Chapter 1.4

“For the last ten years, I’ve lived because I couldn’t die. It felt like living in hell. Ah… I thought I would be purely happy when this day came…” 

“…Don’t you feel empty? As though someone has left a hole in your chest while you’re still alive? Doesn’t it feel like something that should be functioning inside you is now gone?” 

“Yes… That’s exactly how it feels. It feels like my soul has been completely hollowed out. Can someone like me… continue living? There’s nothing left for me now.” 

“If it’s a matter I dare to answer… I hope you will live on.” 

Nora sobbed with her head deeply bowed. She was utterly broken. Azrael had seen many people like Nora before. Some of them he had known quite well. 

People whose lives had shattered repeatedly. People who, at the end of it all, wished their lives would abandon them first. Yet Azrael couldn’t help but reach out to those standing on the edge of the cliff. 

That was his mission. Azrael lived to save people. 

Even as she cried, Nora smiled. A faint, hollow smile lingered on her lips. Then, she began chuckling softly. She lowered her head slightly, then raised it again. For a moment, Nora looked like a believer whose prayer had been answered. 

“Do you remember that I checked the scar on his thigh first? That man was condemned, Investigator. He couldn’t escape the sins he committed.” 

Condemnation. Punishment for sins. 

It was a word that should never be used in relation to murder. No murder could ever serve as a tool for justice. Murder could never surpass the purpose of the law. 

Just as one cannot measure the value of life, one cannot weigh its worth. 

“Investigator, do you believe in God? I feel as though this is God’s will.” 

“God… you say? Regrettably, I am not an apostle of God but an Imperial Knight.” 

“Is that so? Even so, I believe I have been saved. If this wasn’t God’s work, then who else could have done it…” 

Nora genuinely believed it was based on God’s will. Her expression now even appeared ecstatic. She hadn’t originally been a believer. Nora began to believe in, serve, and pray to God only after her child’s death. 

However, regrettably, the culprit of this case wasn’t God or an apostle of justice, but a serial killer. That was an unchangeable truth. 

Perhaps the opposite might be true. A murder committed by a believer in the name of God. That would be a convenient justification to cloak the act in the name of justice. Either way, it was equally abnormal. 

“You must think I’m mad. But Investigator, I have a reason why I can’t help but believe this. I know why the body was found there.” 

The story went back three years. At the time, John and Nora were living in the village where the body was discovered. 

One day, John didn’t return home until late at night. Hoping he had died, Nora went out to search for him. While wandering the village, she heard John’s voice coming from inside the warehouse. Disappointed that he hadn’t died, she turned to leave. 

However, John screamed, and the warehouse door burst open as a dark figure fled. John, stabbed in the inner left thigh, was writhing in pain on the warehouse floor. Judging by the curses he uttered in agony, it was presumed he had been drunk and attempting to assault someone. 

Afterward, the two moved to their current village as if fleeing from their past. Nora added that this was something only she and her husband had known. 

The interrogation room door swung open, and the carriage carrying Nora departed into the distance. Azrael relayed his conversation with her to Carlson. 

“Ha, so this is supposed to be God’s will? She says he was condemned?”

“It’s merely her opinion. I felt differently—about the culprit’s intent, that is. For the first time, it feels as though the motive behind the killings, which had remained unclear for the past eight cases, is now visible.”

“That means…”

“It means the culprit hasn’t been committing murders without a specific motive. The unfortunate news is that they might be worse than a deranged hedonistic killer.”

The ninth case seemed structured as if the killer had ‘condemned’ the victim. The timing of the victim’s discovery, the truth revealed by the bereaved, and perhaps even the investigation itself—all appeared to have been orchestrated by the culprit.

It was as if they were telling a story. That made it strange.

‘Whether this is the culprit’s first act of condemnation or not, the situation remains problematic.’

What if the culprit targeted only murderers or criminals of similar standing? At the very least, those who had been victims of such crimes might welcome it with open arms—just like Nora. 

It might not matter if there were only a few such cases, but if this became widespread, irreversible consequences could ensue. If the culprit were ever caught and brought to trial, there was even a possibility of them being acquitted. Even if convicted, one could easily imagine citizens protesting and clamoring in outrage.

An evil that punishes evil—a so-called necessary evil—was an idea that sounded highly plausible. It was fortunate that Nora’s story served to obscure the truth of this case.

“Carlson, let’s keep this case between us.”

