Chapter 30: Ch 30- External Help- Part 1
"Looks like we were not able to find anything here as well. Where should we go next, officer?"
The group that had just left Cyrus's shop asked as they moved toward their next destination.
By now, they had not only covered the harbor but also most of the local area.
However, there had been no sign of the serial killer anywhere. At this point, they had to wonder whether they were chasing a ghost or a real person.
"I just hope we get this guy before the next inspection. I promised my wife I would go with her to visit her family."
Another officer said as the group moved. But their leader did not answer.
No one noticed this oddity at first, but as more and more time passed, they suddenly realized that something was wrong.
Their leader was well-known for bossing them around. But he seemed to have fallen quiet.
"L-Leader-?"
Someone questioned, only to hear a loud growl.
They all shared a single flashlight, and the one who carried it quickly turned it around to take a look at their leader.
But all they saw was a flash of red before they lost their lives.
The officer who took the three lives looked at his clawed hand before letting out a frustrated growl.
"Tsk, I cannot believe I lost control so easily. My bloodlust has never been so high, and it's all because of those few drops of blood… ugh, it's so hard to keep my head clear…"
Horror-filled eyes of the officers lost their last bit of life as they looked at their superior they trusted.
But the man had already become a monster who had lost all reason.
The real identity of the serial killer the officers had been chasing was their leader all along. But no one who knew this fact was left alive.
"Just once… I need to taste that blood just once, and I will be able to calm my hunger…"
The officer sounded convinced as he walked back toward the shop where he had come from.
But as soon as he reached the shop, the smell of strong magic stopped him, and his instincts told him to crawl back.
And once again, the officer left to find another prey to calm himself down.
But the shopkeeper wouldn't be able to stay safe from him forever.
______
A new morning meant a new workday. And it was also a new beginning for me because it was finally time to give the dire wolf pup the first taste of meat.
The divine goat meat had been churned and made easy to swallow, and I brought a small amount of it for the pup.
The pup jumped around as soon as it noticed me, and it was safe to say that it had started to bond with me.
"Here, have some of it. Make sure to chew thoroughly so that you don't have an upset stomach later."
I told the pup, and it tilted its head sideways cutely before it dug into the meat. Small but sharp canines tore the crushed meat apart before swallowing.
"You need to slow down, pup. The meat is not going anywhere."
I told the pup, and almost as if it understood me, it slowed down and started to chew the food.
"Good boy. I am going to leave you in this room for now while I go and deal with customers outside. You should rest. Once I feel like you are strong enough, I will let you come with me."
I told the pup, and it let out a bark to tell me that it understood.
My poor shop was almost a mess because of the sudden investigation last night, and I got back to cleaning it up.
It also gave me time to rearrange some things around, and I was able to find a few more books that said 'alpha and wolf' for the officer to take a look at.
After I put them aside, I was ready to start the shop, and my first customer of the day entered.
It was Emma, and she looked tense as she walked toward my counter.
"Shopkeeper, I want you to be truthful with me. Did you help a blonde-haired, blue-eyed lady in the past few days? If so, then why would you do that? Are you going to take her side?"
Emma demanded to know, and her charcoal-covered eyes made her look just a tiny bit more intimidating than before.
But a goth kid who barely came up to my chest was not someone I was afraid of.
As for her question… I had a feeling she was talking about Reeze Spencer when she asked that.
'Tsk, so that woman was famous. I should emphasize that I am in a neutral situation here and I helped her out because I had no idea she was bad news.'
I concluded and nodded to myself before I turned toward the black-haired child.
"I do recall helping someone with that description out a while back. But only because she looked like she was about to die. As a medic, it is my oath to help out when and where I can."
I told Emma, and she looked startled.
The way she bit her lips told me that she was not happy with my answer, and I wondered if it was finally time for me to call in my favor with the duchess and the officer.
After all, I did not want to get arrested on charges of helping a criminal out.
However, Emma did not run away threatening to tell the police about what I did. Rather, she turned toward me and suddenly had a look of understanding in her eyes.
"Oh—! So that's how things are… I need to apologize to you, shopkeeper. I think I misjudged you a lot. I no longer have any complaints regarding what you did. I am sure you would have helped out anyone and not just Reeze Spencer."
The young girl's face looked half relieved and half shocked as she spoke.
I kept my mouth shut as I looked away from her. I did not want to know what she was thinking about behind that head of hers.
But I did think that the tension in her body was a little too much for a child, and my instincts told me that this was the perfect time to invite her to sit down and earn some faith points.
So that's what I chose to do.
"Miss Emma, why don't you take a seat? I will get you some tea, and we can discuss what is bothering you so much that it is affecting you physically."
The girl flinched and then gave me a look.
"So you can even tell that much, huh? I truly cannot get anything past you, shopkeeper. Very well. I shall take you up on your offer of tea and a small talk."
The girl sat down on the sofa, and her legs did not even touch the ground. I sighed and went to the pantry to get some tea for her before heading back.
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