Steampunk Era: Mad Abield

Malin was indeed very skeptical of Mr. Mischael, for he could feel the hypocrisy in his tears, even though, in Malin's eyes, the gentleman's sorrow seemed so sincere, his crying so heartfelt. Upon seeing the remains of his wife, the thick, indissoluble despair on his face was truly moving... But all of it, like teardrops in the rain, would eventually fade into oblivion.

What remained was nothing but the utmost calm.

But now there was a question—if it was Mr. Mischael who had hired the killer, then why didn't he hire an assassin instead?

A reliable assassin to take out his wife would have been much safer than using her as a living sacrifice.

After all, the former would be dealt with by the police department, while the latter, involving the Transcendent, would be handled by the Hunter's Guild and the Church.

The Mischael family owned a large estate and extensive farmlands, and ever since the establishment of Carterburg, they had been devout followers of the Goddess of Harvest. This deep devotion was why Mr. Colin had warned Malin so sternly.

Since both Mr. Mischael and his wife were devotees of the Goddess of Harvest, the matter would surely be handed over to the Church of the Goddess of Harvest, and with the Church involved, the investigation would be conducted with utmost seriousness.

Why Mr. Mischael would risk using a method very likely to backfire to kill his wife was the biggest question—and without resolving this issue, Malin could not convince himself.

Do not underestimate the intelligence of the killer. With Viscount His Excellency's capabilities, it was improbable that he would commit such a pitiable mistake.

If this point were not resolved, a casual approach would most likely be dismissed by his flawless and unassailable explanations.

Moreover, Malin felt that Mr. Mischael was really too calm. He might have already noticed Malin's probing.

But Malin had his advantages too—young, so young that even such a dangerous being did not take him seriously. In his eyes, this was probably just a child dreaming of being a detective. Because Malin could clearly sense malice, the Viscount had not spread it around. Perhaps there were special items that could conceal one's emotions, but Malin believed that a person's eyes don't lie.

Mr. Mischael felt he held the winning hand.

.........

How could it be possible that everyone does not pay the price for their choices?

Although Mr. Colin had warned him, Malin had not forgotten his words—if there comes a day when you have a strong enough chain of evidence.

So, Malin did not mind looking for it himself.

Of course, first needed to be confirmed was whether Mr. Mischael's relationship with his wife was as good as rumored.

In order to gain access to the Noble District in North City, Malin had deliberately taken on a task to make an announcement there, usually the work for Apprentices, and by doing so, he could even earn some extra credit for himself.

His classmates were also pleased with Malin joining them—the young girls previously had to push the cart through the streets themselves, which was both exhausting and strenuous. With Malin, he could pull the cart with one hand and keep up with them easily.

Therefore, the work atmosphere was joyful, the exchange between them was happy, and even bringing along his sister Maya presented no issue. The Apprentice girls actually loved having Maya around—after all, there was a cat to pet.

And the guards in the North City District couldn't possibly discuss the legality of an orc's presence with the stars of tomorrow from the Church of the Goddess of Harvest, and soon enough, news that the little cat girl was the adoptive daughter of the Demon Hunter Gaiate reached their ears. With this information, the guards became even less inclined to trouble her.

The declaration stall of the Church of the Goddess of Harvest was located on the south side of the Central Square in the Noble district, directly opposite the entrance to the Mischael family estate. It was said that two centuries ago, one of the Mischael ancestors had invited the proclamation staff of the Church to set up a stall there.

This was indeed good news.

With that in mind, Malin helped the girls set up their stall and placed potions and bandages—items made by the upper-class students—on it. These students would hand over their wares to the lower-class students to sell. The refined items would be taken to high-end districts for sale, while the defective ones would be sold in other areas.

As Malin was in charge of hauling the cart and setting up the stall, he sat down with Maya to start studying—as in, really studying. Maya wasn't an excellent learner and often needed Malin's tutoring, but the cat girl was eager to learn, which made teaching her a complaint-free task for Malin.

On the fifth day, Malin successfully caught the attention of a light brown-haired girl among the group. She had pointed ears, looking like she had elven heritage, but without the usual arrogance of elves. She sat beside Malin, watching him teach Maya.

Malin remembered her name—Faye, Faye Mowish, the younger sister of Miss Margaret.

She was a lovely girl who wore pride on her face and humility in her heart.

"Malin, are you teaching Maya?"

"Yes," Malin replied as he continued to teach Maya, turning to the girl.

"That's amazing. My sister doesn't have much to teach me." The girl rested her chin on her hands, a mix of envy and anticipation in her eyes. "Could you teach me too?"

"No problem." Teaching one was the same as teaching two, so Malin didn't mind at all.

Thus, by the seventh day, Malin had become a true teacher for the girls, turning the daunting subject of mathematics into child's play for them.

Accordingly, the atmosphere improved, and Malin even received a badge for outstanding service.

That same afternoon, Malin saw a freight carriage arriving at the Mischael family estate.

"Hey, Malin, what are you looking at?" Faye, who easily made friends, had already come to see Malin and Maya as her best buddies after a week. She sat beside them, looking in the direction Malin was gazing at. "The Mischael estate, huh? I heard the poor Viscountess has passed away. What are they up to now?"

No one needed to explain as a half-blood elf stood up and said, "I've heard they're here to take away the poor lady's personal belongings."

Yep, his name was Logan, a native Noble of Carterburg, different in every conceivable way from the imposing newcomer like Faye.

"They're moving them out already?" Faye voiced the question on Malin's behalf.

"Of course. That man really loved his wife. This time, he's planning to replace all of the furniture she used with new ones," Logan remarked with a sigh.

This made Malin ponder—Mr. Mischael, are you truly looking to replace the furniture, or are you running from something?