goldbrone. Help me get the seal back, and I'll decide later what to do with you."
"What?"

Rem turned to Oliver.

"Oliver, let's go raid an outlaw's hideout."
"Okay, boss."

A forest near Voymir:

A large shed stood in the middle of the forest — the hideout of Goldbrone, leader of the outlaws and bandits in the area.
Goldbrone sat in the middle of the room while his men worked around him.

"Leader, what do we do? We don't have enough money to pay the others."

One of his men asked.

"What else can we do? Heists don't pay off like they used to. I've got the greatest treasure in Voymaria in my hands — the seal — and still no one to sell it to. I haven't even fully paid Dalton yet. I don't know what to do."

Just then, someone called his name.

"Hey, Goldbrone......"

He turned. Rem, Oliver, and Dalton stood there.

"Oh, it's you, Dalton. Who are these two with you? Sorry, I don't have the rest of your money yet. Can it wait?"

Goldbrone said, spotting Dalton. Dalton spoke up.

"Goldbrone, I don't want the rest of the money. I just want the seal back."

Goldbrone looked puzzled.

"What? Why say that now? You're the one who handed it over."
"Yes, but now I want it back."
"What? Fine...... I can give it back, but you'll have to return the money I already paid you."
"What? I don't have it anymore."
"Then no seal. It's mine now."
"Goldbrone, think about the situation. This man is the detective who came looking for the seal. He'll have us both sued."

Dalton said, pointing at Rem. Goldbrone froze for a moment.

"What? Fine...... he can only sue me if you all manage to walk out of here alive, right?"

Goldbrone grinned, and his men rose at once.

"This... this isn't good......"

Dalton said to Rem and Oliver.

"Oliver, you can handle this, can't you?"

Rem asked with an awkward smile.

"What?! No, there are way too many — it's about fifty of them. How am I supposed to handle all of that alone?"
"I mean, just distract them while I make a run for it."
"Then what about me?"
"You're my guard. You're supposed to protect me with your life. It's fine to die for me."
"No way, I don't want to die for you. I haven't even married yet — I don't want to die a virgin."
"Same here."

The outlaws closed in around them. Terrified, Oliver and Dalton ducked behind Rem, clinging to him.

"Hey, don't hide behind me. Oliver, do something."
"You're the one in charge here. You do something."

(Rem's thought)
"Wait a minute...... Goldbrone doesn't have enough money even after getting his hands on the nation's greatest treasure, so......"

"Hey, everyone......"

Rem turned to face the outlaws.

"How much does your leader actually pay you?"
"What?"

The outlaws exchanged puzzled looks. Rem pressed on.

"Look — your leader is a worthless man who can't even get rich after landing the nation's greatest treasure. You know, I work for the king. I get three hundred gold pieces a case, plus five hundred a month. That's at least eight hundred gold a month."

The outlaws froze, stunned.

"What!"
"That's a huge amount......"

They murmured among themselves. Rem pushed further.

"What I'm saying is — work for me instead, and I'll pay you better than your leader ever could. Here's your advance."

He threw out the remaining gold Finn had given him, along with whatever cash he had left. The outlaws scrambled for the coins, thoroughly won over.

"Now, let's take down your worthless old leader."

Rem ordered. Convinced, the men turned on Goldbrone.

"What?! You turned my own men against me?!"

Goldbrone stared in shock, then dropped to his knees before Rem.

"Just let me go. Take the seal — I don't want it anymore."

He said, holding it out. Rem took it.

"Goldbrone, Dalton — I could report both of you to the king if I wanted. But since I think you'll both be useful to me, I'll spare you this time."

Both men looked at Rem, shocked and relieved.

"Thank you for your kindness."

They said, voices trembling. Rem continued.

"But you'll both help me whenever I ask. My eyes will always be on you, so don't try anything again."
"Understood."

"But boss, why are you letting them go? They're the culprits."

Oliver said, clearly troubled.

"Leave them be. We got the seal back."
"But we still need to hand someone over as the culprit."
"Of course. We'll just put someone else in their place."

Rem smirked.

"But...... isn't that a crime?"
"Not really. How far do you think we'd get by always playing it straight? Sometimes you need to do a few small bad things just to keep living. It's not as bad as you're imagining."

That midnight, the royal palace:

A thief had slipped into the palace, having heard security would be light that night.

(Thought)
"Goldbrone was right — security really is thin tonight. I got in without anyone noticing. But...... could this be a trap? No, no turning back now. I can make a fortune if this goes well. He said the treasure chamber would be open tonight."

The thief entered the chamber, which was indeed unlocked. The royal seal sat right there. Just as he reached for it, Rem and Oliver appeared, catching him off guard.

"Caught you red-handed, thief!"
"What?!"

Afterward, in the king's office:

Rem handed the thief over and returned the seal. Both the king and Kane were thoroughly impressed.

"Rem, you closed this case so quickly? I didn't expect that at all!"

