Reasons to Protect the Witch's Son

Three days before Elaine and Ash arrived, the first murder occurred in Killiard.

The deceased was a middle-aged man. At first, it was considered a simple homicide case and an investigation was launched by the National Security Guard. However, the very next day, four deaths occurred one after another, with a total of seven victims over three days.

On the second day, as the number of victims continued to rise, the security guard realized the seriousness of the situation and reported it to the Knights of Philres. Immediately after receiving the report, vice-captains Lowell and Hillarie mobilized knights to search the scenes of the incidents and strengthened the security of the territory, but they had not yet caught the culprit.

Ash, who heard about the situation from them, narrowed his eyes and tapped the armrest.

“A serial killer…”

He raised his eyebrows.

“Where did you say the 7th victim was found?”

“Thesis Street, close to the central square.”

“Let’s go there now.”

Ash got up from his chair and walked outside. Elaine quickly followed suit. Hilaire received his instructions and headed to the headquarters of the Knights, and Lowell guided Ash and Elaine.

They went straight to the scene of the incident where the seventh victim was found.

It was an alley near a shopping street. People were gathered, whispering on the side of the road in front of the alley. The security guard was controlling the traffic on the street to prevent people from approaching.

The three people passed through the crowd and approached the scene. The security guard, who recognized them, saluted and made way for them.

A dark, dirty alley. Farther in, out of the light, they saw a body covered in a white cloth. It was the seventh victim, believed to have been killed last night.

Elaine approached the body with Ash. Cold blood had dried on the ground and walls. Ash, crouching on one knee, half-lifted the cloth covering her body.

“This…”

He frowned at the sight of the body beneath the cloth. Elaine groaned under her breath.

The sight of the body was truly horrific. Not only was her abdomen brutally pierced, but her eyes were cruelly gouged out. A cold wind whistled through the gaping sockets.

Lowell spoke.

“This woman is believed to have died around 11 last night.”

According to reports, all the victims are believed to have been murdered late at night like this woman. Additionally, regardless of age or gender, all of the murdered bodies had missing body parts. Eye missing, scalp peeled off, etc.

As a result of the investigation, the parts missing from the bodies were unusual. Sometimes murderers get pleasure from revealing their existence by leaving similar traces on their victims. No one could understand their twisted reasoning, taking someone’s life wasn’t enough, they had to do such a cruel thing…

As Elaine stared at the corpse with a sullen face, Ash spoke, as he closely inspected the body.

“The eyeballs were removed with precision, too neat for the work an ordinary person.”

He glanced at the mangled hands and broken nails.

“Furthermore, it looks like there were signs of resistance, so she wasn’t killed instantly, yet no one heard her scream?”

Some of the victims were killed with a single blow, while others were killed slowly, as if they were being brutally tortured. They couldn’t say for certain about the former, but in the latter case, the victim would have screamed at least once. No one testified that they heard such a sound. Even in crowded alleys or busy streets. It’s like a rat or a bird killing a man and disappearing without anyone noticing.

Another strange thing is that multiple bodies were found distances that would take several hours to travel away from each other, but still murdered on the same day, around similar times. Considering that the method was the same, it seemed like it was the work of the same criminal, but it was as if it had been committed by several people on the same day in different locations.

The locations are widespread and leave no witnesses or traces. Even with the Philres Knights assistance, it would be difficult to catch the killer.

Ash slowly stood up and spoke.

“Anyway, we need to catch the culprit as quickly as possible. We can’t afford to have any more victims.”

Elaine nodded.

“Maybe he’ll kill again tonight.”

“If so, his target will be someone with unusual hair or eye color, so tonight, we’ll bait him and lure him in.”

“When you say bait…?”

He gave a calm answer Lowell’s question.

“If you don’t know where they will appear, shouldn’t you just make them come to you?”

While lurking around people with the target’s characteristics could be one way, there was a more obvious way.

“I also have unusual colored eyes. So, I-”

“I’ll be the bait.”

Ash’s expression hardened at the sudden voice he heard.

“…What?”

Elaine faced him.

“I also meet the conditions for being bait.”

Ash’s eye color was purple, which was rarer than any other color. She knew he would volunteer. But she also had some unusual features.

Although it was not of the same rarity as Ash’s eyes, silver hair was one of the more unique hair colors. Moreover, it was even rarer to have silver hair as light as hers.

