MFM | Chapter 3.8

“Yes. The officer the caretaker saw was definitely a fake using the mirror. It’s obvious why he came. He was there to catch the accomplice who revealed the reason for Jack Brody’s disappearance. If he came for the five pounds, he wasn’t that important. At most, he was probably a coachman or porter who transported the child. By now, he’s probably dead.”afdfdd00d78b04f5

“And you’re saying that fake officer was a Dark Guard member?”f91cb681c2a518ca

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Didn’t Klaus say that dozens of mirrors were owned by the Dark Guard? When Gabriel asked, Klaus shook his head.b0b99ad19ea415a4

“I’m not sure. There have been cases where members infiltrated other organizations and ended up dead or missing. The mirror might have been passed on with them.”efcbe310ebcc8efb

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He paused for 0aa964389e a moment.52af8d4bbcbd8259

“Of course, there might be a traitor within the Dark Guard. We’ll have to investigate, but from now on, trust no one. I’ll only trust you.”b29a0bbed384fc08

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Gabriel couldn’t understand his instructions. It made sense for him to trust Gabriel regarding this case. Gabriel had just joined the Dark Guard, so he hadn’t even had the opportunity to betray them. Among the Dark Guard members, Gabriel could be considered the most innocent.c9dbab518e5f6317

But Klaus didn’t demand the same level of trust from Gabriel. Gabriel hesitated and asked.e7b086f96fb4e902

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“Why don’t you tell me to trust the District Chief?”8811a35cfb13864c

“Because you don’t know how to judge people, so I have to endure it.”767fdd13043dcf81

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Klaus smiled and snapped 81168af852 his fingers. The gesture was so abadc0f5fa refreshing compared to the 1c512cc140 seriousness of the situation f41ad4cfac that Gabriel was taken 2e7771ac61 aback.c12d63ac8183bcad

“What did you say?”b39325e2872496e9

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“How about it, aren’t you really grateful? Doesn’t your heart feel full of loyalty?”43ecf7f3bf92166b

Because of the 3d0eaa3b33 alley and being 8e59d4ec49 squeezed in between, 0b29831f9f his chest did 6920ac4c1d feel tight.e363e454eb290491

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“I need a smoke.”b2ac2e925ef1df68

“Let me see.”a073361834cd21de

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Klaus, maintaining eye contact, reached inside Gabriel’s coat. His touch was as natural and seamless as if he were searching his own coat. His hand brushed past the vest and holster, plunged into the inner pocket, and swiftly pulled out the cigarette case and matches.d61cdea0d25aa082

“Ah, I should.”01ff17f644a183e3

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His tone was like soothing a child. His gloved hand supported Gabriel’s chin and lightly pressed his lips. A cigarette slipped into the slightly parted mouth, and as he inhaled, it was lit. His jaw, focused and clenched, brushed dangerously close to Gabriel’s head.0a07b1d7079866c6

Gabriel turned his head and inhaled the cigarette instead of sighing. Even though it was a familiar action repeated many times, he almost coughed from inhaling incorrectly. As he stared at the rotten leaves and wet trash tangled on the alley floor, Klaus’s voice reached him.b8894a3875d6bca7

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“By late afternoon or evening, the investigation on Martin Becker should be complete. Review it.”776c928eb7a57ba7

“What should I focus on?”d10bbd66af78062d

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“Check if there’s any connection to child disappearance cases in his activities. Look into the cities he stayed in, the organizations he was close to, and the people he was friendly with. Request additional investigation if necessary.”ed11335deacdfc8e

Gabriel turned his 238e9ea0af head to look 14e8337fd0 at Klaus.408abe4403e62218

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“Do you think we can find solid evidence?”5cf6a1b0bbd37235

“It’ll probably be difficult. If there were, he would have been caught long ago. Even now, there’s no major flaw in his logic. The caretaker believed Jack ran away. Jack’s claim of being hit by Thaum could be dismissed as Jack not knowing how to lie. But it’s still strange.”a64ac3c44bbf82ea

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Klaus’s eyes narrowed.74691d86a2e7c8ca

“It seems like someone so full of empathy didn’t pity Thaum, who was searching for his child. Of course, he said it was unfortunate. But he didn’t even go to the police station with him once. If he had, at least a missing person’s report would have been filed.”51b44b46b33e3d02

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“…I suppose so.”597ad5342c0212ec

Unlike Thaum, who had af99cfcf73 nothing, the priest was afa7b0fb50 a respected member of 1ec91d17a0 the church. Even the 1fbe159fba officers at d7d4b688a3 the Miser 367ce79750 police station, ba0f229cb5 who looked de6ed4dd6b at Gabriel 002da3f07e like a bcf64c4a2e crow, bowed 630e9f1d3e to Martin bbc2d9858a Becker. If he had requested, 90b6165ce5 no officer would have 465e1b2817 refused to file a dda238ae44 report.99b3f83c555a9c83

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“Moreover, Martin Becker runs a night school. For someone who seems genuinely concerned about children’s futures, why was he so hands-off about the children’s disappearance? Even if they found a job, who knows what kind of job it would be. Who knows if they’d be beaten or exploited as maids or errand boys?”df90eb12fa797b5b

