Gun of Ashes

Arthur didn’t want such a situation to come to pass; compared to clashing with humans, he preferred to destroy all the demons.

However, he didn’t have to act recklessly; he needed to be fully prepared, keeping that sharp blade forever in his hand without acting rashly.

”And then there are the emissaries from the Viking countries. They haven’t left and instead have stayed in Old Dunling, acting as a communication hub, and recently, another group of visitors from the Viking countries arrived.”

”Is that so?”

This intelligence does not impact the current situation much, but Arthur still liked to learn about it as it gave him a sense of control over the situation.

”But there’s something here that might give you a headache, something you might need to consider carefully.”

As the conversation drew to a close, Blue Jade’s face revealed a hint of a smile, more of a mischievous grin, as if watching a doomed person.

”What is it?”

Blue Jade took out a file from her bag.

”This was left on your desk today; I put it away for you, thinking now might be a good time for you to see it.”

”What is this?”

Arthur took the file, puzzled, and opened it.

”Resume.”

”Resume?”

Arthur stopped, confused as to why a resume was given to him, thinking it should be given to human resources. Hold on, does the Purification Mechanism have such a position?

”Yes, isn’t a resume needed for applying for a position?”

Blue Jade couldn’t hold back any longer, and under her eager gaze, Arthur took out the resume.

In front of him was a familiar black and white photo, followed by a familiar name, a familiar biography, and the position she wanted to apply for.

”Should I directly reject her?”

Blue Jade asked, surprisingly, this time Arthur didn’t show an expression of being infuriated but rather fell silent while looking at the resume.

Arthur didn’t rush to answer; looking at the resume, his memory involuntarily dragged him back to that despairing storm.

After surviving, every time Arthur recalled it all, he felt a bit unreal, as if he should have died there but was saved by one miracle after another.

He still remembered that crimson silhouette cutting through the rain; unknowingly, she had grown up, perhaps even outdoing Arthur.

”Let me think...”

Arthur pondered for a moment and then asked.

”Red Falcon is quite free now, right?”

”Yes, he has been tracking Lorenzo’s whereabouts but is currently on vacation,” Blue Jade replied.

Joey’s life or death remains unknown... No, accurately speaking, he’s dead. No one believed he could wake up clearly in that state, and with Joey’s ”death,” Red Falcon took over some of his work.

He was once a small hoodlum from the Lower City District and decisively joined the Purification Mechanism for employee accommodations and a decent retirement life. Having braved many storms, Red Falcon now counts as one of the main pillars, and with his outstanding performance during the storm, he might even replace Bola’s position in the future.

”Bring him back, let him lead Eve.”

”Oh... what?”

Blue Jade was about to destroy the resume but suddenly froze, looking at Arthur with disbelief, as if doubting her ears.

”What’s wrong?”

”It’s just... just...”

Blue Jade didn’t know what to say for a moment.

”Yes, I gave up; let her do what she wants to do, and besides, it’s a kind of motivation for me.”

Arthur didn’t look at Blue Jade’s absurd expression; he turned his head aside, gazing at the dim world outside the window; as the carriage moved forward, the light from the street lamps brushed across his face.

”Yes, fighting demons is a dangerous thing, but if they could all be killed, that threat would cease to exist, wouldn’t it? Just like she wanted to be a detective before; if all criminals could be caught, wouldn’t she, as a detective, be safe too?”

Arthur spoke such strange reasoning, but this was also reasoning he firmly believed.

Lorenzo was right; over the years, the Purification Mechanism had become increasingly clear on understanding demons, perhaps... perhaps this ancient curse would be broken in one’s hands? Even if not, being a witness to it all would be a great honor.

...

After sending away these women, Lorenzo looked back at the pile of commission slips, walked to the table, and casually picked up a few to glance at.

The job content varied wildly, like catching mistresses, poisoning husbands, stealing business intel from competitors, smoothing smuggling routes...

Wait, this was getting increasingly bizarre, wasn’t it?

The images of the women in Lorenzo’s mind suddenly became savage.

Lorenzo had done such work before, but now it seemed to be officially operational; Lorenzo felt at least he should do something bright, ethical, and lawful.

”Uh, this one, this one, and this one; it looks like I can’t do any of these.”

Lorenzo crumpled several commission slips filled with resentment and murderous intent into paper balls and tossed them into the trash can.

Fighting and killing are no good; now, he’s not a killer but a legitimate detective.

Suddenly, Lorenzo’s actions stopped, his peripheral vision drawn to something.

”Ma’am, the event has ended, aren’t you leaving?”

Lorenzo looked at the dark staircase; in shadowy darkness unperceivable to the ordinary person, it was not a problem for Lorenzo as a Demon Hunter.

He saw a woman cloaked in black standing there; she must have sneaked in with those women, but as they left, she remained here, seemingly to do something.

Upon being discovered by Lorenzo, she showed no panic, calmly stepping out of the shadows.

Her entire body was wrapped in black fabric, with a black veil covering her face; Lorenzo couldn’t see her appearance but could smell a chilling fragrance, distinct from the perfumes Lorenzo commonly encountered, impressively unique.

”Mr. Lorenzo Holmes.”

The woman spoke; Lorenzo had initially thought she would be a young lady but her voice sounded somewhat aged.

”I’ve heard you are quite professional and take on some ’dark’ jobs, right?”

Lorenzo looked at the woman cloaked in darkness; after a while, he displayed a cheeky smile, then sat back in his seat, saying to her.

”Ah... sounds like another killing job, am I right? I’m a detective, not a killer.”

Lorenzo suddenly felt bored; he thought the woman would share a sad story and then assign him a fascinating job, but now it seemed dull.

”No, it’s a locating task. A friend of mine has gone missing, and I hope you can find him.”

”Oh?”

Lorenzo’s expression slightly changed; it was hard to associate a locating job with ’darkness,’ prompting a sense of unease.

”Tell me about it.”

”You haven’t agreed yet, so I can’t disclose too much.”

”But if you don’t explain it clearly, how will I know what kind of work it is?”

Lorenzo appeared indifferent; although he complained about not having money to support his family, it was merely talk. Even without doing these strange commissions, Lorenzo could choose to extort Arthur, considering he had worked for the Purification Mechanism for so long, yet hasn’t received payment.

He liked intriguing work but hated troubling ones, especially those that veiled in secrecy.

”A friend of mine went missing in Gaulunaro...”

”Alright! Don’t say anything more!”

Lorenzo abruptly stopped her words, even standing up in agitation.

”Wha... what’s wrong?”

The woman was somewhat baffled, not understanding why Lorenzo was so worked up, more puzzled by his next words.

”I! Refuse!”