The king said, delighted.

"Can you tell me how you figured out he was the thief, and how you got the seal back?"

Rem froze for a moment, thinking, then spoke.

"It's... a bit complicated to explain, Your Majesty. It was quite difficult, but I managed somehow. Let's just say a detective has his own ways of finding culprits. I'd rather keep the details to myself — it'll help ensure there are no more heists in the palace. I hope that's alright, Your Majesty?"
"Of course. Thank you for saving my pride, Rem."
"That's too much credit, Your Majesty."

Romeo turned to Kane.

"Kane, shall we announce it?"
"Yes, Your Majesty."
"Alright. Rem Worthswords, from this day on, you are officially the court detective of Voymaria. Your reward will be granted tomorrow."
"It would be my honor. I promise to serve with my whole heart."

Rem knelt before the king in respect, then walked out of the office. Oliver was waiting outside.

"Oliver, I've become the court detective!"

Rem said, beaming.

"Yeah, I figured you'd manage it. At least you're capable of that much."
"Do you think what I did was wrong?"

Rem asked. Oliver paused, then spoke.

"Maybe... but you're not really a good man. Just someone who's good at his job. I guess that's fine."

Rem only smiled at that.

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A few hours earlier, Goldbrone's shed:

Rem and the others were still discussing who to name as the culprit.

"Rem, how are you planning to get us out of this? You still need someone to take the blame, right?"

Dalton asked.

"Yeah, I've got a plan. I'll put the seal back in the chamber without anyone noticing, since I now have access to it. I'll keep it unlocked. Goldbrone, you'll lure some wanted criminal toward the palace, telling him security will be light tonight. I'll make sure it actually is, let him slip in, then catch him red-handed. That gets us two things — someone to take the fall, and a wanted criminal caught in the act."

Rem explained. Everyone stared at him, stunned.

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"Oliver, you mentioned something about essence during the fight, didn't you?"
"Yeah."
"What is it?"
"You seriously don't know what essence is?"
"I really don't."
"You do know mages exist, right?"
"Yeah."
"Then how do you think magic works?"
"...... I've never really thought about it."
"I'll explain it properly tomorrow. Let's get some rest for now."
"Okay. See you tomorrow."

Rem returned to his room and got ready for bed. Niko was already sitting there.

"So you caught the culprit, and now you're the court detective?"

Niko asked.

"Yeah, I did it."
"I already said you would."
"Yeah...... but something's bothering me."
"What?"
"Advisor Kane...... This case went a lot easier than I expected. If he's as capable as everyone says, he could've closed it himself long ago. So why didn't he?"

Just then, a knock sounded at the door. Rem opened it to find Kane standing there.

"Oh, Advisor Kane. I was just talking about you."
"Rem, so you finally solved the case — and you didn't report Dalton to us, did you?"

Kane asked, smiling, and Rem froze, suddenly terrified.

"Wha— what?!"

Kane kept smiling.

"I know exactly what you've done. Don't panic — I won't tell the king. I've been looking for someone capable of pulling off tricks like this, and it seems you're exactly the person I needed. I have plenty of other work for you. I trust you'll handle it wholeheartedly, won't you?"

Kane said. Rem stood frozen, not having expected any of this.

"Good. See you tomorrow. We'll go over your next assignment then. Get some rest. Good night."

Kane left. Rem stayed rooted in place for a while longer.

"Rem, what's going on?"

Niko asked.

"I wasn't wrong. There really was someone behind Dalton, even without his knowledge......"
"What? Is Kane the culprit?"
"No...... he manipulated the whole situation. He gave Dalton the chance to commit the crime, stayed silent even though he already knew who did it, and never closed the case himself even though he easily could have."
"But why?"
"Because he's been handling everything alone and wanted someone capable of taking on half his workload. That's me. I walked straight into his trap. He's going to be one of the biggest obstacles in my path......"

Rem stood there, still in shock, unsure what to do next. Niko stayed silent beside him.

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Meanwhile, somewhere in East Voymaria:

A small town lay half in ruins, fully evacuated — no civilians remained. Elbert stood over the corpse of a monster he'd just slain.

"You know, the more I think about it, the scarier you get. You don't seem like someone who'd hurt anything, but here you are, taking down monsters one after another."

Sherlin, standing nearby, said to him.

"You make it sound like I enjoy this... I really don't. Every time I kill one of these beasts, I pray for its soul."

Elbert replied.

"Just tell me — who are you, really?"
"Nothing special. Just an ordinary worker from Costridge. Older brother to two kids. That's all there is to it."
"You act like an ordinary person, but you're clearly not. What will you do once you're done dealing with all these monsters?"
"Just live a simple life."
"Elbert, strength like yours shouldn't go to waste. You're capable of so much more."
"Maybe...... but my strength feels more like a curse. I just want to live simply."

Elbert fell silent for a moment.

"Anyway, let's move on to the next target."

To be continued........