Perfect Crime (1)
Chapter 28
“I need to talk.”
As Ray began to speak, Jimy grabbed him by the collar.
Reacting with a mix of anxiety, Ray boldly questioned him.
“You haven’t even gotten to the main point yet. Why are you so overreacting?”
“Wait and see. I’ll be back after taking some antacids.”
While Jimy went to fetch the antacids, Ray unsheathed his sword from his waist and placed it on the table. It was a sword bearing the seal of the Phillip’s family.
Matthew looked at the sword with envy as Ray smiled and offered it to him.
“Matthew, could you hold onto this for a few days? You can secretly use it during training if you want.”
“Oh, is it really okay…?”
For a moment, Matthew’s eyes were drawn to the sword before he regained his senses.
Would the Phillip’s family willingly entrust their emblem-adorned sword to someone else?
It was practically an announcement of impending trouble.
Matthew, feeling uneasy inside, left to find antacids like Jimy.
When Jimy and Matthew returned shortly after, they narrowed their eyes menacingly at Ray.
“So, what is it?”
“Is the most powerful organization in Garde Baron’s Territory currently the Georgia Family?”
“They have a firm grip on the Dinor region.”
That was that.
“When did Georgia grow so much?”
“They’ve always been strong, but they only fully took control of the area a few months ago. Including that, the baron’s territory has been somewhat turbulent. The lord hasn’t been seen in years, and law enforcement has been getting worse. Recently, there have even been reports of medicine peddlers running rampant.”
After pondering for a while, Ray finally spoke.
“Do you know Luna? The one with green hair.”
“I know her; she seems pretty sharp.”
“That’s exactly the problem. Hmm… Jimy, Matthew, listen carefully. What I’m about to say must not leak out under any circumstances.”
“Stop being dramatic and just tell us.”
“Luna… seems to have been born with the potential of a Grand Mage.”
“…”
After a brief silence, Jimy raised two fingers sternly.
“Ray.”
“Yes.”
“No matter how foolish a con artist may be…”
“Huh?”
“They don’t try the same scam twice on the same person.”
In disbelief, Ray drew his sword and generated a Sword Aura.
“Did I ever scam anyone? I’m telling you, I’m going to become a Sword Master!”
Though he had issued empty promises, the fact that a nine-year-old could generate a Sword Aura made the claim of being the youngest-ever designated Sword Master quite believable.
Demonstrating his frustration, Ray swung the Sword Aura while seated, causing Jimy to shout in excitement.
“Hey, man! Speak sensibly! Is it plausible for two Lord-level talents to emerge from this tiny county?! Even believing in one is hard enough!”
“Jimy, you’re wrong.”
With a serious expression, Ray corrected Jimy’s misunderstanding as he put down his sword.
“Luna isn’t from Phillip’s County but rather an orphan from Dinor.”
“…Ah, not Phillip’s County but Dinor.”
“That’s right.”
“Oh my… I’m so sorry! I almost made a huge mistake! Mixing up where the orphan came from!”
After wagging his tongue, Jimy leaned in closely and shouted.
“Hey, kid!! Do I look like I care whether you found the orphan in the upper village or the neighboring one?!”
“How important is the place of origin…”
“Both of you, stop it!”
Bang!
Matthew slammed the table.
Wiping his reddened hand across his face, Matthew tried to mediate between the two while suppressing a throbbing headache.
“Alright, Ray, let’s assume I believe you. Why bring up Luna’s story?”
Seeing the distrust in Matthew’s expression, Ray raised both hands.
“Hmm… Alright. I got carried away.”
Neither Ray nor Jimy and Matthew knew much about magic.
It was difficult for Ray, who couldn’t wield magic himself, to gain trust when talking about magical aptitude.
Ray acknowledged his mistake and stuck to the facts.
“Luna was born with a Magic Circle. Do you understand what that means?”
“With a Magic Circle?”
“The awakening is already complete. She mimicked a spell Alesya used instantly. I barely managed to stop her before the magic manifested. Don’t ask her to show it now. There’s a knight at the orphanage, so we might get caught.”
