*You possessed ‘Eviscerated Human Corpse’: Randy Ronvorld*

*Successful possession: Experience increased.*

*You have gained a new skill: [Survival Instinct(Passive Lv4)]*

*You have gained a new skill: [Keen Eyes (Passive Lv3)]*

*Your stats have increased. Please check the Status Window for more details.*

*[Survival Instinct(Passive): If the user’s life is threatened, his vision will turn red for one second.*

*[Keen Eyes(Passive): Increases one’s observational skills as well as facilitates the search of a specific person or object.

The user needs to have a clear image of the target while searching.*

As always, Arthur gained new skills by possessing Randy Ronvorld, Addy’s partner. However, the System’s provided description was vague and not explicit enough for his taste.

Nevertheless, gaining new skills was much-welcomed by the parasite, who read the System Logs after fixing the eviscerated corpse and making it presentable.

After the new host was properly ‘fixed’, Arthur returned to Leonis’ body and stored back Randy.

“During your clash against the murderer, he must’ve seen Randy’s death. Therefore, it will be slightly problematic to wander around while impersonating the detective.”

“If the killer sees you, you’ll become his primary target.” Confirmed Evelyn as she took out a small cleaning brush and proceeded to patiently clean the bit of dust hiding under the beds.

“We need to visit Addy tomorrow morning and make sure he agrees to help. First and foremost, we need to know what he knows, then I’ll find a good use for Randy.”

“...”

“So, what are your plans? Are you going to accompany me or…?”

Evelyn stopped her routine cleaning and looked back at him, “Of course I’m coming, Master. I wouldn’t want to miss the fun.”

He smiled and then walked to the window, his eyes wandering across the bustling road and the relatively big building belonging to wealthy merchants and whatnot.

“I hope those two don’t cause any trouble…”

He had left the vampiristic rabbit and Mort together, but knowing the latter, there would most likely be complications. Still, he had warned the zombie not to enter Blackcrest nor reveal himself to anyone.

Although keeping close would provide Arthur with ample protection, it would also garner attention. Moreover, it was much better to let them do your thing and hunt beasts to progressively get stronger.

He had no particular use for them within the city and, if spotted, they would be relentlessly chased and eventually killed, which, close as they had become, wasn’t an outcome the parasite wished for.

After a good night’s sleep, the two returned to the private investigation office but were barred entry. In front of the building was a luxurious carriage and at the doorstep was a tall and domineering bronze-skinned knight.

Upon noticing the approaching Arthur and Evelyn, he raised his hand and, with a hoarse deep voice, said,

“You cannot enter.”

While Arthur looked back at the knight with a smile and interest, Evelyn was scrutinizing the carriage and trying to recognize to which aristocratic family the engraved crest belonged to.

“Is there a reason I can’t enter? I, too, have business with Addy.”

“I don’t care.” Rudely retorted the knight as he kept his other hand near the sheathed sword. “You will wait.”

Unwilling to complicate the matter or cause a ruckus, Arthur shrugged and politely backed away. He stood near the carriage and, like the maid, thoroughly examined it.

“It’s the Ricca Oro family. A wealthy aristocratic family. That’s all I know about it.”

“Hmm… I thought Addy and Randy weren’t particularly liked. Why would a noble personally come to visit?”

Soon enough, Arthur had his answer in the form of loud and almost hysterical cries that originated from inside.

“Do I look like a care?! I paid you in full but you’re lazing around in this piss hole! I want the bastard caught! Do you hear me?!”

It was a feminine and unnecessarily blaring, but it made Arthur perk his ears and glance at the stoic knight.

Moments later, a voluptuous woman with curly long brown hair and a flamboyant purple dress stormed out of the office. She was accompanied by a slim man in a butler suit, and though he tried to appease her, it didn’t work.

The woman, like all noble ladies, wore flashy earrings and a shiny pendant, however, her face was distorted with anger and fury. As she stepped outside and went down the stairs, she noticed Arthur and Evelyn but paid them no heed whatsoever.

With the knight no longer blocking the path, Arthur chuckled and, at last, headed inside only to find a distressed Addy pacing around and mumbling to himself.

“Good morning, Addy.”

The man was startled, his feet coming to a halt and his head turning toward Arthur. He looked more tired than yesterday, probably due to the lack of sleep and incessant working.

