Lloyd sat in the chair, his hands cuffed behind his back. Eve sat back-to-back with him. Around them stood soldiers armed with thermite rifles, the ignition chambers at their muzzles glowing faintly—those lethal weapons were already live.
Although Lloyd was seated on a darkened platform, the towering walls cutting off his view, the roar of machinery still rolled through the night. The sound alone was enough for him to sense the sheer scale of whatever was moving in the depths.
Something was going to happen tonight. Of that, there was no doubt.
"So," he said calmly, "this is your true identity, isn't it?"
The moment the man before him spoke, Lloyd recognized the voice. Burrow really was sharp—almost frighteningly so.
"Don't answer yet," Lloyd went on, with a hint of showmanship. "Let me guess."
Fragments of Burrow's past life assembled themselves in Lloyd's mind, clicking together like pieces of a puzzle, until the original shape finally emerged.
"A member of an anti-demon organization. The real master of the Lower City. Secretary to the nobles…"
His thoughts raced. He was one step away from the truth.
Something about this made Blue Jade uneasy. She drew the iron rod at her waist and flicked it with her wrist. A blade sprang out from the seams of the metal—it was a folding knife, slightly longer than usual.
"No need," Burrow said calmly. "He was bound to figure it out sooner or later. What we're doing now is a quiet exchange. This detective is far too valuable to discard."
From the moment Lloyd laid eyes on him, Burrow had known it: many secrets would become transparent in front of this man, like objects exposed beneath sunlight, leaving no shadow behind.
"So," Lloyd asked suddenly, lifting his head, his gaze piercing as if it had already seen through everything, "what name did the Queen give you?"
"These weapons aren't something a crime boss could produce," Lloyd continued. "The raw materials, the manufacturing process, the research behind them—it all requires an immense foundation. Only a machine called a nation could make this possible."
Realization dawned on him.
"So that's it. Your real identity isn't a noble's secretary at all. You're the Queen's secretary. Every crime the nobles committed in the Lower City is in your hands, and when the Queen needs it, you become the iron grip that strangles them."
"People who are too smart die young, Lloyd."
That Lloyd could reach this conclusion was entirely within Burrow's expectations. In fact, it would have been stranger if he hadn't.
"So," Lloyd said lightly, "I have a price worth paying—for trust."
"Our trust?" Burrow replied coldly. "You're an uncontrollable outsider. That doesn't sound very convincing."
"At the very least," Lloyd said, "we share the same objective."
"And that is?"
"The Sacred Coffin."
A name dredged up from the deepest nightmare—the core of this chaos and delusion, the origin of it all.
Burrow's pupils shrank. He had never told Lloyd about it. Back then, Lloyd was merely a capable detective in his eyes, not someone with ties to the Demon Hunter Order.
"Don't look so surprised," Lloyd said. "You hired me to investigate, didn't you? Finding a few critical leads is only natural."
"So that's your price?"
"Yes. So why don't we exchange what we know and work together?"
Lloyd showed no awareness whatsoever of the rifles trained on him. A volley from those thermite weapons would melt him in an instant, yet he spoke on casually, rocking his chair back and forth.
"And you need me, Burrow. Someone doesn't want you getting your hands on the Sacred Coffin. The demons on that train made that perfectly clear."
In his not-so-long career, the demon hunter had killed countless demons. His field experience far surpassed that of anyone present.
"We still don't know where demons come from," Lloyd said, beginning his analysis. "But we do know how humans turn into them."
"At first, on the train, I thought a group of demons had disguised themselves as humans and infiltrated the carriages. But once I calmed down, I realized that made no sense. Gathering that many demons on a single train is unrealistic. The only plausible explanation is that the transformation happened on the train itself."
Something in those words struck home. Burrow stared at Lloyd. They had known each other for nearly six years, yet in that moment Burrow realized he had never truly understood this enigmatic detective.
"You were there that night in the underground palace, weren't you?"