“Damn.”
Simultaneously, Jimy and Matthew groaned.
“It’s suicidal for a child without proper background to flaunt magical talent around. It shouldn’t be shown recklessly.”
“I’m being careful. But hearing Luna’s story gave me a headache.”
In a calmer atmosphere, Ray began explaining Luna’s situation from the beginning.
A few months ago.
Luna awakened her Magic Circle.
However, she didn’t fully grasp its exact purpose yet.
Luna’s parents were indifferent to their child.
But occasionally, when she diligently handled household chores, she received brief praise. That day, too, Luna was carrying water home while wobbling under its weight.
Just before reaching home, she spotted her parents and hurried towards them happily. However, she tripped on a stone.
At the moment she was about to get hurt, the wind blew and supported her body.
A man dressed in a black robe approached and asked if she was alright.
Nodding her head, Luna instinctively realized how to use the Magic Circle.
Being a naive child who didn’t know much about the world, Luna believed meeting the man was fate.
Before the man left, Luna successfully mimicked the flow of the Magic Circle rotating around his heart.
The wind blew.
Since it was a weak gust, Luna’s Magic Circle flickered briefly before disappearing.
Luna was delighted, convinced she had seized her opportunity.
The man stood still for a moment before realizing Luna’s parents were approaching. He whispered into her ear.
“Don’t show it to anyone and wait here.”
Not long after.
Luna’s parents became heavily indebted due to gambling and abandoned her.
The couple, who originally showed little affection for their child, left Luna behind and disappeared.
“—and that’s her story.”
By the time Ray finished his tale, Jimy and Matthew were deep in thought with serious expressions.
Ray smiled.
“What I’m curious about is this.”
Under the assumption that the series of events weren’t coincidental.
“Why go through such a complicated method? If they wanted Luna, they could have abducted her that night, right? Why involve gangs and the Georgia Family?”
“There’s a high possibility the magician wasn’t part of any legitimate group.”
Jimy scratched his scalp in frustration.
“If there were no concerns, they would have quickly resolved the matter through persuasion, threats, or abduction. Judging by the messy handling, it seems they wanted to settle things quietly… Ah, I don’t know.”
Even if the man’s identity was a blacklisted Dark Wizard from the Empire, his actions were hard to comprehend.
It was just about taking a single child.
Sneaking in at night to abduct her would have been cleaner than employing thugs clumsily. After all, the target wasn’t a noble.
Matthew, tapping his temples, spoke up.
“Let’s propose a hypothesis.”
Both turned their attention to Matthew.
“The opponent is a Dark Wizard. He was conducting an important ‘Project’ in the Dinor region. To carry out the project, he colluded with the Georgia Family.”
“Was he already close to them before meeting Luna?”
“Yes. There was plenty of time until the project’s completion, and the Dark Wizard couldn’t leave Dinor during this period. To ensure the project’s success, he had to avoid drawing attention. Therefore, he entrusted the task of picking up the ‘jewel’ lying on the road to the Georgia Family.”
“But what if the ‘jewel’s value was so high that it couldn’t be entrusted to others?”
“Hmm. It could be because he had full confidence in controlling the Georgia Family, or perhaps the ongoing project was so significant that he couldn’t spare attention elsewhere.”
This was purely hypothetical but seemed plausible.
Jimy sighed deeply.
“Anyway, the magician’s intended target ended up at the orphanage, right?”
“Yes.”
“If Matthew’s hypothesis holds, they’ll come looking once the project is done, won’t they?”
“Yes.”
Ray chuckled mischievously before becoming serious.
“We need to kill some people.”
“…”
Jimy didn’t utter meaningless words about not killing people recklessly.
There was only one thing to verify when facing someone claiming they would kill.
“Have you killed before?”
“Not many, just a few.”
“Crazy bastard. Fine, what do you want from us?”
“Uh… nothing much. Just go downtown for a few days, meet lots of people, and drink some alcohol at night.”
