"Daigo!" Dana whispered. "Are you sure we’re heading in the right direction?"
"Absolutely certain." Taroutou Daigo nodded. "I’ve come here to investigate with Carey several times. If there’s a problem, it’d definitely be there."
"Lapu Textile Factory..." Dana mused.
"This factory is highly unusual!" Daigo added.
"Chief," someone whispered, "haven’t quite a few people been arrested already? Many of the missing girls have also returned to their homes."
Over the past couple of days, a strict investigation had led to the arrest of many ’suspects.’ Police officers and inspectors had been deployed, discovering missing girls in numerous homes and basements by following clues. In their conventional way of thinking, this was enough to consider the job done; there was no need to keep fixating on the Lapu Textile Factory. If not for their immediate superior’s insistence, half of them wouldn’t be here now.
"It’s abnormal precisely because we’ve made arrests," Chief Goff said, his expression serious. "Some of these arrests are too coincidental, and several of the individuals don’t seem like genuine criminals. They were likely framed."
"Exactly!" Dana nodded in agreement. "They don’t want us to continue the investigation. The more they resist, the more we need to dig to the bottom."
"I hope your suspicions are true," someone muttered. "The Noble Council asked us not to disturb the factories in North City, lest we affect supplies for the front-line warriors. Besides, this operation isn’t officially sanctioned."
"Chief! You should know what this means."
"I know." Goff nodded. "If discovered, we might face condemnation from the council. But don’t worry, I’ll take responsibility if anything goes wrong."
"No," someone behind him shook his head and said, "it means that if something happens to us, no one will know what occurred. That’s not safe."
"..." Goff’s gaze shifted slightly. "Rest assured. Though we are few, our strength is considerable. We need not fear even Great Knights. There’s no need to be afraid!"
Indeed, their group comprised elite officers from the Patrol Bureau, almost all of them Knights. Goff, as the Chief, was a peak-level Knight, capable of confronting a Great Knight. In Sigerno City, they might not be able to do whatever they pleased, but there was certainly little to fear.
"You’re all so long-winded," Daigo shook his head. "It’s just ahead. Don’t make a sound. Sneak in quietly so as not to alert anyone inside."
Upon hearing this, the group crouched low and advanced silently. This was the Lapu Textile Factory’s warehouse, not far from the main factory building. Even at night, it was patrolled. The group evaded the patrollers’ line of sight and moved toward the interior. Daigo was clearly very familiar with the nearby terrain, leading them through twists and turns until they reached an underground warehouse.
"I’m not sure about the situation up ahead." Stopping, Daigo shrugged. "What to do next is up to you."
Goff drew his Longsword and stepped forward. With a flicker, he appeared behind a patroller. A gentle tap with the flat of his blade.
The guard just felt his neck go numb, his eyes rolled back, and he fainted.
"Go!" Goff waved, accelerating forward.
The group burst through a wooden door, then suddenly halted. Before them was a plaza-like area, the torches on the surrounding walls illuminating the space. A short, homely man in a purple robe stood in the center, hands clasped behind his back, looking at the group, as if he had been waiting for a long time.
"Robert!" Goff’s eyes narrowed. "Why are you here?"
"Of course, I was waiting for you," Robert said slowly, placing one hand on his chest and bowing to them. "My friend, you came after all!"
Hmm... Goff cautiously looked around. "You knew I was coming?"
"A guess." Robert strolled around the area. "People like us are extremely sensitive to the emotions of ordinary people. That’s how I saw the doubt in your eyes. I guessed you wouldn’t let the Lapu Textile Factory go so easily and would definitely investigate in secret."
"Sigh!" He sighed, his voice tinged with regret. "You shouldn’t have come!"
"So what if I did?" Goff said. "Don’t tell me you’re actually connected to the Fire Stealers of Kolon?"
What does he want to get out of me? It’s hard for ordinary people to hide their thoughts from a Wizard Apprentice. Even the intentions of a deeply scheming Chief Inspector like Goff were clear to Robert. Hearing Goff’s question, Robert chuckled and shook his head. "No need to trouble yourself. I can tell you directly: the Fire Controllers do indeed have some connection with me. And not just the Fire Controllers! The believers of Iris are also connected to me."
"How audacious!" Goff’s expression changed drastically. "Aren’t you afraid of the laws of the Gando Kingdom?"
Goff didn’t act immediately. For Robert to appear here alone, he surely had an ace up his sleeve. To so brazenly disclose his secrets, it was more likely... He’s confident he has nothing to fear!
Thinking this, Goff couldn’t help but tense up, a strong sense of alarm rising in his heart.
"Laws?" Robert shook his head. "Those only protect the strong; they’re useless to the weak."
He gently stamped his foot. A dull sound echoed from the ground, accompanied by rustling noises from the darkness.
"I hoped you wouldn’t come. But alas, you did. One must bear the consequences of the path one chooses."
Before he finished speaking, from the darkness, one humanoid spider after another emerged, surrounding the group.
"Followers of the Spider Goddess!"
"They’re Spider Women!"
The group grew agitated, panic flickering in many eyes. They had heard of these half-human, half-spider beings, but this was the first time they had seen them.
"Attack!" someone growled lowly. "Get Robert first!"
Robert was clearly controlling the Spider Women. If they captured him, the current crisis would surely be resolved.
Before the words were out, he had already charged. His Longsword flashed from its sheath, aimed at Robert, a sharp killing intent locking onto the target before he even moved.
"Careful!" Goff bellowed. "Don’t be rash!"
"Heh..." Faced with the incoming Longsword, Robert’s expression remained unchanged. He merely shook his head and casually clenched his left hand.
Demonized Item—Circular Star Sword!
Starlight converged, forming six slender swords, each about three feet long, that materialized in the air around him. The star-swords trembled slightly, then shot out, streaking toward the attacking Knight like six dazzling rivers of starlight.
The starlight tore through the air at astonishing speed, bypassing the Knight’s defenses and impaling him on the spot.
A true Knight, facing the enigmatic Robert, was utterly powerless, unable even to get near him.
「Somewhere in a courtyard.」
Officer Nielsen, his face pale with terror, stumbled backward. "No! Don’t kill me!" Blood gushed from his sword hand; his Longsword had been sent flying, and his eyes were wide with terror.
"Heh..." Carl, clad in a black cloak that completely obscured his features, heard this and shook his head lightly. "Where is your companion? Named... Eugene?" He wasn’t quite sure of the name.
"I don’t know, I don’t know!" Nielsen kept shaking his head, then suddenly turned and bolted. As he ran, he cried out, "Help! Someone..."
Before he could finish, his body was sliced in two at the abdomen.