Lloyd watched Burrow's expression closely. You could read many things from a man's face. Burrow said nothing—but Lloyd already had his answer.
"They have the technology to breed demons," Lloyd continued. "Or worse—high-contamination substances that can turn a human into a demon in a very short time."
Like a salesman reaching the end of his pitch, Lloyd finally revealed his true intention.
"So you need me, Burrow. A professional."
"…Compared to that," Burrow said grimly, "I still think killing you—or locking you away—might be simpler."
Burrow understood everything Lloyd had said. As Ingervig surged upward in power, the Purification Agency expanded just as rapidly. It was no longer an organization lurking in the shadows. After the dissolution of the Demon Hunter Order, it was the only remaining torch in the dark.
"Wait… you're… Eve?"
During the exchange, Blue Jade—who had been circling them—finally focused her gaze on the girl behind Lloyd. Her small face was smeared with grime, yet something about her felt familiar. As Blue Jade drew closer, she froze.
It really was Eve.
"You… know me?" Eve asked, lifting her head. The woman before her wore a domed steel helmet and full combat gear. Eve couldn't recall her at all.
Burrow stepped over as well. To be honest, this name caused him even more trouble than Lloyd's. Looking at the girl, he felt his head throb.
"What are you doing here?"
"She was targeted by demons," Lloyd answered before Eve could speak.
"Her connection to the darkness is deepening. I assume you understand what that means. Fighting demons is like struggling in a swamp—the harder you fight, the deeper you sink into the mire called darkness."
"She was discovered by demons," Lloyd continued. "So she hired me to protect her."
"Your idea of protection was bringing her onto this damned train?" Burrow snapped, turning back with anger.
"She came to me."
The two men locked eyes. Something unspoken crackled between them, like lions facing each other in a narrow pass.
Eve sat with her back to Lloyd, having no idea what was unfolding. Surrounded by armed soldiers, she still felt no fear at all. Compared to demons, these humans seemed almost gentle.
"I need to report this to my superiors," Burrow said at last.
"Then I suggest you hurry," Lloyd replied. "You look like you're short on time."
Burrow gave Lloyd a long, penetrating look before disappearing into the darkness. Blue Jade tightened her grip on the folding knife, the blade pressed against Lloyd's throat. One could never be too cautious with this detective.
About five minutes later, Burrow returned from the far end of the darkness. He didn't look pleased—if anything, his expression was heavy with seriousness.
"It seems," he said, "we'll be cooperating—briefly."
"Oh?" Lloyd said, rising to his feet. At some point, unnoticed by anyone, the shackles around his wrists had already fallen away. He extended his hand with an easy smile.
"Former Demon Hunter Order hunter—Lloyd Holmes."
Burrow's mind reeled. This detective had already freed himself. Then what had that conversation been? A gesture of goodwill?
"Purification Agency. Upper Knight. Burrow Bird."
Their hands clasped. The last time they had shaken hands like this was when Lloyd first arrived in Old Dunlin. After that handshake, his new life had begun.
Suddenly, Lloyd pulled Burrow closer. To Blue Jade, it looked like nothing more than the intimacy of trust—but as they leaned in, Lloyd whispered into Burrow's ear.
"Your superiors changed their minds because of Eve, didn't they? And yet… she doesn't recognize you. You know what's happening inside her body, don't you?"
The secret blood that had lain dormant within Eve for who knew how long—only the Purification Agency, fighting demons in Ingervig's shadows, could possibly have a connection to it. But why had this girl been bound to it in the first place?
Burrow had no intention of answering. Instead, he asked a question of his own.
"A new life means abandoning the old one. So what is this, then, Lloyd?"
Lloyd broke into a bright, unrestrained smile.
"Everything has a prerequisite," he said lightly. "Principles, for example."
Then, with the calm certainty of a man who had walked that path before, the demon hunter added:
"Demons must be exterminated. All of them."