After chatting a bit with the regulars at Old Charl's coffee stall, Leon, who was just one step away from becoming a wealthy man's son-in-law, finally braved the cold autumn wind and shuffled towards work.
*We can only lament that it's hard to go from luxury to frugality—not just mentally, but even physically.*
If it were the old Leon, he would often have to get up early to find work even in the bone-chilling winters, where people's faces would turn blue from the cold. The mild chill of autumn wouldn't have bothered him at all.
However, after getting accustomed to the sweet aroma of warmth in that little tent, just missing the comfort by the stove made him shiver uncontrollably. He jogged all the way, only stopping to catch his breath near the Purification Bureau building.
"Not bad, not bad. Full of energy, aren't you?"
From the window of the director's office on the first floor, he saw Leon jogging up for work. The red-haired woman, holding a cup of hot water, pushed open the slightly ajar window. Leaning her curvaceous figure gently on the windowsill, she smiled and waved at Leon, arching her brows as she asked,
"Little Leon, how's the investigation at the water company going? Did you find any 'anomalies'?"
Although he knew she was teasing him—not really asking whether he found an Anomalous Object, but whether he found evidence of the water company's misconduct—
Leon's expression couldn't help but freeze slightly at the thought of the blonde middle-aged man from the Ryan Family who'd come into contact with the Black Goat's heart.
Noticing Leon's slight hesitation, the smile on the face of the red-haired director slightly faded, and she inquired with some surprise,
"Is there really a trace of an Anomalous Object at the water company?"
*You guessed it... But although there's an Anomalous Object there, it's not the one causing mass illness—it's one of the parts of the Seven Sheep Tavern, lost after the Black Goat went crazy back then.*
*Speaking of which, even though the Black Goat is no more, it was still a Great Demon once. And I'm just a newcomer. Would the Purification Bureau allow me to hold two dangerous demonic Anomalous Objects simultaneously?*
Once again catching Leon's slight hesitation, the red-haired director not only withdrew her smile but also squinted her eyes.
"Are you hesitating to report to me? So this Anomalous Object is special, beneficial to you? But you might not get approval if reported? Hmm... Let me think… The Anomalous Object you found at the water company wouldn't happen to be part of that dead goat's missing bits, right?"
*No way... I haven't said a single word yet!*
Seeing how the red-haired woman almost accurately guessed the truth based on less than a second of hesitation, Leon, who originally wanted to say something, fell silent for the third time.
*This is too outrageous... Does she have some kind of mind-reading Anomalous Object?*
"Don't worry, I can't read minds."
*Oh, so you can't read minds, huh? Then I can r—seriously? You can hear what I'm thinking, and you're saying you can't read minds?!*
Seeing Leon outside, who was clearly startled and full of vigilance in his eyes, the red-haired director couldn't help but chuckle.
"I wasn't lying; I really can't read minds."
After placing the steaming cup on the windowsill, she rested her face in her hand, smiling as she explained,
"I used to frequently play hide-and-seek with the Infector hidden among ordinary people, so I've gotten used to judging from people's expressions and behaviors. And you just happen to be the type whose emotions are written all over his face, so I coincidentally guessed right a few times."
*I don't believe you for a second!*
Regarding the explanation from the red-haired director, Leon truly didn't believe a single word.
*Though I'm not particularly cunning, I don't usually show my emotions on my face. The folks on Veteran Lane also described me as someone who's more quiet and reserved. How could she guess right this many times in a row? She must be pulling my leg!*
"Truly, I'm not lying. Though your expressions aren't many, your eyes are overflowing."
Seeing Leon, who despite having a myriad of thoughts running through his mind, still strained to keep a straight face, the corners of the red-haired director's mouth turned up, and she pointed at Leon's eyes from afar with a finger.
"For instance, right now… There's frustration from being seen through, a wariness and suspicion about whether I can really read minds, as well as a relaxation and ease from not needing to hide from me... Hmm, and a little bit of an uncontrollable urge."
Looking down at her slightly open neckline due to leaning forward, the red-haired director covered the exposed fair skin, then lazily stood up, stretching, and beckoned to the slightly embarrassed Leon.
"Come to my office. Let's have a good chat."
"So that's it… The heart of that dead goat is actually at the Ryan House."
Having had an earnest conversation with Leon following his discovery at the water company, the red-haired director first nodded with a face of realization, then without hesitation, assigned Leon a new task.
"Something of this level can't be left unchecked; it'd be best to find a way to infiltrate for investigation, and as for a reason…"
Seeing Leon's face, the red-haired director's eyes lit up, and she cheerily suggested,
"How about seeking kinship?"
"Yes, seek kinship! It just so happens you're also named Ryan; isn't that the perfect excuse?"
Facing Leon's surprised expression, the red-haired director smiled and said,
"As long as you go with your Purification Bureau ID, claiming you're investigating the possibility of Ryan family bloodline, and considering your bright future of becoming an assistant-level official by sixteen or seventeen, even the renowned Duke of Lionheart family wouldn't turn you away."
"But my hair isn't blonde…"
"Oh, come on! Hair is easy; just dye it!"
"But I was planning to report them…"
"Reporting is reporting, and seeking kinship is seeking kinship! It's not mutually exclusive!"
"If you really don't want to go, I can assign you a different task."
Seeing Leon still seeming to want to refuse, the red-haired director, having found a bit of amusement, put on a straight face, pulled out a pile of task files from a drawer, and spread them out on the desk.
"The Bafarli Forest has had two weeks of bloody rain, with nearly a thousand animals dying of thirst near the water source."
"Adolf Manor has appearances of a five-meter-tall giant beast, wreaking havoc and injuring many."
"Laine County's overseas port has numerous shipwrecks, possibly due to attacks by a large sea folk tribe."
"Hunch Valley's coal fields have collapsed on a large scale, possibly due to tens of thousands of sand worms hollowing out the mountain."
"These are the few tasks you might still manage to complete—you choose!"
*Bizarre bloody rain, a five-meter-tall giant beast, underwater-dwelling sea folk, sand worms that can hollow out a mountain…*
Speechlessly smacking his lips, Leon resignedly "volunteered" to say,
"I think I'll go seek kinship…"