Chapter 35: A Commission from Damir Port
No wonder you and Klein got along so well in the original story, Professor—you're both masters of the "art of reporting." You must have had plenty to talk about! While secretly teasing his teacher, Enber also carefully considered Detective Isengard's advice. After a moment, he seemed to realize something and asked,
"Professor, do you already have a specific plan in mind?" Detective Isengard didn't answer immediately. Instead, he smiled knowingly and asked, "What do you think we need to do to 'report' those two Witches skillfully?"
Realizing this was a test, Enber answered cautiously, "First, the timing. We can't act too early—we need to wait until I've completed Ms. Rae's commission. Otherwise, if she's reported right after hiring me, it would be hard for her not to suspect me."
Although he said this, Enber privately believed the timing should be delayed until Rae had already approached the noblemen and gathered her information. Only then could he avoid disrupting that unmentionable organization's plans and keep the storyline flowing as intended. If things stayed on track, no one—not even that "He"—would care what happened to those two Witch pawns.
In fact, Enber even wondered if his reasoning was itself part of some narrative written by that angelic author.
"Good. What else?" Detective Isengard nodded approvingly and pressed on.
"Next, we need to decide who will make the report. If Xio or I handle it, we don't have solid evidence, and we'd rather not reveal we're Beyonders. That means the authorities might not take it seriously—and worse, the Witches could catch on and retaliate."
At this point, Enber glanced at his teacher. With his connections to the Church of the Evernight Goddess and the Machinery Hivemind, he was clearly the best candidate.
But Detective Isengard shook his head and explained,
"Even I'm not the best choice. If I report, it will expose that we knowingly accepted a Witch's commission to investigate nobles. Reporting immediately might excuse it, but if done afterward, there would be grounds for accountability. This isn't Lenburg. Even though I have an understanding with the Evernight Church and the Machinery Hivemind, there are limits that shouldn't be tested."
Enber frowned in thought, then cautiously suggested, "If you can't report, how do we inform the authorities? Could we perhaps leave clues to draw their attention?"
"You're on the right track, but fabricating evidence could backfire," Isengard warned. "As Emperor Roselle once said, 'You can't be too clever.' The authorities have many investigative methods. If they trace it back to us, it could be disastrous."
Taking this to heart, Enber refined his idea. "Then instead of creating evidence, we could reveal traces the Witches have already left behind, subtly guiding the authorities to them. That way, we stay out of sight and avoid suspicion from both sides."
"Now that's a plan," Detective Isengard said approvingly. "Based on what we know, the Sequence 7 Witch, Lena, is careless. Otherwise, Xio wouldn't have been alerted, and the Machinery Hivemind wouldn't have caught wind of her. 'All who pass leave traces,' as Roselle said. A person that careless will always leave signs, and trained investigators will follow them straight to Rae."
"Then the last issue: what do we do about Xio until the authorities step in? Lena already tracked her down," Enber asked, glancing at her.
Xio simply waved it off. "I'll be fine. I just won't show up in the East Borough for now. They won't find me that easily."
"My advice is to leave Backlund altogether and lay low in another city," Detective Isengard said with a smile. "The two Witches have missions from their organization. Investigating Turner was just incidental. Once the target is gone, they won't waste time or effort chasing."
"For how long?" Xio frowned slightly, clearly reluctant to leave Backlund, where her chances of growing stronger and clearing her father's name lay.
"A month should be enough," Enber said, believing the Witch would have finished gathering information on Baron Gramir by then.
"A month… that's not too bad." Xio exhaled in relief. She could handle a brief absence.
Enber teased her in a low voice, "Maybe when you come back, you'll find Fors has already charmed the most prominent noblewoman in Backlund!" Fate worked in strange ways, after all. Her return would align perfectly with Xio's release from prison in the original story.
"She'll probably just laze around at home without me to push her…" Xio muttered worriedly, increasingly convinced Fors would do just that. She wasn't concerned for Fors's safety, since no one besides Enber knew they were connected.
"Enber, my suggestion to leave Backlund wasn't just for Xio. It applies to you as well," Detective Isengard suddenly added.
"What? Why would I need to avoid them?" Enber asked in surprise. As long as Xio was safe, they shouldn't be able to trace anything back to him, right?
"The East Borough's 'Arbiter' Xio has often been seen having breakfast at the Darce Street Café with a certain gentleman… Word of it even reached me, and I wasn't investigating. Do you think the Witches are clueless?" Isengard tapped the table meaningfully.
Ah… if they can't find Xio, they could very well come after me. I hadn't considered that. What an oversight. After silently reproaching himself, Enber raised another concern. "But if both Xio and I leave, won't the Witches turn their attention to you?"
Detective Isengard chuckled. "Unlike you, I'm a Sequence 7 Beyonder. To target me, they'd have to consider carefully if it's worth it. They have other missions and wouldn't want to create more enemies without cause."
"But how will they know you're Sequence 7?" Enber asked, skeptical.
"If the Theosophy Order—or rather, the Demoness Sect—does have ties with M19, then they should know my capabilities," Isengard replied. Then, with faint amusement, he added, "Even if they attacked, they'd find it hard to pin me down. I'm confident in my ability to escape. In fact, an attempted attack would simplify things—we wouldn't need to plant evidence, since the assault itself would be proof."
Why not lure them into attacking you from the start, then? Enber thought, but he kept it to himself, not wanting to invite a reprimand.
Besides, the chance was low. As the professor pointed out, a Witch might casually kill a Sequence 9 Beyonder, but she wouldn't go out of her way to challenge a Sequence 7 without major incentive.
As Enber mulled over these thoughts, Detective Isengard said, "It just so happens I have a commission that requires travel. Normally, I wouldn't feel comfortable leaving this entirely to you, but with Ms. Xio accompanying you, there should be no problem. Of course, I'll pay you a commission fee."
"Mr. Stanton, there's no need. You've helped me so much already—it's only right I assist you for free," Xio said, waving off his offer.
Curious, Enber asked, "What's the commission, Teacher?"
"It's a request from an old friend of mine in Damir Port. You'll need to handle a Beyonder-related incident. You'll travel east from Backlund, cross the sea from Port Pritz, and reach Damir. After completing the task, return through Enmat Port, then head back to Backlund via Chester County—possibly passing through Tingen. The whole journey should take about a month."
(End of Chapter)