Yet again, the spectacular star summoner Marrielle Goldburn deduces yet another mystery. Is there anything she can't do?

"Stop resisting, and come quietly!" Nudging the rifle at the offender, Hector makes a demand.

Though the drug dealer ignores Hector, putting up a hand to call for a pause as he rifles through the downed scholar's pockets.

*Chuk!*

He pulls the bolt of his rifle.

"Hey, are you listening to me?!" He yells, making an intimidating display.

"Yesn't, and let me finish what I'm doing,"

Eventually, taking out a small pouch and a brick, the man turns around to face the three.

"So, Mr. drug dealer, we have a bit of catching up to do," Marielle gives a mocking smile.

Seemingly stunned for a moment, he quickly recovers, smoothing out his countenance as he dusts himself off.

"Indeed, we do Ms Madn’t, and despite your delusions, I'm not a drug dealer,"

Damn, that's what the others at the garrison call us. How does he know who we are? No, don't get distracted! She shakes her head.

"Tsk, who are you and more importantly, why'd you mug that man?"

He groans. The scholar, being well, an academic, didn't take that tackle too well.

"I've been commissioned to,"

"By wh-"

"Oh really?"

Being cut off by Hector, he resumes the conversation.

"By who?"

Sacred stars Hector! I was about to say that!

"Well, this man is a dastardly fiend and as a member of the law enforcement, I had to take him down,"

"Law enforcement? My ass buddy,"

"Despite what you think, it's true," He says while flashing a badge.

"How do we kn-"

"How do we know you didn't steal that?

Damnit, Hector! Keeping quiet, a silent glare finds bores itself through Hector.

…

Sigh, just my luck to run into these nuisances.

"How about I give you an Oath?"

"An Oath?" The rifleman responds.

He seems a lot more agreeable than that summoner.

"Look, on this Oath, I swear to thee that this badge is mine and that I did not pilfer it,"

I know the basics to supplicate an Oath, but I myself has never made one before, but I feel that I did it correctly.

And as if to tell me I did it right, ethereal chains appear and bind me, before promptly dissipating away. The Oath was successful.

And hoo boy was I kind of regretting pulling off an Oath all willy nilly. I feel drained, like I’m melting, merging with the realm. My mind feels muddled, but I quickly push off the sensation. Yeah, I’m definitely not gonna take an Oath so lightly again. I guess that's a reason Oaths aren't made all the time. And I'm willing to wager that the more comprehensive an Oath is, the more draining it'll be.

"And how do-,"

“How do I know that wasn’t a trick?”

The rifleman cuts off the summoner. I’m about to answer, but surprisingly enough, their silent third member covers me.

“It isn’t, if it was then we could’ve felt some kind of essence trick, but there was nothing,”

At this, they nod in understanding.

I’m not too sure about that theory, but it's good that he didn't catch on to the wording. But now I feel quite irked. Having a flashback, I remember times when we tried to place people on trial, and they would make up horse shite testimonies to save their arses. Yet, why couldn't we make them do an Oath?

It wouldn't have cost much and it would've made the streets a whole lot safer.

Corruption of the ruling class I suppose.

After all, when they're caught in a scandal, they'd of course need to leave themselves a backdoor.

You may wonder where the other two went, and well, I had them mug some random people whilst I went after the brick. After all, I was going all in to make sure I won this competition.

But anyway, now that I have the brick in my possession, it really does feel different. There's some feel about it. It's faint, but only so because its essence is so compacted, such that it barely even effuses even the slightest quark. An interesting item. It could perhaps serve as a power source, or maybe a weapon?

Bricks were dangerous in their own right. It wouldn't be the first time I've used a brick to maim a man.

Alright, looking at the dolts conversing awkwardly, it seems like my bluff succeeded.

"This, this is corruption!" The scholar seemed to find his voice, "You're supposed to arrest this fiend!"

"Nono, ignore this felon, he's a criminal trust me, in fact, could you do me a favour and bring him to the jailhouse? I'll make sure to put in good word for you two,"

"This man is a liar! He isn't even wearing a uniform!"

I cup my hand over his mouth, before tying him up with some cloth,

"Again, ignore this con, I'm an undercover agent which is why I'm not in uniform,"

Binding his hands and feet, I feel something brush past me.

*Yoink*

What? I’m dazed for but the split of a second, before realising the gravity of the situation. Someone's trying to take my brick!

Unfortunately, the first instinctual reaction I have is to grip the wrist of the perpetrator. I need to train my reflexes… The first action should be to stab the fool!

"Nya?"

The perpetrator's eyes widen as I subconsciously increase my grip upon seeing them, but performing an athletic backflip, it twists its wrist and breaks free of my grip.

"Get her!"

With these elites by my side, I was sure as hell gonna use them.

Whipping out my crossbow, a bolt was already preloaded, as I quickly enchanted a basic wind essence buff.