“A-ah, it’s you…”

Addy breathed a sigh of relief and slumped on his chair.

“Not a good way to start a day, I concur.” Remarked Arthur sat across the investigator and subtly pointed at the now-empty entrance of the building.

“Anywho, I have come to hear your answer.”

“...”

Addy, half-anxious and half-hesitant, fidgeted on his chair and fiddled with old papers as he averted his gaze.

“There’s no need to overthink it, Addy. It’s either a ‘yes’ or a ‘no.’”

Eventually, after a tense silence in which Addy closed his eyes and massaged his aching temple, he nodded twice.

“I have not had the time to discuss it with my partner. Nevertheless, let’s do it.”

To officially seal the deal, Arthur shook hands with Addy and, before long, the conversation shifted to more important affairs, specifically the case of the Bloated Murderer.

“The killings started twenty days ago, in which eight people died, so that’s an average of one victim every three to four days.”

Although he was troubled, Addy did not slack off and gave a proper presentation to Arthur and Evelyn.

“Five of the victims were Black Market brokers, the remaining three were random people… one homeless woman, a Blacksmith, and a young farmer. At first, I thought he chose his targets for a reason but the last three threw me off.”

“Maybe it was done on purpose for that very reason?”-Arthur

“Perhaps. For now, I’m going with the assumption that the murderer is acting alone and is simply a deranged psycho. He always kills at night, two to three hours before dawn, but with how big Blackcrest is, it’s difficult if not impossible to check every alley or secluded place. His method of killing is basic but highly effective; All his victims are slashed in the abdomen then their body begins bloating due to a foul and unknown type of magic.”

“What can you tell me about the victims? Specifically the first five.”

Addy retrieved the records of the aforementioned victims and handed them to the parasite while explaining,

“As I had said, they were brokers and have made several dealings with some aristocratic families such as the Donx Family, the Ricca Oro, and even the Duke. Their job, basically, was to facilitate the acquisition of illegal items or, if the pay is generous, they can hire thugs or even killers.”

“Then, is it not possible that our quarry was hired by one of those families? It wouldn’t be surprising.”

“I had thought that initially. However, after investigating a little more, I discovered that the five brokers weren’t particularly tied to a specific family or individual, meaning that their death did not benefit anyone.”

“What about the killer? Do you have any description about him?” Questioned Evelyn out of the blue.

The maid kept standing behind Arthur but, clearly, she was interested and could not hold back her questions.

“Not much, actually. The few witnesses I questioned could not recall anything but a dark green mist that changed forms. However, my partner was certain that the murderer is a man, not a woman.”

“Oh? Why?”

“I’m not too sure either, but he called it ‘detective’s hunch’.”

“Pardon me but, in such a case, I believe only in evidence, not ‘hunches’.”

Addy didn’t seem bothered as he let out a heavy sigh and agreed, “That’s what I told him. Moving on… we have no way to predict when or where the next murder will occur, no is our lead strong enough to warrant the assistance of the Militant Guard Office or the direct intervention of the Duke. Additionally, all the suspicious places my partner was tasked to investigate were utterly devoid of clues. What I mean to say is… we’re stuck. Sorry.”

“It’s fine. With due time, we will solve this. Is it fine if I borrow some of the death records? Anna and I will take care of the field work and notify you if anything happens.”

“Sure, Sir Edward. Thank you for offering to help.”

“No problem.”

Arthur stood up and was about to leave only to stop after taking a couple of steps.

“By the way, Addy…”

“Yes?”

“Who was that bad-tempered lady earlier?”

“O-oh, that?” Addy, slightly annoyed, gritted his teeth and responded, “She’s Miss Pretta Oro Ricca Oro. A… friend of hers was killed and she thinks it’s the Bloated Murderer’s doing but the evidence suggests otherwise.”

“How can you be sure it’s not the same person?”

“Well, the victim was strangled and he had no trace of magic on his body. That’s all I can say.”

Arthur smiled and left with Evelyn thereafter. Although Addy provided them with a couple of useful pieces of information, it was below Arthur’s expectation.

Either Addy and his dead partner weren’t that good at their job or the Bloated Murderer was really good at hiding his tracks. Nevertheless, it was too early to make a judgment and now that he had an extra body to use, he might be able to force the killer to show up.