“I haven’t heard a thing, Commander.”

Carlson responded immediately, as though he understood the intention.

“What do you think? Was this ‘condemnation’ truly the first?”

“There’s a good chance we missed something earlier. Or perhaps it’s been the case all along. The culprit might be someone who’s been stringing together buried cases, trying to judge criminals on behalf of the law.”

“What could be the reason? Did they suddenly develop a sense of justice? At the very least, I don’t think they’re acting on God’s mission. If they were, a symbol representing God would have been left as a mark of the serial killings.”

“All nine victims were unrelated to the investigation team. It doesn’t seem like they’re staging this for our attention.”

“Even so, it’s deceptive.”

The culprit executed criminals whom the investigation team had failed to apprehend. Simultaneously, the truth was buried to protect the bereaved. Despite knowing the truth, there was nothing the investigation team could do.

If the victims had been alive, evidence could have been gathered to bring them to justice. But the criminals were already dead.

Returning to the commander’s office, the two continued with the investigation’s interim report. Carlson handed Azrael the report and the medical examiner’s findings.

“We found traces of the victim’s blood and teeth in the tavern’s storage room. One missing oak barrel was also identified. The storage room was originally locked with a padlock. Since the victim usually carried the key, it’s highly likely they opened the door themselves and entered.”

“Then the culprit either waited for the victim to enter the storage room before following them… or was with them from the start.”

The culprit hadn’t removed any traces left at the crime scene. While this aided the investigation, it wouldn’t work in the culprit’s favor. Nevertheless, the culprit deliberately left most of the evidence for the investigation team to discover.

It even felt as though they were guiding them. It seemed likely that the culprit had adjusted the timing of the victim’s discovery.

“Did the blood traces match the sequence of injuries?”

“Of course. The culprit attacked the victim from behind, stabbing their lower back first. Then, after the victim lost balance and fell… they repeatedly struck their head with a hammer. Until they died. Afterward, the culprit mutilated the victim’s face and, finally, inflicted a wound on the thigh.”

“They engraved the mark of condemnation.”

“They’re out of their mind. The chrysanthemums embedded in the victim’s face were all intact. It’s presumed they were added as decoration after transporting the body.”

So far, the victims of the Newethen Street serial murders shared no commonalities. Yet, the cases were labeled as serial killings because all the bodies were found alongside ‘white chrysanthemums.’

White chrysanthemums are traditionally placed before a corpse to mourn the dead. But the culprit deliberately used them to announce their serial crimes. They killed people while simultaneously mourning them.

The culprit was by no means a righteous person. If they truly sought to implement justice, they would have started by punishing criminals in prison rather than ordinary citizens. Thus, this case was not based on a hero complex.

Azrael assigned Carlson additional tasks and began reviewing the documents from previous cases.

* * *

“Miss, Nora Dix has returned from the investigation headquarters.”

“Judging by how many hours have passed, it seems she told them everything.”

“What do you plan to do next?”

“Tomorrow, could you prepare the carriage? I think I’ll have to wait quite a while until they come to find me again. I should go show my face. Tell them I missed them. And, if they have any questions, I’ll answer them.”

“Understood. However, I am worried, Miss.”

At Adam’s words, Beatrice’s hand, which had been touching the flowers in the vase, paused. Her red eyes turned to him.

“Ahaha, worried? You’re fine with me killing people?”

“…”

“Once I’m caught or killed, the serial murders will come to an end. Isn’t that a good thing, Adam?”

Beatrice suddenly approached Adam and grabbed both his hands. His rough, scarred hands were pulled forward by her. A look of confusion spread across Adam’s face.

“News of the dreadful murderer finally being caught will make the front page of the newspapers. Cheers and resentment will pour out at the same time. People who are happy will dance and hold festivals.”

Beatrice let go of one of his hands and spun in place as if she were dancing. When she stopped, Adam instinctively wrapped his arms around her waist, fearing she might fall. Beatrice leaned into his hands as if she had expected this.

“When that time comes, I’ll be given another name. There will be people who say, ‘Burn that witch who disturbed the Empire.’”

“Miss…”

“I’ll face God’s judgment. The one to be condemned is me, Adam. Your master is a murderer.”

Her voice seemed to awaken reality. Beatrice looked at her loyal servant—a foolish man who couldn’t abandon her even though she had gone mad and killed people.

“What about Sir Azrael? Do you think he’s like you?”