*Fwip!* *Plink!*

She dodged it. Her tail swished with her movements, elegantly dashing away.

"Hurry up! Shoot it!" I urge the two.

Fortunately, the rifleman seemed to have already locked a shot on her.

*Bang!*

Damn, that was loud. The ringing might throw me off.

"Tsss!" The cat burglar hissed as the shot pierced through her thigh and from what I could see, that wasn't a clean shot. It shouldn't be going anywhere so fast.

Giving chase, I load another bolt. Though by the time I reach her location, it's gone. Nonetheless, there's a perfectly nice trail to follow. Urging the three to follow, I entice them with words of good faith.

Following the blood trail, we scourge through the city streets. At times the blood trail is cut off, but I abridge it with a ranger sense enhancement art.

I can smell it, and after locating the trail again, we repeat this procedure, eventually finding the wounded feline.

I'm extremely surprised that she managed to even get this far. As the amount of blood she left behind was probably enough to fill four pails.

Not to mention the physical exertion needed to outrun the four of us and my relentless tracking meant she wouldn't even have time to patch up her wound lest she wanted an encounter. By all standards, she’d fled very well, except, it seemed like her time was up.

"Was the brick really worth that much to bank your life on it?" With her back against the wall of an abandoned shack, the black cat demi human wraps some cloth around her thigh with a pale face.

"Nyaha, nyat really, but it's no biggie,"

No biggie? It's practically on her last breaths and it's no biggie?!

"Are you insane?"

"Funny coming from nyou,"

Tsk, the murmurings of an inane beast I suppose. Their values and priorities… I will never understand.

"Put a bullet in its head, mercy kill," Taking up the role of a de facto captain, I issue the rifleman a directive.

Mm, I've missed this feeling. Due to my combat efficiency, I usually took up the role of captain despite not actually being one. Haah, I should savour this feeling while I can.

"Hector, don't, all this time, I've been suspicious of this mans,"

Sigh, it looks like it's true that good things never last.

"And rightly so, nyan! This myan is a cultist, and a heretic at that! Just look at his getup!"

"Bold claim, do not trust it," Really now? She was really going to try and frame me as a cultist due to my attire. I mean she's right in every way possible but there's no chance anyone would believe that trash.

"She has a point, you better tell us who you are right now, or else!"

Wait, is the rifleman seriously putting doubt on me!? C'mon man, that was a total asspull! I mean, their doubts aren't unfounded, but how did the turns table on me like this?

"I've heard that the heretics are a rather odd cult. Unlike others, they do not worship any evil god, nay. Instead, they despise all the gods, and I also found out recently that they have an undue hate toward the demi human races,"

The third guy quietly states his input. Monologuing like a constable listing out my crimes in the jailhouse.

"I don't know what you're talking about, the only reason I dislike it, is because it stole the brick,"

"I never said you were anything, I just gave my thoughts on the heretics. But it seems your guilty conscience says otherwise,"

Shite! I can’t believe I fell for the oldest trick in the book. Screw me and my discrimination!

*Crack*

A summon cracked open its jaws as it inches toward me.

Tsk, they have surrounded.

If I'm going to get out of here, I'm gonna have to go all out!

"I'm a racist prick, I get it, but seriously, that-that lady over there is a serious criminal," I find, it difficult to call it a lady, but I press on, "So even if you're intent on arresting me, I hope you'll be aware that when we get back to the station I'll be sure to put you three under a review…"

I gauge their reaction before tacking on another account.

"Perhaps a correctional sentence,"

I was getting desperate, so I was pulling out all the cards, saying anything that might sway these guys. And it looks like the summoner wavered, despite having a firm conviction of my identity.

This is my chance!

"You may not be aware, but this is the final act of desperation from a cornered cultist,

"As you may have inferred, her blood loss is tremendous and her endurance astounding. This leads to a thorough conclusion. She herself is a cultist, likely of the blood kind, considering the long blood trail. Though from what I can gather, she must be at the entree level, only capable of replenishing her own blood. You may not have realised but as we gave chase, we passed by numerous individuals, of whom were oddly pale and passed out. From this, a reasonable deduction could be made that she drained their blood to replenish her own in an effort to outrun us. This is evidence of the practice of an evil art,

"And this cultist, making note of my cloth ware and our unfamiliarity with each other, took this chance to table the turns on me. Very cunning, as expected of a cultist hiding in our fine city.

"But! I'm disappointed that you would underestimate me so! Your plan was as clear as day!"

I sleuth, showing the face of an accomplished intelligentsia, as I point at the cat demi human.

"H-How did you know?!" It exclaims, with eyes widened like saucers.

What the-?! Her surprise is just as great as mine.

I only called her a cultist because she called me one!

Holy shite, I was just pulling out my ass and this garbage worked!?

I need a promotion! Get me some medals! I'm just too good!

Why am I not a detective?!