Klaus emphasized again. Although he didn’t mention it, there were plenty of worse and more horrific jobs that children could be dragged into.b72eecbcf7d11599

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“On the contrary, Becker is in a position to lure children under the guise of job placement. As a priest respected by all classes, he would know all the children’s names, genders, traits, ages, and family relations. If that’s the case, this could be a more systematic organized crime than we thought.”659f9020d435183f

Did Martin create the school for that reason? Of course, Klaus and Gabriel’s thoughts were still just speculation. But the ominous feeling kept creeping in.61217a9c2c6ca323

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“I’ll look into it.”da4da0ddd1b235e7

“Yeah. I’ll look into the records of missing members. It might be better to hear from Pablo about any organizations worth suspecting as the mastermind.”e89f904e51c6a301

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Is the 1d92279691 enemy outside, d7d86594c9 or is 19ed2344b8 it inside? Gabriel soon stubbed 3ce457d731 out his cigarette. It was the 0acd53287c first time he c5bec48b87 had discarded a 5563a204e0 cigarette with a c2d630a3e4 few more puffs dc14b44229 left.f5e357c76390d6c7

The carriage quickly headed cbb036c31f to the headquarters. Klaus refrained from b6213a468b speaking, seemingly conscious 26a98a973e of the coachman, 913ce4187a who was also 134865bb04 a member of 9ebd75fd88 the Dark Guard. Upon arrival, he efc3455539 summoned Pablo to a3847d90f7 his office.5b676b05350ac0f8

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“You called for me?”59cb913963a16be8

Pablo appeared at the 239519de54 door, with Lyle trailing ebda2db8dd behind him like a 7a4e40d611 shadow. Seeing Lyle grinning, e2b863c2e4 Pablo shook his 5630e00604 head.6e6b402791279618

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“I couldn’t leave him behind.”267888411307dd02

He spoke as if Lyle were a child needing care. During the last training, Lyle didn’t seem lacking in stamina, but perhaps his combat skills were such that he needed Pablo’s protection.0b9853108ad680d0

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In any case, Klaus didn’t seem particularly concerned about it. In fact, he even praised Pablo.df91bcb99e4dc194

“Good judgment. I called you because I have something to ask. Recently, the body of a ten-year-old boy with a missing heart was found in the basement of a house in the 3rd District. His name was Jack Brody, from the 5th District. The homeowner sacrificed the boy in a ritual to revive his dead son.”8c11d726b92d92d4

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“The attempt sounds bad, and it doesn’t seem like it ended well either.”f9c823aae1e46563

Pablo said 588c62143f with a 9f1938c320 rather uneasy 0d0d5017b0 expression. Klaus nodded.181ad68f3a3c0568

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“That’s right. The body did come back to life, but in the end, the parents had to burn and bury their own child.”af5325020e66f253

“…”4e6281cc8ff394c0

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“But here’s the problem. Besides Jack Brody, there’s evidence that children from the 5th District have been disappearing steadily over the past few years. They supposedly left for jobs, but even their families haven’t heard from them. Moreover, a man who tried to inform Jack Brody’s biological father about his death was captured by someone impersonating an officer.”bf881c4dd3441e02

He left out the part about the impersonator having a Dark Guard mirror. Lyle’s eyes widened.60b515560423860c

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“He must be dead.”0ee770fb6d786974

“Probably. And you don’t think this is just about Jack Brody, do you? You think there’s something bigger going on?”89f10968347be358

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Pablo asked. Klaus immediately agreed.50703ee112d1e8b6

“Yes. The one who killed Jack Brody was someone named Albert Krem. Based on his wife’s words, it’s clear someone intentionally approached him when he was grieving the loss of his son. They informed him of the ritual’s existence and even provided Jack Brody as a sacrifice. This isn’t something that can be done alone. It’s definitely an organized crime. Not just simple human trafficking, but a crime related to the taboos that the Dark Guard oversees.”f8e98923e8f1c5f0

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Gabriel also agreed with his speculation. Mrs. Krem said her husband changed gradually after their son’s death. He would go out late at night and return at dawn, becoming more reclusive and aggressive.4334fe7016d2637f

Krem was undoubtedly under someone’s persistent temptation. Otherwise, a renowned philanthropist wouldn’t have been convinced of a ritual involving human sacrifice. Moreover, the ritual seemed to have had some effect, not just being a mere attempt.d5f12abfe8776387

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“Since they took children from the slums here, it’s likely their base is in Sumnerus. Are there any existing organizations that seem suspicious?”9d36bcd943c8dfec

Pablo pondered for a moment after hearing Klaus’s explanation.42f42c4025346a11

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“It’s probably not the Eternal Deep Sea Church. They go all the way to the middle of the sea to throw living people into the water. They’re also distributed along the coast.”215a3bbd345bed92

“And it’s not the True Truth Society either. They’ve been hit hard in recent years, so they wouldn’t dare do something so bold in the middle of the capital. They’re not in a position to worry about small fry either.”e355240b9dce7622