“So, I can do it. There is no need for you to become bait…”

“No, I cannot allow it.”

“What?”

It was a firm answer that came out without a second thought. Elaine couldn’t help but question him. Why? She had the features to be the bait, and she had the power to deal with the killer if they came, so there was no reason to stop her…

When Elaine gave him a questioning look, he looked away and spoke a beat slower.

“…Aren’t you my bodyguard? What are you doing leaving my side?”

“I’m your guard, that’s even more of a reason for me to do it! If you plan to do something dangerous, it’s only right for me to do it in your place.”

She didn’t think Ash would get hurt, but she still hated the thought of him meeting such an unpleasant killer. It would be better for her to become the target and take care of it with her own hands.

However, Elaine did not realize that Ash also had similar thoughts. In the end, when neither side showed signs of backing down easily, Lowell, who had been watching, cautiously intervened.

“Well, then…”

At his call, Ash and Elaine turned to look at him questioningly. Scratching his chin thoughtfully, Lowell snapped his fingers as if he’d suddenly had an idea.

“If you both want to be bait, how about doing it like this?”

 

* * *

 

Night came, covering everything in a thick blanket of darkness. Under the moonlight that rose like a beacon, Elaine walked alone through the deserted streets and sighed lightly.

“I never thought of … this.”

To summarize, Lowell’s proposal was as follows.

The gist of it was simple. They didn’t know exactly where the culprit was going to come from, and it’s highly likely that there would be at least two people, and they may or may not be wizards or humans.

Therefore, the more bait, the better. Both Elaine and Ash become bait and wander the streets in different places, and when the culprit appeared, they would take him down on the spot.

Considering both of their skills, it was a way to increase probability and efficiency at the same time. There was no reason to object in order to catch the criminal, so in the end, they both agreed.

Tap, tap, tap

The sound of her footsteps landing on the quiet street could clearly be heard. Few people walked the streets at times when the killer might appear. The killer had his specific targets, but if someone were unlucky, they could become the exception, not the rule.

Instead of the general public, the only people walking the streets were guards and knights patrolling various places. Security was strengthened even more than before. Elaine deliberately walked away from the heavily guarded areas.

‘This way, they’ll feel more comfortable taking the bait.’

Elaine glanced down at the dress she was wearing.

A simple design with no lace and eye-catching bright colors. She wore it to look like a powerless ordinary civilian. By now, Ash must have been dressed plainly and been playing the role of bait as well.

In fact, in addition to those patrolling the streets, reinforcements were lurking everywhere. This was in preparation for any possibly dangerous situations. However, if they were too close, the criminal could sense them, so they stayed far away. Instead, in case of an emergency, they decided to fire a signal flare.

She straightened her disheveled skirt. The hem of her skirt, which fell below her knees, concealed a medium-length sword. Her light silver hair, deliberately exposed, flowed down her back. She walked down the deserted path along the vine-covered wall.

“…”

Then, a narrow alley surrounded by walls came into view. Suddenly, the image of the body she saw in the alley during the day came to mind.

A corpse with both eyes cruelly gouged out. The killer had done the same thing over and over again.

She didn’t know why he was repeating these horrifying acts. She didn’t need to know, nor did she want to know, what the killer’s thoughts were. What she did know was that they must not be allowed to continue their horrific killing spree.

Above all, she had no intention of letting such a cruel bastard run wild in the land ruled by Ash.

When she passed by the front of a dark alley, in the cool night air, something eerie flew up behind her.

Kaang-!

Elaine reflexively drew her sword and deflected the onslaught of attacks. A sharp sound ripped through the air. She had a hunch; her intuition was telling her something.

‘This is him.’

The murderer who took the lives of 7 people in just 3 days. This time, he appeared here to shed more blood. But she would soon make them regret appearing in front of her.

Elaine’s expression hardened, her blade glowed coolly in her hand. She approached them rapidly. Her sword swung wide as she cut through the cold air. And once again, the blades clashed.

“…!”

An agile movement and the power to smoothly defend against her attack was too strong to be human. The opponent’s blade flashed pale under the moonlight. No, they were long, black nails that were as sharp as a blade.

She was so close that she could touch them if she stretched out her arm. The killer’s face emerged from the shadows, into the moonlight. Elaine’s eyes widened when she saw that face.

“You…!”