As they were making their way to a more populated district, Evelyn said,

“Master, since the killer thinks Ranvold is dead, would it not be possible to lure him out by showing ‘yourself’ in public?”

“Yes, we can do that. But, it’s too soon for that. Also, I have other things I’ve been meaning to do…”

“Such as?”

He looked at her while grinning, “Such as paying a lengthy visit to the library. I’m sure they have many interesting books.”

“Is it really the time for that, Master?”

“Considering our circumstances, when will it ever be the time? Since you don’t share my thirst for knowledge, why don’t you go check the crime scenes and wander on your own for a bit?”

“...”

The maid did not voice any agreement, however, after ‘escorting’ him to the Blackcrest Library, located at the center of the city, she politely bowed and went off on her own.

As for Arthur, he eagerly headed inside the three-story building and was welcomed by a young receptionist. Although he wasn’t that wealthy, he still had a decent sum of gold. Moreover, Evelyn kept the gold he handed to her back in Wilsden, and that amount was enough to buy a small house in Blackcrest, though that would be a huge waste since they were not planning to stay here indefinitely.

Unlike the shallow and lacking library of Wilsden, the one in Blackcrest housed thousands of books covering all manner of subjects, which was exactly what Arthur wanted.

Excluding his minor interest in random things like Geography and Magic, Arthur’s main objective was to find books or records mentioning the Parasite Race or the System.

In Astria, any person fond of reading must know a fair bit about History and the existence of other worlds and planets.

Arthur holed himself in the library, forgetting the passing of time and enjoying the peaceful silence and the thousands of books waiting to be read.

Meanwhile, Evelyn, after checking the documents provided by Addy, made her way to the first crime scene; It was adjacent to the slums of Blackcrest, right at the foot of the towering walls, precisely in a run-down area in which struggling commoners lived.

As she stopped at the recorded place and looked around, Evelyn noticed nothing worthy of suspicion. However, she stood there, motionless and eerily quiet.

Time crept by yet she refused to move, her eyes wandering around until she snorted and coldly said,

“Why don’t you reveal yourself?”

After a brief silence, a laugh echoed throughout the empty area, followed by the appearance of a man with long black hair and an eye-catching long scar across his jaw.

“As expected. I can never escape your senses, Evelyn.”

The man licked his lips and kept grinning at the maid, ogling her in an lecherous way.

“I have heard about what happened in Wilsden. Still, I thought you would head South, not here…”

Evelyn, expressionless and unperturbed, glared back at the man while retorting, “What I do has nothing does not concern you.”

“You know…” The man looked around then shrugged his shoulders, “I was doing something for my master and I happened to see an old acquaintance. Just like me, I’m sure he would be delighted to see you again.”

“...”

“Always with the cold shoulder… you wound my fragile heart, Evelyn. So, what’s it going to be? A friendly fight to celebrate our reunion or silent compliance?”

“I have no intention to work for anyone, Jack. Let’s pretend we never meet.”

Hearing this, Jack burst out in laughter as he pushed back his greasy long hair. “You know I can’t do that. You and I share a bloody past and, once he hears of your return, my master will spare no effort to recruit a talented person like you.”

Having had enough, Evelyn’s stance changed and her twin blades slid from her sleeves. She bent her body and shot at Jack, whose laugh became even louder as gauntlets appeared in his hands and clashed with the incoming blades.

“Just like old times, ehh?”

“Screw you, Jack.”

“Yes… yes! That’s more like you!”

There, in that secluded area at the foot of the city’s walls, a fight broke out between the maid and the man named Jack. His black and thick gauntlets would erupt in flames as they punched Evelyn’s swift and sharp blades, which were imbued with no magic but were nonetheless capable of literally cutting the flames.

Both were equipped with impressive speed and almost flawless dexterity, and, at first, they were evenly matched. However, as more time passed, Evelyn gained the upper hand and eventually emerged victorious.

She stood next to the fallen Jack, who was coughing blood and struggling to stand up. She pressed her foot against his chest and edged her blades close to his neck.

“You better keep your mouth shut, Jack. Don’t force my hand.”

“Hehehehe…”

He flashed his bloodied teeth at her and still continued to resist, thus forcing Evelyn to knock him out. Surprisingly, she did not finish him off and quietly left the scene. After all, she knew him quite well and, despite his eccentricity, was certain that he would not tell his master.