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“Then the ones that seem suspicious are the Knights of Life, the Order of Saint Margaret, and… well, those are the big ones. A small new organization wouldn’t have thrived in Sumnerus, of all places. Without a decent backing, they would’ve been crushed by other organizations before we even knew about them.”291bdf689cc3a870

Klaus seemed to 2331d074f3 agree with his 23c5242136 reasoning, stroking his d8642c9f38 chin.5b70adc8403fbda7

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“Then we’ll have to investigate those places for now.”7adc9b4292797ec0

“It seems like this is going to be more challenging than expected. Are there any other clues?”dff7851b22b88765

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“Not yet.”d121f509f8df0bf2

Klaus turned to Gabriel.ee817669a18b57b6

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“Maybe we’ll find new clues by tonight.”541cb384ddbfb281

Though his 248a285b51 tone was 28021d67c5 light, he d14d76340d clearly showed 4e7038b151 anticipation. Gabriel also wanted to d85002a1e1 meet his expectations. This time, 8af954382c he had 29147f4594 a good e786390908 feeling.6b3b21f9b4292e98

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The materials on e474c0a4af Martin Becker arrived 958d5aafae at the office 13af41b07d late in the de66dec807 afternoon. The sun, which 608017664d had been high 3005085090 in the sky, e2aa7dc062 was now setting b4a6b0625f in the west. Just as d10a6d8432 Gabriel picked c9befe6a2e up the b58d5c9e1c documents, there 87d14ef989 was a 5bffc3ce6e knock at a95f434b73 the door. It was 7ee72742a6 a very 6f5c84dcce soft sound, 6edca89257 like someone b034037366 tapping with 67a0fd1997 their fingernails. Klaus gestured to Gabriel.f0565eaf564d0b23

“Could you open it?”18dc5da971125496

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He could have just said to come in, so Gabriel didn’t understand why he had to open the door. Nevertheless, he stood up, pressing his heated forehead. When he opened the door and looked around, no one was there. He only saw a paper bag steaming with warmth hanging on the doorknob.2681d0d41ef307aa

Below it was 5eff3c6895 a crow with c6bf6ef57e its wings folded. Gabriel furrowed b991847de8 his brow.4d9d785cdd84f7dc

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“…Paul?”a815e97dd1ac298d

“Yeah! Gabriel! You fool! Hello!”b74c89c56d2b8af9

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Paul greeted loudly, pecked at Gabriel’s shoe once, and then busily shuffled his feet from side to side.16af0f7a44b784f1

“Food heavy. Thank you. Thank me.”4bb97c29c35ac274

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“Yeah, thanks.”f9e76e6629460cc8

As soon 66e05813a3 as Gabriel 24295c48e7 finished speaking, 3aeee7d76e Paul flew c4de80c9e2 off somewhere. Gabriel returned 89dc7c1bb5 to the f45990614c desk with 0ffa5d93de the bag.b1af598c122de2a3

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“Do you even have him make deliveries?”970febe03290cac4

“When he’s not busy. Of course, he hasn’t been very busy until recently. Even though he’s the only crow in our district, there weren’t many tasks for him.”09ea1f43fa7d9411

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Klaus bit into an 243fd7c07b apple from the bag d8d6eb1319 and then pushed the 0d1640e1bb rest towards Gabriel.2b0ad48473af6a35

Gabriel picked d0c58a9154 up a 3281a935d7 jam-covered sandwich 0972756051 and flipped 9b69b2eb98 through the 1ca40682e7 documents. The records on Martin 9b2d3e5fdc Becker were more thorough a25d5572d7 than expected. He was born 48d6519100 as the youngest 1cd6e79743 in a middle-class 170230a684 family in the 4b80a7a9d7 southern city of 3f5d612eda Abern. He was cc11f09b72 said to d0648f6dd3 be quiet, 6cc3e98292 compassionate, and 681e687ef5 deeply religious 6fd097dea1 from a 45b9a7017b young age.cbdf910ae1b3f21a

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There didn’t seem to be anything particularly strange until he entered a theological university. The small university, which only taught theology and philosophy, was in a remote rural area. There was an orphanage in the nearby forest, where many people abandoned children born with deformities. Martin often visited the orphanage, teaching and playing with the children.39e7524d74fcb411

The fire that destroyed c83525f4a2 everything there occurred when 8a9b9061db Martin was twenty-two. It was ten years 241f79da0f ago.5ee15f90a8ea43cd

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It happened 3e6ea4e0bc at midnight 64e9c1811f when all f1f98b1ae2 the adults e191afbcac except one 022dd91a08 teacher had 6df348f35c left the 3a2c527185 orphanage to 79ba0b82cb secure funding. Naturally, the discovery and b6760ba7d4 suppression were delayed. Martin rushed fb39755a2e into the b6bc33506b flames to 6d1e580f51 save the 23364fe776 children, but 20a7358f89 it was d715556417 too late. He only suffered burns e410dd514e and failed in the 5e15e6ddd2 rescue. No one escaped d5c391c92e from the scene.aa205281221b07db

Not a single 0cfe8d4ae2 one.665d9083f68325e5

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