Chapter 30: Backtrack
On Thursday morning, Enber, restless after a sleepless night, left home early. He had just arrived at the subway station when he heard a newsboy shouting nearby:
"Extra! Extra! Another shocking case in Cherwood Borough! The Grant Clothing Store is awash with blood! The Sivellaus Yard is at a loss!"
"Grant Clothing Store? No way…" Enber's heart sank with a terrible premonition. He quickly flagged the boy down and bought a copy of the Backlund Morning Post.
Flipping hurriedly through the pages, his eyes locked on the headline:
Brutal Assault on Grant Clothing Store — Mrs. Grant Killed, Mr. Grant and Daughter Missing, Presumed Kidnapped.
"Jane's in trouble after all!" Enber forced himself to breathe deeply, keeping calm as he read further. The timing of the attack lined up perfectly with the demigod power surge he had sensed last night.
"It's in roughly the same location… Damn it, what could've dragged her family into something involving a demigod?" The thought that the lively, straightforward girl might already have met a tragic fate weighed heavily on his heart.
"Could it be that Mr. Grant was discovered by the authorities? Or did he attract trouble while working as a corpse collector?" After a few moments of speculation, Enber realized he was getting nowhere. He was too agitated to think clearly.
After calming himself through meditation, he decided to visit the Grant store. With the Pure White Eye, he essentially had half of a detective's abilities—and a "detective" was just another name for a Knowledge Keeper.
"Moreover, finding clues and solving mysteries are essential steps in the Student of Ratiocination's Acting Method."
---
In the underground sanctum of St. Wind Cathedral, the exhausted Mandated Punisher squad captain asked:
"Is it confirmed that the Grant Clothing Store was the battleground between the Rose School's Temperance and Indulgence factions?"
"Yes, Captain. They fled in a rush and left behind too many traces to clean up. However, some areas remain beyond our Knowledge keeper's scene reconstruction due to interference from high-ranking powers," a squad member reported, before describing what had been successfully pieced together.
"What couldn't be reconstructed?" the captain asked.
"After Mr. Grant summoned a high-ranking power, the scene went completely dark. We have no information on its source or how they ultimately escaped."
The captain pondered a moment before replying, "According to His Highness Ace Snake the 'spellsinger of God', that power originated from Death… but don't overthink it. It most likely involved a high-ranking Death-pathway Beyonder."
Seeing his men nod, he continued: "You now have three tasks. First, track down the Rose School's Indulgence faction. The werewolf's condition seems unstable; he may not be able to control his impulses. That's your lead.
"Second, find Mr. Grant and his daughter. Especially Mr. Grant—he clearly didn't become a Beyonder on his own, and he had several items on him. Investigate his contacts thoroughly.
"Third, dig up detailed records on the Scarlet Lunar Corona in the cathedral's archives. If it resurfaces, we need to be prepared."
""Yes, Captain.""
---
Enber arrived at the Grant Clothing Store just before eight. The entrance was cordoned off by police, and a crowd of reporters, neighbors, rubberneckers, and worried friends had gathered outside.
Among them, a medium-height girl with freckles spotted Enber and waved him over. "Enber, here."
Her exclamation drew the attention of two others beside her—a young man and a young woman.
Seeing Jane's friends gathered, Enber relaxed slightly. At least he wouldn't stand out. He nodded and greeted them:
"Susan, Roman, Caster—it's been a while. I read about what happened to Jane in the paper this morning and came to check on her."
The three were his former classmates. The freckled girl, Susan, had once even loaned him money for rent. When his finances improved after selling his formula, he had repaid her during a visit to finalize his graduation.
"We heard the same," Susan said, worry etched on her face. "Apparently Jane's been kidnapped. Let's hope she's okay."
After some brief words, Enber quietly activated the Pure White Eye, focusing on the damaged door and the fragments visible inside. Scene reconstruction wasn't a miraculous ability—it required traces, residual imprints, and logic to recreate what had happened.
At that moment, he noticed a policeman discreetly slip a melted copper shard into his pocket while clearing debris. Subtle though the action was, it didn't escape Enber's sharp gaze.
"…Is that my brass charm?" Though warped, the copper shard bore spiritual imprints unmistakable to him. With it, he could attempt a reconstruction.
Without hesitation, Enber activated the Pure White Eye.
He saw Mr. Grant flung into a clothes rack. He saw him scramble up, race for the corridor, and trigger the brass charm. He saw Mr. Grant and Jane cornered by a black-furred monster, his expression conflicted as he raised a whistle and summoned a dense black mist.
He saw Mr. Grant's death. He saw a wraith-like woman in a black dress with a small hat emerge from a shattered mirror to save Jane.
Finally, he saw an elderly man in a black robe embroidered with Storm symbols descend from the sky, silver eyes glinting, and retrieve the fallen whistle.
The vision faded. Enber turned off the Pure White Eye, removed his glasses, and massaged his aching temples until the pain subsided.
"Enber, are you alright? Do you feel unwell?" Susan asked, noticing his discomfort.
"No… I'm just worried about Jane. I feel useless, unable to help at all." His words were only half true. He had deduced that Jane's family had been caught in a conflict between the Rose School's factions. Though Sharron had ultimately saved Jane, the sense of helplessness still gnawed at him.
Despite his abilities, despite his combat skills, he was still powerless in battles involving mid-sequence Beyonders.
'If I had the kind of strength that even Sharron would acknowledge, they might have contacted me for help. With my involvement, maybe I could have prevented her family's tragedy…'
"Enber, this isn't your fault! We know you care about Jane, but what matters now is hoping she's safe and that the police find her. Don't be so hard on yourself," Susan said gently.
I do care for Jane… not romantically. I like her bright smile, her cheerful and genuine nature. She's the kind of person whose presence makes others feel at ease. I just don't know if I'll ever see her smile again…
Enber sighed, spoke a few more words with his friends, then prepared to leave. Just then, he noticed a familiar carriage turning the corner. After a moment, he recalled—it belonged to Mr. Bryan, the man Mr. Grant had respected so deeply.
The carriage didn't stop, merely circling the entrance before heading north.
---
Back at his teacher's residence, Detective Isengard watched his troubled student with a reassuring gaze. "Don't worry too much. Since she was taken, there's a good chance she'll be kept alive for a while."
"You knew?" Enber asked in surprise. His teacher hadn't left the house that morning.
"I have my sources," Detective Isengard replied, puffing on his pipe. In truth, he had stayed home to avoid the storm Church's sweeping inquisition after the demigod eruption.
Enber nodded, then steeled himself. "Teacher, I'd like to request permission to borrow 2-081 for a short time each day. I'll only use it here—I won't take it out."
2-081 was Detective Isengard's prized Sealed Artifact: a dazzling ring set with a gem like a human eye encircled by diamonds. It originated from a Sequence 6 polymath's failure in the ascending. It granted profound insight—the ability to recognize enemies' abilities, comprehend their strengths and weaknesses, and sometimes mimic them.
Enber's intent was clear. He wanted to leverage the Pure White Eye to analyze the formulas for Sequence 7 and Sequence 6 in the Reader pathway. He hadn't planned to make this request so soon, intending to wait for the right opportunity.
But Jane's predicament had hammered in the truth: the world wouldn't wait for him to be ready. Even someone as resourceful as Mr. Grant had only barely saved his daughter, and even that had depended on others' mercy.
Only by growing stronger could Enber protect himself and his friends.
(End of Chapter)