“?!”
Confused by Ray’s words, Jimy repeated them.
“You’re asking us to party while you go to Dinor and kill people?”
“Um, Jimy. I don’t intend to ignore the potential enemies lurking around the orphanage. We need to at least figure out the magician’s identity. You can’t negotiate for a peaceful resolution without knowing your opponent, right?”
Truthfully, they had to eliminate them regardless.
If Ray couldn’t handle it alone, he’d have to involve either Jimy or the Count—no matter what, the job had to be done.
Hiding his intentions, Ray continued.
“Therefore, I won’t compromise on this matter.”
“So?”
“I’m going to stir up the Georgia Family until I uncover the magician’s identity. Even if they’re gangsters, if multiple cases of injury or murder occur consecutively, it will escalate.”
“…That makes sense.”
“I’ll use Sword Aura.”
“…What?”
“Sword Aura. Whether they’re thugs or gang members, I’ll cut their necks with Sword Aura and split them in half. No matter what. As long as there are no witnesses, it’s fine. If necessary, I’ll eliminate the witnesses too. If I do this…”
Jimy understood what Ray was implying.
“You’ll be off the suspect list.”
“Exactly.”
“Just what…!”
“So, Jimmy and Matthew, who can use Sword Aura, should create solid alibis to avoid unnecessary complications. Got it?”
Ray is nine years old.
Nine-year-olds cannot use Sword Aura.
That’s common knowledge.
Therefore, as long as there are no witnesses, no matter how many heads Ray cuts with Sword Aura, or how much his movements overlap with the criminal’s, he can stay off the suspect list.
Tails are easy to catch, but just this once, he can freely roam the barony and kill people.
A privilege possible only because he is nine.
“Goodness, are you serious? Killing a few people won’t solve this.”
“Unfortunately, the orphanage might be attacked otherwise.”
“Damn it, Ray!! Do you really have to go this far? It’s just an orphan, completely unrelated to us. Rather, why not just give her back? Return her to where you found her!”
Slamming the table repeatedly, Jimy was genuinely angry.
“It’s not just a few years. Just a few months ago, she was a total stranger. Why should you take such risks, accumulate such karma, just to protect one random orphan?”
“One abandoned orphan doesn’t deserve another abandonment, humanely speaking…”
“Is cutting down dozens with Sword Aura humane?!”
“Jimmy.”
Ray shook his head.
About to yell again, Jimy quieted down upon seeing Ray’s unsettling gaze.
Standing up, Ray looked out the window.
On the darkening playground, children were still running around and giggling at each other.
He couldn’t use them as shields to protect Luna.
Conversely, he also couldn’t sacrifice Luna for the sake of other children.
This wasn’t a negotiable issue.
Ray smiled.
“Since she’s entered my orphanage, she’s my family. I must protect her.”
For a moment, Jimy stared blankly at Ray before laughing along.
“This is my orphanage, not yours, damn it.”
“Haha…”
The three shared a dry laugh.
Regulating his breathing, Jimy organized his tangled thoughts.
Although Ray’s plan wasn’t entirely absurd, it was necessary to minimize movement as much as possible. The tail needed to be short.
“Who are you going after first?”
“Hans and Karl. The guys who tried to take Luna. They don’t seem particularly skilled, and I’ll climb the ladder from them to find whoever commissioned the kidnapping.”
“…Will you kill everyone until you find the commissioner?”
“What else can I do? I need to clear out the trash.”
Ray brushed his hair back.
Davide’s battle came to mind.
If he hadn’t failed to draw Davide’s attention, Luna, along with Karen, Johanna, and Mia, might have lost their lives.
Had Ray made a wrong judgment during the fight with Davide, the entire orphanage could have burned down.
Ray vowed.
The orphanage must never become a battlefield.
‘Though finding a legendary orphan has given me quite a headache…’
Once this matter is properly resolved, all uncertainties will vanish.
Ray clenched his fists tightly.
He was prepared to get bloodied.
It was time to move.
