NOVEL NEXT Chapter 6: A New Commision for the Detective!
For a moment, tension grew inside the room as all three of them were looking at each other, trying to gauge whether they could trust each other or not. Arthur himself tried his best to show a poker face, hiding the sweat that rolled down profusely on his palm.
He knew he would never be able to convince the big man with the gauntlet. The Thanos wannabe reminded him of a veteran soldier when facing a stranger coming to his house, always full of suspicion. His best chance was to play with the lanky man's heart, and if the man was as rational as Arthur thought he was, then the man would choose to follow his words.
"… Okay, what are you going to do to solve this problem?" The lanky man finally spoke, arms crossed in front of his chest.
Arthur had to try his best to hold back the grin that threatened to crack on his face as he heard that while the Thanos wannabe looked at his… Friend? Rival? Or whatever their relation was with an incredulous face.
"You cannot be serious, Shira! I know you are desperate, but to let a stranger like him do what he wants here?! Have you fallen so low?!" The Thanos wannabe roared furiously.
The lanky man – Shira – just sighed in exasperation as he answered, "Yes, I am fucking desperate here, Kali! Don't you know that my tribe was on the edge of extinction when you were threatening to slaughter us yesterday?! If not for his sudden appearance, I am sure we would've met our lord already. So, you can say this is my gratitude for saving our asses yesterday. Also, you cannot deny that he is right. We still don't know what happened and who killed your men, so even if we accused him, it wouldn't solve anything. My tribe would still live under the guillotine, and the moment you snap and accuse us back, we will be over. So, yes, you can say I have fallen this low, but I am fucking desperate to save my tribe here."
The Thanos wannabe – Kali – winced unconsciously with a hint of guilty feeling on his face before he washed it away immediately. Unfortunately, Arthur was quite adept at reading people's subtle expressions, and he caught Kali's expression even if it was just for a split second.
'Ho… So, he also knows what he was doing is wrong, but his pride prevents him from acknowledging it, huh? That means deep down he doesn't believe that it is his friend's man who killed his subordinates, but someone still has to pay for provoking him and his tribe. Interesting…'
The more he thought about this, the more Arthur was curious about what kind of accident could kill 22 people. Who was skilled enough to do so? What kind of method did they use? Also, is there any magic involved in this accident? Arthur had to admit that he was curious about the so-called magic in this world. The only thing he had heard about it was before he passed out yesterday, when Shira explained how he used the Guan Dao – his spear weapon – to slash and enhance his wind magic. Since he knew it was not a dream, Arthur was eager to see how magic was used here.
"Okay, fine!" The Thanos Wannabe finally snapped. He turned around and narrowed his eyes immediately at Arthur before saying, "I will give you three days, boy. Three days! Nothing more and nothing less! If you cannot figure out what happened to my men…"
'Uh, oh… This is bad.' Arthur gulped nervously. If the hanging threat on Kali's voice wasn't enough, a thin, invisible greyish string formed a few seconds ago that connected him and Kali was enough to make Arthur panic.
Fortunately, it was still greyish, which meant Kali's feelings toward him were still an annoyance. If it went darker, Arthur would have to think of a way to get out since there was no way he would risk his life by hanging out with someone who was hostile toward him.
Arthur and Shira spent a few seconds in silence as they saw Kali barged out rudely. The latter finally let out a deep, exasperated sigh before showing an apology smile toward the guest here. "Sorry about him. He is a good man, but he wears his emotions on his sleeves. He can also be the biggest pain in the ass, as you can see it clearly."
Arthur nodded silently, yet thinking, 'So, even after he was attacked by that Thanos wannabe, he still respects that big man, huh? And even with the deep hostility shown by that man, he still also has a deep respect towards Shira. Their dynamic sure is interesting. I wonder what kind of man their boss is to be able to force two people with a completely different demeanor to work together.'
"Anyway, we even forget to introduce ourselves. My name is Shira, and I am the leader of the Kurata tribe. That big man before? He is Kali, the leader of the Eldra tribe, our tribes are the guardian of the west side of this city. Nice to meet you, and sorry for our rudeness, Arthur Edogawa." He offered a handshake.
"Nice to meet you too, Shira." Arthur accepted the handshake politely.
"Now, back to the business." Shira suddenly turned serious. "Please, tell me. Were you telling the truth before so that you could figure out the ins and the outs of the accident that killed 22 of the Eldra warriors or were you just bluffing so that you could use me as protection from Kali?"
For a moment, cerulean eyes met dark, green eyes as the former was trying to assess the latter. It seemed Shira really caught Arthur's intention to use him as a shield here. However, In the end, Arthur just scoffed as if what Shira said just offended him. "I don't know what kind of incident happened back then, but I am sure I can solve it easily! He gives me three days, right? I might be bluffing to save my ass before, but I will never lie about figuring out what happened to his men. Just wait, and you will see how a famous detective from New York does his job!"